Session P08: Mini-Symposium: Current Topics in Physics Education Research

The "International Handbook of Physics Education Research:" Insights, Themes, and Future Directions

The field of physics education research (PER) has been growing and diversifying over the past few decades. New conferences and new journals have emerged, and a brief survey of their contents reveals an intellectually and geographically diverse field of inquiry. More sophisticated methodologies are providing deeper insights into long-studied issues, and cross-pollination with other fields is opening up new avenues of inquiry. Critical reflections on the discipline of physics itself are causing researchers to question long-held traditions concerning not only how we teach, but also what—and who—we teach. In short, no aspect of the experience of students and their teachers is off limits, and we increasingly acknowledge the complex interplay between disciplinary culture, teaching environments and tools, and students’ intellectual, social, and personal development. While growth and diversification represent progress, they also present challenges. It is no longer possible for any individual to be aware of both seminal and pioneering work across PER, and to have a sufficiently deep grasp of methodologies to evaluate the trustworthiness of claims arising from distant areas. In some quarters, there is a feeling that the field is at a crossroads: we might consolidate around a few critical themes or evolve into a set of related sub-disciplines as has been the case with physics itself. Therefore, the moment seems right for scholars to reflect on the past, to synthesize what we have learned, and to look ahead to the future. The International Handbook of Physics Education Research serves as both a mechanism for such a reflection and a record of the results. The three volumes represent an up-to-date and authoritative review that encompasses all of the major strands of research. It is intended to help both newcomers and established researchers appreciate the major findings across all sub-domains, to discern global themes, and to recognize gaps in the literature. It is our hope that the IHPER will serve as a practical resource and contribute to vital conversations about what counts as PER, who counts as a physics education researcher, where we belong, and what, if anything, unifies us as a discipline.   

Two Perspectives on Physics Problem Solving and Their Relations to Adaptive Expertise

This talk overviews a chapter in The International Handbook of Physics Education Research: Learning Physics reviewing two historical threads of research in physics problem solving.  Thread 1 focuses on classifying and teaching students to (re)produce expert solution methods.  Work within thread 1 has focused on expert knowledge and strategies, training students to learn expert-like problem-solving methods, and algebraic and computational difficulties.  Thread 2 focuses on the role of problem solving in the practice of learning and understanding physics.  In contrast to an emphasis on producing solutions, thread 2 focuses on the formal and informal ideas used in physics problem solving and how problem solving connects to other aspects of physics learning. This review also proposes that each one of these threads is associated with one component of adaptive expertise: routine efficiency (thread 1) or innovation (thread 2).  Moving forward, this suggests that further efforts to foster adaptive problem-solving expertise may benefit from combining knowledge from both threads to uncover new insights.   

Physics instructors’ knowledge and use of active learning has increased over the last decade but many still lecture too much

A survey of 722 physics faculty conducted in 2008 found that many physics instructors had knowledge of research-based instructional strategies (RBISs), were interested in using more, but often discontinued use after trying. Considerable effort has been made during the decade following 2008 to increase RBIS use and other forms of student-centered instruction. This talk uses data from a 2019 survey of 1176 physics instructors to describe the current state of RBIS use in college-level introductory physics. Results show that self-reported knowledge and use of RBISs has increased considerably and discontinuation is now relatively low. However, while fewer than in 2008, many instructors still engage in substantial lecturing. We also find that the majority of RBIS use centers on pedagogies designed to supplement a primarily lecture-based classroom rather than to support an active learning classroom. We recommend that change agents focus on supporting instructors to implement higher impact strategies.   

Characterizing active learning pedagogies in physics

Active learning is known to increase students’ conceptual understanding and improve likelihood of success in introductory physics classes. A number of different pedagogies for introductory physics could be considered under the umbrella term active learning umbrella. We are in the second year of a national research project to identify instructional practices, student networks, and outcomes in four different active learning pedagogies: Peer Instruction, SCALE-UP, ISLE, and Tutorials. We are collecting student network data, video recordings of classes to be analyzed with the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM, and conceptual inventory data from 32 faculty members at universities across the United States. In this talk, we will give an overview of the preliminary work that underpins this more full project, present a detailed design of the overall project, and provide updates on successes and challenges to the data collection.   

Comparing interaction network structures across active learning pedagogies in physics

As instructors continue to implement a range of active learning pedagogies in introductory physics classes, it is important to identify distinguishing features of these curricula. Given that opportunities to engage in peer discussions embody a core premise of active learning, one feature of interest is the ways in which students interact with one another. As part of the larger Characterizing Active Learning Environments in Physics project, in fall 2023 we collected students' self-reported peer interactions in 19 introductory mechanics courses taught using one of four different active learning pedagogies: Peer Instruction, SCALE-UP, ISLE, and Tutorials. In this talk, we will present our preliminary findings from applying social network analysis methods to these data. We use temporal exponential random graph models to quantify changes in peer interaction networks from the beginning to the end of the semester within each course. The results illuminate how different active learning curricula may shape students' social networks.   

Comparing three active learning models in large enrollment courses*

Introductory STEM courses often present a significant challenge to college students, placing a disproportionately higher burden on those belonging to historically underserved groups. Research shows students' outcomes improve through the implementation of active learning; however, challenges such as scaling to large enrollment courses and financial costs hinder widespread implementation. We investigate the costs and benefits of three active learning models in large enrollment introductory mechanics courses: 1) Active Learning with No Assistants (ALNA), 2) active learning with Learning Assistants (LA), and 3) a novel Integrated Peer Leader Program (IPLP), in which enrolled students act as peer leaders to facilitate active learning. We will discuss the direct costs and time investments of each model and comparisons of student performance on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), leadership capacity, and team dynamics.