The 8th and 9th Grades Students' Attitude towards Teaching and Learning Physics

The students' interest and attitude towards Physics have been the object of international testing, the most recent of which is the PISA testing from 2006. The students' attitude towards sciences is considered to be a significant predictor of their school results in science, respectively of pursuing a career in areas related to Science. The present paper had in view to discover the existence of convergences or divergences among the attitudes of the students in 8th and 9th grade towards the study of natural sciences and towards the teacher's role in studying for the natural sciences. The obtained results have not rendered evidently the existence of major differences but have allowed for the shaping of a profile for Physics as a school subject, from the interviewees' perspective. Thus, Physics is considered to be a difficult but pleasant and interesting subject, with use for oneself but for others as well. Our investigation has pointed out the fact that the students study too little for Physics at home, but that the Physics teacher is effective in teaching and motivating the students to learn. Although this is a pilot research project, our investigation signals a state of fact that implies reflection, mainly on the Physics curriculum but also on the teaching methods.