Table 2.
Overview of the instruments for learning beliefs and professional knowledge.
| Instrument | Scales (Number of items) | Example Item (translated from German) | α∗4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Beliefs | biography-based | Definition of learning adapted from Drechsel (2001) | • as reproduction (7) • as transformation (7) |
I connect learning in university with: •grasping something •committing something to memory |
0.58 0.83 |
| Learning strategies adapted from Ruffo (2010) | • Use of cognitive learning strategies (7) • Use of metacognitive learning strategies (7) |
How well do you relate to the following statements? •In order to organize the material, I often make outlines, tables and sketches. •I consider while working whether my approach up to now makes sense |
0.70 0.72 |
||
| theory-based | Beliefs about teaching and learning Gimbel et al. (2018) adapted from Seidel and Meyer (2003) | • transmissive (7) • constructivist (7) |
How do students learn science (biology)? •Teachers should always give detailed instructions as to how biology experiments should be done. •One should enable students to independently find solutions to biology tasks before the teacher demonstrates how to solve them. |
0.76 0.80 |
|
| Nature of science Gimbel et al. (2018) adapted from Urhahne et al. (2008), Riese (2009) | Nature of science (28) |
What do you think about science (biology)? •Biological knowledge isn‘t definitively provable and can change over time. |
0.95 | ||
| Professional Knowledge | CK Newly constructed | Curricular content on neuroscience (6) |
Which part of the brain is responsible for motor skills? ○ The cerebellum ○ The cerebrum ○ The corpus callosum ○ The forebrain |
0.60 | |
| PCK Newly constructed | Instructional strategies for sustainable learning (12) | Name three school experiments on the topic of learning. | 0.72 | ||
| PPK Newly constructed | Psychology of human learning (17) |
Which of the following are components of working memory? ○ Central executive ○ Semantic memory ○ Iconic storage ○ Phonological loop |
0.80 | ||
∗The Cronbach’s alpha values generally refer to a sample of n = 79 students; for the knowledge tests, they refer to a subsample (n = 40) who filled out the instrument as a post-test after participating in a learning environment on the topic of neuroscience and learning.