First year physics students' abilities and difficulties in solving kinematics problems in various contexts

Abstract

The topic of students’ application of conceptual knowledge in physics is constantly being researched. It is a common occurrence that students are able to solve numerical problems without understanding the concepts involved. This study investigates the extent to which a group of first year physics students were able to identify and use the correct physics concepts when solving problems set in different contexts. Furthermore, this study aimed to identify underlying factors giving way to students not applying appropriate physics concepts. A questionnaire was designed in test-format, in which all the problems dealt with two objects whose movement had to be compared to each other. The physical quantities describing or influencing the objects’ movement differed in each consecutive problem; whilst the nature of the concept under consideration remained the same