Meditation on Motivation Home                

Motivation in Science

Data (highlights)

¨  Student Survey Results- this was a survey that the team created and all used.  When creating it, we included the factors that we thought might most impact student motivation.  The students were asked to rank their ideas about the course on a scale from 1 to 5 (5 being the highest).

Student Survey from 3-13-01

¨ Student Responses to Exit Slips from 4-5-01 [after completing Lab #25 (Identifying an Unknown Solid) with their partner only].  15 students responded to open-ended questions.

1.                  What was the most challenging part of Lab #25?

Procedure/data tables- 7

Analyzing data- 7

Questions/conclusion- 1

2.                  What was the easiest part of Lab#25?

Actual lab work- 12

Analyzing data- 3

3.                  How valuable do you think Lab#25 is for your life? 

                                    Valuable- 6

                                    Somewhat Valuable- 7

                                    Not- 2

                        In class?

                                    Valuable- 15

4.                  What motivates you most in this class? (some students wrote more than one response)

Grades- 7

Learning new things- 6

Environment- 2

Being the best/fastest- 1

¨ Anecdotal Data- my personal observations within the classroom

1^st day of 4^th Quarter-

14/15 students used their lab manuals when asked to complete “Sludge sheets” individually

2^nd day of 4^th Quarter-

      7/15 students raised their hand when asked the question “Where would you go if you needed help creating a pre-lab for Lab 25- ID Unknown Solid?”

Introduction                            Research Process                 Reflections