Characterizing student engagement with hands-on, problem-based, and lecture activities in an introductory college course

Abstract

This study examines the interest, motivation, and behavioral engagement of college students in an introductory course relative to three instructional formats used in the course: hands-on, problem-based laboratory stations; problem-based written case studies; and video lectures. Groups of five to seven students were assigned learning activities as treatments in a Latin Square design consisting of three experimental periods. At the beginning of selected laboratory sessions, students completed 10 minutes of the experimental activity immediately followed by a questionnaire. Students rated hands-on, problem-based laboratory stations as more challenging, novel, and attention-grabbing than they rated case studies or video lectures. Interest, intrinsic motivation, and behavioral engagement were greatest for groups completing laboratory stations followed by those completing case studies and lectures, respectively. Overall, the greater situational interest experienced during laboratory stations and case studies indicates that these activities can be leveraged to create learning environments that promote interest, engagement, and achievement.

Animal sciences undergraduate education since the ASAS centennial: a national survey and scoping review

“…In animal sciences, signature pedagogies such as judging competitions, quadrathlons, and other industry-partnered events are common means to integrate development of transferable and scientific skills ( Kauffman, 1992 ; Wattiaux, 2013 ). Similarly, the increasing popularity of active, learner-centered methods in animal sciences has positive implications for implicitly developing transferable skills ( Yamada, 2018 ; Erickson et al, 2020 ). Still, few undergraduate scientific curricula target and assess these learning objectives explicitly through required coursework ( Brownell et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Hands-on, experiential learning has been the backbone of animal sciences pedagogy for over a century (CE-1, CE-3; Buchanan, 2008 ; Wattiaux, 2008 ). Practical needs have driven and organized learning across the diverse topics composing our discipline historically (e.g., genetics, nutrition, economics, agronomy) and accommodated emerging topics that promise to revolutionize the discipline (e.g., sustainability, data and computer science; McNamara, 2009 ; Erickson et al, 2020 ). Experiential learning in animal sciences will undoubtedly continue to evolve in the future.…”

Longitudinal measurement invariance and stability of individual interest across a 16‐week introductory animal sciences course

“…Indeed, studies have shown that processes of motivation and achievement differ substantially across students with heterogenous personal, psychosocial, and socioeconomic profiles (De Clercq, Galand, & Frenay, 2020; Martens & Metzger, 2017). Although recent work has advanced theoretical understanding of interest in science undergraduates (O'Keefe, Dweck, & Walton, 2018), operationalized science‐specific forms of interest as measurable constructs (Knetka, Rowland, Corwin, & Eddy, 2020; Lamb, Annetta, Meldrum, & Vallett, 2012), and related interest to science introductory course experiences (Erickson, Marks, & Karcher, 2020), limited existing research addresses issues associated with measuring interest. For example, many experimental and observational studies are premised on the implied assumption that interest can be measured equivalently across sampling periods (e.g., pre‐ and post‐semester) and/or student characteristics.…”

“…In their influential Four‐Phase Model of Interest Development, Hidi and Renninger (2006) distinguish two main functional forms of interest: situational and individual. Situational interest is a dynamic, multidimensional construct triggered by the immediate features of a task or environment (Chen, Darst, & Pangrazi, 2001; Erickson et al., 2020). In contrast, the present study deals with individual interest.…”

“…Knogler, Harackiewicz, Gegenfurtner, and Lewalter (2015) used a latent state‐trait model to show that situational interest is context‐specific. Within the context of animal sciences, past work has shown that interest remains relatively stable across introductory course experiences (Erickson, Guberman, Zhu, & Karcher, 2019) and that various active learning modalities can prompt varying levels of situational interest (Erickson et al., 2020). However, to our knowledge, no prior work has explored the longitudinal measurement invariance and stability of individual interest across an introductory course.…”