Students' Affective Experiences in Upper-Level Computationally Integrated Physics Courses

Little is known about students' affective experiences when they simultaneously learn computation and physics, especially at the undergraduate level. This can limit the extent to which physics departments and instructors can structure their courses so that learning computation is a positive, meaningful, and equitable endeavor for physics students. As part of this study, we investigate affective impacts of integrating computation into physics curricula through the form of a mixed-methods case study at a large research university. In this talk, we discuss methodology of and preliminary findings from ethnographic observations and interviews with students enrolled in the first two upper-level courses to undergo computational integration. Specifically, we highlight student-perceived challenges and implications for the development of students' physics identities and physics computational literacy.