Quantitative Reasoning in Biology Labs: Impacts of Setting and Attitude on Undergraduate Students’ Depth of Noticing

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning Across Contexts

Abstract

Quantitative reasoning (QR) is essential for success in biology, but many undergraduate students struggle to apply QR in biology settings. We utilized focus group interviews and stimulated recall to compare how introductory biology lab and upper-division biology course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) students differ in their approaches to QR by analyzing what they notice when doing QR in biology labs. We also investigated how students’ attitudes towards math and biology, and lab format may influence noticing. Our findings suggest that introductory biology students may be approaching QR more procedurally, limiting their depth of noticing. CURE students, however, indicated feeling greater ownership of the data, likely fostering greater depth of noticing, awareness, and integration of conceptual math and science in QR.

Authors

• Joelle Prate, Chapman University

• Jeremy Hsu, Chapman University