Education research: ALLS demographic results (Cuesta College, Spring 2010)

Student attitudes are assessed using an Astronomy Laboratory Learning Survey (ALLS), a five-point Likert scale questionnaire with demographic questions, and entry/exit evaluation questions (Patrick M. Len, in development) to Astronomy 210L students at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA. This laboratory course is a one-semester, adjunct course to Astronomy 210 lecture, and is taken primarily by students to satisfy their general education science laboratory transfer requirement.

The ALLS is administered as a pre-test on the first laboratory meeting, before any introduction/instruction took place; and as a post-test on the last laboratory meeting.

The results from the pre-test demographic questions follow below. Only matched-pair results are shown, for students who were eventually able to take the post-instruction ALLS at the last laboratory meeting.

Cuesta College
Astronomy Laboratory Learning Survey (ALLS) 
Demographic pre-instruction question results
Astronomy 210L Spring 2010 sections 30678, 30679, 30680, 30682
(N = 67, matched-pairs only)

16. What is your gender? 
(A) Female.  [34]
(B) Male.    [33]

17. Have you previously taken an astronomy lecture class? 
(A) Yes.     [24]
(B) No.      [43]

18. Are you currently enrolled in an astronomy lecture class? 
(A) Yes.     [47]
(B) No.      [20]

19. How many college science courses have you completed prior 
to taking this course? 
(A) None.    [30]
(B) 1.       [24]
(C) 2.       [ 8]
(D) 3.       [ 3]
(E) 4+.      [ 2]

20. What is your college major (or current area(s) of interest 
if undecided)?  Choose as many areas of interest that apply.  
(A) Business.                                  [11]
(B) Education.                                 [11]
(C) Humanities, Social Sciences, or the Arts.  [20]
(D) Science, Engineering, or Architecture.     [10]
(E) Other.                                     [23]

21. Which of these college math classes have you completed 
prior to taking this course?  Choose as many classes that apply.  
(A) Algebra.       [51]
(B) Trigonometry.  [12]
(C) Geometry.      [19]
(D) Pre-calculus.  [21]
(E) Calculus.      [11]
(F) Statistics.    [16]

Previous posts:

• Education research: ALLS pre- to post-instruction attitude shifts (Cuesta College, Fall Semester 2009).
  
• Education research: ALLS post-instruction opinion results (Cuesta College, Fall Semester 2009).
  
• Education research: ALLS demographic results (Cuesta College, Fall Semester 2009).
  
• Education research: Astronomy Laboratory Learning Survey (ALLS), pre- and post-instruction forms.