ERIC Number: EJ1029518
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1931-7913
EISSN: N/A
Longitudinal Study of Student Attitudes in a Biology Program
Hansen, Malin J.; Birol, Gulnur
CBE - Life Sciences Education, v13 n2 p331-337 Jun 2014
This is among the first longitudinal studies to report student attitudes across 4 yr of a university program. We found that the attitudes of students in biology become significantly more expert-like from the first year to the fourth year of the program, that is, there was a significant positive shift in students' overall percent favorable scores from 64.5 to 72%, as opposed to the expert response, which averaged 90%. There was a significant positive shift for the real world connection category (78-85%), the enjoyment (personal interest) category (74-82%), and the conceptual connections/memorization category (66-74%). Moreover, there was a significant correlation between students' overall percent favorable scores and performance (cumulative grade point average) at the end, but not at the beginning, of the fourth year, with high-performing students having significantly more expert-like attitudes than low-performing students. The correlation between percent favorable score and performance was the strongest for the problem solving: synthesis and application category, in which the highest-performing students finished their fourth year with 90% favorable compared with 35% favorable for the lowest-performing students. A comparison of these results with previously reported results and their implications for teaching are discussed.
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Longitudinal Studies, Biology, Scientific Attitudes, Attitude Change, Cognitive Structures, Expertise, College Students, Student Surveys, Online Surveys, Grade Point Average, Matched Groups, Academic Achievement, Foreign Countries
American Society for Cell Biology. 8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814-2762. Tel: 301-347-9300; Fax: 301-347-9310; e-mail: ascbinfo@ascb.org; Website: http://www.ascb.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Postsecondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A