WHY
REGULAR/CORE PHYSICS IS NEEDED
FOR THE
95% OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT GIFTED.
by Jane
Jackson, Department of Physics, ASU (May 2019)
Josh, my plumber, age 28, went to a public high school in Greater
Phoenix. He regrets that he didn't take physics. ÒIt scared meÓ, he said. ÒI
took earth science. I wish I had
taken physics, because it's very practical knowledge that we use every day,
whereas earth science is not practical.Ó
ÒBeing 10 years out, I feel that physics has a very practical daily use.
I clean drains; drains have to be sloped and use gravity. That's physics.Ó
ÒTo
learn physics, you must have someone guiding you, explaining it. But earth
science you can learn on your own. Don't get me wrong; I had a great earth
science teacher. Earth science was easier, but it doesn't make my life easier
now. "
If Josh were in high school now, he might not have the opportunity
to take physics. Several of the 100 comprehensive public district high schools
in greater Phoenix no longer have a physics teacher.[i] Others have only AP /
dual enrollment physics. Josh and most high school students need REGULAR / CORE
physics.
High school physics is the chief STEM pathway to careers and
college, research shows.[ii] It is crucial for health careers. Yet only 20% of
Arizona high school students take physics. This is half the
nationwide average of almost 40%.[iii]
Physics is a prerequisite for nearly every STEM job. When schools
deny students access to physics, they unilaterally limit studentsÕ future opportunities.
Most science and technology-related jobs require a basic understanding of
physics.
Colleges want incoming students to have biology, chemistry, and
physics, and most science majors require at least one physics course for
graduation. College physics is packed with content and fast-paced; pre-med,
pre-dental, pre-optometry students struggle and fail if they havenÕt had high
school physics.[iv]
Unfortunately, oneÕs zip code too often dictates their access to
high school physics. This is harmful; all students need opportunities
and encouragement to take physics.[v]
Furthermore, we jeopardize ArizonaÕs economic future by not
prioritizing high school physics. The STEM economy is here: half of new jobs in
the 21st century will require skills that only 20% of the current workforce
have. No one has realized that these 20 percenters are the ones with physics
skills. Businessmen and politicians have failed to realize that physics is
STEM! More than any other course, physics combines science, technology,
engineering, and math.
ENDNOTES:
[i] In 2015, nine high schools lacked a physics teacher; the
problem has worsened.
[ii] The ACT policy platform: K-12 (2013) states (page 8):
"ACT research has demonstrated the benefits to student academic
performance of a minimum core curriculum that includes the following: ... Three
years of science, including rigorous courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
... " Specifically:
* ÒStudents who take the ACT-recommended core curriculum in high
school achieve higher ACT scores than those who do not. Compared to graduates
who do not take the core curriculum, graduates who take the core curriculum
earn composite ACT scores that are, on average, three points higher.Ó ...
* ÒCompared to high school graduates who do not take the
recommended core curriculum, graduates who take the core are more likely to be
ready for workforce training programs.Ó
http://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/Policy-Platforms-k-12-online.pdf
ÒWe find that the number of years of a science or math subject
taken in high school is associated with significant increases in STEM career
interest, with results differing by subject. Taking AP courses in science or
calculus appear to have no significant impact on STEM career interest
over that of other
advanced, non-AP courses. Taking calculus, a second year of chemistry, or one
or two years of physics all predict large increases in STEM career interest.
Additional years in biology and other subjects show no such relationship.Ó
Philip M. Sadler et al. (2014). Science Educator, Vol.23,
No.1, pp. 1-13. See Fig. 3. http://nsela.org/images/stories/scienceeducator/Summer2014/Sadler_231.pdf
ÒÉ students in the highest levels (Physics I and Chemistry II or
Physics II) are significantly more likely than students in the Chemistry I only
group to obtain a baccalaureate degree in a STEM major. É This finding may also
suggest that Physics I, Physics I with Honors, AP Physics B, or AP Physics C
are higher level courses than comparable Chemistry I courses ...Ó Will Tyson et
al., (2007). Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Pathways: High School Science and Math
Coursework and Postsecondary Degree Attainment, Journal of Education for
Students Placed at Risk, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 243-270.
Research by others is cited at http://modeling.asu.edu/AZ/PhysicsEnroll-NeedDouble.htm
[iii] American Institute of Physics data on high school physics
enrollments and availability in USA:
http://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/high-school-physics-courses-enrollments-0
http://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/high-school-physics-availability-0
[iv] A university physics professor in Phoenix wrote the following
listserv post in October 2018.
ÒStudents with a desire to go into a health career (medical doctor,
dentist, pharmacist, P.A., P.T., etc.) seem to have no idea that College
Physics (PHY-111 and PHY-112) will be required courses for their undergraduate
degree – and neither do their high school guidance counselors (and
perhaps neither their science teachers).Ó
Ò Every
year I teach College Physics to 200+ pre-health students, of which only about
1/3 took physics in high school. When asked why they did not take physics, the
typical answer is that they did not know it was going to be important.
Occasionally I will have a student tell me that it was not offered at his/her
high school, but far more common is that it was offered, but they chose - or
were directed - to take life science classes (e.g. AP Biology, Anatomy and
Physiology), since that was going to be Òtheir fieldÓ.Ó
ÒNot only is Physics a requirement for most health care graduate
programs and subsequently usually a requirement for the chosen undergraduate
program (e.g. BS in Biology), it is also included on many of the graduate
school admission tests (e.g. MCAT, Dental Admission Test, Optometry Admission
Test). With the College Physics courses ideally covering all the topics on
those graduate school admission tests, the courses end up packed with content
and the pace is generally quite fast. Every semester I have countless students
telling me how they now regret not having taken physics in high school, and
other students telling me how glad they are that they did take physics.Ó
ÒNationwide, physics, along with organic chemistry, take the top
ÔhonorsÕ for being the courses that stop the most students from getting into
medical careers because of the low scores (or even difficulty passing at all).
Not exactly an ÔhonorÕ to be proud of. And largely preventable if the students
came to college with a background of high school physics.Ó
[v] ACT report (March 2018): STEM Education in the U.S.: Where We
Are and What We Can Do.
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/research/stem-education-in-the-us-2017.html
ÒACT research has shown that taking rigorous science courses,
including physics, in high school is vital to college readiness ... however, in
2015, fewer than 50 percent of high-poverty high schools offered any physics
coursesÓ ... See Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core
Curriculum (Iowa City: ACT, 2007). In pdf at https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED496670 [See pages
28 and 30.]
ÒThe American Physical Society calls upon local, state and federal
policy makers, educators and schools to:
* Provide every student access to high-quality science instruction
including physics and physical science concepts at all grade levels; and
* Provide the opportunity for all students to take at least one
year of high-quality high school physics.Ó [2013 policy]