TCU study finds science teachers don’t know jack (about science)

by PegNews wire

Areas of notable deficiency: evolutionary theory, sex education and the basic nature of science.

According to a study completed by Texas Christian University biology instructor Mark Bloom and Assoc. Prof. of Education Molly Weinburgh, numerous middle and high school science teachers lack an understanding of evolutionary theory and the nature of science itself.

Furthermore, they dodge teaching topics such as sex education and stem cell research to their eager-for-knowledge students, because they are not comfortable addressing those controversial topics. According to Bloom, this lack of confidence "... could be attributed to a deficiency in their understanding of the philosophical nature of science.”

The study looked at 23 middle and high school teachers recruited from high-need institutions.

Originally designed to measure the understanding teachers had about evolutionary theory specifically, the researchers quickly uncovered "deep-rooted misunderstandings about evolution and even deeper misconceptions about the nature of science."

Bloom and Weinburgh's research was published in the Winter 2007 issue of the Association for Childhood Education International Focus on Middle School, a quarterly publication of the education community.

For more information on the research project, contact Mark Bloom at 817-257-6776 or Dr. Molly Weinburgh at 817-257-6115.

posted by JM

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