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Selection and application of an appropriate equation is a key step in instructional problem-solving strategies. But what if one cannot exactly recall the relevant equation? We are currently investigating how coherence between physical and mathematical reasoning opens multiple solution pathways for qualitative physics problems. In one-on-one interviews, community college students, 4-year college undergraduates, and graduate students solved qualitative introductory-level E&amp;M questions. Analysis of 18 interviews showed that while many students had initial difficulty in recalling a relevant equation, they demonstrated strategies for making progress. We present two cases from the data corpus. One interviewee was unsure whether the time constant for an RC circuit is RC or 1/(RC) and sought coherence with qualitative reasoning to determine the correct expression. Another student switched to reasoning qualitatively from a physical model after noting that they could not recall a relevant equation. These examples show how mathematical and physical reasoning is opportunistically incorporated in students’ problem solving.

AAPT SM 21

Seeking coherence and switching reasoning after forgetting an equation

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reasoning

coherence

**Making Physics More Inclusive and Eliminating Exclusionary Practices in Physics**

As a gateway discipline to STEM majors and careers, physics plays a central role in deciding who does, and who doesn't, get to discover and pursue scientific careers. Technical and scientific professionals are rewarded with economic privilege and status which affords them both social and cultural power. Therefore, social justice will be realized only when the opportunity, and the choice, to excel in physics is open to all students. The culture and practices of the physics classroom reflect the culture of physics at large, which raises the question of how our professional physics communities can embrace, rather than inadvertently repel, a diverse group of academics that can help improve physics culture.  To this end, the 2021 Physics Education Research Conference will focus on defining inclusive spaces and practices. Additionally, we will explore strategies for eliminating exclusionary practices in our classrooms, research spaces, and professional organizations. We call on the community to propose sessions that will drive conversations related to these initiatives throughout PERC 2021.

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PERC SM 21

August 4, 2021 - August 5, 2021 in a Virtual Conference Format

Making Physics More Inclusive and Eliminating Exclusionary Practices in Physics

Selection and application of an appropriate equation is a key step in instructional problem-solving strategies. But what if one cannot exactly recall the relevant equation? We are currently investigating how coherence between physical and mathematical reasoning opens multiple solution pathways for qualitative physics problems. In one-on-one interviews, community college students, 4-year college undergraduates, and graduate students solved qualitative introductory-level E&M questions. Analysis of 18 interviews showed that while many students had initial difficulty in recalling a relevant equation, they demonstrated strategies for making progress. We present two cases from the data corpus. One interviewee was unsure whether the time constant for an RC circuit is RC or 1/(RC) and sought coherence with qualitative reasoning to determine the correct expression. Another student switched to reasoning qualitatively from a physical model after noting that they could not recall a relevant equation. These examples show how mathematical and physical reasoning is opportunistically incorporated in students’ problem solving.

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Research on self-efficacy -- or the confidence in one’s capability to perform a task -- has been shown to predict achievement and persistence in the sciences. Throughout a student’s experience in curricular and/or co-curricular activities, they may face threats to their self-efficacy. To investigate the threats or supports to students’ self-efficacy, we are using a mixed methods approach. This novel design creates a holistic narrative of which curricular and/or co-curricular activities are impacting a student’s self-efficacy as well as how and why these activities may be affecting their self-efficacy. We use a mixed methods approach to collect in-the-moment information about lived experiences. Quantitatively, we employ the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) using surveys of domain-specific self-efficacy. Qualitatively, we use daily reflections to investigate threats and supports toward students’ self-efficacy. Using an example, we will present the research design while focusing on building this conversation between the ESM and qualitative reflections.

Identifying Threats and Supports to Self-Efficacy Using Mixed Methods Research

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Student Engagement with Modeling in Multiweek Open-Ended Lab Projects

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Investigating Impact of Transfer Credits on Time-to-Degree using Regression Models

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Narrative Analysis of Two-Year College Transfer Student’s Experiences

Physics majors need context to improve their experiences with physics as a discipline and prepare them for a variety of impactful career paths. Yet, the majority of context-based physics learning comes from internships and research experiences that are not always available to all students. As part of the APS PIPELINE Network and Physics for Tomorrow initiatives, we examined students’ experiences with context-rich physics through internships, co-ops, and undergraduate research. We compared these with students’ perception of physics as it relates to their future career goals and career-relevant skills. Responses from 149 physics majors at 12 institutions were analyzed using descriptive quantitative methods for multiple select questions and emergent thematic qualitative approaches for open-ended questions. We offer considerations for the importance of context-rich physics experiences, as well as how to integrate these into lecture and lab coursework, so that context-based learning can become more accessible to all physics majors.

Preparing students for impactful careers through context-rich physics learning

In this talk, we qualitatively analyze physics majors’ identity development as they transfer from a community college to a four-year university. Students in the study attend a large, public four-year university in which a significant fraction of undergraduate physics majors are transfer students. Research participants had previously enrolled in a required 1-credit introduction to the physics major course designed to cultivate community and identity, as well as foster a broad set of physics-related skills. In one-on-one interviews, students discussed their academic and personal experiences before, during, and after their transition from community college to a four-year university. In this talk, we will discuss how their academic and personal experiences as well as their interactions with physics community members shaped their identity development as physics students. We then consider implications for building institutional supports for physics transfer students.

Research on Identity Development Among Physics Transfer Students

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Unpacking tensions in a pedagogical transition from lectures to modelling

We report on an investigation in which we compare the conceptual performance of upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, who worked on two different validated Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials (QuILTs). One of the QuILTs incorporates mathematical reasoning while focusing on helping students develop a good conceptual understanding of quantum optics using a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with single photons and polarizers. Performance of students who engaged with this “hybrid” (integrated conceptual and quantitative) QuILT is compared with those who engaged with a conceptual QuILT focusing on the same topics without quantitative tools. Both QuILTs use a guided inquiry-based approach to learning and are based on research on student difficulties in learning these challenging concepts as well as a cognitive task analysis from an expert perspective. We find that the posttest performance on conceptual questions of physics graduate students who engaged with the hybrid QuILT was generally better than those who engaged with the conceptual QuILT. For undergraduate students, the results were mixed.

Impact of mathematical rigor on students’ understanding of quantum optics

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Seeking coherence and switching reasoning after forgetting an equation