Lahiri Shweta, Heil Austin, Daniels Alex, Gormally Cara, Brickman Peggy
Department of Math, Science, and Social Studies Education, University of Georgia, GA 30602.
Department of Marine Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.
CBE Life Sci Educ. 2025 Sep 1;24(3):ar38. doi: 10.1187/cbe.24-06-0173.
Science courses are required for nonmajor students as part of general education with the goal of students connecting scientific knowledge to their own lives using science to make decisions. Often, however, these science courses emphasize basic concepts and terms without making it relevant to students' lives. Thus, these courses may not be successful in promoting decision making related to science and society. In this study, we interviewed 35 faculty teaching nonmajors biology to understand their rationale in making course decisions. Through interviews, we learned what factors influence faculty decision-making processes in structuring nonmajors' biology courses, as well as and they prioritize teaching about socioscientific issues (SSIs) and scientific competencies. Using cluster analysis, we developed fictional faculty teaching personas based on key themes and characteristics of faculty who prioritize teaching about SSIs versus those who focus on content coverage. These teaching personas could prove useful for professional development planning when seeking to improve student learning.
科学课程是面向非专业学生的通识教育必修课，目的是让学生将科学知识与自己的生活联系起来，并运用科学知识做出决策。然而，这些科学课程往往只强调基本概念和术语，却未使其与学生的生活相关联。因此，这些课程在促进与科学和社会相关的决策方面可能并不成功。在本研究中，我们采访了35位教授非专业生物学课程的教师，以了解他们在课程决策中的理由。通过访谈，我们了解到哪些因素会影响教师在构建非专业生物学课程时的决策过程，以及他们如何对社会科学问题（SSIs）教学和科学能力教学进行优先级排序。通过聚类分析，我们根据优先教授SSIs的教师和专注于内容覆盖的教师的关键主题和特征，开发了虚构的教师教学角色。当寻求改善学生学习情况时，这些教学角色可能对专业发展规划有用。
