Physics in upper secondary schools in Denmark

This article is the first in a series describing the results of a Danish research project which examines the attitudes and interests of a group of upper secondary school students towards various aspects of physics teaching. The project is a longitudinal study which follows the students from their entrance into the upper secondary school (gymnasium) at the age of 16 until they leave three years later. Here we report the first results which are based on information obtained just before the students commenced their studies at the gymnasium in August 1982.

The students seem in general to be rather positive and optimistic. Very few have chosen the gymnasium for negative reasons and the great majority already have rather firm plans for their future careers. Boys and girls have different attitudes towards what is interesting in physics; which school subjects are good or bad; and which jobs are attractive.

Physics is considered to be the most difficult ‐ but not the worst ‐ subject the students have met in the lower secondary school. Modern physics and modern technology are regarded as very exciting, whereas classical physics and ‘ old‐fashioned technology’ are rated much lower. The new gymnasium students consider experiments done by the students and teacher based instruction to be fruitful; collective working forms like group work and class discussion are regarded with considerable suspicion.