How does taking a foundational course in biology improve teaching effectiveness?

This thesis project centers on the development and assessment of two biology courses at California State University East Bay (Foundational Biology, BIOL-3011 and BIOL-3012) designed as upper level courses in biology specifically designed for pre-service and in-service primary school teachers with a Multiple Subject credential working towards a Foundational Level General Science credential. The teachers involved in the courses showed no significant gains in student achievement when measured using a concept inventory; however, they showed higher passage rates than the state average on subject matter competency exams. Their underlying attitudes of perceiving biology as being a difficult subject may be a barrier to them mastering the content, but the ability to experience and practice effective science pedagogy increased their confidence and excitement to bring hands-on biology lessons to their students. The second component of this project is the creation of a biology concept inventory that may be used to measure biological misconceptions for a general audience with a novice understanding of biology. Through a collaborative effort with authors of existing high-school and college-level concept inventories, a new concept inventory was written, tested and revised to provide a tool to guide middle school teachers in analyzing their students misconceptions and informing their instructional decisions.