Identification of Deterministic, Intermediate, and Probabilistic Thinking in Terms of Gender, Cumulative Grade Point Average, and Mathematical Ability.
Abdul Halim, Evendi, Ngadimin, Susanna Susanna, Ibnu Khaldun
Abstract The transition from classical physics to quantum physics is not merely a shift in content, but also involves a transformation in students’ conceptual understanding and modes of thinking—from deterministic to probabilistic thinking. One of the causes of misconceptions in quantum physics concepts is that students tend to retain deterministic ways of thinking. This study focuses on identifying the types of thinking adopted by 221 students during quantum physics lectures, specifically regarding the concept of wave-particle duality of light. Based on the data collected through a multiple-choice test instrument on the concept of wave-particle duality, it was found that most students demonstrated intermediate thinking, while only a small portion continued to rely on deterministic or probabilistic thinking. The implication of this study is that university lecturers are expected to design quantum physics instruction that can motivate students to shift from deterministic thinking to probabilistic thinking.
Abstract The transition from classical physics to quantum physics is not merely a shift in content, but also involves a transformation in students’ conceptual understanding and modes of thinking—from deterministic to probabilistic thinking. One of the causes of misconceptions in quantum physics concepts is that students tend to retain deterministic ways of thinking. This study focuses on identifying the types of thinking adopted by 221 students during quantum physics lectures, specifically regarding the concept of wave-particle duality of light. Based on the data collected through a multiple-choice test instrument on the concept of wave-particle duality, it was found that most students demonstrated intermediate thinking, while only a small portion continued to rely on deterministic or probabilistic thinking. The implication of this study is that university lecturers are expected to design quantum physics instruction that can motivate students to shift from deterministic thinking to probabilistic thinking.
This research proposes to investigate understanding/misunderstanding level of undergraduate students on some fundamental quantum physical concepts namely wave function, Schrödinger’s wave equation and wave‐particle duality by means of conceptual test techniques. The test, developed by the authors, consists of three subsections comprised of various evaluation methods namely multiple choices with explanations and drawings. The data are analyzed on the bases of school type. Suggestions are made under the light of the results to create a better learning environment concerning quantum physics courses.
Abstract: This research aims to investigate the level of students’ understanding of the concept of particle-wave dualism, and the relationship between concept understanding of classical physics and particle-wave dualism. 31 students of Physics Department of FMIPA Unsyiah who attended Quantum Physics were selected as the sample of the study. The data were collected through 20 items of diag-nostic UDFK multiple choice test. Each item contains 5 options, consisting of 1 correct answer, 1 misconception, and 3 distracters. The students were also given classical physics test using FCI test. The results of analysis using CRI showed that 13.8% students did not understand, 21.5% students less understand, 28.8% students understand, and 35.8% students misunderstand the concept of particle-wave dualism. Data analysis using correlation showed that the students’ understanding of particle-wave dualism was influenced by their understanding of classical physics (r = .17)
Not only is Quantum Mechanics (QM) conceptually rich, it is also a theory that physics students have found abstract and technically formidable. Nevertheless, compared to other classical topics of physics, university students’ understanding of QM has received minimal attention in the physics education literature. The principal purpose of this study was to characterize the variation in the ways that undergraduate physics students depict the basic concepts of QM and to extrapolate the results to scaffold possible changes to instructional practices at the university that provided the context for the study. In so doing, an adaptation of a developmental phenomenographic perspective was chosen. Empirically, the study was approached through in-depth interviews with 35 physics students from two Ethiopian governmental universities after they had been exposed to the traditional QM course for one-third of a semester. Interview responses were analyzed using phenomenographic approach where a picture of students’ depictions was established for each quantum concept by expounding the given responses. For each basic quantum concept addressed, the structure of the description categories was separately constructed, and overall, it was found that naive, quasi-classical ontology and/or variants of classical ways of visualization are dominant in students’ responses. For example, it was found that students’ depictions of the photon concept could be described with three distinct categories of description, which are (a) classical intuitive description, (b) mixed model description and (c) quasi-quantum model description. Similarly, the findings revealed that it is possible to establish three qualitatively different categories of description to picture students’ depictions of matter waves, namely, (a) classical and trajectory-based description, (b) an intricate blend of classical and quantum description and (c) incipient quantum model description. Likewise, it was found that students’ depictions of uncertainty principle can be described as: (a) uncertainty as classical ignorance, (b) uncertainty as measurement disturbance and (c) uncertainty as a quasi-quantum principle. \nWith regard to learning QM, the categories of description made clear several issues: most students did not have enough knowledge to depict the basic concepts of QM properly; they were influenced by the perspective of classical physics and their perceptions in making explanations about QM; and they also applied mixed ideas, one based on their classical model and the other from newly introduced QM. These results are also supported by the findings of previous studies in similar domains. Findings from the study were used to guide the design of multiple representations-based instructions and interactive learning tutorials on the conceptual aspects of QM that has been shown to address specific difficulties identified in the study. Theoretical and practical implications of the study, as well as potential future considerations are drawn.
A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our studies suggest this notoriously difficult task may be frustrated by the intuitively realist perspectives of introductory students, and a lack of ontological flexibility in their conceptions of light and matter. We have developed a framework for understanding and characterizing student perspectives on the physical interpretation of quantum mechanics, and demonstrate the differential impact on student thinking of the myriad ways instructors approach interpretive themes in their introductory courses. Like expert physicists, students interpret quantum phenomena differently, and these interpretations are significantly influenced by their overall stances on questions central to the so-called measurement problem: Is the wave function physically real, or simply a mathematical tool? Is the collapse of the wave function an ad hoc rule, or a physical transition not described by any equation? Does an electron, being a form of matter, exist as a localized particle at all times? These questions, which are of personal and academic interest to our students, are largely only superficially addressed in our introductory courses, often for fear of opening a Pandora's Box of student questions, none of which have easy answers. We show how a transformed modern physics curriculum (recently implemented at the University of Colorado) may positively impact student perspectives on indeterminacy and wave-particle duality, by making questions of classical and quantum reality a central theme of our course, but also by making the beliefs of our students, and not just those of scientists, an explicit topic of discussion.
Abstract Wave-particle duality is included in many secondary school and university physics curricula as a concept central to quantum physics. The very term wave-particle duality suggests that a firm grasp of the individual classical concepts of wave and particle is crucial to studying quantum mechanics successfully. This raises the question whether students’ mental models of these concepts are sufficiently addressed and developed prior to the teaching of wave-particle duality. We explored Dutch upper secondary school students’ mental models of waves and particles using a short questionnaire. It was administered to a total of 147 students from two different groups. One group consisted of secondary school students prior to receiving formal education in introductory quantum mechanics while students from the other group had recently completed the Dutch national curriculum for pre-university education, which includes wave-particle duality. Our findings support the notion that students model classical particles and waves as mutually exclusive phenomena. Mental models of wave-particle duality, which require mixing the two classical models, appear to be only superficially developed. Our findings open avenues for future research on students’ mental models of waves and particles as basis for wave-particle duality.
A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our studies suggest this notoriously difficult task may be frustrated by the intuitively realist perspectives of introductory students, and a lack of ontological flexibility in their conceptions of light and matter. We have developed a framework for understanding and characterizing student perspectives on the physical interpretation of quantum mechanics, and demonstrate the differential impact on student thinking of the myriad ways instructors approach interpretive themes in their introductory courses. Like expert physicists, students interpret quantum phenomena differently, and these interpretations are significantly influenced by their overall stances on questions central to the so-called measurement problem: Is the wave function physically real, or simply a mathematical tool? Is the collapse of the wave function an ad hoc rule, or a physical transition not described by any equation? Does an electron, being a form of matter, exist as a localized particle at all times? These questions, which are of personal and academic interest to our students, are largely only superficially addressed in our introductory courses, often for fear of opening a Pandora's Box of student questions, none of which have easy answers. We show how a transformed modern physics curriculum (recently implemented at the University of Colorado) may positively impact student perspectives on indeterminacy and wave-particle duality, by making questions of classical and quantum reality a central theme of our course, but also by making the beliefs of our students, and not just those of scientists, an explicit topic of discussion.