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ALEXANDER POPOVFACULTY OF PHYSICSSOFIA [email protected]
RATISLAV BANIKPHYSICS DEPARTMENTMBELL-UNIVERSITYSLOVAK [email protected]
OVIDIU CALTUNSOLID STATE AND THEORETICAL
PHYSICSALEXANDRU IOAN CUZA
PHYSICS TEACHER TRAININGHIGH SCHOOL - UNIVERSITY TRAINING
GAP IN PHYSICS
GARETH JONES (COACH)IMPERIAL COLLEGEUNIVERSITY OF LONDONLONDON (UK)[email protected]
M. C. CARMOPHYSICS DEPARTMENTUNIVERSITY OF AVEIROAVEIRO (PT)[email protected]
HAY GURTSPHYSICS DEPARTMENTUNIVERSITY OF NIJMEGEN (ND)[email protected]
METHODOLOGY
• Surveying the views of university physics departments
• Surveying the university physics students
• Making personal contact with a number of physics teachers in high schools
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
1. QUESTIONAIRE TO UNIVERSITY STAFF
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Returns per country
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
AT BE BG CH CZ DE ES FI FR GR HU IE IT LT MT NL NO PL PT RO SE SK TR UK AL HR MK YU
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Question 1
67%
28%
4%1%
yes
reasonably
little
no
NO-ANS
Q1: Is your department aware of the objectives and curricula of high-school physics education in your
country?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
categories
nº o
f res
pond
ents yes
reasonably
little
no
NO-ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q2: Does your department consider that the incoming students have a general knowledge, skills and competences expected for studying physics?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
categories
nº o
f res
pond
ents yes
just enough
signif icantlylessno
NO ANS
INCOMING STUDENTS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q3: Does your department perceive any change in scientific level of incoming students?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
categories
nº
of
res
po
nd
en
ts the level ishigher
no change
the level islow er
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q4.4. Physics skills and knowledge
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
very good
good
reasonable
poor
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q 4.3. Mathematical skills and knowledge
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
very good
good
reasonable
poor
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q 4.5. Computer skills
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
very good
good
reasonable
poor
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q4.1: Independent work attitude
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts very good
good
reasonable
poor
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
TIME EVOLUTION
Have you noticed an evolution in incoming student competences and skills?
Q5.1: Independent work attitude
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
better
same
w orse
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q5.3.Mathematical skills and knowledge
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
better
same
w orse
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q 5.4.Physics skills and knowledge
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
better
same
w orse
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q 5.5: Computer skills
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
better
same
w orse
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
5.2.Communication skills
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts better
same
w orse
NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q 6. Have any kind of measures been taken to address this problem?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
categories
nº
of
resp
on
den
ts
yes
no
NO ANS
Q 6.1: Specify the level
68%
16%
12%4%
department university/faculty
individual teacher NO ANS
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
EXAMPLES OF MEASURES TAKEN• Extra courses (physics and mathematics); • More time with basic concepts; • More gradual learning; • Small group teaching;• Extra student guidance (tutorials, homework, more
discussion time and guidance in experimental planning; more often evaluation);
• e-learning in maths;• Extra time for problem solving; • Cooperation with high school teachers; • Workshops for high school teachers; • Promote discussion of teaching issues;• Draw the attention of education authorities;
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
2. STUDENT’S QUESTIONAIRE
Replies per country
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
AT BE BE IS LT NL PT SK
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q1: Did you feel a gap between high school and university curricula?
24%
34%
22%
20%yes
reasonably
little
no
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q2:Do you consider you had the general nkowledge, skills and competences to study physics when you
entered university?
48%
33%
19%
yes
just enough
signif icantly less
no
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
The majority of students feel a gap between school and University but consider having the generic skills and competences needed.
Main difficulty in the first year:(i) Personal difficulties in: organizing their own timetable; deciding
what to learn for an exam; lack of pressure to learn/make exams; difficulty to decide what lectures and lecturers to attend.
(ii) System problems: much more personal effort needed due to the large amount of information to be processed; low level in mathematics then needed; not used to apply mathematics concepts to physics;
more lectures compared to high school; no previous development of skills in problem solving; steeper learning curve in University.
(iii) Social reasons: Integration difficulties; lack of knowledge of what the university system expects from the student.
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Students awareness of remedial measures
Q6: Where you aware of any measures taken by the department to address the gap between high school and
University
44%
56%
yes
no
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Q7: Do you think those measures where needed?
95%
5%
yes
no
WORK GROUP 5, GENT 2006
Most effective of the remedial measures taken in the University (as seen by the students):
Pre course in MathematicsExtra courses with extra tuition HomeworkExtra tuition hours for overviews and questionsSocial measures of integration.
