Principal Investigator: Pam Kalas, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Zoology
Project description
The current proposal is a continuation of a larger project dedicated to develop and evaluate new classroom activities to teach genetics. The goal of these new activities is to emphasize the multifactorial nature of inherited traits while highlighting fallacies of genetic determinism. Thus far we have collected data on students’ deterministic beliefs and understanding of genetics in first and second year biology courses to establish a baseline through a pre/post survey consisting of a validated instrument (GETs; Dar-Nimrod et al., unpublished). Next, we will compare survey data between classes that were taught through different activities (ours vs. traditional ones).
Research questions
- Where do students stand with respect to genetic essentialism, as measured by the GET scales (Dar-Nimrod et al., unpublished) at the start and at the end of a biology course where genetics is taught?
- Are students’ stances, their changes over the course, associated with the year/course/section that students are in?
- How does the understanding of elements of genetics, as measured by a set of “skills” items, differ between the start and the end of a biology course where genetics is taught?
- Are changes in students’ understanding of these elements of genetics associated with changes in their genetic essentialism stance?