PERC 2025 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment |
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| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Abstract: | Physics education often omits students whose cultural experiences are not reflected in traditional instruction and assessment practices. Limited research has explored how students use their cultural resources to make sense of physics concepts. This pilot study examines how students in a general physics 2 class respond to qualitative, open-ended formative assessments designed to elicit culturally grounded explanations related to capacitance, electric field, and power. We examined (1) what cultural resources students draw upon and (2) how these resources support their epistemologies and physics sensemaking. Findings revealed students frequently drew on everyday analogies, personal narratives, and cultural tools to explain phenomena. Their reasoning reflected diverse epistemologies, including experiential, relational, and narrative modes. This study demonstrates the potential of developing formative assessments to reveal the full range of students' intellectual resources. Implications include new directions for enhancing assessment approaches in physics education that center on broadening learners' and value students' cultural knowledge. |
| Session Time: | Poster Session A |
| Poster Number: | A-45 |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Clausell Mathis Michigan State Unviersity Lansing, MI 48911 Phone: 3212743323 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Hiba Assi (she/her) Ian Neuhart (he/him) John Kelly (he/him) Syed Hassaan Azam (he/him) |
