Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Biology Education, Higher'

The goal of this study is to determine where interest in biology is created, reinforced, or diminished in education. The online, Qualtrics created survey was launched on October first, 2017 until October twenty-fifth, 2017 to students enrolled as freshmen in the biology program, undergraduate seniors in the biology program, and graduate students of the biology program. There were 197 participants in all, and they were asked to respond retrospectively to a variety of questions dealing with their background, interest, and motivation in biology. Results from the survey questions were grouped and analyzed based on six research questions of the study and the hypotheses from these were supported, partially supported, or not supported. We determined that: (1) subjects' perceptions of hands-on lab classes, field work, outdoor experiences and research all helped push college students to pursue a college biology degree; (2) subjects did not attribute their decision to study the field of biology to their family members, but did attribute their decision to other significant people in their lives with strong biological experience, degrees, or expertise; (3) subjects did not believe that other content-related, nontraditional experiences such as STEM camps, community service opportunities, and research opportunities had a positive influence on their desire to go into biology or assisted them in learning in the college biology curriculum; (4) subjects believe that college courses with hands-on activities, classes with labs, field work, outdoor labs and undergraduate research will help them to succeed or persist in their college biology degree; (5) subjects believe that biology labs positively influence their self-confidence in biology and help them better perform in science; (6) subjects do not believe the best protocols in laboratories are inquiry-based, as compared to step-by-step methods.

It has been the work of many science educators all over the world to try and design curricula that could help encourage intellectual growth in students. One influential work in this area was done by William Graves Perry, who managed to use students' own experiences to map out a scheme elaborating the different phases through which college students pass as they progress from year to year. This showed that students' thoughts develop from a state of basic dualism, where all is viewed as qualitative extremes without intermediates, to acknowledgement of multiplistic perspectives, through to recognition of the relativistic nature of knowledge. Perry suggests that instructors have to find out about their students' positions along this developmental continuum in order to carve around these proper support, encouragement, and challenges necessary for ensuring further development. Communication of expectations and aims of courses is also imperative. Research has shown that students' approach to learning is usually modelled around what they perceive as being expected of them. Perry's scheme is a suitable tool for ensuring this communication, because through it, students get to relay their expectations to the staff. Based on Perry's scheme, an attempt was made to develop a questionnaire that could be used for the investigation of intellectual growth in undergraduate biology students. This comprised of one section with opposing typical Perry 'A' (least advanced) and 'C' (most advanced) type statements, and a second free-response section where students had to justify their positions to given Perry 'A' and 'C' type statements. It was administered at universities of Botswana and Glasgow, Modified versions were also administered to pupils in two Glasgow High Schools and staff at the University of Glasgow. The aim was to find out if intellectual thought improved with progress from lower to higher educational levels and whether the staff's expectations matched those of students. The results from the two universities were also compared to find out if progress in the two universities followed the same pattern, and to see if Perry's scheme could be applied to students coming from totally different backgrounds.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of notecards, a study aid, on students’ learning in three sections of a non-majors undergraduate Human Biology course. Moreover, the effectiveness of illustrations as study aids was compared with the effectiveness of descriptions as study aids. Presently, there is not much research on this particular topic, but notecards are a quite common method of studying.

Hypothesis: It was expected that the use of notecards would be more beneficial to student learning than no use at all. Furthermore, it was expected that drawing illustrations would be more effective than writing definitions or descriptions.

Method: Three Human Biology courses taught by the same instructor took part in the study. One class acted as the control in which they did not complete notecards, while the other two courses completed three notecards per unit. Of the two classes, one class completed notecards by drawing illustrations while the other course completed notecards in which students were to write definitions or descriptions. Pre-tests and post-tests were given at the beginning of the semester and the end of the semester, respectively, to identify students’ overall knowledge retention and learning during the semester.

Results: The Paired t-test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test showed that there was a statistically significant difference of change scores between the pre-tests and post-tests within each group meaning all sections of the course learned. The Shapiro-Wilk’s test showed that data was normally distributed to continue the One-Way ANOVA tests. The results of the One-Way ANOVA showed that there was a statistically significant difference between all groups, and the Tukey post-hoc test pinpointed the statistical significance of the One-Way ANOVA between the illustration group and the control group. There was neither a statistically significant difference between the illustration group and the description group nor between the description group and the control group. The Effect Size was small-to-medium, ω = 0.044. The Kruskal-Wallis H test performed on the weekly assignment scores showed there was a statistically significant difference between groups. Dunn’s (1964) procedure with a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons showed that, generally, there was a statistically significant difference from the control group to the illustration group as well as from the control group to the description group, meaning students in the illustration group and the description group performed better on weekly assignments than the control group. The illustration group performed as well as the description group on weekly assignments. The weekly assignment and exam analysis compared average exam percentages and final exam percentages of each group to average assignment percentages to assess whether there were any certain notecard assignments, descriptive or illustrative, that led to different exam percentages between groups. Exam scores between all groups were similar and there was no specific trend between certain assignments and respective exam scores. Largely, in all groups, there was a positive correlation amongst exam scores and their respective assignments as well as a general positive correlation amongst the assignments and the final exam according to the results of Spearman’s Correlation test. The Kruskal-Wallis H test performed on all five exam scores of each group showed there was not a statistically significant difference between exam scores of each group. By assessing the change in number of correct answers per question between pre-tests and post-tests, it was determined that learning in some specific content areas may have been improved by utilizing notecards (descriptive in some cases and illustrative in other cases) as a study aid whereas learning in other content areas were nearly equivalent across all groups. Student reflection on course evaluations showed a mixed reaction to the notecard assignments with some students regarding them as their least favorite part of the course and still others commenting on how helpful they were to their study.

Conclusions: All groups learned throughout the semester, and learning gains for the illustration group and the description group doubled compared to the control group. Short-term learning based on weekly assignments was increased for both the illustration and description groups, but exam scores were not really affected by the different learning interventions. Exam scores were similar among the three groups, so notecards were neither superior nor inferior to the standard curriculum when it came to academic performance. The student divide concerning using notecards illuminated the idea that all students have different learning styles, and in the case of the present study, some students in one group may have preferred to complete the type of assignment of another group. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This study investigated the attitudes toward teaching and research among biology faculty in Texas institutions of higher learning. The purposes of the study were to: 1) determine what the attitudes of Texas biology faculty were toward teaching; 2) to determine the attitudes of Texas biology faculty toward research; 3) to determine if biology faculty attitudes toward teaching vary according to faculty rank; 4) to determine if biology faculty attitudes toward research vary according to faculty rank; 5) to determine if attitudes of biology faculty in Texas toward teaching vary according to institutional type; and 6) to determine if attitudes of biology faculty in Texas toward research vary according to institutional type.

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship existed between preservice science (biology) teacher education and the reforms in secondary school biology that occurred between 1950 and 1975. Research questions were generated which dealt with the collaboration of the various sectors of education as well as if the prospective teachers were being trained to teach the reform curricula through their college science and teacher education coursework.;Content analysis of textbooks was utilized to determine the content of textbooks on the secondary and higher education level. The secondary texts contrasted were Modern Biology and the BSCS Blue and Green series. A variety of textbooks were analyzed for higher education biology including those authored by Villee and Weisz. Teacher education methods textbooks which covered science education or biology teaching were also analyzed. Five topics were analyzed in each of the textbooks: the scientific method, classification, amphibians, heredity, and ecology. The evaluation instrument was adapted from the Curriculum Materials Analysis System for Science (Haussler & Pittman, 1973) and the Virginia Department of Education Science Textbook Evaluation Instrument.;It was hypothesized that the analyses would reveal that innovations and reforms in high school biology textbooks preceded reforms in higher education teacher education programs which would indicate that prospective teachers were not being taught the necessary skills, behaviors, or methods in their required coursework to adequately institute the reforms on the secondary level. It was also hypothesized that the analyses would reveal an inordinately long period of time before prospective teachers were being instructed in the methods necessary for them to function effectively in secondary classrooms with the reform curricula.;It was concluded that there was generally very little collaboration between the various sectors of education during 1950 and 1975. The first hypothesis was confirmed and the second hypothesis supported but not totally confirmed due to the lack of information on how textbooks were actually used in the teacher education classrooms. Further research is needed in this area.;Additional findings of the study indicate that textbooks from the recent past are difficult to locate and thus a significant portion of the history of education is disappearing.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of cooperative learning strategies on students' attitudes toward science and achievement in BSC 1005L, a non-science majors' general biology laboratory course at an urban community college. Data were gathered on the participants' attitudes toward science and cognitive biology level pre and post treatment in BSC 1005L. Elements of the Learning Together model developed by Johnson and Johnson and the Student Team-Achievement Divisions model created by Slavin were incorporated into the experimental sections of BSC 1005L. Four sections of BSC 1005L participated in this study. Participants were enrolled in the 1998 spring (January) term. Students met weekly in a two hour laboratory session. The treatment was administered to the experimental group over a ten week period. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was used. Students in the cooperative learning group (n1= 27) were administered the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA) and the cognitive biology test at the same time as the control group (n2 = 19 ) (at the beginning and end of the term). Statistical analyses confirmed that both groups were equivalent regarding ethnicity, gender, college grade point average and number of absences. Independent sample t-tests performed on pretest mean scores indicated no significant differences in the TOSRA scale two or biology knowledge between the cooperative learning group and the control group. The scores of TOSRA scales: one, three, four, five, six, and seven were significantly lower in the cooperative learning group. Independent sample t-tests of the mean score differences did not show any significant differences in posttest attitudes toward science or biology knowledge between the two groups. Paired t-tests did not indicate any significant differences on the TOSRA or biology knowledge within the cooperative learning group. Paired t-tests did show significant differences within the control group on TOSRA scale two and biology knowledge. ANCOVAs did not indicate any significant differences on the post mean scores of the TOSRA or biology knowledge adjusted by differences in the pretest mean scores. Analysis of the research data did not show any significant correlation between attitudes toward science and biology knowledge.

Thesis (MPhil) (Higher Education)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Transformation in biology teaching is inevitable. There is a global concern about the quality of undergraduate biology teaching, especially when considering the growth in the fields of biotechnology and the molecular sciences. Programmes of learning have to be market orientated, and the contents of curricula have to equip students for entrance into a specific career. At the University of Stellenbosch the School for Biological Sciences has developed an interdisciplinary approach to first-year biology teaching. The new programmes in Biological Sciences, implemented in 2000, contain first-year curricula that introduce students to the disciplines of genetics, botany, zoology, microbiology, biochemistry and statistics. This involves participation by six departments, and lecture facilitation in two languages for up to 600 students. As contact sessions between lecturers and students are limited, self-study is becoming increasingly important, and lectures should be fully exploited to obtain deep learning. This study investigated various ways to enhance the teaching and learning process for first-year biology students in a module fraught with growing pains and problems. The influence of software support on student learning was evaluated, while the introduction of an innovative approach to teaching statistics to first-year students was analyzed. Supplementing the statistics section with video-recordings of the lectures was further considered as a possible way of overcoming various obstacles in especially this section of the module. The application of a practical laboratory course to enhance the quality of the theoretical lectures was also investigated and evaluated. It can be concluded that no simple solution could be found to solve the variety of problems that arose with implementation of the new programmes of learning. Technology proved to be invaluable, but should be applied after thorough needs assessment and impact studies have been performed. Provision of IT tools and facilities do not necessarily imply their application and effect, and innovation and inspiration still proved to be most effective in enhancing biology teaching.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Transformasie in biologie-onderrig is onvermydelik. Daar is wêreldwye kommer oor die kwaliteit van voorgraadse biologie-onderrig, veral in die lig van die vooruitgang in biotegnologie en die molekulêre wetenskappe. Programme van onderrig moet markgerig wees, en die inhoud van leerplanne loopbaangerig. Die Skool vir Biologiese Wetenskappe van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch het sedert sy stigting 'n interdissiplinêre benadering tot eerstejaarsbiologie-onderrig ontwikkel. Die nuwe programme in die Biologiese Wetenskappe wat in 2000 geïmplementeer is, bevat eerstejaarskurrikula wat studente bekendstel aan die dissiplines van genetika, botanie, sooloqie, mikrobiologie, biochemie en statistiek. Ses departemente is hierby betrokke, en lesings word in twee tale vir tot 600 studente aangebied. Aangesien kontaksessies tussen dosente en studente beperk is, word selfstudie toenemend belangrik, en lesure moet ten volle benut word om 'n diepgaande leerproses te verkry. Hierdie studie ondersoek derhalwe verskeie potensiële maniere waarop die onderrigen leerproses by eerstejaarbiologie-studente versterk kan word. Die invloed van sagteware-ondersteuning by die leerproses is geëvalueer, terwyl 'n nuwe innoverende benadering tot statistiek-onderrig vir eerstejaarstudente geanaliseer is. Uitbreiding en ondersteuning van die statistiek-seksie, d.m.v. videoopnames van die lesings, is verder oorweeg om verskeie van die hindernisse in veral hierdie deel van die module te oorkom. Die toepassing van 'n laboratoriumkursus om die kwaliteit van die teoretiese lesings uit te brei is ook geëvalueer. Daar kan saamgevat word dat geen enkelvoudige oplossing bestaan om die verskeidenheid van probleme op te los wat met implementering van die programme ontstaan het nie. Tegnologie is onontbeerlik, maar moet toegepas word nadat behoorlike behoeftebepaling en impakstudies uitgevoer is. Verskaffing van informasietegnologie impliseer nie noodwendig die nodige toepassing en effek nie, en innovasie en inspirasie blyk steeds onontbeerlik te wees om biologie-onderrig uit te brei en te versterk.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide authentic research benefits to an entire laboratory course population. CURE experiences are proposed to enhance research skills, critical thinking, productivity, and retention in science. CURE curriculum developers face numerous obstacles, such as the logistics and time commitment involved in bringing a CURE to larger student populations. In addition, an ideal CURE topic requires affordable resources, lab techniques that can be quickly mastered, time for multiple iterations within one semester, and the opportunity to generate new data. This study identifies some of the CURE activities that lead to proposed participant outcomes. Introductory Biology I CURE lab students at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville completed research related to the process of converting storage lipids in microalgae into biodiesel. Data collected from CURE and traditional lab student participants indicate increased CURE student reports of project ownership, scientific self-efficacy, identification as a scientist, and sense of belonging to a science community. Study limitations and unanticipated benefits are discussed.

Introductory biology courses at two-year, open enrollment colleges in America are presented in a variety of different course delivery formats. Traditionally, most students have enrolled in seated or face-to-face (F2F) lectures and laboratories. There is increased demand for courses presented online or in a hybrid format, although some studies report higher attrition rates, and lower grades for these course delivery formats. The purpose of this study was to examine if there were academic differences among F2F, hybrid, or online introductory biology courses by analyzing precourse and postcourse assessment scores, final grades, attrition rates, and students' perceptions of course satisfaction. This study was grounded in the social constructivist conceptual framework and followed a mixed method design. Four research questions guided the study which involved the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The study involved 354 adult students enrolled in three, open enrollment, two-year institutions in Southern Missouri. Statistical analysis indicated significantly higher mean gain scores on postcourse than precourse assessments, regardless of location or course format. There was a significant difference in final course grades for students enrolled in online courses compared to those in F2F or hybrid sections; students enrolled in online sections also had a significantly higher attrition rate. Seven focus groups were conducted, and students completed online surveys indicating their satisfaction level. This study had direct application to the design, implementation, and assessment of introductory biology courses and provided insight into students' academic success and perceptions of course satisfaction with introductory biology classes.

The use of e-learning in teaching and learning is seen as an alternative to traditional learning and produces knowledge through a variety of academic activities in many Higher Education institutions. The importance of this research arises from the need to provide a blueprint for future strategic developments in e-learning in Saudi universities, and thus improve policy and practice for the betterment of student learning. The present study aims to determine the impact of wiki technology on learning in the subject of biology among Al-Baha University (ABU) students through their interactions with each other. The study was divided into three stages: before, during and after the use of the wiki. Collaborative learning and constructivist theory was applied in this study in relation to the learning environment for the participants and used the wiki platform as a learning tool (http://wikibaha.wikispaces.com). The strategy of the current study was based on the application of the case study as a research approach. The study focused on individuals and teams at ABU and sought to investigate the students‘ outcomes: their perceptions and knowledge about wiki, the extent of acquiring e-learning skills, achieving biological knowledge, and their attitudes towards the wiki. These five elements were measured through five different instruments. Mixed methods approaches were used to triangulate the results of the study and collect both quantitative and qualitative data from students. The qualitative and quantitative data were collected by using two types of questionnaire and weekly tests for the quantitative data, and by using interviews and e-comments to collect the qualitative data. The data in its entirety was analysed ‗en masse‘ using a thematic framework. In order to integrate two different types of data in one analytical approach, the researcher qualitised the quantitative data. This process of ‗qualitising‘ followed the technique of Tashakorri and Teddlie (1998). Hesse-Biber and Leavy (2010), state that the term qualitising refers to the process of converting quantitative data that can be analysed qualitatively. Therefore, quantitative data in research questions 2, 3 and 4 were firstly analysed using the SPSS programme, before being subjected to qualitative analysis. The finding of the study showed that students had positive attitudes and perceptions toward the wiki; these perceptions and attitudes varied from one student to another because of the different experiences using the wiki. The findings also revealed that the use of the wiki helped students to acquire e-learning skills through the use of the Internet and other electronic sources. With respect to students‘ achievement of biological knowledge, the results revealed that the majority of students believed that the written and readable information on wiki pages had a major impact on improving their knowledge of biology. This reflects that students tended to learn biology using wiki pages more than by using the traditional learning method of a ‗lecture‘. Finally, the study aims to provide evidence that can help to implement change to improve conditions and learning opportunities in Saudi Arabian universities.

The purpose of this study was to determine if significant relationships exist for any of the variables, age, gender, previous GPA, test scores (ACT, Compass), number of accumulated credits, and student success in Biology. This study strived to determine what academic/admissions data can be used to determine the likelihood of student success in Biology. A quantitative correlational study using stepwise multiple regression analysis was used for this study. The study was a retrospective study. Data was composed of a convenience archival sample from the institutional database. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the effect each independent variable has on the dependent variable of student success. For the data set ACT, the variables math score, prealg score, writing score, reading score, and previous GPA were all significant. For data set CMP the variable of student's age was not significant, but the other variables were significant. For the Blanks data set, the only variable of significance was gender. Using stepwise multiple regression analysis the data sets produced regression models showing predictability based on stepwise significance. For Blanks data set, the variables previous hours earned, gender, age, and previous GPA were used. For the ACT data set, math score and reading score were used. For the CMP data set the variables included math score, writing score, previous GPA, gender, reading score, and previous hours earned. The level of predictability of the regression equation for the ACT data set and Blank data set was low. However, the predictability for the CMP data set was moderate. The highest percent of variance explained by the regression models was 11.6% of the CMP data set.

As technology continues to advance, many instructors are incorporating online activities into their courses. While online learning has several benefits, there is still debate on how instructors can best develop and utilize these resources in their classroom. This study is split into two smaller projects that both aim to provide further insights on how to develop online activities that target undergraduate biology students. The first project revealed that elaborative feedback in a phylogenetic activity was more useful for students who had some exposure to phylogenetics prior to completing the activity. The results of the second project revealed that the appearance of two simulations’ user interfaces does not have a significant effect on learning outcomes. However, many students responded that these simulations did increase their understanding of the concepts, indicating simulations can play an important role in the biology classroom.

This project initially focused on a group poster presentation exercise which had the development of higher cognitive skills as its aims. A holistic approach was undertaken to the exercise which involved considering the relationship between all aspects of the instructional method with respect to the undergraduate biology students developing skills of analysis, synthesis, relating and applying knowledge, in addition, to their developing communication and group skills. The project involved modifying, monitoring and evaluating a number of different aspects of the exercise over a period of four years including the assessment and instructional methods and level of staff support given to the students. The resultant instructional method involved students working in groups on a problem based challenge, using peer group assessments and undertaking peer group questioning and discussion sessions, the implications of which are discussed in this project. A questionnaire measure of intellectual development was devised for this project, based on the Perry Scheme of Intellectual Development which aimed to investigate the different groups of students' approaches to the exercise and to match individual student's needs with the most appropriate staff support. The Perry Scheme describes how students develop from an absolute or simplistic stance on the nature of knowledge to one which is more pluralistic and contextual. These differing perceptions influence the role which students adopt and also the way in which they perceive the role of others within the learning environment. This research project tested both students undertaking the poster exercise and also students at different stages of their biology course over a period of two years. This project identified a link between the roles which students adopted during the poster exercise and their stage of intellectual development. In addition, changes in individual student attitudes and preferences towards different teaching and assessment methods were identified which supported and complimented the descriptions outlined by Perry.

This thesis examines the attitudes of students to teaching strategies that are aimed at encouraging autonomous learning in university level biology. Attitudes determine the learning which occurs within a student as he/she selects from the environment what he/she learns according to his ideas, values and feelings as well as his concepts. Attitudes may indeed lead to a rejection or acceptance of new ideas. Hence there is the need to inculcate the right attitudes in the students. Favourable attitudes to a subject could be promoted by the use of appropriate teaching strategies. The result indicated that :- (1) The students were encouraged to become autonomous in their learning and this position was more evident when the changes were made to the course in 1995/96 session. (2) The laboratory method with its many activities which serve to ensure that each student has an opportunity to participate effectively also indicated that the students were encouraged to think for themselves. (3) The tutorial method which had become more varied and frequent encouraged the students to become more free in airing their views thereby enabling them to become more independent. (4) The project method enhanced the student's ability to carry out their studies independently. (5) The organisation of the course, especially the new course, was considered very good as it facilitated their moving towards autonomy. (6) The Perry model confirmed that the changes made in the course did make a difference in students' attitudes to their learning producing a shift towards a higher degree of autonomy. The findings have shown that students were undergoing changes in their perception and approach to their study while at university.

Several active learning strategies have been used when increasing the structure of a course as increasing course structure has been known to improve student learning in introductory STEM courses. Much has been studied on the value of frequent formative assessment; however, few studies have evaluated the effective modes of delivering summative assessment. This study examines the use of summative assessment as an inclusive teaching practice to improve first generation college student success in introductory biology and also uses faculty surveys to find out how instructors structure their introductory biology course and why they are structured that way. Final exams were evaluated by Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning. Survey results showed that many instructors used online activities most of the time to supplement face-to-face courses. However, student and faculty viewpoints on assessments offer many interesting insights into how instructors may modify teaching strategies to increase the success of diverse student populations.

Bibliography: pages 189-198.
Applying theoretical conceptualisations of current theories of self-regulated learning, a biology instructional programme facilitating learner perceptions of control by offering choices in task engagement was undertaken with two intact samples of Caucasian standard ten higher grade biology pupils in Cape Town, with the student groups matched for IQ and ability. A counter-balanced, quasi-experimental research design was implemented for two five-day cycles. Learner locus of control and self-regulatory behaviour were established using, respectively, the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (Crandall, et al, 1965), and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). The primary aim was to test the prediction that, in contrast to teacher-regulated instruction, academic performance after learner self-regulation would be appreciably greater. Differences between the experimental and control group mean achievement scores at the end of the programme were highly significant.

Scientific reasoning and writing skills are ubiquitous processes in science and therefore common goals of science curricula, particularly in higher education. Providing the individualized feedback necessary for the development of these skills is often costly in terms of faculty time, particularly in large science courses common at research universities. Past educational research literature suggests that the use of peer review may accelerate students' scientific reasoning skills without a concurrent demand on faculty time per student. Peer review contains many elements of effective pedagogy such as peer-peer collaboration, repeated practice at evaluation and critical thinking, formative feedback, multiple contrasting examples, and extensive writing. All of these pedagogies may contribute to improvement in students' scientific reasoning. The effect of peer review on scientific reasoning was assessed using three major data sources: student performance on written lab reports, student performance on an objective Scientific Reasoning Test (Lawson, 1978) and student perceptions of the process of peer review in scientific community as well as the classroom. In addition, the need to measure student performance across multiple science classes resulted in the development of a Universal Rubric for Laboratory Reports. The reliability of this instrument and its effect on the grading consistency of graduate teaching assistants were also tested. Further, application of the Universal Rubric to student laboratory reports across multiple biology classes revealed that the Rubric is further useful as a programmatic assessment tool. The Rubric highlighted curricular gaps and strengths as well as measuring student achievement over time.
This study demonstrated that even university freshman were effective and consistent peer reviewers and produced feedback that resulted in meaningful improvement in their science writing. Use of peer review accelerated the development of students' scientific reasoning abilities as measured both by laboratory reports (n = 142) and by the Scientific Reasoning Test (n = 389 biology majors) and this effect was stronger than the impact of several years of university coursework. The structure of the peer review process and the structure of the assignments used to generate the science laboratory reports had notable influence on student performance however. Improvements in laboratory reports were greatest when the peer review process emphasized the generation of concrete and evaluative written feedback and when assignments explicitly incorporated the rubric criteria. The rubric was found to be reliable in the hands of graduate student teaching assistants (using generalizability analysis, g = 0.85) regardless of biological course content (three biology courses, total n = 142 student papers). Reliability increased as the number of criteria incorporated into the assignment increased. Consistent use of Universal Rubric criteria in undergraduate courses taught by graduate teaching assistants produced laboratory report scores with reliability values similar to those reported for other published rubrics and well above the reliabilities reported for professional peer review.
Lastly, students were overwhelmingly positive about peer review (83% average positive response, n = 1,026) reporting that it improved their writing, editing, researching and critical thinking skills. Interestingly, students reported that the act of giving feedback was equally useful to receiving feedback. Students connected the use of peer review in the classroom to its role in the scientific community and characterized peer review as a valuable skill they wished to acquire in their development as scientists. Peer review is thus an effective pedagogical strategy for improving student scientific reasoning skills. Specific recommendations for classroom implementation and use of the Universal Rubric are provided. Use of laboratory reports for assessing student scientific reasoning and application of the Universal Rubric across multiple courses, especially for programmatic assessment, is also recommended.

Federal and state agencies in the United States have pressured institutions in higher education to increase the number of graduates in STEM disciplines and supply an educated workforce for the increasing shortages in the STEM economy. Undergraduate research experience is one potential mechanism for supporting retention and student success within STEM disciplines. Most evaluations of the impact of undergraduate research to this point have been qualitative research studies. The purpose of this study was to use a quantitative model to examine domain knowledge, domain interest, and career aspirations in undergraduate biology majors and how participation in research experiences may impact each of these aspects. Path analysis was performed with data collected from an online survey that was administered to six upper level biology courses during one semester. Domain interest and career aspirations was the only significant relation in the path model. Research experiences may indirectly impact career aspirations by increasing domain interest, but additional work is needed to examine this relationship. Stakeholders in undergraduate research at institutions may consider the implications of this study as they develop policies to reduce barriers for student participation in research.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there were significant differences in student success in terms of face-to-face and online biology courses as categorized by gender, major, and age; and as measured by lecture grades, lab grades, and final course grades. The data used for analyses included data from 170 face-to-face sections and 127 online sections from a biology course during the fall and spring semesters beginning fall 2008 through spring 2011. Researchers have reported mixed findings in previous studies juxtaposing online and face-to-face course delivery formats, from no significant differences to differences in grades, learning styles, and satisfaction levels. Four research questions guided this study with data analysis involving t-tests for independent groups and chi-square tests. The results of this study enabled this researcher to note significant differences between grades, success rates by gender, success rates by health and non-health majors, non-traditional age (at least 25 years of age) success rate, and attrition rate for students in the face-to-face course compared to the online students. There was no significant difference found in the success rate for traditional age (less than 25 years of age) students in the face-to-face sections compared to those in the online sections.

From the establishment of Harvard in 1636, to the establishment of the first public Junior College in 1901, to the curricular reforms of the 1960's and 1970's, the purpose of higher education and the role of general education have been the subjects for many lively debates. The national debate on issues relating to general education has intensified within the last decade, and community colleges continue to be active participants in these debates. The purpose of this study was to describe the course contents and classroom environments of selected community college general education general biology courses in sufficient detail as to shed light on the contribution each makes to general education. This study offers descriptions, interpretations, and evaluations of community college general education biology classrooms and laboratories. The intent was to present vivid descriptions of the classroom experience and to offer interpretations of what was being taught and what was being learned.
Ed. D.

This thesis is about knowing in biology in higher education and research. The gene concept is used as an example of knowledge content that is common to both biological research and education. The purpose is to study how knowing about the gene is expressed in different forms of knowledge contexts at the university. This is important to study in order to understand documented learning problems regarding the gene concept but also to better understand the relation between knowledge in research and teaching. Knowledge has to be transformed to become an educational content, a process that is of special interest within the field of Didaktik. The thesis is based on three qualitative case studies. Study I is an analysis of a textbook in biology. The purpose is to examine the content as presented to the students to see how its structure may contribute to the problems students have. How does the gene concept function as a scientific representation and at the same time as an object for learning in a biology college textbook? A phenomenographic approach is used to study implicit variation in gene concept use when the textbook treats different sub disciplines. The results show conceptual differences between them. The different categories of the gene found–as a trait, an information structure, an actor in the cell, a regulator in embryonic development or as a marker for evolutionary change–mean that we deal with different phenomena. The gene as an object is ascribed different functions and furthermore these functions are intermingled in the textbook. Since, in the textbook, these conceptual differences are not articulated, they likely are a source of confusion when learning about genes. Study II examines the gene concept use in a scientific context, as exemplified by five research articles from a scientific journal. Using an adaptation of Hirst’s criteria for forms of knowledge, the study characterizes how the scientific contexts for the gene concept use vary. What kinds of different gene concept use in these contexts can be discerned? When comparing the articles, it becomes evident that the gene concept is used to answer different kinds of questions. The meanings of the gene concept are connected to various knowledge projects, their purposes and the methods used. Shifts of methodologies and questions entail a concept that escapes single definitions and “slides around” in meanings. These contextual transformations and associated content leaps are here referred to as epistemic drift. Study III follows an integrative research project in biology.  What are the characteristic content conditions for knowledge development? What different ways in using the gene concept can be distinguished? By using the analytic methodology developed in study II, the scientific contexts are categorized according to their knowledge project, methods used and conceptual contexts. The results show that the gene concept meanings and the content vary in focus, are more or less explicitly formulated, or possible to formulate, and consist of different skills. One didactic conclusion is that by being more overt about the conditions for problem solving within a specific subdisciplin (i.e. fruitful questions to ask, knowledge needed to answer them, and methods available), students may be given opportunities to get a broader perspective on what it means to know biology.

At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.

 

The knowledge explosion of the last decade has left education in schools far behind. The emphasis in schools must change if they are to prepare students for their future lives. Tertiary institutions as well as commerce and industry need people who have well-developed cognitive skills. A further requirement is that the school leaver must have skills pertaining to information processing. The skills that are required are those which have been labelled higher order thinking skills. The work of Piaget, Thomas and Bloom have led to a better understanding of what these skills actually are. Resnick sees these skills as being: nonalgorithmic; complex; yielding multiple solutions; involving nuanced judgements; involving the application of multiple criteria; involving uncertainty; involving self-regulation of the thinking process; imposing meaning and being effortful. How these can be taught and the implication of doing so are considered by the researcher. The outcome of this consideration is that higher order - thinking entails communication skills, reasoning, problem solving and self management. The study takes the form of an investigation of a particular case: whether a Biology field trip could be used as a source of information, which could be handled by a computer, so that higher order thinking skills could be acquired by students. Students were instructed in the use of a Database Management System called PARADOX. The students then went on an excursion to a Rocky Shore habitat to collect data about the biotic and abiotic factors pertaining to that ecosystem. The students worked in groups sorting data and entering it into the database. Once all the data had been entered the students developed hypotheses and queried the database to obtain evidence to substantiate or disprove their hypotheses. Whilst this was in progress the researcher obtained data by means of observational field notes, tape recordings, evoked documents and interviews. The qualitative data was then arranged into classes to see if it showed that the students were using any of the higher order thinking skills. The results showed that the students did use the listed higher order thinking skills whilst working on the database.

This study was conducted to determine if the use of the technology known as Classroom Performance System (CPS), specifically referred to as “Clickers”, improves the learning gains of students enrolled in a biology course for science majors. CPS is one of a group of developing technologies adapted for providing feedback in the classroom using a learner-centered approach. It supports and facilitates discussion among students and between them and teachers, and provides for participation by passive students. Advocates, influenced by constructivist theories, claim increased academic achievement. In science teaching, the results have been mixed, but there is some evidence of improvements in conceptual understanding. The study employed a pretest-posttest, non-equivalent groups experimental design. The sample consisted of 226 participants in six sections of a college biology course at a large community college in South Florida with two instructors trained in the use of clickers. Each instructor randomly selected their sections into CPS (treatment) and non-CPS (control) groups. All participants filled out a survey that included demographic data at the beginning of the semester. The treatment group used clicker questions throughout, with discussions as necessary, whereas the control groups answered the same questions as quizzes, similarly engaging in discussion where necessary. The learning gains were assessed on a pre/post-test basis. The average learning gains, defined as the actual gain divided by the possible gain, were slightly better in the treatment group than in the control group, but the difference was statistically non-significant. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) statistic with pretest scores as the covariate was conducted to test for significant differences between the treatment and control groups on the posttest. A second ANCOVA was used to determine the significance of differences between the treatment and control groups on the posttest scores, after controlling for sex, GPA, academic status, experience with clickers, and instructional style. The results indicated a small increase in learning gains but these were not statistically significant. The data did not support an increase in learning based on the use of the CPS technology. This study adds to the body of research that questions whether CPS technology merits classroom adaptation.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
This dissertation has the objective of discussing tha place of Educational Biology in Pedagogy course in Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de União da Vitória College (FAFI), in the limited context between the years of 1960 and 1989. This analysis leans in Pierre Bordieu concepts, mainly in the field and habitus categories for learning the formats in the area of pedagogy and teachers formation apropriating the Educational Biology knowhow. The analytical route of this problem has privileged two fronts, firstly the discussion has followed from general to particular, seeking the analysis structure relationally. Due to this option, narrative has been organized taking the history of higher education in Brazil, mainly by the history of FAFI to remodel some aspects of creation. To reach the specific point of our discussion was necessary to understand how this institution has been settled in Union ad Victoria and who were the idealization agents. In another front this research has privileged an approach to the Educational Biology trajectory, associating to the medical speech and the attempt of making a field for teachers formation in Brazil. Seeking to explain the real place of this area of knowledge subject in the training formation of the pedagogue. This second discussion was the main concern of the dissertation, because it explains the answer to the formulated problem. These terms, the textual plot of the second chapter has came from the general to the particular as well, seeking to stablish an analytic web between the national formulations mainly Almeida Junior, Ary Lex and the organization of knowledge in the Pedagogy course in FAFI. This analytical structure allows explain the following statements: 1) FAFI constituition in a context of expansion of elementary and secondary school, as well as the interiorization of the higher education in Paraná state; 2) FAFI was born with the responsability to form teachers to teach in normal schools/education institutes and secondary schools; 3) FAFI was created as a political strategy of Paraná state integration and to build a regional identity; 4) In the 1960´s there was a mismatch among discussion waged in a national, hygine precepts were not mentioned; 5)The teaching was only about the fundamental Educational Biology, learning some gaps in the formation of the ones that graduated during this period; 6) The genetic approach was extensive, occupying the place of the application part that was the main importance to the teachers formation that would prepare normal school teachers. 7) The instability of the Educational Biology in the 1960´s is observed because contents were minimum and its nomenclature varied among General Biology, Educational Biology and Biological elements of education and sometimes its contents were in the interior of the didatic discipline; 8) In the 1970´s Biology occupied a more solid place, complete and with it´s own characteristics, particularly with School Hygine introduction; 9) In the 1980´s the Educational Biology was divided between School Hygine and Biology enphatizing the medical character to treat new deseases, especially AIDS; 10) In 1989´s, the Educacional Biology assumed a permanent condition in the Pedagogy course in FAFI.
Esta dissertação tem por objetivo discutir o lugar da Biologia Educacional no Curso de Pedagogia da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de União da Vitória (FAFI), no contexto circunscrito entre 1960 e 1989. Esta análise se apoia nos conceitos de Pierre Bourdieu, principalmente nas categorias de campo e habitus para apreender as formas como a área de pedagogia/formação de professores se apropriou dos saberes da Biologia Educacional. O percurso analítico deste problema privilegiou duas frentes. Em primeiro lugar, a discussão seguiu uma abordagem do geral ao particular, buscando estruturar a análise de modo relacional. Em razão dessa opção, organizou-se a narrativa, tomando a história do ensino superior no Brasil, mas principalmente a história da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras para reconstituir alguns aspectos da criação da FAFI. Em outra frente, esta pesquisa privilegiou uma abordagem da trajetória da Biologia Educacional, associando-a ao discurso médico e a tentativa de constituição de um campo de formação de professores no Brasil, buscando explicar o lugar dessa área de saber/disciplinar no processo formativo do pedagogo. Essa segunda discussão constituiu a principal preocupação desta dissertação, pois explicita a resposta ao problema formulado. Nesses termos, o enredo textual do segundo capítulo, também, partiu do geral ao particular, procurando estabelecer uma teia analítica entre as formulações nacionais, principalmente as produções de Almeida Junior, Ary Lex e a organização da área do conhecimento/saber no Curso de Pedagogia da FAFI. Essa estrutura analítica permitiu explicitar as seguintes afirmações: 1) A FAFI se constituiu no contexto de expansão do ensino primário e secundário, assim como de interiorização do ensino superior no Paraná; 2) A FAFI nasceu com a responsabilidade de formar professores para compor o quadro de docentes das escolas normais/institutos de educação e escolas secundárias; 3) A FAFI foi criada como uma estratégia política de integração do Paraná e de construção de uma identidade regional; 4) Nos anos de 1960 houve um descompasso entre as discussões travadas em nível nacional, os preceitos higiênicos não foram abordados; 5) O ensino tratava apenas da parte fundamental da Biologia Educacional, deixando lacunas na formação daqueles que se graduaram durante esse período; 6) A abordagem genética foi extensa, ocupando o lugar da parte de aplicação que era importantíssima à formação de professores que preparariam os docentes da Escola Normal; 7) A instabilidade da Biologia Educacional, na década de 1960, é observada porque seus conteúdos eram mínimos e sua nomenclatura variava de Biologia Geral, Biologia Educacional a Fundamentos Biológicos da Educação e, às vezes, seus conteúdos estavam no interior da disciplina de Didática; 8) Na década de 1970, a Biologia ocupou um lugar mais sólido, completo e com características próprias, particularmente com a introdução da Higiene Escolar; 9) Nos anos de 1980, a Biologia Educacional se divide entre Higiene Escolar e Fundamentos de Biologia, enfatizando o caráter médico ao tratar das novas doenças, particularmente a AIDS; 10) Em 1989, a Biologia Educacional assumiu uma condição permanente no Curso de Pedagogia da FAFI.

Cell Biology
Ph.D.
The universal presence of anatomy in healthcare professions is undeniable. It is a cornerstone to each of the clinical and basic sciences. Therefore, further expansion of current anatomical knowledge and effective methods to teach anatomy is essential. In this work, the relationship of the dorsal scapular artery with the trunks of the brachial plexus is explored with the hope that information on anatomical variation will assist neurosurgeons in sparing these structures during clinical procedures. Additionally, structures involved in biventricular pacing procedures, such as the coronary sinus and Thebesian valve, are explored for their variations in both presence and presentation. Simulations of cannulations with both 7F and 8F guiding catheters were used to collect data regarding the length of travel of a catheter within the coronary sinus. This study aimed to expand current knowledge of the coronary structures that are of importance to electrophysiologists. Furthering knowledge of how best to teach anatomy to healthcare professionals was also an aim of this work. The first education study explored whether the method of instruction affected student success in a basic science course. This study also investigated the degree of knowledge mastery that healthcare professional students had achieved in gross anatomy, microanatomy and physiology during their first year physiology course. The students were assessed at the knowledge, comprehension, application and analysis levels of Bloom's taxonomy in each discipline. A pilot study explored the degree of prior knowledge in human gross anatomy that the same healthcare professional populations (medical, dental and podiatry) possessed before beginning the first year general gross anatomy course in their healthcare curriculum. The ability for these students to evaluate when they had answered a gross anatomy question correctly and when they had answered a question incorrectly (metacognition) was explored. All four studies in this work provide further insight into anatomical education in both the clinical and basic science environments.
Temple University--Theses

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Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES
This research is inserted in the field of study of the Education of the Ethnic-Racial Relationship, specifically in its relation with Biology Higher Education. The research?s producer problem is constituted in: how Biology?s teachers of UFSCAR and UEFS had broke the historical silence of the racial question in Biology Higher Education? The research problem is sedimented in the fact of that historically the racial question constituted as a silence in the teacher?s formation of Sciences/Biology and biologists and can be affirmed that of general form still it is present. In order to answer the problem, conversations with two professors of the UEFS had been realized and a professor of the UFSCAR, that works or already they had worked with the racial question in the major?s courses where they teach. To help to think the research better, it was chosen to talk with a professor of the course of Biology of the UFRRJ, that in the case, does not work with the racial question in classroom. In intention to supply a bigger support to the research, I talked with one Biology?s student and one biologist, both of different institutions. As contributions, the research presents: the importance of considering professors?s narratives for practical to the racial question and as these practicals can help to think different possibilities for the Biology higher education of Biology.
Esta pesquisa insere-se no campo de estudo da Educa??o das Rela??es ?tnico-Raciais, especificamente em sua rela??o com o Ensino Superior de Biologia. O problema gerador da pesquisa se constituiu em: como docentes de Biologia da UFSCAR e UEFS romperam com o sil?ncio hist?rico da quest?o racial no Ensino Superior de Biologia? O problema de pesquisa est? sedimentado no fato de que historicamente a quest?o racial se constituiu como um sil?ncio na forma??o de professores de Ci?ncias/Biologia e bi?logos e pode-se afirmar que de forma geral ainda est? presente. A fim de responder o problema, foram realizadas conversas com dois docentes da UEFS e um docente da UFSCAR, que trabalham ou j? trabalharam com a quest?o racial nos cursos de Licenciaturas onde lecionam. Para ajudar a pensar melhor a pesquisa, escolheu-se conversar com uma docente do curso de Biologia da UFRRJ, que no caso, n?o trabalha com a quest?o racial em sala de aula. No intuito de fornecer um suporte maior ? pesquisa, conversei com uma graduanda em Biologia e uma egressa, ambas de institui??es diferentes. Como contribui??es, a pesquisa apresenta: a import?ncia de se considerar as narrativas de professores para pr?ticas relacionadas ? quest?o racial e como estas pr?ticas podem ajudar a pensar diferentes possibilidades para o ensino superior de Biologia.

One of the main aims of inquiry is to engage students as active, not passive, participants in science. The purpose of this study is to describe science educators’ and students’ views about inquiry-based instruction in order to better understand and improve implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies. Inquiry-based techniques have been shown to improve student understanding of scientific concepts, yet, there continue to be challenges in implementing these techniques. This research project utilizes Q Methodology, a research method that captures both common and disparate measures of subjectivity, to identify commonalities and defining viewpoints about inquiry-based teaching and learning. Three significantly different viewpoints were identified and each viewpoint represents differences in teaching styles and classroom environments. Additionally, consensus items reveal students and instructors highly value relating science to everyday life; however, a lack of importance is placed upon peer learning and use of open-ended questions.

There is little written about the use of foundational courses in high school science. This study seeks to identify if a foundational course in high school biology improves student outcomes as measured by Biology I EOC exam proficiency scale scores and student growth. Efforts were made to determine differences in cognitive skill areas and affective/conative skill areas as students progress from the foundational course of Greenhouse Biology (GH Bio) to Biology I. Three years of test score data from over 15,000 student participants are evaluated, as well as extant survey data from biology teachers and district student scheduling personnel. Findings from the study indicate GH Bio does make a difference in academic outcomes in students taking the foundational course before taking the Biology I course, and subsequently, the Biology I EOC exam. Findings also show there are cognitive, affective, and conative differences between the GH Bio students and their non-GH Bio peers while in Biology I. The study also seeks to determine why some students are scheduled for GH Bio and others are not. Findings indicate there are variances as to the reasons and intent for scheduling students into GH Bio. Some students who could benefit from the course are not being scheduled into the course.

To prepare students to disentangle the complicated environmental, social, and economic challenges exacerbated by the previous generation and propose effective solutions, they need to be taught the necessary knowledge and skills. Education for Sustainability (EfS) is one such modality. Organizations such as the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, Shelburne Farms, and the US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development have opened the doors for EfS in the K-12 education system; however, curriculum to address these standards has not yet fully been developed. Furthermore, EfS curriculum that aligns to state and national standards needs to be written so that teachers can then use it in their courses and cultivate systems thinking skills in all learners. The primary objective of this project is to propose a high school level biology curriculum that uses an EfS lens to enhance core science content. A comparison of five EfS curricular frameworks was conducted and the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education’s EfS Standards & Performance Indicators was selected as the primary reference for the sustainability lens of the forthcoming curriculum. The proposed high school biology curriculum focuses on two Next Generation Science Standards themes: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems and Natural Selection and Evolution. This curriculum integrates many EfS themes. The dynamics of systems and change and inventing and affecting the future are the two most prominently explored EfS themes in the curriculum.

The dissertation, with a collected papers approach, focused on evaluating the implementation of MI curriculum in high school Biology I classes in south Florida. The dissertation included the development and validation of the Biology Identity and Persistence Survey (BIPS), the connection of instructors’ teaching practices with students’ biology identities, evolution identities, and career aspirations, and the connection of instructors’ teaching practice with students’ conceptual understanding in evolution. In the first part of the dissertation study, the BIPS was validated through expert review and student cognitive interviews for its face and content validity. Confirmatory factor analysis addressed the construct validity of the final version of the BIPS, after removing four problematic items. The Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest reliability analysis indicated that the BIPS was a reliable instrument in terms of its internal reliability and stability. In the second part of the dissertation study, the comparison between the MI and non-MI classes indicated that there was no detectable significant difference between the MI classes and non-MI classes in students’ development of biology identities and evolution identities, and shifts in career aspirations. Using the analysis of the MI and non-MI instructors’ teaching practices, it was suggested that the use of intentional lack of inquiry closure, seeding, small-group collaboration, whole-class discussion, and Socratic questioning might contribute to students’ biology/evolution identity development. In the third part of the dissertation study, the Evolution Concept Inventory was demonstrated as an invalid and unreliable research instrument. Qualitative analysis of instructors’ teaching practices suggested that interactions between MI instructional materials and MI pedagogical techniques, including student-centered teaching, small-group collaboration, student-student interaction, whole-class discussion, and Socratic questioning, might contribute to students’ gain of conceptual understanding in evolution. On the basis of the research findings, this dissertation provided suggestions for high school biology MI instructors and high school biology MI workshops.

Catalina island serves as a unique and diverse setting for K-12 students to complete their science education. Numerous areas of the island provide an opportunity for students to engage in outdoor science education that is enriched in the classroom setting. Research shows that students continue to build on their understanding while establishing connections through outdoor education experiences. Through a grant funded by the Keck Foundation, the Catalina Island Conservancy has made it their goal to provide an engaging, hands-on, NGSS lesson for each grade level on Catalina while promoting stewardship on the island. A partnership between California State University Long Beach and the Catalina Island Conservancy provided the unique opportunity to develop a NGSS conservation mini unit for the high school biology classroom on Catalina Island. The mini unit addresses the three dimensions of the NGSS, Catalina Ecological Principles and includes indoor and outdoor components.

Cognitive biases have long been studied for their effects on an individual's decision-making. This study is the first of its kind to link these preferential thinking patterns to high school biology students' acceptance of evolution. At five urban high schools, 164 high school biology students were surveyed using a new instrument called the Cognitive Bias Assessment For Science Students – Evolution. The CBASS-E assesses both the level of non-acceptance of evolution, as well as how intensely participants demonstrate four specific cognitive biases. The four biases measured on the CBASS-E are anchoring, bandwagon effect, confirmation bias, and wishful thinking. This study showed that confirmation bias closely relates to a student's view of evolution. As part of this research, students were shown a video designed to teach high school students about cognitive bias and its effect on science learning. Results indicated that both cognitive bias and views on evolution are persistent, as student responses did not significantly change after watching the video. Included in this research are implications for teachers and administrators, as well as suggestions for further areas of study.

In the United Kingdom and Europe, there are ongoing efforts to reform science education in order to provide students with an understanding that transcends the scientific knowledge itself and that is relevant to citizenship. This exploratory study investigated the opportunities and the constraints for teaching Evolutionary Biology (EB) in the context of Global Citizenship Education (GCE). The study focuses on secondary school education in Scotland, at the time of a major curricular reform. My specific interest in the educational system of Scotland stemmed from the fact that the Scottish National Curriculum, the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), encourages integrated interdisciplinary approaches to citizenship education, where biology is one component of a holistic citizenship curriculum and biology teachers are required to consider citizenship issues within their subject teaching. Evolution, in biology, is the general framework for understanding life and, at its base, is about the common ancestry of living beings. Therefore, EB is substantially the theory of Phylogenetic Trees. In addition, EB with Population Thinking in taxonomy provides arguments against the typologist assumptions in human classification, underpinning the biologisation of cultural identities. Through a document analysis and an empirical phenomenographic study, I explored the patterns in the interplay between teaching EB and GCE, within the compulsory Scottish secondary school science curriculum. The document analysis, which consisted in the analysis of official science education documents and biology textbooks, revealed that only microevolutionary concepts play a major role in the documents and in the textbooks. Macroevolution, human evolution, phylogeny and population thinking are omitted by the compulsory science specifications of the CfE and textbooks. However, the texts illustrating the EB specifications are open texts, in Eco’s taxonomy. Open texts are incomplete texts that can be freely interpreted and cooperatively generated by the readers. Therefore, teachers, with their knowledge and interests, can complete the “unsaid” and interpret creatively the biology specification. The phenomenographic inquiry involved twenty-one biology teachers from thirteen different Local Authorities of Scotland who participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. From the phenomenographic analysis of the transcripts of the interviews, three different ways of thinking and reporting about the role of teaching biology for the purpose to educate for global citizenship emerged. The first conception relates the biology syllabus to issues of social justice, the second to environmental issues and the third focuses on the individual development of students. This body of work provides insights into some of the issues associated with the problematic teaching of evolutionary biology with the aim to promote cosmopolitan values, in secondary school. Moreover, it adds to the research in global citizenship education, by providing evidence from the conceptions of biology teachers involved in the implementation of curricular innovation.

The demands of national educational reforms require high school biology teachers to provide high quality instruction to students with and without special needs. The reforms, however, do not provide teachers with adequate teaching strategies to meet the needs of all students in the same context. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand high school biology teachers' perspectives, practices, and challenges in relation to teaching students with special needs. This approach was used to develop a substantive model for high school biology teachers who are challenged with teaching students with and without special needs. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 15 high school teachers in a Midwestern school district. The data were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and selective coding procedures in accordance with the grounded theory approach. Essential model components included skills and training for teachers, classroom management strategies, teaching strategies, and student skills. The emergent substantive theory indicated that that teacher preparation and acquired skills greatly influence the effectiveness of inclusion implementation. Key findings also indicated the importance of using of a variety of instructional strategies and classroom management strategies that address students' special needs and their learning styles. This study contributes to social change by providing a model for teaching students and effectively implementing inclusion in regular science classrooms. Following further study, this model may be used to support teacher professional development and improve teaching practices that in turn may improve science literacy supported by the national educational reforms.

This study examined the amount of emphasis given by Arizona high school biology teachers to the topics of evolutionary theory and special creation, as explanations for the origin and diversity of life on earth. A questionnaire was mailed to all Arizona public high school biology teachers in March of 2000, to gather data on teachers' classroom practices and attitudes towards evolution and creation, information on teachers' educational and professional backgrounds, their religious preferences, and any perceptions of pressure regarding the teaching of evolution or creation from outside sources. Sixty-five percent (final n = 419) of the questionnaires were returned. Analysis confirmed that, while a strong majority (96%) of Arizona teachers gave some coverage to evolutionary theory, a significant proportion (33%) reported fewer than three class periods per semester in which evolution was a major topic; 10% left it out entirely. Fourteen percent of the teachers reported that they gave moderate-to-strong emphasis to religious explanations of the origins and diversity of life. It was unclear whether this was presented as an alternative scientific theory, or as religion or philosophy. Between ten and thirty percent also rejected the scientific validity of evolutionary theory, rejected the evolution of humans from ape-like ancestors, thought that religious explanations should be taught as part of high school biology classes, or agreed that creationism has a valid scientific foundation. The amount of emphasis given evolution by a teacher correlated positively with teaching experience, number of college classes in evolutionary biology taken by the teacher, the amount of in-service training a teacher had had on teaching evolutionary theory, and age. It correlated negatively with membership in Conservative Christian religious denominations and with degree of religious fervor. Interestingly, the possession of a degree in biological sciences (e.g., versus a degree in education) had no effect. When teacher attitudes (as measured by a series of opinion questions) were taken into account in multiple regression models, all variables except specific evolutionary biology coursework became non-significant. The only variables that correlated with teacher emphasis on creationism were Conservative Christian church membership and religious fervor---both positive correlations. Again, education had no effect.

This dissertation is concerned with understanding how metaphors and analogies function in biology education and whether some of the philosophical critiques of the language used in the field of biology — and in particular its accompanying metaphors and analogies, have a basis in the educational materials used to teach the subject. This inquiry was carried out through examining the pedagogical features and content of metaphors and analogies from three high school biology textbooks. After identifying over two hundred and twenty-five verbal and pictorial metaphors and analogies, these figures of speech were coded based on prior research that establishes effective characteristics for their use. In tandem with this quantitative analysis, a philosophical analysis considers how well the content of these metaphors and analogies aligns with current scientific understanding and what misunderstandings may be engendered through the use of these metaphors and analogies. The major findings of the analysis include: 1) Textbook authors are much more likely to utilize metaphors and analogies as well as signal their presence to students compared with past analyses; 2) A number of metaphors and analogies either contain errors in analogical mapping or use source analogues that are too antiquated to support today’s students; 3) The content of many metaphors and analogies is frequently outdated in reference to current scientific understanding; and 4) Many metaphors and analogies tend to reinforce tacit elements of past scientific paradigms – these are termed ‘reinforcing metaphors’ in the dissertation and include nature as machine, nature as blueprint or information, nature as business and nature as war. The present work submits several implications for students learning biology as well as the manner in which students come to understand the natural world. The work suggests ways to reduce ineffective metaphors and analogies as well as reliance on reinforcing metaphors. It offers new approaches for the use of metaphors and analogies in biology education as well as specific directions that better reflect a more balanced and modern conception of important topics in biology including viruses, eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, genetics, natural selection and ecology.

O sistema educacional brasileiro tem vivido um movimento de reforma desde meados da década de 1990, na qual se destacam a produção de legislação estabelecendo diretrizes e parâmetros na área de currículos e a implantação de um sistema nacional de avaliação do sistema em todos os níveis de ensino. Paralelamente, no campo do currículo já se discute há algum tempo, a instalação de uma crise na teorização crítica e pós-crítica. Esse trabalho se insere numa práxis de (re)construção de currículos de formação de biólogos, incluindo a formação de professores, a partir de um estudo de caso de uma IES amazônica, utilizando como referencial teórico o pós-colonialismo e a Psicologia Cultural, para analisar numa perspectiva do construcionismo social o currículo em processo num contexto específico (de tempo e espaço) e em diferentes níveis de análise. A pesquisa permitiu 1) documentar o não documentado oficialmente,2) dar voz aos agentes institucionais silenciados historicamente, 3) contribuir para a descolonização através da descrição e ampliação dos registros da trajetória do currículo do curso de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal de Rondônia, 4) a implementação de medidas que foram se fazendo necessárias no entendimento dos agentes institucionais e de avaliadores externos, 5) adequar-se às mudanças na legislação sobre a área e nível de ensino considerado. Foi possível também, no âmbito desse trabalho, sistematizar questões já resolvidas na (re)construção do currículo estudado e as questões que ainda estão na dependência de solução e que já foram percebidas ou podem ser antecipadas à luz de referencial teórico que ajuda a apontar soluções. Defende-se a tese de que o currículo real é o currículo possível construído nas condições específicas de uma dada instituição, recebendo influências das diretrizes curriculares nacionais e políticas públicas mais amplas; das condições institucionais e regionais, construídas historicamente; das trajetórias de formação, fases da carreira e experiências vicárias dos/as professores/as; do perfil do corpo discente; da produção acadêmica no campo do currículo e das especialidades ou disciplinas relacionadas com o curso. Conclui-se desafiando as universidades a assumirem junto às IES mais periféricas e às escolas de Educação Básica, papéis e funções mais adequados à uma ética do cuidado e do acolhimento e que se distanciem da ética do sobrevivente do mínimo eu, na qual a construção de singularidades comprometidas com a emancipação e a democracia está cada vez menos valorizada na prática.
Brazilian educational system has been undergoing a reform movement since the middle nineties, standing out a legislation production, that have established directions and parameters to curriculum, and also an evaluation system at all educational levels. Meanwhile, is being discussed in the curriculum domain the emergence of a crisis on critic and post critic theorizing. This work is inscribed in a praxis of curriculum (re)construction in a Biology graduate course, that includes teachers development, taking an Amazonian university as a case study. Post colonialism and Cultural Psychology in a social constructionist perspective were taken as theoretical background to analyze curricula in a specific (time and space) context and at different levels. The research allowed:1) documenting what was not yet officially documented, 2) giving voice to those historically silenced; 3) decolonizing through document description and enlargement of curriculum trajectory at the Biology Major at Rondônia Federal University; 4) implementing measures as they were seen as needed by institutional agents and external evaluators and 5) adaptations to legislation changes. It was also possible, at this work’s scope, to systematize already solved issues at the curriculum (re) construction and those still unsolved, but already identified or anticipated due to solutions pointed by the theoretical background. It is argued that the real curriculum is the one that is possible considering the specific conditions of a given institution; national curriculum directions and wider public policies; local and institutional conditions, historically constructed; professional development trajectories; career stages; teacher’s vicarious experiences; faculty profile; academic production on curriculum and disciplines related to the course under study. The conclusion reached is a challenge to universities to perform roles and functions suited to an ethics of care towards more isolated universities and elementary schools and to discard the survival ethics, that doesn’t allow the construction of singularities committed to emancipation and democracy.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006.
Title from title page screen, viewed on May 3, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Anthony W. Lorsbach (chair), Karen K. Lind, Cynthia J. Moore, Thomas P. Crumpler. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-176) and abstract. Also available in print.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication. Abnormal language development is a pervasive symptom of this disorder, though research has repeatedly shown that children with ASD who develop stronger language abilities have more positive outcomes. One strategy for improving the language, and thus life experiences, of children with ASD, is to get children at risk for the disorder into effective and appropriately targeted educational interventions in the very earliest stages of life, when precursors of language and other social behaviors are developing. However, ASD is currently not diagnosed until children have reached 2 or 3 years. In this dissertation, I investigate neural predictors of later language abilities, which may be measurable before behavioral precursors to language and ASD risk emerge. In my first study, I identify neural correlates of early language development in 3-month-old infant siblings of children with ASD, who are thus at high risk of developing the disorder. I find that whereas low-risk infants showed initial neural activation that decreased over exposure to repetition-based language stimuli, potentially indicating a habituation response to repetition in speech, infants at high risk for autism (HRA) showed no changes in their neural activity to these stimuli over exposure. These results suggest that putative precursors of language acquisition are disrupted in children at high risk for ASD as young as 3 months old. In my second study, I examine whether neural correlates of language development in 3-month-old infant siblings of children with ASD predict their 18-month social and communicative outcomes. These analyses revealed that neural activity to language stimuli in 3 month olds predicted expressive and receptive language, early gestures, sentence complexity, sentence length, and autism symptomatology in 18 month olds. In many cases, these associations differed for males and females, and for high and low risk children. The current research thus identifies early putative markers of language disability and ASD symptomatology, which, with future research and educational application, may aid in determining which children are most likely to benefit from placement into language-based educational intervention programs from the very first months of life.