College Science Students’ Problem-solving Approaches in the Context of Rectilinear Motion: A Phenomenographic Study

This paper aims to describe student approaches to kinematics problems. This empirical study used a phenomenographic approach to examine college students’ responses to open-ended problems and interviews. Participants were 179 college science students from the physics, physics education, and engineering departments. The participants were among sophomore, junior, and senior students who had passed the first-year physics courses. Data was collected from volunteer students by visiting their classrooms and collecting their written responses. Some students were invited to interviews to clarify their conceptions. Data analysis was conducted through phenomenographic analysis. The results showed hierarchical categories of students’ problem-solving approaches for knowledge level and skill type. Categories are described in detail in the paper. The research has implications for further studies in the context of introductory physics.