Students' attitudes toward experimental physics in a conceptual inquiry-based introductory physics lab

TL;DR

This study investigates how different inquiry-based physics lab curricula affect students' attitudes and beliefs about experimental physics, revealing that reflective components may enhance positive outcomes.

Contribution

It provides empirical data on the impact of inquiry-based curricula on student attitudes, highlighting the role of reflection in improving E-CLASS scores.

Findings

No change in E-CLASS scores without reflection

Reflection questions improve attitudes to match effective approaches

Data from 701 students over four semesters

Abstract

There is some evidence that conceptual inquiry-based introductory physics lab curricula, such as RealTime Physics, may improve students' understanding of physics concepts. Thus, these curricula may be attractive for instructors who seek to transform their physics labs to improve student learning. However, the impact of conceptual inquiry-based lab instruction on students' attitudes and beliefs about experimental physics, as measured by the E-CLASS survey, is not yet fully understood. We present data from three curricular approaches over four semesters ($n=701$). We saw no change in E-CLASS scores in the first implementation of a conceptual inquiry-based introductory physics lab. However, the addition of questions that asked students to reflect on issues relating to experimental physics was associated with E-CLASS outcomes that are comparable to other effective approaches to lab instruction.