Abstract
Abstract Students in a large introductory biology course at Flinders University, South Australia, were quizzed on misconceptions relating to evolution and their acceptance of evolutionary theory before and after completing the course. By providing students with a course featuring a multifaceted approach to learning about evolution, students improved their understanding and decreased their overall misconceptions. A variety of instructional methods and assessment tools were utilized in the course, and it employed an active and historically rich pedagogical approach. Although student learning and understanding of evolutionary theory improved throughout the course, it did not alter the beliefs of students who commented both before and after the course that religious theories provided adequate explanation for the diversity of life. Interestingly, students who maintained this belief scored more poorly on the final examination than students who considered evolution as the best explanation for the diversity of life.
Highlights
The theory of evolution unites all of biology
Evolution of Biological Diversity, was effective at challenging misconceptions and increasing the acceptance of evolutionary theory, we would expect to see a significant increase in the number of correct answers on our quiz after students complete the course
The active learning group in Nehm and Reilly’s (2007) study employed evolution as a common thread through all units taught throughout the semester
Summary
The theory of evolution unites all of biology. This idea is well summarized in Dobzhansky’s (1973) aptly titled paper, “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of. Given the unifying and explanatory power of this theory, it would be reasonable to expect that its fundamental principles and concepts would be widely and generally understood, especially by those studying the life sciences. There is usually a high degree of acceptance regarding scientific explanations in discussions of life situations and nature, but not in considering how the natural world we know came to be through evolutionary processes (Hokayem and BouJaoude 2008)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
