PERC 2019 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | A new approach for uncovering student resources with multiple-choice questions |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | The traditional approach to studying student understanding presents a question and uses the student's answer to make inferences about their knowledge. However, this method doesn't capture the range of possible alternative ideas available to students. We use a new approach, asking students to generate a plausible explanation for every choice of a multiple-choice question, to capture the range of explanations that students can generate. Asking 16 students to provide explanations for all options of a multiple-choice question revealed alternative possibilities for student thinking that wouldn't have been captured if they only provided one solution. The findings show two ways these alternatives can be productive for learning physics: (i) even students who choose the wrong answer can generate the correct explanation and (ii) many incorrect explanations contained elements of correct physical reasoning. We discuss the instructional implications of this multiple-choice questioning approach and of students' alternative ideas. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session I |
| Poster Number: | A42 |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Nolan K. Weinlader University of Pittsburgh |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Eric Kuo - University of Pittsburgh Timothy J. Nokes-Malach - University of Pittsburgh Benjamin M. Rottman - University of Pittsburgh |
Contributed Poster | |
| Contributed Poster: | Download the Contributed Poster |
