Skepticism vs. Convenience: Physics Students' Perceptions and Use of Large Language Models Before and After Instruction

arXiv:2609.21037v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The recent emergence of large language models (LLMs) has produced research focusing on the ability of these tools to solve physics problems, evaluate student work, or otherwise impact the problem-solving process of students. However, studies exploring how physics students perceive LLMs (in terms of capabilities, educational impacts, usage, and role in problem solving) remain limited. This study evaluates the first-year physics students' perceptions toward LLMs and further explores how these perceptions change after practicing problem-solving with and without LLMs and engaging in a reflective lesson on the functioning and educational impacts of LLMs. We find that student opinions toward LLMs vary, with generally favorable perceptions of their capabilities but greater skepticism regarding their value for learning. Despite this skepticism, a majority of students self-report regularly using LLMs to obtain help, commonly reporting deadlines and convenience as motivating factors. Following the lesson, students expressed greater skepticism toward LLMs in several areas, with 88% of students believing that LLMs can leave them with a false sense of confidence about their understanding, up from 58% before the lesson.