Assessment of Student Learning Associated with Tree Thinking in an Undergraduate Introductory Organismal Biology Course

Smith, James J.; Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Auvenshine, Stacie

doi:10.1187/cbe.11-08-0066

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…We propose an alternative assessment to evaluate students’ conceptions about the scientific process using student-created visual representations that are variations of a concept map that we term “flowcharts.” Student visualizations play a key role in student thinking and problem solving (Novick, 2001; Novick et al. , 2011; Hurley and Novick, 2010; Hegarty, 2011; National Research Council, 2012; Leenaars et al , 2013; Smith et al , 2013; Ortega and Brame, 2015; Quillin and Thomas, 2015). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Process Flowchart Assessment (SPFA): A Method for Evaluating Changes in Understanding and Visualization of the Scientific Process in a Multidisciplinary Student Population

Wilson

Rigakos

2016

LSE

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific Process Flowchart Assessment (SPFA): A Method for Evaluating Changes in Understanding and Visualization of the Scientific Process in a Multidisciplinary Student Population

Wilson

Rigakos

2016

LSE

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“…Initial results from post‐secondary students indicate positive student outcomes, which can benefit future studies looking at how students think of relatedness among organisms (Smith and Cheruvelil , Smith et al. , Dees et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…As such, many educators are infusing "tree thinking" and evolution into biology curriculum and have developed modules that seek to enhance students' understanding of these topics (Baum et al 2005). Initial results from post-secondary students indicate positive student outcomes, which can benefit future studies looking at how students think of relatedness among organisms (Smith and Cheruvelil 2009, Smith et al 2013, Dees et al 2014.…”

Section: How Does This Work Relate To Previous Research On Describingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is being familiar with biodiversity related to reasoning about ecology?

Hartley

Doherty

et al. 2018

Ecosphere

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Many science educators believe that student recognition of biodiversity is an important precursor to discovering patterns and understanding processes that define and shape ecological systems. We investigated (1) the total number, taxonomic categories, specificity, and diversity of backyard organisms that middle (MS) and high school (HS) students and teachers named, (2) how the number, specificity, and diversity of organisms that students and teachers named related to their overall performance on an ecology learning progression assessment, and (3) the types of information students used to sort and group organisms. Our sample population included 264 MS students, 374 HS students, and 108 teachers in five U.S. states (California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, and New York). We found that students were more likely to name vertebrates than plants or microorganisms, while teachers were more likely to name vertebrate and plants than microorganisms. Teachers named a higher total number (richness) and diversity of organisms and named more organisms in specific (e.g., bull snake) than general taxonomic categories (e.g., snake) than did students. Individual performance on the ecology learning progression assessment was positively correlated to the total number (richness), diversity, and specificity of organisms that students and teachers could name. The types of information students invoked to group organisms together varied by question context. Most students invoked information related to form/outward traits, habitat, function (e.g., decomposer), and taxa (e.g., fungi, plant, animal). Notably, some students invoked ideas about evolutionary relationships among organisms. This work corroborates previous findings about student familiarity with biodiversity and provides preliminary evidence that familiarity with local biodiversity is linked to reasoning about ecology.

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“…So, the tree thinking approach is a process done by using a phylogenetic tree image to help make it easier for students to understand the content of the material [14]. So, phylogenies and tree-thinking instruction can provide tools to bridge the gap between classic historical approaches to teaching evolution and the more traditional emphasis on natural selection and microevolutionary change [15]. However, having students learn about and use phylogenies is not trivial [16].…”

Section: 10mentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant vs. Animal, Which is the Most Prefer Understanding of Evolution?

Mahbubah

Hidayat

Supriatno

2017

Int. J. Sci. Appl. Sci.: Conf. Ser.

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Abstract. Evolution is one of the main subjects of biology taught in science colleges. Unfortunately, students seem less attention to this subject. In the subject of evolution, the lesson commonly uses the animal as a model to improve the students understanding. The purpose of this study is to compare the ability of tree thinking students who use animals and plants as a model in the evolution lesson. Tree thinking refers to an approach to evolution that emphasizes reading and interpreting phylogenetic tree. This study involved 20 undergraduate students enrolled in the evolution course for biology majors at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI). The tree thinking ability of students was measured using Tree Thinking Concept Inventory (TTCI) of Naegle with a little modification. In this test, we analyzed student preferences using animal or plant models using phylogenetic tree diagrams. Results showed that students' TTCI score was higher when using animal models (65.42%) than plant models (55%). These results suggested that students remain to prefer animal models compare to plant models to study evolution. Nevertheless, the use of plants as models can be an alternative to learning evolution in the future.

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Assessment of Student Learning Associated with Tree Thinking in an Undergraduate Introductory Organismal Biology Course

Cited by 27 publications

References 19 publications

Scientific Process Flowchart Assessment (SPFA): A Method for Evaluating Changes in Understanding and Visualization of the Scientific Process in a Multidisciplinary Student Population

Scientific Process Flowchart Assessment (SPFA): A Method for Evaluating Changes in Understanding and Visualization of the Scientific Process in a Multidisciplinary Student Population

Is being familiar with biodiversity related to reasoning about ecology?

Plant vs. Animal, Which is the Most Prefer Understanding of Evolution?

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