The Importance of Teaching Evolution

The understanding of plastic and reconstructive surgery amongst Queensland medical students

IntroductionIn the late 1990s multiple physicians and advocacy organizations promoted increased use of opioids for the treatment of acute, chronic and cancer pain. There has been an exponential growth in opioid prescribing in the last 20 years in the United States of America, in Australia, and in other developed Western countries. There are negative consequences associated with the liberal use of opioids. The primary aim of this population-based cohort study is to investigate the opioid-related death rate in New Zealand between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2012. The secondary aims of this cohort study are: (1) to compare the opioid-related death rate per population in New Zealand in 2001/2002 with that between 2011/2012; (2) to investigate the number of opioid prescriptions in New Zealand between 2001 and 2012; (3) to compare the opioid-related death rate per population in New Zealand between 2001 and 2012 with the number of opioid prescriptions in New Zealand between 2001 and 2012.MethodsPermission to access records from the Coronial Services Office in Wellington for 2008–2012 was acquired. Permission to access records for prescriptions containing opioids (dose and formulation) was obtained from the Pharmaceutical Collection.ResultsThe rate of opioid-related deaths in New Zealand has increased by 33% from 2001 to 2012. More than half of the opioid-related deaths between 2008 and 2012 were unintentional opioid overdoses. Opioid analgesic deaths were most likely due to methadone, morphine and codeine prescribed by healthcare professionals. That 179 of these opioid-related deaths between 2008 and 2012 were unintentional opioid overdoses, and thus could have been avoided, is tragic. This study shows that there was a steady annual increases in opioid prescriptions in New Zealand from 2001 to 2012. This rise in opioid analgesic deaths was associated with the increases in the numbers of opioid prescriptions.ConclusionA multifaceted national public health approach is needed to bring together the various stakeholders involved with pain management, opioid dependence, opioid availability and opioid diversion. There needs to be a targeted approach to educate current and future medical practitioners regarding the appropriate use of opioid prescriptions for the management of pain, as well as a strengthening of primary, secondary and tertiary resources to support medical practitioners managing their patients who suffer with pain.

BackgroundLimited health literacy is a global public health concern linked with increased healthcare expenses and poor health outcomes. Health literacy (HL) is crucial for medical students as patients and future medical practitioners. This systematic review aims to provide a global understanding of the state of HL among medical students, identify strengths and weaknesses across HL domains, and determine different variables associated with HL.MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with the registration number CRD42024608968. The CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Medline, and Web of Science were searched for cross-sectional studies that reported the HL of medical students from 2013 to February 2025. The AXIS tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The results are presented using narrative analysis.ResultsThirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies collectively included 3,647 medical students, approximately 44% female and 29% male. Different HL assessment tools were used, resulting in variations in the findings. Medical students demonstrated proficiency in locating and comprehending health information but faced challenges in managing their own health, feeling understood and supported by healthcare providers, and appraising health information. Symptoms of depression, social support, and the amount of time spent using the internet were associated with HL. All studies included revealed a very low risk of bias.ConclusionThe health literacy of medical students ranged from moderate to high. The strengths identified both in the general context and in the digital context were finding and understanding health information. However, areas needing improvement were identified in its practical application, particularly in self-management and critical appraisal of health information. These findings indicate the potential benefit of incorporating targeted health literacy training into medical education to enhance critical thinking, practical application, and communication skills in support of patient-centered care.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-07388-0.

Smoking remains a major public health problem in the UK (Callum. Health Education Authority, 1995). Clinician-delivered advice has a small but beneficial effect on patients' smoking rates but the current level of delivery of smoking cessation intervention in real-world settings is not high (Russell et al. BMJ 1979;2:231–5). Previously identified barriers to providing smoking cessation support include insufficient knowledge about smoking and intervention strategies, suggesting that provider education may increase the rate of provision of advice. Increasingly attention has been directed towards medical students as future medical practitioners and potential agents in smoking cessation (Frye & Haponik. Am J Prev Med 1996;12:4). However, as smoking-related knowledge deficits have previously been identified in medical students (e.g., Crofton et al. Med Educ 1994;28:187–96), increased efforts need to be directed at the development of knowledge and skills at the undergraduate level of training if, on qualification, these individuals are to be effective in supporting patients in stopping smoking. Here we describe a teaching session on smoking cessation delivered to 2nd year medical students, University of Aberdeen, in their Respiratory block. This incorporated learning about smoking-related knowledge and, in reference to literature from primary care (Coleman & Wilson. BJGP 1996;46:87–91) and medical education (The New Tomorrow's Doctors GMC July 2002) how best to apply this knowledge in practice using doctor-patient communication skills. A two-hour workshop involving didactic presentation, small-group discussion and case studies which ran twice, with approximately 60 students each time. Written literature was provided on intervention strategies, including NRT and bupropion. Smoking knowledge before and after the workshop was assessed using a 10-Item Objective Knowledge Questionnaire. Qualitative information on the value of the workshop as a learning experience, a good use of time, etc, was collected post-teaching. Mean scores were analysed using non-parametric tests due to the binominal nature of the data. Coding categories were developed for the qualitative data and analysed using standard qualitative methods. Knowledge on five (out of 10) individual knowledge items was significantly higher post-teaching. Four themes emerged from the qualitative feedback from the students: new knowledge of the cycle of change and intervention strategies; communication skills; the training methods; developing the workshop. Positive smoking cessation knowledge changes can be achieved through teaching. Changes in knowledge and attitude towards the process of smoking cessation and mutual doctor-patient partnership were also observed from the qualitative data. Students are positive about such teaching but want it to involve patient contact. This intervention is seen as the first step in supporting medical undergraduates to develop the clinical knowledge and communication skills required to achieve competence in supporting patients to stop smoking.

COVID-19 and the associated epidemics have rapidly spread globally. Due to the contagiousness of the disease, the effort to stop the spread proves abortive. As a result, physical appointments with healthcare practitioners become a challenge. To address this challenge, Telemedicine (TM) is widely employed to provide healthcare services to infected individuals. Thus, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive literature review of TM applications based on machine learning (ML) for managing individuals infected with COVID-19 and related epidemics. The SLR methodology of this research considered published papers between 2015 and 2022. Out of 733 papers that were initially retrieved from six bibliographic databases, 24 primary studies were selected after passing the election criteria and quality assessment test. Analysis was carried out on the selected papers by answering six research questions related to the research topic. However, the findings from the SLR reveals that remote monitoring of patients during the pandemic outbreak is made easy through the application of TM and ML technique. The study also reveals different types of pandemic outbreaks, health data used by telemedicine programs, different types of ML, performance measures, and functionality of TM. Open research challenges and future research directions are also provided in this research domain. Therefore, this SLR can help researchers in future research and medical practitioners with ML-based TM applications in subsequence epidemic outbreaks.

This study explores biology education from a life course perspective by examining how learning trajectories, educational transitions, and meaning-making processes evolve across different stages of individuals’ lives. Drawing on qualitative methodology, the study employed in depth, semi structured life history interviews with purposively selected participants who had engaged in biology education at various educational stages. Data were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis informed by life course theory to identify patterns of continuity, change, and critical turning points in participants’ educational experiences. The findings reveal that early encounters with biology education play a foundational role in shaping long-term learning trajectories, while educational transitions particularly between secondary, higher education, and post formal contexts function as pivotal moments that can redirect engagement with biology either positively or negatively. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the significance of biology education is not fixed during formal schooling but often reconstructed later in life as individuals integrate biological knowledge into personal, social, and professional contexts. These results suggest that biology learning outcomes may emerge cumulatively and longitudinally rather than immediately following instruction. The study contributes to the literature by bridging life course studies and biology education research, offering a novel qualitative perspective on biology learning as a developmental and contextually embedded process. The implications of this research highlight the need for biology education practices and policies that emphasize continuity, relevance, and contextual meaning-making across educational stages, thereby supporting sustained engagement with biological knowledge throughout the lifespan.

Note from the EditorsToo often, biology has been considered by both students and faculty as the ideal major for the scientifically inclined but mathematically challenged, even though the advantage of quantitative approaches in biology has always been apparent.Increasingly, biologists are utilizing mathematical skills to create simulations or manage and query large data sets.The need for basic mathematical and computer science (CS) literacy among biologists has never been greater.But does this require a fundamental change in the organization of the undergraduate biology curriculum?What is the utility of math/CS in different areas of biology?How can we best provide math/CS instruction to biologists so that the utility is appreciated?Do all biology students require a stronger math/CS foundation, or only those interested in research careers?Given the speed at which technology changes, what is the best preparation?Three different points of view are offered below.Dr. Roger Brent, President and Director of the Molecular Sciences Institute, reflects on the "innumeracy" common among biologists and argues that significant insights into biological problems may be gained from better mathematical intuition.

This paper focuses on evolution as a unifying theme in biology education. Our aim is to argue that the different topics taught in secondary school biology classes should be enriched with and linked together by means of accounts of the history of life. We named this approach a “natural history perspective” on biology education. An essential aspect of the natural history perspective is the claim that evolutionary history forms the context for the development of an understanding of evolutionary processes. While there are some indications that a natural history perspective can function as a context for understanding micro-evolutionary processes, more research is called for.

As bioethical issues increasingly intersect with scientific education, understanding teachers’ cognitive beliefs and awareness of these topics becomes essential for producing ethically responsible future scientists. This study aimed to reveal the level of cognitive beliefs and awareness of bioethical issues among biology teachers in Oman and to examine whether a relationship exists between these two constructs. The study used a quantitative descriptive method. Two instruments were prepared: an epistemological beliefs questionnaire and an awareness of controversial bioethical issues questionnaire. After verifying the validity and reliability of the instruments, the two questionnaires were given to a random sample of 121 teachers. The results revealed that the participating biology teachers have a high level of awareness of bioethical issues. However, contrary to expectations, there was no statistically significant correlation between epistemological beliefs and bioethical awareness (p = .359), suggesting that these two constructs may be influenced by different factors. This finding highlights the need to reconsider assumptions about the role of epistemological beliefs in shaping ethical awareness and emphasizes the importance of context, experience, and curriculum in bioethics education. The study recommends conducting training programs to help teachers deepen their understanding of key epistemological dimensions—such as “absolute authority,” “innate ability,” and “confirmed knowledge”—and explore how pedagogical practices involving bioethical content may strengthen such beliefs.

This study explored the impact of high‐immersion virtual reality (VR) as an innovative andragogical tool in undergraduate biology education. Amidst concerns about traditional lecture‐based teaching methods, VR can offer interactive hands‐on experiences. The study hypothesized that students who opt in for a supplementary VR experience will outperform the students presented with text‐based lectures and the students presented with video‐assisted content in content‐related quizzes and assignments. The study involved 456 students of an undergraduate contemporary biology course. Three conditions were presented over four semesters: a VR activity focused on teaching genetics and Punnett squares that supplemented a video lecture, video lecture only and long‐form text‐based materials only. Pre‐ and post‐VR activity tests were conducted to assess knowledge gains and perceptions of the VR experience of the 49 students who chose the additional VR experience. Results suggest significant improvements in the immediate content‐related post‐test scores, delivered in multiple‐choice format. A significant difference was observed in the mean scores of the genetics module assignments (delivered in long‐form text format) among the three groups (ie, VR‐and‐video‐assisted group; video‐assisted group; text‐only materials group). The text‐only group scored the lowest, while the video‐and‐VR‐assisted group scored the highest, but only marginally higher than the video‐assisted group. The results suggest that VR provides a viable, scalable and cost‐effective complement to traditional laboratory practice. Rather than outperforming lecture‐based approaches, VR offers an accessible way to practical experiences that would otherwise require specialized facilities or costly equipment. Our findings provide a baseline and highlight a need for further research to investigate the full potential and limitations of integrating VR in biology education. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as an increasingly viable method of engaging users in educational experiences. VR as a medium can engage users in ways traditional media struggle to achieve, such as fostering empathy and delivering immersive experiences. Hands‐on learning opportunities remain highly relevant to STEM education, an area highly appropriate for exploration in VR. VR has gained considerable traction in biology education. What this paper adds Evidence for the integration of VR into a high‐enrollment, accredited curriculum implemented in a naturalistic, ecologically valid context. A comparison of VR‐assisted biology lessons with more traditional, video‐ or text‐based lecture in high‐enrollment undergraduate courses. VR experiences may be more beneficial than lecture‐based instruction for complex topics in undergraduate education. Implications for practice and/or policy VR is particularly useful in addressing typically challenging learning concepts. The integration of VR technology with large‐enrollment undergraduate courses is possible. The availability of VR experiences and equipment remains necessary for the successful integration of VR.

Despite the fact that evolutionary theory is the central and unifying theme in biology, it has not been well received by the general public in the United States. Several studies reveal that many Americans have a poor understanding of evolution and reject it as a valid explanation of the current state of life (Gallup, 1993; National Science Board, 2000; Recer, 1996). In response to this, there has been a significant effort by the science education community to improve the effectiveness of evolutionary biology education. A primary focus of this endeavor has concerned the development of curricula and instructional strategies that foster student learning of evolutionary biology. Many of these efforts emphasize the lines of evidence supporting evolutionary theory and the theory's scientific validity in light of science as a method of inquiry (Farber, 2003; Cherif, Adams & Loehr, 2001; Alles, 2001; Nickels, Nelson & Beard, 1996; McComas, 1994; National Academy of Science, 1998; Scharmann, 1993). These strategies may be particularly effective because they equip students to make informed decisions about the scientific validity of evolution by focusing on the evaluation of evidence within the framework of the discipline, rather than presenting information as facts that must be memorized or by focusing on religious belief (Clough, 1994). Determining the effectiveness of these novel instructional strategies remains an important challenge of evolutionary biology education. One method of measuring the effectiveness of instruction in evolutionary biology is by assessing changes in student acceptance of, rather than belief in, evolutionary theory as a scientifically valid and explanatory theory. This strategy is consistent with conceptions of science as a method of inquiry that stress empirical adequacy and explanatory power over belief (van Frassen, 1980), and has been advocated as an effective method for effectively teaching evolution (Clough, 1994; Scharmann, 2005). Schwabb (1978) framed the issue by observing that a discipline consists of substantive and syntactical structures, both of which must be considered in assessing a theory. The substantive structure of a discipline consists of theories, concepts, and facts (the substance of the discipline) while the syntactic structure consists of the process by which knowledge is warranted or its validity is determined (the discipline's methodology). Thus, informed decisions of acceptance of scientific theories are appropriately made as a result of the critical analysis of available data in light of the established methods of the scientific discipline. Instrumentation has been developed to assess acceptance of evolutionary theory. Rutledge and Warden (1999) developed and established the and validity of the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE), a 20-item Likert-scale instrument designed to assess high school biology teachers' overall acceptance of evolution (Appendix A). As informed decisions of acceptance or rejection of a scientific theory are based on evaluations of substantive and syntactical elements of a domain, fundamental concepts of evolution and of the nature of science as a method of inquiry are the focus of MATE items (Table 1). The MATE has been utilized to assess high school biology teachers' acceptance of evolution in Indiana (Rutledge & Warden, 2000) and Oregon (Trani, 2004), and is currently being utilized at the University of Waikato in a study of New Zealand secondary teachers (http://sci.waikato. ac.nz/evolution/aboutus.shtml). Alters and Nelson (2002), in their review of effective pedagogy of evolution in higher education, noted the potential of the MATE with respect to research in evolutionary biology education. However, the of the MATE in a test-retest scenario-needed to assess the effectiveness of instruction in evolutionary biology--has yet to be evaluated. The reliability of an instrument is a measure of its consistency. …

Research Article| October 01 1983 Paleoethological Inference: Therapsids as a Model System Brent M. Graves, Brent M. Graves Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar David Duvall David Duvall Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (1983) 45 (6): 325–333. https://doi.org/10.2307/4447715 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Brent M. Graves, David Duvall; Paleoethological Inference: Therapsids as a Model System. The American Biology Teacher 1 October 1983; 45 (6): 325–333. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/4447715 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search Copyright 1983 The National Association of Biology Teachers Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

The scientific community has accepted that evolution is a unifying theme in biology, just as Dobzhansky (1973) stated in his oft-cited article, “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.”Yet this scientific theory has provoked much public discord around the world despite eight professional scientific organizations convening to issue a joint statement detailing their acceptance of evolution (Futuyma 1999), in addition to at least two science teacher organizations that have proclaimed their support for the teaching of evolution in public schools (NAS 1998). Scientists continue to teach that evolution is a central concept in natural sciences, yet many teachers do not understand or accept evolution as an explanation for the diversity of life on Earth (Alberts and Labov 2004; Brem et al. 2003; Miller et al. 2006; Verhey 2005). Despite scientists’ acceptance of evolution as a central concept in biology, Moore (2000) found that only 57 % of teachers across the USA regard evolution as a unifying theme in the science. Trani (2004) found that 16 % of Oregon public high school biology teachers do not present evolution at all and concluded that teachers who do not personally accept evolutionary explanations for diversity of life or who do not understand it do not present it in their classrooms. In other words, teachers’ attitudes about evolution and learning it affect their willingness to teach it. To meet the objective of improving Americans’ understanding of evolution, it is imperative that teachers not only understand and accept evolution but intend to teach it as well. Hence, exploratory studies of how pre-service teachers learn evolution are valuable. This study sought to identify how six pre-service biology teachers, enrolled in a college evolution course, made meaning of evolution and how this contributed to their intentions to teach evolution as teachers. Res Sci Educ (2014) 44:27–52 DOI 10.1007/s11165-013-9371-0

Background Evolution is a fundamental concept in biology education, recently emphasized in the Swedish curriculum for Year 4–6. However, teaching evolution poses challenges, necessitating innovative educational tools. This study explores the development and use of a comic book, Cats on the Run–A Dizzying Evolutionary Journey , designed to teach evolutionary concepts to young students through a narrative involving two modern-day house cats traveling through time and space. Results To explore what function the material has for students’ meaning making we analyze what students describe to have learned working with the comic Cats on the Run, and how aspects of the comic book are reflected in the students’ self-reported learning. The study involved 159 students from Grades 4–6 who used the comic book in their biology lessons. Analysis of student survey responses revealed that the students draw on the comic’s narrative and imagery as they report on learning about key evolutionary concepts such as variation, natural selection, heredity, and evolutionary patterns. Analysis of student survey responses revealed that the comic facilitated meaning making about key evolutionary concepts such as variation, natural selection, heredity, and evolutionary patterns. Students were often referencing the comic's narrative and imagery as they reported their learning. Conclusions The findings suggest that the comic book is a valuable educational tool. More specifically, the narrative and multimodal aspects of the comic support meaning making and learning. This study highlights the importance of thoughtfully designed educational materials and suggests that combining different resources can enable discussion and learning of complex scientific concepts.

Evolution, a major unifying biological theme that deals with the origin of life on earth, is the concept that most Ghanaian Senior High School (SHS) students hold misconceptions about. This makes its meaningful understanding challenging, especially on problems that require them to think in abstract forms. The author of this study, therefore, investigated the relative effects of three instructional approaches (demonstrative lecture, problem-based approach, and classroom discussion) on reasoning skills and retention of Ghanaian Biology students in evolution concepts. A quasi-experimental design was employed for the study. The population comprised all Science Two students in Berekum Municipality and Berekum West District. Multistage sampling techniques were employed to select thirty-nine (39) students for the study. Biology Reasoning Skills Test-Evolution (BRST-E) of a coefficient value of 0.76 was the instrument designed to gather data. Results from the ANCOVA reveal that students exposed to a problem-based approach had a significant gain in their reasoning [p<0.05, η2p=0.193] and retention [p<0.05, η2p=0.281], whereas the t-test results revealed that male students made advancements in their reasoning skills than females [df=24,t=5.08, F=4.36, p<0.05]. Therefore, Biology instructors in Berekum Municipality and Berekum West District should embrace the use of a problem-based approach in delivering evolution lessons to shape students’ levels of reasoning and memory retention.