Introductory Physics Students' Epistemological Resources - Group Differences

A qualitative investigation was conducted to determine the epistemological resources (Hammer & Elby, 2001) employed by introductory physics students while solving mathematics and physics problems. Students enrolled in introductory, algebra-based physics were observed solving problems during the laboratory portion of the course as well as during one-on-one office hour sessions. The epistemological resources used and their associated usage patterns were investigated by analyzing transcripts of the students' discussions. The epistemological resources were identified using emergent coding and by implementing an operationalized coding scheme from Jones (2015). Differences between students disaggregated by their mathematics and science prior experience were identified.