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ERIC Number: EJ1249332
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2469-9896
EISSN: N/A
Dynamic Conceptual Blending Analysis to Model Student Reasoning Processes While Integrating Mathematics and Physics: A Case Study in the Context of the Heat Equation
Van den Eynde, Sofie; Schermerhorn, Benjamin P.; Deprez, Johan; Goedhart, Martin; Thompson, John R.; De Cock, Mieke
Physical Review Physics Education Research, v16 n1 Article 010114 Jan-Jun 2020
In recent years, there has been an increased interest in conceptual blending in physics and mathematics education research as a theoretical framework to study student reasoning. In this paper, we adapt the conceptual blending framework to construct a blending diagram that not only captures the product but also the process of student reasoning when they interpret a mathematical description of a physical system. We describe how to construct a dynamic blending diagram (DBD) and illustrate this using two cases from an interview study. In the interview, we asked pairs of undergraduate physics and mathematics students about the physical meaning of boundary conditions for the heat equation. The selected examples show different aspects of the DBD as an analysis method. We show that by using a DBD, we can judge the degree to which students integrate their understandings of mathematics and physics. The DBD also enables the reader to follow the line of reasoning of the students. Moreover, a DBD can be used to diagnose difficulties in student reasoning.
American Physical Society. One Physics Ellipse 4th Floor, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Tel: 301-209-3200; Fax: 301-209-0865; e-mail: assocpub@aps.org; Web site: http://prst-per.aps.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Belgium
Grant or Contract Numbers: PHY1405726; PHY1912087