• Open Access

Effects of emergency remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic on university physics students in Italy

Irene Marzoli, Arturo Colantonio, Claudio Fazio, Marco Giliberti, Umberto Scotti di Uccio, and Italo Testa
Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17, 020130 – Published 13 October 2021
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Abstract

We surveyed a convenience sample of 362 Italian university physics students, asking them to retrospectively assess their experience of emergency remote instruction due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We looked at their psychological well being, motivation for physics, academic orientation, attitude towards physics and physicists, and tried to link these factors to their overall perception of the online instruction. Our results show a general appreciation for the organization and effectiveness of online courses. However, online teaching negatively impacted on engagement and interaction between peers and with the instructors. Only 22% of students in our sample complained of the psychological distress due to remote instruction. Nonetheless, we found a significant decrease in motivational dimensions, such as interest and recognition. Emergency remote instruction also challenged the students’ self-regulation, self-efficacy, and engagement. Finally, the uncertainty about the future resulted in a more pessimistic attitude towards physics, academic performance, and job perspectives.

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  • Received 25 March 2021
  • Accepted 2 September 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.020130

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Physics Education Research

Authors & Affiliations

Irene Marzoli1, Arturo Colantonio1,2, Claudio Fazio3, Marco Giliberti4, Umberto Scotti di Uccio5, and Italo Testa2,5,*

  • 1School of Science and Technology, Physics Division, University of Camerino, Camerino 62032, Italy
  • 2INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples 80131, Italy
  • 3Department of Physics and Chemistry E. Segrè, University of Palermo, Palermo 90128, Italy
  • 4Department of Physics A. Pontremoli, State University of Milan, Milano 20133, Italy
  • 5Department of Physics E. Pancini, University Federico II, Naples 80126, Italy

  • *italo.testa@unina.it

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Vol. 17, Iss. 2 — July - December 2021

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