Conceptual-Based Writing Exercises in a Circuit Analysis Course

Autor/inn/en	Becker, James P.; Hacker, Douglas J.
Titel	Conceptual-Based Writing Exercises in a Circuit Analysis Course
Quelle	In: IEEE Transactions on Education, 65 (2022) 4, S.544-552 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Becker, James P.) ORCID (Hacker, Douglas J.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0018-9359
DOI	10.1109/TE.2022.3147099
Schlagwörter	Writing Exercises; Introductory Courses; Electronic Equipment; Metacognition; At Risk Students; Fundamental Concepts; Concept Formation + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schreibübung; Einführungskurs; Elektronisches Gerät; Meta cognitive ability; Meta-cognition; Metakognitive Fähigkeit; Metakognition; Grundlagenplan; Konzept; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung
Abstract	Contribution: This article describes the implementation, assessment, and evaluation of conceptual-based writing exercises in an introductory course on electric circuit analysis. Background: Students' struggles in gateway courses such as circuit analysis are often traced to inadequate metacognitive skills on the part of the student as well their misconceptions regarding fundamental phenomena related to the course. Writing is known to be a powerful tool for insight into a student's thought process and to foster metacognitive activity. Research Questions: What effect does the use of short writing exercises have on students' understanding of fundamental concepts related to the behavior of electric circuits operating at dc? What effect does the use of the conceptually based writing exercises have on students' ability to justify their responses when answering conceptual questions related to basic electric circuit concepts? Methodology: In the first semester of the study, a single writing exercise was given and in the second semester, a total of five such exercises were administered. In each semester, students were separated into "at-risk" and "not at-risk" groups based on their responses to the first writing exercise. A 2 × 2 × (2) mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted, with at-risk/not at-risk and semester/semester between-subjects factors and pre-test/post-test on a multiple-choice conceptual-based exam a within-subjects factor. Findings: Results suggest that only the at-risk group may have benefited in terms of deepened conceptual understanding and the ability to justify their responses from the use of multiple conceptual-based writing exercises. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Tel: 732-981-0060; Web site: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=13
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01