RETENTION, MOTIVATION, AND KNOWLEDGE IN SCIENCE AND GEOSCIENCE COURSES

Previous studies conducted on traditional-aged students indicate that students who are under-represented in undergraduate natural science programs do not feel comfortable in traditional science courses. For example, women report lower self-efficacy and greater anxiety than men.

In this study of working adult students, the ethnic and gender demographics are similar to under-represented populations in natural science courses, including the geosciences. Many of these working adult students describe their feelings towards natural science with phrases like “I'm afraid of science” and “I don't like science”, and often point to previous K-12 and college science course experiences as the basis for their fear and dislike of natural science. On the other hand, anecdotal evidence, including student course evaluations, suggests that these students enjoy lab and field work, and take additional science courses when they find out that those courses involve such work.

In this study, changes in student feelings towards science (Glynn and Koballa, 2006) are being compared to knowledge gained (Libarkin et al., 2007) and overall course grade. Because of course demographics, it is expected that the results will give particular information on reasons why women and African-Americans are under-represented in the geosciences. The literature indicates that women, at least, are discouraged in the middle school years. Results of this study may suggest that college students can recover from earlier discouragements.

References

Glynn, S. M., & Koballa, T. R., Jr. (2006). Motivation to learn college science, in J. J. Mintzes & W. H. Leonard (Eds.), Handbook of college science teaching (pp. 25-32). Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association Press.

Libarkin, J. C. and Anderson, S. W. (2007) Development of the Geoscience Concept Inventory, in Proceedings of the National STEM Assessment Conference, Washington DC, October 19-21, 2006, p. 148-158.