Thematic analysis of student perceptions of resources and demands experienced in introductory physics

TL;DR

This study explores the perceptions of students who experienced challenges in introductory physics, identifying key themes in their experiences and analyzing how resources and demands influence their perceptions.

Contribution

It applies a resources vs. demands framework to interpret student perceptions, providing new insights into factors affecting student experiences in physics courses.

Findings

Experiences with classroom, instructors, and exams were most often negative.

Peer interactions and help-seeking were the most positive experiences.

Only peer experiences had more positive reports than negative.

Abstract

The current work aims to better understand student course experiences for those who reported negative perceptions in introductory physics. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 students who reported negative perceptions of their class on a screening survey. Participants were asked to share general reflections on challenges and successes they experienced, as well as their reflections on specific aspects of the course (e.g., experiences with instructors and peers). Interview transcripts were then coded to identify the types of experiences students reported, whether they were experienced as positive or negative, as well as the themes and features associated with those experiences. Experiences with the classroom, course structure, instructors, and exams were most frequently reported as negative. Experiences with peers, help-seeking, course curriculum, and specific learning activities were the most positive, though only experiences with peers had more positive reports than negative. We then used a resources vs. demands framework [Soc Personal Psychol Compass 7, 637 (2013)] to interpret the common instructional, cognitive, and motivational themes and features reported across multiple contexts. We discuss the implications of the results for theory and practice.