Learning and the variation in focus among physics students when using a computer simulation

Abstract

This article presents a qualitative analysis of the essential characteristics of university students' "focus of awareness" whilst engaged with learning physics related to the Bohr model with the aid of a computer simulation. The research is located within the phenomenographic research tradition, with empirical data comprising audio and video recordings of student discussions and interactions, supplemented by interviews. Analysis of this data resulted in descriptions of four qualitatively distinct focuses: Doing the Assignment, Observing the Presentation, Manipulating the Parameters and Exploring the Physics. The focuses are further elucidated in terms of students' perceptions of learning and the nature of physics. It is concluded that the learning outcomes possible for the students are dependent on the focus that is adopted in the pedagogical situation. Implications for teaching physics using interactivetype simulations can be drawn through epistemological and meta-cognitive considerations of the kind of mindful interventions appropriate to a specific focus.

A Phenomenographic Study on Teachers’ Experiences of Emergency Remote Teaching During COVID-19

“…Developed in Sweden in the 1970s, phenomenography examines the similarity and differences in the ways people understand a phenomenon they have experienced (Marton, 1986), which in this case is teachers' experiences of ERT during COVID-19. Phenomenography has grown to be one of the well-established qualitative research approaches that has been applied extensively in education (Ingerman & Booth, 2002;Wood, 2006;Ingerman et al, 2007;Magana et al, 2012;Gordon & Nicholas, 2015;Hsieh & Tsai, 2017) and in other disciplines (Stenfors-Hayes et al, 2013;Yates et al, 2012;Teeter & Sandberg, 2016).…”

Kvalitativa skillnader i lärares samtal om bedömning och elevers kunnande i naturvetenskap <br> Qualitative differences in teachers’ discussions about assessment and students’ science knowledge

“…Materialet i denna studie är dock lärares diskussioner om undervisning i naturvetenskap. Det finns ett fåtal exempel på analyser av samtal och diskussioner i naturalistisk miljö, se exempelvis Booth och Hulthén (2003), samt Ingerman, Linder, Marshall och Booth (2007). Mot bakgrund av dessa exempel, den pedagogiska potentialen och möjligheten att fånga kvalitativa skillnader i förhållande till bedömning av elevers kunnande, användes en fenomenografisk ansats i denna studie.…”

Desain Simulasi Pembentukan Bayangan Pada Cermin Cembung Menggunakan Gui Builder Scilab 5.5.0

“…Salah cara efektif yang dapat digunakan untuk mengajarkan Fisika adalah dengan menggunakan simulasi, karena hasil eksperimen membuktikan bahwa simulasi komputer berperan penting di dalam mempelajari aspek-aspek yang terkait dengan fenomena-fenomena Fisika yang terjadi [8]. Simulasi komputer dapat berfungsi sebagai alat yang efektif untuk meningkatkan kemampuan peserta didik dalam membuat hipotesis, menginterpretasi grafik, dan kemampuan memprediksi [9].…”