The variety of lesson ideas focusing on the major theme of evolution and the nature of science revealed the variable influence that my study tutorials had on decreasing misconceptions of the nature of science in the context of evolution.
In support of the suggestion that visualization may help teach random processes, Meir et al. (2005) demonstrated that simulations of osmosis and diffusion decreased misconceptions about those molecular phenomena because they allowed students to directly observe the random movement of molecules.
Despite this shortcoming, Jensen and Finley (1996) showed that a historically rich curriculum that discussed Lamarckian evolution and these specific two experiments increased understanding of natural selection and decreased misconceptions compared with a less historically rich curriculum.
In a forced-choice instrument like this one, an increase in key concepts necessarily means a decrease in misconceptions; however, because each item on the assessment may have incorrect responses that represent different misconceptions, this analysis complements the key concept analysis by examining which misconceptions changed.
(2) Do we see an increase in key concept understanding and decrease in misconception use after using the tutorial version of the module?
Empirical evidence suggests that improving students' hypothetico-deductive reasoning improves student understanding of evolution (Lavoie, 1999) and decreases student misconceptions regarding natural selection (Lawson and Thompson, 1988).
In addition to decreased levels of misconceptions, there were decreased levels of stigma and discrimination; although the decrease was more apparent among those targeted with peer education, also students not targeted by peer education have suggested far less punishment actions than the cohort control group in 2005.
In a study of college biology majors, Nehm and Reilly (2007) found that students who were taught with an active-learning strategy with evolution as a common thread through all the units exhibited significant decreases in misconception as opposed to students who were taught with a more traditional lecturing style with one discrete unit on evolution.
Lynn and Lauren McCutcheon found that a brief fact-based report on the insanity defense, compared with a news program on crime featuring this defense, produced a significant decrease in undergraduates' misconceptions concerning this defense.
