Dissection and Choice in the Science Classroom: Student Experiences, Teacher Responses, and a Critical Analysis of the Right to Refuse

Abstract

Choice in dissection has been characterized as an issue that intersects with teacher freedoms and student rights, sometimes resulting in a struggle between the two. This study investigated the experiences of former students (n=311) and teachers (n=153) in Ontario, Canada to determine (a) whether students are being offered a choice between participating in a dissection and using an alternative, and (b) the impressions students and teachers hold toward choice-in-dissection policies. Surveys and interviews with both groups revealed that teachers do not always offer choice. Further, while the majority of the student population reported that they were in favour of choice policies, less than half of the teachers supported their implementation. A consideration of these findings from a critical pedagogy standpoint highlights power dynamics and a privileging of traditional dissection in the classroom. It is argued that choice policies are progressive and necessary to decentre dissection as the “best” way to learn.