Students' Perception of Biology Fieldwork: The Example of Students Undertaking a Preliminary Year at a UK University

Autor/inn/en	Goulder, Raymond; Scott, Graham W.; Scott, Lisa J.
Titel	Students' Perception of Biology Fieldwork: The Example of Students Undertaking a Preliminary Year at a UK University
Quelle	In: International Journal of Science Education, 35 (2013) 8, S.1385-1406 (22 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0950-0693
DOI	10.1080/09500693.2012.708796
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Field Experience Programs; Field Instruction; Field Trips; Biology; Science Instruction; College Science; Student Surveys; Questionnaires; Tables (Data); Student Attitudes; Comparative Analysis; Affective Objectives; College Freshmen; Multiple Regression Analysis; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Praxisnahes Lernen; Praxisklasse; Exkursion; Biologie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Schülerbefragung; Fragebogen; Tabelle; Schülerverhalten; Studienanfänger; Großbritannien
Abstract	It is widely held among biology teachers that fieldwork is valuable, but little is heard about students' perception of fieldwork or about the reasons for their liking or disliking fieldwork. This paper uses data from students to explore the hypotheses (1) that biology students with a positive perception of fieldwork have a less positive perception of laboratory work and vice versa and (2) that perception of fieldwork is related to demographic/personal factors and/or to pre-university perceptions and experience of fieldwork. Numeric indices of appreciation of biology field and laboratory work ("I"[subscript field] and "I"[subscript lab]) were determined using questionnaire information from 54 students. "I"[subscript field] and "I"[subscript lab] were positively correlated and there was no evidence of polarization of views; the problem that some students have a poor perception of both needs to be addressed. Mature students had a more positive view of fieldwork than 18-20-year-olds. However, regression analysis of "I"[subscript field] against principal components suggested that demographic/personal factors had relatively little overall influence (less than 20%) on appreciation of fieldwork. Perception of fieldwork at university was related to the rank given to fieldwork when choosing a university course. However, students who had participated in pre-university fieldwork did not have a more positive perception of university fieldwork; although students who recalled a worst memory of pre-university fieldwork had a less positive perception of fieldwork at university. The seeming mixed relevance of pre-university fieldwork suggests that the relationship between perception of fieldwork undertaken at university and quality of pre-university fieldwork is an area for future research. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10