ERIC Number: EJ969260
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Mar
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1931-7913
EISSN: N/A
The Utility of Writing Assignments in Undergraduate Bioscience
Libarkin, Julie; Ording, Gabriel
CBE - Life Sciences Education, v11 n1 p39-46 Mar 2012
We tested the hypothesis that engagement in a few, brief writing assignments in a nonmajors science course can improve student ability to convey critical thought about science. A sample of three papers written by students (n = 30) was coded for presence and accuracy of elements related to scientific writing. Scores for different aspects of scientific writing were significantly correlated, suggesting that students recognized relationships between components of scientific thought. We found that students' ability to write about science topics and state conclusions based on data improved over the course of three writing assignments, while the abilities to state a hypothesis and draw clear connections between human activities and environmental impacts did not improve. Three writing assignments generated significant change in student ability to write scientifically, although our results suggest that three is an insufficient number to generate complete development of scientific writing skills. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Writing Assignments, Writing Across the Curriculum, Writing Skills, Academic Ability, Science Curriculum, Biological Sciences, Critical Thinking, Learner Engagement, Science Instruction, Correlation, Scores, Undergraduate Students, College Science
American Society for Cell Biology. 8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 750, Bethesda, MD 20814-2762. Tel: 301-347-9300; Fax: 301-347-9310; e-mail: ascbinfo@ascb.org; Website: http://www.ascb.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A