Identifying Student Resources on Integration across Mathematics and Physics Questions

An essential skill for success in an undergraduate curriculum is the utilization of math to solve physics problems. Mathematics is a well-documented barrier to success throughout the physics curriculum, especially for persons within marginalized groups. Further, there is a growing understanding of subtle but impactful differences between the mathematics taught in math class and the mathematics students are expected to use in their physics courses. Investigations in the fields of PER and RUME (Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education) tend to be performed by only mathematicians (from RUME) or physicists (from PER), which may cause bias in the results. To address this issue, four one-on-one interviews were conducted with students at the end of a calculus-based physics sequence wherein they answered questions on integration written by a researcher from RUME and subsequent questions on integration written by a PER researcher. Analysis using a Resources Theoretical Framework identified several resources; however, across math and physics questions, different resources were often activated, and previously activated resources were not necessarily called upon when the questions switched from those written by a mathematician to those written by a physicist. This provides a signal that there are likely impactful differences when thinking about integration depending on who is authoring the questions.