Model of improving students

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Model of improving students conceptual knowledge
of magnetism using active learning

• By
• Pattawan Narjaikaew
• Ph.D. Candidate student of Science and Technology
  Education program (Physics)
• Institute for Innovation and Development of
  Learning Process, Mahidol University, Bangkok,
  Thailand September 25, 2008

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The Organization of the Study

• Background of the Study
• A Review of the Literature
• Research Methodology
• Students Understanding and Perceptions of
  Electricity and Magnetism
• The Principles for the Design of the
  Electromagnetism Learning Unit
• The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
• Implementation and Evaluation of the
  Electromagnetism Learning Unit (EMLU)
• Conclusion

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1. Background of the Study
Teaching science in university level
Lecturing is dominated.
Large class is normal.
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1. Background of the Study
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Context of the Study
This study studies about student understanding in
magnetism topics using various learning and
teaching activities.
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1. Background of the Study
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Purposes of the Study
To investigate students conceptual knowledge and
misconceptions about magnetism.
To explore students perceptions of the useful
teaching and learning strategies that help them
learn in a class.
To create an instructional unit for lecturers to
develop student learning processes in magnetism
through active learning.
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1. Background of the Study
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The Research Questions
1. What are the common alternative conceptions
about magnetism of first-year university physics
students?
2. What teaching and learning approaches do
first-year students perceive as helpful to their
learning and understanding physics ideas in
magnetism?
3. How useful are the various teaching
approaches implemented for the first-year
university magnetism course?
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1. Background of the Study
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2. A Review of the Literature
Student conceptions about magnetism.
Teaching approaches examined to help students
become actively participate in teaching/learning
activities to improve students understanding.
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2. A Review of the Literature
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EX Student Conceptions about magnetic force
The force exerted on each other between the two
current-carrying wires/ students think that the
larger current wire exerts the larger force.
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2. A Review of the Literature
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EX Student Conceptions about magnetic induction
Many students seem to believe that the
movement is necessary to induce a current.
Students might not see that the collapsing loop
can change the magnetic flux.
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2. A Review of the Literature
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Teaching approaches for active learning in
lectures
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2. A Review of the Literature
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Teaching strategies for active learning in
lectures
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2. A Review of the Literature
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3. Research Methodology
Literature Review
Issue of the study
Selection of topic to study
Preparation of instrument for investigate
students conceptions
Analysis students conceptions focusing on
misconceptions
Preparation of learning unit to help students
learn
Implementation of the learning unit
Data analysis and reporting of research findings
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3. Research Methodology
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Samples
Universities 2005 Pilot samples 2007 Implementation samples
A 262 226
B 340 661
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3. Research Methodology
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Lecture setting
2005 deductive approach 2007 inductive approach

Describe/explain theory
Observe demonstrations recorded in activity
sheet
Present equations
Summarise general concept
Students practice
Link to theory
Observe a set of experimental data
Present equations
Students practice worksheet
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3. Research Methodology
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Data collection methods
Instruments Purposes



Get students basic knowledge in magnetism
Conceptual survey (CSEM)
Explore how students prefer/ perceive of lecture
course
Questionnaires
Explore students understanding their
perceptions towards the implementation of the
teaching intervention
Interviews
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3. Research Methodology
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4. Students Understanding of EM (Pilot findings)
Students performances on CSEM from university A
(2005)
electricity
magnetism
Percentage of students getting question correct
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4. Phase One Findings
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Students performances on CSEM from university B
(2005)
electricity
magnetism
Percentage of students getting question correct
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4. Phase One Findings
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Student Perceptions of Electromagnetism Learning
and Teaching
Students responses on close-ended questions
(2006)

• Main Ideas

Demonstration/video
Summarising main ideas
Work sheet
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4. Phase One Findings
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Student responses to things lecturers do that
they determined helpful responses to the
open-ended questions
Conducting Demonstration
Working through problems
Summarising concepts
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4. Phase One Findings
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Student responses to things they do that they
viewed helpful responses to the open-ended
questions.
Working through problems
Taking notes
Doing laboratory
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4. Phase One Findings
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5. The Principles for the Design of the EM
Learning Unit (EMLU)
In this study, there are two main learning
perspectives consideration in learning theories.

• Constructivism

• Social-constructivism.

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5. Phase Two Designing the EMUL
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Learning Theories
Constructivism
Learner constructs their own individual
understanding to make sense out of the world.
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5. Phase Two Designing the EMUL
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Learning Theories
Social constructivism
Students get new knowledge by sharing with peer
and link this new ideas with personal experience
and reorganize their own view and negotiate or
reflect on other students view.
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5. Phase Two Designing the EMUL
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6. Designing Teaching Approaches for Active
Learning in the EMLU
Link new concept with previous concept
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6. The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
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Designing Teaching Approaches for Active
Learning in the EMLU
Telling Story
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6. The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
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Designing Teaching Approaches for Active
Learning in the EMLU
Lecture Demonstrations
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6. The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
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Designing Teaching Approaches for Active
Learning in the EMLU
Visualization (Video)
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6. The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
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Designing Teaching Approaches for Active
Learning in the EMLU
Student Discussion
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6. The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
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Designing Teaching Approaches for Active
Learning in the EMLU
Formative Assessment
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6. The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
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Designing Teaching Approaches for Active
Learning in the EMLU
Note taking
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6. The Electromagnetism Learning Unit
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7. Implementation Findings of the
Electromagnetism Learning Unit
The findings about the use of the EMLU as it was
implemented in lectures at 2 universities for
Thai first-year university students.
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7. Implementing the EMLU
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Ex Magnetic force Lecture 1
PowerPoint slides
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7. Implementing the EMLU
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EX Magnetic force (Lecture 1)
Summarising Factors involved in behaviour of
charges in magnetic field (B)

• electric charge q
• magnetic field B
• electric charge velocity v
• magnetic force FB

Video demonstration
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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EX Magnetic force (Lecture 1)
Summarising Factors involved in behaviour of i
in magnetic field (B)
Activity sheet
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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EX Magnetic force (Lecture 1)
Practicing with quick quiz shown on a slide
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EX Magnetic force (Lecture 1)
Work sheet
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Evaluation of the EMLU
ltggt 0.05 0.32 0.00 0.11
Students responses on the CSEM test
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Evaluation of the EMLU
ltggt 0.13 0.27 0.06 0.22
Students responses on the CSEM test
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Evaluation of the EMLU
ltggt -0.03 0.20 -0.03 0.05
Students responses on the CSEM
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Evaluation of the EMLU
Comparing students cognitive knowledge in the
different academic years
University Years Test Mean (11) N SD (Pair T-test) P ltggt
A 2005 Pre 3.33 238 1.94 0.00 0.05
A 2005 Post 4.20 238 2.33 0.00 0.05
A 2007 Pre 3.06 210 1.85 0.00 0.26
A 2007 Post 5.16 210 2.40 0.00 0.26
B 2005 Pre 2.13 340 1.26 0.03 0.02
B 2005 Post 2.33 340 1.42 0.03 0.02
B 2007 Pre 2.18 661 1.46 0.00 0.13
B 2007 Post 3.05 661 1.67 0.00 0.13
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Students performances on post-instructional
test interview
Magnetic force
used the angle provided in the picture instead
of the angle between the magnetic field and the
velocity of the charge.
One interviewee said that she was familiar with
putting number to calculate a magnitude of the
variable instead of explaining what it means
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Students performances on post-instructional
test interview
Magnetic Field
Students performances on the straightforward
question were fairy high.
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Students performances on post-instructional
test interview
Magnetic Induction
Students were able to find the condition causing
an induced current in circuits of questions. Most
of the students at both universities answered the
question provided by demonstration correctly (gt
90).
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Evaluation of the Electromagnetism Learning Unit
Students responding to the close-ended questions
University A University B

Conducting demonstrations
Providing worksheets
Conducting demonstrations/video
Providing worksheets
Providing activity sheets
Providing activity sheets
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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Evaluation of the Electromagnetism Learning Unit
Students responding to the open-ended question
University A University B

Pacing and Explaining style
Conducting demonstrations
Conducting demonstrations
Pacing and Explaining style
Providing worksheets
Providing worksheets
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7. Implementing of the EMLU
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CONCLUSION
Investigated student understanding of
electromagnetism both pre- and post-traditional
teaching.
Developed the Electromagnetism Learning unit
(EMLU) to increase the effectiveness of lectures
on magnetism.
The findings indicated that the students who
attended in the EMLU class had increased their
performances on the conceptual test.
The students perception towards the EMLU were
positive.
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8. Conclusion
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Classroom Environment
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Classroom Environment
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Acknowledgements
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Acknowledgements
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Acknowledgements
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Acknowledgements
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Special Thanks
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