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

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Pelakh, Avital, Good, Melanie L., Kuo, Eric, Tumminia, Michael, Jamal-Orozco, Nabila, Adelman, Amy, Antoan, Jordann, Galla, Brian, Nokes-Malach, Timothy J.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Pelakh, Avital
Good, Melanie L.
Kuo, Eric
Tumminia, Michael
Jamal-Orozco, Nabila
Adelman, Amy
Antoan, Jordann
Galla, Brian
Nokes-Malach, Timothy J.
author_facet Pelakh, Avital
Good, Melanie L.
Kuo, Eric
Tumminia, Michael
Jamal-Orozco, Nabila
Adelman, Amy
Antoan, Jordann
Galla, Brian
Nokes-Malach, Timothy J.
contents 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.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_14692
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Thematic analysis of student perceptions of resources and demands experienced in introductory physics
Pelakh, Avital
Good, Melanie L.
Kuo, Eric
Tumminia, Michael
Jamal-Orozco, Nabila
Adelman, Amy
Antoan, Jordann
Galla, Brian
Nokes-Malach, Timothy J.
Physics Education
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.
title Thematic analysis of student perceptions of resources and demands experienced in introductory physics
topic Physics Education
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.14692