Sherry A. Southerland is a professor at Florida State University and the Co-Director of FSU-Teach and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She received her BS and MS in biology from Auburn University, and her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from Louisiana State University in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Science Education and minor in Evolutionary Biology. She has worked as a teacher educator, biology instructor, high school science teacher, field biologist and forensic chemist. Her research interests include conceptual change—specifically evolution education, teacher education, the nature of science, and barriers and affordances for reform efforts in science teaching and learning.
Current Projects
In collaboration with Louis Nadelson (Boise State University), we are in the process of creating a finer grain instrument that would assess learners’ acceptance on three evolution subscales: microevolution, macroevolution, and human evolution.
Related Publications
Nadelson, L.A., & Southerland, S.A. (2010). Examining the Interaction of Acceptance and Understanding: How Does the Relationship change with a focus on Macroevolution? Evolution: Education and Outreach, 3(1), 84-92.doi:10.1007/s12052-009-0194-4.
Nadelson, L.S., & Southerland, S.A. (2010). Development and evaluation of the measure of understanding of macroevolution: Introducing the MUM. Journal of Experimental Education, 78, 151-190.
Sinatra, G. M., Southerland, S. A., McConaughy, F., & Demastes, J. (2003). Intensions & Belief in Student Understanding of Biological Evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(5), 510-528.