Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-16-2024
Keywords
Physics Concepts & Principles, Instructional Strategies, Scientific Reasoning & Problem Solving
Abstract
In this study, we have explored the effectiveness of two instructional approaches in the context of the motion of objects falling at terminal speed in the presence of air resistance. We ground these instructional approaches in dual-process theories of reasoning, which assert that human cognition relies on two thinking processes. Dual-process theories suggest multiple possible avenues by which instruction might impact student reasoning. In this paper, we compare two possible instructional approaches: one designed to reinforce the normative approach (improving the outputs of the intuitive process) and another that guides students to reflect on and analyze their initial ideas (supporting the analytic process). The results suggest that for students who have already demonstrated a minimum level of requisite knowledge, instruction that supports analysis of their likely intuitive mental model leads to greater learning benefits in the short term than instruction that focuses solely on providing practice with the normative mindware. These results have implications for the design of instructional materials and help to demonstrate how dual-process theories can be leveraged to explain the success of existing research-based materials.
Publication Title
Physical Review Physics Education Research
Volume
20
Issue
2 - July - December 2024
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.20.020116
Required Publisher's Statement
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.
Sponsorship/Conference/Institution
Published by the American Physical Society
Recommended Citation
Lindsey, Beth A.; Boudreaux, Andrew; Rosen, Drew J.; Stetzer, MacKenzie R.; and Kryjevskaia, Mila, "Reinforcing mindware or supporting cognitive reflection: Testing two strategies for addressing a persistent learning challenge in the context of air resistance" (2024). Physics & Astronomy. 46.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/physicsastronomy_facpubs/46
Subjects - Topical (LCSH)
Reasoning (Psychology); Thought and thinking
Genre/Form
articles
Type
Text
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf