Activities in Social Biology: Development, and Reactions by Secondary School Biology Students.

The purposes of this study were to develop social biology units emphasizing the social problems of pollution, drugs, and disease; and to assess the level of interest and acquired attitudes among students participating in the field test of the units. The three units written were: Pollution: A Threat to Your Community; Drugs, Life or Death; and Disease in Your Community. The units included activities with structured and investigative laboratory experiences. A teacher's guide for each unit was also prepared. A questionnaire was administered to students in two secondary schools. The analysis of data revealed that readability level of the units was appropriate for tenth-grade students. Students gave a positive response to the activities included in the units. The units evoked a positive response among students to help people in the community with particular social problems. (Author/PS)