Introductory College Physics Research Articles

Graphical Representations of Kinematical Concepts: A Comparison of Teaching Strategies

Student difficulties with kinematics concepts and their representations by linear graphs are well known. Several specific learning difficulties have been identified and reported, mainly from studies at the introductory university physics level.1–4 In this paper we investigate the effectiveness of active learning strategies versus traditional instruction on the development of student understanding of kinematical concepts, and their graphical representations, by high school students. We also examine the retention of acquired kinematic concepts and whether it might be affected by subsequent (traditional) instruction.

Focus on Software

Focus on Software

The impact of epistemology on learning: A case study from introductory physics

We discuss a case study of the influence of epistemology on learning for a student in an introductory college physics course. An analysis of videotaped class work, written work, and interviews indicates that many of the student’s difficulties were epistemological in nature. Our primary goals are to show instructors and curriculum developers that a student’s personal epistemological stance—her ideas about knowledge and learning—can have a direct, causal influence on her learning of physics, and to describe a mechanism for this interaction. This influence exists even when research-based curriculum materials provide implicit epistemological support. For this reason, curriculum materials and teaching techniques could become more effective by explicitly attending to students’ epistemologies.

Investigation of students’ reasoning regarding heat, work, and the first law of thermodynamics in an introductory calculus-based general physics course

Students in an introductory university physics course were found to share many substantial difficulties related to learning fundamental topics in thermal physics. Responses to written questions by 653 students in three separate courses were consistent with the results of detailed individual interviews with 32 students in a fourth course. Although most students seemed to acquire a reasonable grasp of the state-function concept, it was found that there was a widespread and persistent tendency to improperly over-generalize this concept to apply to both work and heat. A large majority of interviewed students thought that net work done or net heat absorbed by a system undergoing a cyclic process must be zero, and only 20% or fewer were able to make effective use of the first law of thermodynamics even after instruction. Students’ difficulties seemed to stem in part from the fact that heat, work, and internal energy share the same units. The results were consistent with those of previously published studies of students in the U.S. and Europe, but portray a pervasiveness of confusion regarding process-dependent quantities that has been previously unreported. Significant enhancements of current standard instruction may be required for students to master basic thermodynamic concepts.

A Simple Apparatus for Optical Polarization Experiments

The phenomenon of polarization is usually covered, although very briefly, in most introductory college and high school physics classes. Experiments such as Malus's law are often performed with inexpensive linear polarization filters or lenses from polarized sunglasses. Investigations of more complex forms of polarization, using retarders such as quarter-wave plates (QWPs) and half-wave plates (HWPs), are often omitted because the acquisition of equipment necessary for multiple setups can be cost-prohibitive. We present here a simple rotational apparatus for accurate polarization measurements and applications using inexpensive substitutes of QWP and HWP for use with common laser wavelengths.

Contemporary physics and the limits of knowledge

An elegant read for anyone interested in understanding modern physics. Tavel has a genuine knack for making the difficult and obscure clear and exciting. --Joseph C. Pitt, author of Thinking about Technology You will never look at scientific theories in the same way again. --John Hubiscz, North Carolina State University Introductory physics is not often a popular class among liberal arts majors. With its lively prose and analogies from the arts, humanities, and social sciences, however, Contemporary Physics and the Limits of Knowledge is guaranteed to enlighten and delight nonscience majors. Morton Tavel contends that every one of the six topics that he explores--symmetry, special and general relativity, statistical physics, quantum mechanics, and chaos--has played a role in telling us what we are unable to know about the physical world. He explains what each of the topics reveals about our attempts to pinpoint reality, and how each scientific revelation forces us to acknowledge a narrowing rather than a broadening of our knowledge. Chaos theory, for example, reveals a way to understand the randomness that seems so prevalent in natural phenomena such as weather. This development unifies our understanding of many phenomena that had been previously thought unrelated. Yet, chaos represents a significant diminution in what we can hope to predict about the course of natural events. It has increased our knowledge or understanding of a phenomena, but has seriously eroded our long-held, Newtonian vision of prediction and control. Tavel emphasizes the features of physics that make it a very human endeavor and serve to build bridges to all other intellectual disciplicnes. Morton Tavel is a professor of physics at Vassar College.

Robert A. Millikan Award Lecture (July 2001): Can “descriptive” end with “A”?

Recent reports on science achievement in the United States reveal that much work remains to be done if our students are to be competitive with those of other countries. Although the reports focus on K–12 teaching and learning, the picture they paint has a graphic message for the introductory college physics course as well. I cite sample responses to the problem and call on teachers to formulate their own. I single out a particularly troubling level of intellectual development and consider it in some detail.

Transforming the lecture-hall environment: The fully interactive physics lecture

Numerous reports suggest that learning gains in introductory university physics courses may be increased by “active-learning” instructional methods. These methods engender greater mental engagement and more extensive student–student and student–instructor interaction than does a typical lecture class. It is particularly challenging to transfer these methodologies to the large-enrollment lecture hall. We report on seven years of development and testing of a variant of Peer Instruction as pioneered by Mazur that aims at achieving virtually continuous instructor–student interaction through a “fully interactive” physics lecture. This method is most clearly distinguished by instructor–student dialogues that closely resemble one-on-one instruction. We present and analyze a detailed example of such classroom dialogues, and describe the format, procedures, and curricular materials required for creating the desired lecture-room environment. We also discuss a variety of assessment data that indicate strong gains in student learning, consistent with other researchers. We conclude that interactive-lecture methods in physics instruction are practical, effective, and amenable to widespread implementation.

Using demonstrations as a contextual road map: Enhancing course continuity and promoting active engagement in introductory college physics

We present a series of standard demonstrations as examples of activities that can be used to introduce multiple concepts and tie different sections of the introductory physics course together. These demonstrations can serve as the context through which concepts for a section of the course can be discussed. The demonstrations are simple enough that student volunteers from the class can do them. Students are asked to predict the outcome of parts of the demonstration and participate in discussion of the demonstration as it is being presented. This interactive approach helps to promote active engagement. The first semester introductory physics course is divided into 6 sections and a demonstration is presented which is used to introduce most of the new concepts of that section. Understanding of the demonstration is used as a goal in studying the chapters during that section of the course. At the end of the section the demonstration is repeated to review the concepts learned and then to introduce some of the concepts of the new section. A new demonstration is then used to further introduce the concepts of the new section. This activity is repeated for each new section of the course. This work is part of an NSF sponsored program where we sought to change the classroom environment for women and minorities and to attempt to more actively engage all students. Through these as well as other classroom changes we attempt to raise students' confidence levels and improve attitudes about science through increased engagement. Our overall approach is to change the structure of the course by introducing a few activities at a time and not disrupt the lecture format significantly. Our project was evaluated by in-class observation of student interaction and the results were compared to observations in conventionally taught introductory physics courses. Our demonstration approach contributes to changes in classroom dynamics by stimulating student engagement and encouraging inclusivity.

Gender differences in introductory undergraduate physics performance: University physics versus college physics in the USA

Efforts to ameliorate gender disparity in pursuit of science careers in the USA have focused on equalizing girls' participation in pre-college science courses and out-of-school activities. Our examination of nearly 1500 US college students at 16 universities found that gender and preparation both have an impact on success in introductory college physics courses. In terminal, algebra-based physics females perform better than their male classmates. However, in calculus based introductory college physics courses, which are prerequisite to advanced study in many fields, women do significantly worse than their male counterparts with the same background. For both genders, taking a high school course that limits coverage and concentrates more time in in-depth study is associated with better performance in college physics. We conclude that efforts to ensure the success of women entering the physical sciences should concentrate on increasing the depth and reducing the vast coverage of most high school physics courses as well as addressing the apparent bias in college courses that mark the first step in careers within scientific research and engineering.

Success in introductory college physics: The role of high school preparation

Success in introductory college physics: The role of high school preparation

Multiple representations of work–energy processes

An energy process can be represented by verbal, pictorial, bar chart, and mathematical representations. This multiple-representation method for work–energy processes has been introduced and used in the work–energy part of introductory college physics courses. Assessment indicates that the method, especially the qualitative work–energy bar charts, serves as a useful visual tool to help students understand work–energy concepts and to solve related problems. This paper reports how the method has been used to teach work–energy concepts, student attitudes toward this approach, and their performance on work–energy problems.

Success in introductory college physics: The role of high school preparation

High school teachers and college physics professors differ in their beliefs concerning the extent to which a high school physics course prepares students for college physics success. In this study of 1,933 introductory college physics students, demographic and schooling factors account for a large fraction of the variation in college physics grades at 18 colleges and universities from around the nation. Controlling for student backgrounds, taking a high school physics course has a modestly positive relationship with the grade earned in introductory college physics. More rigorous preparation, including calculus and 2 years of high school physics, predicts higher grades. Students who had high school courses that spent more time on fewer topics, concepts, problems, and labs performed much better in college than those who raced through more content in a textbook-centered course. College professors should recognize that a substantial fraction of the variation observed in the performance of students they teach can be explained by the range in effectiveness of their pre-college preparation, not simply innate ability. Although students without a high school physics course often do well in college physics, they are more likely to be academically stronger, with more educated parents, having previously taken calculus, and taking physics in their sophomore or junior year in college. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed85:111–136, 2001.

How to teach statistical thermal physics in an introductory physics course

We report on several simulation programs (available through http://phys.snu.ac.kr/howto/ or http://phya.snu.ac.kr/∼kclee/howto/) which can be used to teach the statistical foundations of thermal physics in introductory college physics courses. These programs are simple applications of a technique for generating random configurations of many dice with a fixed total value. By merely simulating dice throwing we can demonstrate all the important principles of classical thermodynamics.

Inquiry experiences as a lecture supplement for preservice elementary teachers and general education students

The study reported here was designed to substantiate the findings of previous research on the use of inquiry-based laboratory activities in introductory college physics courses. The authors sought to determine whether limited use of inquiry activities as a supplement to a traditional lecture and demonstration curriculum would improve student achievement in introductory classes for preservice teachers and general education students. Achievement was measured by responses to problems designed to test conceptual understanding as well as overall course grades. We analyzed the effect on selected student outcome measures in a preliminary study in which some students engaged in inquiry activities and others did not, and interviewed students about their perceptions of the inquiry activities. In the preliminary study, preservice elementary teachers and female students showed significantly higher achievement after engaging such activities, but only on exam questions relating directly to the material covered in the exercises. In a second study we used a common exam problem to compare the performance of students who had engaged in a revised version of the inquiry activities with the performance of students in algebra and calculus-based classes. The students who had engaged in inquiry investigations significantly outperformed the other students.

Experiment problems for electricity and magnetism

We describe problems for electricity and magnetism that are presented in the form of experiments—called experiment problems. The problems can be used in lectures or in laboratories in introductory high school and college physics courses that emphasize quantitative problem solving.

Semantics in teaching introductory physics

One reason that many able students find introductory college physics difficult is the way language is used in this course. The large vocabulary we use for precise purposes in physics contains many words which have related, but potentially confusing meanings in everyday usage. A surprising number of other words we use frequently are not used consistently in the language of introductory textbooks. Even our statements of important and well-established principles like Newton’s laws of motion are inconsistent. I analyze the treatment of Newton’s laws of motion in several well-known introductory textbooks for evidence of such problems. A series of suggestions for ways of reducing these difficulties concludes the paper.

Beating the System: Course Structure and Student Strategies in a Traditional Introductory Undergraduate Physics Course for Nonmajors

The purpose of this study was to describe relationships among instructor and student goals, course design, and student strategies for learning physics in a traditional introductory undergraduate physics course for nonmajors. The procedures included 16 hours ofnonparticipant observation, during which detailed field notes and photographs were taken and documents were collected. Audiotaped open‐ended interviews were given to instructors and students, and all students participated in a limited survey. The data were analyzed using qualitative methods of the Chicago School. Results indicated that both differing goals of students and instructors and the structure of the course inhibited the understanding of physics and were conducive to students engaging in unexpected behaviors designed to help them successfully pass the course. The consequences of the structure of the course and subsequent student behaviors inhibited their understanding and appreciation of physics and deterred them from enrolling in further science courses. The paper includes implications for teaching introductory college physics.

Student expectations in introductory physics

Students’ understanding of what science is about, how it is done, and their expectations as to what goes on in a science course, can play a powerful role in what they get out of introductory college physics. In this paper, we describe the Maryland Physics Expectations survey; a 34-item Likert-scale (agree–disagree) survey that probes student attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions about physics. We report on the results of pre- and post-instruction delivery of this survey to 1500 students in introductory calculus-based physics at six colleges and universities. We note a large gap between the expectations of experts and novices and observe a tendency for student expectations to deteriorate rather than improve as a result of the first term of introductory calculus-based physics.

The Introductory University Physics Project 1987–1995: What has it accomplished?

In 1987, one of us (JSR) challenged the physics teaching community to examine the content of the typical introductory, calculus-based, university physics course, with an eye to meshing that content with the contemporary knowledge, level of understanding, and relative importance of the various topics in the field, and to draw upon results of the many efforts to improve that course which have been carried out over the previous 30 years. The consequence of that call to arms was the Introductory University Physics Project (IUPP). This Project, supported by the National Science Foundation over the period 1987–1995, convened several conferences during the years 1987–90 to study how to bring about the desirable changes it envisioned. The Project Steering Committee then organized the conduct and evaluation of classroom trials of four alternate course models during the academic years 1991–92 and 1992–93, at nine different colleges or universities. This report is directed to the question, “What has the IUPP accomplished?” As we shall report, the accomplishments fall into two categories. (1) As a result of the Project conferences, of frequent reports at appropriate national meetings, and reports of the course trials, many individual physics teachers have instituted small or large changes in the content and style of their courses. (2) Evaluation results from the 1991–93 trials demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of giving thematic coherence to a course structure (one of the IUPP goals), and demonstrated the feasibility of a substantial exposure to quantum physics in the introductory course. We expect textbooks based on several of the IUPP course models to be published within the next several years. In addition to studying ways to further the central goals of the Project (more contemporary physics, a less-packed list of topics, a visible theme or “story line”), study of the evaluation materials from the 1991–93 trials yielded a substantial amount of information relevant to all physics instruction at the introductory level. This information came in areas such as effective use of the introductory laboratory, strengths and pitfalls of computer use in introductory courses, and the importance of helping students most usefully allocate the time they have available for physics.