Ruling the wild waves: Construct of learning strategies in Physics among college students

Physics is known to be the most difficult branch among all other sciences. Understanding how students approach and engage with learning in physics can aid in determining effective strategies that result in better learning outcomes. Teachers can uncover best practices and assist struggling students in learning physics. The strategies in learning physics will ultimately improve the knowledge and performance of the struggling students. This quantitative study captures the construct of learning strategies in physics among college students. To achieve the purpose, an exploratory factor analysis was utilized, employing purposive sampling to collect qualitative data involving 6 participants to extract their learning strategies. From these statements, the researchers were able to generate a survey questionnaire that was used in the quantitative phase with the application of random sampling. When employing exploratory factor analysis, with a KMO of .851. The students' overall perception of these strategies was also measured as moderate. Hence, future researchers may consider the result of the study for further investigation utilizing confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling, and determine a model that best fits learning strategies in physics.