Undergraduate Biology Students’ Attitudes towards the use of Curriculum-Based Reader’s Theater in a Laboratory Setting

Oct 15, 2026

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The study examines undergraduate biology students’ attitudes toward participating in curriculum-based reader’s theater (CRBT) as a non-traditional instructional method in a laboratory setting. Freshmen in undergraduate labs often show apathy, and CRBT is evaluated for its potential to increase interest while strengthening communication, collaboration, and content understanding. Students completed reflections before and after the CRBT experience; qualitative coding and triangulation with three additional data sources were used. Most students were initially positive, and 81% of initially negative students shifted to positive perceptions after the intervention, indicating favorable student responses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Research Question and Study Approach

Undergraduate Biology Students’ Attitudes towards the use of CurriculumBased Reader’s Theater in a Laboratory Setting Chrissy J Cross* Stephen F. Austin State University, PO Box 13018, Nacogdoches, TX 75962 *Corresponding Author: [crossc1@sfasu.edu](crossc1@sfasu.edu) Abstract: In the undergraduate biology laboratory, many freshmen are apathetic towards the content of the course. Curriculum based reader’s theater (CRBT) is an instructional method that can increase interest the students in the content of the course while improving student communication, collaboration and understanding. This research is an examination of the student’s attitudes about participating in a non-traditional teaching method such as CRBT in a biology laboratory setting. A reflection document was given to the students before and after their experience with the CRBT in the biology laboratory to determine the attitudes ofthe students about the experience with this novel instructional method. Qualitative methods were used to code and examine the student reflections along with three other data sources. Most of the students were initially positive about performing a reader’s theater as a part of the biology lab, while 81 % of the students who had originally negative perceptions ofthe reader’s theater, changed their perceptions from negative to positive after the reader’s theater experience. The findings ofthis research indicate that students respond positively to the use of curriculum based reader’s theater in a biology laboratory as an alternative instructional method. Keywords: science, undergraduate biology, drama, reader’s theater, instruction, alternative instructional methods, curriculum, student attitudes, student perception, communication, collaboration, content knowledge After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are always artists as well.–Albert Einstein INTRODUCTION In my experience as an undergraduate biology laboratory instructor, I faced a constant battle to motivate students. Freshmen tend to be unexcited about the subject matter, as indicated by their detached stares, blasé attitudes and inability to see how the course will apply to their major or career goals. Passivity can be reduced and performance increased in the classroom when students are actively involved in the instruction (Nash, 2013) . Collaboration, communication, and arts integration are all classroom techniques that can actively engage students in the instruction. As Zemelman, Daneils & Hyde (2005) stated, students need “more cooperative, collaborative activity”; the classroom should be “an interdependent community”(p. 8) . Group activities that convey the content and foster positive relationships among the students can aid in the formation of this type of community classroom atmosphere (Stepanek, 2000) . The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Jarmul & Olson, 1996) stated that biology curriculum must reach beyond the standard curriculum to promote critical thinking and collaborative experiences. The National Research Council (2003) recommended that science laboratories implement project-based curriculum and“provide opportunity for students to work cooperatively in groups”(p.75) . Collaboration and communication can be increased in the science laboratory by integrated a curriculum based reader’s theater (CBRT) as form of the dramatic arts into the science curriculum. According to Flynn (2007), CBRT is an excellent way to directly involve students in the communication of the content of the course while giving them opportunity to build collaboration skills in groups. A curriculum based reader’s theater (CRBT) incorporates the content of the course into a reader’s theater script that the students perform during the class. When students act out the content information, their ability to remember and retain the information is improved over listening to or reading

FAQs

What research question does the study address?

The study asks what undergraduate students’ attitudes are toward incorporating curriculum-based reader’s theater (CRBT) into a biology laboratory setting.

How was students’ attitude data collected?

Students received reflection documents before and after their CRBT experience. Qualitative methods were used to code and examine the reflections alongside three other data sources.

What were the main findings about student perceptions?

Most students were initially positive about performing reader’s theater in the biology lab. Among students who were initially negative, 81% changed their perceptions from negative to positive after the experience.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben