Jason R. Wiles

Biology Professors’ and Teachers’ Positions Regarding Biological Evolution and Evolution Education in a Middle Eastern Society

This study investigated three questions: (1) What are Lebanese secondary school (Grade 9–12) biology teachers’ and university biology professors’ positions regarding biological evolution?, (2) How do participants’ religious affiliations relate to their positions about evolutionary science?, and (3) What are participants’ positions regarding evolution education? Participants were 20 secondary school biology teachers and seven university biology professors. Seventy percent of the teachers and 60% of the professors were Muslim. Data came from semi‐structured interviews with participants. Results showed that nine (Christian or Muslim Druze) teachers accepted the theory, five (four Muslim) rejected it because it contradicted religious beliefs, and three (Muslim) reinterpreted it because evolution did not include humans. Teachers who rejected or reinterpreted the evolutionary theory said that it should not be taught (three), evolution and creationism should be given equal time (two), or students should be allowed to take their own stand. Two professors indicated that they taught evolution explicitly and five said that they integrated it in other biology content. One Muslim professor said that she stressed ‘the role of God in creation during instruction on evolution’. It seems that years of studying and teaching biology have not had a transformative effect on how a number of teachers and professors think about evolution.

The origin and evolution of life in Pakistani High School Biology

This study seeks to inform science education practitioners and researchers in the West about apparent attempts to reconcile science and religion in Pakistans public school curriculum. We analysed the national high school science curriculum and biology textbooks (English) used in the Government schools in Pakistan, where Islamic faith is the cornerstone of the national curriculum, and we found that both religious and scientific perspectives are treated in relation to the origin and evolution of life. The religious text presented in the curriculum draws on the relevant Quranic verses about creation, while the scientific text discusses naturalistic, evidence-based theories about the biochemical origin of life and evolution. Evolution by natural selection is discussed in detail along with the evidence supporting the scientific understanding of evolutionary history. Interestingly, where scripture is presented in the biology textbooks, it is generally interpreted to be compatible with evolutionary understandings of the living world.

Scientific consensus and social controversy: exploring relationships between students' conceptions of the nature of science, biological evolution, and global climate change

BackgroundIt is overwhelmingly acknowledged by the scientific community that evolution and global climate change (GCC) are undeniably supported by physical evidence. And yet, both topics remain politically contentious in the United States. It is thought that students’ conceptions of the nature of science (NOS) may be key factors in their attitudes towards evolution and GCC. Our study explored this hypothesis guided by the following questions: Do changes in NOS conceptions correlate with changes in attitudes towards evolution or GCC? If there are correlations, are they similar for evolution and GCC? What demographic factors affect these correlations?MethodsPreviously-developed tools were used to measure students’ conceptions of the nature of science and attitudes towards evolution, while national public opinion poll questions were used to measure attitudes towards GCC. Demographic questions were produced to target factors thought to influence attitudes towards evolution or global climate change. Overall sample size was N = 620. Principle components analysis was used to determine which variables accounted for the most variation, and those variables were analyzed using correlation tests, ANOVA, and ANCOVA to test for significant correlations and interaction effects.ResultsChanges in students’ attitudes towards evolution and global climate change were both positively correlated with shifts in conceptions about the nature of science. Attitudes towards evolution were negatively correlated with religiosity. Knowledge of evolutionary science was positively correlated with attitudes towards evolution, but knowledge about GCC was not significantly correlated with attitudes towards GCC. The strongest correlates of GCC attitudes were political leanings.ConclusionsFindings support the hypothesis that a better understanding of NOS may lead to changes in attitudes towards politically contentious ideas that are not scientifically contentious. Though attitudes towards evolution correlated strongly and significantly with a number of other factors including knowledge of evolutionary science and religiosity, expected non-political correlates with attitudes towards GCC were absent. Giving students a good conception of the modern nature of science may lead to views that are closer to those of the scientific community. This study provides novel evidence of a linkage between student acceptance of evolution and attitudes towards GCC, that is, NOS conceptions.

Gifted students’ perceptions of their acceptance of evolution, changes in acceptance, and factors involved therein

BackgroundFew reports have tracked changes in the levels of acceptance of evolution among high school students, and there have apparently been no studies exploring the levels of acceptance of evolution among gifted high school students in transition to post-secondary education. And, although many have measured acceptance of evolution via various instruments, there has been little information regarding what students consider to be important factors affecting changes in their positions of acceptance or rejection of evolution. These were explored using open-ended questionnaires and interviews with students in a population previously documented to have shown significant changes in acceptance of evolution.ResultsQualitative data reveal a complex and individualized landscape of factors students perceive to influence their acceptance of evolution. The majority of participants who accepted evolution ranked factors related to evidence most highly among those leading to their acceptance. Participants who had become more accepting of evolution often cited evidence, but were more likely to list having become “more open-minded” as the primary influencing factor. Participants who rejected evolution were more likely to list “the Bible” or “religious beliefs” as the chief factor affecting their position regarding evolution, and the second most frequently and highly ranked factor cited by evolution rejecters was that they had been “taught” or “raised” not to believe in evolution. When discussing evidence, they were more likely to refer to their perceptions of its insufficiencies.ConclusionsPatterns and trends common among groups of participants emerged from the qualitative data. It appears that students who accept evolution appeal more strongly to evidence than those who are unsure about or reject evolution; that students often appeal to their religion as a factor influencing their level of acceptance of evolution whether they accept evolution, reject evolution, or are in transition; and that students may have difficulty with the evolution of human beings even if they accept all other aspects of evolution. Other trends suggest that students who become more accepting of evolution may go through “stages” of changed acceptance involving acceptance of increasingly ancient ages for Earth and universe and expanding limits within which they accept that evolution can occur.

Peer Led Team Learning in Introductory Biology: Effects on Peer Leader Critical Thinking Skills

This study evaluated hypothesized effects of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) instructional model on undergraduate peer leaders’ critical thinking skills. This investigation also explored peer leaders’ perceptions of their critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with control group design was used to determine critical thinking gains in PLTL/non-PLTL groups. Critical thinking was assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) among participants who had previously completed and been successful in a mixed-majors introductory biology course at a large, private research university in the American Northeast. Qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires confirmed that factors thought to improve critical thinking skills such as interaction with peers, problem solving, and discussion were perceived by participants to have an impact on critical thinking gains. However, no significant quantitative differences in peer leaders’ critical thinking skills were found between pre- and post-experience CCTST measurements or between experimental and control groups.

Peer-Led Team Learning Helps Minority Students Succeed

Active learning methods have been shown to be superior to traditional lecture in terms of student achievement, and our findings on the use of Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) concur. Students in our introductory biology course performed significantly better if they engaged in PLTL. There was also a drastic reduction in the failure rate for underrepresented minority (URM) students with PLTL, which further resulted in closing the achievement gap between URM and non-URM students. With such compelling findings, we strongly encourage the adoption of Peer-Led Team Learning in undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses.

Using Whole Mount in situ Hybridization to Link Molecular and Organismal Biology

Whole mount in situ hybridization (WISH) is a common technique in molecular biology laboratories used to study gene expression through the localization of specific mRNA transcripts within whole mount specimen. This technique (adapted from Albertson and Yelick, 2005) was used in an upper level undergraduate Comparative Vertebrate Biology laboratory classroom at Syracuse University. The first two thirds of the Comparative Vertebrate Biology lab course gave students the opportunity to study the embryology and gross anatomy of several organisms representing various chordate taxa primarily via traditional dissections and the use of models. The final portion of the course involved an innovative approach to teaching anatomy through observation of vertebrate development employing molecular techniques in which WISH was performed on zebrafish embryos. A heterozygous fibroblast growth factor 8 a (fgf8a) mutant line, ace, was used. Due to Mendelian inheritance, ace intercrosses produced wild type, heterozygous, and homozygous ace/fgf8a mutants in a 1:2:1 ratio. RNA probes with known expression patterns in the midline and in developing anatomical structures such as the heart, somites, tailbud, myotome, and brain were used. WISH was performed using zebrafish at the 13 somite and prim-6 stages, with students performing the staining reaction in class. The study of zebrafish embryos at different stages of development gave students the ability to observe how these anatomical structures changed over ontogeny. In addition, some ace/fgf8a mutants displayed improper heart looping, and defects in somite and brain development. The students in this lab observed the normal development of various organ systems using both external anatomy as well as gene expression patterns. They also identified and described embryos displaying improper anatomical development and gene expression (i.e., putative mutants). For instructors at institutions that do not already own the necessary equipment or where funds for lab and curricular innovation are limited, the financial cost of the reagents and apparatus may be a factor to consider, as will the time and effort required on the part of the instructor regardless of the setting. Nevertheless, we contend that the use of WISH in this type of classroom laboratory setting can provide an important link between developmental genetics and anatomy. As technology advances and the ability to study organismal development at the molecular level becomes easier, cheaper, and increasingly popular, many evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and physiologists are turning to research strategies in the field of molecular biology. Using WISH in a Comparative Vertebrate Biology laboratory classroom is one example of how molecules and anatomy can converge within a single course. This gives upper level college students the opportunity to practice modern biological research techniques, leading to a more diversified education and the promotion of future interdisciplinary scientific research.

Implementation of the Peer-Led Team-Learning Instructional Model as a Stopgap Measure Improves Student Achievement for Students Opting Out of Laboratory

This article discusses the efficacy of the peer-led team-learning, or PLTL, instructional model as a potential method for narrowing the achievement gap among undergraduate students electing not to enroll in an optional laboratory component of an introductory biology course.

Using model organisms in an undergraduate laboratory to link genotype, phenotype, and the environment

We developed laboratory exercises using zebrafish (Danio rerio) and nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) for a sophomore-level Integrative Biology Laboratory course. Students examined live wildtype zebrafish at different stages of development and noted shifts occurring in response to fgf8a deficiency. Students were introduced to development in other fish species to demonstrate how variation in developmental systems affects phenotype. Finally, students cultured glp-1(bn18ts) C. elegans mutants under different conditions to illustrate how the environment and genetics act concurrently to modulate development. Undergraduate students responded positively to both the fish and C. elegans laboratory modules. These novel laboratory exercises are intended to promote an integrative view of biology and to help prepare undergraduate students for independent research with faculty.

Changes in Acceptance of Evolution and Associated Factors during a Year of Introductory Biology: The Shifting Impacts of Biology Knowledge, Politics, Religion, Demographics, and Understandings of the Nature of Science

Recent research has identified many factors influencing student acceptance of biological evolution, but few of these factors have been measured in a longitudinal context of changing knowledge and acceptance of evolution over a period of instruction. This study investigates factors previously associated with evolution acceptance as well as other potential factors among students over the course of a year-long majors and non-majors introductory biology sequence at a private, research-intensive university in the northeastern United States. Acceptance of evolution was measured using the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) instrument, and other factors were measured using well-established instruments and a demographic survey. As expected given the context, evolution was widely accepted among the population (71% of our sample scored in the “high” or “very high” acceptance range), but 160 students were in the very low to moderate acceptance range. Over the course of the academic year, regressions on measures of normalized change revealed that as knowledge of the Nature of Science (NOS) increased, evolution acceptance increased (R2 = .378, p << 0.001). Increasing levels of genetic literacy (R2 = .214, p << 0.001) and Evolutionary Knowledge (R2 = .177, p << 0.001) were also significantly associated with increases in acceptance of evolution. We also examined the longitudinal effect of combining various factors into unified working models of acceptance of evolution, and this is the first study by our knowledge to do so. From fall to spring, the influence of student knowledge of NOS on evolution acceptance increased, as did the influence of genetic literacy. Conversely, the influence of religious variables decreased, as did the influence of political inclinations and race/ethnicity. Our results indicate that as students learn more about the nature of science, they may rely more on scientific explanations for natural phenomena. This study also underscores the importance of using longitudinal, multifactorial analyses to understand acceptance of evolution.