(Journal Article) Melanie Good , Andrew J. Mason and Chandralekha Singh creator text Washington , DC American Association of Physics Teachers May 2023 monographic eng

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360–363 p. Abstract- A student says, “Even though the physics involved can be basically the same, the setup is what drives me to like astronomy more,” comparing his introductory physics class to his introductory astronomy class. Another student concurs, “Astronomy is more exciting.” What is it about astronomy that appeals to students? Is there a way to harness such enthusiasm within the context of an introductory physics class while retaining the same level of rigor? Here, we describe a study that shows that, compared with an introductory physics course for science and engineering majors, an introductory astronomy course (also for science and engineering majors) had similar gains on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), but students’ attitudes and approaches to problem solving were significantly better in the latter.1–4 Moreover, interviewed students corroborated the survey findings that the astronomy course was significantly more enjoyable and engaging. This suggests that physics instructors can learn from... ***______{For Hard Copy, Please visit Library.}________*** General physics Newtonian mechanics Astronomy Students Learning and learning models Teaching Educator Interviews Engineers 530.071 0031-921X RIEBPL Library https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0074117 https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0074117 231106 20231109101626.0