Many studies have shown that students' understanding of evolution is low and some sort of historical approach would be necessary in order to allow students to understand the theory of evolution. It is common to present Mendelian genetics to high school students prior to Biological Evolution, having in mind historical and epistemological…

For many people an esoteric educational topic is eugenics. This brief text analysis will provide a textual as well as contextual analysis of Dr. Ann Gibson Winfield's book (2007) Eugenics and Education in America: Institutionalized Racism and the Implications of History, Ideology, and Memory. Winfield objectively critiques eugenic apologetics.…

The purpose of this historical review was to trace the credible leadership construct of trustworthiness, integrity, honesty, and consistency in leadership theory development during the last 100 years in the United States. Theory focus, key U.S. pivotal events, and follower importance influenced the construct's occurrence in leadership theory. …

The connection that critics make between medical genetics and eugenics is historically fallacious. Activists on the political right are as mistaken as activists on the political left: Genetic screening was not eugenics in the past, is not eugenics in the present, and, unless its technological systems become radically transformed, will not be…

The main goal of school science is to enable learners to become scientifically literate through their participation in scientific discourses (McNeill & Krajcik, 2009). One of the key elements of scientific discourses is the ability to construct scientific explanations that consist of valid claims supported by appropriate evidence (e.g., McNeill &…

Gilbert Gottlieb was an elegant experimentalist whose research was inspired in part by naturalistic observations of parent-offspring vocal-auditory interactions of waterfowl. Such observations are essential in identifying potential linear (obvious) as well as nonlinear (subtle) mechanisms underlying the development of species-typical behavior. His…

This article presents an activity that uses sandwich bags to represent an individual's genome (their genetic make-up), and two variations of various objects representing the alleles of various genes. This activity includes the major components of an introductory genetics unit: from gamete production through probabilities of expected offspring…

In this paper we assess the presence of assortative mating, gene-environment interaction and the heritability of intelligence in childhood using a twin family design with twins, their siblings and parents from 112 families. We evaluate two competing hypotheses about the cause of assortative mating in intelligence: social homogamy and phenotypic…

The aims of this study are to identify health concerns and behaviors, to understand why some concerns are more worrisome than others, and to learn what information sources are relied on for a young age cohort--7th grade students--in two poor and near-poor school districts. Focus groups--one each of girls and boys--in each of two public school…

Because of advances in palliative medical care, children with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome are surviving into adulthood. An increase in reproductive fitness will likely follow necessitating enhanced access to genetic counseling for these patients and their families. Primary care physicians/obstetric practitioners are in a unique position to…

A previous finding from our group indicated that teacher-rated antisocial behaviour (AB) among 7-year-olds is particularly heritable in the presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits. Using a sample of 1865 same-sex twin pairs, we employed DeFries-Fulker extremes analysis to investigate whether teacher-rated AB with/without CU traits also shows…

Podcasts are audio or video files which can be automatically downloaded to one's computer when the episodes become available, then later transferred to a portable player for listening. The technology thereby enables the user to listen to and/or watch the content anywhere at any time. Formerly popular as radio shows, podcasting was rapidly explored…

This study was carried out in the context of formative assessment where assessment and learning were integrated to enhance both teaching and learning. The purpose of the study was to: (a) identify pupils' ideas about biological inheritance through the use of a concept cartoon, pupils' drawings and talk, and (b) devise scaffolding structures that…

Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) is rightly credited as being the "father of modern genetics." He presented the results of his pea experiments at a meeting of his local natural history society in two lectures during 1865. His paper was published in the proceedings of the society the next year. From his breeding experiments with the edible pea, he…

Celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue, is a hereditary, autoimmune disease that causes a sensitivity to gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. The key symptoms of celiac disease are diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, backaches, stomachaches, nausea, anemia, fatigue, osteoporosis, stunted growth in children, and weight…