Readers of Physics Education will need no reminder that too few students elect to study physics at A-level and, subsequently, as undergraduates. This has led to a continuing shortage of physics graduates and, in turn, of such graduates becoming teachers.
2. Why aren’t secondary students interested in physics? of secondary schooling, whereas their liking for was imposed. The questionnaire was piloted biology remains reasonably stable, their liking in one school and the responses indicated that for physics declines. This is accompanied by the wording was appropriate to the age-group changes in their more specific ideas about physics. concerned. For example, they decreasingly see physics as The completed questionnaires were scruti- able to contribute to solutions to environmental nized and four lists of ideas raised by students or medical problems, and increasingly see physics in response to the open-form items were con- as requiring mathematical ability. However, the structed. One list of views was prepared for those biggest difference between students’ responses students who had responded to the closed item to parallel questionnaire items about physics and about physics that they found it ‘very interesting’ biology is that they perceive biology as interesting, or ‘interesting’. A separate list was constructed physics as boring. Furthermore, the responses for those students who reported that they found to questionnaire items about whether physics is physics ‘boring’ or ‘very boring’. Two corre- seen as interesting or boring correlate with those sponding lists were produced for the biology sec- to the item exploring their general like or dislike tion of the questionnaire. When the lists were com- of physics. Thus, it seems that a major reason that pleted, the ideas were arranged in categories and, underpins students’ increasingly negative feelings following this, any ideas that were very similar towards physics is their perception of it as boring. were pooled. Each pooled idea was then given a This is significant in that there is evidence that code, and an Excel spreadsheet was constructed in students who find a subject interesting tend to which each idea code had a column. The ques- choose it for further study [5]. tionnaires were then re-examined and the ideas Students use words such as ‘interesting’ and raised by each student were encoded onto the Ex- ‘boring’ in a fairly loose manner, so it is not cel spreadsheet. The data were then imported into entirely clear what students may mean by viewing an SPSS data file for analysis. In some cases, ideas physics as ‘boring’. The aim of the present were pooled into more general categories. study, therefore, was to explore why many school students think of physics in this way—what is Results driving the generation of this negative view of The final questionnaire was completed by 317 physics? students in English National Curriculum Year 10 from six community comprehensive schools. The Methods male/female ratio was 44/56. Students’ ideas were gathered using a short questionnaire that contained parallel sections Proportions of Year 10 school students finding about physics and biology. Each section had biology and physics interesting or boring two items. The first, a closed-form item, asked The results are shown in tables 1 to 6. The students whether they found physics (or, in responses to the closed-form items showed that the parallel section, biology) ‘very interesting’, about half of the students found biology very ‘interesting’, ‘neither interesting nor boring’, interesting or interesting, and about a quarter ‘boring’ or ‘very boring’. This was followed found it boring or very boring (table 1). In contrast, by an open-form item in which students were only about a quarter of the students thought that invited to ‘tell us why you think this’. The physics was very interesting or interesting and questionnaire wording encouraged students to about half thought it boring or very boring. There write ‘as many reasons as you can’. In order to was no significant difference in the responses of compensate for any possible ‘carry-over’ effect the males and females to the closed-form item from the first section to the second, two versions about biology, whereas statistically significantly of the questionnaire were produced, one with the fewer females than males thought that physics was questions about biology first, the other with the interesting. Thus, the results to this section of the questions about physics first. The two versions questionnaire support the contention that students were issued alternately to students. During find physics less interesting than a comparator the completion of the questionnaire, examination science subject, biology, and that fewer girls than conditions prevailed, although no time limit boys find physics interesting. July 2003 PHYSICS EDUCATION 325
3. C Williams et al Table 1. Proportions of Year 10 school students finding biology and physics interesting or boring. Biology Physics All Males Females All Males Females (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) Very interesting 10 7 12 6 8 4 Interesting 47 45 48 20 28 13 Neither interesting nor boring 22 21 23 26 26 25 Boring 15 18 12 25 20 29 Very boring 6 8 5 24 18 20 Percentages may not total exactly 100 due to rounding. Distributions of responses to questionnaire item about biology between genders were not significantly different. Distributions of responses to questionnaire item about physics between genders were significantly different (p < 0.001, χ 2 test). n = 317, 44% male, 56% female. Table 2. Predominant reasons for Year 10 school Table 3. Predominant reasons for Year 10 school students finding biology or physics boring. students finding biology or physics interesting. Category of reason Biology Physics Category of reason Biology Physics (%) (%) (%) (%) Difficult/hard subject 29 48 Easy subject 18 14 Subject too easy 3 11 Enjoy subject 32 10 Do not enjoy subject 12 30 Subject offers a challenge 1 9 Content of subject 6 20 Content of subject 59 40 Too little practical work 14 7 Practical exercises 28 46 Subject repetitive/predictable 18 6 Relevance of subject 8 19 Subject irrelevant 0 14 Variety of subject 5 12 Percentages may total more than 100 because Percentages may total more than 100 because individual students offered more than one reason. Data individual students offered more than one reason. Data are given as a percentage of those thinking that biology are given as a percentage of those thinking that biology (or physics) was very boring or boring in responses to (or physics) was very interesting or interesting in the closed questionnaire items. n = 317. responses to the closed questionnaire items. n = 317. Predominant reasons for Year 10 school students because it was too easy. Another frequent reason finding biology or physics boring was that the subject was ‘not relevant’, either to Those students who found biology or physics everyday life or to other subjects. Interestingly, boring gave a number of reasons, many of which about a fifth of the students who found physics appeared similar for the two subjects (table 2). boring named specific topics or areas of the In both cases, some students wrote simply that curriculum to support their view. they did not enjoy the subject. However, the predominant reason for finding biology boring was Predominant reasons for Year 10 school students that it was seen as a difficult subject although, in finding biology or physics interesting contrast, a few students thought the reverse, that Many of these views were supported in a it was boring because it was too easy. Another complementary manner by those students who frequent reason for finding biology boring was reported finding biology or physics interesting when it was envisaged as repetitive or predictable. (table 3). Some students wrote that they found The dearth of practical work was also raised as the subjects interesting because they enjoyed them. a reason for finding biology boring. The major For both biology and physics, some students stated reason for finding physics boring, given by almost that they found the subjects interesting because half of the students who thought this, was that it they were easy, although a few students—a higher was considered difficult, although, as with biology, proportion in the case of physics—found the a few students thought that physics was boring challenge of the subject interesting. Some students 326 PHYSICS EDUCATION July 2003
4. Why aren’t secondary students interested in physics? Table 4. Topics in physics found boring or interesting Differences between reasons of male and females by Year 10 school students. students for finding physics boring or interesting Specific content of physics Boring Interesting Responses to the closed questionnaire items found boring or interesting (%) (%) confirmed that there were differences in the overall Electricity 3 8 feelings about physics of male and female school Energy 1 8 students. For this reason, the reasons given by Forces 2 5 males and females for finding physics boring and Mathematical aspects 15 12 interesting were compared (tables 5 and 6). More Circuits 4 females found physics boring because it was seen Colour/spectrum 1 as too easy, because they disliked specific areas of Magnetism 3 the curriculum, or because it was seen as irrelevant. Nuclear energy 3 Solar system/universe 6 More of the males reported that they found physics boring because there was too little practical work Figures are given as a percentage of those thinking that or because it was repetitive (table 5). The only physics was very boring or boring, or very interesting or interesting, in responses to the closed questionnaire statistically significance between the males’ and item. n = 317. females’ reasons for finding physics interesting was that more of the males enjoyed the practical exercises (table 6). wrote that the relevance, or that the variety of topics within the subjects, made them interesting. Discussion However, the two most predominant reasons for finding both biology and physics interesting were This study has revealed some of the reasons why the content of the curriculum and the practical students might lose interest in physics over the course of their secondary schooling. It thereby nature of the subjects. The former played a greater highlights ways in which we might attempt to role in making biology interesting to students; the enhance students’ interest in physics. latter played a greater role in convincing students In terms of the content of the physics that physics was interesting. curriculum, some topics appear to attract some students but deter others. As such, emphasis or reduction of such subjects might, overall, prove Topics in physics found boring or interesting by ineffective. Other areas of the curriculum appear Year 10 school students to attract some students with little deterrence Curriculum content was raised as a reason for on others. ‘Space’ is an example raised by finding physics both boring and interesting by the students in the present study [6], perhaps students (table 4). Some topics, such as electricity, because of its links to science fiction in the energy, forces and mathematical aspects, were popular media. One strategy, therefore, might be to extend the way in which we exemplify given by different students as a reason for physics less popular areas of physics by reference to the being seen as both boring and interesting. Clearly, more popular. Perhaps more could be made of then, the impact of such topics on an individual a discussion of the forces applied to a spacecraft student’s overall perception of physics depends during takeoff and in space, and the storage and upon their predilections. Other topics were use of energy sufficient for space travel. It might raised only in the context of physics being found even be possible to convince students that for space interesting: circuits, magnetism, nuclear energy exploration such questions require mathematical, and the universe were examples. Predominant not just qualitative, solutions. The findings here, of these was a liking for areas of the curriculum understood intuitively by science teachers, that covering the solar system or ‘space’. Although a certain topics are inherently popular with students larger respondent sample may well have revealed while others are inherently unpopular has a bearing some students who raised these aspects as being on the recent suggestion that science should be boring, the majority of students appear to find them taught using study topics. It would be interesting interesting aspects of physics. to know whether the topics designed to illustrate July 2003 PHYSICS EDUCATION 327
5. C Williams et al Table 5. Differences between reasons of male and females students for finding physics boring. Reasons for finding physics boring Boring (%) All Males Females p Difficult/hard subject 48 42 51 ns Subject too easy 11 4 16 0.05 Do not enjoy subject 30 25 32 ns Content of subject 20 10 25 0.05 Too little practical work 7 14 3 0.05 Subject repetitive/predictable 6 14 2 0.005 Subject irrelevant 14 6 19 0.05 Figures are given as a percentage of those thinking that physics was very boring or boring, in responses to the closed questionnaire item. n = 317, 44% male, 56% female. p is the probability that any differences between groups in the table might have happened by chance. ‘ns’ means that the probability is so high that the particular difference is deemed to be ‘not significant’ (statistically). Table 6. Differences between reasons of male and females students for finding physics interesting. Reasons for finding physics interesting Interesting (%) All Males Females p Easy subject 14 12 17 ns Enjoy subject 10 10 11 ns Subject offers a challenge 9 6 14 ns Content of subject 40 40 39 ns Practical exercises 46 56 29 0.05 Relevance of subject 19 14 29 ns Variety of subject 12 14 7 ns Figures are given as a percentage of those thinking that physics was very interesting or interesting, in responses to the closed questionnaire item. n = 317, 44% male, 56% female. p is the probability that any differences between groups in the table might have happened by chance. ‘ns’ means that the probability is so high that the particular difference is deemed to be ‘not significant’ (statistically). more general science principles will be selected students’ concerns about animal rights. Despite on the basis of evidence and teachers’ experience all this, most teachers would regret the need to about whether students are likely to have an decrease the extent of practical exercises. So, it intrinsic interest in them. is worth noting that cutbacks in practical work For both biology and physics, the results not only reduce opportunities for experiential of the present study imply that students find learning, they might also influence the popularity practical exercises interesting, and that some of science subjects overall. students lament the dearth of such exercises. There Another major influence on whether students has undoubtedly been pressure on teachers to find a subject interesting appears to reside in reduce the extent of practical work [7]; it is whether they perceive it as ‘relevant’ [3]. In the time-consuming in the context of an overcrowded present study ‘relevance’ was given as a reason curriculum coupled with an increased emphasis on for finding both biology and physics interesting, the use of examination results as the indicator of and ‘lack of relevance’ as a reason for finding educational ‘success’, it requires expenditure for them boring. This idea was reinforced by the equipment and consumables, and there are safety specific curriculum areas that students raised in implications. In the case of biology, there are the the context of finding the subject interesting, additional issues of Home Office legislation and particularly for biology. One might easily imagine 328 PHYSICS EDUCATION July 2003
6. Why aren’t secondary students interested in physics? how school students find the issues they raised Acknowledgments in this context—the human body, the ‘facts of We wish to thank Ms Julie Shrivastava who life’, and personal health issues such as smoking assisted with the initial analysis of the data, our and drinking—as relevant to their everyday lives. teacher colleagues for allowing us access to their However, a few students also raised the notion students, and the students who completed the of the degree of relevance of the subject to questionnaires. other parts of the formal school curriculum. One suggestion, then, is for science teachers to Received 2 April 2003 place more emphasis on interdisciplinary links, PII: S0031-9120(03)61634-5 perhaps by raising, for example in biology lessons, circumstances in which physics is relevant to popular areas of biology. Perhaps the most obvious factor raised by students was the link between finding a subject References boring and perceiving it as being difficult. Indeed, [1] Woolnough B 1995 School effectiveness for there is evidence that the perception of a subject as different types of potential scientists and being difficult tends to result in the development engineers Res. Sci. Technol. Educ. 13 (1) 54 of a general negative attitude to that subject. [2] Publishers Association/Education Publishing Furthermore, students tend to choose for further Council 2003 UK school-market dataset: A-level entries 1995–2002 study those subjects in which they anticipate they www.statisticsforbusiness.co.uk/epcdata will be able to perform well [8]. The challenge [3] Woolnough B 1994 Why students choose physics, here, then, is to make physics less daunting to or reject it Phys. Educ. 29 368–74 school students while retaining its essential nature. [4] Spall K, Stanistreet M, Dickson D and Boyes E It has been known for many years that girls are 2003 Development of school students’ constructions of biology and physics Int. J. Sci. less attracted to physics than are boys [9]. In effect, Educ. at press physics fails to attract a large proportion of its [5] Watson J, McEwen A and Dawson S 1994 Sixth potential constituency. The results of the present form A-level students’ perceptions of the study suggest that the particular reasons for this difficulty, intellectual freedom and interest of may include particular curriculum components science and arts subjects Res. Sci. Technol. Educ. 12 (1) 43–51 and, perhaps not unrelated, the fact that more [6] Watson F 2000 Black holes and killer asteroids: females find physics ‘irrelevant’. The task of the public perception of astronomy Science and making physics more relevant to girls presents the Citizen ed R T Cross and P J Fensham, an interesting quandary in the present atmosphere Melbourne Studies in Education (Melbourne: of oversensitivity to political correctness, since Arena) [7] Hacker R J and Rowe M J 1997 The impact of any attempt to use examples that might be of National Curriculum development on teaching particular interest to girls could be seen as gender and learning behaviours Int. J. Sci. Educ. 19 stereotyping. Nevertheless, the issue of which 997–1004 subject areas are of inherent interest to students, [8] Rennie L J and Punch K F 1991 The relationship especially girls, is worth exploring further if between effect and achievement in science J. Res. Sci. Teaching 28 193–209 such information has the potential to contribute [9] Garratt L 1986 Gender differences in relation to to increasing an overall interest in physics, and science choice at A-level Educ. Review 38 (1) science in general. 67–77 July 2003 PHYSICS EDUCATION 329
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