Impact of an introductory lab on students' understanding of measurement uncertainty

TL;DR

This study evaluates how an introductory physics lab influences students' understanding of measurement uncertainty, showing significant shifts towards expert-like reasoning after instruction.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the impact of a lab course transformation on students' measurement reasoning using the PMQ assessment.

Findings

Large shifts towards set-like reasoning post-instruction

Significant improvement in students' understanding of measurement uncertainty

Over 500 student responses analyzed

Abstract

Physics lab courses are an essential part of the physics undergraduate curriculum. Learning goals for these classes often include the ability to interpret measurements and uncertainties. The Physics Measurement Questionnaire (PMQ) is an established open-response survey that probes students' understanding of measurement uncertainty along three dimensions: data collection, data analysis, and data comparison. It classifies students' reasoning into point-like and set-like paradigms, with the set-like paradigm more aligned with expert reasoning. In the context of a course transformation effort at the University of Colorado Boulder, we examine over 500 student responses to the PMQ both before and after instruction in the pre-transformed course. We describe changes in students' overall reasoning, measured by aggregating four probes of the PMQ. In particular, we observe large shifts towards set-like reasoning by the end of the course.