Can Contextualized Physics Problems Enhance Student Motivation? Uncovering a Student-Teacher Perception Gap through a Large-Scale Survey

TL;DR

This study investigates whether contextualized physics problems (CPP) enhance student motivation by surveying students and teachers, revealing a perception gap and suggesting implications for teaching practices.

Contribution

It provides large-scale empirical evidence on student and teacher perceptions of CPP, highlighting a divergence and informing better instructional design.

Findings

CPP boost interest among 8th graders new to physics

Older students prefer de-contextualized problems over CPP

Gender differences influence preferences for CPP among younger students

Abstract

Embedding physics problems unreal-world settings, here termed contextualized physics problems (CPP), is widely believed to foster students' interest, motivation, and learning. However, firm evidence for this claim remains scarce. To explore this issue, we surveyed 868 secondary students and 154 teachers to examine their attitudes toward CPP and investigate whether students and teachers perceive these problems as promoting student interest and motivation in learning physics. The findings reveal a divergence between teacher and student perspectives. While most teachers view CPP as essential for enhancing interest and motivation, student responses tell a different story. Contextualized problems appear to boost interest and motivation only among 8th graders who are newly introduced to the subject. From 9th to 11th grade, students expressed a clear preference for de-contextualized physics problems (DPP) and generally disagreed that CPP increased their interest in physics. Gender differences were also observed among younger students, with boys showing a moderately stronger preference for CPP than girls. These results provide valuable insights for educators in designing course materials and creating effective test and exercise questions. The discrepancy between teacher and student perceptions, as highlighted by the surveys and interviews, underscores the need to address this gap through targeted teacher training and professional development.