Do Biology Students Really Hate Math? Empirical Insights into Undergraduate Life Science Majors’ Emotions about Mathematics

Wachsmuth, Lucas P.; Runyon, Christopher; Drake, John M.; Dolan, Erin L.

doi:10.1187/cbe.16-08-0248

Cited by 28 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Consistent with our first hypothesis and recent findings ( 31 ), we found most life science majors in our study reported at least some cost associated with doing mathematics in their biology courses, and approximately one-third reported high cost (≥ 6 on the 7-point scale). However, we also found that, on average, students reported high utility value, which also supports our first hypothesis and is in line with multiple studies showing students generally find mathematics useful for their life science careers ( 26 – 30 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Others found that students often believe mathematics is useful for their life science career ( 26 – 30 ). In contrast, recent empirical work found STEM majors reported mathematics to be slightly uncomfortable, frustrating, and unpleasant ( 31 ). Moreover, the data suggested life science majors may have more negative attitudes than physical science or mathematics majors ( 31 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…In contrast, recent empirical work found STEM majors reported mathematics to be slightly uncomfortable, frustrating, and unpleasant ( 31 ). Moreover, the data suggested life science majors may have more negative attitudes than physical science or mathematics majors ( 31 ). Thus, additional research is necessary before concluding biology students are math-averse.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Findings related to race/ethnicity are also unclear, particularly as they are understudied compared with gender-related differences ( 41 ). While underrepresented minorities are also stereotyped as having lower mathematics or academic ability ( 42 , 43 ), some studies have reported no differences in mathematics attitudes by race ( 25 , 31 ), and even when race/ethnicity-related differences in mathematics attitudes have been shown ( 19 , 25 , 41 , 44 ), findings are not always consistent. For example, one study found Black students had higher mathematics anxiety than White students ( 19 ), whereas another study found no difference ( 25 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life Science Majors’ Math-Biology Task Values Relate to Student Characteristics and Predict the Likelihood of Taking Quantitative Biology Courses

Andrews

Aikens

2018

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation predicts that students’ task values, which include their interest in and enjoyment of a task, their perceptions of the usefulness of a task (utility value), and their perceptions of the costs of engaging in the task (e.g., extra effort, anxiety), influence their achievement and academic-related choices. Further, these task values are theorized to be informed by students’ sociocultural background. Although biology students are often considered to be math-averse, there is little empirical evidence of students’ values of mathematics in the context of biology (math-biology task values). To fill this gap in knowledge, we sought to determine 1) life science majors’ math-biology task values, 2) how math-biology task values differ according to students’ sociocultural background, and 3) whether math-biology task values predict students’ likelihood of taking quantitative biology courses. We surveyed life science majors about their likelihood of choosing to take quantitative biology courses and their interest in using mathematics to understand biology, the utility value of mathematics for their life science career, and the cost of doing mathematics in biology courses. Students on average reported some cost associated with doing mathematics in biology; however, they also reported high utility value and were more interested in using mathematics to understand biology than previously believed. Women and first-generation students reported more negative math-biology task values than men and continuing-generation students. Finally, students’ math-biology task values predicted their likelihood of taking biomodeling and biostatistics courses. Instructional strategies promoting positive math-biology task values could be particularly beneficial for women and first-generation students, increasing the likelihood that students would choose to take advanced quantitative biology courses.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life Science Majors’ Math-Biology Task Values Relate to Student Characteristics and Predict the Likelihood of Taking Quantitative Biology Courses

Andrews

Aikens

2018

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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“…Research in biology education has begun to examine the roles that mathematical and statistical reasoning might play in learning about biological concepts (e.g., Chiel, McManus, & Shaw, ; Hester, Buxner, Elfring, & Nagy, ; Metz, ; Stanhope et al, ; Wachsmuth, Runyon, Drake, & Dolan, ). However, to our knowledge, the field lacks large‐scale empirical research examining quantitative relationships among statistical reasoning, evolution understanding, and evolution acceptance (cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How strongly does statistical reasoning influence knowledge and acceptance of evolution?

et al. 2019

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A large body of research has examined students' conceptions of evolution and their relationships to acceptance of evolution. Proficiency in statistical and probabilistic reasoning has long been considered to be an essential feature of evolutionary reasoning, yet almost no empirical work has explored these putative connections. The RaPro instruments have recently been developed to measure statistical reasoning in the contexts of mathematics (RaProMath) and evolution (RaProEvo). Our study provides additional validation of these instruments using Rasch analysis and quantifies the contribution of statistical reasoning to both understanding and accepting evolution. We recruited a large sample (N = 564) of undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory biology course at a large public research university in the United States. Students completed a suite of published instruments that assessed statistical reasoning, evolutionary understanding, and evolutionary acceptance. Our findings indicate that validity inferences derived from RaPro scores generalized to the new sample, and that proficiency in statistical reasoning explained 28% of the variance in evolutionary knowledge and 19% of the variation in evolutionary acceptance. The inclusion of demographic variables into the model significantly increased the explained variance in acceptance. Notably, the variance in evolution acceptance explained by statistical reasoning was comparable to that of thinking dispositions or evolutionary knowledge reported in the literature. This work provides the first large-scale evidence of the role of statistical reasoning in evolutionary knowledge and acceptance and motivates future work to explore how statistical literacy should be integrated into evolution education efforts.

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Online, Interactive Modules Improve Quantitative Skills in Community College Biology Students

et al. 2023

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Do Biology Students Really Hate Math? Empirical Insights into Undergraduate Life Science Majors’ Emotions about Mathematics

Cited by 28 publications

References 59 publications

Life Science Majors’ Math-Biology Task Values Relate to Student Characteristics and Predict the Likelihood of Taking Quantitative Biology Courses

Life Science Majors’ Math-Biology Task Values Relate to Student Characteristics and Predict the Likelihood of Taking Quantitative Biology Courses

How strongly does statistical reasoning influence knowledge and acceptance of evolution?

Online, Interactive Modules Improve Quantitative Skills in Community College Biology Students

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