The Perceptions of Science Classes Survey: What Undergraduate Science Reform Efforts Really Need To Address.

Nine-hundred twenty two undergraduates completed an 80-item survey that assessed their perceptions of undergraduate science classes. Factor analysis of the items yielded 6 factors: (1) Pedagogical Strategies, (2) Faculty Interest in Teaching, (3) Student Interest and Perceived Competence in Science, (4) Passive Learning, (5) Grades as Feedback, and (6) Laboratory Experiences. Women differed significantly from men on the Pedagogical Strategies, Passive Learning, Grades as Feedback, and Laboratory Experiences factors. Correlational analyses and evidence from distinct groups supported the survey's construct validity. Students reported room for improvement of the science faculty's pedagogical practices. From the students' perspective, how information is taught appears to be at least as much of a concern as what information is taught.

[1]  E. Seymour,et al.  Talking About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave The Sciences , 1997 .

[2]  Sue V. Rosser,et al.  Female-Friendly Science: Applying Women's Studies Methods and Theories to Attract Students , 1990 .

[3]  Ann L. Brown,et al.  How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. , 1999 .

[4]  Elaine Seymour,et al.  "The Problem Iceberg" in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education: Student Explanations for High Attrition Rates. , 1992 .

[5]  Elaine Seymour,et al.  The loss of women from science, mathematics, and engineering undergraduate majors: An explanatory account , 1995 .

[6]  Alexander W. Astin,et al.  The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1982. , 1982 .

[7]  M. Linn,et al.  Gender, Mathematics, and Science , 1989 .

[8]  C. J. Mills,et al.  Assessment of the Chilly College Climate for Women. , 1985 .

[9]  B. Tabachnick,et al.  Using Multivariate Statistics , 1983 .

[10]  Penelope L. Peterson,et al.  Teachers' and Students' Cognitional Knowledge for Classroom Teaching and Learning , 1988 .

[11]  Herbert S. Lin,et al.  They’re Not Dumb, They’re Different: Stalking the Second Tier , 1991 .

[12]  Using Quantitative Measures to Predict Persistence in the Natural Sciences. , 1991 .

[13]  R. Oaxaca,et al.  Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. A Life Sequence Analysis. , 1998 .

[14]  Beth Kurtz-Costes,et al.  Doctoral student experiences in gender-balanced and male-dominated graduate programs , 2000 .

[15]  C. Kardash,et al.  Evaluation of an Undergraduate Research Experience: Perceptions of Undergraduate Interns and Their Faculty Mentors. , 2000 .

[16]  Willie Pearson,et al.  Who will do science? : educating the next generation , 1995 .

[17]  E. Gagné.  The cognitive psychology of school learning , 1985 .

[18]  Michael W. Matier,et al.  Choosing and leaving science in highly selective institutions , 1994 .

[19]  Susan F. Chipman,et al.  The Participation of Women and Minorities in Mathematical, Scientific, and Technical Fields , 1987 .

[20]  Sheila Tobias,et al.  They're Not Dumb, They're Different: Stalking the Second Tier , 1991 .

[21]  L. Shulman.  Those Who Understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching , 1986 .

[22]  Nancy E. Betz,et al.  The relationship of mathematics self-efficacy expectations to the selection of science-based college majors , 1983 .

[23]  Julian C. Stanley,et al.  Gender-related differences on the College Board's Advanced Placement and Achievement tests, 1982–1992. , 1996 .