Comparison of teaching orientations of an experienced and beginner lecturer in first year Biology

Abstract

First year students at tertiary institutions find themselves in an environment that is both exciting and intimidating. This study explores the dynamics of the classroom where biology students meet an experienced and a beginner lecturer teaching arguably the most difficult topic in the syllabus, photosynthesis. The study investigated the difference in their teaching orientations, which was expected to influence the way in which they plan and present the lessons, the experiences of the students in class, with the emphasis on sections that were explained well and on problems that students may still encounter at the end of the lecture. Interview and classroom observation data were analysed to probe the beliefs, goals and topic specific pedagogical content knowledge of the lecturers in order to generate a qualitative description of the difference in their teaching orientations. The data suggests that the difference in the disciplinary background of the two lecturers influenced their teaching orientations and their time allocation to different sections of the content. It was evident from an inductive analysis of journal entries that first year students respond positively to lecturers that are enthusiastic, well prepared and committed to deliver to the best of their abilities. The study concludes that the poor performance of students in this topic cannot be ascribed to the difference in the teaching orientations of the two lecturers.