"Concept Learning versus Problem Solving": Does Particle Motion Have an Effect?

A sample of 210 students was asked to answer a static particulate-level multiple-choice question concerning gas properties first used by Nurrenbern and Pickering. Then they viewed an animated version of the question and answered the multiple-choice question again. They were also asked to explain whether any of the particle motions differed from their expectations and how they decided which option was correct. Although the distribution of student responses for the static question was similar to previous reports, the distribution changed significantly after students viewed the animation. After viewing the animation, more students chose the correct answer, fewer students chose each incorrect option, and more students changed their choices to the correct answer than to an incorrect option. The authors attribute the effectiveness of the animated question to the fact that it addresses the threats to validity previously identified for the static question. The major impact of the animation appears to be in minimizing the difficulty students have in visualizing the particle motions for each distractor. The animated question also helped students distinguish between one distractor that depicts a gas whose volume had decreased and another distractor that depicts a gas that had been liquefied or solidified.