PARENT SESSION
Thursday, August 10, 5:00-6:30 pm
Poster Session 25 - Ecological and science education
Exhibit Hall, Ballroom Level, Cook Convention Center
Teaching evolution by natural selection through a hands-on simulation.
Doherty, Jennifer*,1, Spindler, Lori1, 1 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
ABSTRACT- Hands-on laboratory activities are assumed to increase content knowledge via learning by doing and understanding through personal involvement. This assumption was tested by asking, "Do students learn more from hands-on lab activities than from worksheets that provide same information?" Specifically, it was predicted that students who collect data from a natural selection simulation will learn more biology content than students who are taught using only a worksheet. Four tenth grade biology classes were each split into two treatment groups. The first group performed a natural selection simulation and analyzed data they themselves collected. The second group analyzed similar data without performing the activity. All parts of the experiment were performed over the course of one week starting after the classroom teacher had already introduced the topic of evolution and the mechanism of natural selection. Student learning was evaluated by comparing scores on similarly worded quizzes administered before and after the treatment activity. The quiz included both multiple choice questions and an open response essay. Students' perceptions of science were examined with a questionnaire after the treatment. Analysis of the multiple choice questions revealed that students in both treatment groups had a fewer number of incorrect responses after treatment. Both treatment groups' performance on the essay question improved after treatment but the specific concepts in which the students showed improvement differed between groups. Though there were not strong differences in student performance between treatment groups, students in the simulation treatment group had a much more positive perception of science.
Key words: Education, Natural Selection, High School Science