Brief, embedded, spontaneous metacognitive talk indicates thinking like a physicist

Abstract

Instructors and researchers think "thinking like a physicist" is important for students' professional development. However, precise definitions and observational markers remain elusive. We reinterpret popular beliefs inventories in physics to indicate what physicists think "thinking like a physicist" entails. Through discourse analysis of upper-division students' speech in natural settings, we show that students may appropriate or resist these elements. We identify a new element in the physicist speech genre: brief, embedded, spontaneous metacognitive talk (BESM talk). BESM talk communicates students' in-the-moment enacted expectations about physics as a technical field and a cultural endeavor. Students use BESM talk to position themselves as physicists or non-physicists. Students also use BESM talk to communicate their expectations in four ways: understanding, confusion, spotting inconsistencies, and generalized expectations.

15 pages, 4 figures, accepted at PhysRevST-PER

References in corpus (4)

• Gesture analysis for physics education researchers
• Conditions for building a community of practice in an advanced physics laboratory
• The role of context and culture in teaching physics: The implication of disciplinary differences
• Upper-Level Physics Students' Perceptions of Physicists

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Students' epistemological framing in quantum mechanics problem solving
• Investigating the Role of Socially Mediated Metacognition During Collaborative Troubleshooting of Electric Circuits
• Presenting a STEM Ways of Thinking Framework for Engineering Design-based Physics Problems
• Student understanding of electric and magnetic fields in materials
• Blending of Conceptual Physics and Mathematical Signs
• Characterizing Discourse Group Roles in Inquiry-based University Science Labs