For the past 40 years, there has been apprehension in North American society, and particularly in the scientific community, concerning the decline of interest and enrollment in science degree programs at the post-secondary level. This trend has proven very difficult to reverse. The purpose of this study was to explore why students at an Atlantic Canadian university pursue a major in physics, and why other eligible students make different choices. Both the students themselves and their physics professors were consulted in the course of this investigation. With a post structural, constructivist theoretical framework, an instrumental case study of this university is presented using a qualitative online survey for students and semi-structured interviews with their professors. Data from this study supports the theory of physics identity proposed by Hazari et al. (2010). The themes reflected the four dimensions of physics identity, namely, interest, recognition, performance, and competence, with interest appearing as the most important of the four. One additional dimension, the career prospects problem, was reflected within the themes of this study. This research begins to address the concern of low enrollments by examining the decision-making process of first-year physics students to stay-the-course or to pursue other options with a clear indication that as physics educationalists, we need to clearly articulate viable career options available to those who hold an undergraduate physics degree. Else, students will choose degrees whose career paths have been clearly labeled by society.

A case study approach was used in examining Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use within a small First Nation high school in Northern Ontario. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from students, teacher, and the administrator, who participated in an online survey, followed by interviews on their use of ICT in education. How ICT was used in the classroom was examined as well as identifying the challenges and benefits. The students’ benefits included easier access to research through the Internet, facilitated organization through the use of Google drive, and the use of social media. Challenges were similar to those found in in mainstream schools with concerns of technical problems, off task behavior, and improper referencing. The teacher and administrator identified barriers preventing the increased use of ICT, including the lack of professional development, resources, and Indigenous language software. The administrator recognized there was a wide skill set range among teachers in the adoption of ICT integration into their teaching. Recommendations include more professional development in ICT for teachers, additional resources for ICT, and more development of Aboriginal language software.

The authors examined a change of pedagogy in the delivery of a three-credit, first-year astronomy course offered to nonphysics majors by the Department of Physics at a small undergraduate university in Canada. The pedagogy was changed to better meet the needs of the students enrolled in the course. The research includes a description of some of the activities and teaching strategies utilized by the professor; an analysis of the students' perspectives, attitudes, and reactions towards this nontraditional astronomy course; and what this meant for the students, their level of understanding of science, scientific literacy, and connection between science and society. The article provides insight into the professor's perceptions, views, classroom observations, and overall analysis of the effectiveness of changing the pedagogy and concludes with thoughts on whether the effort was worth the end result.Résumé : Les auteurs examinent un changement de pédagogie dans un cours de trois crédits d'astronomie donné en première année à des étudiants qui ne sont pas en physique par le département de physique d'une petite université canadienne de premier cycle. Le changement de pédagogie vise à mieux rencontrer les besoins des étudiant inscrits au cours. La recherche comprend une description de certaines activités et des stratégies d'enseignement utilisées par le professeur avec une analyse des perspectives, des attitudes et des réactions étudiantes face à ce cours d'astronomie non traditionnel et ce que cela signifie pour les étudiants, leur niveau de compréhension scientifique, leur compétence scientifique et leur capacité à connecter science et société. Cet article donne un aperçu des perceptions du professeur, de ses vues, de ses observations en classe, avec une analyse globale de l'efficacité du changement de pédagogie et une conclusion qui vise à déterminer si le résultat vaut l'effort déployé par le professeur. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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Abstract:Graduates of physics degree programs are a critical element in the development of a scientifically literate, economically competitive society as discussed by the National Research Council in 2013 (Adapting to a changing world: Challenges and opportunities in undergraduate physics education. National Academies Press, Washington, D.C. 2013). This qualitative case study invited students at a university in Atlantic Canada to participate in a post-course survey to investigate what influenced them to major or to not major in physics. Sixty students participated in the survey portion of the study, of a possible 121, and the survey data was cross-referenced with data from two student interviews, one professor interview, and one laboratory technician interview. Results indicated that student participants were more likely to choose a physics degree program if they felt that they had enough interest in the subject matter, they had experienced good teaching, and they could see how to apply the degree to a career. In addition, a newly implemented, research-based laboratory curriculum proved beneficial, especially for female students. Fifteen percent of participating students continued into a physics major, which is more than the average of under 10% reported by Nicholson and Mulvey in 2016 (Roster of physics departments with enrollment and degree data, 2013. Focus on: American Institute of Physics. 2016. Available from https://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/statistics/ rosters/physrost15.1.pdf). This study provides a Canadian perspective on the choice to major in physics or not, which had been missing from the literature. Findings from this case could be infused into other first-year physics courses to boost student retention rates.Key words: physics identity, undergraduate students, physics teaching, reflective practice, hands-on experiences. Les résultats indiquent que les étudiants sont plus susceptibles de choisir un programme de physique s'ils sentent que : ils ont suffisamment d'intérêt pour la matière, ils ont eu l'expérience d'un bon professeur et ils peuvent voir comment appliquer cette formation à une carrière. De plus, un nouveau programme mis de l'avant, basé sur l'expérience en laboratoire s'avère bénéfique, en particulier pour les filles. Quinze pourcents des étudiants sondés ont continué dans un programme de physique, ce qui est plus que la moyenne de moins de 10 % rapportée par Nicholson et Mulvey (Roster of physics departments with enrollment and degree data, 2013. Focus on: American Institute of Physics. 2016. Available from https://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/statistics/ rosters/physrost15.1.pdf). La présente étude nous donne une perspective canadienne sur le choix de diplômer en physique ou non, ce qui manquait dans la littérature. Les résultats du sondage pourraient influencer les cours de physique de première année, de façon à améliorer le taux de rétention. [Traduit par la Rédaction] Mots-clés : statut de la physique, étudiant de premier cycle, enseignement de la physique, pratique réfléc...