Teaching STEM for conceptual change: Lessons from large classes in biomedical science

© 2019 Allen EspinosaDespite the best efforts of academics, some students leave the undergraduate science courses with uncorrected misconceptions. There are several possible explanations for the persistence of misconceptions through and beyond undergraduate education, one of which is due to large class sizes. It seems, however, that large class teaching will be a continued response to the expansion of higher education. Therefore, it is imperative for academics to introduce teaching methods that are suited to large class settings and that will arrest problems that lead to uncorrected misconceptions. Conceptual change theory is one of the prevailing theoretical approaches to transforming misconceptions into conventional scientific understanding by reorganising or modifying the ideas underlying the misconception. One of the best approaches academics can take to fostering conceptual change is to infuse active learning into their teaching practice. In this thesis, I propose an active learning intervention that potentially fosters conceptual change in a large class setting, as well as presenting the theoretical underpinnings of the development of this intervention. I started by enquiring into the current pedagogical practices of Australian biomedical science academics in order to understand how they cope with the mass education context, and whether there are specific obstacles to the introduction of active learning into their classrooms. Findings indicate that, despite identifying themselves as traditional teachers, the current pedagogical practices of Australian biomedical science academics exhibit potential in ‘teaching for conceptual change’ by being reflective teachers, by shifting to non-traditional teaching, and by collaborating with their colleagues to design the curriculum. Next, I probed the precursors for conceptual change learning experienced by interviewing students. By capitalising on the cognitive disequilibrium generated by misconceptions, I was able to further inform the development of the intervention. A contradictory understanding of current knowledge triggers cognitive disequilibrium because students are unable to bridge the gap between their prior knowledge and an incoming information. Findings show that the amount of prior knowledge, regardless of the quality, appeared to predict students’ degree of confidence in it. In turn, the degree of confidence in prior knowledge appeared to predict a student’s decision to change their mind in a collaborative setting; and the degree of confidence in prior knowledge also appeared to predict learning and retention of concepts. Finally, drawing from the notion that cognitive disequilibrium, if properly induced, can lead to conceptual change, I propose a misconception-driven intervention that potentially induces cognitive disequilibrium by using intentionally flawed scientific manuscripts. This active learning intervention showed comparable improvements with a didactic approach in terms of students’ conceptual understanding and student self-reported engagement, however, independent classroom observers observed that this intervention improved student engagement. A review of the extant literature on student engagement suggests that engagement is predominantly linked to improved learning outcomes. I would argue further that for the learning process to ultimately lead to conceptual change, the responsibility does not only depend on the improved pedagogical practices of academics, but also more importantly, on the students themselves. Our role as academics is to integrate active learning methods that promote self-regulation, which will enable students to reflect on their own understanding and become more metaconceptually aware for them to recognise a potential state of cognitive disequilibrium. To be able to do this, academics should attend education conferences or fora and professional development opportunities to help them improve their pedagogical practice