Different Paths to the Same Answer: How Question Format Affects Reasoning

Research has shown that students' reasoning and explanations may differ based on how a question is asked. However, does the question format affect their reasoning? In a sequence of questions presented to students in an introductory calculus-based physics course, students were given a physics task in either a traditional free-response format or a reasoning chain construction format. In the latter, students were asked to use correct reasoning elements relevant to the task to construct an argument. Prior research indicated that even though the reasoning elements were all correct, students tend to combine them to construct both correct and incorrect lines of reasoning. In our study, student performance on the two types of questions was nearly identical; however, we identified differences in the student reasoning pathways they followed to reach a conclusion. We analyzed student data through a Dual-Process theory framework and report on the differences in student reasoning between the two groups. We discuss possible causes of this difference as well as possible positive effects.