Students’ attitudes towards physics in Nine Years Basic Education in Rwanda

Abstract

<span lang="EN-GB">This study investigated students’ attitudes towards physics in Nine Year Basic Education (9YBE) in Rwanda. Data were collected from 380 students from Kayonza and Gasabo Districts using a physics attitudes test. Findings illustrated that more than a quarter of participants felt that learning physics is boring. About 39% think that the subject of physics does not relate to the real-world experience. A significant number of participants had negative attitudes towards physics in terms of the effort required for learning. The findings also showed that the overall level for participants in physics problem-solving skills was low</span><span lang="EN-US">.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> The item-by-item analysis showed that the differences between responses of students from rural schools and their counterparts from urban schools in categories of problem-solving and physics concepts connections and understanding are statistically significant. It was found that many students in rural schools need to know more about the interpretation of a new equation to be able to apply it to a new physics problem.</span>