Biology and human biology courses: Pupils’ experiences and attitudes to different types of teaching and learning activity

Abstract

For many children 14‐16 years of age, in the UK and possibly other countries as well, biology or human biology is the only science component of the curriculum. The hypothesis examined in this study was that the type of learning experience of pupils at this stage may strongly affect their attitude to science. This is an investigation of the experiences of pupils and their attitudes to these experiences in biology and human biology courses.

The findings indicate that activities which require imaginative abilities, including activities which encourage scientific thinking, are often lacking from these courses. Note‐taking and simple recall are major features of the pupils' experiences. Pupils often express disappointment at this.

It is suggested that there should be an increase in the scientific content of these biology courses, especially human biology, but at the same time attention should be given to the expectations and experiences of pupils since these are likely to be significant factors in pupils' subsequent attitudes to science.