• Open Access

Attitudes about science and conceptual physics learning in university introductory physics courses

Marina Milner-Bolotin, Tetyana Antimirova, Andrea Noack, and Anna Petrov
Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 7, 020107 – Published 23 September 2011

Abstract

This paper examines the results of the repeated administration of the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) in a large introductory physics course at a midsize, metropolitan Canadian university. We compare the results to those obtained previously in comparable courses at the University of British Columbia (Canada) and the University of Colorado (U.S.). Atypically, students in this study exhibited a positive shift in their attitudes about science over the semester. The change in students’ attitudes across the term appears to be moderated by their educational background—specifically, whether they had taken grade 12 physics or not. The correlation between students’ attitudes and their conceptual knowledge also appears to be influenced by students’ educational background. The results have pedagogical implications for instructors of introductory college and university physics and potentially for other science courses.

  • Figure
  • Received 22 December 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.7.020107

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

© 2011 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Marina Milner-Bolotin1, Tetyana Antimirova2,*, Andrea Noack3, and Anna Petrov4

  • 1Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
  • 2Department of Physics, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada
  • 3Department of Sociology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada
  • 4Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada

  • *Corresponding author. antimiro@ryerson.ca

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Vol. 7, Iss. 2 — July - December 2011

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It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

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