First-year university biology students' difficulties with graphing skills
Date
2006-11-17T09:18:08Z
Authors
Kali, Horatius Dumisani
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Abstract
Based on the perceived need for improved graphing skills of students at first-year university level, two
lecturers wanted to produce a web-based computer programme to improve first-year university biology
students’ ability to construct and interpret graphs. Prior to designing and developing the package,
however, it was important to establish whether there was a need for such a programme, and what might
need to be included. The investigation to establish this provided the research described in this research
report.
A situation analysis was conducted to establish the nature and extent of the problems of graphing skills
discussed anecdotally in the staff room of biology departments at a number of institutes. The ultimate
intention (beyond this study) was to determine whether the problems were extensive and serious enough
to warrant developing supplementary teaching materials to teach graphing skills. All lecturers (n = 5) and
teaching assistants (n = 4) involved in using or teaching graphing skills to first-year biology students
at one university were identified and interviewed. The purpose of the interviews was to establish the
problems they believed are exhibited by their first-year students (with reference to graphing skills), and
the nature and extent of current teaching of such skills in their first-year courses. In order to triangulate
the information on student’s problems an item analysis was conducted of all questions incorporating
graphs in two mid-year examination papers (n = 478 and n = 65), and students were observed during a
practical session (n = 43).
Results revealed that students experienced fewer problems with interpreting graphs than with graph
construction. Of the four categories of graph interpretation problems identified by the teaching staff, the
most popular category was students inability to describe quantitatively what the graph is showing (4
teaching staff). This was confirmed in the question paper analysis when 58% of the medics students
(n=478) were unable to answer correctly one question involving several interpretation skills. No specific
skills for graph interpretation were observed as being a problem in the College of Science question paper
(n=65). Observations showed interrelating graphs as the biggest problem (5 students out of 43). Five
categories for problems with graph construction were identified by the teaching staff. The most
commonly mentioned problem (4 teaching staff) was identifying or plotting variables, whereas class
observation revealed scaling axes as the most problematic skill shown by students (15 out of 43). In the
exams, 80% of the medics students could not correctly answer one question requiring multiple skills
including identifying variables, and 56% could not correctly answer another question that required skills
that also involved identifying variables. The College of Science question paper revealed that 85% of the
students could not supply the units of measurement for the y axis.
A needs analysis was conducted to establish how the lecturers thought graphing skills should be taught
and who should teach the skills. This information was needed to provide suggestions (from education
“experts”) about what could be included in the computer programme to be developed subsequent to the
research study, and how the teaching could best be done. Four members of the teaching staff said it was
important to give students a lot of exercises to practice the skills and five members of the teaching staff
said it was the responsibility of the university tutors or lab staff to teach graphing skills.
Description
Student Number : 0110601M -
MSc research report -
Faculty of Science
Keywords
graphing skills, first-year university level, biology students, construct and interpret graphs, situation analysis, problems, needs analysis