Problem solving is considered an essential ability for becoming an expert in physics, and individualized feedback on the structure of problem-solving processes is a key component to support students in developing this ability. Problem-solving processes consist of multiple elements whose order forms the sequential structure of these processes.…

This study examines students' visual behaviors when they tackle two types of synthesis problems, sequential and simultaneous problems. Sequential synthesis tasks can be solved by applying pertinent concepts consecutively, whereas simultaneous synthesis tasks require concurrent application of multiple concepts. Twenty-two students from an…

We used a sequential synthesis problem to investigate novice teachers' conceptual difficulties in hydrodynamics. Twenty-one new secondary level physics teachers from various regions of China, who had been in service for no more than 2 years, participated in the study. Each participant completed a written hydrodynamics problem consisting of four…