Piaget-style interviews conducted both face-to-face and electronically

1
Piaget-style interviews conducted both
face-to-face and electronically DJ Wagner1,2, JJ
Rivera1, Fran Mateycik1, and Sybillyn
Jennings3 1Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
2Grove City College, 3Russell Sage College
Context
Study
Abstract

• What is an optical fiber and what does it do?
• Follow-up questions included How does the fiber
  keep the light from escaping? and What can you
  tell me about refraction?

The Science of Information Technology (ScIT)
introduces students of all majors to the
physical principles behind the operation of
information systems. NSF is supporting current
efforts to make ScIT materials useful to a large
audience. As part of that effort, we are
designing diagnostic questions addressing the
topics covered in ScIT. Diagnostic questions
are most useful when they address student
preconceptions and distinguish between different
cognitive models 1. Clinical Interviews have
long been regarded as an effective means of
eliciting students conceptual frameworks 1-3.
Piaget 3 developed the method of critical
exploration to see what thoughts lay behind a
childs initial answer to a question, and the PER
community has used this method extensively 1-2.
We used Piaget-style interviews to study
students understanding of total internal
reflection (TIR) and how TIR relates to the
operation of optical fibers.
This poster reports on methods used to probe
student understandings of optical fibers and
total internal reflection (TIR). The study was
conducted as part of the expansion and
improvement of web-based materials for an
innovative introductory physics course.
Development of these materials includes the
refining of multiple-choice diagnostic questions
by examining preconceptions and misconceptions
commonly held by students. Initially, we
conducted face-to-face Piaget-style interviews
with a convenience sample. Our next step was to
interview students taking the course at
Rensselaer. Physical limitations necessitated
that this be done from a distance, so we
conducted e-interviews using a Chat Room. In
this paper we focus on the e-interview
experience, discussing similarities to and
differences from the traditional face-to-face
approach. In the process, we address how each
method informs us about students activation of
prior experiences in making sense of unfamiliar
phenomena (e.g., transfer of learning).
2 Physics Faculty
5 Physics Students (REU)

• Faculty, REU students, and in-service
  (non-physics) teachers were interviewed in a
  traditional (face-to-face) form in the Summer of
  2002.
• ScIT students (both pre- and post-instruction)
  were interviewed via WebCTs Chat Room in the
  Spring of 2003.

5 In-Service Teachers
22 ScIT Pre-Instruction
8 ScIT Post-Instruction
Demographics of Interviewees
InterviewergtgtWhat does the fiber look like? (How
is it made?) S302gtgtI don't know how they make it,
but it is made of glass. InterviewergtgtOK. What
prevents the light from escaping and keeps it
traveling down the wire? S302gtgtI am not sure,
possibly an electric current. InterviewergtgtHow
would that work? S302gtgtI do not know how it
would work. InterviewergtgtOK. Can you just
explain what you have in mind when you say an
electric current prevents the light from
escaping? Interviewergtgti.e., where is this
current? In the glass? Somewere else? S302gtgtThe
current would be in a parallel wire, changing the
conductivity of the glass causing the light to
travel down the fiber. InterviewergtgtOK.
Transcription difficult to convey gestures, tone
of voice.
Can be conducted from wherever, whenever, and
however is convenient (at home, listening to
music, eating ice cream, in jammies, etc.).
TABLE 1. Physics Background of Interviewees. TABLE 1. Physics Background of Interviewees. TABLE 1. Physics Background of Interviewees.
Highest Physics Course Group A Group B
High School Physics 1 9
College Physics I 0 10
College Physics II 4 1
Upper-Level Coll. Phys. 5 1
Physics Faculty 2 0
Utilize multiple communication channels. (words,
gestures, tone of voice, etc)
Can hold 2 or 3 interviews simultaneously, typing
questions for student 3 while students 1 and 2
are typing their responses. (4 at a time is a
bit much.)
Substantial transcription time
Scratch Pad (Draw figures, write equations, etc)
Typed thoughts often come across more coherently
than spoken thoughts.
Demonstration equipment (optical fiber)
Apparent anonymity lets students express their
lack of knowledge with less embarrassment.
Participants do not need a familiarity with
internet technology
Interviewer does not need to worry about their
gestures giving away their thoughts about the
students answers.
1 interview at a time
The accepted traditional standard
More placeholders, choppy rhythm
Minimal transcription needed!!! (WebCT records
conversations in Chat Rooms 1-4.)
Interviewees generally created work-arounds to
constraints they experienced. (drew pictures,
used keyboard symbols, etc)
Language used to convey interviewees confidence
in their answer or description. (umm, I dont
reall know, I guess, iirc, I could take a wild
stab, etc)
E-interviews somewhat appropriate with electronic
based materials
1 Lillian C. McDermott, Bridging the Gap
Between Teaching and Learning The Role of
Research, The Changing Role of Physics
Departments in Modern Universities Proceedings
of ICUPE, ed. by E. F. Redish and J.S.
Rigden. 2 E. Hunt and J. Minstrell, A
Cognitive Approach to the Teaching of Physics,
Classroom Lessons Integrating Cognitive Theory
and Classroom Practice, ed. by McGilly (MIT
Press, 1994). 3 J. Piaget, The childs
conception of the world, trans. by J. A.
Tomlinson. (Littlefield, NJ, 1926/1972).
Laser light trapped in a plastic fiber. Air
serves as the cladding.
RPI work supported in part by NSF CCLI Program
under grant DUE-0089399. Thanks to Leo Schowalter
for access to ScIT students, and to the rest of
the ScIT advisory committee Karen Cummings,
Toh-Ming Lu, Saroj Nayak, Jim Napolitano, Peter
Persans, and Wayne Roberge.

• E-interviews can provide valuable information
  about cognitive
• models. They provide some advantages over
  face-to-face interviews but have their own set of
  limitations.
• Instructor time is smaller in e-interviews, due
  to decrease in transcription time student time
  is greater in e-interviews.
• Several students called the e-interview fun or
  interesting

Optical Fiber next to sewing needle. The core of
the fiber is 62 microns in diameter the cladding
is 125 microns.
Comparing E-Interviews with Traditional Face-to-Face Interviews Comparing E-Interviews with Traditional Face-to-Face Interviews
E-Interviews (22 interviewees) Face-To-Face Interviews (12 interviewees)
Can be conducted from wherever, whenever, and however is convenient (at home, listening to music, eating ice cream, in jammies, etc.). Can hold 2 or 3 interviews simultaneously, typing questions for student 3 while students 1 and 2 are typing their responses. (4 at a time is a bit much.) Typed thoughts often come across more coherently than spoken thoughts. Interviewer does not need to worry about their gestures giving away their thoughts about the students answers. Apparent anonymity lets students express their lack of knowledge with less embarrassment. Interviewees generally created work-arounds to constraints they experienced. (drew pictures, used keyboard symbols, etc) Language used to convey interviewees confidence in their answer or description. (umm, I dont reall know, I guess, iirc, I could take a wild stab, etc) Minimal transcription needed!!! (WebCT records conversations in Chat Rooms 1-4.) E-interviews somewhat appropriate with electronic based materials Utilize multiple communication channels. (words, gestures, tone of voice, etc) Substantial transcription time Transcription difficult to convey gestures, tone of voice. Scratch Pad (Draw figures, write equations, etc) Demonstration equipment (optical fiber) 1 interview at a time Participants do not need a familiarity with internet technology The accepted traditional standard
Fiber Optic Network
Face-to-Face Interviews
E- Interviews