| 1. |
- Göransson, Andreas C., 1975-, et al.
(författare)
-
Conceptual Characterization of Threshold Concepts in Student Explanations of Evolution by Natural Selection and Effects of Item Context
- 2020
-
Ingår i: CBE - Life Sciences Education. - Bethesda : The American Society for Cell Biology. - 1931-7913. ; 19:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Evolutionary theory explains a wide range of biological phenomena. Proper understanding of evolutionary mechanisms such as natural selection is therefore an essential goal for biology education. Unfortunately, natural selection has time and again proven difficult to teach and learn, and students’ resulting understanding is often characterized by misconceptions. Previous research has often focused on the importance of certain key concepts such as variation, differential survival, and change in population. However, so-called threshold concepts (randomness, probability, spatial scale, and temporal scales) have also been suggested to be important for understanding of natural selection, but there is currently limited knowledge about how students use these concepts. We sought to address this lack of knowledge by collecting responses to three different natural selection items from 247 university students from Sweden and Germany. Content analysis (deductive and inductive coding) and subsequent statistical analysis of their responses showed that they overall use some spatial scale indicators, such as individuals and populations, but less often randomness or probability in their explanations. However, frequencies of use of threshold concepts were affected by the item context (e.g., the biological taxa and trait gain or loss). The results suggest that the impact of threshold concepts, especially randomness and probability, on natural selection understanding should be further explored.
|
|
| 2. |
- Höst, Gunnar E., 1976-, et al.
(författare)
-
Student Learning about Biomolecular Self-Assembly Using Two Different External Representations
- 2013
-
Ingår i: CBE - Life Sciences Education. - Bethesda, USA : American Society for Cell Biology. - 1931-7913. ; 12:3, s. 471-482
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Self-assembly is the fundamental but counterintuitive principle that explains how ordered biomolecular complexes form spontaneously in the cell. This study investigated the impact of using two external representations of virus self-assembly, an interactive tangible three-dimensional model and a static two-dimensional image, on student learning about the process of self-assembly in a group exercise. A conceptual analysis of self-assembly into a set of facets was performed to support study design and analysis. Written responses were collected in a pretest/posttest experimental design with 32 Swedish university students. A quantitative analysis of close-ended items indicated that the students improved their scores between pretest and posttest, with no significant difference between the conditions (tangible model/image). A qualitative analysis of an open-ended item indicated students were unfamiliar with self-assembly prior to the study. Students in the tangible model condition used the facets of self-assembly in their open-ended posttest responses more frequently than students in the image condition. In particular, it appears that the dynamic properties of the tangible model may support student understanding of self-assembly in terms of the random and reversible nature of molecular interactions. A tentative difference was observed in response complexity, with more multifaceted responses in the tangible model condition.
|
|
| 3. |
- Knekta, Eva, Doktor, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
-
Evaluation of a Questionnaire Measuring University Students' Sense of Belonging to and Involvement in a Biology Department
- 2020
-
Ingår i: CBE - Life Sciences Education. - : AMER SOC CELL BIOLOGY. - 1931-7913. ; 19:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sense of belonging and involvement has shown to be positively associated with academic achievement and retention. We argue that a focus on sense of belonging and involvement specifically at the departmental level is valuable, yet rarely discussed in the literature. In this article, we describe the development and evaluation of a questionnaire measuring university students' sense of belonging to and involvement in their "home" department (biology). The questionnaire was named the DeSBI questionnaire (Departmental Sense of Belonging and Involvement) and was administered to students attending an R1 university in the southeastern United States during Spring 2018 (n = 201) and Fall 2018 (n = 737) semesters. Factor analysis indicated a three-factor solution: one factor consisting of five items representing sense of belonging: valued competence; a second factor consisting of six items representing sense of belonging: social acceptance; and a third factor consisting of nine involvement items. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in all subscales between students included in a special biology program, biology majors, and non-biology majors. The study findings support the use of the instrument for measuring biology students' sense of belonging to and involvement in their biology department.
|
|
| 4. |
- Knekta, Eva, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
-
One Size Doesn’t Fit All : Using Factor Analysis to Gather Validity Evidence When Using Surveys in Your Research
- 2019
-
Ingår i: CBE - Life Sciences Education. - : American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). - 1931-7913. ; 18:1, s. 1-17
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Across all sciences, the quality of measurements is important. Survey measurements are only appropriate for use when researchers have validity evidence within their particular context. Yet, this step is frequently skipped or is not reported in educational research. This article briefly reviews the aspects of validity that researchers should consider when using surveys. It then focuses on factor analysis, a statistical method that can be used to collect an important type of validity evidence. Factor analysis helps researchers explore or confirm the relationships between survey items and identify the total number of dimensions represented on the survey. The essential steps to conduct and interpret a factor analysis are described. This use of factor analysis is illustrated throughout by a validation of Diek- man and colleagues’ goal endorsement instrument for use with first-year undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students. We provide example data, annotated code, and output for analyses in R, an open-source programming language and software environment for statistical computing. For education researchers using surveys, understanding the theoretical and statistical underpinnings of survey validity is fundamental for implementing rigorous education research.
|
|
| 5. |
- Rowland, Ashley, et al.
(författare)
-
Defining and Measuring Students’ Interest in Biology : An Analysis of the Biology Education Literature
- 2019
-
Ingår i: CBE - Life Sciences Education. - : The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). - 1931-7913. ; 18:3, s. 1-14
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Understanding how students develop biology interests and the roles interest plays in biology contexts could help instructors and researchers to increase science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students’ motivation and persistence. However, it is currently unclear how interest has been defined or measured in the biology education research literature. We analyzed this body of literature to determine how interest has been defined and used by the biology education research community. Specifically, we determined the extent to which previously published work drew on theories that conceptualize interest. Further, we identified studies that measured student interest in biology and characterized the types of measures used. Our findings indicate that biology education researchers typically describe interest as a relationship involving positive feelings between an individual and a physical object, activity, or topic of focus. We also found that interest is often not defined, theories involving interest are not often consulted, and the most common measures of interest only assess a single aspect of the construct. On the basis of these results, we make suggestions for future research seeking to examine biology students’ interest. We hope that this analysis can serve as tool for biology educators to improve their own investigations of students’ interest and measure outcomes of interest-generating educational activities.
|
|
| 6. |
- Tibell, Lena A. E., 1952-, et al.
(författare)
-
Educational Challenges of Molecular Life Science- Characteristics and implications for education and research
- 2010
-
Ingår i: CBE - Life Sciences Education. - Bethesda, MD, United States : American Society for Cell Biology. - 1931-7913. ; 9:1, s. 25-33
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Molecular life science is one of the fastest-growing fields of scientific and technical innovation, and biotechnology has profound effects on many aspects of daily life, often with deep ethical dimensions. At the same time the content is inherently complex, highly abstract and deeply rooted in diverse disciplines ranging from “pure sciences,” such as maths, chemistry, and physics, through “applied sciences”, such as medicine and agriculture, to subjects that are traditionally within the remit of humanities, notably philosophy and ethics. Together these features pose diverse, important, and exciting challenges for tomorrow’s teachers and educational establishments.With backgrounds in molecular life science research and secondary life science teaching, we (LT and CJR, respectively) bring different experiences, perspectives, concerns, and awareness of these issues. Taking the nature of the discipline as a starting point, we highlight important facets of molecular life science that are both characteristic of the domain and challenging for learning and education. Of these challenges we focus in most detail on content, reasoning difficulties, and communication issues. We also discuss implications for education research and teaching in the molecular life sciences.
|
|
| 7. |
- Wahlberg, Sara, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
-
Conceptual Demography in Upper Secondary Chemistry and Biology Textbooks' Descriptions of Protein Synthesis : A Matter of Context?
- 2018
-
Ingår i: CBE - Life Sciences Education. - Bethesda, MD : American Society for Cell Biology. - 1931-7913. ; 17:3
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study investigates how the domain-specific language of molecular life science is mediated by the comparative contexts of chemistry and biology education. We study upper secondary chemistry and biology textbook sections on protein synthesis to reveal the conceptual demography of concepts central to the communication of this subject. The term "conceptual demography" refers to the frequency, distribution, and internal relationships between technical terms mediating a potential conceptual meaning of a phenomenon. Data were collected through a content analysis approach inspired by text summarization and text mining techniques. Chemistry textbooks were found to present protein synthesis using a mechanistic approach, whereas biology textbooks use a conceptual approach. The chemistry texts make no clear distinction between core terms and peripheral terms but use them equally frequently and give equal attention to all relationships, whereas biology textbooks focus on core terms and mention and relate them to each other more frequently than peripheral terms. Moreover, chemistry textbooks typically segment the text, focusing on a couple of technical terms at a time, whereas biology textbooks focus on overarching structures of the protein synthesis. We argue that it might be fruitful for students to learn protein synthesis from both contexts to build a meaningful understanding.
|
|
