Developing Model-Making and Model-Breaking Skills Using Direct Measurement Video-Based Activities

This study focuses on student development and mastery of two important lab skills, model-making and model-breaking, in the context of introductory college-level physics. A total of 116 introductory physics students were divided into four different sections, each taught by a different instructor. All of the students within a given class section participated in the same instruction, including labs, with the exception of five direct measurement video-based activities performed throughout the semester.

Data collected at the end of the semester indicate that students in the model-making treatment group significantly outperformed the other group on the model-making skill despite the fact that both groups shared a common physical lab experience. Likewise, the model- breaking treatment group significantly outperformed the other group on the model-breaking skill. This is important because it shows that direct measurement video-based instruction can help students acquire science-process skills, which are critical for scientists, and which are a key part of current science education approaches.