ERIC Number: EJ1440522
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
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EISSN: EISSN-2469-9896
Available Date: N/A
Characterizing Decision-Making Opportunities in Undergraduate Physics Coursework
Physical Review Physics Education Research, v20 n2 Article 020103 2024
A major goal of physics education is to develop strong problem-solving skills for students. To become expert problem solvers, students must have opportunities to deliberately practice those skills. In this work, we adopt a previously described definition of problem solving that consists of a set of 29 decisions made by expert scientists. We quantified the amount of practice undergraduate physics students get at making each decision by coding the decisions required in assignments from introductory, intermediate, and advanced physics courses at a prestigious university. A research-focused capstone course was the only example that offered substantial practice at a large range of decisions. Problems assigned in the traditional coursework required only a few decisions and routinely reduced potential opportunities for students to make other decisions. In addition, we modified traditional physics coursework to offer more decision-making practice. We observed that this increased the number of decisions students actually made in solving the problems. This work suggests that to better prepare undergraduates for solving problems in the real world, we must offer more opportunities for students to make and act on problem-solving decisions.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Physics, Decision Making, Science Education, Problem Solving, Skill Development, Assignments, Advanced Courses, Introductory Courses, Courses, Universities, Capstone Experiences
American Physical Society. One Physics Ellipse 4th Floor, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Tel: 301-209-3200; Fax: 301-209-0865; e-mail: assocpub@aps.org; Web site: https://journals.aps.org/prper/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
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Language: English
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