Topic
Force Concept Inventory
About: Force Concept Inventory is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 373 publications have been published within this topic receiving 16334 citations. The topic is also known as: FCI.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: In this paper, it has been established that commonsense beliefs about motion and force are incompatible with Newtonian concepts in most respects, and conventional physics instruction produces little change in these beliefs, and this result is independent of the instructor and the mode of instruction.
Abstract: Every student begins physics with a well-established system of commonsense beliefs about how the physical world works derived from years of personal experience. Over the last decade, physics education research has established that these beliefs play a dominant role in introductory physics. Instruction that does not take them into account is almost totally ineffective, at least for the majority of students. Specifically, it has been established that (1) commonsense beliefs about motion and force are incompatible with Newtonian concepts in most respects, (2) conventional physics instruction produces little change in these beliefs, and (3) this result is independent of the instructor and the mode of instruction. The implications could not be more serious. Since the students have evidently not learned the most basic Newtonian concepts, they must have failed to comprehend most of the material in the course. They have been forced to cope with the subject by rote memorization of isolated fragments and by carrying out meaningless tasks. No wonder so many are repelled! The few who are successful have become so by their own devices, the course and the teacher having supplied only the opportunity and perhaps inspiration.
3,398 citations
TL;DR: The authors report data from ten years of teaching with peer instruction (PI) in the calculus and algebra-based introductory physics courses for nonmajors; their results indicate increased student mastery of both conceptual reasoning and quantitative problem solving upon implementing PI.
Abstract: We report data from ten years of teaching with Peer Instruction (PI) in the calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics courses for nonmajors; our results indicate increased student mastery of both conceptual reasoning and quantitative problem solving upon implementing PI. We also discuss ways we have improved our implementation of PI since introducing it in 1991. Most notably, we have replaced in-class reading quizzes with pre-class written responses to the reading, introduced a research-based mechanics textbook for portions of the course, and incorporated cooperative learning into the discussion sections as well as the lectures. These improvements are intended to help students learn more from pre-class reading and to increase student engagement in the discussion sections, and are accompanied by further increases in student understanding.
2,880 citations
Book•
29 Jul 1996
TL;DR: A step-by-step guide to preparing for a peer instruction lecture is given in this article, with a focus on motivating the students and presenting concepts to motivate them during the lecture.
Abstract: I. OVERVIEW. 1. Introduction. 2. Peer Instruction. 3. Motivating the Students. 4. A Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for a Peer Instruction Lecture. 5. Sample Lecture. 6. Epilogue. II. RESOURCES. 7. Mechanics Baseline Test. 8. Force Concept Inventory. 9. Questionnaire Results. 10. Reading Quizzes. 11. Concept Tests. 12. Conceptual Exam Questions. Appendix: Disk Instructions. Index.
1,929 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an instrument to assess the basic knowledge state of students taking a first course in physics has been designed and validated, and measurements with the instrument show that the student's initial qualitative, common sense beliefs about motion and causes have a large effect on performance in physics, but conventional instruction induces only a small change in those beliefs.
Abstract: An instrument to assess the basic knowledge state of students taking a first course in physics has been designed and validated. Measurements with the instrument show that the student’s initial qualitative, common sense beliefs about motion and causes has a large effect on performance in physics, but conventional instruction induces only a small change in those beliefs.
1,194 citations
TL;DR: The Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FME) test as mentioned in this paper is a research-based, multiple-choice assessment of student conceptual understanding of Newton's Laws of Motion, which is used to evaluate student learning of dynamics concepts in introductory physics courses.
Abstract: In this paper, we describe the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation, a research-based, multiple-choice assessment of student conceptual understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion We discuss a subset of the questions in detail, and give evidence for their validity As examples of the application of this test, we first present data which examine student learning of dynamics concepts in traditional introductory physics courses Then we present results in courses where research-based active learning strategies are supported by the use of microcomputer-based (MBL) tools These include (1) Tools for Scientific Thinking Motion and Force and RealTime Physics Mechanics laboratory curricula, and (2) microcomputer-based Interactive Lecture Demonstrations In both cases, there is strong evidence, based on the test, of significantly improved conceptual learning
933 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 15 |
| 2020 | 21 |
| 2019 | 24 |
| 2018 | 23 |
| 2017 | 24 |
| 2016 | 21 |