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Full Length
Research Paper
The effect of student use of the free-body diagram
representation on their performance
Ayesh*,1, N.
Qamhieh1,
N. Tit1,
and F. Abdelfattah2
1Department
of Physics, U.A.E. University, P.O. Box: 17555, Al-Ain,
U.A.E
2Psychology
Departments, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
*Corresponding author E-mail:
Ayesh@uaeu.ac.ae
Received 27 September, 2010; Accepted 29 October, 2010
Multiple representations (such as pictures, words, diagrams,
and graphs) were found by many researchers in the physics
education field to enhance the students’ ability to
understand the physical concepts. Free-body
diagram is a method of the multiple representations and it
is defined as the pictorial representation in problems
involving forces. In the literature available on physics
education, little research has been found concerning the
effects of using free-body
diagrams on student performance at the college level. The
purpose of this investigation is to address and explore the
effects of using free-body
diagrams on the test results of freshman-engineering
students at the university level. This study was conducted
using a sample of engineering students taking the
introductory-physics
course on Newtonian mechanics. The quantitative
investigation showed that
students who
draw correct free-body diagrams
while solving a physics problem are likely to solve the
problem correctly, while students who draw wrong diagrams
are likely to fail in solving the problem. 85% of our
students used the free-body
diagram representation, although they did not receive any
credit for that use, which shows the students’ awareness of
the importance of the free-body diagram
representation.
Keywords: Free-body
diagram, physics education, and Newtonian mechanics
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