Initial Interest, Goals, And Changes In CLASS Scores In Introductory Physics For Life Sciences

To examine the effect of extensive life science applications on student attitudes to learning physics, we analyzed CLASS data from life science students in introductory physics. We compare the same students\u27 responses from the first semester, taught with a standard syllabus, to the second semester, taught with extensive life science applications (IPLS). Although first semester responses become less favorable (pre to post), IPLS responses show an increase in favorable and a decrease in unfavorable responses. This is noteworthy because improvement is rarely observed without direct attention to attitudes/beliefs, and suggests IPLS courses are one possible approach to improving attitudes. Finally, we analyzed CLASS responses by gender, major, students\u27 stated goals in taking physics, and initial interest in physics; initial interest was determined from CLASS items chosen based on the Four-Phase Model of Interest Development. Most notably, we find that in the IPLS course, students identified as having low interest initially had the greatest gains

Life Science Students’ Attitudes, Interest, And Performance In Introductory Physics For Life Sciences: An Exploratory Study

In response to national calls for improved physical sciences education for students pursuing careers in the life sciences and medicine, reformed introductory physics for life sciences (IPLS) courses are being developed. This exploratory study is among the first to assess the effect of an IPLS course on students’ attitudes, interest, and performance. The IPLS course studied was the second semester of introductory physics, following a standard first semester course, allowing the outcomes of the same students in a standard course and in an IPLS course to be compared. In the IPLS course, each physics topic was introduced and elaborated in the context of a life science example, and developing students’ skills in applying physics to life science situations was an explicitly stated course goal. Items from the Colorado Learning about Science Survey were used to assess change in students’ attitudes toward and their interest in physics. Whereas the same students’ attitudes declined during the standard first semester course, we found that students’ attitudes toward physics hold steady or improve in the IPLS course. In particular, students with low initial interest in physics displayed greater increases in both attitudes and interest during the IPLS course than in the preceding standard course. We also find that in the IPLS course, students’ interest in the life science examples is a better predictor of their performance than their pre-IPLS interest in physics. Our work suggests that the life science examples in the IPLS course can support the development of student interest in physics and positively influence their performance

The Role Of Interest In The Effect Of Including Life Science Contexts In Introductory Physics

We examined the impact of preexisting interest in physics on undergraduate student responses to the insertion of life science contexts into an introductory-level physics course for nonmajors, using an end-of-semester survey. Our findings suggest that inserting life science context into the content of the courses influenced students differentially based on their level of preexisting interest in physics.Taken together with results from the CLASS survey, these findings suggest that certain types of life science contexts in introductory physics can support students whose initial interest in physics is less developed to deepen their interest; however, not all contexts are equally effective

A CLASS Study Of Introductory Physics For Life Sciences (IPLS) At Swarthmore College

To examine the effect of extensive life science applications on student attitudes to learning physics, we analyzed CLASS data from life science students taking introductory physics at Swarthmore. We compare the same students\u27 responses from first semester, taught with a standard syllabus, to second semester, taught with extensive life science applications (IPLS). Although first semester responses become less favorable (pre to post), IPLS responses show an increase in favorable and a decrease in unfavorable responses, particularly comparing post-IPLS to post-first semester. This is noteworthy because improvement is rarely observed, even in pedagogically reformed courses. Finally, we analyzed CLASS responses by gender, major, students\u27 stated goals in taking physics, and initial interest in physics; initial interest was determined from CLASS items chosen based on the Four-Phase Model of Interest Development. Most notably, we find that in the IPLS course, students identified as having low interest initially had the greatest gains overall