Speaker
Dr
Zeynep Topdemir
(Johannes Kepler University Linz)
Description
As a part of a broader project that aims to investigate students’ mathematical understanding in physics, this study explores how students understand the partial derivatives of divergence and curl of vector field diagrams. Students are asked to draw vector field diagrams for the given partial derivative before the instruction. After the instruction they have asked to find the sign of the partial derivative of a certain vector field plot. Student difficulties finding partial derivatives of divergence and curl of vector field diagrams before the instruction and after the instruction will be compared.
| Education level | Age over 18 (excluding teacher education) |
|---|---|
| Physics topic | Other |
| Research focus | Student conceptions / Preconceptions / Misconceptions |
| Research method | Educational design research (Qualitative research) |
| Organizing preference criteria | Research focus |
Author
Dr
Zeynep Topdemir
(Johannes Kepler University Linz)
Co-authors
Prof.
John Thompson
(University of Maine)
Prof.
Michael Loverude
(California State University Fullerton)
