Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21860/medflum2023_292449
Physiotherapy Students’ Misconceptions and Attitudes Towards Physics
Andrica Lekić
orcid.org/0000-0002-6175-635X
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Fakultet zdravstvenih studija, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Diana Mance
orcid.org/0000-0001-6746-8693
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Fakultet za fiziku, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Abstract
Objective: The aim of the paper is to present the results of the study of students’ attitudes towards physics and their relationship with the acquisition of concepts in physics. Subjects and Methods: Eighty-nine students of the first year of undergraduate studies in physiotherapy at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka, participated in the study. This study was preceded by a survey of seventh and eighth grade students of an elementary school in Rijeka (N=92). The questionnaire contained statements expressing the attitude of the surveyed students towards physics. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of statements that included common misconceptions in physics. We divided the misconceptions into those that arise from the linguistic mixing of terms from everyday life and science, those that result from the use of incorrect assumptions to explain everyday experiences, and those that are based on a misunderstanding of scientific terms and concepts. Results: Students have predominantly neutral attitudes toward physics. There is a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of misconceptions according to the cause of their occurrence (chi-square; P<0.001). The most prevalent misconceptions were those arising from the identification of expressions used in everyday life and science, the so-called jargon misconceptions (58% of cases). The influence of student attitudes on the frequency of misconceptions proved statistically significant for attitudes indicating that respondents focus more on memorising data and quantitative manipulations than on successfully acquiring scientific terms and concepts. Conclusions: The application of advanced technologies in therapy and diagnostics in the context of medical care indicates an increasing need for physics knowledge among students in health and medical programmes. Students are aware of the importance of physics to their education and, for the most part, do not have negative attitudes toward physics. Certain types of misconceptions persist throughout the educational process. Therefore, the emergence of unscientific concepts should be prevented, but if they already exist, they should be identified as early as possible and active efforts should be made to eliminate them.
Keywords
attitude; physical therapists; physics
Hrčak ID:
292449
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2023.
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