Applying a resources framework to analysis of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation

TL;DR

This paper redefines question clusters in the FMCE using a resources framework, emphasizing context and representation, to better analyze student understanding beyond simple correctness and identify false positives.

Contribution

It introduces a resources-based approach to analyzing FMCE responses, moving beyond traditional expert/novice and correctness metrics, to capture nuanced student reasoning.

Findings

Common incorrect answers provide significant insight into student reasoning.

False positives are prevalent, especially in Newton's Third Law questions.

Resources framework enhances analysis of student responses.

Abstract

We suggest one redefinition of common clusters of questions used to analyze student responses on the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). Our goal is to move beyond the expert/novice analysis of student learning based on pre-/post-testing and the correctness of responses (either on the overall test or on clusters of questions defined solely by content). We use a resources framework, taking special note of the contextual and representational dependence of questions with seemingly similar physics content. We analyze clusters in ways that allow the most common incorrect answers to give as much, or more, information as the correctness of responses in that cluster. Furthermore, we show that false positives can be found, especially on questions dealing with Newton's Third Law.