Effects of language gap interference for English as a second language students in solving physics problems

Abstract

Physics is an essential subject in most fields of Science and Engineering which cannot be mastered simply by watching lectures or solving problems at the end of each chapter: students must fully engage in solving these problems. This often requires problem visualisation, which presents quite a challenge for some, especially for students who are studying Physics in a second language because their understanding of the question can be influenced by the gaps in their understanding of the language used. The focus of this study is to investigate the role the language used in the wording of Physics problems plays in students’ ability to understand the question and accurately visualise the scenario that would be needed to extract the required information. 220 undergraduate students and 80 preparatory students volunteered to participate in this study. Students were asked to read two sets of Physics problems and to draw the scenario or image described in the text. The first set used the more advanced English that is commonly found in Physics textbooks and which includes passive voice and homonyms, while the other uses active voice and more simplified English. The results of the study highlight the fact that ESL students’ struggle with certain types of advanced English used in Physics such as the passive voice, showing that they are more capable of translating text into images when active voice is used.