A study on popular cultures of Form III Physics students

Abstract

The boys and girls who learn Physics in Form III are adolescents who are building their own sense of identity, their own sense of the world and of themselves (Jorgenson, Cleveland and Vanosdall, 2004). The popular culture influences the way these adolescents think about the social and personal construction of scientific knowledge (Bell and Gilbert, 1996). The research aimed to explore how the popular culture of 13 year olds mediates their learning of Physics. The research involved questionnaires which were given to 146 Form III Physics students in a boys' and girls' Area Secondary school, a boys' and girls' Junior Lyceum, a boys' and girls' Church school and an Independent school in order to obtain a general picture of the popular culture of these students. Interviews were then carried out with six boys/girls from each school to explore their interests. The study then was related with their interests in Physics that they are learning and what they think that is missing from their lessons.