Kathleen M. Fisher

Development and Evaluation of the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection
Dianne L. Anderson, Kathleen M. Fisher, and Gregory J. Norman
San Diego State University

Abstract : Natural selection as a mechanism of evolution is a central concept in biology, yet most non-biology-majors do not thoroughly understand the theory, even after instruction. Many alternative conceptions on this topic have been identified, indicating that the job of the instructor is a difficult one. This paper presents a new diagnostic test to assess students' understanding of natural selection. The test items are based on actual scientific studies of natural selection, whereas previous tests have employed hypothetical situations that were often misleading or oversimplified. The Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection (CINS) is a 20-item multiple choice test that employs common alternative conceptions as distractors. An original 12-item version of the test was field tested with 170 non-majors in 6 classes and 43 biology majors in one class at 3 community colleges. The test scores of one subset of non-majors (n=7) were compared with the students' performances in semi-structured interviews. There was a positive correlation between the test scores and the interview scores. The current 20-item version of the CINS was field tested with 206 students in a nonmajors' general biology course. The face validity, internal validity, reliability and readability of the CINS are discussed. Results indicate that the CINS will be a valuable tool for instructors.

Reference: Anderson, D., Fisher, K. M., & Norman, G. J. (2002). Development and evaluation of the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 19 (10), 952-978.

Click to download the paper (Evol Diag Test Paper, JRST, 2002)
Click to download newer version of the "Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection" (CINS v 9-12-04 1)