Honors Program
Document Type
Thesis
Date of this Version
3-2019
Citation
Koch, C. 2019. Student Perceptions of Reasons for Lecture and Active Learning. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Abstract
With perceived student resistance to active learning in the classroom, instructors are hesitant to implement such methods into their classroom structure despite how effective they may be. This research seeks to understand student perceptions related to the transition to higher prevalence of active learning techniques. We aimed to find answers to how students perceive the ideal classroom to be structured, what reasons they perceive for lecture and active learning components, and possible explanations to concerns of groupwork during class time. We analyzed 64 interviews with undergraduate biology students at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, developed coding rubrics from commonly found themes in their answers, and looked into how prevalent each code was among the students. Students preferred that 75% of class time be spent on lecture, which they most commonly perceived as valuable to cover content efficiently, and 25% be spent on active learning, which they most frequently saw as valuable for their own feedback or feedback for their professor. Implications of this study can help instructors to structure their class time and implement active learning methods effectively.
Comments
Copyright Calan Koch 2019.