What’s with the ants? The pros and cons of using authentic research experiences to teach pre-service science middle school majors about entomology and the scientific process

Authentic research experiences have been used to increase student interest in science and their knowledge of science concepts. However, few undergraduate science programs offer these opportunities for hands-on research experience, including those for preservice science teacher preparation programs. In their future careers, these teachers will need to educate their students about the scientific process and guide them through creating research projects, yet most would not have participated in conducting science research before. This year-long study integrated an authentic NSF-funded research project, focused on the symbiotic relationship between Acropyga ants and Xenococcine mealybugs, into a field course for preservice middle school science majors. This research used the field of entomology and a “real” research project to teach biology concepts, field skills, and the scientific process. As part of their portion of the research project, students collected insects, pinned specimens, identified unknown insects, and created grade-appropriate activities using their specimens. Students met with co-investigators, researchers, and educators to learn more about the funded project, and participated in authentic research activities. After this experience, students reported an increase in biology knowledge, comfort working with insects, and understanding of how science works, but many also reported a dislike of being a part of a “real” research project. This presentation will share the successful and not so successful goals of this study, as well as changes made to the course based on student feedback.