Physics Education
Dr. Robynne Lock
Dr. Lock's research focuses on identifying and understanding methods to improve all students' attitudes about physics and to encourage more students to pursue physics careers. In particular, we seek to find ways to reduce the gender gap. Only about 7,000 physics bachelor's degrees are earned in the U.S. each year, and, currently, only about 1/5 of those bachelor's degrees in physics are earned by women. We use a physics identity framework in our work to understand how students make their initial career decisions at the end of high school and the beginning of college. We use quantitative methods to find what is broadly applicable and qualitative methods to understand the mechanisms of how successful strategies work.
Student Opportunities
The main objective of the proposed project is to determine the impact of studio physics on physics identity and physics career choice. Studio physics is a student-centered learning environment in which the majority of class time is spent on group activities rather than lecture. While studio physics has been demonstrated to improve conceptual understanding and problem-solving abilities, its impact on physics identity has not yet been explored.
What You Will Do
The student will be involved in analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data collected in introductory physics classes during the previous two academic years. The student will conduct t-tests (using R) to examine changes in physics identity and conceptual understanding over the course of each semester. Additionally, the student will analyze video recordings of studio classes and student interviews (MaxQDA or Transana). Whether the emphasis is on quantitative or qualitative analysis will depend on the students' interests and skills. The student will read relevant research literature over the course of the summer and work closely with Prof. Lock. The student will write a final report and give an oral presentation.