Peer Influence on Physics Self-Efficacy and Grades: A comparative study of students in an introductory calculus-based course who typically worked alone or in groups before and during the pandemic

Abstract

Engaging in meaningful collaborations with peers, both inside and outside the classroom, can greatly enhance students' understanding of physics and other STEM disciplines. We analyzed the characteristics of women and men who typically worked alone versus those who collaborated with peers in a calculus-based introductory physics course comparing pre pandemic traditional in-person classes to Zoom based pandemic classes. We discuss our findings by considering students' prior academic preparation, their physics grades and physics self-efficacy, as well as their perceptions of how effective peer collaboration is for their physics self-efficacy. We also compared our results to the first-semester algebra-based introductory physics course.

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