Author(s):
Need: Physics quantitative literacy (PQL) is a ubiquitous and vital skill, but there is mounting evidence that students’ PQL doesn’t improve much as a result of having taken introductory physics. Moreover, PQL is an assumed part of the prerequisite mathematics for physics instruction, making it a barrier to entry into STEM fields. To address the mismatch between expectations and reality, it is essential to measure, assess, and develop curriculum to improve PQL for all students in physics courses. Guiding Questions: Our work is guided by three broad research questions: 1) In what ways does students’ PQL change through the undergraduate physics curriculum? 2) In what ways does students’ PQL depend on characteristics of the population? 3) What kinds of instructional interventions are effective at improving PQL?Outcomes: We have previously developed the Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL) to measure students’ PQL in introductory calculus-based physics courses. In this project we are mapping the development of PQL across the undergraduate physics curriculum using the PIQL in upper-division undergraduate courses (RQ1). Crucially, we are expanding our data collection across a variety of colleges and universities to ensure the validity of the PIQL across a broad population of physics students. We havel developed a related test, the Generalized Equation-based Reasoning inventory for Quantity and Negativity (GERQN), that is designed to measure PQL in physics courses that do not involve calculus topics (RQ2). We have collected data using the GERQN over several academic terms at five universities, and we are in the process of using these data to establish the validity of the GERQN for measuring PQL in these student populations. We have begun developing and piloting instructional intervention activities to improve students’ PQL in introductory physics courses. We are using our tests of PQL (the PIQL and the GERQN) to assess their effects on student learning (RQ3).Broader Impacts: This work can have a strong influence on undergraduate physics education across all varieties of postsecondary learning environments in three specific ways.(1) Facilitating the improvement of PQL as an educational outcome: Easy-to-administer formative assessments can help catalyze individual instructors’ development of instructional materials and strategies.(2) Situating PQL expectations in a growth mindset: Spanning diverse populations at various times during throughout the sequence of physics course-taking using the PIQL and GERQN will allow us to quantify growth, not just mastery of the topic. (3) Addressing systemic inequality in precollege STEM education as a crucial access point to STEM majors: Many in-service physics teachers have a primary content specialty other than physics and have not taken upper-division physics courses. This is especially common in low-SES districts. By facilitating the development of materials and methods to improve PQL in introductory undergraduate courses, this project has the potential to help future physics teachers strengthen their PQL, which could in turn benefit their future students.
Coauthors
Suzanne White Brahmia, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
