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Teachers' Ability to Diagnose and Deal with Alternative Student Conceptions of Evolution
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Hartelt, Tim; Martens, Helge; Minkley, Nina – Science Education, 2022
Students possess alternative conceptions of many science topics, and these conceptions can act as obstacles for learning scientific concepts. In the field of biology education, students' alternative conceptions of evolution have been widely investigated. However, there is little research on how teachers diagnose and deal with these alternative…
Descriptors: Science Education, Scientific Concepts, Misconceptions, Concept Formation
Transforming Misconceptions: Using Transformative Experience to Promote Positive Affect and Conceptual Change in Students Learning about Biological Evolution
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Heddy, Benjamin C.; Sinatra, Gale M. – Science Education, 2013
Teaching and learning about complex scientific content, such as biological evolution, is challenging in part because students have a difficult time seeing the relevance of evolution in their everyday lives. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the Teaching for Transformative Experiences in Science (TTES) model (Pugh, 2002)…
Descriptors: Misconceptions, Science Instruction, Transformative Learning, Evolution
When Relationships Depicted Diagrammatically Conflict with Prior Knowledge: An Investigation of Students' Interpretations of Evolutionary Trees
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Novick, Laura R.; Catley, Kefyn M. – Science Education, 2014
Science is an important domain for investigating students' responses to information that contradicts their prior knowledge. In previous studies of this topic, this information was communicated verbally. The present research used diagrams, specifically trees (cladograms) depicting evolutionary relationships among taxa. Effects of college…
Descriptors: Visual Aids, Evolution, Taxonomy, College Students
Exploring the Complexity of Tree Thinking Expertise in an Undergraduate Systematics Course
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Halverson, Kristy L.; Pires, Chris J.; Abell, Sandra K. – Science Education, 2011
Student understanding of biological representations has not been well studied. Yet, we know that to be efficient problem solvers in evolutionary biology and systematics, college students must develop expertise in thinking with a particular type of representation, phylogenetic trees. The purpose of this study was to understand how undergraduates…
Descriptors: Evolution, Classification, Biodiversity, Knowledge Representation
Students' Perceptions of the Nature of Evolutionary Theory
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Dagher, Zoubeida R.; Boujaoude, Saouma – Science Education, 2005
This study explored how some college students understand the nature of the theory of evolution and how they evaluate its scientific status. We conducted semistructured interviews with 15 college biology seniors in which we asked them to explain why they think evolution assumes the status of a scientific theory, how it compares to other scientific…
Descriptors: Theories, Evolution, Undergraduate Students, Student Reaction
Lifting the Taboo Regarding Teleology and Anthropomorphism in Biology Education--Heretical Suggestions.
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Zohar, Anat; Ginossar, Shlomit – Science Education, 1998
Advocates removing the taboo regarding anthropomorphism and teleology in biology education. Argues that for high school students, accepting such formulations does not necessarily imply anthropomorphic or teleological reasoning. Further, living organisms seem goal-oriented because of their adaptation for survival. Concludes with the argument that…
Descriptors: Biological Sciences, Concept Formation, Evolution, Heuristics