First-year university Physics students’ knowledge about direct current circuits: probing improvement in understanding as a function of teaching and learning interventions

Abstract

Probing university students' understanding of direct-current (DC) resistive circuits is still a field of active physics education research. We report here on a study we conducted of this understanding, where the cohort consisted of students in a large-enrollment first-year physics module. This is a noncalculus based physics module for students in the life sciences stream. The study involved 366 students enrolled in the physics (bio) 154 module at Stellenbosch University in 2015. Students' understanding of DC resistive circuits was probed by means of a standardized test instrument. The instrument comprises 29 multiple choice questions that students have to answer in ~40 min. Students were required to first complete the standardized test at the start of semester (July 2015). For ease of reference we call this test the pre-test. Students answered the pre-test having no university-level formal exposure to DC circuits in theory or practice. The pre-test therefore served to probe students' school level knowledge of DC circuits. As the semester progressed students were exposed to a practical (E1), lectures, a prescribed textbook, a tutorial and online videos focusing on DC circuits. The E1 practical required students to solve DC circuit problems by means of physically constructing circuits, algebraically using Kirchhoff's Rules and Ohm's Law, and by means of simulating circuits using the app iCircuit running on iPads (iOS platform). Each E1 practical involved ~50 students in a three hour session. The practical was repeated three afternoons per week over an eight week period. Twenty three iPads were distributed among students on a practical afternoon in order for them to do the circuit simulations in groups (of 4-5 students). At the end of the practical students were again required to do the standardized test on circuits and complete a survey on their experience iopscience.org/ped

The effectiveness of using a virtual laboratory in the teaching of electromagnetism in the lyceum

“…Analyzing a negative t-value requires considering its absolute value in comparison with the value on the table of t-values and degrees of freedom, which quantifies the variability of the final estimated number. In this case, the absolute value of the experimental t-value of −1.785 is smaller than the value (t = 2.201, p = .05) found on the degrees of freedom chart (11). This fact enables us to state that the mathematical means of the two groups are significantly different.…”

“…Newman et al [11] investigated university students' understanding of direct current, and reported that the students' average score on the post-test reveals an enhancement of their learning on the subject of direct-current circuits after using the Circuit app using iPads.…”

Development of the university students’ mental models on direct current*

“…For instance, the literature is rich in terms of the studies on the teaching and learning of topics related to electricity. A significant number of these studies are designed specifically with direct current and direct current circuits in mind [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Many studies on direct current found that students of various levels of learning harbor a range of alternative concepts on the matter, and experience difficulties in learning [9,[13][14][15][16].…”