Evaluation of a deliberate-practice informed supplemental intervention in graduate Quantum Mechanics

TL;DR

This study evaluated a deliberate-practice based supplemental intervention in graduate quantum mechanics, aiming to improve authentic problem solving, but found no significant skill improvement despite some indications of better conceptual understanding.

Contribution

The paper introduces a deliberate-practice informed intervention targeting authentic problem solving in graduate quantum mechanics, highlighting challenges in measuring skill improvement.

Findings

No statistically significant improvement in problem solving skills.

Faculty observed better conceptual understanding in students.

Intervention did not translate into measurable skill gains.

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of physics education research literature related to problem solving, recent studies have illustrated that opportunities for ``authentic'' problem solving -- conceptualized as making decisions with limited information using one's physics knowledge -- are limited at both the graduate and undergraduate levels in physics curricula. Building on one of these studies, we designed a supplemental intervention for a graduate-level quantum mechanics course which scaffolded the practice of making some of these critical decisions using the conceptual framework of deliberate practice. Despite similar incentive structures as prior interventions focused on conceptual understanding in similar contexts, we did not measure any statistically significant improvement in students' problem solving skills following our intervention, though faculty members involved with the next course and written qualifying exams indicated the students showed better-than-usual conceptual understanding. We explore a number of potential explanations for this disconnect and suggest future avenues of research in this area.