Cui, Rebello, Bennett: NARST Proceedings 2007

Assessing college students’ transfer of learning from calculus to physics using non-traditional problems
Lili Cui, N. Sanjay Rebello & Andrew G. Bennett Proceedings of the NARST 2007 Annual Meeting New Orleans, LA

This research investigated students’ transfer of learning from calculus courses to an introductory physics course using non-traditional physics Jeopardy problems. We used semi-structured think-aloud interviews to assess the extent to which students transfer their calculus knowledge when solving Jeopardy problems. Jeopardy problems present interviewees with an intermediate step in the form of a mathematical integration and ask students to come up with a physical scenario relevant to the integral provided. Results indicate that students often had difficulty taking apart the given problem and constructing the corresponding physics situation.