CAREER: Changing the Landscape: Towards the Development of a Physics Identity in High School

这项研究的目的是为了帮助理解高中物理如何对学生的自我认知产生最大的积极影响，从而显著影响他们在这一主题上的结果。它的重点是在高中生中发展积极的物理认同感(学生在能力、表现、坚持性、兴趣和被他人认可方面对自己的认知)，作为提高他们学业成绩的一种手段。来自美国国家科学基金会正在进行的一个项目(GSE/RES 0624444)的初步数据分析表明，物理身份结构之间存在很强的相关性(例如，你认为自己是一个物理学家吗？)以及这项研究提出的物理同一性测量(即表现、能力、认知度和兴趣)。尽管大多数学生，尤其是女性，对自己作为物理学习者以及对物理学科表达了沮丧的态度，但那些对物理学习表示好感的人发现了一系列似乎影响积极物理同一性发展的活动：(A)专注于概念理解，(B)针对他们信念的实验室活动的频率，(C)分享和互动的机会，(D)教师鼓励，和(E)就当前相关的科学话题进行讨论。PI假设，学生，特别是女性，对物理产生抑郁的态度，以及由于缺乏个人有意义的学习经验而对自己作为物理学习者的负面看法。因此，她提出了以下研究问题：(1)高中物理教学实践如何预测物理同一性的发展？(2)这些策略如何影响物理同一性的发展，特别是通过对他们的表现、能力、认可和兴趣的感知？(3)这些经历对学生在本科生涯中的物理同一性有什么长期影响？(4)对于高中物理教师来说，确保充分发展积极物理同一性的最合适的教学计划是什么？本研究提出的方法包括案例研究、纵向研究、教学计划的制定和该计划的实施。成功教师的课堂案例研究借鉴了之前提到的调查，其中348人(90名女性)完成了高中物理，并自我评价为物理人(5分到5分)，包括对教学和学习经验的积极看法。这项纵向研究旨在了解特定教学实践对学生物理认同的长期影响，其中包括15名学生(8名女性)，他们将在每学年结束时通过调查和访谈被跟踪3至4年。教学计划的制定将包括15个样本教学计划，其中包括将物理内容与现实世界背景相联系的详细活动、对物理的刻板印象、对物理中代表性不足的分析以及物理特性形成性评估。该计划将通过一项准实验研究进行测试，四名教师使用相同的物理课程，至少有两组。每名教师将在其中一组中实施计划；另一组将作为对照。在180个物理班中，大约有15个班(每两周一班)将使用教育计划。在每门课程的开始和结束时，将使用物理认同量表。在计划实施期间，将进行课堂观察。

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of how high school physics can have a maximum positive impact on students' self-perceptions, thus noticeably impacting their outcomes in this subject matter. Its focus is on the development of a positive physics identity (students' perceptions of themselves in relation to this field in terms of competence, performance, persistence, interest, and recognition by others) among high school students, particularly females, as a means to increase their academic performance. Preliminary data analysis from an ongoing NSF-funded project (GSE/RES 0624444) suggests a strong correlation between the physics identity construct (e.g., Do you see yourself as a physics person?) and the study's proposed physics identity measures (i.e., performance, competence, recognition, and interest). Although most students, especially females, conveyed depressed attitudes toward themselves as physics learners, as well as toward the discipline, those who expressed favorable perceptions toward physics learning identified a set of activities that appear to affect the development of a positive physics identity: (a) focus on conceptual understanding, (b) frequency of laboratory activities that address their beliefs, (c) frequency of opportunities to share and interact, (d) teacher encouragement, and (e) holding discussions on current relevant science topics.The PI hypothesizes that students in general, and females in particular, develop depressed attitudes toward physics, and negative perceptions of themselves as physics learners due to the lack of personally meaningful learning experiences. Thus, she submits the following research questions: (1) What high school physics teaching practices predict physics identity development?; (2) How do these strategies influence physics identity development, especially mediated by perceptions of their performance, competence, recognition, and interest?; (3) What is the long-term impact of these experiences on physics identity as students traverse their undergraduate careers?; and (4) What is the most appropriate pedagogical plan for high school physics teachers to ensure adequate development of positive physics identity?The study's proposed methods consist of case studies, a longitudinal study, development of a pedagogical plan, and the implementation of this plan. Classroom case studies of successful teachers draw on the previously referred survey of which 348 (90 females) finished high school physics with a self-rating as a physics person (5 on a 0-5 scale), including positive perceptions of instructional and leaning experiences. The longitudinal study aims at understanding the long-term impact of specific pedagogical practices on students' physics identity,including 15 students (8 females) who will be tracked over 3 to 4 years through surveys and interviews at the end of each academic year. Development of the pedagogical plan will include 15 sample lesson plans with detailed activities that connect physics content to real-world contexts, counter stereotypes about physics, analysis of underrepresentation in physics, and physics identity formative assessments. The plan will be tested through a quasi-experimental study with four teachers using the same physics course with at least two groups. Each teacher will implement the plan in one of the groups; the other group will be used as control. Of the 180 physics classes, approximately 15 (one every two weeks) will use the education plan. A physics identity scale will be administered at the beginning and end of each course. Classroom observations will be conducted while the plan is implemented.