ERIC Number: EJ1142774
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: N/A
When Procedures Discourage Insight: Epistemological Consequences of Prompting Novice Physics Students to Construct Force Diagrams
Kuo, Eric; Hallinen, Nicole R.; Conlin, Luke D.
International Journal of Science Education, v39 n7 p814-839 2017
One aim of school science instruction is to help students become adaptive problem solvers. Though successful at structuring novice problem solving, step-by-step problem-solving frameworks may also constrain students' thinking. This study utilises a paradigm established by Heckler [(2010). Some consequences of prompting novice physics students to construct force diagrams. "International Journal of Science Education," 32(14), 1829-1851] to test how cuing the first step in a standard framework affects undergraduate students' approaches and evaluation of solutions in physics problem solving. Specifically, prompting the construction of a standard diagram before problem solving increases the use of standard procedures, decreasing the use of a conceptual shortcut. Providing a diagram prompt also lowers students' ratings of informal approaches to similar problems. These results suggest that reminding students to follow typical problem-solving frameworks limits their views of what counts as good problem solving.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Physics, Epistemology, Problem Solving, Undergraduate Students, College Science, Teaching Methods, Prompting, Scientific Concepts, Student Attitudes, Student Surveys, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, Comparative Analysis, Coding, Visual Aids, Correlation, Grades (Scholastic)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B150014