Purpose

The CINS assesses students understanding of natural selection with 20 multiple-choice questions that cover 10 concepts in natural selection: biotic potential, carrying capacity, limited resources, limited survival, genetic variation, the origin of variation, variation is inherited, differential survival, change in potential, and the origin of species,

Population

The CINS is commonly administered in introductory biology courses for majors and nonmajors.

Typical Performance

Anderson and colleagues (2002) report course averages for non-majors ranging from 41% to 56% after instruction.

Validity

The was developed by Anderson, Fisher, and Norman in 2002.

Anderson, D. L., Fisher, K. M., & Norman, G. J. (2002). Development and evaluation of the conceptual inventory of natural selection. Journal of research in science teaching, 39(10), 952-978.

Research

The research conducted with the CINS is extensive. We recommend using Google Scholar and the citations listed under validation to find articles of interest.

Example LASSO Report

Please follow this link to our example report for concept inventories.

Similar Instruments

None are hosted on LASSO. If there is one that you would like hosted on LASSO please recommend it here.