Work

Using representational gesture to enact instants in collaborative problem solving in physics

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Embodied forms of representation like gesture have been shown to play an important role in how learners conceptualize phenomena in physics; however, we know little about how students use gesture to capture the idea of . Drawing on multimodal microanalysis of interaction, we examine how undergraduate physics students use representational gesture to make sense of instants or single moments in time while modeling energy dynamics. Our analysis demonstrates how students use four different forms of representational gesture to capture instantaneity: These include (i) looping and replaying a physical action, (ii) showing a tiny subinterval of time, (iii) freezing a frame of an action, and (iv) marking a boundary location on an imaginary timeline. Implications for physics learning are discussed.

Source: Physical Review Physics Education Research

DOI: 10.1103/nw3l-dzfn

Authors: Emma Teresa Booth, Virginia J. Flood, Benedikt W. Harrer

Institutions: University of California, Berkeley, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

Language: English

Topic: Science Education and Pedagogy

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,000