Natural selection is a topic that is laden with misconceptions. These misconceptions are often not addressed, and students can leave a biology classroom with the same incorrect ideas that they entered with. These misconceptions can be identified and addressed by using the Concept Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS). Furthermore, by teaching using methods that encourage hands-on, inquiry based techniques, students are more apt to reconcile these misconceptions and have a deeper understanding of the natural selection process.
The goal of my research was to show a positive correlation between reduction in student misconceptions about natural selection and inquiry based activities. Five classes of students (145 total students) completed the CINS twice; once as a pre-test, and again as a post-test. Three classes had the natural selection unit delivered in a lecture-based format with no hands-on activities. Two classes had the unit delivered with no lectures, but instead with inquiry activities that utilized methods and practices from the Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP). Data was collected from both classes and compared. If teaching method plays a significant role in decreasing student misconceptions, there would be a statistically significant difference in gains between the teaching styles, which there was.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-07052012-101705 |
| Date | 11 July 2012 |
| Creators | Font, Laurie |
| Contributors | Cyrill Slezak, Michael Cherry, Dana Browne |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-07052012-101705/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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