Student Resources across Mathematics and Physics Integration Questions

The use of mathematics to solve physics problems is essential for success in an undergraduate curriculum. There are subtle but impactful differences between the mathematics taught in math class and the math students are expected to use in physics contexts. Investigations in the fields of PER and RUME (Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education) tend to be performed by only physicists or only mathematicians in their respective disciplines, which limits the application of results across disciplinary contexts. To address this issue, four one-on-one interviews were conducted with students at the end of a calculus-based physics sequence where they answered questions on integration written by a researcher from RUME and questions on integration written by a PER researcher. Analysis using a Resources Theoretical Framework identified several resources. Different resources were often activated across math and physics questions, and previously activated resources were not necessarily called upon when the questions switched from those written by a mathematician to those from a physicist. This provides a signal that there are likely impactful differences when thinking about integration depending on who authored the questions.