North Dakota State University Faculty

A. McInerny, A. Boudreaux, M. Kryjevskaia, and S. Julin, "Promoting and assessing student metacognition in physics," accepted pending revisions, AIP Conf. Proc. (2014).

Abstract.  The performance of introductory students on similar tasks used to assess their understanding of a particular physics topic can vary widely; conceptual and reasoning competence demonstrated on one task is often not exhibited on another, closely related task.  Indeed, performance is often poor on tasks that strongly elicit students' intuitive ideas.  Previously, we developed a paired-question methodology to disentangle reasoning approaches from conceptual understanding and used the dual process heuristic-analytic theory of reasoning to account for observed inconsistencies in student reasoning.  It has been argued that metacognition may foster the productive engagement of the analytic process during reasoning.  In this study, we examined the impact on student reasoning patterns of three metacognitive interventions that varied significantly in both focus and scaffolding.  Our findings suggest that, even for students with a robust conceptual understanding, incorrect intuitive reasoning persists and these interventions do not appear to engage the analytic process more productively.

M. Kryjevskaia, M. R. Stetzer, and T. K. Le, "Failure to engage:  Examining the impact of metacognitive interventions on persistent intuitive reasoning approaches," accepted, AIP Conf. Proc. (2014).

Abstract.  The performance of introductory students on similar tasks used to assess their understanding of a particular physics topic can vary widely; conceptual and reasoning competence demonstrated on one task is often not exhibited on another, closely related task.  Indeed, performance is often poor on tasks that strongly elicit students' intuitive ideas.  Previously, we developed a paired-question methodology to disentangle reasoning approaches from conceptual understanding and used the dual process heuristic-analytic theory of reasoning to account for observed inconsistencies in student reasoning.  It has been argued that metacognition may foster the productive engagement of the analytic process during reasoning.  In this study, we examined the impact on student reasoning patterns of three metacognitive interventions that varied significantly in both focus and scaffolding.  Our findings suggest that, even for students with a robust conceptual understanding, incorrect intuitive reasoning persists and these interventions do not appear to engage the analytic process more productively.

STEM journal club talk is scheduled for October 17; Physics Seminar talk is scheduled for October 27.

STEM journal club talk is scheduled for October 3; Physics Seminar talk is scheduled for October 13.

Mila Kryjevskaia and collaborators (MacKenzie Stetzer, Beth Lindsey, Paula Heron, and Andrew Boudreaux) receive a multi-year, multi-institutional NSF grant to investigate student reasoning in Physics.  Despite a sustained focus on reasoning and problem solving from a variety of research perspectives, little is known about how students construct inferential reasoning chains in solving qualitative physics problems. The importance of reasoning in developing and applying scientific knowledge as well as the relative lack of empirical and theoretical resources for understanding and assessing the development of such reasoning suggest that there is a need for further research in this area. This three-year foundational and exploratory collaborative research project aims to meet that need. Central to the project is the development of new instruments and methodologies for disentangling conceptual understanding of physics from those reasoning abilities required to apply that understanding productively. The specific objectives of the project are: 1) to develop instruments capable of reliably measuring student reasoning, and 2) to use these instruments to investigate the development of student reasoning in university physics courses. These objectives are highly synergistic; indeed, project activities will concurrently support both instrument development and refinement and the generation of new knowledge about student reasoning in physics, including the identification of factors and instructional circumstances that enhance or suppress the application of productive reasoning approaches. Three complementary strategies will be employed: 1) the collection and analysis of snapshot data obtained from many students at a single instant (e.g., written responses to exam questions), 2) controlled experiments involving comparisons of snapshot data obtained under different circumstances, and 3) the collection and analysis of video data from student interviews and from groups of students working through materials in class. Research has shown that instructional interventions often help the strongest students most, thereby widening the gap between high- and low-achieving students. It is therefore reasonable to hypothesize that differences in student reasoning abilities contribute to this gap. As such, this collaborative project is particularly well positioned to help establish a foundation for: 1) promoting equity in the classroom by closing the gap between higher- and lower-achieving students, and 2) retaining at-risk students in STEM disciplines.

M. Kryjevskaia, M. R. Stetzer, N. Grosz, "Answer first:  Applying the heuristic-analytic theory of reasoning to examine student intuitive thinking in the context of physics," Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research 10, 020109 (12 pages) (2014).

• M. Kryjevskaia and M. Stetzer, "Do Individual Thinking Strategies Consistently Inform Reasoning Approaches?" oral presentation at the National AAPT Summer meeting, Minneapolis, MN, July 2014.
• N. C. Grosz, M. Kryjevskaia, and M. Stetzer, "Developing Metacognitive Skills in Conjunction with Conceptual Understanding of Physics," oral presentation at the National AAPT Summer meeting, Minneapolis, MN, July 2014.
• T. K. Le, M. Stetzer, and M. Kryjevskaia, “Exploring the Role of Metacognition in Qualitative Reasoning,” oral presentation at the National AAPT Summer meeting, Minneapolis, MN, July 2014.
• A. McInerny, A. Boudreaux, and M. Kryjevskaia, " Promoting and assessing student metacognition in physics," poster presentation at the Physics Education Research Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2014.
• M. Kryjevskaia, M. Stetzer, and T. K. Le, "Examining persistence of student intuitive reasoning approaches in introductory physics courses: The role of metacognition," poster presentation at the Physics Education Research Conference, Minneapolis, MN, July 2014.
• T. K. Le, M. R. Stetzer, and M. Kryjevskaia, Exploring the role of metacognition in qualitative reasoning," poster presentation at the Physics Education Research Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2014.

• M. Kryjevskaia, M. R. Stetzer, and T. K. Le, "Failure to engage:  Examining the impact of metacognitive interventions on persistent intuitive reasoning approaches," submitted to AIP Conf. Proc. (2014).
• A. McInerny, A. Boudreaux, M. Kryjevskaia, and S. Julin, "Promoting and assessing student metacognition in physics," submitted to AIP Conf. Proc. (2014).

http://www.aapt.org/Conferences/newfaculty/nfw.cfm

The committee mission includes 

• Encourage and follow research on the teaching and learning of physics and related topics.
• Help keep the AAPT membership and the broader science teaching community aware of new and current understanding of how and why students learn, and ways of improving instruction, including the appropriate use of new tools and technologies.
• Encourage both the use of the outcomes of research and the doing of formal and informal research in the physics classroom and laboratory.
• Encourage recognition of research in physics education as a valid area of inquiry within physics departments.
  
  

We will design a suite of research-validated activities to evoke and improve students' metacognitive skills and will investigate the resources that students utilize and the specific difficulties they face when engaged in metacognition. Furthermore, we will examine the connections between specific lines of metacognitive thinking and gains in conceptual understanding and reasoning ability.  Despite substantial prior research and widespread agreement on its crucial role in learning, metacognition remains a "fuzzy" concept that is difficult to integrate into instruction.  A major contribution of this project is to develop instructional strategies to support different forms of student metacognition; from "backward-looking" reflection, in which the learner articulates what she knows about a concept and how she came to know it, to "forward-looking" strategies that support the learner in selecting approaches best suited to new situations.  

Link to the PER conference

AAPT Portland meeting

Link to the conference

Mila Kryjevskaia, MacKenzie R. Stetzer, and Paula R. L. Heron, "Is a simple measurement task a roadblock to student understanding of wave phenomena?"

Mila Kryjevskaia in collaboration with MacKenzie Stetzer (U. of Maine) and Paula Heron (U. of Washington) submitted a manuscript entitled "Student difficulties measuring distances in terms of wavelength:  Lack of basic skills or failure to transfer?" 

In our ongoing research on student understanding of periodic waves and interference phenomena, we have found that many students experience difficulties when they attempt to express a distance of interest (e.g., the separation between two sources) in terms of the wavelength of the periodic waves.  This paper describes a systematic investigation focused on the identification of factors influencing student performance on a variety of tasks that require measurements of distances in terms of non-standard units (e.g., wavelength or the length of pencil).  We identified tasks that seemingly require an application of identical skills, but yield striking differences in student performance.  In a series of different problems situated in different contexts, and given at different stages of instruction, we probed several possible reasons for the observed discrepancies.  We systematically examined issues related to framing, transfer, representation, and difficulties with the concept of wavelength. 

Burrow will discuss work by Claude Steele "A threat in the Air"

Mila accepted this nomination for a three-year term.

Burrow will discuss collaborative research with Andrew Boudreaux on instructor's impact on gander gap in Physics.
See abstract.  

Nate and James will discuss video games and spatial cognition.

Burrow will discuss her undergraduate work with Andrew Boudreaux.