Sociocultural influences on physics students' use of proportional reasoning in a non-Western country

Abstract

Proportional reasoning is important for students' success in the learning and understanding of physics concepts. Key aspects of students' difficulty with proportional reasoning can be understood only when the social and cultural contexts in which they are embedded are considered. Hence, there is a need for a constructivist investigation of students' constructions of their difficulty and nonuse of proportional reasoning within their immediate social and cultural contexts. A constructivist and interpretive case study was carried out with six physics students from a coeducational senior secondary school, and this provided some insights into the association between cultural heritage, students' worldviews, societal expectations, authoritarianism, upbringing, customs and traditions, language, everyday life, and students' use of proportional reasoning in physics. Students were engaged with various proportional reasoning tasks during which multiple research techniques were employed to generate, analyze, and interpret data using the hermeneutic dialectic process and an emergent approach.

7th Grade Students’ Mathematical Difficulties in Force and Motion Unit

“…The difficulties in interpreting the graphs (Capraro et al 2005;Demirci & Uyanik, 2009;Roth & Bowen, 1999) as well as proportional concepts (Akatugba & Wallece, 1998;Howe et al 2010aHowe et al , 2010bLamon, 2007) was also reported in the studies that investigated students' difficulties in physics. The reason of students' difficulties in proportional concepts was explained as students' being unaware of use of proportional concepts including ratios and proportions in solving physics tasks (Akatugba & Wallace, 1999). In addition, we found that students had difficulties in applying formulas.…”

Math and Science Integrated Curriculum: Pedagogical Knowledge-Based Education Framework

“…Over years, science teachers found that students find it difficult to apply related mathematical concepts such as converting units, understanding and interpreting graphs [15], proportional concepts [16], computational fluency, and intensive quantities which combine direct and inverse proportion. Students' difficulties in physics were caused by the abstract nature of subject and the inclusion of mathematical computational skills.…”

“…Students' difficulties in physics were caused by the abstract nature of subject and the inclusion of mathematical computational skills. Akatugba and Wallece [16] indicated that physics concepts such as force, acceleration, and pressure require a better understanding in mathematics including proportional reasoning.…”

Student Understanding of Scale: From Additive to Multiplicative Reasoning in the Constriction of Scale Representation by Ordering Objects in a Number Line

“…(Booth & Siegler, 2006& 2008Dehaene, 2011;Kadosh, Tzelgov, & Henik, 2008;Lamon, 1993;Lesh, Post, & Behr, 1988;Piaget, 1987;Reys, Lindquist, Lambdin, & Smith, 2009;Siegler & Opfer, 2003;Smith & Confrey, 1994;Vergnaud, 1983 (An, 2008;Hart, 1981Hart, & 1988Kamii & Livingston, 1994;Lindquist, 1989;O'Brien & Casey, 1983;Siemon, Breed, & Virgona, 2006;Siemon & Virgona, 2001 (Ben-Chaim et al, 1998;Kim & Bang, 2013;Lesh, Post, & Behr, 1988;Tournaire & Pulos, 1985 (Akatugba & Wallace, 1999;Angell et al, 2008;Beland & Mislevy, 1996;De Lozano & Cardenas, 2002;Guckin & Morrison, 1991;Hines & McMahon, 2005;Lamon, 1993;Prain & Waldrip, 2006). (Bar, 1987;Dawkins et al, 2008;Evans et al, 2008;Kohn, 1993;Smith, 1997;Streefland, 1984;Wagner, 2001).…”