ERIC Number: EJ990519
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Apr
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 30
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1306-3065
Science Teachers and the Dissection Debate: Perspectives on Animal Dissection and Alternatives
Oakley, Jan
International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, v7 n2 p253-267 Apr 2012
This study investigated Ontario science and biology teachers' practices and attitudes toward animal dissection and dissection alternatives. The data was collected through a mixed methods approach involving online surveys (n = 153) and subsequent telephone interviews (n = 9) with secondary school science and biology teachers. The findings indicate that teachers identify strengths and drawbacks to both dissection and alternatives, but the majority continue to strongly favour traditional dissection and see it as vital to biology education. Further, although teachers expressed concerns with dissection, their concerns were overshadowed by an overall dissatisfaction with alternatives. It is argued that teachers need to engage more deeply with the ethical questions that underlie dissection and consider how its learning outcomes can be achieved through humane science education practices. It is also argued that science teacher education programs should include ethical discussions about the controversies of dissection and provide training to familiarize pre-service teachers with alternatives. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Preservice Teacher Education, Biology, Animals, Science Teachers, Secondary School Science, Laboratory Procedures, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Surveys, Secondary School Teachers, Ethics, Science Instruction, Foreign Countries, Computer Assisted Instruction, Science Laboratories
International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication. Abant Izzet Baysal University, Faculty of Education, 14280 Golkoy-Bolu, Turkey. e-mail: editorijese@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.ijese.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: Canada; Ontario

Peer reviewed
