Browsing by Author "Ibrahim, Bibi Bashirah"

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    Model-based teaching and learning of kinematics in an introductory physics course for underprepared students
    (2009) Ibrahim, Bibi Bashirah; Buffler, Andy
    This study concerns the application of a model-based approach for problem solving and conceptual understanding, in the context of kinematics, relating to the "foundation" component of an introductory physics course designed for students who are academically and scientifically underprepared. A new method for portraying objects in motion, "freeze frame" representation, was introduced. The particular visual conceptual model was employed as a representational bridge for translating physics information between different modes of representations as well as for eliciting qualitative information.
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    The relationship between views of the nature of science and views of the nature of scientific measurements
    (2005) Ibrahim, Bibi Bashirah; Buffler, Andy
    This study builds on the work started by a collaboration between researchers at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and the University of York, UK, which focused or undergraduate physics students' understanding of measurement and uncertainty. The work led to the development of a paradigmatic model which has been found to be useful for classifying students' views on measurement during experimental work. In brief, in the "set" paradigm the ensemble of data is modelled by theoretical constructs from which a "best estimate" and the degree of dispersion (an interval) are reported. However, the majority of students who arrive at university operate within the "point paradigm". They subscribe to the notion that a perfect measurement is one which has no uncertainty associated with it. For many students, therefore, the ideal is to perform a single "correct" measurement with the utmost care. When presented with data that are dispersed, they often attempt to choose the "correct" value (for example the recurring value) from amongst the values in the ensemble. The present work explored the relationship between students' views on the nature of science (NOS) and the nature of scientific measurement. Modifying and supplementing existing diagnostic items in both areas of measurement and nature of science, the VASM (Views About Scientific Measurement) questionnaire was developed, piloted and administered to 179 first year physics students at the University of Cape Town. An analysis of the responses resulted in four profiles of students' views on the nature of science. It also revealed that students who view measurement according to the point paradigm generally have an objective view about science, perceive the purpose of scientific experiment to prove a phenomenon to be correct and use the ‘scientific method' to get a predicted answer in order to be consistent and successful in the scientific endeavour. Set paradigm students acknowledge the importance of human inference in science and scientific experiment is considered as a tool to understand the behaviour of nature. The consequences of this work for the teaching and learning of physics at a tertiary level are discussed.