Comment on Demographic gaps or preparation gaps?: The large impact of incoming preparation on performance of students in introductory physics

物理入门课程学生对优秀同伴的认可：性别与种族/民族偏见因课程层次和情境而异

Introductory physics students' recognition of strong peers: Gender and racial/ethnic bias differ by course level and context

本文通过分析三门远程物理入门课程中的同伴提名数据，探究性别与种族/民族偏见在同伴认可中的表现，发现课程层次与教学情境（讲授或实验）对偏见模式有重要影响，为理解远程教学环境中的同伴认知形成提供了关键证据。

Absence of a COVID-induced academic drop in high-school physics learning

At the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, the majority of secondary instruction in the United States transitioned to an online environment. In many parts of the country, online schooling continued for upwards of two years. Many experts have hypothesized an "academic slide" (a reduction in student learning) following this period of online instruction. We investigated the change in student preparation for introductory college physics in incoming Stanford university students between the Fall term of 2019 to the Fall term of 2021. We did this by looking at the performance on a validated physics diagn…

天文学导论课程学生中成长型思维模式的普遍性

Prevalence of a growth mindset among introductory astronomy students

本研究通过五个学期的调查发现，天文学导论课学生虽普遍认同成长型思维模式且态度稳定，但其实际课堂行为和对学习挑战的反应并未充分体现这一思维模式。

Percent Grade Scale Amplifies Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Introductory Physics

In previous work we analyzed databases for 95 classes to show that the percent grade scale was correlated with a much higher student fail rate than the 4.0 grade scale. This paper builds on this work and investigates equity gaps occurring under both scales. By employing a "Course Deficit Model" we attribute the responsibility for closing the gaps to those who are responsible for the policies that guide the course. When comparing course grades in classes graded using the percent scale with those in courses graded using the 4.0 scale, we find that students identifying as belonging to racial or e…

Introduction of interactive learning into French university physics classrooms

We report on a project to introduce interactive learning strategies (ILS) to physics classes at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), one of the leading science universities in France. In Spring 2012, instructors in two large introductory classes, first-year, second-semester mechanics, and second-year introductory E&M, enrolling approximately 500 and 250 students respectively, introduced ILS into some sections of each class. The specific ILS utilized were Think-Pair-Share questions and Peer Instruction in the main lecture classrooms, and UW Tutorials for Introductory Physics in recitati…

Everyone's Universe: Teaching Astronomy in Community Colleges

Despite the negative stereotypes still overshadowing community colleges, scores of freshmen nationwide are deliberately beginning their college careers at these institutions, and the numbers are increasing more than twice as fast as those of four-year schools. Approximately 300,000 of these students take introductory astronomy each year as the last formal exposure to science most of them will ever have, and at least one-third of these students do so at a community or two-year college. The importance of investing in and devoting resources and training to serve this population - everyone, demogr…

Using Machine Learning to Identify the Most At-Risk Students in Physics Classes

Machine learning algorithms have recently been used to predict students' performance in an introductory physics class. The prediction model classified students as those likely to receive an A or B or students likely to receive a grade of C, D, F or withdraw from the class. Early prediction could better allow the direction of educational interventions and the allocation of educational resources. However, the performance metrics used in that study become unreliable when used to classify whether a student would receive an A, B or C (the ABC outcome) or if they would receive a D, F or withdraw (W)…

Longitudinal associations between learning assistants and instructor effectiveness

A central goal of the Learning Assistant (LA) model is to improve students' learning of science through the transformation of instructor practices. There is minimal existing research on the impact of college physics instructor experiences on their effectiveness. To investigate the association between college introductory physics instructors' experiences with and without LAs and student learning, we drew on data from the Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) database. The LASSO database provided us with student-level data (concept inventory scores and demographic data) for 4,365 students…

Combining surveys and sensors to explore student behaviour

Student belongingness is important for successful study paths, and group work forms an important part of modern university physics education. To study the group dynamics of introductory physics students at the University of Helsinki, we collected network data from seven laboratory course sections of approximately 20 students each for seven consecutive weeks. The data was collected via the SocioPatterns platform, and supplemented with students' major subject, year of study and gender. We also collected the Mechanics Baseline Test to measure physics knowledge and the Colorado Learning Attitudes …

Improving student's problem-solving ability as well as conceptual understanding without sacrificing the physics content of a class

Four sections of introductory physics for physical scientists and engineers (about 180 students each) are compared. One section, treatment group, was organized so that students worked to learn the classical ideas connecting forces and motion over the first 6 weeks of the 10 week quarter and then used the final 4 weeks to apply those principles to algebraically complicated problems. The other sections learned ideas at essentially the same time as calculations over the entire 10 weeks of the quarter. The treatment group and one of the control sections were taught by the same instructor, had iden…

物理学同行认可中的偏见未能解释感知认可度上的差距

Bias in physics peer recognition does not explain gaps in perceived recognition

本研究调查了1700余名美国物理入门课程学生，发现女性在获得同等同行认可时感知认可度显著低于男性，表明认可差距源于感知而非偏见，为教学干预提供了依据。

成为一名物理学家：重大教育转折点影响女性的物理自我效能感与归属感

Becoming a physicist: Major educational transition points impact women's physics self-efficacy and sense of belonging

本研究通过访谈六名女性物理本科生，发现从高中到大学及进入物理专业等重大教育转折点会损害女性的物理自我效能感与归属感，揭示了缺乏支持的物理文化可能导致边缘群体学生流失。

Learning Concepts First: A Course Structure with Improved Educational Outcomes in the Short, Medium, and Long Terms (Especially for Minority Groups Underrepresented in Physics)

An active learning physics course (treatment) was re-organized in an attempt to increase students' problem solving abilities. This re-organized course covered all of the relevant concepts in the first 6 weeks with the final 4 weeks spent in practice at solving complicated problems (those requiring students to use higher order cognitive abilities). A second active learning course (control) was taught in the same quarter by the same instructor using the same curricular materials but covering material in the standard (chapter-by-chapter) order. After accounting for incoming student characteristic…

A Leaky Pipe Dream? A Study of Gender Differences in Undergraduate Physics

Students face diverse pathways as they journey through undergraduate study. The analysis of student course records can untangle common patterns in course progression, and identify group trends in student outcomes. The current work examines the relationship between gender and undergraduate physics study, using course records from over nine thousand students who enrolled in physics at the University of Auckland, spanning a six year period. Physics students' demographic and course records were analyzed to find out whether there were gender differences in subject selection, course performance, and…