Quantifying Grade Benefits of Study: Practice Makes Better

Autor/inn/en	Black, W. K.; Matz, Rebecca L.; Mills, Mark; Evrard, A. E.
Titel	Quantifying Grade Benefits of Study: Practice Makes Better
Quelle	In: Physical Review Physics Education Research, 19 (2023) 1, Artikel 010139 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Black, W. K.) ORCID (Matz, Rebecca L.) ORCID (Mills, Mark) ORCID (Evrard, A. E.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
DOI	10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.010139
Schlagwörter	Physics; Science Instruction; Teaching Methods; Introductory Courses; Standardized Tests; Mathematics Tests; Scores; College Entrance Examinations; Problem Solving; Grades (Scholastic); Achievement Gains; Test Preparation; Online Courses; Mathematics Achievement; Student Characteristics; Gender Differences; Minority Group Students; Individual Differences; Disproportionate Representation; SAT (College Admission Test); ACT Assessment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Physik; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Einführungskurs; Standadised tests; Standardisierter Test; Aufnahmeprüfung; Problemlösen; Notenspiegel; Achievement gain; Leistungssteigerung; Online course; Online-Kurs; Mathmatics sikills; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematical ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Geschlechterkonflikt; Individueller Unterschied; Assessment; Eignungsprüfung; Eignungstest; Hochschulzulassung
Abstract	Problem Roulette (PR), an online study service at the University of Michigan, offers points-free formative practice to students preparing for examinations in introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. Using four years of PR data involving millions of problem attempts by thousands of students, we quantify the benefits of increased practice study volume in introductory physics. After conditioning the mean final grade on standardized (ACT and SAT) math test score, we analyze deviations based on student study volume. We find a strong effect; mean course grade rises quadratically with the logarithm of the total number of PR questions encountered over the term (N[subscript Q,tot]), with an overall gain of 0.77 ± 0.12 grade points between 1 < N[subscript Q,tot] < 1000. The gains are persistent across the range of math test scores represented in our sample. While N[subscript Q,tot] surely correlates with other study habits, the benefits of increased study in general still hold. A model for final grade using test score and study volume largely accounts for demographic stratification, including by sex, parental education level, number of parents at home, nationality or underrepresented minority status, and regional income level, with two significant exceptions: students whose parents did not earn a college degree, who earn -0.27 ± 0.04 grade points (6.1[sigma]) below expectations, and underrepresented minority students at -0.14 ± 0.04 points (3.6[sigma]). Residual scatter in final grade remains comparable to the maximal study gains, implying that the model is far from deterministic: individual variation trumps mean trends. Our findings can help motivate students to study more and help teachers to identify which types of students may especially need such encouragement. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	American Physical Society. One Physics Ellipse 4th Floor, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Tel: 301-209-3200; Fax: 301-209-0865; e-mail: assocpub@aps.org; Web site: https://journals.aps.org/prper/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01