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Strategies for Teaching Physics: An Action Research

Article · October 2019

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Jatsho, S. & Rinchen, S. (2016). Strategies for Teaching Physics: An

Action Research. Educational Innovation and Practice - A biannual
Journal of Samtse College of Education, 1, 53-66.
Strategies for Teaching Physics: An Action Research
SHERAB JATSHO AND SONAM RINCHEN

Abstract
Although physics is one of the core subjects of science and technology, many students find it to be
a mentally exhausting subject with a dearth of fun that demands complex analysis for mastery
(Tamang, 2004). So in offering quality physics education, a teacher needs to keep this complexity in
mind when developing teaching strategies. This paper investigates the teaching strategies that can
be employed to impart physics lessons effectively. Within a short span of time (six weeks of Teaching
Practice), this research was carried out at Kuzhugchen Middle Secondary School, Kuzhugchen under
Thimphu Dzongkhag with 24 class IX students. Data were gathered using three methods: observation,
class tests and questionnaires. The findings were validated using diary notes, feedback from a
critical friend, the researcher‟s observation and data triangulation. The findings from these multiple
sources reveal that students developed interest in learning physics after the intervention. More
interestingly, their much improved score in the class test after intervention shows the propensity of
how crucial a teacher‟s way of teaching is in imparting physics lessons effectively. The improvement in
students‟ physics performance overwhelmed our colleagues and critical friend and they would like to
model our strategies in their future prospects of teaching physics.

Key words: Action research, Teaching strategies, Intervention programmes,

Physics, Continuous assessment, Class IX students.

Introduction
In this globalised world, the need for fundamental scientifi c knowledge is a major
component of education. Bhutan‟s curriculum handbook for schools (1996) clearly
states the rationale behind science education: “Science in secondary school level
should cater to equip the students who want to pursue higher studies in the fi eld of
science and technology. For others, this course should enable them to understand
the natural and physical environment and in particular the technological environment”
(p. 37). The science curriculum at the Higher Secondary School level offers
advanced courses of science studies with physics as one of the elective subjects.
However, science subjects still have a hard time winning the mindset of Bhutanese
students. Physics is the study of nature and natural phenomena. Tamang (2004)
noted, “Physics remains as one of the knotty subjects for the majority of our students
with its many derivations, defi nitions, formulae, laws and most importantly its
unending calculations” (p. 43). He also opined that a great many students fi nd it
rather a dry subject with a dearth of interesting activities which demands an
aggressive memorisation for its mastery in examination. So, the physics teacher‟s
role in the improvement of students‟ performance in physics is crucial.

Research is the means of fi nding solutions to problems. More interestingly, action

research is the process of fi nding solutions to a problem in which both the
respondent and researcher aim for improvement. According to Maxwell (2003), the
key idea of action research is the systematic collection of data in order to answer a
research question for the purpose of improvement. So this action research was
undertaken to improve student performance in physics using new strategies. Different
teaching strategies were used in the intervention programmes to bring about
improvement in the teaching and learning of physics. To fi nd the impact of teaching
strategies, observations, evaluation and questionnaires were used as data collection
tools.
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is a diagnostic phase that requires insight to identify the most critical
point of attack from which a positive impact can most likely proceed. Maxwell (2003)
conceptualised reconnaissance as consisting of three parts, namely, situational
analysis, analysis of competence of the researcher, critical friend and participants
and review of related literature. The objective of reconnaissance is to come up with
an action research question that will lead to improvement as detailed below.

Situational Analysis
Bhutan is a small land-locked country in the eastern Himalayas sandwiched between
two giant neighbours, India and China. Nested in the heart of the Himalayas, the
country remains isolated and protected from the rest of the world by complex
topography of high mountains, swift fl owing rivers and deep valleys. With only
around 14,800 square miles (38,400 square kilometers) of territory, Bhutan earned a
reputation for being the “Last Shangri-la.” The country is divided into 20 Dzongkhags
which are further subdivided into 205 gewogs.

Democratic Constitutional Monarchy has been the political system of the country
since 2008 following 100 years of rule by a monarchy system. Today, Bhutan has
become increasingly well-known. The naturalistic green environment, rich tradition
and culture, and unique developmental philosophy are the main guiding forces for
Bhutan‟s foreign aids and tourist sites. Conceived by His Majesty the Fourth King of
Bhutan, a national policy of „Gross National Happiness‟ (GNH) is based on the belief
that happiness can best be achieved through development that balances the needs
of the body with those of the mind through a stable and sustainable environment.
Modern education was introduced only in the early 1960s with only some basic
necessities provided by the Government of India. As of now, the general literacy rate
of Bhutan is 63.0% and the youth literacy rate is 86.1% (National Statistics Bureau
[NSB], 2012). The poverty rate of the population is 12.0% (NSB, 2012). According to
the NSB report of 2012, the unemployment rate of our country is 3.3%. So there is a
need to upgrade the student‟s level of education especially in the fi eld of science
and technology.

Education System in Bhutan

Prior to the 1950s, education in Bhutan was mainly monastic. Under the Second
King, His Majesty Jigme Wangchuck, Bhutan opened its fi rst secular schools, with
both the curriculum and the medium of instruction (Hindi) borrowed from India. But it
was in the 1960s, under the Third visionary King, His Majesty Jigme Dorji
Wangchuck, that Bhutan began to build its education system in earnest (The Bhutan
Canada Foundation, 2014). Realising the need for a small nation like Bhutan to
communicate with the rest of the world, the Third King made English the language of
instruction. This laid the foundations for the network of primary, secondary, and post-
secondary institutions that eventually spread across Bhutan. Bhutan‟s educational
system has changed drastically since the 1960s. Since the introduction of planned
development in the early 1960s, the education system in Bhutan has grown from a
mere 400 students in 11 schools to over 190,000 students in over 553 schools
(National Statistical Bureau, 2013). Education today is playing a pivotal role not only
in meeting the country‟s human resource needs but also to improve the quality of life,
which ultimately contributes to the achievement of GNH. Today, we have realised
that the success of the country is deeply rooted in the education system.
 Kuzhugchen Middle Secondary School-Practising School
Kuzhugchen Middle Secondary School is in Kuzhugchen village, which is located 22
km from Thimphu city. It was established in 2003 and caters predominantly to the
students of Kabesa, Begana and Chantagang. It is a day school that supports 402
students (214 boys and 188 girls) and employs 27 teachers. Class sizes are
approximately 25-30 students per class. It is generally felt that the teacher-student
ratio is acceptable, with key challenges being around teacher specialisation in
subjects.

The class with which we chose to conduct our research was class IX. The students
take innovative physics as one of the science subjects. The fi rst author was given
the opportunity to teach physics for 6 weeks. The class comprised 10 males and 14
females. The main medium used to communicate during the teaching and learning
process was English. They were studying physics as a subject for the fi rst time.

Competence
McNiff and Whitehead (2002) posit that to ensure action research is an educative
practice, it is essential to remember that “I” remain at the centre of enquiry as a
potential influence for good in the lives of others. Also, the participatory nature of
action research makes it a social process of collaborative learning realised by groups
of people who join together in changing the practices through which they interact in a
shared social world (Kemmis & McTaggart, 2005). So, in our action research, „I‟ (fi rst
author) as an educator was at the centre, and the students as participants were
collaborating in examining the strategies for teaching physics.

The first author graduated with B.Sc physical science (physics and chemistry), from
Sherubtse College in 2013. He has an innate predisposition towards exploring in the
field of research. To this date, he has published one research paper and attended
several seminars as an observer and media reporter. He served as an assistant
researcher to the Dean of Research and Industrial Linkages and helped to run
research conference and in the publication of college research journal at Sherubtse
College. At Samtse College of Education (SCE), Introduction to Research Methods in
Education (EDU503) module further equipped him with how to carry out educational
research in general and action research in particular. He has also attended several
workshops on research.

The second author is a faculty member at SCE and a mentor to the fi rst author. Our
critical friend has good research knowledge as he has attended a research module at
SCE, written papers for journals and presented research papers at the conferences.

Literature Review
Physics is a fundamental science which is concerned with the basic principles of the
universe (Wang, 2005). It is the foundation for other physical sciences. Teaching
science to young learners is a challenging task for teachers as the subject has to be
made very interesting. Unless motivated to “do science” learning a science will be a
mundane activity for a student. The teacher has to make changes in the teaching of
science because the world is changing (Wang, 2005). Teachers must not only teach
students knowledge but also develop their problem solving skills and lifelong learning
skills.
Many teachers use a traditional approach to teach science. Traditional physics
instruction relies heavily on the use of drills and practice for solving numerical
problems, requiring routine application of formulae and equations for the solutions
(Tao, 1999). The teachers have to follow the texts designed by Department of
Research and Curriculum (DCRD), and carefully prepare and present lectures.
Assessment, testing and feedback are used to support this process. This is known as
the behaviourist style of teaching. For most of the teachers, it is the preferred way to
teach and learn science. However, to fulfil the insatiable desires of most students,
teachers must employ new sets of strategies to teach. The authors believe that the
use of these contemporary teaching strategies as an intervening measure should be
useful in improving teaching in physics.

Teaching strategies can be defi ned as plans of action to use teaching tactics, in
which a teacher selects, coordinates and applies teaching techniques/teaching
procedures in order to make the learning effective. In his research on “Strategies for
Teaching Physics,” Tamang (2004) lists ten strategies to teach the subject effectively:
use of double-paged lesson recipes; use of simpler words and relevant examples;
frequent demonstration and investigation; use of humorous questions and
explanations; using diagrams to solve questions; using acronyms of statement to
learn the longer ones; application–based approaches; using simpler explanations
and questions; assessment and evaluation of students work and achievement; and
evaluation of our teaching. Most of the strategies listed by Tamang are aligned with
imparting constructivist education. Moreover, Wang (2005) in his paper, “Using new
strategies to improve teaching and learning in Fundamental Physics course” lists four
strategies in teaching physics: problem based learning, concept mapping, team work
and mini-lecture and assessment.

In this action research, certain unavoidable circumstances pertaining to time and

resources did not permit the authors to do thorough research on all the strategies for
physics as uncovered in the literature review. Nevertheless, selected strategies
examined are listed in the intervention section. Systematic and logical data analysis
was undertaken.

Action Research Question

Based on the literature of strategies for teaching physics and situational analysis, this
researchstudy posed the following question:
What do I do to enhance class IX students’ profi ciency in physics?

Research Design and Methodology

For the successful conduct of this research, authors used a multi method approach to
data collection and analysis, employing the three tools of observation, test and
questionnaires as discussed in turn below.

Observation - One of the prominent means of collecting data was through

observation. We observed students‟ response during class hours and the
effectiveness of a particular strategy used. Our critical friend also recorded some
observations. Since action research itself is a change directed towards improvement,
we examined the degree of improvement in learning and attitude towards learning
provided. The fi rst was general observation of how students take part in the learning
process. This method of data collection involved recording a tally of evidence. As
mentioned by Rinchen (2009), “a tally was used to record the frequency of number of
question raised, frequency of clarifi cation sought, volunteering to answer the
question, taking initiative in the group work, any sort of misbehaviour, peer interaction
and interaction with the teacher” (p. 11). Two rounds of observations were carried
out during the entire period of action research study.

Test results - This data collection tool was to see the improvement in students‟
performance in physics. A well-structured question set was designed and verifi ed by
the critical friend. It encompasses all the levels of questions from Bloom‟s Taxonomy.
However, for the baseline data, we used the mid-term examination score for physics
since the research was carried out within a short period of time.

Questionnaires - The third set of data was collected by administering

questionnaires. Questionnaires were framed on three point Likert scale with the
following ratings: Agree = 1; Agree to Some Extent = 2; and Disagree = 3 (Appendix
A). The questionnaires were designed with the intention to fi nd students‟ interest
towards learning physics. The questionnaires were administered twice, one before
the intervention and once after the intervention.

Baseline Result
The fi rst data source was the observation of how students participate in the
classroom learning process. During the fi rst two weeks, fi ve out of 24 students
(three males and two females) voluntarily took part in responding to questions and
seeking clarifi cation. The frequency of participation was fi ve times by one male
student, three times by one female student, and the remaining three students
participated only once. The students who participated in the class were those who
are confi dent and fl uent in English. Most of the students were shy and hardly
participate in class discussion unless forced by the teachers.

The second method of data collection involved reviewing their physics mid-term
exam papers. Their marks revealed that 60% of the students failed in the physics
midterm. The highest mark was 64 out of 100 and the lowest mark was 11. As a
subject teacher, the fi rst author felt the need to improve students‟ performance in
physics.

The data from questionnaires revealed that 59% of the students disagreed the
statement: “physics is a very interesting subject” while 37.5% agreed to some extent
that “physics is a very interesting subject.” Only 29% agreed that the “teacher‟s way
of teaching determines their understanding of physics.” The majority of the students
(70%) agreed that “they are feeling bored when the teacher lectures throughout the
period.” Other extended supporting questions and ratings revealed that almost all the
students (91.7%) agreed that “learning takes place when they are given a chance to
investigate.” Moreover, 70.8% of the students agreed that “using diagram to solve
questions makes problem solving in physics easy.” Close to half (45.8%) of the class
population agreed that the “teacher‟s fair and just assessment let them to develop
likeliness towards the subject taught.” Further, majority of the students agreed that
“knowing the application” (50%) and “using acronyms will help them to learn physics
better” (70.8%).
In sum, the baseline data revealed that majority of the students have poor interest in
the subject (59%) and dislike lecture-driven classes (70%) as refl ected in Table 1
below.

Table 1

Intervention
The baseline data revealed that students showed less interest in physics initially as
evident from Table 1, where only one student (4.1%) agreed to the statement
“Physics is a very interesting subject”. Moreover, it was clearly discernible from the
small number of classroom participation (21%) and poor performance (50% average)
in the mid-term examination. These data posit the need for intervention if we want the
students to develop interest in physics as a subject and excel in it.

The existing literature review suggested myriad of strategies to be used to teach

physics lessons. As proposed by Jean Piaget and Vygotsky, constructivist
approaches to wards teaching and learning were taken into consideration. For
instance, Vygotsky‟s description of scaffolding instruction as opined by Raymond
(2000) that the “role of teachers and others in supporting the student‟s development
and providing support structures to get to new level” (p. 176) was well thought-out.
The following strategies were deployed and their effects on student learning were
observed. Researchers stayed mindful of the importance of observing students‟
responses to the specifi c strategy used.
Frequent demonstration and investigation: Physics is a subject that needs a
systematic learning process. It requires step by step explanation and demonstration.
Demonstrating the skills and letting students practice will have a lasting impact on
student learning. Hence, we delivered some lessons using the demonstration method
and investigated student reactions.

Using diagrams to solve questions: This method is helpful to solve numerical

questions as well as for explanations during any lesson. The use of diagrams helps
students to visualise the questions and numerical letters. It also provides them more
clues and ideas to comprehend and solve problems.

Using acronyms to improving speed of learning and retention: Those students

who face diffi culty in grasping and understanding long statements learn faster and
better when shorter forms of statements are used. This strategy could be used to
teach various laws, principles, hypotheses, equations and explanations. Researchers
constructed interesting acronyms to teach some important laws and statement and
inspect its impact on the students‟ performance.

Application base approach: Physics is a subject which has an all-round application

in daily life. This intervention induces the students to learn physics by appreciating
the applications of the subject matter that will allow them to think about the signifi
cance and technological uses of diffi cult subjects to their everyday lives. To boost
student interest and encourage wider participation in the class, we related the
concept taught in the class with every day practice.

Assessment and evaluation of students’ work and achievement: The way

teachers evaluate the work of the students and provide feedback infl uences the way
they learn. Moreover, Gibbs (1999) noted assessment as the most powerful lever that
teachers have to influence the way students respond to courses and behave as
learners. We employed giving feedback and fair assessment and then recorded its
effect in students‟ performance and interest towards learning physics.

Post Result
As an apprentice during the conduct of intervention programmes, the fi rst author was
bit apprehensive about the improvement that he could foster. Yet, the conducive
learning environment that he managed to create was amazing. It was a moment of
achievement and, more interestingly, our critical friend‟s comment during his last
observation in the sixth week of the class was amazing. He expressed:
In the beginning, physics class used to be most dull and boring class. What so ever be the
effort from teacher, students were always silent. Student‟s participation in the class activity is
very low and they have to be forced to respond or take part in their learning. However, after
the execution of the plan commenced, I saw the lively and interactive teaching and learning
taking place. Students were very alert, responsive and always ready to take part in learning. I
was amazed by the shift in student‟s interest towards learning physics.

Observations showed that students who were apathetic in learning physics prior to
the intervention were very supportive about their learning during and after the
intervention programme. Except for a few naturally introverted students, almost all
the students took part in classroom discussion voluntarily. Fourteen students (eight
male and six female) were regular participants. They became proactive, responsive,
and more open to classroom discussion. Some students even started to clarify their
doubts with each other during free hours and after school. This fi nding coheres with
those of Rinchen (2009) in a similar study who observed that after intervention: “the
students became supportive of each other when their response did not make sense
or when they fail to understand some concepts” (p. 13). The standard question paper
similar to that of the mid-term test was used to collect the post data. While framing
the questions, the concepts of a bell shaped curve and Bloom‟s Taxonomy were
taken into consideration. The class test marks revealed a drastic improvement
in students‟ performance in the physics test compared to the base line test. The pass
percentage was 100%. The highest score was 86 out of 100 and lowest was 43. The
mean mark of mid-term exam (base line data) was 40 while the post class test mean
mark was 62.

We were quite relieved and excited to see a major shift in the data collected from
the questionnaires. Our main focus was on developing students‟ interest in physics
by using relevant teaching strategies during the intervention program. All the students
(100%) agreed that “physics is an interesting subject” and the “teacher‟s way of
teaching determines their understanding of physics.” However, 4% responded in
disagreement in terms of listening to the teacher‟s lecture throughout the period
compared to 41.6% in the base line data. And amazingly the ratings for all the
teaching strategies used at various sessions were in agreement, indicating the
relevance of those teaching methods in physics (See Table 2).

Table 2
Triangulation of Multiple Data Source

To authenticate the data gathered from multiple sources, data triangulation was
used. As for the observational results, the students who initially needed to be called
upon to take part in class activity or respond to questions volunteered to do so after
intervention. The rise in the number of regular participants from fi ve in the beginning
to 14 in the end was impressive as refl ected in Figure 1. Their class test score also
gives more illumination to the success of the intervention programmes. Assessment
as a means of gathering information on how much a student has learned gives a
wider meaning for those strategies used as intervention. The class pass percentage
increased from 40% in the beginning to 100% after the intervention programmes (see
Figure 1).

The rating score from the questionnaires was also very positive. For instance, as
refl ected in Figure 1, with only 4.1% of students interested in physics in the
beginning, the post data shows 100% of the students were interested.

Discussion and Conclusions

The data collected from three different sources revealed that after the intervention
programmes, students‟ interest towards the physics subject had developed. A
majority of the indicators in the questionnaires indicated the relevance of different
teaching strategies used. The demonstration method and use of diagrams to solve
physics problems gave students enough opportunity to acquire knowledge.

The term „acronym‟ was new to students until our intervention. After intervention,
a majority of the students strongly agreed that they can remember important laws
and equations for a longer time by framing an acronym. For instance, one of the
respondents said, “Sir I will remember three primary colours throughout my life. The
acronym „RGB‟ which sir used to represent Royal Government of Bhutan will not be
forgotten cannot for a long time to come” (Researcher‟s diary notes). RGB actually
stands for three primary colours (red, green and blue).
The teaching strategies used were relevant to teach physics lessons. The fi ndings
can be related well to Tamang‟s research (2004) on “strategies for teaching physics”
where he noted that demonstration and investigation; using diagrams to solve
questions; using acronyms of statement to learn the longer ones; application–based
approaches; assessment and evaluation of students work and achievement as some
of the strategies for teaching physics.

As a physics teacher in the making, the fi rst author was glad about the success of
our action research. As mentioned by Rinchen (2009) the positive aspect of our
research was that the study was contextualised; the goals were realistic and could
cater to the needs of both students and teacher. Despite week long disturbances in
the teaching learning process due to the Thimphu Dzongkhag Sport Meets, we
remained optimistic about the fl exibility of our plan. We rescheduled three lost
periods to other days.

The outcome of this action research not only gratifi ed us, it overwhelmed our
critical friend and some of our friends too. Most of the physics post graduate friends
wish to model our strategy in their class in the immediate future. Despite many
obstacles, we are fully satisfi ed after the completion of this study. It not only
enhances our proficiency in the area we chose to study but we have strengthened
our competence in action research. In the words of Maxwell (2003), “action research
is such a fl exible process, amenable as it is to a wide variety of questions and
situations” (p. 1). It is not highly resource dependant but depends upon the capacities
of the people involved. We were amazed by the drastic improvement of our students
in learning physics. We would highly recommend the teaching strategies that we
used to adopt in physics classes.
 ___________________

About the authors

SHERAB JATSHO is a physics teacher at Drukjegang Higher Secondary School,
Dagana Dzongkhag. He had a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from Samtse
College of Education and bachelor degree in science from Sherubtse College, Royal
University of Bhutan. He worked as Research Assistant in the offi ce of the Dean of
Research and Industrial Linkages and as copy-editor for Sherub-Doenme - the
Research Journal of Sherubtse College. He also served as the President of
Sherubtse Media Society. His research interest includes education, educational
leadership, action research, religion, culture and socio-economic prospect.

SONAM RINCHEN is an Assistant Professor at the College of Education, Samtse.

His research interests include teacher education and women studies. He is also
interested in the study of emotions and emotional climate of science classrooms both
at the school and university level.

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