Enjoyment and Attainment in Secondary School Physics

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Abstract
Enjoyment of physics lessons in the senior secondary school has been shown to be related to attainment in the GCE O‐ and A‐level physics examinations. Boys' attitudes are generally superior to those of the girls but, while the boys show the expected attitude deterioration over the sixth‐form course, the girls' attitudes remain stable and at the end of secondary schooling are no different to the boys'. Girls' enjoyment of physics in the fifth‐form is associated with a preference for learning‐by‐experiment, while in the sixth‐form the association is with a philosophical approach to course material. By means of covariate controls, enjoyment and attainment differences between the A‐level physics courses of five GCE Boards are explored.