To use or no to use diagrams: The effect of drawing a diagram in solving introductory physics problems

Abstract

Drawing appropriate diagrams is a useful problem solving heuristic that can transform a give problem into a representation that is easier to exploit for solving it. A major focus while helping introductory physics students learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing a diagram facilitates problem solution. We conducted an investigation in which 111 students in an algebra-based introductory physics course were subjected to two different interventions during recitation quizzes throughout the semester. They were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We developed a rubric to score the problem-solving performance of students in different intervention groups. We investigated two problems involving electric field and electric force and found that students who draw expert-like diagrams are more successful problem solvers and that a higher level of detail in a student's diagram corresponds to a better score.

Peer reviewed conference proceedings 4 pages, 2 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1601.04357, arXiv:1601.04340

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Challenges in designing appropriate scaffolding to improve students' representational consistency: The case of a Gauss's law problem
• Impact of guided reflection with peers on the development of effective problem solving strategies and physics learning
• Do students benefit from drawing productive diagrams themselves while solving introductory physics problems? The case of two electrostatic problems
• Case of two electrostatics problems: Can providing a diagram adversely impact introductory physics students' problem solving performance?