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The Physics Teacher -- January 2012 -- Volume 50, Issue 1, pp. 53
The Numbers Speak: Physics First Supports Math Performance
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Add to FacebookMore schools in the United States have begun teaching physics to ninth-graders, but there continues to be limited evidence that such a change benefits students.1–2 Many arguments in favor of Physics First and the inverted sequence of physics-chemistry-biology3–6 are based more on the intellectual logic of the sequence than on measured outcomes. Paul Lulai raised a similar concern in the November 2005 edition of The Physics Teacher, calling for “non-anecdotal evidence” that such a curricular change leads to various outcomes including “improved scores on standardized tests” and “improved mathematics understanding and achievement.”2 This paper describes a study of a Physics First program at one school that suggests that this change to freshman physics positively impacted students' mathematical performance on standardized tests.
© 2012 American Association of Physics Teachers
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Margaret A. Powers as well as the journal editor and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and support with this research and manuscript.
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Techniques of testing
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