Perspectives of Women and Men Students and Faculty on Conceptual and Quantitative Problem-Solving in Physics from Introductory to Graduate Levels

Developing expertise in physics requires appropriate integration and assimilation of physics and mathematics. Instructors and students often describe physics courses in terms of their emphasis on conceptual and quantitative problem-solving. For example, they may argue that a course emphasizes primarily conceptual over quantitative problem-solving or may emphasize equally on both depending on instructional context and assessment design. In this study, we investigated how students and instructors across different levels of physics instruction perceive the roles and development of conceptual and quantitative problem-solving in student learning and expertise development. Using departmental surveys administered at the beginning and end of each semester, we collected both Likert-scale and open-ended responses from students enrolled in introductory, upper-level undergraduate and graduate physics courses. These surveys assessed students’ self-perceived skills, preferences, and perceptions of instructors and course emphasis. To complement student perspectives, we conducted interviews with instructors, using parallel questions adapted to reflect instructional goals and expectations. Our findings highlight patterns in how students and instructors prioritize conceptual and quantitative problem-solving across course levels, as well as alignment and misalignment between student and instructor perspectives. Also, although the questions were framed around conceptual versus quantitative problem-solving, we do not view them as mutually exclusive; rather we seek to understand perceived course emphasis and student expertise development from student and instructor points of view in a language commonly used in physics. These results can help shape teaching, course design, and assessment practices to better support the development of expert-like problem-solving skills in students in physics and related disciplines.