PHYSICS TEACHING IN THE 1990s

A. I. P. REPORT

• American Institute of Physics, (1996). Overcoming inertia: High school physics in the 1990s. Washington, DC: Author
• 1993 nationwide survey of high school physics teachers
• summary of findings for 1987 and 1990 included
• survey conducted every three years of physics teachers in public, private, and parochial schools

HIGHLIGHTS

• HS physics enrollment is rising
• 20% in 1987, 21% in 1990, 24% in 1993
• number of teachers with HS physics assignments has grown about 1% per year
• indicative of increased HS science graduation requirements mandated in mid 1980s having an effect
• teachers are complaining of larger class sizes
• teachers are complaining about general lack of student preparedness for physics
• AP physics courses have registered consistent gains, albeit rising from a small base
• the proportion of HS student enrolled in AP or second physics class has risen from about 4.5% in 1990 to about 6% in 1993
• ¥ enrollment in physics courses aimed at "non science" students remains level
• the conceptual approach to physics is beginning to take hold in more first physics courses and may account for most of the rise in physics enrollments
• HIGHLIGHTS
• fully half of surveyed HS physics teachers felt that better equipped and better funded labs would improve physics teaching more than any other single factor
• other significant problems include:

- not enough time for planning
- inadequate student math preparation
- inadequate space for lab facility
- too many peripheral tasks
- student don't perceive physics as important
- difficulties in scheduling
- inadequate student reading ability
- insufficient administrative support

• younger physics teachers with PTE degrees are leaving the field at a disproportionately higher rate
• one possibility is the lack of opportunity to focus on physics teaching
• physics teachers may have better opportunities outside of schools
• (science teachers be come school administrators at a disproportionate rate)
• the percentage of females taking physics has risen during each subsequent survey
• females generally do not take a second physics course however
• course recruitment efforts in HS seem to have a greater impact on females
• whites and Asian-Americans continue to take physics at 2X the rate of African-Americans
• whites and Asian-Americans continue to take physics at 3X the rate of Hispanics

TABLES IN REPORT

• most widely used textbooks
• physics teacher characteristics by gender
• teacher degree fields by gender
• teacher gender by religion and school type
• self-assessed level of preparation by gender
• gender composition of physics classes
• school and teacher characteristics by teacher race / ethnicity
• percent minority enrollments by school characteristics
• physics program characteristics

N. A. E. P. REPORT

National Assessment of Educational Progress, (1988). The science report card: Elements of risk and recovery. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, Author.

• a national survey of science education completed every 10 years
• most recent survey reported was that from the 1995 - 96 school year
• reports trends for 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds from 1969 to 1986

STATE OF SCIENCE LEARNING

• at age 17, students' science achievement scores remain well below that of 1969
• more than 1/2 of the nation's 17-year-olds appear to be adequately prepared to perform competently on jobs that require technical skills
• only 7% of the nation's 17-year-olds have the prerequisite knowledge needed to perform well in college-level science courses
• in the upper grades of HS, "advanced science students" in the US ranked last in Biology and performed behind students in most countries in Chemistry and Physics

THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN SCIENCE

• 16% of eleventh-grade students taking a science class in 1986 reported having no home work
• at age 17, only one-half of the males and one-third of the females demonstrated the ability to analyze scientific procedures and data
• only 15% of the non-white students demonstrated the ability to analyze scientific procedures and data
• in the physical sciences, boys at grade 3 showed a "marked edge" over girls, with this edge constantly increasing in grades 7 and 11
• this differential is most evident in physics

TIMSS Data Released Feb. '98

• The largest, most comprehensive, and rigorous international comparison of education ever done.
• The 1995 study involved ~ 500,000 students from 41 nations at three levels of schooling -- 4th, 8th, and 12th grades.
• Data for third study collected during spring of '95.
• Tested were general science knowledge, physics, general math, and advanced math.
• Test consisted of 60% multiple-choice questions and 40% free response questions.
• Results of 12th grade level released Feb. 1998.
• The results are not encouraging for our schools.

Typical Questions: Gen. Science

Some high heeled shoes are claimed to damage floors. The base diameter of these very high heels is about 0.5 cm and of ordinary heels about 3 cm. Briefly explain why the very high heels may cause damage to floors.

CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) revolutionized personal and industrial life for 30 years. They were coolants in refrigerators and the propellants in aerosols, pressure packs, and fire extinguishers. There are now very strong international moves to stop the use of these substances because: (A) they are chemically inert; (B) they contribute to the greenhouse effect; (C) they are poisonous to humans; (D) they destroy the ozone layer.

General Science Assessment

• US students scored below the international level and were among the lowest of 21 participating countries (Asia chose not to participate in 12th).
• Students in 11 countries had scores significantly higher than students from US.
• These nations include: Sweden, the Netherlands, Iceland, Norway, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Austria, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, and Denmark.
• US on par with seven countries: Germany, France, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, Italy, Hungary, and Lithuania.
• Only two nations (Cyprus and South Africa) had significantly lower test scores.

Typical Questions: Physics

A car moving at a constant speed with a siren sounding comes towards you and then passes by. Describe how the frequency of the sound you hear changes.

Examples of the range of acceptable answers:

• The pitch is higher as the car comes closer and lower after it goes by.
• When the car approaches, the wavelength of the sound is shorter than it is when the car moves away.

Results of Physics Assessment

• American students scored significantly below their counterparts from 14 countries.
• When only AP physics students (~1% of all 12th graders) were compared with their counterparts in other countries, US students were still outperformed by students from four other countries: Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation, and Denmark.
• American AP physics students had scores that were not significantly different from students in 10 countries.
• American AP physics students outperformed to a significant degree only one country -- Austria.

Gender Gaps in HS Physics

• Males outperformed females in the U.S.
• This was true for 4 of 5 content areas:

Mechanics: dynamics of motion; time, space, and motion; types of forces; and fluid behavior.
Electricity / magnetism: electricity; magnetism.
Heat: physical changes; energy types; sources and conversions; heat and temperature; and kinetic theory.
Wave phenomena: sound and vibration; light; wave phenomena.
Modern physics: nuclear chemistry; quantum theory and fundamental particles; beyond the solar system; sub atomic particles; and relativity theory.

• More than 3/4 of all countries tested had a significant gender gap in certain areas.

Why the Evident Failure?

• Factors related to student lives not to be faulted:

- not a lack of homework
- not the amount of television watched
- not part-time jobs

• Structural differences in secondary school systems may account for part of the differences.
• Average age of American students somewhat lower than most of the students from other nations.
• Too few American HS students take physics.
• Failure to set and enforce high performance standards.
• Too many physics teachers are underqualified.

Complete Report Available

• The complete TIMSS twelfth grade report is available over the WWW.
• National Center for Education Statistics
• http: /nces.ed.gov/timss/twelfth

EACHER RANK ORDERING OF HS TEACHING PROBLEMS
adapted from Goodlad's A Place Called School

• lack of student interest (2.3)
• lack of parent interest (2.3)
• student misbehavior (2.3)
• drug / alcohol use (2.2)
• size of school / classes (2.1)
• inadequate resources (2.0)
• student language problems (1.9)
• poor teachers / teaching (1.9)
• administration / organization (1.8)
• lack of staff interest (1.7)
• low graduation standards (1.7)
• poor curriculum (1.7)
• rules and regulations that interfere (1.7)

SOURCES OF DIFFICULTIES
adapted from Goodlad's A Place Called School

• The home and the church, sources of moral education, have been weakened.
• The relationship between home and school has deteriorated.
• Economics have shaped new com-munities in which no one knows anyone thereby weakening the social fabric.
• The coalition of political and moral bodies which cooperated in the past to support schools are in disarray.
• Educators and administrators are divided.
• The universality of education has complicated the task of eduction.
• Students today are securing their education from sources other than home, church, and school -- message and media -- that lack interpretation.
• Added to this 1984 list are social ills dealing with gangs, drugs, sexuality.