12

Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter reviews the literature related to the study. International

and local literatures were synthesized to strengthen the discourse of this

paper.

Problem-Solving Nature of Physics

Physics, being the most fundamental Science, derives its reputation

as a difficult discipline primarily from its dominant problem-solving

nature. Furthermore, as a discipline that deals with physical quantities and

mathematical exactitudes, virtually all branches of Physics are concerned

with problem-solving. A number of authors have offered various

definitions of problem-solving. Ausubel (1968) defined problem solving as

a form of discovery learning, bridging the gap between the learners

existing knowledge and the solution of the problem, while Harlen (1999)

viewed problem-solving as the result of assembling rules already known

to create a new superior rule which is learned and allows the solution of

the problem.

According to Spalding and Wilson (2013), a problem is a challenge, a

situation without a solution that cannot be resolved immediately. Problem-

solving can also be viewed as cognitive processing directed at achieving a

 13

goal when no solution is obvious to the problem solver (Schon, 2014).

From these definitions, one can say that for an individual to be able to

solve a problem, he or she must possess the relevant information necessary

to solve the problem and thereafter should be able to reason with such

information in order to be able to solve the problem. In other words, the

individual should read the problem carefully and try to understand it. One

should be able to identify the physical laws, principles, and equations

involved in the problem and make a graph, sketch, or drawing to visualize

the situation described in the problem. This makes Physics hard for both

teachers and students.

Problem-solving has become one of the most important valued areas

of investigation in Science education, particularly Physics. Unfortunately,

research studies have found that many students perform algorithmic or

mathematical manipulation by rote memorization or formulae without

having a basic understanding of specific concepts. The reasons why

students find problem-solving difficult have been identified by many

researchers as students’ failure to construct meanings from the problem

statement, not being able to link the meaning of the problem to their

knowledge structures, or simply lacking the appropriate knowledge

structure for that specific content area (Gray & Otero, 2017; Tytler, 2017).

Challenges in Teaching Physics

 14

The apparent decline in student interest in Science and the Science

disciplines is a concern in many countries and has been linked to

traditional teaching practices that are underpinned by a teacher-centered,

trans missive pedagogy. In the case of Physics, the traditional approach to

teaching involves a focus on facts, definitions, and formulas, and the

apparent assumption that understanding is developed through laboratory

work and by completing numerical problems. This kind of teaching

implies to learners that Physics concerns discovered and observable truths

about the world and those mathematical representations of the truths are

both clear and precise. However, there is now considerable research

suggesting that this type of teaching approach often fails to promote

student understanding of Physics ideas. In the light of such research,

developing a qualitative understanding using conceptual change

approaches before introducing formulas and mathematical work is now

considered to be more appropriate as for many students, equations are

difficult and may obscure the ideas rather than clarify them. Thus, using

mathematics to represent Physics ideas should be seen as an endpoint in

Physics teaching rather than the starting point that is traditionally the case

(Lyons, 2016; Wildy & Wallace, 2015; Osborne, 2016; Linder, 2014; Duit,

2013; Mulhall & Gunstone, 2018).

 15

Yet traditional teaching approaches persist (Tytler, 2017), and while

instigating change in Physics teaching is a complex issue (Wallace &

Louden, 2013), there is a recognition that such change needs to take into

account the beliefs that teachers hold which influence their teaching,

including beliefs about Physics, and learning and teaching Physics

(Calderhead, 2015).

For example, the many of the Physics teachers are products of

traditional teaching approaches and may have developed beliefs that are

consistent with the kinds of implicit messages about Physics and learning

Physics described above. In addition, Physics teachers may believe that

traditional teaching practices are appropriate because they faithfully

conform to the principles of the Physics discipline (Engstrom & Carlhed,

2014). Given the mathematical nature of Physics knowledge, the claim by

de Souza Barros and Elia (2013) that Physics teachers prioritize the

manipulation of mathematical symbols supports these assertions.

Just like teachers of other disciplines, Physics teachers also face

unique problems in their work that include different levels of student

preparation and motivation, mandates and requirements (Bloomberg &

Volpe, 2012), and varying levels of administrative and financial support

(Thagard, 2015).
 16

A survey conducted to 3,600 Physics Teachers in the United States

during the fall in 2008 by Thagard (2015) revealed that Physics teachers

also encounter a variety of problems in teaching the discipline. Some of

these are unique to Physics teaching and some are also true for other

disciplines. Insufficient funds for equipment and supplies topped the list.

This was followed by inadequate student mathematical preparation. Other

problems identified were the following: not enough time to prepare labs,

students do not think Physics is important, inadequate space for labs or

facilities outmoded, not enough time to plan lessons, difficulties in

scheduling classes and labs, and insufficient administration support or

recognition.

The study of Buabeng (2015) about Teaching and Learning Physics

in New Zealand High Schools provided an in-depth analysis of the issue

by triangulating the responses of teacher-respondents and student-

respondents. Students indicated that hands-on activities with real-world

application of concepts seldom happened in their senior Physics class.

Moreover, they added that Physics was difficult, usually boring, and

dominated by their teachers. He concluded that students experienced a

traditional approach to teaching. The use of traditional teaching

approaches like lectures with PowerPoint presentations, taking down

 17

notes and working through exercises from textbooks or workbooks were

prevalent in the lessons observed.

On the other hand, teacher-respondents indicated that Physics

teaching in New Zealand is very assessment focused (Buabeng, 2015). It is

more on recall of content knowledge; hence the teachers are focusing more

on content rather than giving their students exciting simulation of real-

world applications of Physics. Also, students expect that the content will

be covered so they already have the idea of what to learn. Since there is an

emphasis on assessment, teachers concentrate more on the content directly

than to prepare for inquiry-based lessons that would stimulate students'

interest in the discipline and facilitate conceptual change. The teachers

believed that the limited time to work with students, assessment demands,

and heavy workloads has aggravated the problem of finding time to

prepare for more interesting Physics lessons.

Several studies conducted in the Philippines have confirmed that

students found Physics to be difficult. Nava (2017) enumerated the sources

of difficulty in Physics. Aside from the content of the discipline, learning

materials, classroom environment, and teacher factor are the leading

sources of difficulty according to the student-respondents. Topics such as

mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, and thermodynamics are difficult to

understand by students especially those who have not learned how to

 18

apply them in novel and real-life situations. They also find it hard to

remember the contributions of physicists with foreign names. Moreover,

lack of mastery on underlying concepts made lessons very challenging.

Heavy terminologies, numbers, and formulas aggravated the situation.

The Inadequacy of Physics Learning Materials

Sources of difficulty in Physics included the content of the

discipline, learning materials, classroom environment, and teacher factor.

Students revealed that they found topics such as mechanics, optics,

electromagnetism, and thermodynamics difficult to understand. These

topics were especially difficult for students who have not learned how to

apply knowledge in novel and real-life situations. Students who were

asked to remember the contributions of physicists found the task

problematic because of the foreign names. For major topics, lack of

mastery on underlying concepts made lessons challenging. Topics that

were heavy on terminologies, formulas, and numbers were also listed as

particularly demanding (Nava & Camarao, 2017; Gutulo & Tekello, 2015).

Moreover, the application of equations in solving word problems

with unfamiliar and highly technical terms and complicated concepts was

quite arduous for students (Lasry, 2015). Essays (2018) narrated that

traditional mode of instruction is when a teacher instructs students to learn

through memorization and recitation strategies without developing their

 19

problem-solving critical thinking and decision-making skills. Students

narrated that emphasis on solving problems in classroom activities was a

major source of difficulty. Crucial procedures in classroom activities and

laboratory experiments were made complicated because basic materials

were too expensive to acquire, and they required lengthy calculations.

Learning materials were described as limited, expensive, unreliable, and

incomprehensible. In some classes, books were provided by the

Department of Education (DepEd), but inadequate in number so students

shared textbooks. In other places, students had neither textbooks nor any

other printed materials for Physics, instead, they had to download

modules found in the DepEd website and printed only as much material as

they could afford, which they passed to each other (Nava & Camarao,

2017).

Most modules contained only summaries or parts of topics. In places

where modules were available, students said the learning materials were

either lacking in pages or damaged by flood (Nava & Camarao, 2017). As

for the classroom environment, large class sizes affected student attention

and concentration during lectures and discussions. Overcrowded

classrooms (70 or more students) were hot and uncomfortable; moreover,

the tendency for students in the back rows was to engage in talking since

they could neither see the board nor hear the teacher. Lack of ventilation
 20

and noisy environment distracted those who wanted to listen to the

teacher (Salviejo, 2015). The perception of Physics as a discipline be present

as hard to learn and understand contributed to the students’ difficulty,

which was shown through poor performance in the discipline. Finally,

teachers’ lack of mastery of the content, poor teaching skills and inefficient

classroom management were named as contributory factors for difficulties

in the discipline. Effective Physics teachers were described as experts in

the discipline, approachable, energetic, skillful in classroom management,

and funny.

The Difficulty of Gaining the Interest of Students in learning Physics

Most students addressed difficulties through learning strategies

such as studying on their own and studying with classmates. They

engaged in spiritual exercises like praying. A few resorted to preparing

answer notes. They mustered their own internal motivation and looked to

external reinforcement such as rewards from parents. However, the

complex nature of classroom inquiry leads to a host of problems. For

example, teachers may not share similar instructional goals for Science

teaching, teachers may experience frustration when students do not

accomplish discipline goals or when students do not develop inquiry

skills, teachers may find it difficult to construct experiences, discussions,

and assessments that help students question and expand their ideas about
 21

scientific knowledge, and significant progress is hard to achieve without

socio-emotional and cognitive challenges for the teacher. Furthermore,

students and teachers may become frustrated and less successful when

asked to make evidence-based claims and build collective models. Or they

may become resistant when asked to put forth the effort necessary to

integrate authoritative knowledge with evidence-based knowledge. Thus,

implementing Science classroom inquiry, although beneficial to students,

can raise many issues (Nava & Camarao, 2017; Buabeng, 2015; Gray &

Otero, 2017; Schon, 2014; Osborne, 2016; Wallace & Louden, 2013;

Calderhead, 2015).

Stating it briefly, the challenges of Science teachers in teaching

Physics has gone far beyond the horizons. The apparent increase of anxiety

in Physics by the Science teachers has been linked to the problem-solving

nature of Physics and difficult concepts in the said discipline. In the case of

Physics, the traditional approach to teaching Physics involves a focus on

facts, definitions and formulas and the apparent assumption that

understanding Physics is developed through laboratory work and by

completing numerical problems. However, there is now considerable

research suggesting that the mathematical nature of Physics fails to

promote an understanding of Physics ideas (Duit, 2015). Additionally, it is

hoped that this research adds to our understanding of not only the
 22

philosophical aspects of teaching Physics but the praxis and the challenges

of the Science teachers as well. These descriptions complement and further

contribute to Duit’s (2015) framework and add our growing understanding

of the challenges of Science teachers in teaching Physics.

Several of these claims and interferences about Physics teachers;

beliefs have much in common with the cultural myths suggested by Tytler

(2017) and are consistent with another study in which a beginning Physics

teacher who expressed constructivist views of learning nevertheless

emphasized numerical problem solving rather than conceptual

understanding in his or her teaching (Osborne, 2016). Indeed, a study of

undergraduate Physics teaching highlighted the challenging nature of

changing one’s teaching practices without a concurrent deep-seated

change in one’s learning beliefs (Jolly, 2016).

To synthesize everything, it has been argued that traditional Physics

teaching represents scientific activity as an on-going collection of mind-

independent facts about objective reality. Such metaphysical realism

overtones are manifested in Physics teaching and lead to poor student

learning, supporting his argument with examples of Physics graduates’

explanations of sound given in clinical interviews. Physics teachers’

epistemological commitments may be linked to the following aspects of

Physics teaching: the encouragement of students’ rote learning in Physics

 23

facts; the widely held belief that conceptual understanding is associated

with the ability to solve stereotypical Physics problems; a rapid rate of

instruction in order to protect some set of unwritten standards; and

discouragement of student reflection on their understanding, and an

associated belief that learning is building up a collection of pieces of

knowledge.