The importance of context: an exploration of factors influencing the adoption of student-centered teaching among chemistry, biology, and physics faculty

The importance of context: an exploration of factors influencing the adoption of student-centered teaching among chemistry, biology, and physics facult

By Lund and Stains. This study demonstrates that disciplinary differences exist in the contextual factors teaching conceptions that STEM faculty experience and hold, even among faculty within the same institution. Moreover, it shows that these differences are associated to the level of adoption of student-centered teaching practices. This work has thus identified the critical need to carefully characterize STEM faculty's departmental environment and conceptions about teaching before engaging in instructional reform efforts, and to adapt reform activities to account for these factors.

Suggested Citation

Lund, T.J., and Stains, M. (2015) The importance of context: an exploration of factors influencing the adoption of student-centered teaching among chemistry, biology, and physics faculty, International Journal of STEM Education, 2:13, DOI: 10.1186/s40594-015-0026-8