Visualizing depth of student conceptual understanding using subquestions and alluvial diagrams

We aim to graphically analyze the depth of conceptual understanding behind Force Concept Inventory (FCI) responses students, focusing on three questions (questions 1, 15, and 28). In our study, we created implemented subquestions clarify quantify students’ reasoning steps in reaching their original FCI questions. used alluvial diagrams visualize students questions, representing transition rates across question options as flows. The flows represent common patterns consistency inconsistency understandings subquestions. By combining did, are able efficiently for a given situation existence specific misconception. For example, found that even among those who correctly answered 15 about Newton’s third law, many incorrectly corresponding subquestion asking whether law holds at end interaction between two objects. This misconception turned out be fairly robust, these same had similar answering pattern 28. Alluvial can broad range applications, including analysis multiple-tier tests, testlets (e.g., 8 through 11), tests representational variant FCI), so on.Received 20 April 2023Accepted July 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.020121Published by American Physical Society under terms Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution this work must maintain attribution author(s) published article’s title, journal citation, DOI.Published SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasAssessmentConcepts & principlesResearch methodologyPhysics Education Research