Collaborative Research: Measuring and Improving Physics Quantitative Literacy throughout the Undergraduate Curriculum

合作研究：测量和提高整个本科课程的物理定量素养

• 批准号: 2214283
• 负责人: Trevor Smith
• 金额: $ 3.6万
• 依托单位: Rowan University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2214283&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Measuring; Improving; Physics

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing tools to assess and characterize students’ mathematical reasoning skills in physics across a diverse student population. Introductory physics is required for many STEM majors, in large part, because it can help develop mathematical reasoning skills so that students can succeed in their degree program. New instructional materials and methods are needed that can help students learn these essential skills. This study plans to assess the development of these skills in physics majors as they complete middle- and upper-division physics courses. A new assessment instrument will be developed and validated to allow instructors and researchers to measure mathematical reasoning skills across geographically and socioeconomically diverse populations. Results from these assessments will be used to design, develop, and test interventions to improve these skills. Project results will be presented at national conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals in STEM education. The assessment instruments will be made available to the STEM education community through online repositories. The project addresses a national need to improve students’ mathematical reasoning skills so that they can describe and understand the world from a quantitative perspective.This project builds on the recent development of the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) to meet the need for a formative assessment of students’ mathematical reasoning in physics, referred to as Physics Quantitative Literacy (PQL). The PIQL was validated with calculus-based introductory physics students at a large public research university. This project will map the development of PQL throughout the undergraduate physics major by collecting PIQL data in introductory and advanced undergraduate courses. The project will develop and validate a new test, based on the PIQL, that is appropriate for populations with less exposure to formal mathematics courses. This new test will be used to measure PQL in the breadth of physics courses taken by many STEM majors, across multiple institutions. Evidence for the validity and reliability of this new test will be established through an iterative cycle of quantitative and qualitative analyses, based on the successful procedures established while validating the PIQL. Ultimately, this project will develop and pilot instructional activities to improve students’ PQL as an outcome. The effectiveness of these materials will be assessed using either the PIQL or the newly developed test. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目旨在通过开发工具来评估和表征学生在潜水员学生群体的物理学中的数学推理技能来实现国家利益。许多STEM专业的入门物理学在很大程度上是必需的，因为它可以帮助发展数学推理技能，从而使学生能够在学位课程中取得成功。需要新的教学材料和方法，可以帮助学生学习这些基本技能。这项研究计划在完成中级和上层物理学课程时评估物理专业技能的发展。将开发和验证新的评估工具，以允许讲师和研究人员衡量地理和社会经济多样性人群中的数学推理技能。这些评估的结果将用于设计，开发和测试干预措施以提高这些技能。项目结果将在国家会议上介绍，并在STEM教育的同行评审期刊上发表。评估工具将通过在线存储库向STEM教育社区提供。该项目应对提高学生的数学推理能力的国家需求，以便他们可以从定量的角度描述和理解世界。该项目基于最新的定量素养物理清单（PIQL）的最新发展，以满足对物理学数学推理的形成性评估物理学的形成性评估，并参考物理学定量学（PQL）。 PIQL通过基于钙的简介物理学生在一所大型公共研究大学的介绍中进行了验证。该项目将通过在介绍和高级本科课程中收集PIQL数据来绘制整个本科物理专业的PQL的开发。该项目将根据PIQL开发和验证新的测试，该测试适用于较少接触正式数学课程的人群。该新测试将用于测量许多机构在许多STEM专业的物理课程的广度上测量PQL。这项新测试的有效性和可靠性的证据将通过定量和定性分析的迭代循环，基于在验证PIQL时建立的成功程序。最终，该项目将开发和试验教学活动，以改善学生的PQL作为结果。这些材料的有效性将使用PIQL或新开发的测试评估。 NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过订婚的学生学习轨道，该计划支持了有希望的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，通过评估被认为是宝贵的支持。