In July of 1999, I wrote to 24 Texas junior and community colleges (and one four-year institution) describing my thesis agenda of a general biology lecture and laboratory syllabus for introductory biology students. I requested the titles and authors of the general biology textbooks and laboratory manuals they were currently using, the publishers of these texts, and the edition of said texts. I then contacted publishers of the various textbooks who, in turn, directed me to the Dallas-area representatives for further inquiries. I assimilated the various authors' general biology topics into a two-semester syllabus of lecture and one semester of laboratory. The document is not a text manuscript, but an all-inclusive listing of a general biology syllabus broken down by subject.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / The purpose of this study was to determine whether the goals of the practical component of the cytology section of the biology course at Basic University Science Course Experimental Project (BUSCEP) at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo were being achieved. Two kinds of instruments were used in this study. They were (i) a written practical test and (ii) an observation schedule (checklist I and II). A total of 41 first year biology students of the BeSCEP course were involved in the study. The written practical test determined whether the students had mastered the knowledge of the parts of the microscope and their functions and whether they had understood how to use the microscope. Checklist I tested whether the students had mastered the physical skills necessary to operate a light microscope correctly. Checklist II tested whether the students had mastered the skills needed to prepare a wet mount slide. The results revealed that the goals of the practical component of the cytology section of the biology course at BUSCEP were not achieved. This was because most students have problems in understanding how to use the microscope as well as in mastering the logical sequence of the skills needed for effective use of the microscope. It is imperative that teachers find and use effective ways of assessing laboratory activities and skills during practicals, as this will contribute to the improvement of the BUSCEP biology course. / AC 2018

O presente trabalho investiga o conceito de Natureza sob uma perspectiva filosófica e de suas relações com o ensino de ciências. Embora seja um termo de uso corriqueiro, nas aulas de ciências, \"Natureza\" é um conceito de difícil definição e que, não raramente, comporta ambiguidades. As chamadas \"ciências da Natureza\" podem ser entendidas como forma de conhecimento sobre a Natureza. Assim, o entendimento que se faz do mundo natural é central para a compreensão do que vem a ser a própria ciência. Numa sala de aula de ciências, alunos e professores trazem suas visões de mundo, que podem ou não ser divergentes. Por um lado, a divergência nos entendimentos sobre a Natureza podem gerar dificuldades na compreensão da ciência por parte dos alunos. Por outro lado, o ensino da visão de mundo científica tende a excluir (intencionalmente ou não) as outras visões que os alunos possam trazer para a sala de aula, na medida em que são consideradas não válidas ou não legítimas pela ciência. Partindo dessa problemática, o presente estudo relata uma investigação das diferentes concepções de Natureza na história da filosofia, do século XVII até o presente, apontando como o conceito se transformou ao longo do tempo. Paralelamente, foram entrevistados quatro estudantes de licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas, com o intuito de se conhecer suas concepções sobre a Natureza. As entrevistas seguiram metodologia adaptada de Cobern (2000), com o uso de palavras e frases que estimulavam os entrevistados a falarem extensamente sobre sua visão de Natureza. As entrevistas foram gravadas em áudio, transcritas e categorizadas. Foram elaborados mapas conceituais que, por sua vez, orientaram a elaboração de narrativas em primeira pessoa construídas com falas dos próprios entrevistados obtidas das transcrições. Observamos que, embora haja características comuns entre as visões dos entrevistados, há também divergências marcantes. Os resultados corroboram a ideia de que há uma multiplicidade de conceitos possíveis relativos à Natureza. Propomos que o ensino de ciências não tenha como objetivo meramente a incorporação de uma visão de mundo científica. Tal visão pressupõe um conceito de Natureza, e seus significados, que não são absolutos. O ensino de ciências deveria proporcionar, ao aluno, uma nova perspectiva de conhecer e de apre(e)nder o mundo em que vive. / This work investigates the concept of Nature in a philosophical perspective and it\'s relationships with the science education. Although it is a term of everyday use in science classes, \"Nature\" is a concept of difficult definition and, not rarely, entails ambiguities. The so-called \"natural sciences\" can be understood as a way of knowing Nature. Thus, the conceptions one holds about what is the natural world and it\'s characteristics are central to the comprehension of what is science itself. Science students and teachers bring their worldviews to class, which may or may not be divergent. On the one hand, the differences among views of Nature may cause some difficulties in students\' comprehension of scientific concepts. On the other hand, the teaching of the scientific worldview tends to exclude (intentionally or not) other views that students may bring to the classroom, once they are considered not valid or not legitimate by science. Based on this problem, this study reports an investigation of the different conceptions of Nature in the history of philosophy, from the seventeenth century to the present, pointing out how the concept has changed over time. Also, we interviewed four undergraduate students who were about to obtain their qualification as Biology teachers in order to know their views on Nature. The interviews followed methodology adapted from Cobern (2000), using words and phrases that encouraged respondents to talk at length about his or her vision of Nature. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and categorized. Based on that, we elaborated conceptual maps that, in turn, guided the development of first-person narratives constructed with lines of those interviewed obtained from the transcripts. We observed that, although there are common traits among the views of respondents, there are also striking differences. The results support the idea that there is a multiplicity of possible concepts related to nature. We propose that science education does not merely aim for the incorporation of a scientific worldview. This view presupposes a concept of Nature, and their meanings, which are not absolute. Science education should provide to the student a new perspective of knowing and apprehend the world in which he lives.

As pesquisas sobre o ensino da evolução biológica e as teorias evolutivas dos últimos 30 anos apontam para obstáculos no processo de ensino e aprendizagem, desde a Educação Básica até a Superior, em vários países. Dos diferentes aspectos relevantes sobre a evolução biológica investigados até o presente momento a dissertação visou responder a pergunta: como a evolução biológica e as teorias evolutivas se apresentam na organização dos nove livros didáticos de Biologia avaliados e recomendados pelo Programa Nacional do Livro Didático para o Ensino Médio 2007/2009? Objetivou-se, assim: (1) descrever a estrutura e o padrão de distribuição do conteúdo biológico compartilhado entre os nove livros didáticos de Biologia destinados ao ensino médio avaliados e recomendados pelo PNLEM (2007/2009) destacando a evolução biológica e Teorias Evolutivas; (2) descrever as unidades e/ou capítulos específicos dessas obras didáticas que tratem a evolução biológica e as teorias evolutivas como objeto de estudo; (3) localizar conceitos evolutivos pré-determinados ao longo de todas as obras didáticas amostradas de forma a identificar o padrão de distribuição dos assuntos que associem diretamente à evolução biológica. Para a execução do trabalho o quadro metodológico baseou-se na pesquisa qualitativa com as seguintes etapas: (1) levantamento do nome das unidades, capítulos, tópicos e sub-tópicos dos livros didáticos amostrados; (2) caracterização dos capítulos específicos por meio de categorias adaptadas da literatura; (3) localização de termos (unidades perceptíveis) diretamente relacionados aos conceitos evolucionismo, evolução biológica, seleção natural, adaptação biológica, ancestralidade, variação genética e filogenia no texto principal dos capítulos específicos e não-específicos da amostra. / During the last 30 years, the research about teaching of biological evolution and evolutionary theories, points out to obstacles in the process of teaching and learning. This can be noted from elementary school level all the way through college level education, and it is present in several countries. Despite others aspects of biological evolution so far investigated, this dissertation is aimed to answer the following question: How are biological evolution and evolutionary theories presented in the organization of the nine Biology textbooks that have been evaluated and recommended by the Brazilian National Program for High School Textbooks (PNLEM 2007/2009)? To answer this question, this study is intended to do the following: (1) Describe the structure and distribution pattern of biological content shared among the nine high school biology textbooks evaluated and recommended by PNLEM (2007/2009), highlighting the biological evolution and evolutionary theory. (2) Describe the sections and/or specific chapters of these textbooks that approach biological evolution and evolutionary theories as objects of study. (3) Localize the evolutionary concepts predetermined over all the textbooks surveyed, to identify the distribution pattern of matters directly involving biological evolution. In order to achieve the goals of the present work, a methodological framework based on a qualitative approach was established by using the following steps: (1) Identification of the name of the sections, chapters, topics and subtopics of the sampled textbooks. (2) Characterization of the specific sections through categories adapted from the literature. (3) Localization of terms (perceptible units) directly related to the concepts evolution, biological evolution, natural selection, biological adaptation, ancestry, genetic variation and phylogeny in the main body of the specific and non-specific sections of the sample textbooks.

There is an increased emphasis on inquiry in national and Oregon state high school science standards. As hypothesis testing is a key component of these new standards, instructors need effective strategies to improve students' hypothesis testing skills. Recent research suggests that classroom exercises may prove useful. A general purpose classroom activity called the thought experiment is proposed. The effectiveness of 7 hours of instruction using this exercise was measured in an introductory biology course, using a quasi-experimental contrast group design. An instrument for measuring hypothesis testing skill is also proposed. Treatment (n=18) and control (n=10) sections drawn from preexisting high school classes were pre- and post-assessed using the proposed Multiple Choice Assessment of Deductive Reasoning. Both groups were also post-assessed by individually completing a written, short-answer format hypothesis testing exercise. Treatment section mean posttest scores on contextualized, multiple choice problem sets were significantly higher than those of the control section. Mean posttest scores did not significantly differ between sections on abstract deductive logic problems or the short answer format hypothesis testing exercise.

Community colleges serve the most diverse student populations in higher education. They consist of non-traditional, part-time, older, intermittent, and mobile students of different races, ethnic backgrounds, language preferences, physical and mental abilities, and learning style preferences. Students who are academically challenged may have diverse learning characteristics that are not compatible with the more traditional approaches to the delivery of instruction. With this need come new ways of solving the dilemma, such as Computer-aided Instruction (CAI). This case study investigated the use of CAI as a laboratory component of college-level biology in a small, rural community college setting. The intent was to begin to fill a void that seems to exist in the literature regarding the role of the faculty in the development and use of CAI. In particular, the investigator was seeking to understand the practice and its effectiveness, especially in helping the under prepared student. The case study approach was chosen to examine a specific phenomenon within a single institution. Ethnographic techniques, such as interviewing, documentary analysis, life's experiences, and participant observations were used to collect data about the phenomena being studied. Results showed that the faculty was primarily self-motivated and self-taught in their use of CAI as a teaching and learning tool. The importance of faculty leadership and collegiality was evident. Findings showed the faculty confident that expectations of helping students who have difficulties with mathematical concepts have been met and that CAI is becoming the most valuable of learning tools. In a traditional college classroom, or practice, time is the constant (semesters) and competence is the variable. In the CAI laboratory time became the variable and competence the constant. The use of CAI also eliminated hazardous chemicals that were routinely used in the more traditional lab. Outcomes showed that annual savings from operations were realized after the initial capital investment for computer hardware and software were made. / Graduation date: 1998

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This study is a qualitative narrative analysis on the importance and relevance of the ethnic and gender identities of 17 Latino/a (Hispanic) college students in the biological sciences. This research study asks the question of how one's higher education experience within the science pipeline shapes an individual's direction of study, attitudes toward science, and cultural/ethnic and gender identity development. By understanding the ideologies of these students, we are able to better comprehend the world-makings that these students bring with them to the learning process in the sciences. Informed by life history narrative analysis, this study examines Latino/as and their persisting involvement within the science pipeline in higher education and is based on qualitative observations and interviews of student perspectives on the importance of the college science experience on their ethnic identity and gender identity. The findings in this study show the multiple interrelationships from both Latino male and Latina female narratives, separate and intersecting, to reveal the complexities of the Latino/a group experience in college science. By understanding from a student perspective how the science pipeline affects one's cultural, ethnic, or gender identity, we can create a thought-provoking discussion on why and how underrepresented student populations persist in the science pipeline in higher education. The conditions created in the science pipeline and how they affect Latino/a undergraduate pathways may further be used to understand and improve the quality of the undergraduate learning experience. / text

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education