and Determinants among Undergraduates Majors By Norkhalilie binti Zulkifli Kolej MARA Seremban Negeri Sembilan
National Action Research (NARC2014) Melaka, 24-25 June 2014 Content/Structure Background Research Aim Research questions Methodology Findings Discussion Conclusion
National Action Research (NARC2014) Background Decline in students attitudes to study science in school (Osborne and Collins, 2001; Cerrini, Murray and Reiss, 2004; Jenkins and Nelson, 2005) Decline in numbers of students to study science post school education in many countries (Trumper, 2006) Biology is more preferred compared to chemistry and physics Ratio of students who study Biology is 1.6 female to every male (Osborne, 2003)
National Action Research (NARC2014) The gap in the literature
More research on girls attainment in science, decline interest in physics (Miller, Blessings and Schwartz, 2006) More studies were undertaken at school level (Bennet and Hogarth, 2005) Less research conducted in the higher educational level (pre-university/university) The final stage where the decision is made by the students
National Action Research (NARC2014) Research Aim
To find the possible reasons and the explanation of the current situation To help improve and narrow the possible stereotypic gender gap in biological science To find some answers which may be useful for the recommendation of practice To intensify the interest and the affective value of biology among students.
National Action Research (NARC2014) Background Some of the possible contributing factors: Motivation Interest Topics learned in biology Perceive difficulties Views on teaching and learning of biology
National Action Research (NARC2014) Research Questions What are the most important factors that influence and motivate undergraduate students to choose biology as their major subject? Is there any significant difference in the factors between male and female undergraduates and why?
National Action Research (NARC2014) Methodology National Action Research (NARC2014) Quantitative Data Collection (Survey questionnaire) Data Analysis (Descriptive Analysis) ; Interview Schedule Development Qualitative Data Collection (Semi-structured Interview) Distributed to 187 students from the Department of Biology from one of the universities in the North East of the United Kingdom 30 minutes interviews were conducted to the first year students Findings National Action Research (NARC2014) Mean values for each possible influential factor that determine students choice to study biology for undergraduate degree M e a n
Findings Students were found to value of each factor into two significant categories (mean values)
National Action Research (NARC2014) High Positive contributions (4.35) Topics (4.10) Enjoyment of the nature of biology (4.32) Solve world problems(4.34)
Friends in similar field (2.14) Findings Items Gender Mean Significance of difference (p<.05) Family members in a similar field Male 1.42 p<.05 Female 2.07 National Action Research (NARC2014) Statistically, there was no significant difference between the male and female students. However Findings from the interviews There were five main themes identified:
National Action Research (NARC2014) Students perceptions of the value of biology studies Enjoyment of learning biology
Students perception of the biology teacher
Out-of-classroom activities
The role of family and friends
National Action Research (NARC2014) F a c t o r s
i n f l u e n c i n g
u n d e r g r a d u a t e s
Students' perception of the value of biology studies Contribution of biology Career Enjoyment of learning biology Concepts and topics Perceived difficulty of biology Classroom atmosphere, active learning and practical work Students' perception of biology teacher Attributes to the teacher Out-of-classroom activities Indoor Outdoor Role of friends and family Discussion Their high interest was mainly based on the concepts and the socio-scientific issues in biology- altruism. The positive and interesting classroom atmosphere had been linked to the students enjoyment of learning biology. Students self-efficacy is prominent for them to choose studying biology. Biology is perceived to be less difficult than the other sciences. Having parents or relatives in biology-related fields affect the students persistence in biology. National Action Research (NARC2014) Conclusion The students' perceptions of the positive contribution of biology towards solving world problems had governed their persistence in continuing to study biology. The interesting biology concepts affect the students enjoyment of learning. The positive perception of teaching and learning that the students had experienced with highly affect their choices. National Action Research (NARC2014) The role of family and the socio-cultural aspect are indicatively influential on both genders. Both genders choose to study biology based on similar reason; their personal interest. Particularly for teachers, the necessity to concentrate on ways to develop students affective response and their satisfaction in learning science is significant. National Action Research (NARC2014) Recommendation for future research
Examine the students learning strategies. To look at the different learning styles and preferences between male and female students. This may also relate to the perception of difficulty in learning biology and eventually mould the way in which they regard the subject.