Examining mathematical sensemaking in introductory physics problems

Students taking introductory physics courses often struggle to perform well due to the challenge of cognitively processing new physics concepts with mathematical thinking. These challenges can originate at the operational level of mathematical manipulations, in algorithmic manipulations, or application of higher order mathematical skills necessary to solve physics problems. Additionally, it is not uncommon for students to need to learn new mathematical concepts in conjunction with new physics material. We examine how students enrolled in an introductory physics course blend mathematical and physics cognitively when working on physics-related questions. We adapt the Blended Math-Science Sensemaking (MSS) process for the purpose of structuring how students incorporate mathematical or quantitative reasoning into problem-solving and discuss how a better understanding of this process may drive the development of interventions that seek to expand students' mathematical and physical sensemaking abilities through classroom activities such as problem-solving tutorials.