A better understanding of how to improve student retention in engineering is required to support students in completing engineering degrees and entering the workforce. Application processes to engineering majors are one barrier to retention in some engineering programs. This study evaluates demographic, grades, application process, and engineering…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is useful to English as a foreign language (EFL) learners, but there is a paucity of research on how they perceive AI. Contextualized in a Chinese university setting, this study investigated Chinese university EFL learners' perceptions of Grammarly in English writing. Based on an extended technology acceptance model…

Our study explored how adolescents' experiences and musical preferences might relate to musical identity, and the likelihood of engaging in musical activities as adults. Participants were 170 first-year university students, both music majors and non-music majors. A questionnaire collected participants' responses regarding beliefs about music, as…

Low retention rates of undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields are a persistent problem in the USA. Information and knowledge of STEM topics is valuable in today's modern and global society, and STEM jobs are both lucrative and in high demand. As such, engagement and retention of undergraduate students in…

Hardy-Weinberg (HW) equilibrium and its accompanying equations are widely taught in introductory biology courses, but high math anxiety and low math proficiency have been suggested as two barriers to student success. Population-level Punnett squares have been presented as a potential tool for HW equilibrium, but actual data from classrooms have…

Current literature confirms that self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and participation in undergraduate research influence the academic performance and aspirations of students. However, a gap in the literature remains as research has yet to explore whether students who have participated in research have a higher sense of research self-efficacy…

The concepts of randomness and variation are pervasive in science. The purpose of this study was to document how post-secondary life science students explain randomness and variation, infer relationships between their explanations, and ability to describe and identify appropriate and inappropriate variation, and determine if students can identify…

The United States produces too few Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates to meet demand. We investigated scientific reasoning ability as a possible factor in STEM retention. To do this, we classified students in introductory biology courses at a large private university as either declared STEM or non-STEM majors and…

Recent calls to action urge sweeping reform in science education, advocating for improved learning for "all" students--including those majoring in fields beyond the sciences. However, little work has been done to characterize the differences--if any exist--between students planning a career in science and those studying other…

Insights on the use of the Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) and Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) instruments are presented. The relationship of students' CSE with their approach to studying and learning is explored. Differences in approach to studying are also analyzed based on several categorical variables.

Background/Context: The past few decades have seen an explosive growth in high-school student participation in the Advanced Placement program® (AP), with nearly two million exams completed in 2011. Traditionally, universities have considered AP enrollment as an indicator for predicting academic success during the admission process. However, AP…

To develop a more scientifically literate society, students need to understand the nature of science, which may be affected by controversial topics such as evolution. There are conflicting views among researchers concerning the relationships between understanding evolution, acceptance of evolution, and understanding of the nature of science. Four…

Academic dishonesty has been a matter of great concern in higher education for last few decades. The dishonest behavior of students at graduate and undergraduate level has become a severe issue for education and business sector, especially when the students exercise same dishonest practices at their jobs. The number of private and public sector…

The mathematical skills possessed by students taking introductory biology courses were investigated. A list of 23 mathematical competencies was identified as part of the development of a 46-item multiple-choice test to measure the extent to which students possessed these competencies. The Biomathematics Skills Test (BST) was administered to…