School-leaving examination in physics at the end of upper secondary school in the Czech Republic - Current state

The paper summarizes that the form and content of education in the Czech Republic is determined by the framework educational programmes (FEPs) and school educational programmes (SEPs). Analysis of these documents showed that the school-leaving examination (Maturita) in physics at the end of upper secondary education is not unified in any way on the national level. To map how the Maturita examination in physics looks like, the questionnaire survey was conducted. 366 gymnasiums and 32 schools with the study programme technical lyceum were proposed to participate in the survey. The return rate for the teacher questionnaire was approximately 28 %. The teacher questionnaire confirmed that the oral form of the Maturita examination in physics prevails in most schools and showed that the proportion of students choosing the Maturita examination in physics has been stable at around one-tenth of all school-leaving students with physics included in their curriculum. Students most often study for the exam on their own and as sources of information, use their own physics workbooks. As the easiest physics thematic area in terms of preparation for the exam is perceived mechanics, on the contrary, electricity and magnetism is considered to be the most difficult. The main reason to choose physics as one of the elective subjects in the Maturita exam appears to be students’ interest and enjoyment in physics.


Introduction
In the Czech Republic, the framework educational programmes (FEPs) determine the compulsory content and the form of education.The methods and conditions for completion of education at upper secondary schools are set out in § 72 and § 77 to § 82 of the Education Act and the Decree on Completing Studies in Secondary Schools and Vocational Schools.The framework educational programmes (FEPs) determine the compulsory content and the form of education.According to the FEPs, schools create their own school educational programmes (SEPs) in which the content of education is organized into integrated parts of the curriculum -most often into subjects, e.g.physics.
Our extensive literature searches [1] showed that although physics is taught with at least a little time allotment in some vocational study programmes, in fact, the school-leaving examination in physics is chosen only by students of the general secondary school (gymnasium) and by students of the study programme technical lyceum.
The school-leaving examination in these types of school is called the Maturita examination.Its requirements are generally defined by the Education Act.According to the Education Act, the Maturita examination has two parts -a common (state) part and a profile (school) part [2].Within the profile part, the student chooses 2 to 3 subjects, and one of them can be physics.However, the offer, forms, and topics of the examinations in the profile part of the Maturita examination are the responsibility of the school headmasters, who determine them in accordance with the FEP and SEP.So neither the Education Act nor the FEPs generally determine the form of the Maturita Examination in physics.
In the FEPs, physics as an educational field is included in the educational area Man and Nature.Together with other educational fields, they have a minimum time allotment of 36 class hours per 4 years.The minimum time allotment is set to 10 class hours per 4 years of study in the FEP for the study programme technical lyceum.This results in a certain freedom for upper secondary schools in determining the physics time allotment.
It is important to point out that the Maturita examination in physics is the only formal output of physics secondary education in the Czech Republic.
There do not exist in the Czech Republic, except for the state school-final exam, e.g., the Maturita examination, no uniform exit tests from secondary education.In addition, since 1995, when the Czech Republic participated in the TIMSS Advanced survey, no research has been conducted or published in the field of secondary school physics education.
Therefore, before proceeding to a comprehensive survey of the physics knowledge of students after completing primary and secondary education, we decided to map what this only final examination in physics conducted in the Czech Republic looks like.Because as it follows from the preceding paragraph, it can differ to a certain extent between schools.
We are aware that the obtained data are especially important for the Czech Republic, however, for countries where the situation with determining the results of secondary school physics education is similar, the data can be interesting for comparison and the conducted investigation can also be an inspiration.

Methodology
We conducted a questionnaire survey, which consisted of two types of questionnaire.The creation of the first of them was motivated by the goal of mapping the form of the Maturita exam in physics.So the first questionnaire was designed for physics teachers who have the best information about the form of the Maturita exam in physics at their school.And since we already had the opportunity of unique contact to secondary schools, we also created a questionnaire for final-year students who chose physics as one of the subjects in the profile part of the Maturita examination in the school year 2020/2021.So along with the request to participate in the teacher questionnaire, we also asked the schools to forward the student questionnaire to their students who are taking the Maturita examination in physics that school year.
As was said in the introduction, only students of gymnasiums and technical lyceums choose the Maturita examination in physics.Therefore, the sample consisted of general secondary schools (gymnasiums) and secondary schools with the study programme technical lyceum.
The creation of the teacher questionnaire was led by a clear main research question.In addition to that, we wanted to know what percentage of gymnasium and technical lyceum students choose to take the Maturita examination in physics.We had an idea that it would be a relatively small part of these students.
Several research questions were connected with the creation of the student questionnaire.One of them was why this elite group of students (elite due to the assumption of a small proportion of schoolleaving students) chooses physics as one of the subjects in the profile part of the Maturita examination.
The questionnaires were first sent to schools in April 2021 and, due to the COVID pandemic, repeated data collection took place in October 2021.

Selected findings
At first, we will present the distribution of responses from the teacher questionnaire, then we will move to the student questionnaire.

Teacher questionnaire
In total, questionnaires were sent to 366 gymnasiums and 32 technical lyceums.102 questionnaires from gymnasiums and 10 from technical lyceums have been returned to us with the limit of one response per school.The return rate is approximately 28.14 %.
3.1.1.Time allotment for physics.We were primarily interested in the school-leaving examination in physics, it would be suitable to have at least some idea of how many class hours of physics students complete before they take the Maturita exam in physics.We investigated the number of class hours allotted to regular physics lessons, the number of lessons that students spend doing laboratory work, and the number of class hours allotted to elective physics seminars.
We wanted to map the time allotment in the individual years of schooling in the study programmes: four-year gymnasium (pupils enter the study after finishing the last 9 th year of primary school, approximately at the age of 15), six-year gymnasium (pupils enter the study after finishing the 7 th year of primary school), eight-year gymnasium (pupils enter the study after finishing the 5 th year of primary school), and technical lyceum (pupils enter the study programme after finishing the last 9 th year of primary school, same as in the case of four-year gymnasium).
From table 1, it is clear that the average time allotment for regular physics lessons in the first three years of the upper gymnasium is 2 hours per week (by upper gymnasium we mean the last four years before completing the upper secondary education, e.g.all four years of a four-year gymnasium or the third to the sixth year of a six-year gymnasium).In the last year, students usually do not take regular compulsory physics lessons, but elective physics seminars prevail.The time allotted to regular compulsory physics lessons at the technical lyceum is higher compared to the gymnasium study programmes, which is probably reflected in the lower time allotment for elective physics seminars.

The proportion of school-leaving students who chose physics as one of the subject of the Maturita examination.
The question seeking the number of students selecting physics for the Maturita examination was an open-response question.From all the gathered answers, the average values were calculated.
In the school year 2018/2019, the proportion of school-leaving students who decided to take the Maturita examination in physics was 11.2 %, in the following year the rate was 10.2 %, and in the school year 2020/2021 these students constituted 10.6 % of all school-leaving students.The differences in proportions between gymnasiums and technical lyceums are depicted in table 2. This section presents the responses received to several questions.First, the Yes/No-type question asked whether the school has the particular form of the Maturita examination in physics.In case of a positive answer, the respondent was asked to describe the concrete form in more detail.97 % of respondents answered that the Maturita examination in physics at their school has (also) an oral form, of which 97 % agreed with the statement that "In the oral form of the Maturita exam, the student first draws a question, then has some time to prepare, and then presents his/her answer to the committee."89 % of the respondents1 answered that solving a problem (in physics) is part of the oral form of the Maturita exam in physics (of which one respondent stated that the tasks are solved only by students of 4-year and 8-year gymnasium study programs2 and in another two schools the problem solving is part of only a few questions).Typical sources of problems were collections of tasks for the gymnasium and textbooks for the gymnasium.28 % of these respondents answered that students choose from the tasks known in advance.
Students have to pass the written form of the Maturita examination in physics at 10 % of secondary schools (of which in one case it is only at the 6-year study programme taught in English).
A practical form of the Maturita examination in physics can be found only at gymnasiums, and students can write and defend their graduation thesis in physics at 9 % of secondary schools.Teachers described the practical form of the Maturita examination in physics rather as a simple demonstration of a physics phenomenon, measurement of values or as work in a laboratory at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physics Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague.
A brief summary of previously discussed information can be seen in figure 1.

Student questionnaire
Of 366 addressed schools, 94 questionnaires were filled in by final-year upper secondary school students who chose physics as one of the elective subjects in the Maturita examination.
In the section devoted to methodology, we stated that together with the request for schools to participate in the teacher questionnaire, we proposed the physics teachers to forward the student questionnaire to their students.In an effort to avoid unnecessarily prolonging the questionnaires (and also because we did not consider this information important and useful), we did not ask the respondents to write the type of school they attend.Therefore, during the evaluation, we did not determine the affiliation of the students with the study programme or with the school itself.
All presented questions (exceptions will be commented individually) were multiple choice questions, which means that students could choose an unlimited number of the proposed options.Furthermore, they were allowed to add their own unique answers.

Methods and sources used to prepare for the Maturita examination in physics.
In figure 2, it is shown that the vast majority of students (95 %) studied for the Maturita exam in physics themselves, more than two-thirds of students (68 %) reported attending a physics seminar, 44 % of school-leaving students used consultations with a teacher, and 39 % of students (among other things) prepared together with their classmates.
The other methods represent correspondence seminars and Olympiads, watching popular educational videos on YouTube, reading books, processing questions, and arranging "lectures" for imaginary students.Figure 3 depicts the various sources students used in preparation for the Maturita exam in physics.Students often (60 %) learned from their own workbooks, almost half (49 %) used already processed Maturita topics from classmates and friends, and 46 % percent of students mentioned physics topics processed by themselves as one of the sources of preparation for the Maturita examination.Approximately one third of the respondents (35 %) prepared for the Maturita exam (also with) using gymnasia textbooks.One third of school-leaving students (both equally 33 %) used Wikipedia and already processed questions on the Internet to prepare for the Maturita exam in physics.
Figure 3. Sources of information used to prepare for the Maturita examination in physics.

The reason for the selection of physics for the Maturita examination.
83 % of the students responded that they are interested in and enjoy physics, and (also) that's why they chose it as one of the subjects of the Maturita exam.Approximately the same proportion of school-leaving students (45 % and 44 %) understand it and are good at it (and this is one of the reasons why they chose it as one of the subjects of the Maturita exam) or need it for further study.Approximately one in six students takes the Maturita exam in physics (also) because they need it for university/college entrance exams.Among other reasons, students stated the fear of the teacher examining the subject they wanted to choose, the desire to learn physics comprehensively, not wanting to take the Maturita examination in biology, or passion for physics.

Demandingness of physics thematic areas.
Students were asked to choose up to three of the listed physics topics (they could add their own) which were the easiest and the most difficult for them in terms of preparation for the Maturita examination.
Mechanics was the easiest thematic area for school-leaving students in terms of preparation for the Maturita examination in physics (up to 82 % of students marked it as the easiest topic); the second easiest topics considered by students were molecular and thermal physics and optics (for molecular and thermal physics it was 32 % of respondents, for optics 30 %).For the overall ranking of the physics topics perceived as the easiest see figure 5. Approximately 41 % of students ranked electricity and magnetism among the most difficult thematic areas (in terms of preparation for the Maturita examination in physics), a third of respondents (34 %) ranked particle physics there and slightly fewer optics (30 %).The overall ranking of physics topics perceived as the most difficult is depicted in figure 6.

Open-response questions.
This section will present the data gathered by the open-response questions.Therefore, absolute frequencies of answers instead of percentage distribution of answers will be mentioned here.
Students had the possibility to explain why the selected physics topics were the easiest and the most difficult for them in terms of preparation for the Maturita examination.The most common reasons for perception of the chosen thematic areas as simple: they were easy for students to understand (30 times) and they enjoyed them (they were interesting) (28 times); less often stated was the cognitive aspect of the topic3 (13 times) and easy to imagine the topic (13 times).
For the thematic areas perceived as the most difficult, the most common reasons given by the students were: inadequate or insufficient teaching (20 times), difficult to imagine the topic (20 times), and the third most common reason was the problem of understanding the topic (16 times) and the extensive content of the topic (13 times).
The questionnaire also included two other optional open-response questions.We will mention only the most numerous or the most interesting answers.
83 decided to provide future school-leaving students with advice on preparing for the Maturita examination.More than a third of the respondents (33 students) advised future school-leaving students to start their preparation earlier.Similar advice was mentioned 11 times: "do not underestimate the preparation".Three types of advice: "use consultations with the physics teacher" (ask him/her questions), "don't stress" and "count physics tasks", were recommended to future school-leaving students by 8 respondents.And as the most beautiful advice provided by three of our respondents we consider this one: "love physics".
In the question of how students' idea of perfect school physics instruction differs from that they experienced in upper secondary school, 82 respondents answered.19 students responded that their idea of perfect physics school instruction is no different from the one they experienced in secondary school.11 respondents would prefer "more experiments and/or4 practical demonstrations"."More practical type of instruction and/or 4 more laboratory work" was mentioned 10 times.On the contrary, 8 respondents would prefer "a greater emphasis on theory".
One respondent stated an inspiring answer.Although he/she was satisfied with the teaching of physics in the school and has no complaints about it, he/she would include more experiments or illustrative examples through videos to make teaching motivating even for students who do not consider physics as an important subject.
Another respondent provided a thought-provoking answer.Quote: "I don't understand why everyone has to study physics, when the majority don't like it.After that, physics teachers have to spend more time on people who won't continue studying physics anyway, instead of devoting time to those who are really interested in it.Unfortunately, this is the problem of the whole system and applies to all subjects."

Conclusion and discussion
The only exit exam in physics at the end of secondary education in the Czech Republic is the Maturita examination.Its form is not unified in any way.Our hypothesis was that the oral form of the Maturita examination in physics prevails in most schools.The questionnaire data confirmed that hypothesis and brought the result that its typical course is as follows: "A student first draws a question, then has some time to prepare and then presents his/her answer to the committee."In most schools, students are required to solve a physics problem in the oral part of the exam.The most used sources from which to draw tasks for the oral part of the exam appeared to be collections of tasks for the gymnasium and textbooks for the gymnasium.
The proportion of school-leaving students who decide to take the Maturita examination in physics has been stable at around one-tenth of students over the last three school years, and their reasons for this choice are various.It is clear that students' interest in physics is the main reason to take the Maturita examination in physics.Students mostly studied for the Maturita exam on their own, and during the preparation they most often used their own physics workbooks and physics topics processed by their friends and classmates.By far, mechanics was the easiest thematic area for school-leaving students in terms of preparation for the Maturita examination in physics; the most difficult topic was electricity and magnetism.
The questionnaire survey showed that a very small proportion of students who have physics in their curriculum choose the school-leaving examination in physics.Although the form of the Maturita examination in physics is similar at most schools, each school can "customize" its content and is largely biased.It is an internal part of the school-leaving exam and is evaluated by the teachers of the given school.Such a form of the final exam in physics does not give us an objective picture of what students take away from the study of physics after completing secondary school.
These conclusions supported us in the further continuation of our research on physics knowledge and applications of students at the end of upper secondary education, we carried out in 2023.The data obtained by this testing is currently being evaluated.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.What is the form of the Maturita examination in physics at your school?

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Methods of preparation for the Maturita examination in physics.

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Why did you choose physics as one of the subjects of the Maturita examination?

Figure 6 .
Figure 6.The most difficult physics thematic areas.

Table 1 .
Average time allotment for physics at particular study programmes.

Table 2 .
The proportion of school-leaving students choosing the Maturita examination in physics.