The Construction of Physics Knowledge by High School Students as a Result of Participation in the Yale University Physics Olympics
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Authors
Andronesco, Nicholas
Issue Date
2007
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Constructivism , Competitive learning environment , Physics , Perception , Physics competition learning inventory (PCLI) , Yale Physics Olympics (YPO)
Alternative Title
Constructivism in Physics Knowledge
Abstract
Constructivism is a concept and methodology debated and applied for many years in education. According to this concept, knowledge is built in learners' minds through experimentation and reflection. Communicating and negotiating in communities over what, how, and why to learn defines social constructivism. There has been limited research in the area of constructing knowledge in competitions. This dissertation answered three research questions: how was the competitive learning environment constructivist, how did students construct physics knowledge during competition, and what were the perceptions of judges and coaches regarding constructivist learning in competition. To address Research Question I and Research Question 2 the methodology employed in this study was the non-participant observational model. To address Research Question 3 the methodology employed in this study was a statistical analysis of the data collected from the Physics Competition Learning Inventory (PCLI) survey administered to coaches and judges. The PCLI was developed to provide school and district administrators, science supervisors, and science and physics teachers an opportunity to reflect upon their own perceptions of radical constructivist learning in physics competitions. From the non-participant observational model, the researcher discerned several constructivist themes using videotapes, transcripts, and observer notes. The results of this analysis clearly showed that a constructivist learning process occurred in the Yale Physics Olympics (YPO). The statistical analysis of the PCLI, using the categories of Group Interaction in the Community of Physics Competitors (Overall Mean for coaches, 5.10 and for judges, 5.08) and Learning Activities for Physics Competitors (Overall Mean for coaches, 4.24 and for judges, 4.53), with a scale from zero to six, confirmed a strong constructivist learning environment in the YPO as demonstrated by the application of the non-participant observational meth0d. Using the variation coefficient, the means of all items from the PCLI were representative except for one item, the training of students before competition, which clearly showed two tendencies for training students, a mild and a radical constructivism. The Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient showed a very strong correlation between ranking of coaches and judges for the CPLI Group Interaction in the Community of Physics Competitors (r = 0.90, p < 0.05) and for the CPLI Learning Activities for Physics Competitors (r = 0.95, p < 0.05). Both coaches and judges were in agreement that Group Interaction in the Community of Physics Competitors (overall Means 5.10 and 5.08) was more constructivist than Learning Activities for Physics Competitors (overall Means 4.24 and 4.53). The results of this study generated several recommendations. Additional research should be done with a larger sample of students participating in the YPO. High school teachers should apply constructivist learning principles used in the YPO competition, by using video and audio tapes as training materials. A similar study should be conducted to determine the degree to which constructivist learning is occurring in other academic competitions. The results should also be used to initiate changes in the way school districts see the construction of knowledge in competitions as well as the way in which curricula are developed to reflect this new radical learning process. The PCLI may be a useful self-reflection tool because it reveals patterns of strengths and areas of need in developing interesting, exciting, and motivational learning activities. Constructivist learning in competition is a radical process where, through experimentation, abstract concepts are developed and applied in a time constrained learning environment.
Description
This work has also be published under the title "Constructivism in Physics Knowledge". The author of this work has given permission to provide it open access to the public.
Citation
N. Andronesco, "The Construction of Physics Knowledge by High School Students as a Result of Participation in the Yale University Physics Olympics", Ph.D. dissertation, School of Education, Univ. of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 2007.