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

TL;DR

This study identifies brief, spontaneous metacognitive talk as a key indicator of students' engagement with physicist-like thinking, revealing how students position themselves within physics culture through natural speech.

Contribution

It introduces BESM talk as a novel observable marker of thinking like a physicist, linking discourse analysis to professional identity development in physics students.

Findings

BESM talk signals students' expectations and identity in physics.

Students use BESM talk to express understanding, confusion, and expectations.

BESM talk reflects students' engagement with physics as a technical and cultural practice.

Abstract

Instructors and researchers think "thinking like a physicist" is important for students' professional development. However, precise definitions and observational markers remain elusive. We reinterpret popular beliefs inventories in physics to indicate what physicists think "thinking like a physicist" entails. Through discourse analysis of upper-division students' speech in natural settings, we show that students may appropriate or resist these elements. We identify a new element in the physicist speech genre: brief, embedded, spontaneous metacognitive talk (BESM talk). BESM talk communicates students' in-the-moment enacted expectations about physics as a technical field and a cultural endeavor. Students use BESM talk to position themselves as physicists or non-physicists. Students also use BESM talk to communicate their expectations in four ways: understanding, confusion, spotting inconsistencies, and generalized expectations.