Written Extended-Response Questions as Classroom Assessment Tools for Meaningful Understanding of Evolutionary Theory

Autor/inn/en	Nieswandt, Martina; Bellomo, Katherine
Titel	Written Extended-Response Questions as Classroom Assessment Tools for Meaningful Understanding of Evolutionary Theory
Quelle	In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46 (2009) 3, S.333-356 (24 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-4308
DOI	10.1002/tea.20271
Schlagwörter	Evolution; Biology; Grade 12; Science Instruction; Feedback (Response); Animals; Scientific Concepts; Teaching Methods; High School Students; Tests; Student Evaluation; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Biologie; School year 12; 12. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 12; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Animal; Tier; Tiere; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Examination; Prüfung; Examen; Schulnote; Studentische Bewertung; Kanada
Abstract	This qualitative study analyzed grade 12 biology students' answers to written extended-response questions that describe hypothetical scenarios of animals' evolution. We investigated whether these type of questions are suitable for students (n = 24) to express a meaningful understanding of evolutionary theory. Meaningful understanding is comprised of factual, procedural (rules, algorithms), schematic ("knowing why"), and strategic knowledge (when, where and how to apply knowledge). Evolutionary theory as a multi-level concept includes concepts on three different levels (descriptive, hypothetical, and theoretical). Students' answers are examined as to whether they reflect the meaningful linking of all concepts through appropriate use of scientific language. Results showed that students (a) predominantly linked descriptive concepts and, although expected, (b) demonstrated only some cross-concept-level links (theoretical-descriptive), (c) exhibited even fewer multi-concept-level links (theoretical-descriptive-hypothetical), and (d) avoided the linking of hypothetical concepts with theoretical ones. All these results showed the lack of explanations and reasoning (absence of schematic and strategic knowledge) and knowledge of how to link concepts about evolutionary theory meaningfully. The results indicate further that written extended-response questions are only partially suitable for demonstrating meaningful understanding. Implications for teaching of evolutionary theory are discussed. (Contains 7 tables and 3 notes.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10