Physical Review Physics Education Research - May 2023

Physical Review Physics Education Research View Email Online   Volume 19, Issue 1 (partial) January - June 2023   View Issue   Advertisement APS Signs Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) The American Physical Society (APS), publisher of the Physical Review journals, is joining more than 20,000 individuals and organizations across 160 countries in a commitment to improve how researchers and their contributions to the scientific record are evaluated. APS is proud to mark the 10th anniversary of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) by officially signing on to the international initiative. Learn more.     Advertisement Share Your Thoughts on Physical Review APS would like to learn about your publishing experiences with scientific journals, including PRL and other Physical Review journals. Please complete this survey to help APS better understand and meet your publishing needs. Take the survey.     Advertisement PRPER seeks a part-time Associate Editor Physical Review Physics Education Research (PRPER) is looking for a part-time Associate Editor with international scientific standing in the broad area of physics education research. As a member of our editorial team, you would actively engage with the PER research community and ensure an outstanding peer review experience and thoughtful selection of papers. Learn more.     Not an APS member? Join today to start connecting with a community of more than 50,000 physicists.   Ongoing effects of pandemic-imposed learning environment disruption on student attitudes Teemu Hynninen, Henna Pesonen, Olli Lintu, and Petriina Paturi Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010101 (2023) – Published 5 January 2023 In person introductory physics courses provide sufficient support to allow most low-performing students to pass, while remote learning during COVID did not.     Graduate program reform in one department of physics and astronomy: From tragedy to more progressive policies and an evolving culture Ramón Barthelemy, MacKenzie Lenz, Alexis Knaub, Jordan Gerton, and Pearl Sandick Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010102 (2023) – Published 9 January 2023 Policy changes can make a difference in the lives of graduate students, and help mitigate potential negative experiences, but may not address all challenges and issues within a department's culture.     Analysis and comparison of students' conceptual understanding of symmetry arguments in Gauss's and Ampere's laws Esmeralda Campos, Eder Hernandez, Pablo Barniol, and Genaro Zavala Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010103 (2023) – Published 24 January 2023 In introductory physics, problem solving with Gauss's and Ampere's laws should start with their full integral or differential form rather than with a simplified version.     Students' difficulties with the Dirac delta function in quantum mechanics Tao Tu, Chuan-Feng Li, Jin-Shi Xu, and Guang-Can Guo Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010104 (2023) – Published 1 February 2023 Undergraduate quantum mechanics students make a variety of errors when attempting to use delta functions to solve problems.     How instructors can view knowledge to implement culturally relevant pedagogy Clausell Mathis, Abigail R. Daane, Brandon Rodriguez, Jessica Hernandez, and Tra Huynh Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010105 (2023) – Published 7 February 2023 Physics instructors' conceptions of knowledge can be entangled with their enactment of culturally relevant pedagogy; improving instructor conceptions might be one route to increase the use of culturally relevant instruction.     Correlations between student connectivity and academic performance: A pandemic follow-up Nathan Crossette, Lincoln D. Carr, and Bethany R. Wilcox Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010106 (2023) – Published 8 February 2023 The context and environment in which a course is situated play more important roles in fostering a correlation between student collaboration and course performance than whether the course format is virtual, hybrid, or in-person.     Taking on a manager role can support women's physics lab identity development Emily M. Stump, Matthew Dew, Sophia Jeon, and N. G. Holmes Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010107 (2023) – Published 9 February 2023 Undergraduate physics instructors should structure group work in such a way as to support women in taking on leadership roles.     Investigating the efficacy of attending to reflexive cognitive processes in the context of Newton's second law J. Caleb Speirs, Robyn Leuteritz, Thanh K. Lê, Rose Deng, and Shawn W. Ell Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010108 (2023) – Published 14 February 2023 Instructional approaches should seek to improve explicit reflective reasoning processes as well as implicit reflexive processes.     Editors' Suggestion Intuition in quantum mechanics: Student perspectives and expectations Giaco Corsiglia, Steven Pollock, and Gina Passante Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010109 (2023) – Published 21 February 2023 The majority of students enter quantum mechanics expecting the subject to be nonintuitive or less intuitive than other courses.     Examining reasons undergraduate women join physics Maxwell Franklin, Eric Brewe, and Annette R. Ponnock Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010110 (2023) – Published 21 February 2023 Women who join physics because of the community are less likely to remain in physics after finishing their undergraduate studies.     Evidence for a normal distribution of normalized gains Vincent P. Coletta Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010111 (2023) – Published 21 February 2023 Class normalized gains over the population of courses is consistent with a normal distribution.     Inhibitory control involvement in overcoming the position-velocity indiscrimination misconception among college physics majors Jiabei Lin, Yuting Xing, Yudi Hu, Jian Zhang, Lei Bao, Kaiqing Luo, Keke Yu, and Yang Xiao Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010112 (2023) – Published 23 February 2023 Experimental evidence in support of models of conceptual change advocating the coexistence of alternative conceptions, where initial misconceptions are surpassed by rather than entirely supplanted by scientific conceptions.     Investigating learning assistants' use of questioning in online courses about introductory physics Jianlan Wang, Yuanhua Wang, Kyle Wipfli, Beth Thacker, and Stephanie Hart Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010113 (2023) – Published 23 February 2023 Two new instruments to assess learning assistants' pedagogical content knowledge related to questioning in the context of introductory physics.     Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate senior high school students' understanding of electrostatics Shuaishuai Mi, Jianqiang Ye, Yan Li, and Hualin Bi Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010114 (2023) – Published 28 February 2023 The development and validation of a conceptual survey to assess introductory physics students' understanding of electrostatics.     Race-evasive frames in physics and physics education: Results from an interview study Amy D. Robertson, Verónica Vélez, W. Tali Hairston, and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010115 (2023) – Published 1 March 2023 Race consciousness encourages physicists to become aware of the ways in which white supremacy shapes physics culture and imagine how to make physics a more equitable discipline.     Students' views about experimental physics in a large-enrollment introductory lab focused on experimental scientific practices Nidhal Sulaiman, Alexandra Werth, and H. J. Lewandowski Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010116 (2023) – Published 2 March 2023 Students can have different lab experiences depending on their identity; this should be accounted for when designing instruction.     Editors' Suggestion Implementation and goals of quantum optics experiments in undergraduate instructional labs Victoria Borish and H. J. Lewandowski Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010117 (2023) – Published 3 March 2023 Single-photon experiments are used to teach quantum phenomena in a wide variety of ways and with a wide variety of learning goals.     Sensemaking and scientific modeling: Intertwined processes analyzed in the context of physics problem solving Amogh Sirnoorkar, Paul D. O. Bergeron, and James T. Laverty Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010118 (2023) – Published 8 March 2023 An examination of the interplay between modeling and sensemaking in the solving of physics problems.     Predicting community college astronomy performance through logistic regression Zachary Richards and Angela M. Kelly Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010119 (2023) – Published 22 March 2023 Enrolling in a community college astronomy course has the potential to make STEM fields accessible to students who might not otherwise have this aspiration or opportunity.     Endorsement of gender stereotypes affects high school students' science identity Silvia Galano, Antonella Liccardo, Anna Lisa Amodeo, Marianna Crispino, Oreste Tarallo, and Italo Testa Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010120 (2023) – Published 22 March 2023 It is important to focus on girls' own perception of competency and responsibility in addition to focusing on sense of belonging and recognition.     Physicality, modeling, and agency in a computational physics class A. M. Phillips, E. J. Gouvea, B. E. Gravel, P.-H. Beachemin, and T. J. Atherton Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010121 (2023) – Published 30 March 2023 Introduction and use of an expanded model of computational physics practices to design and evaluate a computational physics course.     Fields in middle school energy instruction to support continued learning of energy Kristin Fiedler, Marcus Kubsch, Knut Neumann, and Jeffrey Nordine Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010122 (2023) – Published 30 March 2023 Use of fields in middle school physics instruction can support students' understanding of energy.     Reducing procrastination on introductory physics online homework for college students using a planning prompt intervention Zachary Felker and Zhongzhou Chen Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010123 (2023) – Published 30 March 2023 A planning prompt can improve student studying behavior on specific upcoming assignments, but does change their studying habits for future assignments.     Student experiences with authentic research in a remote, introductory course-based undergraduate research experience in physics Kristin A. Oliver, Alexandra Werth, and H. J. Lewandowski Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010124 (2023) – Published 30 March 2023 Students felt engaged in authentic research within a large enrollment, online laboratory course environment.     Limiting case analysis in an electricity and magnetism course Gary White, Tiffany-Rose Sikorski, Justin Landay, and Maryam Ahmed Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010125 (2023) – Published 7 April 2023 Limiting case analysis likely plays a pivotal role in the development of adaptive physics expertise.     Featured in Physics Editors' Suggestion Examining the effect of counternarratives about physics on women's physics career intentions Geoff Potvin, Zahra Hazari, Raina Khatri, Hemeng Cheng, T. Blake Head, Robynne M. Lock, Anne F. Kornahrens, Kathryne Sparks Woodle, Rebecca E. Vieyra, Beth A. Cunningham, Laird Kramer, and Theodore Hodapp Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010126 (2023) – Published 7 April 2023 Synopsis:Flipping the Script to Support Wider Engagement with Physics Quantitative evidence is presented that counter the normative cultural ones as to who does physics and why one does physics, helps to support women and minoritized groups in envisioning a future for themselves in physics.     Assessment of student knowledge integration in learning work and mechanical energy Dazhen Tong, Jia Liu, Yechao Sun, Qiaoyi Liu, Xiangqun Zhang, Sudong Pan, and Lei Bao Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010127 (2023) – Published 13 April 2023 Introductory physics instruction related to mechanical energy should place more emphasis on teaching the central idea and connect it to different contexts, problems, and other concepts.     Investigating student ability to follow reasoning chains: The role of conceptual understanding Beth A. Lindsey, MacKenzie R. Stetzer, J. Caleb Speirs, William N. Ferm, Jr., and Alexander van Hulten Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010128 (2023) – Published 20 April 2023 Introductory physics students are capable of following the solution to a qualitative problem using step-by-step reasoning, even for tasks for which they are not likely to generate the correct reasoning on their own.     Evolution of grades and social comparison concern within an introductory physics course Srividya Suresh and Andrew F. Heckler Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010129 (2023) – Published 25 April 2023 It may be possible to leverage student concern about ability or performance compared to others in order to improve success in introductory physics courses.     Impact of more realistic and earlier practice exams on student metacognition, study behaviors, and exam performance Muxin Zhang, Jason Morphew, and Tim Stelzer Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010130 (2023) – Published 27 April 2023 A mock exam before the actual exam impacts students' intentions for studying but not their actual study behaviors, nor does it facilitate metacognition.     Assessing thinking skills in free-response exam problems: Pandemic online and in-person Fatema Al-Salmani, Jordan Johnson, and Beth Thacker Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010131 (2023) – Published 4 May 2023 It may be possible to create online introductory physics courses that develop student thinking skills as well as in person courses.     Could an artificial-intelligence agent pass an introductory physics course? Gerd Kortemeyer Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010132 (2023) – Published 11 May 2023 ChatGPT could narrowly pass a standard lecture-based introductory physics course series.     Does the dog in the car have kinetic energy? A multiage case study in the challenges of conceptual change R. G. Tobin, Sara J. Lacy, and Sally Crissman Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010133 (2023) – Published 15 May 2023 Students who appear to have learned some concepts may revert to preinstruction, common sense understanding of these concepts when presented with them in certain situations.     Rubric-based holistic review represents a change from traditional graduate admissions approaches in physics Nicholas T. Young, N. Verboncoeur, Dao Chi Lam, and Marcos D. Caballero Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010134 (2023) – Published 15 May 2023 Rubric-based holistic review is a method that could make the graduate admissions process in physics more equitable.     Challenges and outcomes in remote undergraduate research programs during the COVID-19 pandemic Dina Zohrabi Alaee and Benjamin M. Zwickl Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 010135 (2023) – Published 15 May 2023 Online undergraduate research programs may be a way to expand access to undergraduate research experiences.     Online test administration results in students selecting more responses to multiple-choice-multiple-response items Alexis Olsho, Trevor I. Smith, Philip Eaton, Charlotte Zimmerman, Andrew Boudreaux, and Suzanne White Brahmia Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 013101 (2023) – Published 2 February 2023 Online and paper administration methods of multiple-choice-multiple-response test items provide different pictures of student reasoning.     Students' conceptual understanding of electric flux and magnetic circulation Eder Hernandez, Esmeralda Campos, Pablo Barniol, and Genaro Zavala Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 013102 (2023) – Published 25 April 2023 The concept of magnetic circulation is more challenging for students than that of electric flux.     Comparing introductory undergraduate physics learning and behavior before and after the COVID-19 pandemic Amanda Nemeth, Christopher Wheatley, and John Stewart Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 19, 013103 (2023) – Published 24 May 2023 Student achievement, attendance rates, and assignment completion rates were similar before and after the pandemic.       American Physical Society: 1 Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740 ©2023 American Physical Society | All rights reserved   You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to Table of Content alerts. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please update your preferences.