Describes a study of how people use metaphors to make sense of scientific phenomena and ideas in a process of extended group discussion. Interviews that involved reading an edited scientific text on DNA then discussing a number of questions about various aspects of genetics provide the data for this study. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

Explains the mechanism of producing dynamic computer pages which is based on three technologies: (1) the document object model; (2) cascading stylesheets; and (3) javascript. Discusses the applications of these techniques in genetics and developmental biology. (YDS)

Paints a different picture of students' reasoning with meiosis as they solved complex, computer-generated genetics problems, some of which required them to revise their understanding of meiosis in response to anomalous data. Students were able to develop a rich understanding of meiosis and can utilize that knowledge to solve genetics problems.…

Describes the topics and teaching strategies employed in an Issues in Biology course. Discusses flowers, plant breeding, potatoes and tomatoes, the chocolate tree, weeds, Arabidopis, gene transfers, and plant genes/human genes. Contains 22 references. (JRH)

Siblings and parents of 39 children with dyscalculia were assessed for arithmetic, reading, and attention disorders. Findings indicated a familial prevalence of dyscalculia almost tenfold higher than expected for the general population and suggest that dyscalculia, like other learning disabilities, has a significant familial aggregation,…

Offers a new perspective on traditional problems in genetics on kernel color in corn, including information about genetic regulation, metabolic pathways, and evolution of genes. (Contains 15 references.) (ASK)

Explores the ideas that students aged 16-19 associate with the terms 'biotechnology' and 'genetic engineering'. Indicates that some students see biotechnology as risky whereas genetic engineering was described as ethically wrong. (Author/ASK)

A growing cadre of science teachers and researchers are developing curriculum blueprints for teaching the science and ethics of genetics to help students put advances in biotechnology into proper perspective. Lists five sources for teaching genetics. (MLF)

Uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth for 1,943 full siblings and 129 half-siblings to study genetic and shared environmental influences on IQ, education, and income. Results suggest that social inequality in the United States has its origins in genetically based traits and in different environmental backgrounds. (SLD)

Presents a case of a baby born with the genetic condition holoprosencephaly in which students explore the "Sonic hedgehog" gene, signal transduction, and the ethics of body and tissue donation. Presents a two-part assignment that features students writing an informed consent document that explains the science behind this congenital abnormality,…

This study examined whether indicators of math learning disability were observed in 35 5- and 6-year-olds with either neurofibromatosis, Turner Syndrome, or fragile X syndrome and compared to controls. Findings indicate that girls with fragile X or Turner syndrome but not neurofibromatosis are significantly more likely to have specific math…

Recent progress in mouse genetics has led to an increased interest in developing procedures for assessing mouse behavior, but relatively few of the behavioral procedures developed involve positively reinforced operant behavior. When operant methods are used, nose poking, not lever pressing, is the target response. In the current study differential…

In this study of the origins of individual differences in theory of mind (ToM), the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study sample of 1,116 sixty-month-old twin pairs completed a comprehensive battery of ToM tasks. Individual differences in ToM were striking and strongly associated with verbal ability. Behavioral genetic models of the…

This study focused on informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. It sought to explore how content knowledge influenced the negotiation and resolution of contentious and complex scenarios based on genetic engineering. Two hundred and sixty-nine students drawn from undergraduate natural science and nonnatural science courses completed a…

Race is a sociopolitical construct that is often inappropriately treated as a biological reality. This incorrect application of the construct must be challenged. The social studies curriculum, an appropriate place for this challenge, faces two tasks: correcting the concept of race, and working to eliminate the racism that its misuse has created.…