Science Majors Research Articles

Student Perceptions of the Usefulness of Core Concepts When Reasoning in Physiology.

Research shows that when students use core concepts to guide their reasoning, they are able to construct more accurate, mechanistic explanations. However, there is scant research exploring student's perceptions of the usefulness of core concepts. Knowing students' perceptions could be influential in encouraging faculty to adopt core concept teaching strategies. In this study, we investigated how students perceive the usefulness of using the physiology core concepts to guide their reasoning. We collected the perceptions of undergraduate science majors who had completed Introductory Biology II, taught using a subset of physiology core concepts. Eleven student volunteers were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol, and 22 students provided end-of-semester reflections. Using a constant comparative method, we identified four emergent themes in students' perceptions: core concepts guide reasoning, core concepts support reasoning and learning across topics and disciplines, core concepts build self-efficacy in reasoning, and drawn core concept tools visualize reasoning. These findings suggest that core concepts, when used as tools to reason with, help students explain rather than memorize physiological phenomena, thus supporting deeper learning and transfer of knowledge to novel contexts. We also found that drawn scaffolding tools play a critical role in helping students organize their thinking, making abstract systems more approachable and supporting mechanistic reasoning. This study is the first qualitative analysis examining students' perceptions of the role core concepts of physiology play in their learning and reasoning processes.

Exploring Science Identity and Latent Factors of Student Gains in a Place-based Marine Science CURE Designed to Provide Access to Hawai'i Students from Historically Marginalized Ethnicities.

Hawai'i students, and in particular Native Hawaiian students, face high rates of attrition and low representation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academic majors and careers, but place-based Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) such as the Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) summer program may help to better engage these students with scientific content understanding and skills development. This article assesses latent factors of student gains after participating in the REMS program as they relate to student science identity. Results from an exploratory factor analysis examining the internal structure of an assessment measure delivered during the program suggest strong evidence of four latent factors in student self-reported learning gains: Content Understanding, Scientific Skills, Interest, and Integration. These factors will guide the development and delivery of the REMS survey as it is applied to additional cohorts of students participating in REMS and other, similar programs being developed and implemented in Hawai'i to support Native Hawaiian students. Although there were no significant relationships between these factors and responses to a science identity survey item, additional insights from an alumna of the program highlight how place-based elements in CUREs provide authentic and rigorous research training experiences for students from populations historically marginalized in STEM.

Student Attendance, Study Activities, Major, and Midterm Grades as Predictors of Final Course Grades of Undergraduate and Graduate Plant Materials Courses during the Eras before and after COVID-19

Data were collected from four plant materials courses over the span of 20 years. Two classes were at the undergraduate level, Trees and Shrubs for Sustainable Built Environments (HORT 306) and Plants for Sustainable Landscapes (HORT 308), and two classes were at the graduate level, Plants for Landscape Design (HORT 608) and Plants for Landscape Design II (HORT 609). Data from these courses were analyzed to determine trends in student performance and benchmarks that might be associated with student success. Data included student enrollment, midterm course grades, final course grades, number of unexcused absences, student-reported study times for various activities, student major, student experience (class rank), whether the courses were required, and perceived difficulty levels of the courses. Trends in grade distributions were fairly stable until the last 3 to 4 years before COVID-19, when mean final grades and the frequencies of A or B grades increased. Midterm grades were strongly positively correlated with final course grades across majors in all four courses before COVID-19 (R2 = 0.90, 0.74, 0.72, and 0.54 for HORT 306, HORT 308, HORT 608, and HORT 609, respectively; P ≤ 0.001) and continued to be positively correlated after COVID-19. The number of unexcused absences was negatively significantly correlated with final course grades across majors (R2 = −0.69, −0.63, −0.21, and −0.45 for HORT 306, HORT 308, HORT 608, and HORT 609, respectively) before COVID-19 (P ≤ 0.001) and continued to be similarly correlated after COVID-19. Fewer reductions from midterm to final grades were observed for fall courses than for spring courses, particularly for seniors. Self-reported time spent studying all aspects of the courses was either not significantly correlated (P ≤ 0.05) or surprisingly slightly negatively correlated with the final course grades for all four courses. Perceptions of courses as moderately difficult (range, 7.0–8.0 out of 10.0) were remarkably stable overall but varied considerably by major (range, 5.0–8.3) and experience (range, 7.5 for seniors to 8.1 for freshman). More than 96% of enrollment in the graduate courses both before and after COVID-19 comprised Horticulture and Landscape Architecture majors, whereas undergraduate enrollment included a wide diversity of majors; however, the majority of those students were horticulture or landscape architecture majors. Biological science students or students who were architectural design majors were the top-performing students in both undergraduate courses, whereas undeclared majors, social science majors, and those in probationary major categories were among the lower-performing students in both undergraduate courses.

Learning Environment, Classroom Participation and Innovative Behavior of Chinese College Students

The competition for knowledge and talent has become increasingly fierce in the 21st century. The innovative consciousness and ability of college students are of great significance for improving the level of talent cultivation and enhancing comprehensive national strength in China. Among the many factors that affect the innovative behavior of college students, their learning environment and classroom participation play a positive role in promoting their innovative behavior. This research aims to explore the relationship between classroom involvement and creative conduct among Chinese university students, how the learning environment influences this interaction. The study technique adopted a literature analysis and empirical inquiry. A total of 425 college students from four colleges and universities in Hebei Province in China consisting of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors from Humanities, Sciences, and Engineering majors were the respondents of the study. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire and were treated using correlational analysis. Descriptive statistical results show that participants in this study are more inclined to establish good teacher-student relationships in the learning environment, exhibited a more positive state of cognitive participation in classroom participation, and more positive attitudes towards academic learning and thinking patterns in their innovative behavior. In addition, the results of the Mann-Whitney Test found that there were differences in the three variables at the grade level, majors and family location. Students from cities and lower grades have a better learning environment; Science majors, and lower grade students have more active classroom participation; Boys, younger students, science majors, and urban students have better innovative behaviors. In addition, correlation analysis indicates a highly significant correlation between these three variables.

Класифициране на трудностите при обучение на студенти по учебната дисциплина „Програмиране на Java“

Students experience multiple difficulties in learning the Java programming language. This report attempts to classify these difficulties based on the author's experience from the laboratory classes in the Java Programming course with the Computer Science and Software Engineering majors. The classification will help to suggest workable methods and means to overcome or at least minimize these difficulties. Observations show that the main difficulties are related to the transition from the already studied language (C++ or C#) to the new syntactic constructions and abstractions of Java, the different implementation of the key concepts and mechanisms, and the application of the object-oriented approach when solving specific tasks

Teaching Reform and Practice of Data Structure Course Based on Smart Teaching Platform

With the rapid development of information technology, smart teaching platforms have become important tools for higher education teaching reform. As a core course of computer science and technology-related majors in higher education, the data structure course lays a solid foundation for students’ professional learning and plays an important role in promoting their future success in technology, research, and industry. This study conducts an in-depth analysis of the pain points faced by the data structure course, and explores a teaching reform and practice of integration of theory and practice based on the system application of a smart teaching platform before class, during class, and after class. The reform practice shows that this teaching mode improves students’ learning initiative, learning motivation, and practical skills. Students not only achieved better results in knowledge mastery but also significantly improved in problem analysis and solution.

Force and motion misconceptions in Moroccan high school science majors: insights from video game activity

ABSTRACT This study delves into the misconceptions about force and motion prevalent among Moroccan high school science major students. It meticulously analyzes the impact of videogame activity on the formation and persistence of these misconceptions. A cohort of 234 students, who underwent remote introductory mechanics courses, were involved in the study. Alongside the use of the revised Force Concept Inventory for investigating misconceptions, we employed cluster sampling and a descriptive survey to concurrently explore students’ year-long experiences with various videogames. The findings indicate that a substantial part students exhibit non-Newtonian conceptual understanding of force and motion. Interestingly, highly engaged videogame players consistently demonstrated a shift in their misconceptions’ nature. No statistically significant correlations were found with grade, age, or gender, except for videogame spending time frequency. This research underscores the importance of mechanics reasoning, especially among digital natives and avid gamers. These insights not only pave the way for robust Digital Game-Based Learning tools to identify and rectify misconceptions, but also provide a catalyst for further exploration in this field and its broader implications.

Examining the effect of AI-powered virtual-human training on STEM majors’ self-regulated learning behavior

IntroductionStudents pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors often struggle with essential skills critical to their academic success and future careers. Traditional self-regulated learning (SRL) training programs, while effective, require significant time investments from both students and instructors, limiting their feasibility in large lecture-based STEM courses.MethodsThis study investigates whether completion of three AI-powered virtual-human training modules—focused on planning, self-monitoring, and reflection—leads to increased use of corresponding MS Planner tools among STEM majors compared to a control group.ResultsResults indicate that students who did not complete the first two training modules were less likely to use MS Planner features for planning and self-monitoring; however, the reflection module did not yield comparable results.DiscussionThese findings highlight the potential of AI-powered virtual-human training as a scalable solution to enhance desirable learning behaviors among STEM majors, particularly in large and diverse classrooms. This research contributes to the understanding of effective interventions for fostering SRL behaviors in STEM education and suggests avenues for future refinement and implementation of digital training tools.

Alternative control and assessment of auditory competence in students of humanities: motivational aspect

Importance. The rapidly changing labor market makes new demands on university graduates, including their ability to perceive and understand foreign language speech for successful interaction in international teams. The aim of the research is to analyze the influence of alternative ways of control and assessment of listening competence of students of humanities and their motivation for advanced study of English.Materials and methods. Such scientific methods as observation, formalized questionnaire survey with open and closed questions, comparative analysis, expert evaluation are used.Results and Discussion. It is proven that updating approaches to control of listening competence not only promotes its development, but also increases students' motivation to listen. Thus, after the experiment, the number of students with a high level of listening competence increased from 5.3 to 16 %, and the number of students with its low level decreased from 73.4 to 25.3 %. A statistically significant increase in the level of motivation to listening among the students who participated in the study was revealed (EG χ̅ = 4.32. Mo = 4, CG χ̅ = 3.17. Mo = 2). (EG χ̅ = 4.32. Mo = 4, CG χ̅ = 3.17. Mo = 2).Conclusion. It is concluded that the principles of monitoring and assessment of auditory competence tested in this experiment are universal. They can be recommended for application in the foreign language training of students of both humanitarian, technical, and natural science majors.

The Construction of a Mathematical Modeling Curriculum System Oriented by New Engineering Talents

This article provides an overview of the research progress on mathematical modeling courses both domestically and internationally, and points out the main problems that currently exist. Propose to no longer include competition results in the evaluation criteria, and establish its own training model based on the actual situation of the school. With the assistance of teachers, establish cross disciplinary projects. Teach students to apply knowledge to new problems, allowing more students to achieve more lasting results. The role and significance of research projects in promoting teaching work and improving teaching quality, and the specific research objects and contents. The main research subjects are students from most majors in science and engineering at our university. The main value lies in the exploration and practical work done in the field of new engineering education to cultivate students' mathematical literacy and numerical calculation ability.

Training undergraduate biomedical science majors in peer review and constructive criticism through a senior capstone course.

Effective scientific communication is crucial for undergraduate students to succeed in future graduate or professional careers in the biomedical sciences. Peer review and constructive criticism are essential to producing written science communications. Unfortunately, training in how to perform peer review and incorporate constructive criticism is minimal in undergraduate science courses. Here, I describe a senior thesis course for immunology and microbiology majors that encourages students to integrate iterative peer review to improve their writing skills and their ability to incorporate feedback. In this course, students are expected to complete one of the following written projects that focuses on an immunological disorder or infectious disease: a research proposal, a case study, or a meta-analysis/systematic review. Each project is separated into six assignments, and each assignment is assessed through specifications (SPECS)-based grading and peer review where students have multiple attempts to improve their scores on each assignment. Approximately 40% of each student's grade is based on their ability to incorporate feedback from peers and instructors. Preliminary survey results suggest that students are eager to learn how to effectively incorporate peer and instructor feedback. Enhancing training in peer review will encourage students to embrace constructive criticism, which will be essential for their future careers. Initial findings indicate that students are positively engaging with the peer-review process, and the use of SPECS grading fosters a growth mindset. Continued research will further explore how this method can enhance students' confidence and skill in integrating feedback into professional scientific communication.

Data proficiency in MAE education: Insights from student perspectives and experiences

This paper explores how mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) students understand and improve their data proficiency throughout their engineering curriculum. Data is essential for engineering students to be proficient in handling, as it is involved in every aspect of engineering. With the growing ubiquity of data and data analysis in all engineering fields, engineering students need to learn and master data skills to be competitive in the current and future job market. However, there is a lack of research on how non-computer science or software engineering majors perceive data proficiency and how they seek opportunities to develop data skills, especially as it relates to specific subdomains. In this paper, we investigate how students perceive data proficiency and how they develop using interview data from N = 27 MAE students at a research institution in the southeastern United States. Using the How People Learn framework, we analyzed the data through thematic analysis methods with a postpositivist approach, considering the bounded context of this study. The results show that MAE students value data proficiency as a crucial skill for their future careers and recognize its importance in making evidence-based engineering decisions. The study also reveals that, even though data proficiency is often a “hidden competency,” MAE students intuitively find various ways to enhance their data skills. These findings may help engineering educators to tailor their instruction to their students’ needs, address misconceptions about data and data proficiency, and prepare a data-literate future engineering workforce.

An Analysis of the Effect of Cross-Enrollment between High School and University on the Labor Market Performances

This study analyses the effect of cross-enrollment between high school and college on the college GPA as well as labor market performances. It uses a three-year(2017-2019) survey of the Graduates Occupational Mobility Survey(GOMS) and sets up the comparison group with similar attributes of the treated group based on the propensity score matching method. The results show that liberal arts students at high school who enrolled in science majors acquired a lower GPA at college than the comparison groups, but they were advantageous in employment. Similar results were found among science students who enrolled in liberal arts majors, but the results were not statistically significant. In addition, no meaningful differences were found in the probability of getting permanent job employments nor in earning levels. The results imply that cross-enrollment decisions do not seem to be a mere strategic behavior when it comes to college entrance. Therefore, it should to be encouraged to exploit the advantages of integrated learning rather than to be discouraged.

The Role of Math and Language Performance in Explaining the Gender Gap in STEM Major Choice. A Test for Germany

Abstract Across the globe, women choose science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors (STEM) less often than men. One frequently suggested explanation of this gender gap is that women perform less well in math and better in language than men in secondary school and have a comparative advantage in language. Studies for the Anglo-Saxon context have only found weak support for this school performance explanation due to small gender differences in math performance and comparative (math-to-language) grade advantages and weak effects of comparative test advantages on STEM major choice. We aim to contribute to the literature by assessing the role of math and language competencies and grades in explaining the gender gap in STEM major choice for Germany, a country with considerable gender differences in math and language performance. Decomposition analyses of the gender gap in STEM major choice in higher tertiary education among upper secondary students from the German National Educational Panel Study show that math and language performance can explain nearly half of the gender gap in STEM major choice. The role of math competencies and grades in the German language proves especially important due to substantial gender differences herein and strong effects on the likelihood of STEM declaration. Our findings suggest that in contexts with strong gender differences in math and language performance, prior school performance can to a large extent explain women’s underrepresentation in STEM university majors.

Procrastination and risky behaviors: preliminary results among Italian university students

Abstract Background The study aims to investigate if the tendency to procrastinate has a relationship with engaging in risky behaviors among university students. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the ‘Magna Græcia’ University of Catanzaro, in the Southern part of Italy, using a stratified random sample technique. Undergraduate students (ages 18 to 30) were provided with an anonymous online survey via the institutional email. The survey comprised five sections to assess procrastination levels, sleep quality, breakfast habits, alcohol and tobacco use, and social and demographic characteristics. Results Of the 404 participants, more than half were enrolled in medicine or life science majors. The procrastination mean score was 14.8(IQR 10-20). Poor sleep quality was found in 57.2% of students and women were the most affected part of the sample. The logistic regression model revealed that higher procrastination levels increased the likelihood of engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as breakfast skipping, alcohol abuse, and poor sleep quality. Furthermore, the study found that people who skipped breakfast were more likely to engage in smoking and alcohol abuse, suggesting the interconnectedness nature of unhealthy behaviors. Conclusions The study’s findings shed light on the correlation between procrastination and unhealthy habits. Moreover, the results can offer recommendations for how universities might successfully support students by implementing integrated, evidence-based programs to assist students who struggle with procrastination. Indeed, universities can serve as centers for promoting wellness by increasing awareness of the need to change deeply rooted behavioral patterns. Hence, breaking the vicious cycle of procrastination can ultimately lead to improved academic performance and overall well-being for students. This will benefit both individuals’ and the general public’s health. Key messages • The novel correlation between procrastination and risky behaviors among university students was shown. • Targeted interventions must include procrastination tendency to improve academic results and general well-being.

Research on the Application of New Media Technology in College Physics Teaching

Physics is a basic subject with a high degree of abstraction, and it is an indispensable and important course for science and engineering majors in universities. College physics teaching is mainly concentrated in the classroom, yet, in the limited teaching time, students find it difficult to fully understand the relevant teaching content, which not only affects their follow-up study but also greatly hits the student’s confidence in physics learning, thus, college physics teaching reform is imperative. This paper will briefly explain the relevant concepts of new media technology, then analyze the advantages of its application in college physics teaching, and finally explore the application strategies of new media technology in college physics teaching. This aims to improve the effect and quality of classroom teaching, improve students’ physics learning ability and level, and enhance the core literacy of disciplines by integrating new media technology into college physics teaching, as well as to lay a solid foundation for the study of professional knowledge.

Undergraduate Research Science Capital: Measuring capacity to engage in research.

Undergraduate research has been identified as a high-impact educational practice. However, despite the body of evidence on the outcomes of undergraduate research, few studies have focused on the influences students face regarding participation. Developed using Science Capital and Social Cognitive Career Theory, a survey comprised of potential influences to undergraduate science research participation was disseminated to science majors at four R1 institutions in the Southeastern United States. Participation rates across several demographic factors and effect of participation influences were analysed. Results reveal a significantly greater proportion of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus (LGBTQ+) and disability communities indicating participating in research than their peers. Additionally, fourteen participation influences were identified as having a significant difference in their level of influence to the ability to participate in research between researchers and non-researchers. These include professor influence, interest in research, interest in science, coursework in the major, and major all being rated as opportunities with a significant difference of effect between researchers and those who have not yet participated in research. The results of this study will be beneficial for science departments and their respective institutions to improve the equity of access to their undergraduate research experiences.

Students create prize‐winning app to keep everyone safer on campus

Four students from the University of Nevada, Reno, for their senior project in computer science class, created an app designed specifically to help women feel safer on campus. Kathleen Scafidi, Anna Desorcy, Michael Munakash, and Kurtis Bertauche were all computer science majors when they created the app Ur Next Route.

Undergraduate persistence in an open-access, online, scientific computing training is influenced by expectancy, value, and cost

During 2020 a free, 3-month long, certificate-granting, online workshop was offered to increase undergraduates’ knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, and interest in observational seismology and scientific computing. Course registrants were comprised of 760 upper-level undergraduates from across science and math majors, representing 60 countries. Performance data revealed 58% of registrants initiated the workshop by completing at least one assignment, and 30% successfully completed the full workshop. These rates were higher than most comparable large-scale, open-access courses. This study explores factors associated with persistence by examining registration, performance, and pre/post survey data through the lens of the expectancy-value theory (EVT). Results indicate that EVT constructs show moderate to weak associations with initiation, including intrinsic (p<.001), utility (p<.001), and attainment value (p=.24), and expectancy (e.g., completion intentions [p<.001], prior computing experience [p<.001], seismology research experience [p=.01], seismology self-efficacy [p=.84]). Two expectancy factors, academic major (p=.050) and prior geophysics coursework (p<.001), showed weak associations with completion. Demographic factors such as race, ethnicity, and gender were not associated with initiation or completion, but primary language showed an association with attainment and intrinsic values. Dissuading factors or costs were also captured through surveys. The few responses from non-completers limited the analysis. However, an examination of acute and accumulated costs suggests they may influence persistence, especially at completion. Based on these results, interventions are proposed to enhance persistence in future workshops. These include increasing motivational messaging, tailoring course structure to mitigate avoidable costs, and where possible, increasing communication to set time and effort expectations and showcase prior participants overcoming costs.

Knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers on breast self-examination of female college students: Experience from a local higher education institution

BACKGROUND: Breast self-examination (BSE) is an inexpensive, harmless screening tool for finding breast cancer. This study examines the knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers of female college students from a local higher education institution (HEI) regarding BSE, focusing on those in the reproductive age group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred sixty (360) female college students, including 226 health sciences majors and 134 non-health sciences majors, were selected through criteria sampling. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire to assess knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers. RESULTS: Key findings reveal that despite excellent BSE practices (52.5%), a significant proportion of respondents (51.7%) demonstrated insufficient knowledge about BSE. The main barriers to BSE execution were fear of discovering concerning findings and fear of being diagnosed with breast cancer. Health science majors exhibited significantly higher knowledge and practices than non-health science students, perceiving lower barriers. Age was found to have no significant impact on the variables examined. Majors and perceived barriers were not associated with BSE, but knowledge showed a significant association. Despite their excellent practices, participants’ unsatisfactory knowledge regarding BSE suggests the need for effective interventions. Barriers primarily stemmed from fear, including the fear of a breast cancer diagnosis and the fear of learning about potential issues. CONCLUSION: The study highlights the association between knowledge and BSE practices, emphasizing the importance of knowledge development and overcoming perceived barriers to improve BSE practices and encourage greater engagement.