Semiotic Resources and their Relationship in Physics and broadly in STEM Problem-solving.

Physics is a major component of engineering principles and is a helpful field to better understand the physical world. Typically, effective problem solving of physics questions, such as with circuit analysis, requires a combination of pre-existing knowledge and semiotic resources (essential tools for meaning-making such as diagrams, symbols, gestures, or other components involved in the problem-solving process); however, the way students engage with semiotic resources is complex and requires more study. In researching how students engage with, or fail to engage with, multiple semiotic resources in a problem-solving scenario, we are able to determine how to aid students in utilizing these resources and develop their understanding of more complex physics concepts and mathematics. Data is obtained through the investigation of a class of Introductory Studio Physics students and how they tackle problems related to Kirchhoff’s Circuit Laws. Students were handed problem sheets and asked to verbally walk interviewers through each step of their respective problem-solving process, while their work was filmed from above via a tripod-cellphone setup. This was then collected into a moment-by-moment analysis of students’ problem solving to determine which semiotic resources are used, how students translate between them, and how effective semiotic frameworks are built up and utilized for circuit analysis.