Investigating Student Learning of Analog Electronics

282 Pages·2017·3.02 MB·English

The University of Maine
DigitalCommons@UMaine
Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fogler Library
Spring 5-5-2017
Investigating Student Learning of Analog
Electronics
Kevin L. Van De Bogart
University of Maine, [email protected]
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Van De Bogart, Kevin L., "Investigating Student Learning of Analog Electronics" (2017).Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2660.
http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/etd/2660
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INVESTIGATING STUDENT LEARNING OF ANALOG ELECTRONICS
By
Kevin L. Van De Bogart
B.S. University of Idaho, 2008

A DISSERTATION

Submitted in in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
(in Physics)

The Graduate School
University of Maine
May 2017

Advisory Committee:
MacKenzie R. Stetzer, Assistant Professor of Physics, Advisor
John R. Thompson, Professor of Physics
Donald B. Mountcastle, Associate Professor of Physics
Nuri W. Emanetoglu, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
James P. McClymer, Associate Professor of Physics
© 2017 Kevin L. Van De Bogart
All Rights Reserved
INVESTIGATING STUDENT LEARNING OF ANALOG ELECTRONICS
By Kevin L. Van De Bogart
Dissertation Advisor: Dr. MacKenzie R. Stetzer
An Abstract of the Dissertation Presented
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
(in Physics)
May, 2017

Instruction in analog electronics is an integral component of many physics and
engineering programs, and is typically covered in courses beyond the first year. While
extensive research has been conducted on student understanding of introductory electric
circuits, to date there has been relatively little research on student learning of analog
electronics in either physics or engineering courses. Given the significant overlap in
content of courses offered in both disciplines, this study seeks to strengthen the research
base on the learning and teaching of electric circuits and analog electronics via a single,
coherent investigation spanning both physics and engineering courses.
This dissertation has three distinct components, each of which serves to clarify ways
in which students think about and analyze electronic circuits. The first component is a
broad investigation of student learning of specific classes of analog circuits (e.g., loaded
voltage dividers, diode circuits, and operational amplifier circuits) across courses in both
physics and engineering. The second component of this dissertation is an in-depth study
of student understanding of bipolar junction transistors and transistor circuits, which
employed the systematic, research-based development of a suite of research tasks to
pinpoint the specific aspects of transistor circuit behavior that students struggle with the
most after instruction. The third component of this dissertation focuses more on the
experimental components of electronics instruction by examining in detail the practical
laboratory skill of troubleshooting.
Due to the systematic, cross-disciplinary nature of the research documented in this
dissertation, this work will strengthen the research base on the learning and teaching of
electronics and will contribute to improvements in electronics instruction in both physics
and engineering departments. In general, students did not appear to have developed a
coherent, functional understanding of many key circuits after all instruction. Students
also seemed to struggle with the application of foundational circuits concepts in new
contexts, which is consistent with existing research on other topics. However, students
did frequently use individual elements of productive reasoning when thinking about
electric circuits. Recommendations, both general and specific, for future research and for
electronics instruction are discussed.
DEDICATION
To my wife, Sylvia

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Throughout my last six years at the University of Maine, there are numerous people
who have made a positive impact on my life, in both professional and personal capacities.
I would like to thank those who have helped make this work possible, and to apologize in
advance if I have left anyone out.
I would like to start by acknowledging my advisor, MacKenzie Stetzer. With his
guidance, I have learned a great deal about research, teaching, and electronics. Before
coming to the University of Maine, I had essentially no practical experience with circuits
beyond what is taught in introductory physics; now I strive to better understand
electronics myself and to spread such knowledge to students in ways that enrich their
lives. Mac has also helped provide thoughtful input into the process of refining my rough
ideas into targeted questions or well-structured arguments. Together we have shared in
the struggles of running and changing a course, and I feel prepared to step into the role of
a professional instructor and researcher thanks to his guidance.
I would also like to thank all of the members of Physics Education Research
Laboratory whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with during my time at Maine. Their
friendship and guidance have been invaluable in supporting my development as a
scientist, and I hope that I can continue to collaborate with my peers from UMaine
throughout my career. I would also like to thank Nuri Emanetoglu and Duane
Hanselman in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for their
cooperation and help throughout this project, as well as my committee members John
Thompson and James McClymer and my external reader Christian Kautz for their
thoughtful feedback on this dissertation.
iv
I should also thank Dimitri Dounas-Frazer, for both his continued support and
unbridled enthusiasm when working together on the troubleshooting research project. It
took us many hours-long conversations to disentangle the intricacies of modeling and
socially mediated metacognition, and without his patience and willingness to delve into
the minutiae of interpretations, the troubleshooting project would have been greatly
diminished.
Throughout the years in graduate school, I have had to devote the bulk of my time to
my schooling or my research. However, I would like to thank those who have helped me
stay connected to the other things in life I love. Foremost, I must thank my wife Sylvia,
without whom I would be incomplete. The quiet joy we share in simply being together
has helped me through many trying times. I would like to thank my parents Lee and
Mary, who have gone to ridiculous lengths to support me, even if it meant mailing
gardening supplies first-class. I also have to thank my brother, Jeremy, as a sounding
board for any number of eccentric schemes throughout the years. And thank you to one
particularly Cynical Brit.
Finally, I would like to formally acknowledge the National Science Foundation,
whose grant support made much of my work possible. In particular, the projects on
which I have worked have been supported by: Grant Nos. DUE-0618185, DUE-0962805,
DUE-1022449, DUE-1245313, DUE-1323101, DUE-1323426, and PHY-1125844.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................xv
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ xvii
1 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1
2 PRIOR RESEARCH .....................................................................................................11
2.1 Physics Education Research ........................................................................12
2.2 Engineering Education Research .................................................................17
2.2.1 Research on Circuits ................................................................................... 18
2.2.2 Research on Electronics .............................................................................. 21
2.3 Summary .....................................................................................................24
3 RESEARCH CONTEXTS AND METHODS ..............................................................25
3.1 Courses Studied ...........................................................................................25
3.1.1 University of Maine .................................................................................... 26
3.1.1.1 Introductory Physics II ......................................................................... 26
3.1.1.2 Physical Electronics Laboratory ........................................................... 28
3.1.1.3 Electric Circuits .................................................................................... 29
3.1.1.4 Fundamentals of Electric Circuits ........................................................ 30
3.1.1.5 Electronics I .......................................................................................... 31
vi
3.1.2 External Institutions .................................................................................... 32
3.1.2.1 Electric Circuits Laboratory I ............................................................... 32
3.1.2.2 Electronics for the Physical Sciences ................................................... 33
3.2 Methodology ...............................................................................................34
3.2.1 Data Collection ........................................................................................... 35
3.2.2 Data Sources ............................................................................................... 36
3.2.3 Analysis Methodologies.............................................................................. 37
4 INVESTIGATING STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF VOLTAGE
DIVIDERS & LOADING IN PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING COURSES ............41
4.1 Research Questions .....................................................................................42
4.2 Context for Research ...................................................................................43
4.3 Overview of Instruction on Voltage Division and Loading ........................43
4.4 Data Collection ............................................................................................45
4.5 Basic Loading Task .....................................................................................46
4.5.1 Correct Response ........................................................................................ 47
4.5.2 Overview of Student Performance on the Basic Loading Task .................. 47
4.5.3 Basic Loading Task: Specific Difficulties Identified.................................. 51
4.5.4 Comparisons Between Courses................................................................... 52
4.5.4.1 Comparison Between Electronics Courses and Introductory
Courses ................................................................................................. 54
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