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AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS IN SELECTED NEBRASKA SECONDARY SCHOOLS THAT MODERATE INSTRUCTION AND TOPICS IN THE BIOLOGY CLASSROOM
Abstract
Statement of Problem. Purposes of this study were to determine from the opinions of Nebraska biology instructors: (1) important topics for inclusion in general biology curriculum; (2) reasons for including these topics in biology curriculum; (3) how educational beliefs were influencing instructional strategies; (4) identity of supplementary materials used in general biology; (5) assessment of availability of supplementary materials; and (6) adequacy, utilization, and availability of laboratory facilities. Variations were noted between biology programs due to differences in school size or in instructor's years of experience. Procedure. Twenty Nebraska secondary school biology teachers from schools of varying size were interviewed and observed instructing. Schools selected were within a fifty mile radius of Lincoln, Nebraska. An interview guide and classroom observation instrument were used to collect data during visits to each school. The interview guide contained questions requiring written responses and questions to be answered verbally by the teachers. The observation report gathered data to substantiate information obtained during the interview. The interview guide collected data about (1) topics in biology curriculum, (2) selection of topics, (3) instructional beliefs and instructional strategies, (4) supplementary materials, (5) laboratory facilities, and (6) open-ended questions. Responses to the questionnaire were tabulated and presented in tables and graphs. Major Findings. (1) Teachers' choices of important topics were topics traditionally included in the general biology program; (2) instructors selected topics which most students could understand and provided the background students needed for adult life or for a college education; (3) many teachers believed that students should learn from abstract principles, by individualized instruction, by self-direction, and by discovery. In actual teaching situations, most teachers seemed to revert to more traditional methods of directing students, working with the students as a group and teaching concrete facts; (4) supplementary materials used were readily available in local schools and used for group instruction; (5) most biology instructors expressed grave concern about the future of biology education. Conclusions. In the schools included in this study, most biology instructors did not: (1) place high priority upon topics relating to ecology, environment, or interdisciplinary concepts; (2) depart significantly from basic content and procedure contained in the standard biology textbooks and laboratory manuals; (3) use individualized biology instruction.
Subject Area
Science education
Recommended Citation
JACK, LEROY CHARLES, "AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS IN SELECTED NEBRASKA SECONDARY SCHOOLS THAT MODERATE INSTRUCTION AND TOPICS IN THE BIOLOGY CLASSROOM" (1981). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8124514.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8124514