In this study, the authors analyzed how students' grades in high school biology courses are associated with their predicted and actual grades in college courses. The results of the study revealed a disconnect between high school and college biology courses. High school students are not well-served by high grades in high school courses that are not…

The academic success of students in introductory science courses is influenced by a variety of factors, the most important of which is academic motivation. Students express their levels of academic motivation in many ways, including their class attendance, amount of studying, compliance with assignments, and participation in course-related…

In this study, the author examined how attendance in the lab is associated with students' lab grades and overall course grades in an introductory biology course. Results from this study indicate that academic motivation, as expressed by high rates of class attendance, is critical to students' success in introductory science courses. The highest…

Students enter college exceedingly confident that they will earn high grades and engage themselves fully in their courses. However, students' grades and academic behaviors often do not match their expectations. This is especially true in introductory science courses, where grades and academic engagement are often low, even in courses taught by…

Science courses with hands-on investigative labs are a typical part of the general education requirements at virtually all colleges and universities. In these courses, labs that satisfy a curricular requirement for "lab experience" are important because they provide the essence of the scientific experience--that is, they give students…

Students in an introductory college biology course who believed that attending class had been important for their academic success in high school were 1) most likely to attend their college biology class, 2) most likely to earn high grades in their college biology class, 3) most likely to report that their high school classes had been challenging,…

In a study spanning several years and including more than 1600 students, lab attendance was strongly correlated with lab grades (r = 0.64), lecture attendance (r = 0.49), and course grades (r = 0.60) in an introductory biology course. Regardless of the semester, lab attendance was lowest during the first week of the semester, and students who…

In a 16-year study involving more than 4,800 students, fewer than 2% of students were caught cheating in introductory science classes. The most common type of cheating was plagiarism in lab reports (50% of incidents), followed by altering exams (41%) and submitting falsified lab data (9%). Cheating occurred among students earning all grades in the…

Although first-year students in Supplemental Instruction (SI) earned similar average numerical-grades in an introductory biology course as non-SI students, their grade distributions were different: SI students earned fewer D's and F's than non-SI students. SI students who earned A's and B's had similar admissions scores as those who earned D's and…

On the first day of classes, most students in introductory biology courses (a) believe that their effort is the most accurate predictor of their academic success, and (b) are confident that they will work hard and earn high grades. Despite their optimism, many students do not follow through on their expectations, and their grades drop accordingly.…

On the first day of classes, 81% of students in an introductory biology course claimed that they would submit extra-credit work if given the opportunity. When given two chances for extra-credit work, fewer than one-fourth of students submitted one or both assignments. Students who submitted extra-credit work were more likely to attend class,…