Do students benefit from drawing productive diagrams themselves while solving introductory physics problems? The case of two electrostatic problems

TL;DR

This study investigates whether students benefit from drawing their own diagrams while solving introductory physics problems, finding that productive diagrams improve problem-solving success and detail correlates with better performance.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence that encouraging students to draw productive diagrams enhances problem-solving in physics and highlights the importance of relevant detail in diagrams.

Findings

Students who drew productive diagrams performed better.

More detailed diagrams correlated with higher scores.

Interviews supported the quantitative results.

Abstract

An appropriate diagram is a required element of a solution building process in physics problem solving and it can transform a given problem into a representation that is easier to exploit for solving the problem. A major focus while helping introductory physics students learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing diagrams facilitates problem solving. We conducted an investigation in which two different interventions were implemented during recitation quizzes throughout the semester in a large enrollment, algebra-based introductory physics course. Students were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We developed a rubric to score the problem solving performance of students in different intervention groups. We investigated two problems involving electric field and electric force and found that students who drew productive diagrams were more successful problem solvers and that a higher level of relevant detail in a student's diagram corresponded to a better score. We also conducted think-aloud interviews with nine students who were at the time taking an equivalent introductory algebra-based physics course in order to gain insight into how drawing diagrams affects the problem solving process. These interviews supported some of the interpretations of the quantitative results. We end by discussing instructional implications of the findings.