@inproceedings{3a39168e64ef44518889eb803dcb00b6,
title = "The Effect of Research-Based Instruction in Introductory Physics on a Common Cognitive Bias",
abstract = "Inspired by a paper at last year's PERC conference, in which Rebello [1] compared students' individual and cohort mean score estimations with their actual assessment scores, we present results of a study in which students in an introductory physics class were asked to predict their scores on two assessments, one delivered at the start of the course (pre-instruction) and one at the end of the course (post-instruction). Our results show that, pre-instruction, the academically strongest students tend to underestimate their score slightly, whereas the weakest overestimate their performance significantly, consistent with the findings of Rebello and demonstrating a well-known cognitive bias (the Dunning-Kruger effect). Post-instruction, we find that the ability of the original weakest quartile cohort to accurately predict their own assessment score has improved significantly, but a flux of students between quartiles from one assessment to the other reveals that the least able students continue to over-estimate their performance, but with a reduced mean discrepancy. We discuss the implications these results have for instruction and for development of enhanced metacognition amongst physics students.",
keywords = "metacognition, student learning, introductory physics, OWN INCOMPETENCE, CHEMISTRY, STUDENTS",
author = "Galloway, {Ross K.} and Bates, {Simon P.} and Jonathan Parker and Evguenia Usoskina",
year = "2013",
doi = "10.1063/1.4789671",
language = "English",
isbn = "978-0-7354-1134-0",
series = "AIP Conference Proceedings",
publisher = "American Institute of Physics",
pages = "138--141",
editor = "PV Engelhardt and AD Churukian and NS Rebello",
booktitle = "2012 PHYSICS EDUCATION RESEARCH CONFERENCE",
note = "Physics Education Research Conference on Cultural Perspectives on Learners' Performance and Identity in Physics ; Conference date: 01-08-2012 Through 02-08-2012",
}