Thematic Analysis of Student Perceptions of Resources and Demands Experienced in Introductory Physics

The current work aims to better understand student course experiences for those who reported negative perceptions in introductory physics. We conducted semistructured interviews with 24 students who reported negative perceptions of their class on a screening survey. Participants were asked to share general reflections on challenges and successes they experienced, as well as their reflections on specific aspects of the course (e.g., experiences with instructors and peers). Interview transcripts were then coded to identify the types of experiences students reported, whether they were experienced as positive or negative, as well as the themes and features associated with those experiences. Experiences with the classroom, course structure, instructors, and exams were most frequently reported as negative. Experiences with peers, help-seeking, course curriculum, and specific learning activities were the most positive, although only experiences with peers had more positive than negative reports. We then used a framework [M. D. Seery, The biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat: Using the heart to measure the mind, ] to interpret the common instructional, cognitive, and motivational themes and features reported across multiple contexts. We discuss the implications of the results for theory and practice.