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arXiv · 2202.07718

Students' perspectives on computational challenges in physics class

Patti Hamerski·Daryl McPadden·Marcos D. Caballero·Paul W. Irving
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Abstract

High school science classrooms across the United States are answering calls to make computation a part of science learning. The problem is that there is little known about the barriers to learning that computation might bring to a science classroom or about how to help students overcome these challenges. This case study explores these challenges from the perspectives of students in a high school physics classroom with a newly revamped, computation-integrated curriculum. Focusing mainly on interviews to center the perspectives of students, we found that computation is a double-edged sword: It can make science learning more authentic for students who are familiar with it, but it can also generate frustration and an aversion towards physics for students who are not.

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Patti Hamerski, Daryl McPadden, Marcos D. Caballero, Paul W. Irving. 2022-02-15. Students' perspectives on computational challenges in physics class. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.18.020109

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