The Effect of Pedagogical Enhancements on College Students' Motivation and Classroom Climate Beliefs in Biology

• In Event: Exploring Students' Perceptions of Value, Relevance, and Interest in STEM Contexts

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in classroom climate perceptions and motivational beliefs between students enrolled in undergraduate Biology courses that fostered an active learning environment through pedagogical enhancements (intervention group) and students enrolled in traditional, exposition-centered Biology courses (control group). Participants were 1087 students who self-selected into one of the introductory biology courses randomly assigned to the intervention or control. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that students in classrooms receiving the intervention held higher self-efficacy and task value beliefs for the course at completion compared to their counterparts in traditional classrooms. Moreover, students receiving the intervention reported higher levels of instructor support, academic press, and situational interest for the course compared to the control group.

Authors

• Danya Marie Corkin, Rice University

• Catherine L. Horn, University of Houston

• Donna Pattison, Nunavut Arctic College