Some subscribers to Phys-L might be interested in a recent post
"Research on Physics First" [Hake (2011b)].
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ABSTRACT: In response to my earlier post "Re: Physics First
empirical studies" [Hake (2011a)]:
(1) Zahra Sana Hazari wrote: "Check out Sadler & Tai's 'Science'
report 'The Two High-School Pillars Supporting College Science' "
<http://bit.ly/elkueZ>;
(2) Boris Korsunsky wrote (paraphrasing): I've written two articles
on Physics First students' attitudes and expectations for "The
Physics Teacher": "Physics First? Survey First!" at
<http://bit.ly/f0Is4V> and another that will appear this Spring.
Regarding Hazari's reference, I think Sadler & Tai's claim that their
research casts doubt on the advisability of the high-school
physics/chemistry/biology sequence of the "Physics First" regime
<http://bit.ly/anddW1> is problematic because their reliance on
course grades to measure college student learning has been shown to
be invalid by research on physics education and on collegiate
education generally as described in "Academically Adrift"
<http://bit.ly/hOOK09>.
Among recent reports that offer evidence in favor of the "Physics
First" sequence are "Squaring the Circle: A Mathematically Rigorous
Physics First" [Goodman & Etkina (2008)] and "Effectiveness of
Ninth-Grade Physics in Maine: Conceptual Understanding" [O'Brien &
Thompson (2009)].
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"The three-year sequence must include a lot of process in addition to
content. How does science work? How did we discover some of these
things? Why is science such a universal culture? How do the traits of
skepticism, curiosity, openness to new ideas, and the joy of
discovering the beauty of nature affect the process of science? Long
after all the formulas, Latin words, and theories are forgotten, the
process will be remembered. The goal of teachers using the new
curriculum would be to produce high-school graduates who will be
comfortable with a scientific way of thinking."
Leon Lederman (2001)
REFERENCES [URL's shortened by <http://bit.ly/> and accessed on 26 Jan 2011.]
Hake, R.R. 2011a. "Re: Physics First empirical studies," online on
the PhysLrnR archives at <http://bit.ly/iefCMr>. . . [[This URL was
dead on 26 Jan 2011 08:23:00-0800 but will probably recover soon]]. .
. To access the archives of PhysLnR one needs to subscribe, but that
takes only a few minutes by clicking on <http://bit.ly/beuikb> and
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you're busy, then subscribe using the "NOMAIL" option under
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Hake, R.R. 2011b. "Research on Physics First," online on the OPEN!
AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/gJIu4i>. Post of 25 Jan 2011
15:41:08-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the
complete post were transmitted to various discussion lists and are
also online on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/f5M4GU>
with a provision for comments.
Lederman, L. 2001. "Revolution in Science Education: Put Physics
First." Physics Today 54(9): 11-12, September; online at
<http://bit.ly/anddW1>.