The Relationships between Epistemic Beliefs in Biology and Approaches to Learning Biology among Biology-Major University Students in Taiwan

Autor/inn/en	Lin, Yi-Chun; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Chin-Chung
Titel	The Relationships between Epistemic Beliefs in Biology and Approaches to Learning Biology among Biology-Major University Students in Taiwan
Quelle	In: Journal of Science Education and Technology, 21 (2012) 6, S.796-807 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1059-0145
DOI	10.1007/s10956-012-9367-y
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Majors (Students); College Students; Biology; College Science; Beliefs; Epistemology; Learning Strategies; Rote Learning; Student Surveys; Gender Differences; Age Differences; Regression (Statistics); Taiwan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Collegestudent; Biologie; Belief; Glaube; Erkenntnistheorie; Learning methode; Learning techniques; Lernmethode; Lernstrategie; Mechanisches Lernen; Schülerbefragung; Geschlechterkonflikt; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Regression; Regressionsanalyse
Abstract	The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between students' epistemic beliefs in biology and their approaches to learning biology. To this end, two instruments, the epistemic beliefs in biology and the approaches to learning biology surveys, were developed and administered to 520 university biology students, respectively. By and large, it was found that the students reflected "mixed" motives in biology learning, while those who had more sophisticated epistemic beliefs tended to employ deep strategies. In addition, the results of paired t tests revealed that the female students were more likely to possess beliefs about biological knowledge residing in external authorities, to believe in a right answer, and to utilize rote learning as a learning strategy. Moreover, compared to juniors and seniors, freshmen and sophomores tended to hold less mature views on all factors of epistemic beliefs regarding biology. Another comparison indicated that theoretical biology students (e.g. students majoring in the Department of Biology) tended to have more mature beliefs in learning biology and more advanced strategies for biology learning than those students studying applied biology (e.g. in the Department of Biotechnology). Stepwise regression analysis, in general, indicated that students who valued the role of experiments and justify epistemic assumptions and knowledge claims based on evidence were more oriented towards having mixed motives and utilizing deep strategies to learn biology. In contrast, students who believed in the certainty of biological knowledge were more likely to adopt rote learning strategies and to aim to qualify in biology. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10