Using the Test of Understanding of Vectors in an Algebra-Based Introductory Physics Course

The Test of Understanding of Vectors (TUV) is one of the most used tests to investigate students’ comprehension of vectors. However, to our knowledge, the test has not been tested for students in algebra-based courses, despite being very common courses around the world. In this article, we address three objectives: (1) to present an adaptation of the test for students of algebra-based courses, (2) to show that it is a reliable instrument for evaluation, and (3) to analyze in detail the undergraduates’ comprehension of the concepts on this test. We adapted the test for students of algebra-based courses eliminating seven items related to dot product, cross product, and unit vector. The adapted version of the TUV was answered by 168 students finishing an algebra-based introductory physics course. We evaluated the adapted version of the test and concluded that it is a reliable tool. We also studied the students’ understanding for each problem in the adapted version. The adapted version of the test and the analysis presented in this article can serve as an important resource to teachers and researchers in future studies on this topic.