Davis Elizabeth Ann, Hodgson Yvonne, Macaulay Janet Olwyn
Department of Pharmacology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2012 Sep-Oct;40(5):300-9. doi: 10.1002/bmb.20627. Epub 2012 Aug 29.
Academic staff at universities have become concerned about the decrease in student attendance at lectures and the implication of this on student achievement and learning. Few studies have measured actual lecture attendance in a coherent or comprehensive way. The aim of this study was to measure actual lecture attendance of students over two year levels enrolled in two separate science disciplines, biochemistry and pharmacology. The study further sought to determine the factors that influence lecture attendance. Attendance at lectures in four units of study was monitored over a 12-week semester. Attendance at lectures decreased over the semester and was lower at early morning lectures (8 A.M.; 9 A.M.). A questionnaire surveying students about their preparation for lectures, their compensation for missed lectures and the factors influencing their nonattendance was administered at the end of the semester. Students reported that the major factors influencing their attendance at lectures related to timetable issues and the quality of lecturing. If students missed lectures, the majority read the lecture notes and listened to the online recordings. The availability of online recordings of lectures was not a major influence on attendance at lectures. In three of the four units studied there was no correlation between self-reported lecture attendance and exam performance. The results of the study indicate that universities should dedicate more resources to timetabling and to supporting staff to improve the quality of their lectures.
大学的学术人员已开始关注学生课堂出勤率的下降及其对学生成绩和学习的影响。很少有研究以连贯或全面的方式衡量实际课堂出勤率。本研究的目的是衡量两个不同科学学科（生物化学和药理学）中两个年级学生的实际课堂出勤率。该研究还试图确定影响课堂出勤率的因素。在一个为期12周的学期内，对四个学习单元的课堂出勤情况进行了监测。整个学期的课堂出勤率都有所下降，且清晨（上午8点；上午9点）的课程出勤率较低。在学期末进行了一项问卷调查，询问学生关于他们上课的准备情况、对错过课程的弥补方式以及影响他们缺勤的因素。学生报告称，影响他们课堂出勤率的主要因素与课程时间表问题和授课质量有关。如果学生错过了课程，大多数人会阅读课堂笔记并收听在线录音。讲座在线录音的可用性对课堂出勤率没有重大影响。在所研究的四个单元中的三个单元中，自我报告的课堂出勤率与考试成绩之间没有相关性。研究结果表明，大学应投入更多资源用于课程时间表安排，并支持教师提高授课质量。
