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Written Extended‐response Questions as Classroom Assessment Tools for Meaningful Understanding of Evolutionary Theory by Martina Nieswandt; Katherine Bellomo is a Social Sciences article available to read on EtoBox.

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## Abstract This qualitative study analyzed grade 12 biology students' answers to written extended‐response questions that describe hypothetical scenarios of animals' evolution. We investigated whether these type of questions are suitable for students (__n__ = 24) to express a meaningful understanding of evolutionary theory. Meaningful understanding is comprised of factual, procedural (rules, algorithms), schematic (“knowing why”), and strategic knowledge (when, where and how to apply knowledge). Evolutionary theory as a multi‐level concept includes concepts on three different levels (descriptive, hypothetical, and theoretical). Students' answers are examined as to whether they reflect the meaningful linking of all concepts through appropriate use of scientific language. Results showed that students (a) predominantly linked descriptive concepts and, although expected, (b) demonstrated only some cross‐concept‐level links (theoretical–descriptive), (c) exhibited even fewer multi‐concept‐level links (theoretical–descriptive–hypothetical), and (d) avoided the linking of hypothetical concepts with theoretical ones. All these results showed the lack of explanations and reasoning (absence

Who reads Written Extended‐response Questions as Classroom Assessment Tools for Meaningful Understanding of Evolutionary Theory?

Author

Martina Nieswandt; Katherine Bellomo

Publisher

John Wiley and Sons; Wiley (John Wiley & Sons); John Wiley & Sons Inc.; Wiley (ISSN 0022-4308)

Published

2008

Language

EN

Field

Social Sciences