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       Exploring of Students’ Performances, Motivation  

       Processes                    and          Learning                Strategies                 in      Studio 

       Physics 



                Gök, Tolga 

                Torbali Technical School of Higher Education, University of Dokuz Eylul 

                Izmir Turkey, 



               E-mail: tolga.gok@deu.edu.tr 



                (Received 27 October 2010, accepted 12 January 2011) 



                                                                            Abstract 

                The   purpose   of   this   study  is  to   evaluate  the  students’  motivational   beliefs   and   use  of  learning   strategies  in   the 

                Introductory Calculus-Based Physics II course using the studio physics model, also to examine the students’ academic  

                performances and the relationship among the variables. This research was conducted with 302 students in USA during 

                spring 2009 semester. Research   data were collected   with Motivated Strategies   for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) 

                and students’ grades  obtained from LON-CAPA problems, LON-CAPA/written homework, hands-on activities, and 

                exam. According to the results of the present research, it can be said that the use of the studio physics was effective on 

                the   achievement,   motivational   beliefs,   and  use   of   learning   strategies   of  the   students.  Thus, this   promising   learning 

                method will encourage the educators to replace the traditional instruction methods with student-centered, interactive 

                learning methods. 



                Keywords: Learning Strategy, Motivation, Physics Education, Studio Physics. 



                                                                            Resumen 

                El propósito de este estudio es evaluar las creencias motivacionales y el uso de estrategias de aprendizaje en el Curso 

                de   introducción  Cálculo  basado   en   Física  II  utilizando  el   modelo  de   estudio   de  la   física,  también examinar  el 

                desempeño   académico  los  estudiantes y   la  relación  entre   las variables. Esta  investigación  se  llevó   a   cabo  con  302 

                estudiantes en los EE.UU. durante la primavera del semestre 2009. Los datos de la investigación fueron recogidos con 

                el Cuestionario de Aprendizaje para Estrategias Motivadoras (MSLQ) y las calificaciones de los estudiantes obtenidas 

                a partir de los problemas de LON-CAPA, LON-CAPA/ tareas escritas, actividades prácticas y el examen. De acuerdo 

                con los resultados de la presente investigación, se puede decir que el uso de estudio de la física fue eficaz en el logro, 

                creencias  motivacionales  y   el   uso  de  estrategias   de   aprendizaje  de   los  estudiantes.  Por   lo   tanto,  este  método es 

                prometedor para incentivar a los educadores para reemplazar los métodos de enseñanza tradicional con el centrado en 

                el estudiante, y los métodos de aprendizaje interactivo. 



                Palabras clave: Estrategia de Aprendizaje, Motivación, Física Educativa, Estudio de la Física. 



                PACS: 01.40.Di; 01.40.Fk; 01.40.gb; 01.55.+b                                                                     ISSN 1870-9095 



I. INTRODUCTION                                                                         curriculum       development        has    resulted    in   instructional 

                                                                                        materials and teaching methods that can correct many of the 

The      physics    education     research     group    has    long   been              drawbacks   of   traditional   physics   instruction.   Careful   study 

concerned       about   the   nature   and   effectiveness     of  physics              of    these   research-based      introductory      curricula    in  small 

education for those students seeking to become professional                             classes     points   out   that   they    can   significantly     improve 

physicists   as   well   as   for   those   physics   background   should               students’  conceptual   understanding   [2,   7,   8,  9].   However, 

enable   them   to   live   responsibly  in   a   technological   society.              introductory  physics   lecturers   with   large   classes   who   want 

Research   through   years   has   shown   the   traditional   lecture-                 to   incorporate     active  learning   into   their   classrooms     must 

recitation-lab   format   of   the   introductory  university   physics                 typically choose between a) hands-on activities [10] in small 

 sequence to be ineffective in helping most of students either                          recitation or laboratory sections that supplement the lecture 

to take a firm grasp of Newtonian mechanics, or to build a                              [11]  and   b)   interactive   lecture   activities   for   larger   classes 

 strong foundation for subsequent learning [1].                                         such     as    Peer    Instruction     [3]   and    interactive     lecture 

     It   is   know   that   students   learn   more   physics   in   classes           demonstrations [12] that do not allow hands-on experiments 

where they interact   with   faculty, collaborate   with peers on                       and limit faculty interactions with individual groups. 

interesting tasks, and are actively involved with the material                              Rensselaer   Polytechnic   Institute   (RPI)   has   introduced   a 

they   are   learning   [2,   3,   4,   5,  6].   Research   on   learning   and        new   model   for   the   large   enrollment   undergraduate   courses 

                                                                                        that has been become known as the studio physics [13, 14]. 

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Gök, Tolga 

The     studio   physics    is  based    on   a  learning    environment                 and ICBP-II, the first and second semesters of Introductory 

which was designed to facilitate students’ ability to interact                           Calculus-Based        Physics.     The    data   of  this   research    was 

with   one   another,     with   the   lecturer,   and  with   the   course              collected in ICBP-II course. ICBP-II introduces students to 

material during their time in class [13]. Studio courses have                            the   fundamental   ideas   of   physics.   The   basic   goal   of   this 

been   introduced   to   replace   some   of   the   large   introductory                course is: 

lecture-based      courses     in  science    and   engineering     with    a              1.     to      understand        the      fundamental         laws      of 

format       including      daily     lectures,     in-class     activities,                      electromagnetism         as   summarized       in  the   Maxwell 

homework assignments, hands-on activities which are more                                          equations and related concepts and principles, 

integrated   and   incorporate   technology.   It   presents   a   better                  2.     to be able to apply these laws with the fundamental 

interactive   learning   environment   for   students   and   a   better                          laws of motion using calculus, 

teaching environment for faculty [15].                                                     3.     to    construct      a   suitable     understanding       of    the 

     A   dynamic   teaching   environment   which   integrates   the                              electromagnetic properties of physical systems in an 

traditional     instruction     activities   (lecture,    recitation,   and                       applied context, and 

laboratory)      is  created    by   student    workstations,      tabletop                4.     to    begin     to   develop      critical   problem       solving 

experiments,   computer   software,   and   traditional   textbooks                               strategies. 

in   this   system   of   learning.   Students’  communication  skills                   Each   semester,   about   300   students   are   divided   into   three 

are    improved       with    the   design     and    analysis    done     in            class sections taught by two lecturers. All students enrolled 

workstation computers and they learn to be a part of a team.                             in    a  given     course    follow    the    same    syllabus,     do   the 

Students can discuss their results with their neighbors. The                             individually   assigned   homework,   and   take   common   exams 

student-centered       activities   also   offer   a   friendly   lecture   to           as a single group, both at finals and during the semester. A 

students   and   even   to   those   lecturers   who   tend   toward   the               standard     course    design    including     daily   lectures,   in-class 

traditional   style   of   classroom.   The   lecturer   acts   more   as   a            activities     and     solutions,     homework        assignments      and 

guide and/or advisor and can move freely from lecture into                               solutions, and reading assignments is provided by a course 

hands-on      activity   in  a  facility   with   a  configuration     of   a            supervisor for use by all lecturers. 

theater-in-the-round         classroom.       The     studio    classroom                     Studio    physics    in   the  CSM     consists   of  two    one-hour 

provides   an   excellent   opportunity   to   introduce   large   scale                 lectures per week, and two two-hour blocks of studio time. 

undergraduate        level  courses    to  students    in  an   interactive              Course     material    is  separated    into   two-day     blocks,   where 

learning   environment   with   its   technology   and   team-based                      new principles are introduced in the lecture on one day, and 

learning.                                                                                students study applications the next day in the studio. Studio 

     When researches done on studio physics were examined,                               physics has two primary purposes; 

it  can  be  said  that  studio  physics  is  effect  on  students’                        1.   to model and practice problem solving strategies, show 

conceptual       learning.   But    researches  related   to   students’                        physics principles in different  contexts, and to review 

achievement,   motivation   processes   and   learning   strategies                             the application of   mathematical physics techniques   to 

have     not  been    examined      so  far.  These     parameters     were                     describe physical situations. 

investigated   in   this   present   study.   Two   research   questions                   2.   to     provide      direct,    hands-on       experiences       with 

for this study were determined as follows.                                                      electromagnetic phenomena in various situations. The 

                                                                                                activities    provide    connections      between     the   abstract 

Research Questions                                                                              mathematical         forms     of    the    Maxwell       laws     of 

  1.   Does teaching of the studio physics make an impact on                                    electromagnetism         and   their   exhibitions     in   physical 

       students’ achievement performance?                                                       phenomena. 

 2.    Do  students’  motivational  beliefs  and   use   of   learning                   The   studio   class   contains     ten   tables  for   groups    of   up   to 

       strategies     increase     if  they    have    practiced     studio              three/four   students;   the   chairs   have   wheels   to   increase   the 

       physics?                                                                          mobility      of  the   students     around    the   table.   Each     table 

                                                                                         (workstation)        is  equipped      with     four    computers.      The 

                                                                                         computers   contain   the   LON-CAPA   (The   Learning   Online 

II. METHOD                                                                               Network with a Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach) 

                                                                                         software   and   are   connected   to   the   Internet.   One   printer   in 

In   many   cases,   active-learning   modes   are   adopted   by   an                   the   room   is   shared   by   all   groups.   The   room   has   daily   lab 

entire course so that there is no longer a comparison group                              demo   equipment   storage.   Also   near   each   table,   there   is   a 

using traditional instruction [16]. For this reason, the present                         small whiteboard for chalk-talks among students or between 

research was conducted with one group. The primary aims                                  students   and   lecturers.   At   the   front   center,   there   are   two 

of   the   present   research   were:   to   explore   and   describe   the              mobile     lecture    tables,  two    overhead     projectors,    and   two 

motivational orientation and learning strategies of students;                            large whiteboards for the lecturer. The ceiling has a grid of 

and   to   explore   the   relationship   between   motivational   and                   beams capable of supporting apparatus. 

learning   strategy   constructs   and  academic   performance   of                          Each studio section of roughly 100 students is staffed by 

students during studio physics course in spring 2009 (S09)                               two     faculty   members,       two   graduates,     and    one   or   two 

semester.                                                                                undergraduate        teaching     assistants.    The    purpose     of  this 

     Almost      all  science    and    engineering     students     in  the             assistant   team   is   to   communicate       with   students   and    help 

Colorado   School   of   Mines   (CSM)   need   to   take   the   same                   them. This cooperation leads to communication both in the 

core of math and science courses. This core includes ICBP-I                              studio physics (a certain time of the week) and outside the 



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                                                 Exploring of Students’ Performances, Motivation Processes and Learning Strategies in Studio Physics 

class. Faculty members or graduate teaching assistants then                              whose      beliefs   and   cognitive     are  important     mediators     of 

give a minilecture of 10-15 minutes that serves to introduce                             instructional input and task characteristics [18, 19, 20]. The 

the    basic   concepts    and   experimental      approaches      that  the             MSLQ        can   provide    student    development       educators     with 

students  use  to  examine  that  day’s  material.  During  the                          essential information for establishing structured training for 

largest   portion   of   each   class   period   (~two   hours),   students              university     students    [21].   This   viewpoint     is  based   on   the 

work in pairs or groups of three/four, with lecturers moving                             learning  literature  that  assumes  that  students’  motivation  

around     the   room,    answering     and   asking   questions.     Thus,              and    use   of   learning    strategies   can   be   controlled    by   the 

students are exposed to teamwork and active learning, and                                students     and    changed     through    teaching.    Universities     are 

the    multiple     learning    modalities      used    provide     formats              often  in   need   of   ways   to   help   students  succeed  once   they 

friendly to students with various learning styles. The last ten                          have     enrolled.   The    information     that  can   be   gained    from 

minutes or so of each class period are a wrap-up session in                              assessment with the MSLQ can be valuable in guiding high- 

which      the   lecturer   reviews     the   important     concepts     and             risk students to success. 

student share data and summarize their findings.                                              There     are  two    sections    to  the   MSLQ,      a   motivation 

     To   interpret   and   discuss   the   findings   of   this   study,   the          section   and   a   learning   strategy   section.  Table   I  illustrates 

data     of  this   research     was    collected    with    the   help    of            these sections. 

Motivated   Strategies   for   Learning   Questionnaire   (MSLQ)                              The      motivational      section     proposes       three    general 

and  students’ grades obtained from LON-CAPA problems,                                   motivational        constructs     [17]:    value,     expectancy,       and 

LON-CAPA/written             homework,       hands-on      activities,   and             affective.     The    value    components       focus    on   the   reasons 

exam.                                                                                    engage   in   an   academic   task.   The   expectancy   components 

                                                                                         refer  to  students’  beliefs  that  they  can  accomplish  a  task.  

A. Materials                                                                             The affective component has been operationalized in terms 

                                                                                         of    responses     to  the   test  anxiety    scale,   which    taps   into 

Motivated   Strategies   for   Learning   Questionnaire   [17]   is   a                  students’ concern over taking examinations. The motivation  

self-report      instrument      designed     to    measure      university              section consisted of 31 items that assess students’ goals and  

students’ motivational beliefs and use of learning strategies.                           value beliefs for a course, their beliefs about their ability to 

The      MSLQ       is   based     on    a   general     social-cognitive                succeed   in   a   course,   and   their   anxiety   about   tests   on   the 

perspective   of   motivation   and   learning   strategies,   with   the                course. 

student   represented   as   an   active   processor   of   information 



                                          TABLE I. The components of the motivation and learning strategies (MSLQ). 



          Section I: Motivation Scale (M_MS)                                      Section II: Learning Strategies Scale (L_LSS) 

          Value Components Subscale (M_VCS)                                       Cognitive Strategies Subscale (L_CSS) 

          M_IGO              Intrinsic Goal Orientation                           L_R                       Rehearsal 

          M_EGO              Extrinsic Goal Orientation                           L_E                       Elaboration 

          M_TV               Task Value                                           L_O                       Organization 

          Expectancy Components Subscale (M_ECS)                                  L_CT                      Critical Thinking 

          M_CLB              Control of Learning Beliefs                          Meta-Cognitive Control Strategies Subscale (L_MCCSS) 

          M_SELP             Self-Efficacy for                                    L_MCSR                    Meta-Cognitive 

                             Learning Performance                                                           Self-Regulation 

          Affective Component Subscale (M_ACS)                                    Resource Management Strategies (L_RMS) 

          M_TA               Test Anxiety                                         L_TSE                     Time and Study Environment 

                                                                                  L_ER                      Effort Regulation 



                                                                                  L_PL                      Peer Learning 



                                                                                  L_HS                      Help Seeking 



        Students rate themselves on a 7-point Likert scale, from 1 (not at all true of me) to 7 (very true of me). 



     The    learning    strategy    section    is  based    on   a  general                   The   MSLQ   has   received   broad   acceptance   and   use   by 

cognitive      model    of   learning    and   information      processing               others.    Pintrich    et  al.  [17],   Pintrich   &    Smith    [18],   and 

[17].    It  contains    three  general    types   of   scales:   cognitive              Watson   et   al.   [23]   have   demonstrated   that   the   MSLQ   is   a 

strategies,    meta-cognitive       control   strategies,   and    resource              reliable   and   valid   measure   of   self-regulated   learning.   The 

management         strategies.    There    are   31   items    that  assess              total   reliability   of  the   motivation     scales   is  0.79   and   the 

students’  use  of  different  cognitive  and  meta-             cognitive               values  of  Cronbach’s  alpha  for  each  motivational  subscale  

strategies.     In   addition,     the   learning     strategies    section              are    acceptable,     ranging    from     0.57   and    0.84.   The    total 

included  19  items  concerning  students’   management  of                              reliability   of   the   learning   strategies   scales   is   0.89   and   the 

different resources.                                                                     values   of   Cronbach’s   alpha   for   each           of   the   learning 

                                                                                         strategies     subscales    are  also   acceptable,     ranging   between 

                                                                                         0.62 and 0.83 [23]. 



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III. RESULTS                                                                                 As    remarked     in  Table    II,  another    striking   result  was 

                                                                                         students’  considerably  lower  grades  on  manually  graded  

Results      of   the   study    are   presented     and    analyzed      by             (written)     assignments      than   for   LON-CAPA          homework. 

following order of the listed research questions.                                        LON-CAPA scores may reflect higher performance because 

RQ 1:  Does teaching of studio physics make an impact on                                 the   system   has   some   advantages   over   written   homework. 

students’ achievement performance?                                                       Although they  have the ability to enter a   solution   multiple 

     The results for student performance during the use of the                           times     with    a   trial-and-error      strategy    in    LON-CAPA 

LON-CAPA system are reported with the cumulative scores                                  homework,       in  written    homework       students    have   to   show 

from     hands-on      activities,   LON-CAPA          problems,     LON-                their work on the paper and get one correct result. Persistent 

CAPA/written   homework,   and   exams.   The   final   scores   on                      students   can   get   the   correct   answer.   In   addition,   the   most 

the  studio   activities   (LON-CAPA   problems,   and   hands-on                        active    member      of  the  group    may    solve    the  problem     on 

activities) typically contribute 20% to the grade. The rest of                           LON-CAPA   and   the   others   get   the   same   grades   from   that 

the marks come from lecture participation (5%), homework                                 person’s   effort,   while   in   written   assignments   he/she   has   to 

(written/LON-CAPA)   (15%),   mid-term   exams   (15%   each)                            submit the solution individually. Also, they don’t revise and  

and    the   final  exam   (15%).     To   pass   the  lecture,    students              complete the written homework shortly after class while the 

should   gain   a   score   of   at   least   60%.   Exams   were   given   in           material is fresh in their mind, thus they forget how to solve 

the    traditional    method     (pen-paper,      multiple-choice,      and              that type of problem. Even though it has little effect on the 

open-ended questions).                                                                   grades, the grading criteria of graduate students who grade 

     Table   II  represents  the  scores  of  students’  enrolled  for                   the written homework may also change from time to time. 

S09   from   five   different  activities.   The   table   clearly   shows                   Another outcome is that students   were   more successful 

that students had poorest performance on their exams. The                                in solving related chapter problems (LON-CAPA problems) 

main  reason  for  this  outcome  could  have  been  students’                           than   experiments   (hands-on)   done   in   the   studio   class.  The 

tight    schedules     and   inability    to  complete      the  activities              results    show     that    students    had     difficulty    in   making 

during     the  semester.     Being    tested   in  two   hours   with    20             conceptual connections between the recitation/problems and 

problems      put   much    pressure    on   them   during    the   exams.               laboratory experiments. Hands-on activity provides learning 

Exams cover a large variety of chapters and their activities                             theoretical   concepts      with   a   range   of  versatile    tools   that 

(hands-on,       LON-CAPA          homework,       written     homework,                 enable     experiments     to   be  performed.      However,      students 

lecture   notes)   therefore;   students   couldn’t   combine   and                      preferred   to   watch   demonstrations   or   applets   (simulations) 

present their knowledge easily.                                                          about   the   theory   behind   the   experiment   before   application 

                                                                                         instead   of   just   performing   an   experiment.   The   simulations 

                                                                                         show how the parameters can be affected if they change the 

TABLE II. The results of the studio physics activities in terms of                       values.   Thus   they   are   able   to   imagine   the   experiment   and 

students’ grades.                                                                        learn   how  to   use   the   limits.   Further,   unless   the   lecturer   or 

                                                                                         teaching assistants gives a short talk at the beginning of the 

          LON-          Hands-           LON- 

 N        CAPA            On            CAPA             Written       Exams             laboratory       session,      students      don’t      have      enough  

        Problems       Activities     Homework         Homework                          understanding   of   the   purpose   of   the   experiment.   Another 

302       84.74          80.05           94.21            76.00         70.24            possible reason for difficulty with experiments could be the 

                                                                                         students’ distraction by computer activities (internet, on-line 

 Note.  *The  grades  weren’t  considered  for  students       who  didn’t               games etc.) 

attend the activities, and the number of students is      shown with N.                      According to  Table II, it can be said that the results of 

                                                                                         the  studio  physics  activities  in  terms  of  students’  grades  

Also     some     students     had   some     behaviors      which     were              were     successful    (min    average     is  70.24).    What     are  the 

potential     causes    of  failure.   One    of   these   attitudes    was              findings  when these results obtained from students’ grades  

students’ preference to review the instructor’s lecture notes                            are  combined  with  their’  motivational  beliefs  and   learning 

even   though   the   fundamental   concepts   and   exercises   were                    strategies? 

also presented in the textbook. Further, some didn’t read the                                RQ     2: Do  students’  motivational  beliefs           and    use   of 

material  to  be  covered  in  class,  didn’t  come  prepared  for                       learning    strategies    increase    if  they  have   practiced     studio 

class,  and  didn’t  take  good  lecture  notes.  They  didn’t  use                      physics? 

office   contact   hours   of   teaching   assistants   and   lecturers   to                 The results of the MSLQ are reported according to the 

have better understanding of the subject.                                                steps     followed      in   the   statistical    analysis.    Whenever 

     Some   LON-CAPA   activity   habits   of   students   may   also                    appropriate,     relevant    interpretation    and   discussion     of  the 

have caused a decrease in exam scores. These habits can be                               findings are presented together with the results. The results 

listed   as   follows:  i) there   was   no   feedback   to   the   students             can be interpreted two ways as follows. 

that they have completed the problem properly as in LON- 

CAPA ii) students normally focused on getting some answer                                A. The Results in terms of Motivation Scale 

or    calculating     some     number      rather   than    organizing     a 

problem solving framework on paper iii) the interaction they                             Table III presents the mean, standard deviation, Cohen’s d  

had with their peers in the form of small groups led to their                            value, and effect size for the six motivation subscales. Also, 

getting  lost  in  the  problem  as  an  individual,  and  students’                     for each subscale, a separate mean score and standard. 

motivation decreased. 



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                                                Exploring of Students’ Performances, Motivation Processes and Learning Strategies in Studio Physics 

                                                  TABLE III. The results of the descriptive statics for motivation section. 



                                                  Pre-Test                      Post-Test                        Statistical Values 

                                               M             SD              M              SD           Cohen’s d*            Effect Size 

                    (M_VCS)                  51.38          1.07           77.06           1.01             24.68                  0.99 

                    M_IGO                     8.91          1.01           18.11           0.95              9.38                  0.97 

                    M_EGO                    15.03          1.12           22.83           1.10              7.02                  0.96 

                    M_TV                     27.44          1.11           36.12           0.97              8.32                  0.97 

                    (M_ECS)                  47.67          1.21           64.47           1.02              15.01                 0.99 

                    M_CLB                    16.22          1.15           21.82           1.10              4.97                  0.92 

                    M_SELP                   31.45          1.28           42.65           0.94              9.97                  0.98 

                    (M_ACS) 

                                             10.21          1.20           15.03           1.17              5.88                  0.89 

                    M_TA 

                    (M_MS)                  109.26          1.15          156.56           1.07             42.58                  0.99 

                   *Cohen’s d value [24] was defined as any value over 0.8 as large effect size, while those between 0.5 and 0.8 

                    are considered medium. M: Mean Score, SD: Standard Deviation. 



deviation      were   got   to   test  if  there   are  any    significant              and   usable   in   their   future   careers.   Task   value   had   a   much 

differences      between      pre   and    post   test  for    the  mean               higher level of correlation with academic performance than 

motivation      section   scores    of  the  group.   To    examine     the            the    two   prior   value    components,      intrinsic   and   extrinsic 

interrelationship between students’ motivational beliefs and                           value. 

academic   performance   variables,  Pearson   product-moment                               Control of Learning Beliefs (CLB) 

“r” correlations were computed. The statistical analysis was                                 This   subscale   was   used   to   measure   the   level   to   which 

done   related   to   pre   and   post   test   scores.  The   increase   in            students     believed     that   their   efforts   to   study    made     a 

motivation      section    scores  (21.79%)       can   interpret  as  the              difference   in   their   learning.   The   result   indicated   that   this 

studio physics was effective on students’ motivation beliefs.                           subscale interacted with the students academic performance 

Also, Cohen’s d and effect size values support this outcome.                            (M= 21.82; p< 0.05; r = 0.41). 

The      findings    for   each     motivational      component       were                  Self-Efficacy for Learning & Performance (SELP) 

explained as follows.                                                                       Students’     self-efficacy     is    also   an    important     self- 

    Intrinsic Goal Orientation (IGO)                                                   regulative   learning   characteristic   that   influences   academic 

     Intrinsic  goal   orientation   is   motivation   that   stems   from              self-regulation and performance. Self-efficacy, defined as a 

primarily   internal   reasons   (e.g.,   being  curious,   wanting   to                “belief  in  one’s  capabilities     to   organize    and   execute    the 

challenge,      wanting     to   master    the   content).   The     result             courses      of    action    required      to   manage       prospective 

indicated     main    effect   positive   interaction    with   academic                situations”, affects both cognitive and affective dimensions  

performance for the group (M=18.11, p<0.05, r=0.42).                                    of   learning   processes.     Students    can   construct    their   self- 

    Extrinsic Goal Orientation (EGO)                                                    efficacy      beliefs    through      four    different     sources     of 

     Extrinsic goal orientation is caused by primarily external                         experiences:      mastery    experiences,      vicarious    experiences, 

reasons   (e.g.,   getting   good   grades,   competing  with   others,                verbal     persuasion,    and  physiological      and   affective   states. 

and   seeking   approval   or   rewards).The   result   indicated   that               Among         the    four    sources,      mastery     experiences        of 

the    students     were     most    interested     in  their    level   of             successfully      solving    problems     are   considered     the   most 

performance   or   getting   good   grades   as   evident   through   a                 effective   source   for   developing   self-efficacy,   because   they 

positive correlation (M=22.83, p<0.05, r=0.36).                                        help   students   build   cognitive   foundations   for     determining 

     This research shows that students with an intrinsic goal                          the    level   of  efforts   necessary     for  a  success.    High    self- 

orientation tend to value a deeper level of understanding of                            efficacy     helps    students   become       persistent    in  pursuing 

tasks than those with an extrinsic goal orientation, and that                           intrinsic goals and willing to attempt difficult tasks [25]. 

conversely, those with an extrinsic goal orientation tend to                                Self-efficacy      is   not   only    a  means      for    successful 

use     more     surface-level     processing      strategies    such    as             outcomes,       but   also   a   product     of   successful     learning 

memorization         or   guessing.      Intrinsic    goal    orientation,              experiences.  The   result  of   this   present   research     indicated 

compared       to   extrinsic  goal   orientation,   would   also   likely             that   self-efficacy,   or   the   ability   of   the   students   interacted 

promote   both   short-term   and   long-term   persistence   toward                    strongly   with   their   academic   performance   (M   =  42.65;  p< 

the    learning   subject.   Therefore,     development      of   intrinsic             0.05; r = 0.48). 

goal   orientation   is   more   desirable   for   improving   academic                     Test Anxiety (TA) 

self-regulation [25].                                                                       Test    anxiety   is  a  psychological      condition    in  which    a 

     Task Value (TV)                                                                   person experiences distress before, during, or after a test or 

     Students     evaluate     the   course    material     in  terms    of             other assessment to such an   extent that this  anxiety causes 

interest,   important,   and   utility.   The   result   indicated   a   high          poor performance or interferes with normal learning. 

level    of   interaction   between      task    value    and   academic                    This  subscale  was  used  to  measure  the  students’  test  

performance of the students (M=36.12, p<0.05, r=0.49). The                              anxiety.    The    result   indicated    that   the  test  anxiety    was 

result    indicated    that  the   students    did  not   only   find   the             inversely   related   to   academic   performance:   the   higher   the 

lecturers  that   they   pursued   interesting,   but   also   important 



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Gök, Tolga 



anxiety, the poorer the academic performance (M = 15.03;                               mean   learning   strategies      section   scores   of   the  group.  To 

p> 0.05; r = 0.01).                                                                    examine   the   interrelationship   between  students’  use  of  the  

                                                                                       learning     strategies   and    academic     performance      variables, 

B. The Results in terms of Learning Strategies Scale                                   Pearson   product-moment  “r”  correlations  were  computed.  

                                                                                       The statistical analysis was done related to pre and post test 

Table IV presents the mean, standard deviations Cohen’s d                              scores. The increase in learning section score (37.03%) can 

value,     and   effect   size   for   the  nine    learning    strategies             interpret as the studio physics was effective on students’ use 

subscales.   Also,   for   each   subscale,   a   separate   mean   score              of the learning strategies. Cohen’s d and effect size  values 

and    standard    deviation    were   got   to  test  if  there  are  any             support     this   outcome.     The    findings     for  each    learning 

significant     differences    between     pre  and   post   test for   the            strategies components were explained as follows. 



                                               TABLE IV. The results of the descriptive statics for learning strategy section. 



                                                  Pre-Test                     Post-Test                        Statistical Values 

                                               M             SD             M              SD            Cohen’s d            Effect Size 

                    (L_CSS)                  62.24          1.13          116.09           1.10             48.29                  0.99 

                    L_R                      15.46          1.17          23.46            1.14             6.92                   0.96 

                    L_E                      19.20          1.11           35.86           1.06             15.30                  0.99 

                    L_O                      14.28          1.15          24.72            1.15             9.07                   0.97 

                    L_CT                     13.30          1.14           32.05           1.01             17.41                  0.99 

                    (L_MCCSS) 

                                             41.52          0.76           61.66           0.70             27.56                  0.99 

                    L_MCSR 

                    (L_RMS)                  61.32          1.11          116.93           1.05             51.47                  0.99 

                    L_TSE                    27.24          1.00          49.52            0.75             25.20                  0.99 

                    L_ER                     14.03          1.04          24.47            1.04             10.03                  0.98 

                    L_PL                      8.97          1.30           19.15           1.28             7.92                   0.96 

                    L_HS                     11.08          1.08          23.79            1.09             11.71                  0.98 

                    (L_LSS)                  165.08         1.00          294.68           0.97            131.55                  0.99 

                  M: Mean Score, SD: Standard Deviation 



    Rehearsal (R)                                                                      anything       related     them.     The      result    indicated      that 

     The    rehearsal      strategy   uses     repeated     practice     of            metacognitive        self-regulation     was    significant    correlated 

information to learn the concepts or subjects.  The repeated                           with   academic   performance   of   the   students   (M=61.66;   p< 

practice      increases     the   student's     familiarity    with    the             0.05; r =0.40). 

information. The result indicated that rehearsal was related                               Time and Study Environment (TSE) 

to   the   academic   performance   of   students   (M   =   23.46;   p<                   This subscale measured the level at which students must 

0.05; r = 0.33).                                                                       be   able   to   manage   and   regulate   their   time   and   their   study 

    Elaboration (E)                                                                    environment.       The    result   indicated    that   time   and   study 

     This   subscale     was    concerned      with    students’    idea,              environment       as   utilized  by   the   sample    of   students   was 

discussion,      interpretation,    and    deep-thinking      related    to            positively related to the students’ academic performance (M  

subjects   and   concepts.   This   result   showed   that   elaboration               = 49.52; p< 0.05; r =0.42). 

was related to the academic performance of students (M =                                   Effort Regulation (ER) 

35.86; p< 0.05; r = 0.43).                                                                 This subscale measured the level of students’ effort and  

     Organization (O)                                                                  commitment   to   completing   their   study   goals,   even   in   the 

     This  subscale  was  used  to  examine  students’  creativity                     presence of difficulties or distractions. The result indicated 

and    awareness.     The   result   showed     that  organization     was             that    effort    regulation     was     related    to   the    academic 

significant     correlated    with   academic      performance     (M     =            performance of students (M = 24.47; p< 0.05; r = 0.44). 

24.72; p< 0.05; r =   0.40). Thus engaging directly  with   the                            Peer Learning (PL) 

material      to   be    learned     is   important      for    academic                   The level of collaboration with peers to assist a learner 

achievement.                                                                           to   clarify   materials   and   reach   insights   on   coursework   that 

     Critical Thinking (CT)                                                            was not attained in the classroom.  The result indicated that 

     This    subscale      was     used     to    measure      students’               peer    learning    was   significantly     related   to  the   academic 

assumptions,       discerns   hidden    values,    evaluates    evidence,              performance of the students (M = 19.15; p< 0.05; r = 0.35). 

and   assesses   conclusion.   This   result   indicated   that   critical                 Help Seeking (HS) 

thinking       was     significant     correlated      with     academic                   This   subscale  was  used  to  measure  to  students’  help  

performance of the students (M=32.05; p< 0.05; r =0.47).                               seeking.     The   result   indicated    help  seeking   subscale      was 

    Metacognitive Self-Regulation (MCSR)                                               significantly   correlated   with   academic   performance   of   the 

     This   subscale     was     used    to   measure     to   students’               students (M = 23.79; p < 0.05; r = 0.32). 

knowledge       concerning      their  own    cognitive    processes     or 



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                                                Exploring of Students’ Performances, Motivation Processes and Learning Strategies in Studio Physics 



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