Here are 34 statements which may or may not describe your beliefs about this course. You are asked to rate each statement by circling a number between 1 and 5 where the numbers mean the following:

1: Strongly Disagree

2: Disagree

3: Neutral

4: Agree

5: Strongly Agree

Answer the questions by circling the number that best expresses your feeling. Work quickly. Don't over-elaborate the meaning of each statement. They are meant to be taken as straight forward and simple. If you don't understand a statement, leave it blank. If you understand, but have no strong opinion, circle 3. If an item combines two statements and you disagree with either one, choose 1 or 2.

1	All I need to do to understand most of the basic ideas in this course is just read the text, work most of the problems, and/or pay close attention in class.	1 2 3 4 5
2	All I learn from a derivation or proof of a formula is that the formula obtained is valid and that it is OK to use it in problems.	1 2 3 4 5
3	I go over my class notes carefully to prepare for tests in this course.	1 2 3 4 5
4	"Problem solving" in physics basically means matching problems with facts or equations and then substituting values to get a number.	1 2 3 4 5
5	Learning physics made me change some of my ideas about how the physical world works.	1 2 3 4 5
6	I spend a lot of time figuring out and understanding at least some of the derivations or proofs given either in class or in the text.	1 2 3 4 5
7	I read the text in detail and work through many of the examples given there.	1 2 3 4 5
8	In this course, I do not expect to understand equations in an intuitive sense; they must just be taken as givens.	1 2 3 4 5
9	The best way for me to learn physics is by solving many problems rather than by carefully analyzing a few in detail.	1 2 3 4 5
10	Physical laws have little relation to what I experience in the real world.	1 2 3 4 5
11	A good understanding of physics is necessary for me to achieve my career goals. A good grade in this course is not enough.	1 2 3 4 5
12	Knowledge in physics consists of many pieces of information each of which applies primarily to a specific situation.	1 2 3 4 5
13	My grade in this course is primarily determined by how familiar I am with the material. Insight or creativity has little to do with it.	1 2 3 4 5
14	Learning physics is a matter of acquiring knowledge that is specifically located in the laws, principles, and equations given in class and/or in the textbook.	1 2 3 4 5
15	In doing a physics problem, if my calculation gives a result that differs significantly from what I expect, I'd have to trust the calculation.	1 2 3 4 5
16	The derivations or proofs of equations in class or in the text has little to do with solving problems or with the skills I need to succeed in this course.	1 2 3 4 5
17	Only very few specially qualified people are capable of really understanding physics.	1 2 3 4 5
18	To understand physics, I sometimes think about my personal experiences and relate them to the topic being analyzed.	1 2 3 4 5
19	The most crucial thing in solving a physics problem is finding the right equation to use.	1 2 3 4 5
20	If I don't remember a particular equation needed for a problem in an exam there's nothing much I can do (legally!) to come up with it.	1 2 3 4 5
21	If I came up with two different approaches to a problem and they gave different answers, I would not worry about it; I would just choose the answer that seemed most reasonable. (Assume the answer is not in the back of the book.)	1 2 3 4 5
22	Physics is related to the real world and it sometimes helps to think about the connection, but it is rarely essential for what I have to do in this course.	1 2 3 4 5
23	The main skill I get out of this course is learning how to solve physics problems.	1 2 3 4 5
24	The results of an exam don't give me any useful guidance to improve my understanding of the course material. All the learning associated with an exam is in the studying I do before it takes place.	1 2 3 4 5
25	Learning physics helps me understand situations in my everyday life.	1 2 3 4 5
26	When I solve most exam or homework problems, I explicitly think about the concepts that underlie the problem.	1 2 3 4 5
27	"Understanding" physics basically means being able to recall something you've read or been shown.	1 2 3 4 5
28	Spending a lot of time (half an hour or more) working on a problem is a waste of time. If I don't make progress quickly, I'd be better off asking someone who knows more than I do.	1 2 3 4 5
29	A significant problem in this course is being able to memorize all the information I need to know.	1 2 3 4 5
30	The main skill I get out of this course is to learn how to reason logically about the physical world.	1 2 3 4 5
31	I use the mistakes I make on homework and on exam problems as clues to what I need to do to understand the material better.	1 2 3 4 5
32	To be able to use an equation in a problem (particularly in a problem that I haven't seen before), I need to know more than what each term in the equation represents.	1 2 3 4 5
33	It is possible to pass this course (get a "C" or better) without understanding physics very well.	1 2 3 4 5
34	Learning physics requires that I substantially rethink, restructure, and reorganize the information that I am given in class and/or in the text	1 2 3 4 5

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Comments and questions may be directed to E. F. Redish
Last modified March 2, 2001