Is HPS a valuable component of a STEM education? An empirical study of student interest in HPS courses within an undergraduate science curriculum

Lusk, Greg

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey of students majoring in STEM fields whose education contained a significant history, philosophy and sociology (HPS) of science component. The survey was administered to students in a North American public 4-year university just prior to completing their HPS sequence. The survey assessed students’ attitudes towards HPS to gauge how those attitudes changed over the course of their college careers, and to identify the benefits and obstacles to studying HPS as a component of their STEM education. The survey reveals that students generally found unexpected value in taking HPS within their STEM curriculum. It also reveals that framing HPS courses as a means of gaining communication skills necessary to be an influential scientist seems to resonate with students. However, students also identified several factors limiting engagement with HPS content, including the length and density of required readings and assessment via essays and papers.

Citation

Lusk, G. (2022). Is HPS a valuable component of a STEM education? An empirical study of student interest in HPS courses within an undergraduate science curriculum. European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 12(1), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-021-00433-x

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 25, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Feb 26, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022
• Deposit Date: May 5, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: May 6, 2022
• Journal: European Journal for Philosophy of Science
• Print ISSN: 1879-4912
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-4920
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 19
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-021-00433-x
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1209105