Beyond the Laboratory-learning Physics Using Real-life Contexts

Abstract

This project is investigating ‘use of knowledge’ by students who are involved in a course where knowledge is taught, in specific contexts taken from life outside and inside school, but beyond the laboratory. In order to investigate this, the research is examining how successful students are in conventional exams where real world contexts are trivialised and laboratory/school contexts dominate, and compare this with an assessment, where context varies but is not trivialised and is real world. In particular, the research is investigating, how effectively students are able to transfer their learning of physics concepts across the differing, real-life contexts found in the Supported Learning in Physics Programme (SLIPP), and, finally, onto a non-contextual situation such as an examination question. This paper focuses on the initial study, which is part of an on-going research project. It reports on students attitudes to learning physics at post-16 level, through a real-life context approach as revealed through interviews and observation. It also considers preliminary data on the effect on student learning using context rich and context poor assessments.