PERC 2018 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Documenting and characterizing differences in students’ epistemologies between classical and quantum physics. |
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| Abstract: | In previous work, we demonstrated the existence of differences between students' epistemologies (beliefs about knowing and learning) in classical and quantum physics. Here, we explore the pervasiveness of these "splits" using six bifurcated items from the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) distributed across ten courses and four institutions (N=571). Data comes from both lower and upper division quantum mechanics courses, with a variety of instructional and pedagogical contexts. Further, we explore why students answer questions differently about classical and quantum physics through examination of students' epistemological comparisons between classical and quantum physics, and through focused interviews of student groups comparing and contrasting knowledge and learning in quantum and classical physics. We find splits in all semesters surveyed. We show that most students differ in their beliefs differ regarding the nature of knowing in classical and quantum domains; additionally, they can develop sophisticated epistemologies for quantum physics that differ from their epistemologies for classical physics. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session I |
| Poster Number: | A35 |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Isaac Hanemann University of Colorado PER |
Contributed Poster | |
| Contributed Poster: | Download the Contributed Poster |
