Curricular Reforms that Improve Students’ Attitudes and Problem-Solving Performance
Abstract
We present the most recent steps undertaken to reform the introductory algebra-based course at The George Washington University. The reform sought to help students improve their problem-solving performance. Our pedagogy relies on didactic constructs such as the GW-ACCESS problem-solving protocol, instructional sequences and problem classification schemes that we have developed and implemented in our introductory physics course.
These tools were designed to help advance students in two specific ways: 1) to improve their problem-solving performance and 2) to improve their attitudes towards learning physics. We organized traditional and research-based physics problems such that students experienced a gradual increase in complexity related to problem context, problem features and cognitive processes needed to solve the problem. The instructional environment that we created is easily adaptable to any kind of curriculum and can be readily adjusted throughout the semester. To assess the students’ problem-solving performance, we created rubrics that assess key steps of physics problem solving. The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) was administered pre- and post-instruction to determine students’ shift in dispositions towards learning physics. The results show improvements in students’ problem-solving performance and in their attitudes towards learning physics.
References
Adams, W. K., Perkins, K. K., Podolefsky, N., Dubson, M., Finkelstein, N., & Wieman, C. E. (2006). A new instrument for measuring student beliefs about physics and learning physics: the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2(1), 010101.
Adams, W. & Wieman, C. (2006). Problem solving skill evaluation instrument. In Proceedings of the 2006 Physics Education Research Conference, Syracuse, NY.
AAAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993). Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Beatty, I. D. Gerace, W. J. L. & Dufresne, R. J. (2006). Designing effective questions for classroom response system teaching. Am. J. Phys., 74(1), 31.
Beichner, R. J., Saul, J. M., Abbott, D. S., Morse, J. J., Deardorff, D. L. Allain, ,R. J., Bonham, S. W., Dancy, M. H. & Risley, J. S. (2007). The Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) Project. In Research-Based Reform of University Physics, edited by E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney. American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD.
Brookhart, S. M. (1999). The Art and Science of Classroom Assessment: The Missing Part of Pedagogy. In ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report Vol. 27, No. 1, GWU GSEHD, Washington, DC.
Chi, M. T. H., Feltovici P. J. & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cog. Sci., 5(2), 121.
Crouch, C. H., Watkins, J., Fagen, A. P., & Mazur, E. (2007). Peer Instruction: Engaging Students One-on-One, All At Once. In Research-Based Reform of University Physics, edited by E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney. College Park, MD: American Association of Physics Teachers.
Cummings K. & Marx, J. D. (2010). Robust Beta-Test Data On An Assessment of Textbook Problem Solving Ability: An Argument For Right/Wrong Grading. In Proceedings of the 2010 Physics Education Research Conference, Portland, OR.
Cutnell, J. D. & Johnson, K. W. (2006). Physics. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Czujko, R. (1997). The Physics Bachelors as a Passport to the Workplace: Recent Research Results. In The Changing Role of Physics Departments in Modern Universities, edited by E. F. Redish and J. S. Ridgen. AIP Conference Proceedings, Woodbury, NY.
Docktor, J. (2009). Development and validation of a physics problem-solving assessment rubric. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Minnesota.
Elby, A. (2001). Helping physics students learn how to learn. Am. J. Phys., Physics Education Research Supplement, 69(7), S54-S64.
Etkina, E. & Van Heuvelen, A. (2007). Investigative Science Learning Environment - A Science Process Approach to Learning Physics. In Research-Based Reform of University Physics, edited by E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney. American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD.
Etkina, E., Van Heuvelen, A., White-Brahmia, S., Brookes, D. T., Gentile, M., Murthy, S., Rosengrant, D. & Warren, A. (2006). Scientific abilities and their assessment, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2(2), 020103.
Gerace, W. J. & Beatty, I. D. (2005). Teaching vs. Learning: Changing Perspectives on Problem Solving in Physics Education. Invited talk at the 9th Conference of the Cyprus Physics Association and Greek Physics Association, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Gerace, W. J. (2001). Problem Solving and Conceptual Understanding. In Proceedings of the 2001 Physics Education Research Conference, Rochester, NY.
Giambattista, A., Richardson, B., & Richardson, R. C. (2005). College Physics. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Giancoli, D. C. (2005). Physics: Principles with Applications, 6th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Halloun, I. & Hestenes, D. (1996). Views About Sciences Survey, ERIC Document No. ED394840.
Heller, P. & Heller, K. (1995). The Competent Problem Solver, a Strategy for Solving Physics Problems, calculus version. 2nd Ed., New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Heller, P. & Hollabaugh, M. (1992). Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups. Am. J. Phys. 60(7), 637. LON-CAPA, The Learning Online Network with Computer Assisted Personalized Approach, www.loncapa.org
Maloney, D. P. (1994). Research on problem solving. In Handbook of Research on Science Teaching and Learning, edited by D. L. Gabel. MacMillan, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Marzano, R. J. & Kendall, J. S. (2007). The New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mayer, R. E. & Wittrock, M. C. (2006). Problem Solving. In Handbook of Educational Psychology, edited by H. Alexander and R. Winnie, 2nd Ed. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Mayer, R. E. (1997). Incorporating Problem Solving into Secondary School Curricula. In Handbook of Academic Learning: Construction of knowledge, edited by G.D. Phye. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
McDermott, L. & The Physics Education Group of the University of Washington (1996). Physics by Inquiry. Volumes I & II. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
McDermott, L., Shaffer, P. & The University of Washington Physics Education Group. (2002). Tutorials in Introductory Physics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
McKagan, S. B., Perkins, K. K., & Wieman, C. (2006). Reforming a large lecture modern physics courses for engineering majors using PER-based design, In Proceedings of the 2006 Physics Education Research Conference, Syracuse, NY.
Mestre, J. P., Dufresne, R. J., Gerace, W. J. & Hardiman, P. T. (1993). Promoting skilled problem-solving behavior among beginning physics students. J. Res. Sci. Teach., 30(3), 303. NACE, National Association of Colleges and Employers publishes yearly the skills required by employers from new college graduates. The 2008 results are available in the Job Outlook 2008 Survey.
NRC, National Research Council (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Novak, G. M., Patterson, E. T., Gavrin, A. D., and Wolfgang, C. (1999). Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
O’Kuma, T. L., Maloney, D. P., & Hieggelke, C. J. (2000). Ranking Task Exercises in Physics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Perkins, K., Adams, W., Pollock, S., Finkelstein, N. & Wieman,, C. (2005). Correlating student beliefs with student learning using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey. In Proceedings of the 2004 Physics Education Research Conference, Sacramento, CA.
Polya, G. (1945). How to solve it. New York, NY: Doubleday.
Redish, E. F. (2003). Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Redish, E. F. (1994). The implications of cognitive studies for teaching physics. Am. J. Phys. 62(6), 796.
Redish, E.F. & Hammer, D. (2009). Reinventing college physics for biologists: Explicating an epistemological curriculum, Am. J. Phys. 77(7), 629.
Redish, E. F., Steinberg, R. N., Saul, J. M. (1998). Student expectations in introductory physics. Am. J. of Phys., 66(3), 212.
Reif, F., Larkin, J. H., & Brackett, G. C. (1976). Teaching general learning and problem-solving skills. Am. J. Phys., 44(3), 212.
Sabella, M. (1999). Using the context of physics problem solving to evaluate the coherence of student knowledge. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Maryland.
Sabella, M. & Redish, E. F. (2007). Knowledge organization and activation in physics problem solving. Am. J. of Phys. 75(11), 1017.
Serway, R. A., Faughn, J. S., Bennett, C. A., & Vuille, C. (2005). College Physics. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (1979). Can heuristics be taught?. In Cognitive Process Instruction, edited by J. Lochhead and J.J. Clement. Philadelphia, PA: Franklin Institute Press.
Teodorescu, R., Bennhold, C., Feldman, G. & Medsker, L. (2013). New approach to analyzing physics problems: A Taxonomy of Introductory Physics Problems. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 9(1), 010103.
Torigoe, E. & Gladding, G. (2007). Symbols: Weapons of Math Destruction. In Proceedings of the 2007 Physics Education Research Conference, Greensboro, NC.
Urone, P. P. (1998). College Physics. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Van Heuvelen, A. (1991). Learning to think like a physicist: A review of research-based instructional strategies. Am. J. Phys. 59(10), 891.
Van Heuvelen, A. (1991). Overview, case study physics. Am. J. Phys. 59(10), 898.
Van Heuvelen, A. & Etkina, E. (2006). The Physics Active Learning Guide. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Walker, J. S. (2004). Physics, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Wright, D. S. & Williams, C. D. (1986). A WISE strategy for introductory physics. The Phys. Teach. 24(4), 211.
Adams, W. & Wieman, C. (2006). Problem solving skill evaluation instrument. In Proceedings of the 2006 Physics Education Research Conference, Syracuse, NY.
AAAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science (1993). Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Beatty, I. D. Gerace, W. J. L. & Dufresne, R. J. (2006). Designing effective questions for classroom response system teaching. Am. J. Phys., 74(1), 31.
Beichner, R. J., Saul, J. M., Abbott, D. S., Morse, J. J., Deardorff, D. L. Allain, ,R. J., Bonham, S. W., Dancy, M. H. & Risley, J. S. (2007). The Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) Project. In Research-Based Reform of University Physics, edited by E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney. American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD.
Brookhart, S. M. (1999). The Art and Science of Classroom Assessment: The Missing Part of Pedagogy. In ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report Vol. 27, No. 1, GWU GSEHD, Washington, DC.
Chi, M. T. H., Feltovici P. J. & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cog. Sci., 5(2), 121.
Crouch, C. H., Watkins, J., Fagen, A. P., & Mazur, E. (2007). Peer Instruction: Engaging Students One-on-One, All At Once. In Research-Based Reform of University Physics, edited by E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney. College Park, MD: American Association of Physics Teachers.
Cummings K. & Marx, J. D. (2010). Robust Beta-Test Data On An Assessment of Textbook Problem Solving Ability: An Argument For Right/Wrong Grading. In Proceedings of the 2010 Physics Education Research Conference, Portland, OR.
Cutnell, J. D. & Johnson, K. W. (2006). Physics. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Czujko, R. (1997). The Physics Bachelors as a Passport to the Workplace: Recent Research Results. In The Changing Role of Physics Departments in Modern Universities, edited by E. F. Redish and J. S. Ridgen. AIP Conference Proceedings, Woodbury, NY.
Docktor, J. (2009). Development and validation of a physics problem-solving assessment rubric. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Minnesota.
Elby, A. (2001). Helping physics students learn how to learn. Am. J. Phys., Physics Education Research Supplement, 69(7), S54-S64.
Etkina, E. & Van Heuvelen, A. (2007). Investigative Science Learning Environment - A Science Process Approach to Learning Physics. In Research-Based Reform of University Physics, edited by E. F. Redish and P. J. Cooney. American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD.
Etkina, E., Van Heuvelen, A., White-Brahmia, S., Brookes, D. T., Gentile, M., Murthy, S., Rosengrant, D. & Warren, A. (2006). Scientific abilities and their assessment, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2(2), 020103.
Gerace, W. J. & Beatty, I. D. (2005). Teaching vs. Learning: Changing Perspectives on Problem Solving in Physics Education. Invited talk at the 9th Conference of the Cyprus Physics Association and Greek Physics Association, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Gerace, W. J. (2001). Problem Solving and Conceptual Understanding. In Proceedings of the 2001 Physics Education Research Conference, Rochester, NY.
Giambattista, A., Richardson, B., & Richardson, R. C. (2005). College Physics. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Giancoli, D. C. (2005). Physics: Principles with Applications, 6th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Halloun, I. & Hestenes, D. (1996). Views About Sciences Survey, ERIC Document No. ED394840.
Heller, P. & Heller, K. (1995). The Competent Problem Solver, a Strategy for Solving Physics Problems, calculus version. 2nd Ed., New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Heller, P. & Hollabaugh, M. (1992). Teaching problem solving through cooperative grouping. Part 2: Designing problems and structuring groups. Am. J. Phys. 60(7), 637. LON-CAPA, The Learning Online Network with Computer Assisted Personalized Approach, www.loncapa.org
Maloney, D. P. (1994). Research on problem solving. In Handbook of Research on Science Teaching and Learning, edited by D. L. Gabel. MacMillan, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Marzano, R. J. & Kendall, J. S. (2007). The New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mayer, R. E. & Wittrock, M. C. (2006). Problem Solving. In Handbook of Educational Psychology, edited by H. Alexander and R. Winnie, 2nd Ed. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Mayer, R. E. (1997). Incorporating Problem Solving into Secondary School Curricula. In Handbook of Academic Learning: Construction of knowledge, edited by G.D. Phye. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
McDermott, L. & The Physics Education Group of the University of Washington (1996). Physics by Inquiry. Volumes I & II. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
McDermott, L., Shaffer, P. & The University of Washington Physics Education Group. (2002). Tutorials in Introductory Physics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
McKagan, S. B., Perkins, K. K., & Wieman, C. (2006). Reforming a large lecture modern physics courses for engineering majors using PER-based design, In Proceedings of the 2006 Physics Education Research Conference, Syracuse, NY.
Mestre, J. P., Dufresne, R. J., Gerace, W. J. & Hardiman, P. T. (1993). Promoting skilled problem-solving behavior among beginning physics students. J. Res. Sci. Teach., 30(3), 303. NACE, National Association of Colleges and Employers publishes yearly the skills required by employers from new college graduates. The 2008 results are available in the Job Outlook 2008 Survey.
NRC, National Research Council (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Novak, G. M., Patterson, E. T., Gavrin, A. D., and Wolfgang, C. (1999). Just-in-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
O’Kuma, T. L., Maloney, D. P., & Hieggelke, C. J. (2000). Ranking Task Exercises in Physics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Perkins, K., Adams, W., Pollock, S., Finkelstein, N. & Wieman,, C. (2005). Correlating student beliefs with student learning using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey. In Proceedings of the 2004 Physics Education Research Conference, Sacramento, CA.
Polya, G. (1945). How to solve it. New York, NY: Doubleday.
Redish, E. F. (2003). Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Redish, E. F. (1994). The implications of cognitive studies for teaching physics. Am. J. Phys. 62(6), 796.
Redish, E.F. & Hammer, D. (2009). Reinventing college physics for biologists: Explicating an epistemological curriculum, Am. J. Phys. 77(7), 629.
Redish, E. F., Steinberg, R. N., Saul, J. M. (1998). Student expectations in introductory physics. Am. J. of Phys., 66(3), 212.
Reif, F., Larkin, J. H., & Brackett, G. C. (1976). Teaching general learning and problem-solving skills. Am. J. Phys., 44(3), 212.
Sabella, M. (1999). Using the context of physics problem solving to evaluate the coherence of student knowledge. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Maryland.
Sabella, M. & Redish, E. F. (2007). Knowledge organization and activation in physics problem solving. Am. J. of Phys. 75(11), 1017.
Serway, R. A., Faughn, J. S., Bennett, C. A., & Vuille, C. (2005). College Physics. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Schoenfeld, A. H. (1979). Can heuristics be taught?. In Cognitive Process Instruction, edited by J. Lochhead and J.J. Clement. Philadelphia, PA: Franklin Institute Press.
Teodorescu, R., Bennhold, C., Feldman, G. & Medsker, L. (2013). New approach to analyzing physics problems: A Taxonomy of Introductory Physics Problems. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 9(1), 010103.
Torigoe, E. & Gladding, G. (2007). Symbols: Weapons of Math Destruction. In Proceedings of the 2007 Physics Education Research Conference, Greensboro, NC.
Urone, P. P. (1998). College Physics. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Van Heuvelen, A. (1991). Learning to think like a physicist: A review of research-based instructional strategies. Am. J. Phys. 59(10), 891.
Van Heuvelen, A. (1991). Overview, case study physics. Am. J. Phys. 59(10), 898.
Van Heuvelen, A. & Etkina, E. (2006). The Physics Active Learning Guide. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Walker, J. S. (2004). Physics, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Wright, D. S. & Williams, C. D. (1986). A WISE strategy for introductory physics. The Phys. Teach. 24(4), 211.
Published
2017-02-28
How to Cite
TEODORESCU, Raluca E. et al.
Curricular Reforms that Improve Students’ Attitudes and Problem-Solving Performance.
European Journal of Physics Education, [S.l.], v. 5, n. 1, p. 15-44, feb. 2017.
ISSN 1309-7202.
Available at: <https://eu-journal.org/index.php/EJPE/article/view/60>. Date accessed: 30 apr. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.20308/ejpe.v5i1.60.
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