Models and Modeling in Evolution

The use of scientific models and modeling in science education has been demonstrated to achieve cognitive gains in several science disciplines (Jackson et al. in Sci Educ 17:10-17, 2008; Malone et al. in Paper presentation at NARST 2017: the 2017 international conference of the national association for research in science teaching, San Antonio, TX, 2017; Schuchardt and Schunn in Sci Educ 100:290-320, 2016). In the area of evolution, prior researchers have studied how students view models and how to support student learning through the use of computer-based modeling. Frequently, researchers used case studies with small samples of students describing the impact of modeling on conceptual change (Passmore and Stewart in J Res Sci Teach 39:185-204, 2002; Wagh and Wilensky in Proceedings of constructionism 2014, 2014). There is a dearth of quasi-experimental studies in secondary classrooms that examine how the use of models and modeling can affect the cognitive gains of learners in biology and evolution in particularly. This chapter will discuss an evolution unit grounded in the use of modeling and its effects on learning in evolution and attitudes toward science in general. The first section will include a discussion of the modeling activities used in the unit, such as hands-on inquiry activities to develop the model as well as deployments of the model in numerous biology contexts. The second section will include details of the mixed methods analysis of the effects of this curriculum on student learning in evolution.