Investigating Students' Perception and Interest in Physics Education at the Secondary School Level in Selangor

Physics is one of the most fundamental branches of the physical sciences, yet its perceived difficulty has contributed to declining interest among secondary school students, raising concern within Malaysian science education. This study examined secondary school students' perception of, and interest in, learning Physics in Selangor, with three objectives: (1) to identify students' interest in learning Physics, (2) to examine the challenges students face in learning Physics, and (3) to determine the strategies Physics teachers use to boost students' interest. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining two quantitative surveys and one qualitative interview. Data for the first two objectives were gathered through Likert-scale questionnaires completed by 143 and 100 Form 4 science-stream students respectively, and analysed descriptively using SPSS. Data for the third objective were obtained from semi-structured interviews with three Physics teachers, analysed thematically. Findings show that students' interest is closely tied to Physics' relevance to real-world phenomena but is undermined by weak mathematical foundations and a persistent perception of Physics as a difficult subject. Teachers reported that a shortage of laboratory apparatus constrained their ability to sustain active, student-centred strategies for building interest.