Enhancing Introductory Student Motivation with a Major-Managed Course Blog: A Pilot Study

TL;DR

This study explores how integrating a student-operated blog into an introductory physics course can improve student motivation, relevance perception, and confidence, using surveys, comments, and interviews for evaluation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel blog-based strategy managed by upper-level students to enhance motivation in introductory physics courses.

Findings

Increased student motivation and confidence.

Enhanced perception of relevance in physics.

Positive feedback from student interviews.

Abstract

Enhancing motivation and learning attitudes in an introductory physics course is an important but difficult task that can be achieved through class blogging. We incorporated into an introductory course a blog operated by upper-level physics students. Using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), periodic in-class surveys, analysis of student blog comments, and post-instructional interviews, we evaluate how the blog combined with class instruction provided the students with a better sense of relevance and confidence and outline recommendations for future use of this strategy.