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1. For Good Measure: Identifying Student Measurement Estimation Strategies Through Actions, Language, and Gesture

   Harrison, A. (January 2020, Proceedings of the International Conference on the Learning Sciences)

   Measurement informs our actions and decisions well beyond school, necessitating that students develop a conceptual understanding of measurement alongside the procedural ability to measure objects. We present a first attempt to explore how students express their understanding of measurement by analyzing the behavior of college and elementary students as they completed measurement estimation tasks. We clustered observable student behavior to identify six profiles of behavioral strategies which may indicate different levels of conceptual understanding. 

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2. For good measure: Identifying student measurement estimation strategies through actions, language, and gesture.

   Harrison, A. (June 2020, The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020)

   Gresalfi, M. & (Ed.)

   Measurement informs our actions and decisions well beyond school, necessitating that students develop a conceptual understanding of measurement alongside the procedural ability to measure objects. We present a first attempt to explore how students express their understanding of measurement by analyzing the behavior of college and elementary students as they completed measurement estimation tasks. We clustered observable student behavior to identify six profiles of behavioral strategies which may indicate different levels of conceptual understanding. 

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3. Do students think that objects have a true definite position?

   https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.20.010154  

   Stump, Emily M; Hughes, Mark; Holmes, N G; Passante, Gina (June 2024, Physical Review Physics Education Research)

   Previous research on student thinking about experimental measurement and uncertainty has primarily focused on students’ procedural reasoning: Given some data, what should students calculate or do next? This approach, however, cannot tell us what beliefs or conceptual understanding leads to students’ procedural decisions. To explore this relationship, we first need to understand the range of students’ beliefs and conceptual understanding of measurement. In this work, we explored students’ philosophical beliefs about the existence of a true value in experimental measurement. We distributed a survey to students from 12 universities in which we presented two viewpoints on the existence of a true definite position resulting from an experiment, asking participants to indicate which view they agreed with more and asking them to explain their choice. We found that participants, both students and experts, varied in their beliefs about the existence of a true definite position and discussed a range of concepts related to quantum mechanics and the experimental process to explain their answers, regardless of whether or not they agreed with the existence of a true value. From these results, we postulate that students who exhibit similar procedural reasoning may hold widely varying philosophical views about measurement. We recommend that future work investigates this potential relationship and whether and how instruction should attend to these philosophical views in addition to students’ procedural decisions. 

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4. Khan, A, Reynolds, OM, Thiessen, DB, Adesope, OO, Van Wie, BJ, Dutta, P, Design, Fabrication, Testing, and Implementation of a Low-Cost Venturi Meter, , 39(4), 1-15, 2023.

   Khan, A (July 2023, International journal of engineering education)

   In engineering education, conceptual understanding of the subject matter is as important as the attainment of practical skills. Therefore, teaching methodology should be designed in such a way that it enhances student conceptual understanding. To enhance conceptual understanding of fluid flow measurement, in this study, we report on the development of a low-cost, small-sized, reproducible, highly visual venturi meter module for active learning. With this module, students can conduct fluid flow experiments in their classroom or lab setting to learn the fundamental principles behind the venturi meter. Quantitative measurements of flow rates and associated parameters with the module reveal its usefulness for demonstrating fluid flow physics, while worksheet-guided studies promote student engagement and conceptual understanding. Results of pretest, posttest, and motivational survey assessments show that the module and associated activities improve conceptual understanding, result in a surge in confidence, and reinforce the desire to participate. Therefore, based on the findings, the modules developed can be used to enhance student understanding in fluid mechanics courses. 

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5. Improving student understanding of quantum measurement in infinite-dimensional Hilbert space using a research-based multiple-choice question sequence

   https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.21.010104  

   Li, Yangqiuting; Singh, Chandralekha (January 2025, Physical Review Physics Education Research)

   [This paper is part of the Focused Collection in Investigating and Improving Quantum Education through Research.] Research-based multiple-choice questions implemented in class with peer instruction have been shown to be an effective tool for improving students’ engagement and learning outcomes. Moreover, multiple-choice questions that are carefully sequenced to build on each other can be particularly helpful for students to develop a systematic understanding of concepts pertaining to a theme. Here, we discuss the development, validation, and implementation of a multiple-choice question sequence (MQS) on the topic of quantum measurement in the context of wave functions in the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. This MQS was developed using students’ common difficulties with quantum measurements as a guide and was implemented in a junior-/senior-level quantum mechanics course at a large research university in the U.S. We compare student performance on assessment tasks focusing on quantum measurement before and after the implementation of the MQS and discuss how different difficulties were reduced and how to further improve students’ conceptual understanding of quantum measurement in infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Published by the American Physical Society2025 

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