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Descriptors:
Science Teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Curriculum Design; Expertise; Scientific Literacy; Biological Sciences; Secondary School Science; Science Instruction; Professional Development; Trust (Psychology); Educational Cooperation; Teacher Empowerment; Self Determination; Case Studies; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
This paper describes the development of curriculum design expertise from the perspective of a teacher reflecting on a science lesson. His involvement in the research process resulted in a self-determined professional development strategy. The description comes from data collected through lesson observations and an in-depth stimulated recall discussion to probe and uncover the teacher's understanding of the importance of the curriculum design principles related to his lesson. These data are supplemented with lessons plans studied over several months. Views expressed indicate that the professional development of the teacher was grounded in trust and trust-building that took time. The views also, suggest, amongst other issues, how empowerment evaluation can be used in enabling development in curriculum design. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Sciences; Religion; Conflict; Philosophy; Intellectual Disciplines; Conflict Resolution; Biological Sciences; Evolution; Scientists; Research; Learning Processes

Abstract:
It is an unfortunate fact of academic life that there is a sharp divide between science and philosophy, with scientists often being openly dismissive of philosophy, and philosophers being equally contemptuous of the naivete of scientists when it comes to the philosophical underpinnings of their own discipline. In this paper I explore the possibility of reducing the distance between the two sides by introducing science students to some interesting philosophical aspects of research in evolutionary biology, using biological theories of the origin of religion as an example. I show that philosophy is both a discipline in its own right as well as one that has interesting implications for the understanding and practice of science. While the goal is certainly not to turn science students into philosophers, the idea is that both disciplines cannot but benefit from a mutual dialogue that starts as soon as possible, in the classroom. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Ecology; Ethics; Evolution; Biology; Epistemology; Educational Philosophy; Biological Sciences; Scientific Concepts; Performance Factors; Scientific Methodology; Scientific Principles; Scientific Research; Scientific Literacy; Inquiry; Essays; Literature Reviews; Meta Analysis; Science Education History; Intellectual History

Abstract:
The philosophy of biology today is one of the most exciting areas of philosophy. It looks critically across the life sciences, teasing out conceptual issues and difficulties bringing to bear the tools of philosophical analysis to achieve clarification and understanding. This essay surveys work in all of the major directions of research: evolutionary theory and the units/levels of selection; evolutionary developmental biology; reductionism; ecology; the species problem; teleology; evolutionary epistemology; evolutionary ethics; and progress. There is a comprehensive bibliography. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Classification; Biodiversity; Science Education; Science Instruction; Biological Sciences; Science Teachers

Abstract:
Classification is a central endeavor in every scientific field of work. Classification in biology, however, is distinct from classification in other fields of science in a number of ways. Thus, understanding how biological classification works is an important element in understanding the nature of biological science. In the present paper, I discuss a number of philosophical issues that are characteristic for classification in biological science, paying special attention to questions related to science education. My aims are (1) to provide science educators and others concerned with the teaching of biology with an accessible overview of the philosophy of biological classification and (2) to show how knowledge of the philosophy of classification can play an important role in science teaching. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Biotechnology; Grounded Theory; Science Teachers; Data Analysis; Teacher Attitudes; Peer Teaching; Science Instruction; Secondary School Teachers; Interviews; Comparative Analysis; Professional Development; Biological Sciences

Abstract:
The impacts of biotechnology are found in nearly all sectors of society from health care and food products to environmental issues and energy sources. Despite the significance of biotechnology within the sciences, it has not become a prominent trend in science education. In this study, we seek to more fully identify biology teachers' concerns about biotechnology instruction and their reported practices. Consistent with the Stages of Concern framework as modified by Hord et al., we investigated teachers' awareness, informational, personal, management, consequences, collaboration, and refocusing concerns about biotechnology teaching by employing a qualitative design that allowed for the emergence of teachers' ideas. Twenty high school life science teachers attending a biotechnology institute were interviewed using an interview protocol specifically designed to target various Stages of Concern. Although the Stages of Concern framework guided the development of interview questions in order to target a wide range of concerns, data analysis employed a grounded theory approach wherein patterns emerged from teachers' own words and were constantly compared with each other to generate larger themes. Our results have potential to provide guidance for professional development providers and curriculum developers committed to supporting initial implementation of biotechnology education. Recommendations include supporting teacher development of biotechnology content knowledge; promoting strategies for obtaining, storing and managing biotechnology equipment and materials; providing opportunities for peer teaching as a means of building teacher confidence; and highlighting career opportunities in biotechnology and the intersections of biotechnology and everyday life. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Biological Sciences; Science Activities; Science Instruction; Inquiry; Science Laboratories; Food; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
Cultivation of microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria is often not included in scientific inquiries conducted in school because of the difficulty of manufacturing a suitable medium. A method using dry rehydratable film to reduce the need to manufacture a suitable medium and shorten incubation time was developed as an efficient microbial testing method. Using this method, students can easily perform experiments on microorganisms in schools where time and space are limited. For example, we carried out an inquiry on the possibility of drinking refrigerated milk that is already past its expiration date. Through this activity, we could raise issues related to the current shelf-life labeling system implemented in Korea. In addition, the method can measure microorganisms in several ways through air, direct contact, and indirect contact, making the procedure easier to use in scientific activities at school. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Biological Sciences; Science Instruction; Biology; Molecular Structure; Science Laboratories; Laboratory Equipment; Teaching Methods

Abstract:
A simple method is presented to show kids the size of a microbe--a fungus hypha--compared to a human hair. Common household items are used to make sterile medium on a stove or hotplate, which is dispensed in the cells of a weekly plastic pill box. Mold fungi can be easily and safely grown on the medium from the classroom environment. A microscope capable of 200-400x is necessary. Students can use a hair from their own head to view a fungus and a hair side-by-side on the same slide. They will see that a microscopic fungus hypha is 20-50x smaller in diameter than a hair. Older students will also learn that microbes are measured in micrometers, that fungi are ubiquitous, and that decay is an inevitable part of Earth's processes. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Evolution; Comprehension; Barriers; World Views; Misconceptions; Biological Sciences; College Science; College Instruction; Role of Religion; Pretests Posttests; College Students; Scientific Concepts; Learning Processes; Outcomes of Education

Abstract:
Recent research suggests that a major obstacle to evolution understanding is an essentialist view of the biological world. The present study investigated the effects of formal biology instruction on such misconceptions. Participants (N = 291) completed an assessment of their understanding of six aspects of evolution (variation, inheritance, adaptation, domestication, speciation, and extinction) before and after one of six evolutionary-themed courses. Most participants demonstrated pervasive misconceptions at both pretest and posttest. A subset, however, demonstrated reliable pre-post gains, and they differed from their peers in that they (a) began the semester with significantly less accurate, yet significantly more consistent, views of evolution, and (b) ended the semester with significantly less consistent, yet significantly more accurate, views of evolution. These findings indicate that naive theories of evolution, while generally resistant to change, are less resistant the more consistent they are, possibly because consistency highlights limitations in their explanatory power and inferential scope. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
College Faculty; Faculty Publishing; Academic Discourse; Periodicals; Writing for Publication; Publish or Perish Issue; Females; Productivity; Differences; Disproportionate Representation; Intellectual Disciplines; Biological Sciences; Social Sciences; Journal Articles; Doctoral Degrees; Stereotypes; Gender Bias

Abstract:
Although the percentage of female authors is still less than women's overall representation within the full-time faculty ranks, researchers found that the proportion has increased as more women have entered the professoriate. They also found that women cluster into certain subfields and are somewhat underrepresented in the prestigious position of first author. In the biological sciences, women are even more underrepresented as last author. The last name on a scientific article is typically that of the senior scholar, who is not necessarily responsible for doing most of the research or writing but who directs the lab where the experiment was based. Scholarly publishing, more than anything else, is the measuring stick of professors' research productivity. In the humanities, it is usually the monograph. But in the hard sciences and in many social sciences, it is journal articles. To be hired on the tenure track in those fields by a top research university, young scholars increasingly must have publications on their CVs by the time they finish their doctoral degrees. And once they are hired, more publications in leading journals typically are required to be promoted at every step along the way to full professor. Women's progress in academe has long been a hot topic, not least the debate over why women publish less than men do. Female professors are more likely to emphasize quality over quantity, some scholars argue, turning out fewer but meatier pieces than do their male colleagues, who are more apt to increase their productivity by publishing their work in more-frequent chunks. In addition, studies show that women spend less time on research and more time on teaching and committee work. And it is often research and publishing, which require sustained attention, that suffer when women devote time to caring for young children. As more women earn Ph.D.s and take faculty jobs, though, and as the gap between the number of women and men in academe narrows, scholars have begun thinking about whether anything can or should be done about gender-based differences that remain in publishing, hiring, promotion, and pay. Do those differences result from choices women make, scholars wonder, or from discrimination? Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Elementary Secondary Education; Energy; Role; Science Curriculum; Ecology; Science and Society; Scientific Concepts; Fuels; Botany; Biological Sciences; Environmental Education; Energy Conservation; Intellectual Development; Cognitive Structures

Abstract:
This article reports on our work of developing a learning progression focusing on K-12 students' performances of using energy concept in their accounts of carbon-transforming processes in socio-ecological systems. Carbon-transforming processes--the ecological carbon cycle and the combustion of biomass and fossil fuels--provide all of the energy for living systems and almost 90% of the energy for human economic activities. Energy, as a crosscutting concept across major disciplines, is a "tool for analysis" that uses the principle of energy conservation to constrain and connect accounts of processes and systems. Drawing on ideas from cognitive linguistics, the history of science, and research on students' energy conceptions, we identify two crucial practices that both scientists and students engage in when accounting for carbon-transforming processes: association and tracing. Using association and tracing as progress variables, we analyzed student accounts of carbon-transforming processes in 48 clinical interviews and 3,903 written tests administered to students from fourth grade through high school. Based on our analysis we developed a Learning Progression Framework that describes a progression from accounts that use energy as an ephemeral "force" that enables actors to make events happen to energy as a scientific tool for analysis. Successful students developed a "sense of necessity" with respect to accounts of carbon-transforming processes--a sense that energy MUST be conserved and degraded in every individual process and in the system as a whole. This level of success was achieved by less than 3% of the students in our sample. Implications for science standards, curriculum, and instruction are discussed. (Contains 2 tables, 10 figures and 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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