Exploring Students’ Misconception in the Frame of Graphic and Figural Representation on Projectile Motion Regarding to the COVID-19 Constraints

Remote learning has reformed the normal tradition of physics instruction in the existence of COVID-19 pandemic. The previous documentation of student’s misconception is mostly discovered in the normal condition of physics instruction. Regarding to the pandemic outbreak is necessary since distance learning routines have absolutely influence the physics education outcomes all over the world. To explore the issues, this quantitative study has descriptively identified students' misconception on projectile motion in the frame of graphic and figural representations. The six items of Busyairi and Zuhdi’s three tier test were administered to the 76 students in a Javanese public high school, Indonesia. Overall, the Arslan, Cigdemolu, & Moseley’s categorical framework classified that the whole participants still congregate in the misconception’s groups on projectile motion. The lack of students’ representation on projectile motion might be magnified by the pandemic restrictions in providing appropriate visualization on projectile concept. Finally, the author suggested that the alternative of online learning during the outbreak have not yet been effectively engaged to promote the physics representation on projectile motion.

Application of the Demonstration Method to Improve Concept Understanding and Learning Activities of Students in Physics Subjects

Using the demonstration technique in conjunction with physics instruction, the purpose of this research is to improve students' comprehension of their ideas. Classroom action research is used in this study, and it is divided into two cycles, with each cycle consisting of six sessions each cycle. It is necessary to prepare ahead, take activities, observe and reflect as part of the research process. Based on the findings, students' comprehension of physics topics improved when they were taught using the demonstrative approach. Cycle I students' understanding score averaged 67 points with a standard deviation of 14.92, while the second cycle students' understanding score averaged 79 points with a standard deviation of 9.84. Students' understanding score increased in both cycles I and II, with the average value of 67 points and the standard deviation of 14.92. On the basis of the study's findings, it is possible to infer that the use of physics learning using the demonstration technique has improved students' comprehension of topics in physics

When Learners Prefer the Wrong Explanation: Misconceptions in Physics Explainer Videos and the Illusion of Understanding

Online explanation videos on platforms like YouTube are popular among students and serve as an important resource for both distance learning and regular science education. Despite their immense potential, some of the explainer videos for physics include problematic explanation approaches, possibly fostering misconceptions. However, some of them manage to achieve good ratings on YouTube. A possible reason could be that explainer videos with misconceptions foster an “illusion of understanding”—the mistaken belief that a topic has been understood. In particular, misconceptions close to everyday experiences might elicit greater interest and appear more convincing than scientifically correct explanations. This experimental study was conducted to research this effect. Physics learners (N = 149), with a low prior knowledge enrolled in introductory university courses on primary education, were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. While the experimental group watched a video introducing the concept of force relying on misconceptions, the control group watched the scientifically correct video. Both videos were comparable in terms of comprehensibility and duration. In the posttest, the experimental group believed that the video was scientifically correct, well-explained, and that they do not require further instruction to understand the concept—indicators of an illusion of understanding. The video including misconceptions was perceived as better understandable than the scientifically correct video (d = 0.62*). The experimental group was significantly more convinced by the misconception after watching the video than the control group (d = 1.86**). They learnt more erroneous knowledge about the misconception than the control group about the scientifically correct concept (Cohen’s q = 0.37*). We argue that this might become problematic (a) in physics instruction because students who have watched a misleading video might regard further teaching in school as irrelevant, and (b) learners might tend to rate videos including misconceptions better on an online platform like YouTube.

A Theory of Action for Classifying and Implementing Online Text- Based Curriculum Materials Using Natural Language Processing

The purpose of this work is to propose a theory of action for how educators can use Natural Language Processing (NLP) as a way to explore, classify, and implement online text-based curricular materials. Grounded in previous research from k-12 mathematics and science education, the theory of action highlights the role of the educator in implementing curriculum materials. Within the context of open and free online text-based curricular materials, this work forwards and operationalizes the theory of action for using NLP in the context of higher education physics instruction. Results demonstrate the feasibility of such a model with implications for the importance of educators being “in the loop” instead of black boxing such processes.