Developing the BETTSI: A tree-thinking diagnostic tool to assess individual elements of representational competence.

Autor: Jenkins KP; BioQUEST, Raymond, New Hampshire, 03077.; Current Address: TIDES, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712., Mead L; BEACON and Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48823., Baum DA; Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706., Daniel KL; Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, 78666., Bucklin CJ; Department of Biology, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah, 84720., Leone EA; Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 74078., Gibson JP; Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019., Naegle E; Department of Biology, Columbia College, Sonora, California, 95370.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Evolution; international journal of organic evolution [Evolution] 2022 Apr; Vol. 76 (4), pp. 708-721. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Mar 23.
DOI: 10.1111/evo.14458
Abstrakt: Phylogenies are a ubiquitous visual representation of core concepts in evolutionary biology and it is important that students develop an ability to read and correctly interpret these diagrams. However, as with any representation of complex disciplinary information, learning to correctly interpret phylogenies can be challenging, requiring that a diversity of educational strategies be deployed. Representational competence is the ability to develop and effectively use abstract representations. Accurately interpreting a phylogenetic tree as a presentation of evolutionary relationships requires that students develop general representational competence as well as knowledge of specific technical aspects of tree interpretation, such as knowing the graphical components of trees and what they represent. Here, we report on the development of a basic diagnostic tool of students' representational competence and technical skills with phylogenies, the Basic Evolutionary Tree-Thinking Skills Instrument (BETTSI). This short, multiple-choice instrument was designed to provide instructors with a quick diagnostic of students' ability to read and interpret phylogenies. It has been checked for reliability and validity and provides a convenient formative and summative assessment of students' understanding of evolutionary trees.
(© 2022 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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