Instructional labs are fundamental to an undergraduate physics curriculum, but their possible learning goals are vast with limited evidence to support any particular goal. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of labs with different goals and structures on students’ critical thinking skills and views about experimentation, using an extensive database of survey responses from over 20 000 students at over 100 institutions. Here, we show that labs focused on developing experimentation skills improve students’ critical thinking skills and experimentation views compared to labs focused on reinforcing lecture concepts. We further demonstrate the positive impacts of skills-based labs over concepts-based labs on these outcomes across students’ gender and race or ethnicity. Our analysis also shows that activities to support students’ decision making and communication explain over one-half and one-third of the effect of skills-based labs on students’ critical thinking skills and experimentation views, respectively, while modeling activities have only a small effect on performance.

Coordination class theory has proven to be a useful theoretical framework for describing processes of conceptual change in certain physical and mathematical concepts. Its development throughout different studies has allowed us to understand numerous mechanisms of conceptual learning by individual subjects. There have been attempts to implement this theory to collective-learning environments. Although there are valuable contributions in this sense, there are still details at the fine-grain level to be unveiled in relation to how conceptual change proceeds within small groups. For this purpose, the development of a coordination class is analyzed in the case of an interview with two students addressing a problem-solving task about entropy, focusing on the role that interactions between participants play in the evolution of the entropy concept. A microcomplementary analysis is proposed by bringing in elements from a sociocultural approach of learning. Thus, we were able to identify different forms of codevelopment of a coordination class. Students exhibiting central as well as peripheral participation benefit from each other during the conceptual learning process of the small group, constituting a “virtuous” interaction for learning.

This paper examines the prevalence of rapid answer copying among university students completing online homework for an introductory level calculus-based physics course taught remotely during the COVID pandemic. We first compared the attempt duration distribution of 26 problems, between 42 students who self-reported as having completed the homework by themselves against the rest of the class. Significant differences were detected for 3 out of 26 problems. We then identified abnormally short problem attempts indicative of potential rapid answer copying, by fitting the attempt duration distribution of each problem with finite-mixture models, using mixtures of either normal or skewed distributions. We detected a significantly smaller fraction of short attempts from self-reporting students on only 3 out of 26 problems and found no statistically significant difference in percentage correct of short attempts between the populations. In conclusion, our analysis did not find evidence indicating widespread rapid answer copying among students. We also explored differences in learning behavior between the two populations by applying process mining to the event logs of one of the homework learning modules, which reveals that some students may have copied answers after spending a longer time or using multiple attempts on a given problem. However, this form of answer copying is also unlikely to be prevalent since the percentage correct on normal attempts is also similar between the two populations on most problems.

Back-of-the-envelope (BOTE) calculations require the use of estimations and approximations. They are used by expert physicists to simplify complex problems to obtain quick and approximate solutions. Though BOTE calculations are routine for experts in physics, they are not well defined in academic literature. In this study we interviewed 9 physicists working in academia and industry and characterized experts’ responses in terms of the decisions made during different stages of the solution process. These findings characterize the individual skills that students need to develop in order to solve BOTE problems. We find that BOTE calculations involve most of the same decisions as bigger research problems. Thus, BOTE problems represent authentic, real-world physics problems that present challenges undergraduate students are often not prepared to solve. This provides an interesting foundation for future work characterizing other factors that influence both students’ and experts’ decisions to perform BOTE calculations.

Diversity and inclusion in the field of physics has been an important area of research in the last two decades. However, such work has scarcely looked at the concerns and barriers faced by $\mathrm{LGBT}+$ physicists, despite numerous indications they face discrimination in wider society. This article presents the first study looking at the climate experiences and persistence of LGBT physicists through an online survey ($N=324$) focused on intragroup differences within the $\mathrm{LGBT}+$ community. The results indicated that 36% of all respondents reported considering leaving their institution or workplace with 22% reporting that they experienced exclusionary behavior in the last year (i.e., being shunned, ignored, or harassed). However, this number varied by gender with transgender participants (49%) experiencing the most exclusionary behavior. Overall, respondents who could be out about being $\mathrm{LGBT}+$ were more comfortable at their institutions and workplaces. The results point to the increasing challenges of $\mathrm{LGBT}+$ physicists who are also transgender or persons of color, indicating the need for further research on this topic.

Sound is one of the most commonly used physical phenomena that most of us use without considering its nature. Moreover, students often face difficulties in understanding acoustic phenomena, the most frequent one of which is the substance-based view of sound instead of a process of pressure and density differences. The current study introduces sound to the physics class through a combination of history of science (HOS) and dialogic teaching, which, although research in science education shows that they both may benefit students for a variety of reasons, are frequently absent from traditional science classrooms. We present four HOS-based whole class dialogic discussions (WCDD): the first and second are about the nature of sound; the third is about sound amplification in a stethoscope; and the fourth is about sound propagation in a tight string of a “lovers’ telephone.” The WCDD were held with a group of 27 university students. We further examine students’ concepts regarding acoustical phenomena as expressed in these WCDD, show how insights and perspectives learned from HOS could be used to structure WCDD in order to guide students’ thinking, and analyze the conceptual flow patterns of the discussions. Finally, we discuss the possible contribution of HOS to dialogic teaching and the parallelism of historical and students’ misconceptions today that often appears.

The article sets out to contribute to the educational challenge launched by the second quantum revolution. An approach to quantum computing has been outlined for secondary school students. The approach is shaped as a set of four principles that have been pointed out to design instructional materials to enhance the educational and cultural potential of quantum computing, beyond the technical aspects. In the paper, following a presentation of the design principles, we focus on an activity on quantum teleportation protocol. The activity is described in detail to show how the principles have been concretely implemented. A pilot study with a small sample of secondary school students has been carried out to evaluate the potential of the approach. The results, although preliminary, show that the approach appears to be promising in creating an inclusive and productive learning environment, in which students feel encouraged to search for personal ways to combine different levels of discourse (narrative, logical, mathematical, technical-experimental) and generate meaningful descriptions of the phenomenon.

As physics laboratory courses (labs) transition from traditional, model-verifying activities to discovery-based investigations, it becomes crucial to understand the role of the instructor in the implementation of various lab types. Prior work has started to address this need by examining either coarse-grained frequencies or fine-grained content of instructor interactions in labs. However, neither of these methods offer both a detailed and time-efficient procedure for measuring such interactions, which is required for comparisons across multiple sessions of several types of labs. Here we describe and present the results of a new approach to quantifying student-instructor interactions in labs by analyzing video recordings and drawing on techniques of social network analysis. Across five sections of three lab course offerings, we find that there is a higher total level of interaction between students and instructors in reformed discovery-based labs than in traditional labs. We find no clear pattern in the durations of student-initiated and instructor-initiated interactions across various instructors and lab types. The results suggest that the amount of interaction between instructors and students during lab is more a product of the instructional design than an individual instructor’s implementation of that design. This work is a preliminary step toward understanding the extent to which student-instructor interactions support the improved outcomes observed in discovery-based labs compared with traditional labs.

A goal of introductory physics for life sciences (IPLS) curricula is to prepare students to effectively use physical models and quantitative reasoning in biological and medical settings. To assess whether this goal is being met, we conducted a longitudinal study of the impact of IPLS on student work in later biology and chemistry courses. We report here on one part of that study, a comparison of written responses by students with different physics backgrounds on a diffusion task administered in a senior biology capstone course. We observed differences in student reasoning that were found to be associated with prior or concurrent enrollment in IPLS. In particular, we found that IPLS students were more likely than non-IPLS students to reason quantitatively and mechanistically about diffusive phenomena, and to successfully coordinate between multiple representations of diffusive processes, even up to two years after taking the IPLS course. Finally, we describe methodological challenges encountered in both this task and other tasks used in our longitudinal study.

Within whiteness, the organization of social life is in terms of a center and margins that are based on dominance, control, and a transcendent figure that is consistently and structurally ascribed value over and above other figures. In this paper, we synthesize literature from Critical Whiteness Studies and Critical Race Theory to articulate analytic markers for whiteness, and use the markers to identify and analyze whiteness as it shows up in an introductory physics classroom interaction. We name mechanisms that facilitate the reproduction of whiteness in this local context, including a particular representation of energy, physics values, whiteboards, gendered social norms, and the structure of schooling. In naming whiteness and offering a set of analytic markers, our aim is to provide instructors and researchers with a tool for identifying whiteness in their own contexts. Alongside our discussion, which imagines new possibilities for physics teaching and learning, we hope our work contributes to Critical Whiteness Studies’ goal of dismantling whiteness.

Eye tracking is becoming increasingly popular in physics education research (PER). As technology has advanced considerably in recent years and has become more user friendly, it is anticipated that eye tracking will play an increasingly significant role in assessing student learning at the process level in future studies. The main objective of this systematic review is to summarize the current status quo regarding eye tracking in PER and reviewing (a) the dissemination, (b) the methodological implementation, and (c) the insights provided by eye tracking in PER. We identified 33 journal articles, published between March 2005 and April 2021, that used eye tracking for original empirical research in the area of physics education. The results reveal that although eye tracking has been used in many different areas of physics, a clear focus on mechanics is evident, particularly for measuring visual attention in assessment scenarios like problem solving. While a high methodological rigor in the selection and analysis of the visual stimuli was apparent, only a few studies have provided a complete documentation of the technological implementation (e.g., movement restrictions, accuracy, and calibration information) and a theoretical embedding for interpreting eye-tracking data. To synthesize the results of the different studies, we created an inductive category system in accordance with the considered independent variables of the studies. Accordingly, visual attention was most frequently compared between levels of performance (correct vs incorrect or high vs low achievers), thereby leading to performance-discriminating factors of eye movement across studies. Furthermore, learners’ eye movements were compared across different stimuli, different time points, or between student groups to inform multimedia design and shed light on students’ learning progression. In summary, eye tracking is particularly useful for studying processes in different domains that are relevant to PER. Specific gaps in the literature, methodological limitations, and implications of existing findings were also identified to recommend future research and practices.

This paper presents a new astronomy self-efficacy instrument, composed of two factors; one relating to learning astronomy content, which we call astronomy personal self-efficacy, and the other relating to the use of astronomical instrumentation, specifically the use of remote robotic telescopes for data collection. The latter is referred to as the astronomy instrumental self-efficacy factor. The instrument has been tested for reliability and construct validity. Reliability testing showed that factor 1 had a Cronbach’s $\alpha$ of 0.901 and factor 2 had a Cronbach’s $\alpha$ of 0.937. Construct validity was established by computing one-way analyses of variances, with the $p$ value suitably protected, using independent variables peripherally related to the constructs. These analyses demonstrate that both scales possess high construct validity. The development of this astronomy specific instrument is an important step in evaluating self-efficacy as a precursor to investigating the construct of science identity in the field of astronomy.

Physics is a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics discipline in which women are severely underrepresented. Prior work has identified motivation-based explanations for low participation and retention rates of women in physics. Among various motivational factors, intelligence mindsets (i.e., having fixed or growth mindsets) have been rarely examined in the context of physics. Because physics is commonly associated with requiring brilliance to be successful, many students are likely to hold fixed mindset views for physics, which can be especially detrimental for students from underrepresented groups. We examined physics mindset views of 755 engineering and physical-science majors enrolled in calculus-based Physics 1 to understand separable aspects of such views, how these views varied by gender or sex (i.e., for female versus male students), and whether they predicted physics course grade. Multidimensional scaling analyses revealed four different mindset views that are relatively independently held beliefs. Multiple regression analyses showed that physics course grade is most closely associated with whether students deny or accept a fixed mindset view about themselves in particular. One particular view also had the largest gender difference. Therefore, understanding why students hold different mindset views and designing appropriate interventions for physics courses are important areas to consider in efforts seeking to improve outcomes in physics for diverse student groups.

More progress is needed to achieve equity in racial and gender representation in the push to diversify the physical sciences. In order to continue moving towards representation and equity, there is a need for more analytic tools that can help us understand where we are and how we got here. This may also enable meaningful systemic change. In this article, we will review two theoretical frameworks: critical race theory (CRT) and feminist standpoint theory (FST). This paper will guide the reader through the historical context in which each theory was formed, present core tenets and major ideas of each theory, along with external critiques to each theory and where they stand today. This will help readers to further understand CRT and FST, what their role is in education, and how they may be used in physics education research. Simultaneously, this article will serve to broaden perspectives of fundamental societal problems such as racism and sexism.

Abilities in scientific thinking and reasoning have been emphasized as core areas of initiatives, such as the Next Generation Science Standards or the College Board Standards for College Success in Science, which focus on the skills the future will demand of today’s students. Although there is rich literature on studies of how these abilities develop in students across grade levels, the research community has not reached consensus on their definition, modeling, or assessment. To advance research in this important area, a coherent theoretical model of scientific reasoning is needed for practically guiding instruction and assessment. For decades, the only instrument available for large-scale application was the Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning, but the instrument has demonstrated validity weaknesses and ceiling limitations, and its design is missing an explicit modeling framework for justifying the included skills. As a result, there is an urgent need for the development of a comprehensive modeling framework of scientific reasoning and a valid scientific reasoning assessment that targets the wide-ranging skills required for 21st century learners. This paper reports on the development of a modeling framework of scientific reasoning along with a new assessment instrument, adding to the research literature in a much needed area. The modeling framework integrates research in scientific and causal reasoning and operationally defines the skills and subskills that underlie the reasoning for knowledge development through scientific inquiry. Subsequently, this framework is used to guide the development of an assessment instrument on scientific reasoning. The validity and reliability of the instrument, which have been established based on large-scale testing, will also be discussed.

The academic performance of undergraduate physics students at a research-intensive UK university were studied to identify whether there were any significant differences between underrepresented and overrepresented groups. Exit qualification, degree classification, average yearly marks, and course marks were analyzed to determine statistically significant associations with gender or widening participation status. Significant association was found between gender and the integrated masters qualification, with a higher proportion of female students attaining a first class or second class (upper) classification. A performance gap was identified between widening participation and non-widening participation students in second year, but no significant association was found between widening participation status and exit qualification or degree classification. In examining the intersection of gender and widening participation status, no significant association was found between these groups and exit qualification. These results contrast with previous studies, which suggest that the effects of underrepresentation adversely impact academic performance. The reasons why this might be the case, with particular consideration of the context of the sample studied, are discussed.

The vast majority of research involving active learning pedagogies uses passive lecture methods as a baseline. We propose to move beyond such comparisons to understand the mechanisms that make different active learning styles unique. Here, we use COPUS observations to record student and instructor activities in six known styles of active learning in physics, and use latent profile analysis to classify these observations. Latent profile analysis using two profiles successfully groups COPUS profiles into interactive lecturelike and other. Five latent profiles successfully sorts observations into interactive lecturelike, Modeling Instruction, ISLE labs, context-rich problems labs, and recitationlike or discussionlike. This analysis serves as a proof of concept, and suggests instructional differences across pedagogies that can be further investigated using this method.

This paper presents improvements made to a computerized adaptive testing (CAT)-based version of the FCI (FCI-CAT) in regards to test security and test efficiency. First, we will discuss measures to enhance test security by controlling for item overexposure, decreasing the risk that respondents may (i) memorize the content of a pretest for use on the post-test or (ii) share information about the items with their classmates who take the assessment later. Second, we will discuss measures to enhance test efficiency, so that a shorter test length can yield a desired accuracy and precision of the measurement. Specifically, we utilized collateral information in the form of a pretest proficiency estimate of each respondent for selecting items and estimating respondent proficiency level in the post-test. To shorten the total testing time further, we also allowed the test lengths to be different for the pre- and post-test. To analyze how these improvements affect the accuracy and precision (which we measure in terms of root-mean-square error) of Cohen’s $d$, we conducted a Monte Carlo simulation and a post hoc simulation. Then, we calculated the minimal test length of the FCI-CAT whose accuracy and precision are equivalent to that of the paper-and-pencil version of the FCI. Consequently, we obtained the following three findings: (i) By using collateral information, we can achieve the accuracy and precision of the full-length FCI with fewer items via the FCI-CAT. (ii) For a class size of 40, we can control for test security while still reducing the sum of the pre- and post-test lengths of the FCI-CAT to a total of 33 items (17 items on the pretest and 16 items on the post-test), thereby reducing the testing time to 55%. (iii) If one’s goal is to maximize test efficiency, the pretest length should be slightly larger than the post-test length. On the other hand, if the goal is to maximize test security, the pretest length should be smaller and the post-test length should be larger. If one desires a balance of these two goals, it would be reasonable to choose equal pre- and post-test lengths.

Physics inquiry can be interpreted as the construction of a cogent argument in which students apply inquiry knowledge and knowledge of physics to the systematic collection of relevant, valid, and reliable data, creating optimal scientific support for a conclusion that answers the research question. In learning how to devise, conduct and evaluate a rigorous physics inquiry, students should learn to choose and apply suitable techniques and adhere to scientific conventions that guarantee the collection of such data. However, they also need to acquire and apply an understanding of how to justify their choices and present an optimally convincing argument in support of their conclusion. In this modified and augmented Delphi study we present a view of inquiry knowledge and a way to assess it that acknowledges both of these components. Using our own expertise with teaching physics inquiry and using curriculum documents on physics inquiry, “inquiry knowledge” is deconstructed as a set of “understandings of evidence” (UOE)—insights and views that an experimental researcher relies on in constructing and evaluating scientific evidence. While insights cannot be observed directly, we argue that their presence can be inferred from a student’s actions and decisions in inquiry, inferred with more definitude as a more explicit and adequate justification is provided. This set of UOE is presented and validated as an adequate, coherent, partially overlapping set of learning goals for introductory inquiry learning. We specify conceivable types of actions and decisions expected in inquiry as descriptors of five attainment levels, providing an approach to assessing the presence and application of inquiry knowledge. The resulting construct, the assessment rubric for physics inquiry, is validated in this study. It distinguishes nineteen UOE divided over six phases of inquiry. Preliminary results suggesting a high degree of ecological validity are presented and evaluated. Several directions for future research are proposed.