University student conceptual resources for understanding energy

We report some of the common, prevalent conceptual resources that students used to reason about energy, based on our analysis of written responses to questions given to 807 introductory physics students. These resources include, for example, associating forms of energy with indicators, relating forces and energy, and representing energy quantitatively. This research responds to a need for large-scale, resources-oriented research on students’ conceptual understanding and has the potential to support the development of an underexplored dimension of pedagogical content knowledge–knowledge of student resources for understanding energy. Our aim is to promote instructor take-up of the resources theory of knowledge, and we suggest a number of ways in which instructors might capitalize on the resources we report.

Figure 1

David walks up stairs question.

Figure 2

Emily sprains her ankle question.

Figure 3

Box on a spring question.

Figure 4

Bowling ball free body diagram question.

Figure 5

Sarah pushes a box free body diagram question.

Figure 6

Question design and validation process.

Figure 7

Example student response for “students track energy as it moves through a system” (box on a spring question, Seattle Pacific University calculus-based physics).

Figure 8

Example student response for “students track energy as it moves through a system” (bowling ball free body diagram question, DePaul University).

Figure 9

Example student response for “students account for the energy at the beginning and end of the scenario” (Emily question, Seattle Pacific University algebra-based physics).

Figure 10

Example student response for “students account for the energy at the beginning and end of the scenario” (Sarah pushes a box free body diagram question, Seattle Pacific University calculus-based physics).

Figure 11

Example student response for “students recognize that energy transfers at contact” (bowling ball free body diagram question, DePaul).

Figure 12

Example student response for “students quantify relative amounts of energy” (bowling ball free body diagram question, DePaul).

Figure 13

Example student response for “students quantify relative amounts of energy” (box on a spring question, Seattle Pacific University calculus-based physics).

Figure 14

Example student response for “students quantify relative amounts of energy” (Emily question, Seattle Pacific University algebra-based physics).

Figure 15

Diagram depicting energy transfers and transformations in the Emily sprains her ankle question.

Figure 16

Diagram depicting energy transfers and transformations in the box on a spring question.

Figure 17

Free body diagram for the bowling ball in the bowling ball free body diagram question.

Figure 18

Diagram depicting energy transfers and transformations in the bowling ball free body diagram question.

Figure 19

Free body diagram for the box in the Sarah pushes a box free body diagram question.

Figure 20

Diagram depicting energy transfers and transformations in the Sarah pushes a box free body diagram question.