PROBLEMS IN TEACHING INTRODUCTORY SCIENCE CLASSES: VIEWS OF FEW SCIENTISTS

This investigation helps science instructors reflect on their experiences with teaching introductory science classes at university level. Participants were 17 science professors from five different universities in the northeastern US. Data were collected using qualitative techniques and especially semi-structured interviews. Findings show that factors such as, the large class size in the introductory classes, pressure to cover more content, the role of grants and politics in teaching science, and the unequal K-12 science and math education in US play important role in teaching effectively to freshman university students