1.

INTRODUCTION

The step from Secondary Education to the University turns into a difficult transition from several points of view. The case of university studies in Optics does not constitute an exception. Besides, in Spain we have to add that the access to such studies is done according to different itineraries in Secondary Education and the new students don’t always choose this degree as their first choice, which confers them a heterogeneous profile. In this context, those students usually also expect their curriculum to be focused almost exclusively on the denomination of their qualification, that is, Optics and Optometry, not trusting other disciplines, such as is the case in General Physics. In this context, during the first classes of Physics in this degree we habitually observe that most of our students show great difficulties to understand the subject that is explained and just a few of them find it easy; both cases result in a low motivation towards the subject, and even a certain apathy; they think they are going to learn Optics but they are finding themselves learning Mathematics and Physics.

In an attempt to reorientate the students’ attitude towards Physics and their own degree studies, we set out a voluntary activity where we show them laboratory experiences represented by optical phenomena and applications. After this activity they were given a survey about different aspects related to their integration in their new studies and to their own activity. In this work, this activity is described as well as the results of the survey in order to establishing some of the factors that could improve the vocational orientation of the students and their adaptation to university studies. According to the former explanation, in the present work we have tried, in first place, to analyze the characteristics of the group that is acceding to the degree in Optics and Optometry and, in second place, to design an activity to try to improve the motivation of our students and to analyze if these types of activities achieve the goal for which they were created.

2

INSTRUMENT

This survey was made after a month and a half from the beginning of the course, and after having attended to one laboratory session in which we showed them different experiences about the applications of Optics. The same are shown in Table I.

Table I

Relation of experiences shown to the students.

3.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Let’s see the items and their obtained answers.

1. Why did I register in the Degree of Optics and Optometry? Indicate, from the statements below, the closest to the reasons that made you register (maximum 3).

This item was pretending to ask directly about the reasons why the students chose this degree. The answers are shown in Table III.

Table III

Reasons why the students from sample got registered in the degree of Optics and Optometry (arranged from more to less frequency).

The most common reason has been that they got registered because it provides good job expectations. But, maybe the most surprising is that there is a large amount of students who have registered because they could not get in to the degree they truly wanted. This implies that a significant percentage of o students would prefer to study a different degree, which is why it could be very interesting for them to know the possible characteristics of this degree as soon as possible, so that they have a bit clearer their interest about it or, on the contrary, whether they decide to give up on it.

2. Knowledge that you had about this Degree and how you find yourself doing in it. Value them depending on your level of approval or disapproval with them, from 1 (nothing) to 5 (totally).

In this item we are trying to get deeper into the students’ previous reasons and the first impressions after starting their university studies. The answers (Table IV) have been separated among the students that assisted to the session of experiences –Exp. Yes- (see the next item), the one who did not assisted –Exp. No- and the total of students.

Table IV

Knowledge and motivation of the students towards their new studies (Exp. Yes: Students carrying out the experience of item 3; Exp. No: Students did not).

We will comment these results on the item below.

3. Regarding the laboratory session, please value from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree) the following statements.

The results of the item are shown in Table V.

Table V

Evaluation of the laboratory session about Optics received.

From Table IV and, with no intention of establishing cause-effect relations, it seems clear that the students who assisted voluntarily to the laboratory session have an intrinsic motivation remarkably superior to the ones who did not, towards the studies of Optics.

The data in Table V allow diverse readings, although if we focus exclusively on the scores then we observe how the experience was perceived as positive in a global way. Apart from the emotional response (“It was a funny and nice experience”), we notice that the most valued has to be regarding the orientation of the studies that they are running. Next we find the items related to a cognitive and affective change in the perception of Optics. The rest of the obtained scores in the items that undervalue the experience reinforce the usefulness that such experience was for the students.

4

CONCLUSIONS