Investigating Student Noticing of Quantitative Reasoning in Introductory Biology Labs
| Author(s) | Hsu, Jeremy L. | |
| Author(s) | Gartland, Sara | |
| Author(s) | Prate, Joelle | |
| Author(s) | Hohensee, Charles | |
| Date Accessioned | 2025-02-06T21:12:33Z | |
| Date Available | 2025-02-06T21:12:33Z | |
| Publication Date | 2025-01-15 | |
| Description | This article was originally published in CBE-Life Sciences Education. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-04-0124. © 2025 J. L. Hsu et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2025 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0). “ASCB®” and “The American Society for CellBiology®” are registered trademarks of The American Society for Cell Biology. | |
| Abstract | Quantitative reasoning (QR) is a key skill for undergraduate biology education. Despite this, many students struggle with QR. Here, we use the theoretical framework of student noticing to investigate why some students struggle with QR in introductory biology labs. Under this framework, what students notice when given new information and data influences how they process this information and connect it with other events to form new conceptions. Students must mentally isolate given features, create mental records of those features, and identify features or objects that they connect to existing knowledge. Identifying these features or objects is thus critical since they form the foundation upon which learning takes place. We conducted observations of groups in introductory biology labs involving QR, which informed follow-up interviews to examine what students notice, the level/relevance of their noticing, and factors that shape student noticing. We find that some students are noticing more perceptual features, often focusing on less relevant trends and features, with others noticing deeper, more relevant patterns that facilitate conceptual sensemaking. In addition, we find multiple factors, including students’ expectations and their attitude toward QR and biology, that shape student noticing. We conclude with implications for instructors and the biology education research community. | |
| Sponsor | This work is funded by a National Science Foundation Building Capacity in STEM Education Research grant to J.L.H. (award no. 2225255). We thank Joanne Lobato, Cathery Yeh, and Jennifer Osterhage for valuable feedback on the project. In addition, we thank Kate Hill for her invaluable role in facilitating the observations and interviews and for providing guidance on the structure of the introductory biology labs. Finally, we thank the instructors of the labs for supporting our work and allowing the observations, and the students who participated. | |
| Citation | Hsu, Jeremy L., Sara Gartland, Joelle Prate, and Charles Hohensee. “Investigating Student Noticing of Quantitative Reasoning in Introductory Biology Labs.” Edited by Tessa Of Andrews. CBE—Life Sciences Education 24, no. 1 (March 1, 2025): ar14. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-04-0124. | |
| ISSN | 1931-7913 | |
| URL | https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/35795 | |
| Language | en_US | |
| Publisher | CBE-Life Sciences Education | |
| dc.rights | Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0 | |
| Title | Investigating Student Noticing of Quantitative Reasoning in Introductory Biology Labs | |
| Type | Article |