Student reasoning about measurement uncertainty in an introductory lab course

TL;DR

This study analyzes how undergraduate physics students' understanding of measurement uncertainty evolves during an introductory lab course, using the PMQ assessment to track shifts from novice to expert-like reasoning.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on student reasoning development regarding measurement uncertainty through analysis of open-ended responses before and after instruction.

Findings

Students showed improved understanding of measurement data collection and analysis.

Pre-post shifts indicated movement towards expert-like reasoning.

The PMQ effectively captures changes in student conceptual understanding.

Abstract

Proficiency with calculating, reporting, and understanding measurement uncertainty is a nationally recognized learning outcome for undergraduate physics lab courses. The Physics Measurement Questionnaire (PMQ) is a research-based assessment tool that measures such understanding. The PMQ was designed to characterize student reasoning into point or set paradigms, where the set paradigm is more aligned with expert reasoning. We analyzed over 500 student open-ended responses collected at the beginning and the end of a traditional introductory lab course at the University of Colorado Boulder. We discuss changes in students' understanding over a semester by analyzing pre-post shifts in student responses regarding data collection, data analysis, and data comparison.