Ongoing effects of pandemic-imposed learning environment disruption on student attitudes

We present a study on the development of Finnish first-year physics majors' attitudes towards physics, as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey, before, during, and after the period of mandatory remote learning due to the coronavirus pandemic. We find that in the years before the pandemic, these attitudes did not change, but the period of extended remote learning due to the pandemic had a negative effect on the students' expertlike views. Similarly, the students who experienced the remote learning period in high school displayed a lower level of expertlike thinking as they entered university. As contact teaching resumed, moderate positive gains were seen, bridging some but not all of the gap in student attitudes left by the pandemic.

Automated summary

We examine the changes in attitudes towards physics among Finnish first-year physics majors as a result of mandatory remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic. Our findings suggest that the extended period of remote learning had a negative impact on students' expertlike thinking, and those who experienced remote learning in high school also displayed a lower level of expertlike thinking upon entering university. However, moderate positive gains were observed as contact teaching resumed, although it did not fully bridge the gap in student attitudes caused by the pandemic.