Defining and Measuring Students' Interest in Biology: An Analysis of the Biology Education Literature.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how students develop biology interests and the roles interest plays in biology contexts could help instructors and researchers to increase science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students' motivation and persistence. However, it is currently unclear how interest has been defined or measured in the biology education research literature. We analyzed this body of literature to determine how interest has been defined and used by the biology education research community. Specifically, we determined the extent to which previously published work drew on theories that conceptualize interest. Further, we identified studies that measured student interest in biology and characterized the types of measures used. Our findings indicate that biology education researchers typically

SUBMITTER: Rowland AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6755315 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature