Connection between academic emotions in situ and retention in the physics track: applying experience sampling method

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a lack of students enrolling in upper secondary school physics courses. In addition, many students discontinue the physics track, causing a lack of applicants for university-level science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programmes. The aim of this research was to determine if it is possible to find a connection between academic emotions in situ and physics track retention at the end of the first year of upper secondary school using phone-delivered experience sampling method. We applied experience sampling delivered by phone to one group of students in one school. The sample comprised 36 first-year upper secondary school students (median age 16) who enrolled in the last physics course of the first year. Students’ academic emotions during science learning situations were measured using phones three times during each of four physics lessons.ResultsThe logistic regression analysis showed that lack of stress predicted retention in the physics track.ConclusionsVia questionnaires delivered by phone, it is possible to capture students’ academic emotions in situ, information on which may help teachers to support students emotionally during their physics studies. In addition, reflecting their situational academic emotions, students could perhaps make better-informed decisions concerning their studies in STEM subjects.

Forma Mentis Networks Reconstruct How Italian High Schoolers and International STEM Experts Perceive Teachers, Students, Scientists, and School

“…As a concrete example, building conceptual links between history and physics and presenting students with reconstructions about the historical role of physics experiments of the 19th century has been indicated as a rather powerful way of favoring physics teaching [35]. Although resistance-to-change [48] poses a challenge for innovating teaching styles and curricula, the advent of tools reducing anxiety and favoring concentration in students is important not only for its self-evident psychological benefits but also in terms of facilitating and enhancing students' performance in STEM [6,4] and students' appreciation of STEM careers [15].…”

“…Increasingly more studies in Education Science suggest that a large number of students experience anxiety while in educational settings [1,2,3,4,5]. Stress can arise from multiple sources.…”

“…This phenomenon was first detected by Mallow, who also coined the term "science anxiety" [1], and then related it to poor performance in science courses [1,6,3,5]. The heightened state of arousal induced by anxiety ends up inhibiting students' concentration on the task at end, importantly impacting problem solving [6] and even knowledge retention [4]. Anxiety can originate from several sources in a given educational setting.…”

Assessing prior knowledge types as predictors of academic achievement in the introductory phase of biology and physics study programmes using logistic regression

“…Values of the odds ratio greater than 1 mean that as the predictor variable increases, so do the odds of having academic achievement (e.g. Alzen et al, 2018;Lehtamo, Juuti, Inkinen & Lavonen, 2018).…”

Attending to emotion in a metaphor for success in physics with poetic analysis

“…Biology education researchers have also noted that women in introductory biology were more affected by negative academic emotions that could lead them to self-deprecating cycles [30]. Studies in PER have revealed links between emotions of control (e.g., frustration, calmness) to performance [31]; emotions towards physics topics to engagement [32]; stress to retention [33]; and emotions to shifts in reasoning [34,35]. These correlations between emotions and learning highlight the value of considering emotions in PER to better understand their effect on learning.…”