PERC 2011 Abstract Detail Page
|Abstract Title:||A study of student initiated questions in an introductory physics class|
|Abstract:||We report findings of a study that investigated the features of student-initiated questions in a general introductory physics class. The questions were extracted from a small group, collaborative peer instruction learning environment. The learning environment was chosen because students freely construct dialogue in the genre of questions in such a setting. We gained insight into the knowledge construction process by capturing and transcribing questions that arose as students i) tried to understand new ideas and ii) tried to deepen their understanding of already learned ideas. We observed, transcribed, coded and sorted the student-initiated questions for analysis. A preliminary finding is a language pattern suggestive of a questioning hierarchy. We coded questions in 3 key categories; strengthening, deepening, and extending understanding. A finer structure of hierarchy was identified by sorting on specific linguistic forms that students used, such as causal statements, counterargument, and metaphor.|
|Abstract Type:||Contributed Poster
University of California, Davis, Ca
1 Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
David Webb, Univeristy of California Davis, Ca.
Wendell Potter, University of California, Davis, Ca.