Development of the Biological Experimental Design Concept Inventory (BEDCI)

Interest in student conception of experimentation inspired the development of a fully validated 14-question inventory on experimental design in biology (BEDCI) by following established best practices in concept inventory (CI) design. This CI can be used to diagnose specific examples of non–expert-like thinking in students and to evaluate the success of teaching strategies that target conceptual changes. We used BEDCI to diagnose non–expert-like student thinking in experimental design at the pre- and posttest stage in five courses (total n = 580 students) at a large research university in western Canada. Calculated difficulty and discrimination metrics indicated that BEDCI questions are able to effectively capture learning changes at the undergraduate level. A high correlation (r = 0.84) between responses by students in similar courses and at the same stage of their academic career, also suggests that the test is reliable. Students showed significant positive learning changes by the posttest stage, but some non–expert-like responses were widespread and persistent. BEDCI is a reliable and valid diagnostic tool that can be used in a variety of life sciences disciplines.     

The Development of the Motivation for Critical Reasoning in Online Discussions Inventory (MCRODI)

Abstract

This study was conducted to develop an inventory that measures students' motivation to engage in critical reasoning in online discussions. Inventory items were developed based on theoretical frameworks and then tested on 168 participants. Using exploratory factor analysis, test–retest reliability, and internal consistency, twenty-two items were selected for the Motivation for Critical Reasoning in Online Discussions Inventory. Six motivational constructs were supported: Interest and Enjoyment, Normative Goals, Outcome Goals, Implicit Theories, Self-Efficacy Perception, and Finishing Requirements. The inventory can be used by other researchers or online instructors to collect students' motivational data to investigate strategies to promote student motivation in online discussions.     

Development of a Meiosis Concept Inventory

We have designed, developed, and validated a 17-question Meiosis Concept Inventory (Meiosis CI) to diagnose student misconceptions on meiosis, which is a fundamental concept in genetics. We targeted large introductory biology and genetics courses and used published methodology for question development, which included the validation of questions by student interviews (n = 28), in-class testing of the questions by students (n = 193), and expert (n = 8) consensus on the correct answers. Our item analysis showed that the questions’ difficulty and discrimination indices were in agreement with published recommended standards and discriminated effectively between high- and low-scoring students. We foresee other institutions using the Meiosis CI as both a diagnostic tool and an instrument to assess teaching effectiveness and student progress, and invite instructors to visit http://q4b.biology.ubc.ca for more information.     

Understanding randomness and its impact on student learning: lessons learned from building the Biology Concept Inventory (BCI)

While researching student assumptions for the development of the Biology Concept Inventory (BCI; http://bioliteracy.net), we found that a wide class of student difficulties in molecular and evolutionary biology appears to be based on deep-seated, and often unaddressed, misconceptions about random processes. Data were based on more than 500 open-ended (primarily) college student responses, submitted online and analyzed through our Ed's Tools system, together with 28 thematic and think-aloud interviews with students, and the responses of students in introductory and advanced courses to questions on the BCI. Students believe that random processes are inefficient, whereas biological systems are very efficient. They are therefore quick to propose their own rational explanations for various processes, from diffusion to evolution. These rational explanations almost always make recourse to a driver, e.g., natural selection in evolution or concentration gradients in molecular biology, with the process taking place only when the driver is present, and ceasing when the driver is absent. For example, most students believe that diffusion only takes place when there is a concentration gradient, and that the mutational processes that change organisms occur only in response to natural selection pressures. An understanding that random processes take place all the time and can give rise to complex and often counterintuitive behaviors is almost totally absent. Even students who have had advanced or college physics, and can discuss diffusion correctly in that context, cannot make the transfer to biological processes, and passing through multiple conventional biology courses appears to have little effect on their underlying beliefs.     

Development and Validation of the Star Properties Concept Inventory

Concept inventories (CIs)—typically multiple-choice instruments that focus on a single or small subset of closely related topics—have been used in science education for more than a decade. This paper describes the development and validation of a new CI for astronomy, the Star Properties Concept Inventory (SPCI). Questions cover the areas of stellar properties (focussing primarily on mass, temperature, luminosity, and lifetime), nuclear fusion, and star formation. Distracters were developed from known alternative conceptions and reasoning difficulties commonly held by students. The SPCI was tested through an iterative process where different testing formats (open-ended, multiple-choice?+?explain, and multiple-choice) were compared to ensure that the distracters were in fact the most common among the testing population. Content validity was established through expert reviews by 26 astronomy instructors. The SPCI Version 3 was then tested in multiple introductory undergraduate astronomy courses for non-science majors. Post-test scores (out of 23 possible) were significantly greater (M?=?11.8, SD?=?3.87) than the pre-test scores (M?=?7.09, SD?=?2.73). The low post-test score—only 51.3%—could indicate a need for changing instructional strategies on the topics of stars and star formation.     

Development of the Student-Athlete Career Situation Inventory (SACSI)

Currently a sound and reliable measure of a student-athlete's career development does not exist. The purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound instrument that measures the career situation of student-athletes. Participants for the study were 204 (138 male and 66 female) student-athletes from a large midwestern Division I university. A primary axis factor analysis using promax rotation revealed that five factors, named: Career Development Self-efficacy, Career versus Sport Identity, Locus of Control, Barriers to Career Development, and Sport to Work Relationship, accounted for 81.39% of the common variance in the data. The internal reliability of each factor of the Student-athlete Career Situation Inventory (SACSI) was established using Cronbach's alpha (.70 to .80). The criterion validity of the SACSI was investigated by regressing career experiences and gains on the five factors of the SACSI, resulting in significant squared multiple correlations (.17, .28).     

Degree of Susceptibility to Faking of the Ethical Reasoning Inventory

Abstract

This study sought to determine whether the Ethical Reasoning Inventory, a recently developed objective measure of moral reasoning, was susceptible to faking. A total of 174 college students were given the measure with either standard, "fake good," or "fake bad" instructions. The standard condition produced a seven-day test-re test reliability of .80. Subjects were unable to fake upward but were able to lower their scores significantly. In addition, those initially scoring high were able to fake significantly lower than those initially scoring low, possibly indicating a better understanding of the lower stages.     

2002—2006年中国生物学类期刊主要计量指标统计分析

统计分析了2003-2007年版<中国科技期刊引证报告>收录生物学类期刊的主要计量指标,评价其质量和影响力.2002-2006年生物学类期刊的影响因子明显增大,总被引频次均呈明显上升趋势,参考文献量显著增加,篇均参考文献量也有所提高,基金论文比较高,也呈增高趋势.结果表明,中国生物学类期刊的质量和影响力在逐年提高,生物学整体研究水平比较高.     

Statistical Reasoning in Psychometric Models and Educational Measurement

This paper explores three points raised by Divgi (1986) in order to explicate the important distinction between deterministic and statistical reasoning in the application of statistical models to educational measurement. The three issues concern the relationship between data and esimation equations, the distinction between parameters and parameter estimates, and the power of tests of fit of responses across the ability continuum.     

生命概念的哲学辨析

在当代生命科学中,对于究竟什么是生命并没有公认一致的看法。通过对界定生命的几条代表性进路所作的方法论分析,将生命概念置于当代计算主义的框架下进行考察,以期提出并论证生命的本质是具有表征性和指令性的信息的自我复制和更新,同时揭示出这种观点所蕴涵的科学和哲学意义。     

浅谈生物学教学中的概念演变

概念演变就是前后概念不完全一致的现象,这种现象在生物学教学中非常普遍,给教学带来了很大的困难。概念演变有几种类型。概念演变是科学发展的必然结果。要正确把握概念的内涵与外延;要重视根据演变后的检测与反馈;质疑概念应成为一种教学常态。     

浅谈数学概念教学中学生创新思维的培养

数学概念是数学教学中培养学生创新思维的重要环节 ,文章从概念的引入、形成、表达、巩固和实际运用等五方面浅谈在概念教学中优化学生的创新心理 ,培养学生创新思维和能力的具体运作。     

重视高中生物中的前科学概念

前科学概念又称日常概念、生活概念,它是人们在日常生活和交往过程中形成的概念.这种概念常有片面性或错误,但也能够真实地反映学生思维中一些潜在的、原型的想法.科学概念是在教学活动中获得的对客观事物的共同属性和本质特征的反映.教师应充分了解学生前科学概念,才能对症下药,将课堂研究的重点,放在学生错误的或者片面的"前科学概念上",这样既提高了课堂效率,又培养了学生的科学素养.     

生物学前科学概念重建策略研究

通过分析学生认知体系中前概念的来源,提出概念重建策略,即激活前概念、产生认知上的冲突、新概念的建立和巩固.     

概念图教学模式在生物教学中的应用

高中生物教学的学科特质及在高考中的特殊地位,使教师不得不偏重研究如何提高教学效率。在教学和复习实践中,选用了概念图模式,做了一些初步探索:以概念图应用为教学策略,引导学生接收新知、理清脉络、理解知识点、总结知识体系、解决问题,培养学生对所学过的知识进行巩固、整合和应用能力。     

我国生物概念教学二十年

二十多年来,生物学概念教学的研究在我国生物教学及研究领域经历了一个从少到多,从经验的总结性描述到引借国外理论进行系统实验研究的过程。本文以生物学概念教学的历史发展脉络为主线进行梳理,探讨我国生物学概念教学二十多年来的演变历程。研究主要采用文献梳理的方法:翻查北京师范大学图书馆收藏的生物教材教法类相关论著,共14部;从中国期刊网获得1994年至2004年的生物学概念教学论文48篇;借助全国报刊索引查取1978年至1993年的相关教学论文22篇,其中有关普通教学论的8篇,有关生物学概念教学论的9篇。文章将从以下三方面对这一时期生物…     

高中生物学的概念与命题

概念是反映事物本质的思维产物,命题是由多个概念组成的表达判断的语句,核心概念是命题中具有不可替代作用的词项。中学生物学的单元知识学习,实质上是引导学生习得一个完整的核心概念体系,以核心概念传递为依托教会学生学习和思考并促进个性发展。     

Development of the Biology Card Sorting Task to Measure Conceptual Expertise in Biology

There are widespread aspirations to focus undergraduate biology education on teaching students to think conceptually like biologists; however, there is a dearth of assessment tools designed to measure progress from novice to expert biological conceptual thinking. We present the development of a novel assessment tool, the Biology Card Sorting Task, designed to probe how individuals organize their conceptual knowledge of biology. While modeled on tasks from cognitive psychology, this task is unique in its design to test two hypothesized conceptual frameworks for the organization of biological knowledge: 1) a surface feature organization focused on organism type and 2) a deep feature organization focused on fundamental biological concepts. In this initial investigation of the Biology Card Sorting Task, each of six analytical measures showed statistically significant differences when used to compare the card sorting results of putative biological experts (biology faculty) and novices (non–biology major undergraduates). Consistently, biology faculty appeared to sort based on hypothesized deep features, while non–biology majors appeared to sort based on either surface features or nonhypothesized organizational frameworks. Results suggest that this novel task is robust in distinguishing populations of biology experts and biology novices and may be an adaptable tool for tracking emerging biology conceptual expertise.     

论生物教学中的可持续发展教育

生物与可持续发展教育紧密相关。教师应更新观念,转变教育模式;在课堂教学中渗透可持续发展知识和观念;在课外活动中强调学生的情感体验和相关能力,培养可持续发展的人才。