Identifying Students' Models of Sound Propagation

Abstract

We investigated students' mental models of sound propagation in introductory physics classes. In addition to the scientifically accepted wave model, students used the "entity" model. In this model sound is a self-standing entity, different from the medium, and propagating through it. All other observed alternative models are composed of entity and wave ingredients, but at the same time they are distinct from each of the constituent models. We called these models "hybrid" models. We will discuss how students use these models in various contexts before and after instruction.

Investigating students’ mental models about the nature of light in different contexts

“…Just as stated in previous studies (Bao and Redish 2006, Hrepic 2002,2004, Hrepic et al 2010, Wittmann et al 2003, this study also indicated that students' mental models are context dependent. In other words, a student can use different models for the same phenomenon in different contexts.…”

“…In other words, a student may use different models for the same phenomenon in different contexts. In this study, we called such usage 'mixed state' as also used in the literature (Hrepic 2002, 2004, Hrepic et al 2010. If a student uses the same model across contexts, it is called a 'pure state' (Bao and Redish 2006, Hrepic 2002, Hrepic et al 2010.…”

“…In this study, we called such usage 'mixed state' as also used in the literature (Hrepic 2002, 2004, Hrepic et al 2010. If a student uses the same model across contexts, it is called a 'pure state' (Bao and Redish 2006, Hrepic 2002, Hrepic et al 2010. Also in this study, students used different models in different contexts.…”

Methodological issues in eliciting blend mental models: The context of sound propagation

“…blended [3,4]. Fauconnier and Turner [5] call the later process cognitive blending and they laid theoretical foundations for its understanding and further refinement [6].…”

“…In conceptual blending, two or more mental input spaces (small conceptual packets) combine to produce a blend space [5]. The need for the notion of "hybrid knowledge" [7], "hybrid" mental models [3], "synthetic" models [8], and "blended" mental models [4,9] -has emerged organically in physics education research over the past two decades in association with a wide range of physics topics (see [10] and references therein). A mental model is an internal representation that serves as a structural analogue for explaining situations and physical processes.…”