The object coordination class applied to wave pulses: Analysing student reasoning in wave physics

Abstract

Detailed investigations of student reasoning show that students approach the\ntopic of wave physics using both event-like and object-like descriptions of\nwavepulses, but primarily focus on object properties in their reasoning.\nStudent responses to interview and written questions are analysed using diSessa\nand Sherin's coordination class model which suggests that student use of\nspecific reasoning resources is guided by possibly unconscious cues. Here, the\nterm reasoning resources is used in a general fashion to describe any of the\nsmaller grain size models of reasoning (p-prims, facets of knowledge, intuitive\nrules, etc) rather than theoretically ambiguous (mis)conceptions. Student\napplications of reasoning resources, including one previously undocumented, are\ndescribed. Though the coordination class model is extremely helpful in\norganising the research data, problematic aspects of the model are also\ndiscussed.\n