| Abstract: | A topic evaluation questionnaire is described which was used with a group of first‐year science undergraduates. Its aim was to determine students’ reactions to individual course topics in terms of: the extent to which they felt they had grasped each topic; those on which they had spent most time; those on which they had wished for more help; and their familiarity with each topic at ‘A’ level. Responses were evaluated in relation to other data collected at the time and highlighted a close relationship between reported ease of grasping and previous familiarity of topics. However, situational and contextual features also significantly affected the extent of grasping. In particular, the pacing and the progressive accumulation of topics in a course which led to difficulties with later topics, and the competing demands of other courses. The paper considers both the results of the topic evaluation questionnaire and how data from such a questionnaire can be more fully interpreted when placed in the context of other sources of evidence. |
