Learning by Teaching: First-Year Engineering Students’ Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Belonging in an Outreach-Based Physics Course

This study examines how integrating outreach-based teaching into an introductory engineering physics course is associated with first-year students’ learning motivation, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and preparedness for educational outreach. Grounded in learning-by-teaching, self-determination theory, social cognitive theory, and experiential learning, the study explores how authentic teaching roles relate to students’ learning-related perceptions and reflective experiences. Using a mixed-methods design, the study combined pre- and post-course questionnaires with undergraduate reflections and feedback from secondary school participants. Learning motivation did not differ significantly, while self-efficacy and sense of belonging declined significantly and outreach teaching readiness increased significantly. These declines may reflect recalibration as students became more aware of conceptual complexity and first-year transitional tensions, although course difficulty, workload, and adjustment to university study remain possible explanations. Qualitative findings showed that outreach-based teaching supported conceptual awareness, responsibility for others’ learning, communication confidence, and reflection on teaching practices. Overall, outreach-based teaching appears to function as a reflective pedagogical approach that supports teaching readiness and professional agency rather than producing uniform gains in motivation, confidence, or belonging.