Evolutionary theory is central to biology, and scientifically accurate evolution instruction is promoted within national and state standards documents. Previous literature has identified students' epistemological beliefs as potential predictors of evolution acceptance. The present work seeks to explore more directly how student views of evolution…

From the perspective of social cognitive theory, the motivation of students to learn science in college courses was examined. The students--367 science majors and 313 nonscience majors--responded to the Science Motivation Questionnaire II, which assessed five motivation components: intrinsic motivation, self-determination, self-efficacy, career…

Provides data on the characteristics of students enrolling in physical science courses, the impact of Physical Science for Nonscience Students on selected cognitive and affective objectives, and the effect of duration of instruction. Impressions from site visits are also reported. (AL)

Describes possible curriculum evaluation designs, and the reasons for choosing a randomized control group design for evaluating the Physical Science for Nonscience Majors course. Outlines procedures used in this evaluation. (AL)

Compares prior understanding of basic concepts of students enrolled in majors' versus nonmajors' introductory biology courses. Results revealed that nonmajors demonstrated greater improvement in posttest scores than did majors and their attitude toward science were improved, whereas student attitudes in the majors' courses declined in nearly all…

This descriptive study was conducted to (1) measure anxiety levels of geology students (N=49) and earth science students (N=68) about taking these required departmental courses; (2) measure their general anxiety level; and (3) examine factors associated with student anxiety. Results (including those related to sex differences) are reported and…

Concept-map construction was tested as a means of increasing the conceptual learning of first-year, non-major college chemistry students (n=32). No significant differences between the control (essay-writing) and treatment (concept-map-constructing) groups were found on post-lab multiple-choice achievement tests. Interviews with students indicated…

Investigated relationships between visual-spatial abilities and achievement and what influence these abilities have on the high attribution rate characteristic of many introductory college-level science courses. Results, among others, using physics students (N=136) and nonscience majors (N=52), indicate that visual-spatial abilities influence…

Describes a study that examines the extent to which differences exist in the concept maps of advanced college biology majors (n=25) and beginning nonmajors (n=25) in the domain of mammals. Results indicate that the concept maps of biology majors are structurally more complex than those of nonmajors. (ZWH)

Argues that concern for the needs of science department faculty in small colleges and universities is lacking in the science education research literature. Claims that such faculty's duties often include educating science majors and science education majors, and the unique problems arising from this dual role should be more thoroughly studied.…

Investigated methods science and nonscience majors use to make predictions about five situations involving the conservation of mechanical energy. Two findings, among others, show that subjects did not employ identifiable strategies in over 97 percent of the cases and show differences in the way majors and nonmajors worked the problems given.…

Investigated is the extent to which students' nonscientific beliefs change by comparing before and after instruction as a function of students' reasoning skill. Nonscientific beliefs discussed include special creation, orthogenesis, the soul, nonreductionism, vitalism, teleology, and nonemergentism. (KR)

Quantitative outcomes from the Attitudes toward Science Inventory, as well as interview results, indicate that nonscience college majors have high anxiety levels in combination with low levels of motivation when confronted with science material. Further, these attitudes toward science change with exposure to introductory, science instruction with…

The use of inquiry-based laboratory in college science classes is on the rise. This study investigated how five nonmajor biology students learned from an inquiry-based laboratory experience. Using interpretive data analysis, the five students' conceptual ecologies, learning beliefs, and science epistemologies were explored. Findings indicated that…