Why aren't secondary students interested in physics?

Abstract

This article describes a questionnaire study to determine why fewer Year 10 school students are interested in physics than in biology. The major general reasons for finding physics uninteresting are that it is seen as difficult and irrelevant. Certain areas within the physics curriculum are considered to be boring by some students, interesting by others. Other physics topics, however, are reported only in terms of being interesting; `the universe' is an example. Males and females offer different reasons for finding physics boring, with males enjoying practical exercises and females valuing where physics can be seen as relevant.