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Research on how adults and children reason about evolution informs all aspects of the Explore Evolution project.
Learning research team
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Amy Spiegel, Ph.D., Center for Instructional Innovation, University of Nebraska. |
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E. Margaret Evans, Ph.D., Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan. |
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Wendy Gram, Ph.D., The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. |
Learning research projects include:
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Front End Evaluation Report for the Explore Evolution Project. Evans, E. M., Spiegel, A. N., Gram, W., Frazier, B., Tare, M., Thompson, S., and Kay, D. 2005. Part I: Museum Visitors Explain Seven Evolutionary Problems. Part II: Museum Visitor Reactions to Explore Evolution Topics. Lincoln, NE: Center for Instructional Innovation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. |
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Formative Evaluation Report for the Explore Evolution Project. Spiegel, A. N., Evans, E. M., Gram, W., Frazier, B., Kay, D., Loope, C., and Allison, L. 2005. Museum Visitors Interact with the Explore Evolution Exhibition. Lincoln, NE: Center for Instructional Innovation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. |
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Summative Evaluation for the Explore Evolution Project. Study in process.
For information, contact A. Spiegel at aspiegel1@unl.edu |
See also
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Evans, E. M., A. N. Spiegel, W. Gram, B. Frazier, S. Cover, M. Tare, and J. Diamond. 2006. A Conceptual Guide to Museum Visitors' Understanding of Evolution. Poster presentation. American Educational Research Association conference. |
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Diamond, J. & J. Scotchmoor. 2006. Exhibiting Evolution. Museums & Social Issues. In Press. 1(1): XX. |
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Spiegel, A. N., E. M. Evans, W. Gram, and J. Diamond. 2006. Museum Visitors' Understanding of Evolution. Museums and Social Issues, 1 (1): 69-86. |
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Evans, E. M. 2005. Teaching and Learning About Evolution. Chapter 3 in J. Diamond (Ed) Virus and the Whale: Exploring Evolution in Creatures Small and Large. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press. |
Recent research findings:
Two significant findings have surfaced from the Explore Evolution research. The first finding concerns visitors’ overall reasoning patterns. We were able to classify visitors’ responses as showing informed naturalistic reasoning, novice naturalistic reasoning, or creationist reasoning. While most visitors had a predominant reasoning pattern across all their responses, it is important to note that ALL visitors showed evidence of more than one of these reasoning patterns, depending on the organism being discussed. Even informed naturalistic reasoners, those with a reasonably sophisticated understanding of evolutionary processes, showed evidence of novice or creationist reasoning under some circumstances.
The second finding concerns how visitors’ understanding and acceptance of evolution varies depending on what organism is being addressed. The finch was the most likely to elicit informed naturalistic reasoning, and the fly, ant, diatom, and virus were the most likely to elicit novice reasoning. The human/chimp was most likely to elicit creationist reasoning. |
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