Integrative assessment of Evolutionary theory acceptance and knowledge levels of Biology undergraduate students from a Brazilian university

Objective: The aim of this study was to (1) generate a valid questionnaire to determine immunology knowledge, (2) compare immunology knowledge across 3 different cohorts of chiropractic students that had already studied immunology, (3) examine the attitudes of chiropractic students to the study of immunology, and (4) examine whether students' attitudes affected their knowledge levels. Methods: Factor analysis was used to refine an immunology knowledge and perceptions questionnaire that was generated by a group of experts that was then completed by 90 students. Immunology knowledge level of each of the cohorts was compared using a 1-way analysis of variance. Kappa statistics were used to measure agreement between 2 statements, and logistic regression was used to determine whether students' attitudes were associated with their knowledge levels. Results: There was a significant difference in the immunology knowledge levels across the 3 year groups (F[2, 87] = 4.78, p = .011). Fifth-year students (n = 26) demonstrated 25% less immunology knowledge than third-year students (n = 35; p = .005). Of 90 students, 64 agreed that immunology knowledge was important to chiropractors, and 53 agreed that immunology knowledge was important for the average person. No relationship existed between their value of immunology knowledge and their score on the multiple-choice questions. Conclusion: Third-year students' immunology knowledge was significantly higher than that of the fifth-year students. Students value immunology knowledge, but this does not translate to retention of this knowledge. The validated questionnaire is a useful tool for assessing immunology knowledge retention for undergraduate students.

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Short Lesson Plan Associated with Increased Acceptance of Evolutionary Theory and Potential Change in Three Alternate Conceptions of Macroevolution in Undergraduate Students

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.11-08-0079 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 152-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Joel K. Abraham ◽

Kathryn E. Perez ◽

Nicholas Downey ◽

Jon C. Herron ◽

Eli Meir

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Evolutionary Theory ◽

Evolutionary Biology ◽

Lesson Plan ◽

Intensive Instruction ◽

Acceptance Of Evolution ◽

Alternate Conceptions ◽

Alternate Conception ◽

Extant Species ◽

Evolution Proceeds

Undergraduates commonly harbor alternate conceptions about evolutionary biology; these alternate conceptions often persist, even after intensive instruction, and may influence acceptance of evolution. We interviewed undergraduates to explore their alternate conceptions about macroevolutionary patterns and designed a 2-h lesson plan to present evidence that life has evolved. We identified three alternate conceptions during our interviews: that newly derived traits would be more widespread in extant species than would be ancestral traits, that evolution proceeds solely by anagenesis, and that lineages must become more complex over time. We also attempted to measure changes in the alternate conceptions and levels of acceptance of evolutionary theory in biology majors and nonmajors after exposure to the lesson plan. The instrument used to assess understanding had flaws, but our results are suggestive of mixed effects: we found a reduction in the first alternate conception, no change in the second, and reinforcement of the third. We found a small, but significant, increase in undergraduate acceptance of evolutionary theory in two trials of the lesson plan (Cohen's d effect sizes of 0.51 and 0.19). These mixed results offer guidance on how to improve the lesson and show the potential of instructional approaches for influencing acceptance of evolution.

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Teaching a Socially Controversial Scientific Subject

Approaches and Strategies in Next Generation Science Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2809-0.ch003 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 52-63

Author(s):

Hasan Deniz

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary Theory ◽

Religious Orientation ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

Degree Of Acceptance ◽

Biological World ◽

Conceptual Ecology ◽

Scientific Subject ◽

Evolution Understanding ◽

High Degree ◽

Theory Acceptance

This chapter explores teachers’ and students’ acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory by using conceptual ecology (Toulmin, 1972) as a theoretical lens. Demastes, Good, and Peebles (1995) describe the conceptual ecology for evolutionary theory. Acceptance of evolutionary theory is part of this conceptual ecology, and this conceptual ecology also contains the following five components: (1) prior conceptions related to evolution (understanding of evolutionary theory); (2) scientific orientation (degree to which the learner organizes his/her life around scientific activities); (3) view of the nature of science; (4) view of the biological world in competitive and causal terms as opposed to aesthetic terms; and (5) religious orientation. A complex web of connections among components of conceptual ecology for evolutionary theory influences one’s acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory. Therefore, studying the relationship between acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory as a part of the conceptual ecology for evolutionary theory is more promising than studying acceptance of evolutionary theory in isolation. Moreover, studying acceptance of evolutionary theory as an integral part of the conceptual ecology may enable us to explain why some teachers and students show a high degree of acceptance and others show a low degree of acceptance.

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The tennis common content knowledge measure validation

European Physical Education Review ◽

10.1177/1356336x20982629 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1356336X2098262

Author(s):

Emi Tsuda ◽

Phillip Ward ◽

Junyoung Kim ◽

Yaohui He ◽

Debra Sazama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Content Knowledge ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

The United States ◽

Instructional Effectiveness ◽

Measure Validation ◽

Essential Step ◽

High Knowledge ◽

Knowledge Levels ◽

Common Content

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable common content knowledge (CCK) instrument for pre-service teachers who teach fundamental tennis in secondary schools. The instrument, called the tennis CCK test for pre-service teachers (CCK-Tennis), was administered to 117 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education (PE) teacher education programmes at three universities in the United States. Two tennis content experts developed the CCK-Tennis and five in-service teachers reviewed the test to establish content validity. A total of 10 pre-service teachers took the test for pilot testing. The data were analysed using Rasch statistics (Linacre, 2011; Rasch, 1980). The authors judged the unidimensionality of the CCK-Tennis using the unexplained variance in the first contrast (2.59) and the standardized residual contrast one plot (-0.4 to 0.4). These data provided evidence that the test is unidimensional and measures tennis CCK. The results of infit (0.8 to 1.2) and outfit (0.5 to 1.5) mean square residuals showed that the difficulty of the questions matches respondents’ knowledge levels. The item (5.32, Cronbach’s α = 0.97) and person (1.71, Cronbach’s α = 0.72) separation index and the Wright map showed that there are low to high knowledge levels of the respondents who took the test. The results illustrate that the CCK-Tennis is a robust, valid, and reliable tool that people can use in teacher education. Having valid and reliable measures for CCK is an essential step to improve teachers’ instructional effectiveness from the area of content knowledge.

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Teaching a Socially Controversial Scientific Subject

STEM Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-7363-2.ch050 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 934-945

Author(s):

Hasan Deniz

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary Theory ◽

Religious Orientation ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

Degree Of Acceptance ◽

Biological World ◽

Conceptual Ecology ◽

Scientific Subject ◽

Evolution Understanding ◽

High Degree ◽

Theory Acceptance

This chapter explores teachers' and students' acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory by using conceptual ecology (Toulmin, 1972) as a theoretical lens. Demastes, Good, and Peebles (1995) describe the conceptual ecology for evolutionary theory. Acceptance of evolutionary theory is part of this conceptual ecology, and this conceptual ecology also contains the following five components: (1) prior conceptions related to evolution (understanding of evolutionary theory); (2) scientific orientation (degree to which the learner organizes his/her life around scientific activities); (3) view of the nature of science; (4) view of the biological world in competitive and causal terms as opposed to aesthetic terms; and (5) religious orientation. A complex web of connections among components of conceptual ecology for evolutionary theory influences one's acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory. Therefore, studying the relationship between acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory as a part of the conceptual ecology for evolutionary theory is more promising than studying acceptance of evolutionary theory in isolation. Moreover, studying acceptance of evolutionary theory as an integral part of the conceptual ecology may enable us to explain why some teachers and students show a high degree of acceptance and others show a low degree of acceptance.

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Read, Understand, Learn, & Excel: Development and Testing of an Automated Reading Strategy Detection Algorithm for Postsecondary Students

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2019_ajslp-18-0181 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 1257-1267 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Priya Kucheria ◽

McKay Moore Sohlberg ◽

Jason Prideaux ◽

Stephen Fickas

Keyword(s):

Academic Success ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Expository Text ◽

Reading Strategy ◽

Detection Algorithm ◽

Expository Texts ◽

Human Observer ◽

Behavioral Strategies ◽

Periodic Review ◽

Wide Range

PurposeAn important predictor of postsecondary academic success is an individual's reading comprehension skills. Postsecondary readers apply a wide range of behavioral strategies to process text for learning purposes. Currently, no tools exist to detect a reader's use of strategies. The primary aim of this study was to develop Read, Understand, Learn, & Excel, an automated tool designed to detect reading strategy use and explore its accuracy in detecting strategies when students read digital, expository text.MethodAn iterative design was used to develop the computer algorithm for detecting 9 reading strategies. Twelve undergraduate students read 2 expository texts that were equated for length and complexity. A human observer documented the strategies employed by each reader, whereas the computer used digital sequences to detect the same strategies. Data were then coded and analyzed to determine agreement between the 2 sources of strategy detection (i.e., the computer and the observer).ResultsAgreement between the computer- and human-coded strategies was 75% or higher for 6 out of the 9 strategies. Only 3 out of the 9 strategies–previewing content, evaluating amount of remaining text, and periodic review and/or iterative summarizing–had less than 60% agreement.ConclusionRead, Understand, Learn, & Excel provides proof of concept that a reader's approach to engaging with academic text can be objectively and automatically captured. Clinical implications and suggestions to improve the sensitivity of the code are discussed.Supplemental Materialhttps://doi.org/10.23641/asha.8204786

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Does a Graduate Course in Fluency Disorders Make a Difference?

Perspectives on Fluency and Fluency Disorders ◽

10.1044/ffd20.1.10 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 10-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Evelyn R. Klein ◽

Barbara J. Amster

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Graduate Programs ◽

The United States ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Graduate Course ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Fluency Disorders ◽

Introductory Course ◽

Communicative Disorders

Abstract A study by Yaruss and Quesal (2002), based on responses from 134 of 239 ASHA accredited graduate programs, indicated that approximately 25% of graduate programs in the United States allow students to earn their degree without having coursework in fluency disorders and 66% of programs allow students to graduate without clinical experience treating people who stutter (PWS). It is not surprising that many clinicians report discomfort in treating PWS. This cross-sectional study compares differences in beliefs about the cause of stuttering between freshman undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory course in communicative disorders and graduate students enrolled and in the final weeks of a graduate course in fluency disorders.

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The Impact of TimeSlips on Undergraduate Students in Service Learning With Older Adults

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-20-00171 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Sabine Heuer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Service Learning ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Attitude Scale ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Attitudes Toward Older Adults ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Attitude Shift ◽

The Impact ◽

Journal Entries

Purpose Future speech-language pathologists are often unprepared in their academic training to serve the communicative and cognitive needs of older adults with dementia. While negative attitudes toward older adults are prevalent among undergraduate students, service learning has been shown to positively affect students' attitudes toward older adults. TimeSlips is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to improve health care students' attitudes toward older adults. The purpose of this study is to explore the change in attitudes in speech-language pathology students toward older adults using TimeSlips in service learning. Method Fifty-one students participated in TimeSlips service learning with older adults and completed the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS) before and after service learning. In addition, students completed a reflection journal. The DAS data were analyzed using nonparametric statistics, and journal entries were analyzed using a qualitative analysis approach. Results The service learners exhibited a significant increase in positive attitude as indexed on the DAS. The reflective journal entries supported the positive change in attitudes. Conclusions A noticeable attitude shift was indexed in reflective journals and on the DAS. TimeSlips is an evidence-based, patient-centered approach well suited to address challenges in the preparation of Communication Sciences and Disorders students to work with the growing population of older adults.

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Engaging Undergraduate Students in Child Language Research

Perspectives on Issues in Higher Education ◽

10.1044/aihe17.1.4 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 4-16

Author(s):

Jade H. Coston ◽

Corine Myers-Jennings

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Students ◽

Student Growth ◽

Process Data ◽

Research Knowledge ◽

Research Dissemination ◽

Language Sampling ◽

Language Research ◽

Language Sample Analysis ◽

Turn Taking ◽

Assessment Techniques

To better prepare the professionals and scholars of tomorrow in the field of communication sciences and disorders (CSD), a research project in which undergraduate students collected and analyzed language samples of child-parent dyads is presented. Student researchers gained broad and discipline-specific inquiry skills related to the ethical conduct of research, the literature review process, data collection using language assessment techniques, language sample analysis, and research dissemination. Undergraduate students majoring in CSD developed clinical research knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for future graduate level study and professional employment. In addition to the benefits of student growth and development, language samples collected through this project are helping to answer research questions regarding communicative turn-taking opportunities within the everyday routines of young children, the effects of turn-taking interactions on language development, and the construct validity of language sampling analysis techniques.

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