Presented here is a case study of the problem-solving behaviors of upper-division
undergraduate physics majors. This study explores the role of visual
representations in students' problem solving and provides a foundation for
investigating how students' use of visualization changes in the upper-division
physics major. Three independent studies were conducted on similar samples of
students. At the time of these studies, all of the subjects were junior physics majors
participating in the Paradigms in Physics curriculum at Oregon State University. In
the first study, we found that while all students had high scores on the Purdue
Spatial Visualization Test, the correlation between test scores and their grades in
physics was not statistically significant. In the second study (N=5) and the third
study (N=15), we conducted think-aloud interviews in which students solved
electrostatics problems. Based on the interviews in the third study, we develop a
model that describes the process by which students construct knowledge while
solving the interview problems. We then use this model as a framework to propose
hypotheses about students' problem-solving behavior. In addition, we identify
several difficulties students have with the concepts of electric field and flux. In
particular, we describe student difficulties that arise from confusing the vector and
field line representations of electric field. Finally, we suggest some teaching
strategies that may help to assuage the student difficulties we observed. / Graduation date: 2002
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/29714 |
| Date | 01 August 2001 |
| Creators | Browne, Kerry P. |
| Contributors | Manogue, Corinne A. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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