TY - JOUR
T1 - Instructors' reasons for choosing problem features in a calculus-based introductory physics course
AU - Yerushalmi, Edit
AU - Cohen, Elisheva
AU - Heller, Kenneth
AU - Heller, Patricia
AU - Henderson, Charles
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - This study investigates how the beliefs and values of physics faculty influence their choice of physics problems for their students in an introductory physics course. The study identifies the goals these instructors have for their students, the problem features they believe facilitate those goals, and how those features correspond to problems they choose to use in their classes. This analysis comes from an artifact-based interview of 30 physics faculty teaching introductory calculus-based physics at a wide variety of institutions. The study concludes that instructors' goals and the problem features they believe support those goals align with researchbased curricular materials intended to develop competent problem solvers. However, many of these instructors do not use the beneficial problem features because they believe these features conflict with a more powerful set of values concerned with clarity of presentation and minimizing student stress, especially on exams.
AB - This study investigates how the beliefs and values of physics faculty influence their choice of physics problems for their students in an introductory physics course. The study identifies the goals these instructors have for their students, the problem features they believe facilitate those goals, and how those features correspond to problems they choose to use in their classes. This analysis comes from an artifact-based interview of 30 physics faculty teaching introductory calculus-based physics at a wide variety of institutions. The study concludes that instructors' goals and the problem features they believe support those goals align with researchbased curricular materials intended to develop competent problem solvers. However, many of these instructors do not use the beneficial problem features because they believe these features conflict with a more powerful set of values concerned with clarity of presentation and minimizing student stress, especially on exams.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78649377833&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78649377833&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.6.020108
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.6.020108
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:78649377833
SN - 1554-9178
VL - 6
JO - Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research
JF - Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research
IS - 2
M1 - 020108
ER -