The use of interdisciplinary approach for the formation of learners’ situational interest in Physics

According to Krapp (2002), an interest can be caused either by an already existing dispositional interest (individual interest) or by the special conditions of a teaching (situational interest) (p. 388). Situational interest is caused primarily by external factors. Situational interest is real topic of concern as teachers have no influence over students’ incoming personal interest (Mitchell, 1993, p. 425). Hidi and Renninger (2006) have proposed a Four-Phase Model of Interest Development: triggered situational interest, maintained situational interest, emerging individual interest and well-developed individual interest. According to this model, situational interest is a basis for the formation of individual interest. Therefore, the formation of learners’ situational interest is important for teaching of any school subject.

Lanina (1985) offered the following scheme for the formation of learners’ interest in physics: curiosity – active curiosity – attempts to understand – strong knowledge – scientific research (pp. 5-6). We analyzed this scheme in the context of development of situational and individual interest (Korsun, 2017a, p. 119). The situational interest begins to form on the first step, “curiosity”. After this step, learners show the increasing importance of the object for their interest. So, curiosity turns into an active curiosity. The next step, “attempts to understand”, is characterized by the desire of learners to learn more about the object or the phenomenon. The step “strong knowledge” is associated with volitional efforts of learners and application of knowledge in practice. On this step individual interest begins to form. The final step, “scientific research”, is the highest stage of interest, during which learners formulate their own tasks and will deal solve them. In this way, the development of situational interest is associated with steps “curiosity”, “active curiosity” and “attempts to understand”.

Williams et al. (2003) have revealed some of the reasons why students might lose interest in physics over the course of secondary school. According to Williams et al. (2003), interdisciplinary links is one of ways in which we might attempt to enhance students’ interest in physics (p. 329). Tan (2007) substantiated that “plain knowledge dissemination will not adequately prepare students to cope with the changing world. Hence, schools need to train students to be reflective in their learning habits – that is, getting students to be observant, to generate relevant alternatives and to make sense of these ideas”. One of the challenges of the modern teacher – show to student the interdisciplinary communication on concrete examples. This is an extremely important condition for building a quality education system (“Interdisciplinary communication geography and other sciences”). According to this approaches, we consider the possibility of using the interdisciplinary approach for the formation of learners’ situational interest in physics. Physics has interdisciplinary links with the many school subjects because physics is a fundamental science. Each learner has favorite school subjects or hobbies (e.g., soccer, figure skating). Therefore, the knowledge of these favorite school subjects may underlie for the formation of learners’ situational interest in physics. The examples of related topics are presented in Table II.

Table II. Examples of related topics

School subject	Themes	Physics
Mathematics	Function	equation of body motion and graphics of motion
	Scalar and vector quantities	work, the force
	Scalar product	mechanical work
	Derivative	speed, acceleration
	Integral	numerical value of work
Astronomy	The movement of celestial bodies	The Universal Law of Gravitation
	Energy of Sun	thermonuclear reaction
	Flying of rockets	The Law of Momentum Conservation
	Observation for celestial bodies	telescopes
	The study of celestial bodies	radiation, spectra
Chemistry	Atomic-molecular theory	kinetic molecular theory of matter
	Periodic table of elements	atom, mass number, charge number
	Electrolytes	Faraday’s laws of electrolysis
	Isotopes	radionuclides
	Exothermic reactions	nuclear reactions
Biology	Photosynthesis	the quantum properties of light
	Thermoregulation	heat
	Biopotential	electric charge
	Plants	capillary phenomena
	Human vision	lenses
Geography	Atmosphere	atmospheric pressure
	Northern Lights	Earth’s magnetic field
	Geysers	mutual transformation of liquids and gases
	Volcanoes	aggregate states of matter
	Earthquakes	infrasound

Holubova (2015) has found out that learners can be motivated by various instructional methods based on their own activity. The author proposed to use the problem based learning, project based learning, team work, inquiry based learning, interdisciplinary approach, experiments – from very simple and low cost experiments to computer based experiments and remote laboratories. According to this approach, we have analyzed the works of scientists (Sergeev, 1979; Dik & Turysheva, 1987; Kats, 1988). It helped to determine the forms of the interdisciplinary links in physics teaching (Korsun, 2017b; pp. 109-110). These forms are presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The forms of interdisciplinary links in physics teaching

Study of new material. Erinosho (2013) has proposed to use the concrete examples for the learners’ motivation in physics (p. 151). Interdisciplinary approach allows to formulate the problems. For example, the study of the lesson “Thermonuclear reactions” (Physics) begins with the formulation of the problem (step “curiosity”). The Sun is the energy source (Astronomy). This energy reaches our planet during radiation. The mass of the Sun is reduced about by 4.2×10⁹ kg during 1 s. But the next day, the Sun continues to shine (step “active curiosity”). Why the mass of the Sun is not reduced? Thermonuclear reactions are the energy source of the Sun (step “attempts to understand”). Thermonuclear reactions occur in the other stars (step “strong knowledge”). Is it possible to create a thermonuclear reaction on the Earth? Explosion of the hydrogen bomb is an example of uncontrollable thermonuclear reaction. Now scientists are working on creation a controlled thermonuclear reaction (step “scientific research”).

Formation of abilities and skills. Most learners do not understand the practical use of physics laws (results of pre-test). According to Wang (2005), “what we must do is not only teach students knowledge, but also develop their problem solving skills and lifelong learning skills” (p. 1). Any physical law describes the link between certain physics phenomena. Mathematics formulates the law of physics with using formula. For example, we consider the task about radiocarbon dating (practical exercises “Tasks on radioactivity”). Nitrogen atoms are constantly in the Earth’s atmosphere (78.082% by volume of dry air). Nitrogen nuclei are transformed into radioactive Carbon nucleus under the influence of cosmic radiation (Chemistry). Carbon enters into the plants (Biology). The amount of this radioactive isotope decreases gradually when plant dies. Archaeological godsend is made of wood (History). Scientists determine the radioactivity of Carbon A in archaeological godsend using radiocarbon dating. This value is compared with the radioactivity of Carbon A₀ in the tree, which had just cut down. Learners have determined the age t of archaeological godsend using the law of radioactivity change (A=A₀ 2^-t/T, where T is half-life of Carbon ).

Work on projects. Physics is a fundamental science. Therefore, the interdisciplinary links between physics and other sciences form the scientific outlook of learners. Work on projects implies the existence of learners’ individual interest (Rosales JR & Sulaiman, 2016). For example, consider the main issues of the project “Discovery of Higgs boson”. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the most larger experimental setup in the world. LHC lies near Geneva, Switzerland, in a tunnel 27 km in circumference and runs underground at a depth of 175 m. The aim of study is to test the predictions of different theories. In 2012, scientists opened a particle similar to the Higgs boson which is the only missing link of Standard Model. Data from collisions have been analyzed with a grid-based computer network infrastructure connecting 140 computing centers in 35 countries (Informatics). The Worldwide LHC Computing Grid is the world’s largest computing grid (“What is the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid?”, 2011). British physicist Peter Higgs predicted this particle half a century ago (History). The Nobel Prize in Physics 2013 was awarded jointly to François Englert and Peter W. Higgs “for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle, by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider” (“The Nobel Prize in Physics 2013”).

Research Design

In this study, quasi-experimental design is used. The hypothesis of the research project is: the use of interdisciplinary approach in physics teaching will raise the level of learners’ situational interest.

Schraw, Flowerday and Lehman (2001) have concluded six specific suggestions for increasing situational interest in the classroom, such as offer meaningful choices to students; use well-organized texts; select texts that are vivid; use texts that students know about; encourage students to be active learners; and provide relevance cues for students (pp. 220-221). According to these specific suggestions, we analysed the proposed forms of the interdisciplinary links in physics teaching. It helped to identify the tools for the formation of learners’ situational interest (Figure 2).

Figure 2. The tools for the formation of learners’ situational interest in physics

Phenomena of nature and everyday life. The knowledge of physics makes it possible to explain the natural phenomena and events of everyday life. Woolnough (1994) proved that subject is interesting for learners when they perceive it as “relevant”. Therefore, application of theoretical knowledge for explain of the phenomena in surrounding world always attracts the learners’ attention. Appendix A contains the examples of interdisciplinary links between Physics and Biology (Korsun, 2013, pp. 59-60), between Physics and Geography and sports (Korsun, 2013, pp. 24-25).

Link between theory and practice. Often learners are not study physical laws, explaining that these physical laws do not need them for a future profession. Examples of practical use of physics laws allow the teacher to show the importance of physical knowledge (Dik & Turysheva, 1987, p. 6). It allows the learners to make sure that the development of physics made possible the development of technological progress. Appendix B contains the examples of practical use of magnetism for search of minerals.

Knowledge of physics are used in medicine (e.g., fluoroscopy), in engineering (e.g., construction of buildings), in technique (e.g., designing of rockets), in aviation (e.g., flight of aircraft), in industry (e.g., car manufacturing), in agriculture (e.g., crop growing), in meteorology (e.g., weather forecasting), in geology (e.g., study of earthquakes). There are number of related sciences (e.g., Biophysics, Geophysics, Physical chemistry). Learners have to realize that without the necessary knowledge of physics they cannot become professionals in their future work. It will promote to the conscious choice of profession by learners. Appendix B contains the example of interdisciplinary links between Physics and Engineering (Korsun, 2013, pp. 31-33).

Participants

Pedagogical experiment has been conducted in 10 and 11 classes (age of learners is 16-17) during the first semester 2015-2016 academic year. Pre-service physics teachers who are studying at the Physics and Mathematics Faculty in Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatyuk National Pedagogical University (Ukraine) conducted an experiment during the pedagogical practice. Two classes of the control group (45 learners) and two classes of experimental group (42 learners) took part in the study.

Instrument

Teachers used the questionnaire method. Each learner filled in the questionnaire. The list of 10 open-ended questions is presented in Table III.

Table III. List of questions

1.	Please write the example of using the physics in mathematics
2.	Please write the example of using the physics in astronomy
3.	Please write the example of using the physics in chemistry
4.	Please write the example of using the physics in biology
5.	Please write the example of using the physics in geography
6.	Please write the example of modern research in physics
7.	Please write the title of book on physics
8.	Please write the title of scientific journal
9.	Please write the title of the scientific site
10.	Please write the name of scientist, who is a winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics or in Chemistry or in Medicine

Evaluation:
0-4 answers indicate a low level of situational interest;
5-7 answers indicate an average level of situational interest;
8-10 answer indicate a high level of situational interest.

Procedure

The three levels of learners’ situational interest are low, average, and high. According to questioning, the level of each learner’s situational interest in control group and experimental group was determined by pre-test. During the semester, the physics teaching in the experimental group (EG) was conducted using the interdisciplinary approach; and in the control group (CG), the physics teaching was conducted without using the interdisciplinary approach. An assessment of learners’ situational interest in both groups was performed by post-test.