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Students' epistemological views about biology--their ideas about what "counts" as learning and understanding biology--play a role in how they approach their courses and respond to reforms. As introductory biology courses incorporate more physics and quantitative reasoning, student attitudes about the role of equations in biology become especially relevant. However, as documented in research in physics education, students' epistemologies are not always stable and fixed entities; they can be dynamic and context-dependent. In this paper, we examine an interview with an introductory student in which she discusses the use of equations in her reformed biology course. In one part of the interview, she expresses what sounds like an entrenched negative stance toward the role equations can play in understanding biology. However, later in the interview, when discussing a different biology topic, she takes a more positive stance toward the value of equations. These results highlight how a given student can have diverse ways of thinking about the value of bringing physics and math into biology. By highlighting how attitudes can shift in response to different tasks, instructional environments, and contextual cues, we emphasize the need to attend to these factors, rather than treating students' beliefs as fixed and stable.
CBE-Life Sciences Education: Volume 12, Issue 2, Pages 274-286
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![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=16476">Watkins, Jessica, and Andrew Elby. "Context Dependence of Students’ Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology." CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12, no. 2, (October 13, 2017): 274-286.</a>
![]() J. Watkins and A. Elby, , CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12 (2), 274 (2013), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0185).
![]() J. Watkins and A. Elby, Context Dependence of Students’ Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology, CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12 (2), 274 (2013), <https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0185>.
![]() Watkins, J., & Elby, A. (2017, October 13). Context Dependence of Students’ Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology. CBE Life. Sci. Educ., 12(2), 274-286. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0185
![]() Watkins, Jessica, and Andrew Elby. "Context Dependence of Students’ Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology." CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12, no. 2, (October 13, 2017): 274-286, https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0185 (accessed 1 May 2025).
![]() Watkins, Jessica, and Andrew Elby. "Context Dependence of Students’ Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology." CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12.2 (2013): 274-286. 1 May 2025 <https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0185>.
![]() @article{
Author = "Jessica Watkins and Andrew Elby",
Title = {Context Dependence of Students’ Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology},
Journal = {CBE Life. Sci. Educ.},
Volume = {12},
Number = {2},
Pages = {274-286},
Month = {October},
Year = {2017}
}
![]() %A Jessica Watkins %A Andrew Elby %T Context Dependence of Students' Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology %J CBE Life. Sci. Educ. %E Eric Brewe, (ed) %V 12 %N 2 %D October 13, 2017 %P 274-286 %U https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0185 %O text/html ![]() %0 Journal Article %A Watkins, Jessica %A Elby, Andrew %D October 13, 2017 %T Context Dependence of Students' Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology %E Brewe, Eric %J CBE Life. Sci. Educ. %V 12 %N 2 %P 274-286 %8 October 13, 2017 %U https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-11-0185 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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