Introduction and Methodology

• Part of a larger project studying the intersection of math and physics learning• This part: examine the key words and phrases that students focus on while

determining how to approach the problems

• Students were given two sets of problems (10 math and 10 physics, successively)• They were asked to discuss and compare the problems within each set

•Data collected via group interviews (3-4 students per group) in 2012-2013• Second semester, calculus-based, introductory physics students

• Phenomonographic Approach• Emphasis on the students’ experience as the learner/participant1

• Catalogue of the words and phrases that students emphasized while approaching the comparison/categorization task•Only meant to be a first-level of analysis, a more formal Discourse Analysis

• Word Cloud Diagrams created to provide visual representation• Scaled diagrams: the size of the word represents the frequency

References1. Marton, F., Phenomenography – a research approach to investigate different understandings of reality. Journal of Thought, 1986, 21, 28-49.2. Redish, E. F., Problem solving and the use of math in physics courses. In World View on Physics Education in 2005: Focusing on Change,

Delhi, 20053. Nguyen, D.-H.; Rebello, N. S., Students' understanding and application of the area under the curve concept in physics problems. Physical

Review - Special Topics PER 2011, 7 (1)

Students’ Views of Math Physics Problems: Structure vs. ContentDyan L. Jones

Findings

• Students seem to be focusing on a different set of triggers (words, phrases, symbols, etc.) in math and physics problems• Consistent with prior studies on words and symbols in each discipline2

• Math: focus on what the problem “wants them to do”•Frequently say things like “take an integral” or “just multiply”•Students displayed same integral confusion shown in other studies3

•No discussion of the context of the problem in any of the groups

Conclusions

• When asked to interpret mathematics and physics problems, students seem to focus on different key words and phrases• Math: focus on the processes and techniques• Physics: focus on the context and variables

• After some time, some shift to look at the processes required•Continuation: examine how these initial triggers might affect the problem solving process

Findings, continued

• Physics: did not immediately focus on technique, but rather the variables•Took nearly 3 times as long to complete – consensus was reached slowly•Discussion always first centered on the content of the problem• Evidence in the diagram: distance, work, time, force, etc.

•Equation: came up in a variety of ways, many pointing to needing an equation sheet

•After time some groups moved toward discussing the mathematical process• Considerable prompting often required

• Most commonly recognized mathematical tool: integration