Measuring Undergraduate Students' Approaches to Learning Biology: A Systematic Review

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning: Postsecondary Science Education

Abstract

For decades, undergraduate biology education researchers have made efforts towards engaging students in the process of science and assisting students in their development of deep, versatile approaches to learning science. Research indicates that students who adopt deep approaches or study strategies make meaningful connections with course material and as a result have higher academic achievement. Studies have identified several factors that influence student’s adoption of an approach. Given the context-dependent nature of approaches, there is a growing need to understand how students approach learning in a discipline-specific context. This systematic review analyzes how researchers have measured approaches to learning in the context of undergraduate biology, and how the findings of these reports shape our understanding of how students study biology.

Authors

• Angela Google, University of South Alabama

• Anna Strimaitis Grinath, Idaho State University

• Grant Gardner, Middle Tennessee State University