47 research outputs found
The Genetic Drift Inventory: A Tool for Measuring What Advanced Undergraduates Have Mastered about Genetic Drift
Understanding genetic drift is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of biology, yet it is difficult to learn because it combines the conceptual challenges of both evolution and randomness. To help assess strategies for teaching genetic drift, we have developed and evaluated the Genetic Drift Inventory (GeDI), a concept inventory that measures upper-division studentsâ understanding of this concept. We used an iterative approach that included extensive interviews and field tests involving 1723 students across five different undergraduate campuses. The GeDI consists of 22 agreeâdisagree statements that assess four key concepts and six misconceptions. Student scores ranged from 4/22 to 22/22. Statements ranged in mean difficulty from 0.29 to 0.80 and in discrimination from 0.09 to 0.46. The internal consistency, as measured with Cronbach\u27s alpha, ranged from 0.58 to 0.88 across five iterations. Testâretest analysis resulted in a coefficient of stability of 0.82. The trueâfalse format means that the GeDI can test how well students grasp key concepts central to understanding genetic drift, while simultaneously testing for the presence of misconceptions that indicate an incomplete understanding of genetic drift. The insights gained from this testing will, over time, allow us to improve instruction about this key component of evolution
Systematics Agenda 2020: The Mission Evolves
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âItâs just a theoryâ: trainee science teachersâ misunderstandings of key scientific terminology
Background:
This article presents the findings from a survey of 189 pre-service science teachers who were asked to provide definitions of key scientific terms ('theory'; 'fact'; 'law'; 'hypothesis'). The survey was a scoping and mapping exercise to establish the range and variety of definitions.
Methods:
Graduates on a pre-service science teacher training course were asked to complete a short, free response survey and define key science terminology a >95% response rate was achieved and respondents definitions were categorised according to a best fit model.
Results:
In some cases, definitions contrary to accepted scientific meanings were given. In other cases, terminology was defined in a wholly non-scientific way, e.g., one-fifth of the respondents defined a âlawâ in the context of rules that govern society rather than in a scientific context. Science graduatesâ definitions and their understanding of key terminology is poor despite their study of science in formal university settings (with many respondents being recent science graduates).
Conclusions:
Key terminology in science, such as 'theory', 'law', 'fact', 'hypothesis', tends not to be taught and defined with consideration for the differences in meaning that different audiences/users give to them. This article calls for better instruction for pre-service science teachersâ in the importance of accurate and precise definitions of key science terminology in order to better differentiate between the scientific and colloquial usage of key terms
Improving Tree-Thinking One Learnable Skill at a Time
Introducerande artikel inom LĂ€slyftsmodulen FrĂ„n VardagssprĂ„k till ĂmnessprĂ„kIntroduction to language sensitive teaching a s part of a Skolverket professional development module in the program Reading Boost