Teaching the process of science: faculty perceptions and an effective methodology

Coil, David; Wenderoth, Mary Pat; Cunningham, Matthew; Dirks, Clarissa

doi:10.1187/cbe.10-01-0005

Cited by 287Science Education and PedagogyInnovative Teaching MethodsEducational Methods and Outcomes

Teaching the process of science: faculty perceptions and an effective methodology

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Coil, David, Wenderoth, Mary Pat, Cunningham, Matthew, Dirks, Clarissa·2010·CBE—Life Sciences Education

DOI 10.1187/cbe.10-01-0005PMC PMC2995770

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Abstract

Most scientific endeavors require science process skills such as data interpretation, problem solving, experimental design, scientific writing, oral communication, collaborative work, and critical analysis of primary literature. These are the fundamental skills upon which the conceptual framework of scientific expertise is built. Unfortunately, most college science departments lack a formalized curriculum for teaching undergraduates science process skills. However, evidence strongly suggests that explicitly teaching undergraduates skills early in their education may enhance their understanding of science content. Our research reveals that faculty overwhelming support teaching undergraduates science process skills but typically do not spend enough time teaching skills due to the perceived need to cover content. To encourage faculty to address this issue, we provide our pedagogical philosophies, methods, and materials for teaching science process skills to freshman pursuing life science majors. We build upon previous work, showing student learning gains in both reading primary literature and scientific writing, and share student perspectives about a course where teaching the process of science, not content, was the focus. We recommend a wider implementation of courses that teach undergraduates science process skills early in their studies with the goals of improving student success and retention in the sciences and enhancing general science literacy.

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Faculty members are assumed to be experts possessing both good content knowledge and science processing skills.
“Faculty members are assumed to be ‘experts’ possessing both good content knowledge and science processing skills [18].”
From Perceptions of scientific research literature and strategies for reading papers depend on academic career stage (2017) · cites this paper as [18]

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Authors: Coil, D., Wenderoth, M. P., Cunningham, M., & Dirks, C.
Affiliations: University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author: Dirks, Clarissa
ORCID: Coil, David
Wenderoth, Mary Pat
Venue: CBE—Life Sciences Education
Publisher: American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
Published: 2010-12
Volume: 9
Issue: 4
Pages: 524-535
ISSN: 1931-7913 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1187/cbe.10-01-0005
PMC: PMC2995770
OpenAlex: W2115994980
Cited by: 282
References: 48
Citations by year: 2026: 8 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 11
FWCI: 49.43
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: cc-by-nc-sa
Locations: CBE—Life Sciences Education (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute (52003841)
University of Washington
Directorate for Biological Sciences
Topics: Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
Social Sciences › Education › Innovative Teaching Methods
Social Sciences › Education › Educational Methods and Outcomes
Keywords: scientific method, science process skills, undergraduate science education, teacher perceptions, scientific writing, experimental design, data interpretation, problem solving, scientific literacy, teaching methods
MeSH terms: Curriculum, Faculty, Science, Students, Teaching, Universities

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Teaching the process of science: faculty perceptions and an effective methodology

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