How students represent physics knowledge through recall

Instructors use multiple representations such as equations, definitions, and graphs to convey the principles of physics.However, relatively little work has focused on how students use multiple representations without prompts.We investigate the quantity and types of representations students recall in an introductory undergraduate physics course to understand how students build their physics knowledge.Students completed a five-minute free recall activity, where they wrote down as much information as they remembered from the previous lecture.Analyzing 1011 recalled physics ideas, we found the average number recalled was 3.72.Raters coded for the presence of words, math, and diagrams for each recalled idea.Results showed 74% of the ideas included words, 42% included math, and 14% included diagrams.Students used more than one representation 30% of the time.These results indicate that soon after learning a topic, students are most comfortable with verbally describing the concept.