'Because math': Epistemological stance or defusing social tension in QM?

TL;DR

This paper explores how physics students manage social tension during quantum mechanics tutorials by using various communicative tools like humor and reinterpretation, revealing strategies for balancing social and epistemological challenges.

Contribution

It identifies specific communicative strategies students employ to navigate social conflicts in quantum mechanics tutorials, highlighting their role in collaborative learning.

Findings

Students use epistemic distancing and humor to manage social tension.

Reinterpretation of questions helps students collaboratively resolve conflicts.

Different episodes showcase diverse social navigation strategies.

Abstract

In collaborative small-group work, physics students need to both manage social conflict and grapple with conceptual and epistemological differences. In this paper, we document several outlets that students use as tools for managing social conflict when addressing quantum mechanics tutorials in clinical focus groups. These resources include epistemic distancing, humor, playing on tutorial wording and looking ahead to subsequent questions. We present preliminary analysis of episodes where students work through a Particle in a Box tutorial. Each episode highlights a different manner of navigating social tension: through shared epistemic humor in one case, and reinterpretation of the question in the other.