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My research paper that was judged as ‘Most Valuable Paper of the Year Award’ by Teaching Science reported on a study of Year Ten students’ understanding of evolution.

Rather than ‘teach and test’ we explored whether students were able to apply the principles and mechanisms of evolution to everyday situations. For example: do body builders necessarily have children with more muscles?  How do head lice become resistant to insecticide?

There is much in the education  literature that suggests teaching in a constructivist way helps students to better understand the science concepts. This action research explored the different conceptual frameworks of students and the effects of an explicit teaching program on their learning.