scholarly journals Environmental Biology

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 303
Author(s):  
William E. Davis Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Method ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Cell Theory ◽  
Acanthaster Planci ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Environmental Biology ◽  
Field Techniques ◽  
Biology Textbook

This is an introductory biology textbook that is tailored to the needs of students who will major or take courses in environmental science, conservation, sustainable development, or other areas that deal with anthropogenic problems of habitat degradation, extinction, and human over-population. It is an introductory text in that it presents all the paradigms of biology, including cell theory and evolution, as well as scientific method, field techniques, and problem solving, all with an environmental emphasis. Most of the focus of the numerous examples is on Australian subjects and problems. For example, three case studies presented in the introductory chapter deal with the conflict between timber production and the conservation of Leadbeater?s Possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri, whether humans caused the outbreak of Crown-of-thorns Starfish Acanthaster planci on Australian reefs, and the conservation of a rare plant species, Corrigin Grevillea Grevillea scapigera, after massive land clearing in Western Australia.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Haig
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods

Chapter 1 discusses the importance and relevance of the philosophy of science for an in-depth understanding of quantitative research methods. It outlines a philosophy of scientific realism in terms of its methodology and introduces major theories of scientific method. This introductory chapter provides key ideas that should help make sense of the treatment of the five methods dealt with in the book. Three major theories of scientific method are sketched because they figure in some of the ensuing chapters. An overview of the book is provided in terms of chapter summaries. A note for the reader is provided that indicates why a limited number of methods were selected for consideration.

Sustainability survey to assess student perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1151-1167
Author(s):  
James Hardy Speer ◽  
Virgil Sheets ◽  
Tina M. Kruger ◽  
Stephen Peter Aldrich ◽  
Nicholas McCreary
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Method ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Student Perspectives ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
University Campuses ◽  
Incoming Freshmen ◽  
Introductory Classes

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess environmental concern at a Midwest university, analyze trends in concern over time and determine the effect of the development of a campus sustainability office. Design/methodology/approach A multi-question survey was administered through peer-to-peer recruitment from an undergraduate environmental science class each fall from 2010–2017. This exercise was originally developed as a pedagogical exercise on the scientific method. Findings Over eight years, incoming freshmen have expressed more concern that humans are harming the environment and students also express greater concern as they progress through college. Research limitations/implications The first year of the survey (2010) and the year that the lead PI was on sabbatical (2014) saw reduced response rates (∼1%–3% of the student population) compared to 6%–9% of the student population in other years. Practical implications Responses to all of the questions in the survey provide guidance for university administrations and sustainability offices about the concerns of the campus community, awareness about campus efforts and support for sustainability activities on campus. Originality/value Few studies have been published on students’ perspectives on environmental concern and sustainability activities on university campuses. These data provide an overview of environmental concern, perceived government action and empowerment to action over an eight-year period. This approach is recommended as a technique to teach the scientific method in introductory classes and as a means to collect data about student perspectives on sustainability.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 2-15
Author(s):  
Bruce W. Shore
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Method ◽  
Basic Concepts ◽  
Physical Phenomena

The introductory chapter sets the stage for the narrative discussion by defining terminology and commenting on several basic concepts often taken for granted in expositions, but essential for any understanding of a technical subject: operational definitions and the scientific method; the difierence between physics, technology and engineering; the connection with art and philosophy; and the goals in modeling of physical phenomena with systems and observables.

scholarly journals Arrows in Biology: Lack of Clarity and Consistency Points to Confusion for Learners

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. ar6 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Kate Wright ◽  
Jordan J. Cardenas ◽  
Phyllis Liang ◽  
Dina L. Newman
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Representational Competence ◽  
Biology Textbook

In this article, we begin to unpack the phenomenon of representational competence by exploring how arrow symbols are used in introductory biology textbook figures. Out of 1214 figures in an introductory biology textbook, 632 (52%) of them contained arrows that were used to represent many different concepts or processes. Analysis of these figures revealed little correlation between arrow style and meaning. A more focused study of 86 figures containing 230 arrows from a second textbook showed the same pattern of inconsistency. Interviews with undergraduates confirmed that arrows in selected textbook figures were confusing and did not readily convey the information intended by the authors. We also present findings from an online survey in which subjects were asked to infer meaning of different styles of arrows in the absence of context. Few arrow styles had intrinsic meaning to participants, and illustrators did not always use those arrows for the meanings expected by students. Thus, certain styles of arrows triggered confusion and/or incorrect conceptual ideas. We argue that 1) illustrators need to be more clear and consistent when using arrow symbols, 2) instructors need to be cognizant of the level of clarity of representations used during instruction, and 3) instructors should help students learn how to interpret representations containing arrows.

Scaffolded Instruction Improves Student Understanding of the Scientific Method & Experimental Design

2013 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison R. D’Costa ◽  
Mark A. Schlueter
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
Guided Inquiry ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Scaffolded Instruction ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
Design Skills ◽  
Experimental Versus

Implementation of a guided-inquiry lab in introductory biology classes, along with scaffolded instruction, improved students’ understanding of the scientific method, their ability to design an experiment, and their identification of experimental variables. Pre- and postassessments from experimental versus control sections over three semesters showed that most students improved in their understanding of the scientific method and experimental design skills. Students exhibited improvement in their ability to create hypotheses and correctly identify controls and dependent variables. However, students in both groups struggled with the identification of independent variable and controlled variables.

From One to Astronomical

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karel Schrijver
Keyword(s):  
Solar System ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Planetary Systems ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Fictional Worlds ◽  
Recent Insight

Where centuries ago one could be burned at the stake for speculating about distant worlds, the modern scientific method has made us realize that there are planetary systems around most of the over a hundred billion stars in the Galaxy. Learning that the Earth was not the center of the Solar System represented a true revolution in our thinking, but the recent insight that the Solar System is but one of an immense number of similar systems was smoothly adopted by our culture, which had already been exposed to many fictional worlds over the preceding dedades. This introductory chapter describes these changes, woven into the story of how astrophysics has grown from the work of a few isolated individuals into a globe-spanning, fast-publishing enterprise with state-of-the-art observatories, from master–pupil teaching to university-based education, and from learning from often ancient books to modern observation-based investigations.

scholarly journals Developing Information Fluency in Introductory Biology Students in the Context of an Investigative Laboratory

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary J. Lindquester ◽  
Romi L. Burks ◽  
Carolyn R. Jaslow
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Level ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Independent Study ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Confidence Levels ◽  
Information Fluency ◽  
Biology Laboratory

Students of biology must learn the scientific method for generating information in the field. Concurrently, they should learn how information is reported and accessed. We developed a progressive set of exercises for the undergraduate introductory biology laboratory that combine these objectives. Pre- and postassessments of approximately 100 students suggest that increases occurred, some statistically significant, in the number of students using various library-related resources, in the numbers and confidence level of students using various technologies, and in the numbers and confidence levels of students involved in various activities related to the scientific method. Following this course, students should be better prepared for more advanced and independent study.

“Economic cell” or “DNA molecule?”: bringing the Marx “Capital” into harmony with cell theory and modern genomics

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (6) ◽  
pp. 23-47
Author(s):  
Alexandr Sorokin
Keyword(s):  
Market Economy ◽  
General Model ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Cell Theory ◽  
Dna Molecule ◽  
Linear Sequence ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Mode Of Production

Creating a general model of the economy, “providing a holistic knowledge of the economic system” (AD Nekipelov) is an urgent problem. The paper considers the possibility of using the subject and method of Marx’s “The Capital” in order to build a common model. The subject is an entity of relations within capitalist mode of production of life rather than wealth. The scientific method of ascending not from the abstract but from the simplest concrete to the complex concrete led to the discovery of an “economic cell”. Cell theory has influenced both “The Capital” and the understanding of history as a “linear sequence of stages”. The subject of the general model is relations that ensure the reproduction of life in a market economy. The method is consistent with genomics. Two factors of the product are the minimum set of “genes” of an “economic DNA molecule”. The cell is totipotent, i.e. possesses a complete stock of genetic material but in different cells the same genes are in an active or repressed state. Alignment with genomics allows us to build a model of modern market economy, to reconsider the linear sequence and put forward the hypothesis of “totipotency of various methods of production”, the activation of those methods that contribute to the reproduction of the life of society as a whole.

scholarly journals The Essence Of Environmental Biology

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew N. O. Sadik ◽  
Tolulope J. Ashaolu ◽  
Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi ◽  
Sarhan M. Musa
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Environmental Biology ◽  
Environmental Processes ◽  
Life On Earth

Environmental biology studies the ways organisms, species, and communities influence, and is impacted by natural and human-altered ecosystems. It explores the interconnections among biology, ecology, evolution, environmental science, and conservation. It is a thriving field that is in dear need of enthusiastic, passionate, and well-trained professionals. Environmental biologists focus on the biology of ecosystems and environmental processes, causes and consequences of environmental change, and how environmental change impacts life on earth. This paper provides an introduction into environmental biology.

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