Bridging Theory and Practice in Physics: Kolb-Informed Learning Outcomes at a Vietnamese University

This study examines the relationship between two learning outcomes in a Physics 1 course at a Vietnamese engineering university: problem-solving performance and laboratory experimentation performance. Score data from 241 first-year students in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering were analyzed using descriptive and nonparametric statistical methods. The results indicate a positive but weak association between the two outcomes, suggesting that theoretical and experimental competencies are related yet not strongly coupled. Median-based grouping reveals the coexistence of a well-performing group, groups with imbalanced strengths between theory and practice, and a group experiencing difficulties in both outcomes. From a Kolb experiential learning perspective, the findings highlight the need for more integrated instructional designs that better connect abstraction in lectures with data-based reflection and interpretation in laboratory activities, thereby enhancing outcome-based training quality.