Skills in problem solving, including finding and applying the appropriate knowledge to a problem, are important learning outcomes from the completion of a Physics degree at University. This thesis investigates the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful novice University students solving problems in Physics in various contexts. Gaining an insight into student behaviour can clarify areas of weakness and potentially provide research based instructional strategies in these contexts. Access to external information during problem solving, such as the Internet, is becoming an increasingly relevant research area, as students use resources for homework questions and then in employment after University. Three chapters (Chapters 3-5) investigate individual novice problem solving with and without resources, such as a textbook. Participants were from introductory years one and two of Undergraduate study at University. The results from this chapter show successful and unsuccessful approaches by students to multi-step problems. One notable result is that unsuccessful students demonstrated an inability to apply the appropriate physics concepts, with or without the availability of resources. These results have implications for the skills required in closed and open-book exams. Three chapters of the thesis focus on the analysis of Peer Instruction (Chapters 6-8), an instructional method designed to improve conceptual understanding. Peer Instruction was used with a first year Introductory University class. Technical word use was not associated with success on Peer Instruction questions. Conversations were also analysed qualitatively. The results reflect diversity in reasoning regardless of correctness on the question. Some recommendations for the implementation of Peer Instruction are presented. The thesis is organised as follows. A literature review was conducted in relevant areas of study and is presented to set the context of the work. Three chapters report the study with novice individuals solving multi-step problems with and without resources. Three further chapters investigate successful and unsuccessful Peer Instruction discussions in Physics. The final results chapter (Chapter 9) presents a study of a group of experts solving physics problems. Overall successful and unsuccessful problem solving strategies were compared, as well as preliminary comparisons between expert and novice behaviour when solving physics problems.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Chicago, 1937. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1959. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Chicago, 1937. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Research has been undertaken to obtain a thorough understanding of the existence and degree of gender disparity in students' participation and performance in introductory university physics courses at the University of Edinburgh. The research on this topic has focused on three main subject areas: the proportion of male and female students enrolled in undergraduate physics courses and their reasons for choosing to study this subject, gender differences in student performance and, Finally, how students' attitudes and beliefs towards studying physics change after a period of instruction. Gaining an insight into students' attitudes towards studying and learning physics, as well as their conceptual understanding of the topics being assessed, can draw attention to potential areas of weakness which can be targeted in future teaching. This thesis comprises a comprehensive review of the current situation surrounding male and female participation in the undergraduate physics degree programme at the University of Edinburgh in comparison to other STEM subjects, as well as a description of factors potentially influencing the gender performance in physics. With respect to student performance, conceptual understanding tests have been used as evaluation tools to measure the effectiveness of introducing interactive engagement, such as Peer Instruction, into teaching environments in order to improve student performance, as well as a means by which male and female learning gains could be compared. Results indicate that female students show a lower level of conceptual understanding of Newtonian Mechanics than male students when entering the degree programme, and that this gender difference remains after a period of instruction. Qualitative interviews highlight the preconceptions of first year undergraduate physics students with regards to Newtonian concepts of force and motion and demonstrate the range of misconceptions held by both male and female students. The research presented here compares male and female performance on different forms of assessment; coursework, laboratory assessments, examinations and peer instruction in-lecture questions. Results indicate that while examination scores show no distinct gender trends, female students show consistently higher coursework scores compared to males across physics, chemistry and biology first year courses. Analysis of Peer Instruction questions implemented in the introductory physics lectures suggest that such teaching methodologies have had an overall positive effect on class performance, although there is evidence that differences exist between male and female performance on individual questions. Students' attitudes towards learning physics have been measured at under- graduate level in order to evaluate the level of 'expert-like' thinking of first year undergraduate students. One notable finding of this study has been the lack of decline in the `expert-like' thinking after a semester of teaching in recent years, where previously a decline had been witnessed in this expert-like thinking. This result coincides with a change in the format of lectures to a 'flipped- classroom' approach and may have implications for the introduction of new teaching methods. As well as focusing on the progression of undergraduate students' attitudes, this study has evaluated UK academics' attitudes towards physics. This has enabled a UK level of `expert-like' thinking to be established, with gender differences between male and female academics identified. Students' opinions of the transferable skills gained and their experiences during their degree programme are discussed. Each of the gender topics discussed in this thesis has provided a deeper insight into gender differences in student attainment at undergraduate level which could have implications for the further improvement of future courses.

This thesis explores the use of complexity theory in Physics Education Research as a way to examine the issue of student retention (a university’s ability to retain its students). University physics education is viewed through the concepts of nestedness and networked interactions. The work presented in this thesis covers two main aspects from a complexity theory perspective: (1) institutional action to enhance student retention; and, (2) the role of students’ in-course interaction networks. These aspects are used to reframe student retention from a complexity theory perspective, as well as to explore what implications this new perspective affords. The first aspect is addressed by conceptualizing student retention as an emergent phenomenon caused by both agent and component interaction within a complex system. A methodology is developed to illustrate a networked visualization of such a system using contemporary estimation methods. Identified limitations are discussed. To exemplify the use of simulations of complex systems, the networked system created is used to build a simulation of an “ideal” university system as well as a Virtual world for hypothesis-testing. The second aspect is divided into two sections: Firstly, an analysis of processes relating to how students’ in-course networks are created is undertaken. These networks are divided into two relevant components for student retention – the social and the academic. Analysis of these two components of the networks shows that the formation of the networks is not a result of random processes and is thus framed as a function of the core constructs of student retention research – the social and academic systems. Secondly, a case is made that students’ structural positions in the social and academic networks can be related to their grade achievement in the course.

The underrepresentation of women in physics has been well documented and a source of concern for both policy makers and educators. My dissertation focuses on understanding the role self-efficacy plays in retaining students, particularly women, in introductory physics. I use an explanatory mixed methods approach to first investigate quantitatively the influence of self-efficacy in predicting success and then to qualitatively explore the development of self-efficacy. In the initial quantitative studies, I explore the utility of self-efficacy in predicting the success of introductory physics students, both women and men. Results indicate that self-efficacy is a significant predictor of success for all students. I then disaggregate the data to examine how self-efficacy develops differently for women and men in the introductory physics course. Results show women rely on different sources of self-efficacy than do men, and that a particular instructional environment, Modeling Instruction, has a positive impact on these sources of self-efficacy. In the qualitative phase of the project, this dissertation focuses on the development of self-efficacy. Using the qualitative tool of microanalysis, I introduce a methodology for understanding how self-efficacy develops moment-by-moment using the lens of self-efficacy opportunities. I then use the characterizations of self-efficacy opportunities to focus on a particular course environment and to identify and describe a mechanism by which Modeling Instruction impacts student self-efficacy. Results indicate that the emphasizing the development and deployment of models affords opportunities to impact self-efficacy. The findings of this dissertation indicate that introducing key elements into the classroom, such as cooperative group work, model development and deployment, and interaction with the instructor, create a mechanism by which instructors can impact the self-efficacy of their students. Results from this study indicate that creating a model to impact the retention rates of women in physics should include attending to self-efficacy and designing activities in the classroom that create self-efficacy opportunities.

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