What do students know about evolution by natural selection after a non-majors geology course? An analysis of student responses to open-ended questions

References

• American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy: A Project 2061 Report. Oxford University Press.
   Google Scholar
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). (2011). Vision and change in undergraduate biology education: A call to action. Retrieved November 27, 2016, from http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/
   Google Scholar
• American Geological Institute (AGI). (2011). Status of the geoscience workforce 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.americangeosciences.org/sites/default/files/StatusoftheWorkforce2011overview.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Anderson, D. L., Fisher, K. M., & Norman, G. J. (2002). Development and evaluation of the conceptual inventory of natural selection. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(10), 952–978.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bandoli, J. H. (2008). Do state science standards matter? The American Biology Teacher, 70(4), 212–216.
   Google Scholar
• Barnes, M. E., Elser, J., & Brownell, S. E. (2017). Impact of a short evolution module on students’ perceived conflict between religion and evolution. The American Biology Teacher, 79(2), 104–111.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Barnes, M. E., & Brownell, S. E. (2017). A call to use cultural competence when teaching evolution to religious college students: Introducing Religious Cultural Competence in Evolution Education (ReCCEE). CBE—Life Sciences Education, 16(4).
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bishop, B. A., & Anderson, C. W. (1990). Student conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 27(5), 415–427.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bray Speth, E., Long, T. M., Pennock, R. T., & Ebert-May, D. (2009). Using Avida-ED for teaching and learning about evolution in undergraduate introductory biology courses. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 2, 415–428.
   Google Scholar
• Bulinski, K. (2012). Models and strategies for teaching evolution to non-science majors in a seminar format. The Paleontological Society Special Publications, 12, 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2475262200009254
   Google Scholar
• Catley, K. M. (2006). Darwin’s missing link—A novel paradigm for evolution education. Science Education, 90(5), 767–783.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Catley, K. M., & Novick, L. R. (2009). Digging deep: Exploring college students’ knowledge of macroevolutionary time. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(3), 311–332.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Collins, L. M., & Lanza, S. T. (2009). Latent class and latent transition analysis: With applications in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
   Google Scholar
• Coyne, J. A. (2009). Why evolution is true. Oxford University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Cuffey, R. (1999). Teaching evolution within an advanced-undergraduate paleontology course. The Paleontological Society Papers, 5, 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1089332600000619
   Google Scholar
• Darwin, C. (1859). On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or, the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. J. Murray.
   Google Scholar
• Demastes, S. S., Settlage, J., & Good, R. (1995). Students' conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution: Cases of replication and comparison. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(5), 535–550. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660320509
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dunk, R. D. P., Barnes, M. E., Reiss, M. J., Alters, B., Asghar, A., Carter, B. E., Cotner, S., Glaze, A. L., Hawley, P. H., Jensen, J. L., Mead, L. S., Nadelson, L. S., Nelson, C. E., Pobiner, B., Scott, E. C., Shtulman, A., Sinatra, G. M., Southerland, S. A., Walter, E. M., Brownell, S. E., & Wiles, J. R. (2019). Evolution education is a complex landscape. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(3), 327–329. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0802-9
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dunk, R. D. P., Petto, A. J., Wiles, J. R., & Campbell, B. C. (2017). A multifactorial analysis of acceptance of evolution. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-017-0068-0
   Google Scholar
• Earth Science Literacy Initiative. (2009). Earth Science literacy principles: The big ideas and supporting concepts of Earth science. Retrieved from http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org/
   Google Scholar
• Everitt, B. S., & Skrondal, A. (2010). The Cambridge dictionary of statistics (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Fagerland, M. W., Lydersen, S., & Laake, P. (2013). The McNemar test for binary matched-pairs data: Mid-p and asymptotic are better than exact conditional. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 13, 91. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-13-91
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ferrari, M., & Chi, M. (1998). The nature of naïve explanations of natural selection. International Journal of Science Education, 20(10), 1231–1256.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Fichter, L. S., Pyle, E. J., & Whitmeyer, S. J. (2010). Expanding evolutionary theory beyond Darwinism with elaborating, self-organizing, and fractionating complex evolutionary systems. Journal of Geoscience Education, 58(2), 58–64.
   Google Scholar
• Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Funk, C., Goo, S. K. (2015). A look at what the public knows and does not know about science. Retrieved December 5, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/09/10/what-the-public-knows-and-does-not-know-about-science/#fn-14351-1
   Google Scholar
• Funk, C., Rainie, L. (2015). Public and scientists’ views on science and society. Retrieved December 5, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/
   Google Scholar
• Glaze, A. L., & Goldston, M. J. (2015). Evolution and science teaching and learning in the United States: A critical review of literature 2000-2013. Science Education, 99(3), 500–518. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21158
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Glynn, S. M., Taasoobshirazi, G., & Brickman, P. (2007). Nonscience majors learning science: A theoretical model of motivation. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1088–1107. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20181
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gregory, R. (2009). Understanding natural selection: Essential concepts and common misconceptions. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 2, 156.
   Google Scholar
• Guffey, S. K., & Slater, T. F. (2020). Geology misconceptions targeted by an overlapping consensus of US national standards and frameworks. International Journal of Science Education, 42(3), 469–492.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ha, M., & Nehm, R. H. (2016). The impact of misspelled words on automated computer scoring: A case study of scientific explanations. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 25(3), 358–374.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hawley, P. H., Short, S. D., McCune, L. A., Osman, M. R., & Little, T. D. (2011). What’s the matter with Kansas? The development and confirmation of the evolutionary attitudes and literacy survey (EALS). Evolution: Education and Outreach, 4(1), 117–132.
   Google Scholar
• Heddy, B. C., & Sinatra, G. M. (2013). Transforming misconceptions: Using transformative experience to promote positive affect and conceptual change in students learning about biological evolution. Science Education, 97(5), 723–744. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21072
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Heredia, S. C., Furtak, E. M., & Morrison, D. (2016). Exploring the influence of plant and animal item contexts on student response patterns to natural selection multiple choice items. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-016-0061-z
   Google Scholar
• Hermann, R. S. (2013). High school biology teachers’ views on teaching evolution: Implications for science teacher educators. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(4), 597–616. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-012-9328-6
   Google Scholar
• Indiana Center for Postsecondary Research. (n.d.). The Carnegie classification of institutions of higher education (2015 ed.). Indiana Center for Postsecondary Research.
   Google Scholar
• Ingram, E. L., & Nelson, C. (2006). Relationship between achievement and students’ acceptance of evolution or creation in an upper-level evolution course. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43, 7–24.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jensen, M. S., & Finley, F. N. (1996). Changes in students' understanding of evolution resulting from different curricular and instructional strategies. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33(8), 879–900. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2736(199610)33:8<879::AID-TEA4>3.0.CO;2-T
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kalinowski, S. T., Leonard, M. J., & Taper, M. L. (2016). Development and validation of the conceptual assessment of natural selection (CANS). CBE Life Sciences Education, 15(4), 64.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kelley, P. (2000). Studying evolution and keeping the faith. Geotimes. American Geological Institute. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from http://www.geotimes.org/dec00/faith_feature.html
   Google Scholar
• Kelley, P. (2012). Strategies for teaching evolution in a high-enrollment introductory paleontology course for non-science majors. The Paleontological Society Special Publications, 12, 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2475262200009242
   Google Scholar
• Kena, G., Hussar W., McFarland J., de Brey C., Musu-Gillette, L., Wang, X., Zhang, J., Rathbun, A., WilkinsonFlicker, S., Diliberti M., Barmer, A., Bullock Mann, F., & Dunlop Velez, E. (2016). The condition of education 2016 (NCES 2016-144). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved August 1, 2020, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
   Google Scholar
• King, C. (2008). Geoscience education: An overview. Studies in Science Education, 44(2), 187–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057260802264289
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kuechler, W. L., & Simkin, M. G. (2010). Why is performance on multiple-choice tests and constructed-response tests not more closely related? Theory and an empirical test. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 8(1), 55–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4609.2009.00243.x
   Google Scholar
• Lerner, L. S. (2000). Good science, bad science: Teaching evolution in the states. Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.
   Google Scholar
• Lewis, E. B., & Baker, D. R. (2010). A call for a new geoscience education research agenda. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(2), 121–129.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Libarkin, J. C., Anderson, S. W., Science, J. D., Beilfuss, M., & Boone, W. (2005). Qualitative analysis of college students’ ideas about the Earth: Interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Journal of Geoscience Education, 53(1), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.5408/1089-9995-53.1.17
   Google Scholar
• Miller, J. D. (1998). Measurement of civic scientific literacy. Public Understanding of Science, 7(3), 203–224. https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-6625/7/3/001
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Miller, J. D. (2004). Public understanding of, and attitudes toward, scientific research: What we know and what we need to know. Public Understanding of Science, 13(3), 273–294.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Moore, R. (2002). Teaching evolution: Do state standards matter? BioScience, 52(4), 378–381. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0378:TEDSSM]2.0.CO;2
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mosher, S., Bralower, T., Huntoon, J., Lea, P., McConnell, D., Miller, K., Ryan, J. G., Summa, L., Villalobos, J., White, L. (2014). Future of undergraduate geoscience education: Summary report for summit on future of undergraduate geoscience education. School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications. 1127. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/1127
   Google Scholar
• Nadelson, L. S., & Sinatra, G. M. (2009). Educational professionals’ knowledge and acceptance of evolution. Evolutionary Psychology, 7(4), 490-516. doi:10.1177/147470490900700401
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2020). Undergraduate degree fields. Retrieved August 1, 2020, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cta.asp
   Google Scholar
• National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/4962.
   Google Scholar
• Nehm, R. H., Beggrow, E. P., Opfer, J. E., & Ha, M. (2012). Reasoning about natural selection: Diagnosing contextual competency using the ACORNS instrument. The American Biology Teacher, 74(2), 92–98.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Nehm, R. H., Kim, S. Y., & Sheppard, K. (2009). Academic preparation in biology and advocacy for teaching evolution: Biology versus non-biology teachers. Science Education, 93(6), 1122–1146.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Nehm, R. H., & Reilly, L. (2007). Biology majors’ knowledge and misconceptions of natural selection. BioScience, 57(3), 263–272.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Nehm, R. H., & Schonfeld, I. S. (2008). Measuring knowledge of natural selection: A comparison of the CINS, an open-response instrument, and an oral interview. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(10), 1131–1160. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20251
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Next Generation Science Standards Lead States (NGSS). (2013). DCI arrangements of the next generation science standards. Retrieved November 1, 2016, from http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/NGSS%20DCI%20Combined%2011.6.13.pdf
   Google Scholar
• Nieswandt, M., & Bellomo, K. (2009). Written extended‐response questions as classroom assessment tools for meaningful understanding of evolutionary theory. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(3), 333–356. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20271
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Novick, L. R., Schreiber, E. G., & Catley, K. M. (2014). Deconstructing evolution education: The relationship between micro- and macroevolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(6), 759–788.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Opfer, J. E., Nehm, R. H., & Ha, M. (2012). Cognitive foundations for science assessment design: Knowing what students know about evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(6), 744–777. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21028
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Padian, K. (2010). How to win the evolution war: Teach macroevolution!. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 3(2), 206–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12052-010-0213-5
   Google Scholar
• Passmore, C., & Stewart, J. (2002). A modeling approach to teaching evolutionary biology in high schools. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(3), 185–204.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Petrosino, A. J., Lucero, M. M., & Mann, M. J. (2015). Decentralized thinking and understanding of evolution in K-12 evolution education. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 8, 2.
   Google Scholar
• Rankey, E. C. (2003). The use of critical thinking skills for teaching evolution in an introductory historical geology course. Journal of Geoscience Education, 51(3), 304–308.
   Google Scholar
• Rice, J. W., Olson, J. K., & Colbert, J. T. (2011). University evolution education: The effect of evolution instruction on biology majors’ content knowledge, attitude toward evolution, and theistic position. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 4, 137–144.
   Google Scholar
• Rutledge, M. L., & Warden, M. A. (2000). Evolutionary theory, the nature of science & high school biology teachers: Critical relationships. The American Biology Teacher, 62(1), 23–31.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Shtulman, A., & Calabi, P. (2012). Cognitive constraints on the understanding and acceptance of evolution. In K. S. Rosengren, S. K. Brem, E. M. Evans, & G. M. Sinatra (Eds.), Evolution challenges: Integrating research and practice in teaching and learning about evolution (pp. 47–65). Oxford University Press.
   Google Scholar
• Smith, M. (2017). How does evolution explain blindness in a cavefish? The American Biology Teacher, 79(2), 95–101. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.2.95
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Spindler, L. H., & Doherty, J. H. (2009). Assessment of the teaching of evolution by natural selection through a hands-on simulation. Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology, 6, 1–20.
   Google Scholar
• Stanger-Hall, K. F. (2012). Multiple-choice exams: An obstacle for higher-level thinking in introductory science classes. CBE Life Sciences Education, 11(3), 294–306. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.11-11-0100
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• StataCorp. (2017). Stata statistical software: Release 15. StataCorp LLC.
   Google Scholar
• St. John, K. (Ed.). (2018). A community framework for geoscience education research. National Association of Geoscience Teachers.
   Google Scholar
• “The Arthropod Story.” (2020). Understanding evolution. University of California Museum of Paleontology, July 26. <https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/3_0_0/arthropodstory>
   Google Scholar
• Thompson, G. (2019). Update on next generation science standards (NGSS). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://victoryprd.com/blog/update-on-next-generation-science-standards-ngss/
   Google Scholar
• Truong, J. M., Barnes, M. E., & Brownell, S. E. (2018). Can six minutes of culturally competent evolution education reduce students’ level of perceived conflict between evolution and religion? The American Biology Teacher, 80(2), 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2018.80.2.106
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). Field of bachelor’s degree in the United States: 2009 report. Retrieved October 1, 2016, from http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acs-18.pdf
   Google Scholar
• U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). The condition of education 2016 (NCES 2016-144). High School Coursetaking.
   Google Scholar
• Veal, W., & Kubasko, D. (2003). Biology and geology teachers’ domain-specific pedagogical content knowledge of evolution. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 18(4), 334–352.
   Google Scholar
• Wysession, M. E. (2012). Implications for Earth and space in new K–12 science standards. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 93(46), 465–466.
   Google Scholar
• Yates, T. B., & Marek, E. A. (2014). Teachers teaching misconceptions: A study of factors contributing to high school biology students’ acquisition of biological evolution-related misconceptions. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 7(1), 7.
   Google Scholar
• Zen, E. (2001). What is deep time and why should anyone care? Journal of Geoscience Education, 49(1), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.5408/1089-9995-49.1.5
   Google Scholar