• Open Access

Visualizing changes in pretest and post-test student responses with consistency plots

Michael C. Wittmann and Katrina E. Black
Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10, 010114 – Published 5 May 2014

Abstract

Tabular presentations of student data often hide information about the switches in responses by individual students over the course of a semester. We extend unpublished work by Kanim on “escalator diagrams,” which show changes in student responses from correct to incorrect (and vice versa) while representing pre- and postinstruction results on questions. We introduce the representation of “consistency plots,” containing three pieces of information: each student’s method of solution and correctness of solution and the shift from before to after instruction. We present data from students in an intermediate mechanics class answering (nearly) identical midterm and final examination questions. These data serve as a proof of concept of the method; we suggest other possible uses of consistency plots in physics education research, as well.

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  • Received 5 June 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010114

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Michael C. Wittmann*

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Research in STEM Education, and College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469, USA

Katrina E. Black

  • Department of Physics, Michigan Technical University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, USA

  • *mwittmann@maine.edu
  • keblack@mtu.edu

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Vol. 10, Iss. 1 — January - June 2014

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