ERIC Number: EJ1217444
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2014-5349
EISSN: N/A
Introductory Students' Attitudes and Approaches to Physics Problem Solving: Major, Achievement Level and Gender Differences
Journal of Technology and Science Education, v9 n3 p378-387 2019
Students' attitudes and approaches to problem solving are claimed to be related to their ways they learn physics and to their success in solving physics problems. In this study, the Attitudes and Approaches to Problem Solving (AAPS) survey was used to reveal Turkish introductory university students' attitudes and approaches to physics problem solving. The data were collected from 175 students, in the spring semester of 2015-2016 academic year, from an introductory physics course at a university in the Black See Region of Turkey. The analysis of the data was conducted by grouping the data by major, achievement level, and gender. They were no statistically significant differences between the averages of civil engineering and molecular biology majors, and between male and female students. However, we obtained a small sample correlation between students' attitudes and exam grades that suggests high achievers' attitudes and approaches to physics problems are more expert-like than the attitudes and approaches of low achievers. Implications for problem solving strategies and directions for further research are discussed.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Physics, Science Instruction, Problem Solving, Majors (Students), Science Achievement, Gender Differences, College Students, Foreign Countries
Journal of Technology and Science Education. ESEIAAT, Department of Projectes d'Enginyeria c/Colom 11, 08222 Terrassa, Spain. e-mail: info@jotse.org; e-mail: info@omniascience.com; Web site: http://www.jotse.org/index.php/jotse
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A