Survey of Physics Instructor Attitudes on Student Access to Problem Solutions

Abstract

Solving physics problems is an essential part of the learning process. How and when students should be allowed access to textbook problem solutions, however, is a controversial issue. The purpose of this study was to collect and examine data on the attitudes of physics instructors on this subject. Questionnaires were mailed to physics departments at 475 arbitrarily selected U. S. and Canadian colleges and universities. The survey instrument contained six questions designed for a combination of a 5-point Likert-scale and open-ended responses, as well as fill-ins for basic anonymous demographic data, and space for the respondent's comments. The 249 responses received convey a wide range of opinion on each question, with bi-modal or uni-modal Likert-scale distributions, and comments spanning one extreme to the other. A detailed analysis of all the survey responses is presented. The possible significance of the survey results, and the need to rethink pedagogical strategies regarding student access to problem solutions, is discussed.