Exploring the Relationship between Secondary Science Teachers’ Subject Matter Knowledge and Knowledge of Student Conceptions While Teaching Evolution by Natural Selection (Lucero, Petrosino, and Delgado, 2016)

Hoboken Sewer Drains- 2016

I received news recently that a paper I co-authored was accepted to The Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST).  JRST is a very highly ranked journal in Education….not just Science Education (see Figure 1). This is related to the evolution education work I have been doing. The specific paper accepted was based in part of the dissertation by my doctoral student Margaret Lucero (who is now a professor at Santa Clara University). We have some minor revisions to make but it should be published in the Fall. I am including the abstract to the paper to give readers a rough idea of what the paper is about.It involves work that has been ongoing for the better part of 3 years. Previous papers have already been published on this work in various other journals and presented at a number of national and international research conferences.


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Abstract

The fundamental scientific concept of evolution occurring by natural selection is home to many deeply-held alternative conceptions and considered difficult to teach. Science teachers’ subject matter knowledge (SMK) and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) component of knowledge of students’ conceptions (KOSC) can be valuable resources for helping students learn difficult science concepts such as natural selection. However, little research exists that explores the relationship between science teachers’ SMK and their KOSC on evolution by natural selection. This study explores the relationship between SMK and KOSC through the participation of four biology teachers at a single high school and thus deepens our understanding of the teacher knowledge base. Main data sources are teacher interviews in which each teacher answered SMK-type questions and predicted what their students’ most common alternative conceptions were by using the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS). Other data sources include student responses on the CINS and classroom observations. Findings revealed related patterns within the SMK-KOSC relationship among these teachers and suggest potential avenues for future inquiry.

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11-May-2016

Dear Drs. Lucero, Petrosino, and Delgado,

The review process of your revised manuscript, JRST-2016-03-0110, titled “Exploring the Relationship between Secondary Science Teachers’ Subject Matter Knowledge and Knowledge of Student Conceptions While Teaching Evolution by Natural Selection,” is now complete. Your manuscript has been assessed by two reviewers (one of the original reviewers, and a second reviewer who brings a fresh perspective), whose comments are included below. The reviewers feel that your manuscript has the potential to make a significant contribution to our field. Based on the reviews and our own close reading of the manuscript, we have decided to accept  the manuscript for publication in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching if you will make the following revisions....

Figure 1