Evaluating the impact of malleable factors on percent time lecturing in gateway chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses

International Journal of STEM Education

Brandon J. Yik¹  Jeffrey R. Raker¹  Marilyne Stains²  Estrella Johnson³  Melissa H. Dancy⁴  Charles Henderson⁵  Naneh Apkarian⁶ 

[1]Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, 33620-5250, Tampa, FL, USA

[2]Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, 22904-4319, Charlottesville, VA, USA

[3]Department of Mathematics, Virginia Tech, 24061-0123, Blacksburg, VA, USA

[4]Department of Physics and Center for STEM Learning, University of Colorado, 80309-0390, Boulder, CO, USA

[5]Department of Physics and Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Western Michigan University, 49008-5252, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

[6]School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, 85287-1804, Tempe, AZ, USA

关键词: Contextual factors;    Personal factors;    Beliefs about teaching;    Institutional change;    Undergraduate education;    Teaching practices;    Evidence-based instructional practices;    Chemistry;    Mathematics;    Physics;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40594-022-00333-3

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundActive learning used in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses has been shown to improve student outcomes. Nevertheless, traditional lecture-orientated approaches endure in these courses. The implementation of teaching practices is a result of many interrelated factors including disciplinary norms, classroom context, and beliefs about learning. Although factors influencing uptake of active learning are known, no study to date has had the statistical power to empirically test the relative association of these factors with active learning when considered collectively. Prior studies have been limited to a single or small number of evaluated factors; in addition, such studies did not capture the nested nature of institutional contexts. We present the results of a multi-institution, large-scale (N = 2382 instructors; N = 1405 departments; N = 749 institutions) survey-based study in the United States to evaluate 17 malleable factors (i.e., influenceable and changeable) that are associated with the amount of time an instructor spends lecturing, a proxy for implementation of active learning strategies, in introductory postsecondary chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses.ResultsRegression analyses, using multilevel modeling to account for the nested nature of the data, indicate several evaluated contextual factors, personal factors, and teacher thinking factors were significantly associated with percent of class time lecturing when controlling for other factors used in this study. Quantitative results corroborate prior research in indicating that large class sizes are associated with increased percent time lecturing. Other contextual factors (e.g., classroom setup for small group work) and personal contexts (e.g., participation in scholarship of teaching and learning activities) are associated with a decrease in percent time lecturing.ConclusionsGiven the malleable nature of the factors, we offer tangible implications for instructors and administrators to influence the adoption of more active learning strategies in introductory STEM courses.

【 授权许可】

CC BY