Phenomenographic analysis of students’ conceptual understanding of electric and magnetic interactions

Hernandez, Eder; Campos, Esmeralda; Barniol, Pablo; Zavala, Genaro

doi:10.1103/physrevphyseducres.18.020101

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Other students accessing it do not have another way to explain it; they use it. This mnemonic-type student conception has been previously reported (Hernandez et al, 2022). Li and Singh (2016) reported in a study with non-identical bulbs that students erroneously consider that "the brightness of both light bulbs in series should be the same."…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

How Difficult are Simple Electrical Circuit Conceptions? New Findings

Quezada-Espinoza¹,

Domínguez²,

Zavala³

2023

EUROPEAN J ED RES

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<p style="text-align: justify;">Research on conceptual understanding is one of the first steps in designing materials to improve learning. Literature reports that students have difficulties analyzing and describing phenomena in electric circuits. This report contributes to students' conceptual difficulties regarding simple electrical circuits by systematically analyzing an open conceptual test answered by 531 first-year engineering students. We found students' reasoning that has not yet been reported in the literature as misconceptions or difficulties. To deepen our understanding of students' difficulties, we chose five students by convenience to interview. We present evidence that there are two main contributions to the taxonomy in this study: the Series Circuit Misconception, which is when students convey that the current through bulbs is the same because they are in series, using that as a mnemonic ignoring any change in the circuit; and the Inverse Parallel Circuit Misconception, that is when students mention that the resistance of the circuit decreases when disconnecting bulbs in parallel, neither are reported in the literature. The results of this study have implications for physics education research in electric circuits and educational practice in the classroom.</p>

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 57%

How Difficult are Simple Electrical Circuit Conceptions? New Findings

Quezada-Espinoza¹,

Domínguez²,

Zavala³

2023

EUROPEAN J ED RES

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“…Based on the literature about interference between electricity and magnetism concepts and our observations while analyzing the data for previous studies (Barniol & Zavala, 2015, Campos et al, 2023Hernandez et al, , 2021Hernandez et al, , 2022, we found the opportunity to identify how some elements of magnetism may be present when students reason about Gauss's law, and elements of electricity may be present when students reason about Ampere's law. By the elements of electricity or magnetism, we mean specific words in students' explanations or specific letters in students' written equations that hint at the opposite context (for example, calling the electric field the "magnetic field").…”

Section: Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After magnetism instruction, the interference reverts; students tend to answer electric force questions with magnetic force answers Scaife & Heckler, 2011). A study about 2 / 12 students' understanding of electric and magnetic fields and interactions found a higher tendency to use electricity concepts to answer questions about the magnetic field (Campos et al, 2021;Hernandez et al, 2022). These findings hint that there may be other causes of interference besides the timing of instruction, such as rote learning (or memorization).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning interference between electricity and magnetism? Analysis of patterns and consistency

Campos

Hernandez

Barniol

et al. 2023

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed

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Due to the similarities between Gauss’s and Ampere’s laws, students can present cognitive interference when learning these laws in the introductory physics course. This study aims to analyze the interference patterns that emerge in students’ answers when solving problems that involve Gauss’s and Ampere’s laws and related concepts (e.g., electric flux and magnetic circulation). We conducted a study of 322 engineering students attending a private Mexican university. We applied two open-ended questionnaires with questions that prompted using Gauss’s and Ampere’s laws. We analyzed students’ answers to identify whether they presented some word or element of an equation from the opposite context and coded them into coding families. We analyzed the consistency of interference by counting the times each student presented some interference in general and by coding family. The results indicated that the interferences related to the shape of the Gaussian surface or Amperian trajectory and field-related concepts are shared among contexts. However, the interference related to the source of the field (charge or current) is predominant in magnetism. In contrast, the interference related to using elements from the opposite context in an equation predominates in electricity. In other words, students referred to currents as charges and wrote equations that contained B (for magnetic field) or other similar elements in Gauss’s law. The general consistency analysis revealed that around half the students presented at least one interference in both contexts. We recommend that the interference between electricity and magnetism in Gauss’s and Ampere’s laws must not be overlooked. This study’s findings can guide introductory and intermediate electricity and magnetism instructors to address this interference phenomenon.

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“…De Winter and Airey [46] explored the vital connection between mathematics and physics in cultivating future physics teachers' ability to integrate mathematics into their instruction, resulting in deeper conceptual understanding for their students. Hernandez et al [47] provided insights into students' perception and comprehension of electric and magnetic interactions, which could assist teachers in tailoring their lesson plans to accommodate their students' conceptual perspectives better. McGregor and Pleasants [48] suggested reorganizing Snell's law instruction to develop conceptual knowledge before introducing mathematical aspects could lead to a more profound understanding of the subject matter.…”

Section: Conceptual Understandingmentioning

confidence: 99%

FLM-based AFL improves physics engagement and conceptual understanding

Asyhari,

Irawan,

Sunyono

et al. 2024

EduLearn

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Assessment for learning (AFL) is a pedagogical approach that enhances student learning outcomes through high-quality feedback. This study investigates the effectiveness of integrating the feedback loop model (FLM) with AFL to improve students' engagement and understanding of physics, specifically in kinematics and motion dynamics. The study employs a mixed-methods research design, combining quantitative and qualitative data to assess the impact of the FLM-based AFL approach. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used, supported by research instruments that measured student engagement and their conceptual grasp of physics. The findings indicate that integrating FLM into AFL led to significant improvements, evidenced by Cohen’s effect size of 1.91, highlighting a substantial impact on student learning. These results affirm that FLM-based AFL positively affects student engagement and understanding of physics. The study contributes to the existing research on effective assessment methods, providing valuable insights for educators and policymakers in developing enhanced assessment and teaching strategies. This study emphasizes the potential benefits of incorporating FLM-based AFL in diverse educational settings to elevate student learning experiences and outcomes.

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Phenomenographic analysis of students’ conceptual understanding of electric and magnetic interactions

Cited by 8 publications

References 44 publications

How Difficult are Simple Electrical Circuit Conceptions? New Findings

How Difficult are Simple Electrical Circuit Conceptions? New Findings

Learning interference between electricity and magnetism? Analysis of patterns and consistency

FLM-based AFL improves physics engagement and conceptual understanding

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