Education Commons^™

"Evo In The News": A Pedagogical Tool To Enhance Students' Perceptions Of The Relevance Of Evolutionary Biology, Lynn M. Infanti

Science Teaching - Dissertations

This investigation evaluated the effects of the use of the pedagogical tool "Evo in the News" on the attitudes toward and knowledge of biological evolution in a sample of undergraduate non-major biology students at a large, private research university. In addition, this study looked at the initial attitudes of the students and their knowledge of evolution before beginning a second semester introductory biology course. Both the initial attitudes and knowledge of the students and the gains in positive attitudes and knowledge were measured using the Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS). The goal of the research was to analyze potential …

Peer Led Team Learning In Introductory Biology: Effects On Critical Thinking Skills, Julia J. Snyder

Science Teaching - Dissertations

This study evaluated the potential effects of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) instructional model on undergraduate, biology peer leaders' critical thinking skills. This investigation also explored peer leaders' perceptions of their critical thinking skills. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test with control group design was used to determine critical thinking gains in PLTL/non-PLTL groups.

Critical thinking was assessed using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) among participants who had previously completed and been successful in the second semester of a two-semester introductory biology course sequence. Qualitative data from open-ended questionnaires confirmed that factors thought to improve critical thinking skills such as interaction …