Developing a reasoning inventory for measuring physics quantitative literacy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new assessment tool, the PIQL, designed to measure physics-specific quantitative reasoning skills, focusing on proportional reasoning and negative quantities, to enhance understanding of students' physics quantitative literacy.

Contribution

It extends the concept of quantitative literacy to physics, developing a novel assessment instrument and initial data analysis methodology for measuring physics reasoning skills.

Findings

Preliminary data from ~1,020 students show promising insights.

The PIQL assesses key components like proportional reasoning and negative quantities.

Early results suggest the tool's potential for evaluating physics reasoning development.

Abstract

In an effort to improve the quality of citizen engagement in workplace, politics, and other domains in which quantitative reasoning plays an important role, Quantitative Literacy (QL) has become the focus of considerable research and development efforts in mathematics education. QL is characterized by sophisticated reasoning with elementary mathematics. In this project, we extend the notions of QL to include the physics domain and call it Physics Quantitative Literacy (PQL). We report on early stage development from a collaboration that focuses on reasoning inventory design and data analysis methodology for measuring the development of PQL across the introductory physics sequence. We have piloted a prototype assessment designed to measure students' PQL in introductory physics: Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL). This prototype PIQL focuses on two components of PQL: proportional reasoning, and reasoning with negative quantities. We present preliminary results from approximately 1,000 undergraduate and 20 graduate students.