Abstract
An appropriate diagram is a required element of a solution building process in physics problem solving and it can transform a given problem into a representation that is easier to exploit for solving the problem. A major focus while helping introductory physics students learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing diagrams facilitates problem solving. We conducted an investigation in which two different interventions were implemented during recitation quizzes throughout the semester in a large enrolment, algebra-based introductory physics course. Students were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We developed a rubric to score the problem solving performance of students in different intervention groups. We investigated two problems involving electric field and electric force and found that students who drew productive diagrams were more successful problem solvers and that a higher level of relevant detail in a student’s diagram corresponded to a better score. We also conducted think-aloud interviews with nine students who were at the time taking an equivalent introductory algebra-based physics course in order to gain insight into how drawing diagrams affects the problem solving process. These interviews supported some of the interpretations of the quantitative results. We end by discussing instructional implications of the findings.
Highlights
IntroductionIt is difficult for introductory students to associate the abstract concepts they study in physics with more concrete representations that facilitate understanding without an explicit instructional strategy aimed to aid them in this regard
Introductory physics is a challenging subject to learn
RQ1: How do the different interventions affect the frequency of students drawing productive diagrams?
Summary
It is difficult for introductory students to associate the abstract concepts they study in physics with more concrete representations that facilitate understanding without an explicit instructional strategy aimed to aid them in this regard. Since traditional courses, which generally do not emphasise multiple representations, lead to low gains on the Force Concept Inventory [9, 10] and on other assessments in the domain of electricity and magnetism [11, 12], in order to improve students’ understanding of physics concepts, many researchers have developed instructional strategies that place explicit emphasis on multiple representations [1, 5, 13, 14] while other researchers developed other strategies with implicit focus on multiple representations [6, 15,16,17,18,19]. Van Heuvelen’s approach [5], for example, starts by ensuring that students explore the qualitative nature of concepts by using a variety of representations of a concept in a familiar setting before adding the complexities of mathematics
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