Implementing an Active Learning Environment To Influence Students’ Motivation in Biochemistry

Abstract

The Biochemistry: Biomolecules Structure and Metabolism course’s goal is to promote meaningful learning through an active learning environment. Thus, study periods (SP) and discussion groups (DG) are used as a substitute for lecture classes. The goal of this study was to evaluate how this learning environment influences students’ motivation (n = 74). Motivation was evaluated by a questionnaire that was described in the literature and by comparing students’ motivation in several courses. The results showed that the students had high achievement and low performance goals in this learning context. This indicates that students worked harder to learn than to get high grades. Students also had high self-efficacy, active learning strategies, and scientific learning values. Moreover, student’s motivation in the active learning environment was higher than or equal to other courses in Pharmacy–Biochemistry. These results demonstrate that the active learning environment had a positive impact on students’ motivation.

Revista Completa

“…Como o desafio proposto aos licenciandos demandava muitas articulações, o grupo de trabalho primeiro construiu o mapa conceitual acima, com os conceitos articulados entre si, e a partir do mesmo elaborou o texto que segue possibilitando a compreensão dos conhecimentos estudados durante o semestre. No mapa elaborado podemos observar relações interdisciplinares na perspectiva proposta por Correia;Cordeiro;Cicuto;Junqueira (2014, p. 468), na qual a interdisciplinaridade pode ser considerada como um meio para "[...] a articulação dos saberes de vários campos do conhecimento, dessa forma [...] valoriza a inovação, a criatividade, e rompe com o paradigma da padronização, aproximando um pouco mais a educação formal das novas demandas da sociedade do conhecimento".…”

“…Motivar os alunos a aprender Química requer o uso de metodologias de ensino e recursos didáticos que os auxiliem a lidar com as peculiaridades dessa Ciência. É nesse sentido que a literatura aponta o uso das metodologias de ensino centradas no aluno (ou metodologias ativas de aprendizagem) como estratégia para permitir uma formação mais ampla e integrada considerando saberes da vida cotidiana para, com isso, tornar a aprendizagem da Química mais significativa e interessante (SIVAN et al, 2000;CICUTO;TORRES, 2016;JONES, 2007;PRINCE, 2004;MOREIRA, 2011;COUTINHO, 2016).…”

Bibliometric analysis of the brazilian periodical journal of biochemistry education

“…Teaching Biochemistry is challenging as it requires a great deal of creative and abstract thinking and different approaches should be used to enable the proper understanding of different subjects . Back in 1990, Wood already discussed the difficulties in teaching and learning Biochemistry considering not only the poor background of the students but also the fact that new information emerges at an exponential rate, making it hard (if not impossible) for the student to keep up.…”

Percepção de estudantes de graduação de uma Universidade brasileira sobre a disciplina de Bioquímica

“…For example, Dorea et al [10] proposed new tools (computers resources), which permit that the students experience and integrate the Biochemistry contents. Cicuto et al [11] carried out a study about the effects of the active learning on students' motivation in the Biochemistry classes. The study periods and discussion group's strategies allowed students to participate actively in the teachinglearning process and are promising ways to overcome the challenges presented by the current Biochemistry traditionally taught lecture classes.…”

“…Teaching research: Perception of undergraduate students of a Brazilian University about the Biochemistry course3 Results and DiscussionBased on the high indices of reprobation and abandonment of undergraduate students when cursing the Biochemistry discipline, several works have been suggesting new methodologies, namely, games, problem-based learning classes, models, videos among others, to call the students attention and improve their comprehension of the Biochemistry subjects[10][11][12][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. On the other hand, to our knowledge few studies…”