Making expert processes visible: How and why theorists use assumptions and analogies in their research
Making expert processes visible: How and why theorists use assumptions and analogies in their research
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DOI：
10.1103/physrevphyseducres.18.020143
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发表时间：
2022-04
影响因子：
3.1
通讯作者：
Mike Verostek;Molly Griston;J. Botello;B. Zwickl
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Mike Verostek;Molly Griston;J. Botello;B. Zwickl
了解物理学家如何解决问题可以指导方法的发展，帮助学生学习和提高解决复杂问题的能力。利用认知任务分析的框架，我们对理论物理学家（N=11）进行了半结构化访谈，以深入了解他们在专业研究中使用的认知过程和技能。在理论家描述的众多活动中，我们在这里阐明了理论家通常认为是其工作不可或缺的两项活动：做出假设和使用类比。理论家描述了他们在整个研究过程中做出的假设，特别是在设定项目方向和目标，建立模型与数学的相互作用以及在排除故障时修改模型时。他们描述了关于模型的假设如何影响他们的数学决策，以及数学步骤反馈到模型适用性的实例。我们发现，理论家使用类比来产生新的项目想法，并克服概念上的挑战。理论家故意寻找或构建类比，表明这是学生可以练习的技能。当将知识从一个系统映射到另一个系统时，理论家使用具有高度数学相似性的系统；然而，这些系统并不总是具有相似的表面特征。最后，我们讨论了理论家使用假设和类比的方式之间的联系，并提供了关于教学应用的潜在新研究途径。
Understanding how physicists solve problems can guide the development of methods that help students learn and improve at solving complex problems. Leveraging the framework of cognitive task analysis, we conducted semi-structured interviews with theoretical physicists (N=11) to gain insight into the cognitive processes and skills that they use in their professional research. Among numerous activities that theorists described, here we elucidate two activities that theorists commonly characterized as being integral to their work: making assumptions and using analogies. Theorists described making assumptions throughout their research process, especially while setting their project's direction and goals, establishing their model's interaction with mathematics, and revising their model while troubleshooting. They described how assumptions about their model informed their mathematical decision making, as well as instances where mathematical steps fed back into their model's applicability. We found that theorists used analogies to generate new project ideas as well as overcome conceptual challenges. Theorists deliberately sought out or constructed analogies, indicating this is a skill students can practice. When mapping knowledge from one system to another, theorists used systems that shared a high degree of mathematical similarity; however, these systems did not always share similar surface features. We conclude by discussing connections between the ways theorists use assumption and analogy and offering potential new avenues of research regarding applications to instruction.