Operationalizing relevance in physics education: using a systems view to expand our conception of making physics relevant

TL;DR

This paper redefines relevance in physics education using ecological systems theory, highlighting students' diverse meaningful connections to physics and critiquing past measurement approaches that often show negative shifts in perceived relevance.

Contribution

It operationalizes relevance as a construct through ecological systems theory and demonstrates the rich, varied ways students relate physics to their lives, challenging previous deficit narratives.

Findings

Students make diverse relevant connections to physics.

Past measures often show negative shifts in relevance.

Incorporating students' ideas challenges deficit narratives.

Abstract

A common hope of many physics educators and researchers is that students leave the course with a stronger sense that physics is relevant to them than when they entered the course. Multiple survey measures have attempted to measure shifts in students' beliefs on the relevance of physics but frequently the results show a negative shift in students' beliefs and are often reported as a failure of students to "see the relevance." We challenge this interpretation by first operationalizing relevance as a construct by using existing theories on beliefs and attitudes. We utilize ecological systems theory to identify rich sites of relevance in students lives and present evidence to demonstrate the rich ways students are able to make relevant connections to physics. We then reflect on the implications of this expanded view on the limitations of past measures of relevance. We articulate how incorporating students' disciplinary ideas and expertise into the classroom can challenge previous deficit-framed narratives of students' abilities to find the relevance of physics.