ERIC Number: EJ1173174
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Mar
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0047-231X
EISSN: N/A
Student and Faculty Views on Process of Science Skills at a Large, Research-Intensive University
Addis, Elizabeth A.; Powell-Coffman, Jo Anne
Journal of College Science Teaching, v47 n4 p72-82 Mar 2018
The Association of American Colleges and Universities ranks multiple process of science (POS) skills among the top-10 skills employers seek in college graduates. As part of an effort to explore and align the emphasis on POS skills in our science departments, we sought three things: (a) to determine if faculty and students felt enough time was devoted to POS skills, (b) to identify the skills that science students and faculty felt were important to acquire from an undergraduate education, and (c) to evaluate whether there were differences in these views among disciplines. We found that faculty and students agreed on the amount of time spent in class on POS skills, but students thought that amount of time was sufficient, whereas faculty did not. Further, students and faculty placed a high importance on the POS skills of problem solving/critical thinking, communicating results, and interpreting data. We did not find differences among faculty of different science disciplines on the most highly ranked POS skills, but we did in students. The findings of this study have informed curricular discussions and decisions.
Descriptors: College Students, College Science, Science Process Skills, Research Universities, Science Education, Teacher Attitudes, College Faculty, Student Attitudes, Time on Task, Preferences, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Communication Skills, Data Interpretation, Intellectual Disciplines, Majors (Students), Student Surveys, Teacher Surveys
National Science Teachers Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: http://www.nsta.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A