Students Learning from the Skull Evolution Lab: Perception of Goals, Drawing Conclusions, and the Relation Between Evidence and Biological Knowledge

Shuangting Li, Purdue University

Abstract

Biology education in both high school and college calls for integrating scientific knowledge and reasoning into authentic laboratory in recent years. Students are expected to learn science by participating in the process of inquiry, argumentation, and explanation. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the 9th and 12th grade students interpret their learning experiences during laboratory activities and evaluate students’ use of biological knowledge and understanding about the nature of science. The results suggest most students were able to understand the main purpose of the laboratory activities. Most students were able to use change across traits to support the conclusion of evolutionary change. However, only a small number of students realized the limitation of the evidence. Overall, this study provides support that the conceptual analysis of disciplinary evidence scaffolded activity helps both 9th graders and 12th graders with their authentic laboratory experience during laboratory activities.

Degree

M.Sc.

Subject Area

Cognitive psychology|Psychology

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