Gifted Students’ Performance on Algorithmic, Conceptual, and Graphical Questions

Abstract

Several studies compared three different types of questions (conceptual, algorithmic, and graphical) across various topics, however, few focused specifically on gifted students. This study addressed this gap. The aim of the study, hence, was to determine whether there were notable differences in gifted students’ performance in the three types of tests. The study involved 115 gifted students aged between 17 and 18 years old. They responded to the three different tests including 10 test items in each with the same content. Significant differences were observed in their performances between the conceptual versus algorithmic in favour of the conceptual test, the conceptual versus graphical in favour of the conceptual test, and the algorithmic versus graphical in favour of the algorithmic test. Moreover, the statistical analysis results revealed that the students performed markedly poorer performance on the graphical test in comparison to both the algorithmic and conceptual tests. These results suggest the need to enhance students' graphical skills to facilitate a better understanding of physics concepts. Proper steps should be taken to improve their proficiency in interpreting and analysing graphical representations. Keywords: algorithmic understanding, conceptual understanding, graphical understanding, gifted students, physics education