July 13–17, 2013
69
Monday afternoon
PST1C18: 9:15-10 p.m. Student Reasoning Using
Combinations of Resources
Poster – AJ Richards, Rutgers University, 136 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscat-
away, NJ 08854;
Darrick C. Jones, Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University
We use the framework of resources to investigate how students construct
understanding of a complex modern physics topic. Specifically, we are
investigating how students combine multiple resources as they reason
about a solar cell. We recorded preservice physics teachers learning about
solar cells, analyzed their interactions, and studied how they activated and
combined resources. Our analysis shows us that certain combinations of
resources can dramatically improve students’ understanding and insight.
This poster will reveal these combinations and discuss possible implica-
tions for instruction.
PST1C19: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Using the Interrogation Method to
Help Students Read Physics Textbooks
Poster – Robert C. Zisk, Rutgers University, 10 Seminary Pl., New Brunswick,
NJ 08901;
Elana M. Resnick, Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University
The interrogation method is a strategy that has been developed to help
students read and interpret science texts. In this method, students are
prompted to read a section of the text, and then answer why a sentence
from the text is true based on the reading. We have explored the use of this
method in an introductory physics course for non-physics science majors.
Students were required to respond to two to four interrogation sentences
each week on their homework based on the sections there were reading
each week. Each exam then included three sentences for the students
to interrogate without the text. This poster will outline the evolution of
student responses throughout the semester, as well as the relation between
homework responses, responses on similar exam questions and overall
course performance.
PST1C20: 9:15-10 p.m. An Abbreviated Force and Motion
Conceptual Evaluation (Japanese translated version)
Poster – Michi Ishimoto, Kochi University of Technology, Tosayamada-cho
Kami-shi, Kochi 780-0832, Japan;
An abbreviated version of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation
(FMCE) is created as a prototype to assess Japanese students’ understand-
ing of the concepts of motion. This abbreviated version includes 17 of the
47 questions that comprise the FMCE. These questions are selected based
on the results of the preconcept survey using the Japanese translated ver-
sion of the FMCE. The correlation coefficient of the abbreviated version
of the test and the single-number scores of the FMCE is 0.92. The purpose
of the abbreviated version is to shorten the testing time required so that
Japanese instructors can administer the test more easily. The abbreviated
version is useful in measuring gains, but its pre-test scores are too low to
differentiate students.
PST1C21: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Development of a Standardized
Fluids Assessment
Poster – D. J. Wagner, Grove City College, 100 Campus Drive, Grove City,
PA 16127;
Ashley Lindow, Grove City College
We are developing an FCI-style assessment covering hydrostatic topics
commonly included in introductory physics courses. Beta versions have
been sent to other institutions, and we are continuing to refine the assess-
ment. This poster will present the assessment, along with analysis of the
questions and plans for the future. We’re particularly interested in receiving
suggestions from other educators and in recruiting more beta-testers. Stop
by and chat!
PST1C22: 9:15-10 p.m. Exploring Student Reactions to a
Modified Force Concept Inventory
Poster – Wendy K. Adams, University of Nothern Colorado, Department of
Physics, Greeley, CO 80639;
Matthew Semak, Richard Dietz, Courtney Willis, University of Northern
Colorado
In our earlier work we conducted think-aloud interviews with students as
they grappled with questions on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Doing
so showed us that the difficulties they have with some questions have noth-
ing to do with their understanding of physics. These difficulties involve
diagrams, notations, and vocabulary that make perfect sense to physics
teachers but can easily confuse beginning students. We modified several
of the FCI questions to improve clarity and administered it to two sections
of introductory physics students. When compared to years of archival data
generated with the canonical FCI, student performance on the modified
questions showed a statistically significant difference. To investigate this
change we have conducted a new series of think-aloud interviews. Here we
present an overview of the insight afforded by the students’ perspective.
PST1C23: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Newton’s Second Law or Real
Forces?
Poster – Jennifer Blue, Miami University, 620 E Spring St., Oxford, OH
45056;
This presentation is a continuation of the presentation “Examining
Students’ Reservations about Forces” from the Winter 2013 meeting.
Students were asked to draw all the forces on both an accelerating car and
on a passenger riding in that car. Then they were asked to identify why the
car accelerated. As it turns out, these are hard questions. Students cannot
always think of the correct forces. In those cases, if they are motivated to
make Newton’s second law work, they might invent forces, or label things
as forces that are not actually forces (i.e. “motion,” “momentum,” “inertia”).
In other cases, the labeled forces are all interactions between two objects,
but students cannot then use Newton’s second law do explain why things
accelerate. This presentation will examine the conditions under which
students make these choices.
PST1C24: 9:15-10 p.m. Schlieren Imaging of Standing Sound
Waves in a Tube
Poster – Liang Zeng, The University of Texas-Pan American, Department of
Physics and Geology, Edinburg, TX 78539;
Isaac Choutapali, Linda Martinez, The University of Texas-Pan American
Students enrolled in introductory physics classes at a Hispanic Serving
Institution in South Texas have difficulty reasoning how air molecules
move in a pipe when sound standing waves are formed. The study was con-
ducted to visualize the sound standing waves through Schlieren imaging
technique. The technique utilizes a point light source to illuminate a long
acrylic tube. A speaker connected to a sine-wave generator sends periodic
sound waves down to the tube. Two concave mirrors are employed to
converge the refracted light to a CCD Camera through a space filter. The
videos and images of sound standing waves obtained in the experiment can
help students understand better how sound standing waves form and the
underlying physics of the phenomena.
PST1C25: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Scientific Reasoning and
Understanding of Graphs and Kinematics in Swedish
Algebra-based Courses
Poster – Markku Jaaskelainen, Dalarna University, Falun, SE 79188, Swe-
den;
Andreas Lagerkvist, Dalarna University
We present data from algebra-based physics at Dalarna University during
the 2012-2013 academic year. LCTSR was administered as pre-test, and
TUG-K was used as assessment half-way the course, after the relevant
sections on graphs and kinematics were covered. Both tests were translated
into Swedish to reduce misunderstandings in the testing situation. We
