Uncovering Cognitive Processes in Physics Problem Solving by Tracking the Eyes
REU student: Elizabeth Noël Olson
supervisor:
Dr. N. Sanjay Rebello
Kansas State University Kansas State Physics Kansas State REU Program
Union University Union University Physics
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This program is funded by the National
Science Foundation through grant number PHY-1157044.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of
the National Science Foundation.
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Welcome! My name is Betsy Olson, and I am an
undergraduate student at Union University in Jackson, TN (see About Me). During the summer of 2012, I spent ten weeks
at Kansas State University participating in
the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program through their Department of Physics. Read on to learn what
I researched, the research status at the end
of the program, and what’s ahead for this
project. Also see my final presentation and learn more about the
activities that were a part of the K-State REU program: Lectures,
Electronics Class, Ethics
Class, and other activities.
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I worked in the Physics Education Research Group (K-SUPER)
under Dr. N. Sanjay Rebello, collaborating with Dr. Bashirah Ibrahim (postdoctoral fellow), Adrian Madsen (PhD
candidate), and Amy Rouinfar (graduate student). Our project brought together several areas of
physics education research (PER): problem solving, external representation,
and internal representation (see Final
Presentation for more information).
We tracked students’ eyes while they solved kinematics problems, hoping
to connect their eye movements to their solution methods. In the future, this study could be used as a
springboard for more exploration into kinematics problem solving and how to
better use graphs in kinematics.
Research
Status:
During the summer: two slightly different research protocols were tested, the
research plan was modified until a final version was agreed upon, and eye
tracking data was collected for 25 participants. By the end of the ten weeks, data had just
begun to be analyzed using a C++ program created by Amy Rouinfar.
What’s Ahead: After the REU program ends on August 3rd,
preliminary data analysis will be completed by August 15th, the
deadline for a paper proposal for the National
Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) 2013 Annual
International Conference. Over the next several months, full data
analysis will be completed and the final NARST conference paper will be
written.
Final
Presentation: Take a look at my
presentation in PowerPoint
format or PDF
format.
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Lectures: Fifteen
lectures took place over the course of the summer. Dr. Larry Weaver gave lectures on topics such
as cross section, history of modern physics, index of refraction, and
antiparticles. Dr. Eleanor Sayre gave a
lecture on Physics Education Research.
Dr. Glenn Horton-Smith gave lectures on neutrino oscillations and
nuclear energy. Dr. Tim Bolton lectured
about the Higgs boson. Dr. Chris
Sorenson gave a lecture on nanoparticles. Dr. Carlos Trallero
led a discussion on the graduate school application process. Dr. Bharat Ratra
gave a lecture on dark energy.
Electronics Class:
Dr. Brian Washburn taught a
3-week-long electronics class. Topics
covered were: voltage dividers, passive RC filters, and operational amplifiers.
Ethics Class: Dr. Amy Lara and Dr. Bruce Glymour met with the REU students for eight weeks to
discuss ethics. We discussed mentoring,
fraud, and public communication, among other topics.
Other
Activities: Highlights of the REU
program were: picnic at Dean Shanklin’s house, day
trip to Hutchinson, KS, to see the Underground Salt Museum and Cosmosphere, and Konza prairie
tour.
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About Elizabeth: Has
attended Union University since fall 2009.
Set to graduate in May 2014 as a Physics Education major, math
minor. Recipient of
the Kyle L. Hathcox Memorial Physics Award in spring
2012. ’12-’13
Society of Physics Students president.
Union University Symphonic Band French horn player. Hobbies: reading, piano playing, origami
folding, crocheting, music listening.
Lord of the Rings ambition: to live in Rivendell.
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