Developing dispositions needed for the geoscience workforce in the undergraduate curriculum: A preliminary study and framework for instructors

Geoscience employers find dispositions such as a willingness to learn and initiative to be as critical in hiring as geoscience knowledge and skills. Ten dispositions are frequently mentioned by geoscience employers in job ads and interviews about hiring, however, little research exists on how these dispositions are incorporated into geoscience curricula. We conducted a preliminary study of instructors in two geoscience departments to understand the extent to which instructors integrate the development of dispositions into their teaching. We used a mixed methods approach including a quantitative survey followed by a semi-structured interview to investigate the strategies instructors use to help students develop these ten dispositions. Nineteen instructors completed the survey for 36 undergraduate geoscience courses; thirteen participated in follow-up interviews. Instructors reported providing opportunities for students to develop one or more dispositions in 32 out of 36 courses; they feel that dispositions are important and envision themselves in a range of roles in supporting students’ disposition development. They use a variety of strategies that we categorized as active/passive and direct/indirect, which provides a framework for effective disposition development. Instructors largely described indirect and active strategies and described few strategies for assessing students’ dispositions. Instructors also recognized that subtle adjustments to their teaching could better emphasize dispositions. Our results suggest that instructors are addressing dispositions but mostly not using evidence-based strategies, including transparency, active engagement, and assessment. Our new framework provides guidance for instructors and lays the groundwork for future research on incorporating dispositions into geoscience courses and degree programs.