CAREER: Investigating University Students' Conceptions of Macroscopic Biological Phenomena

这项研究的目的是确定本科生如何概念化和解释复杂的生物现象，包括：（1）癌症，（2）生物体的遗传修饰。此外，本研究还探讨了这些学生如何学习这些科目的心理基础。正在比较四个研究/调查组：（1）进入生物学专业;（2）毕业生物学专业;（3）非生物学专业;（4）专家研究生物学家，都位于旧金山弗朗西斯科州立大学（SFSU）。总体研究假设是，进入大学生物学专业和毕业生物学专业持有多种解释框架，他们对这些复杂的生物现象的理解。如果是这样的话，那么生物学专业的学生可能会对一种生物现象（如癌症）采用不同的解释，这取决于他们是否被提示应用他们在学校学到的基本生物学知识。这项建议的一个具体目的是调查生物学专业的学生在本科教育中经历了什么样的观念转变，以及他们在大学教育中发展生物学专业知识的程度。这项研究包括三种方法，以在拟议的五年资助期内深入了解生物学学习：（1）对大量（~1800）大学生的比较性横断面调查;（2）对上述大学生的子集（~120）进行更详细的录像调查访谈;（3）对20名非生物学专业学生和20名生物学专业学生在整个资助期内的纵向研究。这项研究由坦纳和她在旧金山州立大学生物系的研究生进行。这为基于STEM内容的（生物学）研究生提供了一个独特的机会，可以接受科学教育研究方面的培训和经验。此外，PI正在开发一个新的生物教育研究的浓度作为生物学硕士学位的一部分。作为一个城市服务的机构，该项目包括广泛的代表性和目标本科人口的多样性。这项研究是由认知科学家和科学教育研究人员组成的咨询委员会的投入，以及通过持续的形成性评估得到加强。这项研究的结果将告知科学教育和生物内容社区。研究结果将通过在国家会议上的发言和在同行评审的专业期刊上发表的文章广泛传播。预计这些研究结果将有助于理解本科生如何学习复杂的生物现象，并导致可能影响这些想法在美国高等教育中如何教授的见解。

The purpose of this CAREER research study is to determine how undergraduate students conceptualize and explain complex biological phenomena, including: (1) cancer, and (2) genetic modification of organisms. In addition, this study explores the psychological basis for how these students learn about these subjects. Four study/survey groups are being compared: (1) entering biology majors; (2) graduating biology majors; (3) non-biology majors; and (4) expert research biologists, all located at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The overarching research hypothesis is that entering university biology majors and graduating biology majors hold multiple explanatory frameworks for their understanding of these complex biological phenomena. If this is the case, then biology majors may employ different explanations for a biological phenomenon, like cancer, depending on whether or not they are cued to apply their basic biology knowledge learned in school. A specific aim of this proposal is to investigate what conceptual changes biology majors undergo as a result of their undergraduate training and to what extent do they develop biological expertise during their university education.This research includes three approaches to gaining insight into biology learning during the proposed five-year funding period: (1) a comparative, cross-sectional survey of a large number (~1800) of university students; (2) more detailed videotaped survey interviews with a subset (~120) of the above-referenced university students; and (3) a longitudinal study over the entire funding period of 20 non-biology majors as compared to 20 biology majors.This research study is being carried out by Tanner and her graduate students in the SFSU biology department. This represents a unique opportunity for STEM-content-based (biology) graduate students to receive training and experience in science educational research. Furthermore, the PI is developing a new concentration in biology education research as part of the Masters degree in biology. As an urban-serving institution, this project includes a broad representation and diversity of the target undergraduate population. This study is being enhanced by input received from an advisory committee composed of cognitive scientists and science education researchers, as well as through ongoing formative assessment.The results of this research will inform both the science education and biological content communities. Research findings will be widely disseminated via presentations at national meetings and articles published in peer-reviewed professional journals. It is anticipated that these research results will contribute to understanding how undergraduate students learn complex biological phenomena and lead to insights that could influence how these ideas are taught in higher education throughout the U.S.