Editorial: Reflections on the Origins of Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Education Research

Robert J. Beichner

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020001 (2015) – Published 23 July 2015

Editorial: Focused Collection: PER in Upper-Division Physics Courses

Michael E. Loverude and Bradley S. Ambrose

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020002 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Editors' Suggestion

Do students know what they know? Exploring the accuracy of students’ self-assessments

Beth A. Lindsey and Megan L. Nagel

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020103 (2015) – Published 17 July 2015

Introductory students are not able to predict which questions they are able to answer correctly.

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Editors' Suggestion

Upper-division student difficulties with separation of variables

Bethany R. Wilcox and Steven J. Pollock

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020131 (2015) – Published 5 November 2015

Student difficulties with separation of variables in the context of upper-division electrostatics.

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Editors' Suggestion

Seeking instructional specificity: An example from analogical instruction

Eric Kuo and Carl E. Wieman

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020133 (2015) – Published 17 November 2015

More specificity added to broad instructional design principles leads to better student learning.

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Using astronomical photographs to investigate misconceptions about galaxies and spectra: Question development for clicker use

Hyunju Lee and Stephen E. Schneider

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020101 (2015) – Published 13 July 2015

Development of multiple-choice questions to identify student misconceptions about galaxies and spectra.

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Development and validation of a learning progression for change of seasons, solar and lunar eclipses, and moon phases

Italo Testa, Silvia Galano, Silvio Leccia, and Emanuella Puddu

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020102 (2015) – Published 16 July 2015

Development of a learning progression for secondary astronomy.

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Editors' Suggestion

Do students know what they know? Exploring the accuracy of students’ self-assessments

Beth A. Lindsey and Megan L. Nagel

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020103 (2015) – Published 17 July 2015

Introductory students are not able to predict which questions they are able to answer correctly.

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Do experts and novices direct attention differently in examining physics diagrams? A study of change detection using the flicker technique

Jason W. Morphew, Jose P. Mestre, Brian H. Ross, and Natalie E. Strand

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020104 (2015) – Published 12 August 2015

Experts are faster than novices at detecting differences between images that are relevant for the physics principles portrayed.

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Effect of scaffolding on helping introductory physics students solve quantitative problems involving strong alternative conceptions

Shih-Yin Lin and Chandralekha Singh

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020105 (2015) – Published 18 August 2015

Students can learn more from solving problems when directed by appropriate scaffolding.

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Conceptual problem solving in high school physics

Jennifer L. Docktor, Natalie E. Strand, José P. Mestre, and Brian H. Ross

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020106 (2015) – Published 1 September 2015

The conceptual problem solving framework improved student problem solving ability in a quasiexperimental study involving three high schools.

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Physics education research: A research subfield of physics with gender parity

Ramón S. Barthelemy, Ben Van Dusen, and Charles Henderson

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020107 (2015) – Published 15 September 2015

A survey of graduate students in physics education research finds that the field has much greater gender parity than physics in general.

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Transforming a fourth year modern optics course using a deliberate practice framework

David J. Jones, Kirk W. Madison, and Carl E. Wieman

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020108 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Student learning gains are measured in upper level optics through the implementation of a new framework for curriculum development.

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Structural features of algebraic quantum notations

Elizabeth Gire and Edward Price

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020109 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Examination of the structural features of common notation systems in quantum mechanics and their effect on student reasoning.

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Educational transformation in upper-division physics: The Science Education Initiative model, outcomes, and lessons learned

Stephanie V. Chasteen, Bethany Wilcox, Marcos D. Caballero, Katherine K. Perkins, Steven J. Pollock, and Carl E. Wieman

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020110 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Detailed case study of the science education initiative model of course transformation, including upper-division physics courses.

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Examining student ideas about energy measurements on quantum states across undergraduate and graduate levels

Gina Passante, Paul J. Emigh, and Peter S. Shaffer

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020111 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Examination of thinking patterns exhibited by both undergraduates and graduate students in predicting or accounting for measurements on quantum states.

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Student understanding of time dependence in quantum mechanics

Paul J. Emigh, Gina Passante, and Peter S. Shaffer

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020112 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Investigation of student difficulties regarding the time dependence of wave functions and probability densities.

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Model-based reasoning in the physics laboratory: Framework and initial results

Benjamin M. Zwickl, Dehui Hu, Noah Finkelstein, and H. J. Lewandowski

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020113 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Motivation for and development of a model-based framework for student learning in upper division labs.

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Mathematical actions as procedural resources: An example from the separation of variables

Michael C. Wittmann and Katrina E. Black

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020114 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Using a resource-based framework to characterize how students develop expertise in solving first-order separable differential equations.

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Development and uses of upper-division conceptual assessments

Bethany R. Wilcox, Marcos D. Caballero, Charles Baily, Homeyra Sadaghiani, Stephanie V. Chasteen, Qing X. Ryan, and Steven J. Pollock

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020115 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

An overview and synthesis of the development and use of conceptual assessments in upper-division physics courses.

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Identifying student difficulties with entropy, heat engines, and the Carnot cycle

Trevor I. Smith, Warren M. Christensen, Donald B. Mountcastle, and John R. Thompson

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020116 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Written tasks and videorecorded classroom observations reveal difficulties with entropy in the context of heat engines.

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Review of student difficulties in upper-level quantum mechanics

Chandralekha Singh and Emily Marshman

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020117 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

A broad review of research characterizing the conceptual understanding, reasoning abilities, problem-solving skills, metacognitive skills, of quantum mechanics students.

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Identifying student resources in reasoning about entropy and the approach to thermal equilibrium

Michael Loverude

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020118 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Conceptions and resources used by thermal physics students long after finishing the course.

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Framework for understanding the patterns of student difficulties in quantum mechanics

Emily Marshman and Chandralekha Singh

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020119 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

A review article that synthesizes many documented patterns of student thinking in quantum mechanics.

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Becoming a physicist: The roles of research, mindsets, and milestones in upper-division student perceptions

Paul W. Irving and Eleanor C. Sayre

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020120 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Phenomenographic study employing a communities of practice framework to explore student perceptions about their transition from student to practitioner.

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Brief, embedded, spontaneous metacognitive talk indicates thinking like a physicist

Eleanor C. Sayre and Paul W. Irving

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020121 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Physics majors’ discourse during problem solving reveals evidence of students ‘thinking like a physicist.’

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Grasping the second law of thermodynamics at university: The consistency of macroscopic and microscopic explanations

Risto Leinonen, Mervi A. Asikainen, and Pekka E. Hirvonen

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020122 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

A qualitative study of student thinking about entropy and the second law of thermodynamics at both the macroscopic and microscopic levels.

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Student understanding of the Boltzmann factor

Trevor I. Smith, Donald B. Mountcastle, and John R. Thompson

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020123 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Research to help students understand the physical significance and applicability of the Boltzmann factor.

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Teaching quantum interpretations: Revisiting the goals and practices of introductory quantum physics courses

Charles Baily and Noah D. Finkelstein

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020124 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

The importance of explicitly attending to students’ interpretations of quantum mechanics.

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Assessing student reasoning in upper-division electricity and magnetism at Oregon State University

Justyna P. Zwolak and Corinne A. Manogue

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020125 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

Using the Colorado Upper-Divison Electrostatics Assessment in the context of the paradigms curriculum at Oregon State University.

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Experts’ understanding of partial derivatives using the partial derivative machine

David Roundy, Eric Weber, Tevian Dray, Rabindra R. Bajracharya, Allison Dorko, Emily M. Smith, and Corinne A. Manogue

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020126 (2015) – Published 23 September 2015

An innovative device is used to probe how experts in physics, mathematics, and engineering understand and experimentally evaluate partial derivatives.

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Students’ framing of laboratory exercises using infrared cameras

Jesper Haglund, Fredrik Jeppsson, David Hedberg, and Konrad J. Schönborn

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020127 (2015) – Published 22 October 2015

Using infrared cameras to help students improve their modeling of thermal phenomena.

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Judgments of physics problem difficulty among experts and novices

Witat Fakcharoenphol, Jason W. Morphew, and José P. Mestre

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020128 (2015) – Published 23 October 2015

Content and pedagogy experts can predict how difficult a physics problem is for introductory physics students better than the students themselves.

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Students’ difficulties with vector calculus in electrodynamics

Laurens Bollen, Paul van Kampen, and Mieke De Cock

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020129 (2015) – Published 2 November 2015

Upper division physics students can do vector calculations but have poor understanding of the conceptual meaning of vector operators.

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Validation and analysis of the coupled multiple response Colorado upper-division electrostatics diagnostic

Bethany R. Wilcox and Steven J. Pollock

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020130 (2015) – Published 2 November 2015

Validation of the multiple response version of the Colorado upper-division electrostatics diagnostic.

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Editors' Suggestion

Upper-division student difficulties with separation of variables

Bethany R. Wilcox and Steven J. Pollock

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020131 (2015) – Published 5 November 2015

Student difficulties with separation of variables in the context of upper-division electrostatics.

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Equity investigation of attitudinal shifts in introductory physics

Adrienne Traxler and Eric Brewe

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020132 (2015) – Published 9 November 2015

Modeling instruction supports equity in student attitudinal shifts in introductory physics.

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Editors' Suggestion

Seeking instructional specificity: An example from analogical instruction

Eric Kuo and Carl E. Wieman

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020133 (2015) – Published 17 November 2015

More specificity added to broad instructional design principles leads to better student learning.

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Students’ proficiency scores within multitrait item response theory

Terry F. Scott and Daniel Schumayer

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020134 (2015) – Published 19 November 2015

Comparison of factor analysis and item response theory factors for understanding Force Concept Inventory data.

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Student ability to distinguish between superposition states and mixed states in quantum mechanics

Gina Passante, Paul J. Emigh, and Peter S. Shaffer

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020135 (2015) – Published 25 November 2015

Interactive lecture tutorials can help sophomore physics students understand of the difference between superposition states and mixed states that is needed for more advanced quantum mechanics classes.

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Combination of interventions can change students’ epistemological beliefs

Calvin S. Kalman, Mandana Sobhanzadeh, Robert Thompson, Ahmed Ibrahim, and Xihui Wang

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020136 (2015) – Published 21 December 2015

Reflective writing and active learning improve students’ epistemological beliefs in an introductory college physics course.

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Drawing and using free body diagrams: Why it may be better not to decompose forces

Ivica Aviani, Nataša Erceg, and Vanes Mešić

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020137 (2015) – Published 29 December 2015

Decomposing forces on free body diagrams appears to impede students’ ability to apply Newton’s laws.

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Stimulated recall interviews for describing pragmatic epistemology

Christopher W. Shubert and Dawn C. Meredith

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020138 (2015) – Published 29 December 2015

Using stimulated recall interviews to measure student personal scientific epistemology.

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Publisher’s Note: Effect of scaffolding on helping introductory physics students solve quantitative problems involving strong alternative conceptions [Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020105 (2015)]

Shih-Yin Lin and Chandralekha Singh

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 029901 (2015) – Published 2 September 2015