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What Do Beginning Students Think about Philosophy before Their First College Course?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 September 2023

BAILIE PETERSON Open the ORCID record for BAILIE PETERSON [Opens in a new window] ,
DAVID AGBOOLA  and
KELLY LUNDBERG
BAILIE PETERSON
Affiliation:
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO bailie.peterson@unco.edu
DAVID AGBOOLA
Affiliation:
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO bailie.peterson@unco.edu
KELLY LUNDBERG
Affiliation:
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO bailie.peterson@unco.edu
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Abstract

In this article, we present the results of an original study identifying the perceptions of beginning philosophy students at the start of their first introductory course. We surveyed over 1,100 students representing over 40 universities and colleges in the United States regarding their initial perceptions of gender bias, inclusivity, value, understanding, similarities, and enjoyment of philosophy. We analyzed the results based on gender, first-generation status, and student of color status. This work represents the perspectives of a more diverse range of students, reflecting far more first-generation college students (40 percent) and students who identify as people of color (43 percent) than in previous work. Additionally, this study provides novel data as we were able to collect data on the first day of classes, in most cases before students were exposed to syllabi or content that could inform their views about philosophy. Understanding what beginning students think about philosophy before formal exposure to the field might help us to identify concerns, misconceptions, and areas for improvement. Many results are striking, and our project offers insight into the initial perspectives of philosophy students.

Keywords

pedagogyteachingfeminist philosophyfirst-generation studentsstudent perceptions
Type
Article
Information
Journal of the American Philosophical Association , First View , pp. 1 - 11
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Philosophical Association

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Footnotes

We received approval from our university's Institutional Review Board (#1478114-1) and gratefully acknowledge support from HEERF II CARES Act Funding for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works.

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