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In her PhysLrnR post of 24 Apr 2003 09:55:03-0500 titled "physics
first," Laura McCullough (2003) asked an important question:
"Does anyone know if there is data on recruitment into physics majors
from Physics First type classrooms? If you get physics early, are
you more or less likely to want to major in physics?"
I don't know, off hand, of any definitive data that might help to
answer Laura's question. However, it might be worthwhile to review
the references I gave in Hake (2003a):
". . . . . some analysis of "Physics First" implementation has been
carried out [(Pesaro (2001); Lederman & Bardeen (2002)], but
evidently not published in the open literature. Pesaro concludes that
"ONE SIGNIFICANT FINDING IS THAT ALMOST NONE OF THE SCHOOLS HAS BEEN
COLLECTING QUANTITATIVE DATA FOR SELF-EVALUATION."
In Hake (2003b) I wrote:
"Perhaps Larry Woolf, Olga Livanis, or someone in the "San Diego
Science Alliance" <http://www.sdsa.org/> could:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
indicate whether or not San Diego schools are collecting any
quantitative data for evaluating the effectiveness of "Physics First."
It would help if at least some Physics First (PF) teachers and K-12
administrators were either "action researchers" [see e.g., Blanton
(2003), Feldman & Minstrell (2000)] or SOTLites (SOTL = Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning <http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/CASTL/>,
and thus kept careful records of their students' diagnostic-test
pre/post test scores (Hake 2002a, Jackson (2003a,b)), attitudes,
problems, class performance, comments, and post-PF histories (e.g.,
academic, career, service).
In the absence of definitive quantitative or qualitative data one can consider:
1. ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE such as reported by Lederman (2000) and
POSSIBLY RESPONDENTS TO THIS POST. Lederman wrote:
"We hear that after the new sequence is installed, increases take
place in fourth-year science electives, enrollment in AP science
courses zooms up, COLLEGE SUCCESSES ARE RECORDED, and then, here is
the funny thing, there is a dramatic effect on women and minority
students form poor families who come into high school without a
strong positive science and math experience. Many of these. . .(new
sequence). . .schools tell us things like 'AP physics now has 53%
women.' I remember AP physics as having one, two, or no women.
What is going on?" (My CAPS.)
2. CONJECTURES such as in Hake (2002b):
". . . . . . PHYSICS DEPARTMENTS MIGHT HELP TO overcome this
roadblock . . . [the dire shortage of effective science/math
teachers]. . . . and at the same time ENHANCE THEIR NUMBERS OF
PHYSICS MAJOR AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, through programs designed to
provide a large corps of teachers capable of EFFECTIVELY teaching
physics to vast numbers of students in the "Physics First" schools:
ALL ninth-graders plus those taking high-school honors and AP physics
courses. Then to, ONCE NINTH GRADERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EXCITEMENT
OF WELL-TAUGHT CONCEPTUALLY ORIENTED PHYSICS THEY WILL DOUBTLESS
FLOCK TO ENROLL IN TWELFTH GRADE AND UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS CLASSES,
MANY OF THEM AS PHYSICS MAJORS."
Feldman, A. & J. Minstrell. 2000. "Action research as a research
methodology for the study of the teaching and learning of science."
In E. Kelly & R. Leash, eds., "Handbook of research Design in
mathematics and science education." Lawrence Erlbaum; online at
<http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~afeldman/ActionResearchPapers/FeldmanMinstrell2000.PDF>.
Hake, R.R. 2002a. "Assessment of Physics Teaching Methods,"
Proceedings of the UNESCO-ASPEN Workshop on Active Learning in
Physics, Univ. of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 2-4 Dec. 2002; also online
as ref. 29 at <http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/>.
Hake, R.R. 2002b. "Physics First: Opening Battle in the War on
Science/Math Illiteracy?" Submitted to the American Journal of
Physics on 27 June 2002; online at
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake/>. See also Hake (2002c).
Hake, R.R. 2002c. "Physics First: Precursor to Science/Math Literacy
for All?" Summer 2002 issue of the American Physical Society "Forum
on Education Newsletter" Summer 2002; online at
<http://www.aps.org/units/fed/summer2002/hake.html>.
Jackson, J. 2003b. "Modeling Instruction produces great success for
Physics First" at Livanis (2003).
Lederman, L.M. 2000b. "A Plan, A Strategy for K-12," in NAP (2000), pp. 7- 11.
Lederman, L., & M.G. Bardeen. 2002. "Implementation Resource Book
Suggestions from the Field"; 0.42MB pdf at Project Arise
<http://www-ed.fnal.gov/arise/>/ "Three Year High School Science Core
Curriculum Implementation Issues", where "/" means "click on." See
especially the sections "Assessment and Student Achievement";
"Professional Development"; and Teachers' Fears/Resistance".
McCullough L. 2003. "physics first," PhysLrnR post of 24 Apr 2003
09:55:03 -0500; online at
<http://listserv.boisestate.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0304&L=physlrnr&O=D&X=0AF872440143662765&Y=rrhake@earthlink.net&P=9945>.
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NAP. 2000. National Academy Press. Committee on Women in Science and
Engineering "Who Will Do the Science of the Future? A Symposium on
Careers of Women in Science"; online at
<http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10008.html>. See especially the
contribution by Lederman on pages 7-11.
Pasero, S. 2001. "The State of Physics-First Programs: A report for
Project Arise (American Renaissance in Science Education"; online as
2.9MB pdf at "Project Arise" <http://www-ed.fnal.gov/arise/>: ". . .
Another major issue most schools had to address is the necessity that
some teachers teach out of their primary field, especially during the
first two years of the curriculum inversion.. . . ONE SIGNIFICANT
FINDING IS THAT ALMOST NONE OF THE SCHOOLS HAS BEEN COLLECTING
QUANTITATIVE DATA FOR SELF-EVALUATION."(My CAPS.) But see Jackson
(2003).