Study strategies employed by physics students during upper level, undergraduate physics courses - a pilot study

The purpose was to explore predominate study strategies employed by physics students during upper level, undergraduate physics courses. A survey method was employed at one regional university in Texas. Delving into differences by grade levels, study strategies employed by “A” level students include, listening to others talk about course material as a way to learn, asking oneself “why” questions to make connections between new and old material, reading and re-reading to learn material, and providing personal explanations for problems. Study strategies employed by the most “B” level students include listening to others talk about course material as a way to learn, asking oneself “why” questions to make connections between new and old material, and using reflection such as actively writing or thinking about material to make mental connections. Study strategies employed by the most “C” level students include reading to learn material, taking notes when reading, and using concept mapping or imagery. Based on these findings faculty could encourage study strategies employed by “A” through “C” level students, but may suggest those employed by high performing students. Although differences appear to exist, higher numbers of respondents are necessary to establish significance levels.