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Hello, I am doing undergraduate research at Wartburg College with another secondary science education major. We are studying biophilia, the natural attraction towards living things, and its impact on academic achievement, retention, and motivation in the middle school classroom. Currently, we are teaching physics lessons to three different middle schools in Northeast, Iowa. We are teaching forces using cockroaches and energy using earthworms and then comparing test scores to students who were taught the same lesson without live animals. Data will begin to be examined soon to test for significant changes in score increase from pretest to posttest. Interest and feedback is welcome and appreciated.  Thanks! Clay Waterbury, [email protected] Kimberly Conner, [email protected]

Does this have anything to do with the complexity of the organism? For example, an earthworm versus a fuzzy kitten.

To follow up on Jeramy's comment, does the overall appeal or 'cuteness' of the animal get factored in? It's hard to fit into a physics lesson, and I'm not sure if hey are allowed at all schools, but it seems a more complex and cute animal like a beared dragon or a hampster would get a lot more buy-in then cockroaches.