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the psychology of learning and motivation - Percepts and Concepts ...

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Conceptual Problem Solving in Physics 275[(Figure_1)TD$FIG]Figure 1 Sample problem analyzed by HAT menus. [Reprinted fromDufresne et al. (1992). Reprinted by permission <strong>of</strong> Taylor & Francis, Ltd.]menu level 3, <strong>the</strong> user is asked to identify <strong>the</strong> external force doing work on<strong>the</strong> system so that <strong>the</strong> appropriate work term can be constructed. Inmenus 4–6, procedural questions are asked that allow <strong>the</strong> construction<strong>of</strong> appropriate terms in <strong>the</strong> work-energy <strong>the</strong>orem equation appearing inmenu 8. Hence <strong>the</strong> selections made in menus 4–6 specified <strong>the</strong> threeterms in <strong>the</strong> work-energy <strong>the</strong>orem equation, namely <strong>the</strong> work done by<strong>the</strong> nonconservative force (friction), <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> initial <strong>and</strong> final mechanicalenergies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> system.Additional scaffolding features are contained in <strong>the</strong> last line at <strong>the</strong>bottom <strong>of</strong> menus 1–7, which allowed <strong>the</strong> user to back up if she or hefelt that <strong>the</strong>y had made a wrong choice along <strong>the</strong> way, to return to <strong>the</strong>first menu to restart <strong>the</strong> analysis, to enter a glossary <strong>and</strong> look up anunfamiliar term (e.g., nonconservative force), to list previous selectionsto see <strong>the</strong> previous choices made during <strong>the</strong> analysis to thatpoint, or to give up <strong>and</strong> quit. The HAT was a tool <strong>and</strong> not a tutor;if <strong>the</strong> user made inappropriate selections along <strong>the</strong> way, <strong>the</strong> resultingequation in menu 8 would be consistent with <strong>the</strong> menu selectionsmade (i.e., menu 8 would contain equations constrained by <strong>the</strong> previouschoices made), which would not be appropriate for solving <strong>the</strong>problem under consideration.2.2. Implementation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> HATA series <strong>of</strong> experiments was conducted in <strong>the</strong> lab using pre-post performanceon various dependent measures to compare a group <strong>of</strong> studentsusing <strong>the</strong> HAT to solve 25 problems over 5-h long sessions against threeo<strong>the</strong>r groups solving <strong>the</strong> same 25 problems under different conditions: (1)using a textbook as an aid, (2) using a computer-based ‘‘equationsortingtool’’that consisted <strong>of</strong> a searchable database <strong>of</strong> over 170 equations found in anintroductory mechanics textbook; <strong>the</strong> database could be searched bysurface attributes <strong>of</strong> problems (e.g., ‘‘pulley problems’’), by variable names

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