CBE—Life Sciences Education
Vol. 10, 368–378, Winter 2011

Article
The C.R.E.A.T.E. Approach to Primary Literature Shifts
Undergraduates’ Self-Assessed Ability to Read and Analyze
Journal Articles, Attitudes about Science, and
Epistemological Beliefs
Sally G. Hoskins,* David Lopatto,† and Leslie M. Stevens‡
*Department of Biology and The Graduate Center, City College of the City University of New York, New York,
NY 10031; † Department of Psychology, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112; ‡ Section of Molecular Cell and
Developmental Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
Submitted March 18, 2011; Revised June 9, 2011; Accepted July 5, 2011
Monitoring Editor: Diane K. O’Dowd

The C.R.E.A.T.E. (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next
Experiment) method uses intensive analysis of primary literature in the undergraduate classroom to demystify and humanize science. We have reported previously that the method improves students’ critical thinking and content integration abilities, while at the same time enhancing their self-reported understanding of “who does science, and why.” We report here the results of an assessment that addressed C.R.E.A.T.E. students’ attitudes about the nature of science, beliefs about learning, and confidence in their ability to read, analyze, and explain research articles. Using a Likert-style survey administered pre- and postcourse, we found significant changes in students’ confidence in their ability to read and analyze primary literature, self-assessed understanding of the nature of science, and epistemological beliefs (e.g., their sense of whether knowledge is certain and scientific talent innate). Thus, within a single semester, the inexpensive C.R.E.A.T.E. method can shift not just students’ analytical abilities and understanding of scientists as people, but