Freshman physics majors' cognitive expectations in Introductory Physics

Abstract

Research has shown that what students expect will happen in their Introductory Physics course plays a critical role in how they respond to the course. Students' cognitive expectations – expectations about the learning process and the structure of knowledge – affect what information they will listen to, and, eventually, comprehend. The study utilized the Physics Expectations Survey of the University of Maryland to probe student attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions about Physics. Physics majors taking up Physics Fundamentals 1 (Mechanics) were surveyed before and after the course. Students showed an increased agreement with experts in the six dimensions (about the nature and structure of learning): (a) independence, (b) coherence, (c) concepts, (d) reality link, (e) math link, and (f) effort link.