Improving Students' Understanding of Electricity and Magnetism

Autor/in	Li, Jing
Titel	Improving Students' Understanding of Electricity and Magnetism
Quelle	(2012), (274 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	978-1-2676-6079-4
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Energy; Magnets; Physics; Scientific Concepts; Science Instruction; Problem Solving; Lighting; Equations (Mathematics); Multiple Choice Tests; Essay Tests; Interviews; Scientific Principles; Concept Formation; Electronics; Surveys + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Energie; Stabmagnet; Physik; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Problemlösen; Beleuchtung; Equations; Mathematics; Gleichungslehre; Multiple choice examinations; Multiple-choice tests, Multiple-choice examinations; Multiple-Choice-Verfahren; Schriftlicher Sprachgebrauch; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Elektronik; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung
Abstract	Electricity and magnetism are important topics in physics. Research shows that students have many common difficulties in understanding concepts related to electricity and magnetism. However, research to improve students' understanding of electricity and magnetism is limited compared to introductory mechanics. This thesis explores issues related to students' common difficulties in learning some topics in electricity and magnetism and how these difficulties can be reduced by research-based learning tutorials. We investigated students' difficulties in solving problems involving light bulbs and equations involving circuit elements. We administered multiple choice questions and essay questions to many classes and conducted individual interviews with a subset of students. Based on these investigations, we provide suggestions to improve learning. We also developed and evaluated five tutorials on Coulomb's law, Gauss's law and the superposition principle to help students build a robust knowledge structure and firm understanding of these concepts. Students' performance on the corresponding pre- and post-tests indicates that these tutorials effectively improved their understanding. We also designed a Magnetism Conceptual Survey (MCS) that can help instructors probe students' understanding of magnetism concepts. The validity and reliability of this MCS is discussed. The performance of students from different groups (e.g. female students vs. male students, calculus-based students vs. algebra-based students) was compared. We also compare the MCS and the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) on common topics. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10