Publications & Media

Academic Publications and Media

We actively publish our scientific outputs in peer reviewed journals in evolution education, science education, sustainability education, and the interdisciplinary human sciences.

We are also committed to advancing open science practices in educational design research, and feature our most current preprints as well as general audience science communications media below.

Featured Peer-Reviewed Articles and Book Chapters

Learning to navigate change: Case studies in education across cultural boundaries

Eirdosh, D., Prasetijo, A., Aprilia, C., Greenfield, P. M., Lavi, N., Muchukunnu, A., ... & Rothstein-Fisch, C. (2025). Learning to navigate change: Case studies in education across cultural boundaries. In A Field Guide to Cross-Cultural Research on Childhood Learning: Theoretical, Methodological, Practical, and Ethical Considerations for an Interdisciplinary Field (pp. 267-308). Open Book Publishers.

This chapter explores the complex cultural dynamics of schooling and social learning traditions across diverse communities, shedding light on the potential conflicts and opportunities found at the intersection of globalized educational models and local community values. The concept of ethno-diverse theories of schooling is introduced as a general frame to reflect on the cultural-cognitive models influencing individual, community, and even expert perceptions of educational policies and practices. A series of case studies from researchers and practitioners across globally diverse communities reveals systemic challenges and opportunities in the adaptation of local contexts to global educational change. These cases vary widely in terms of author foci and community demographics, yet some connective themes become clear. Conclusions highlight two key implications for globalizing educational policies, drawn from across these diverse communities. Ultimately, educational policy must better account for local cultural context, while also more proactively driving participatory means of valued school improvement.

Understanding agency in evolutionary explanations: An assessment tool for biology education

Hanisch, S., Eirdosh, D., González Galli, L., Hartelt, T., Peréz, G., & Cupo, B. (2025). Understanding agency in evolutionary explanations: An assessment tool for biology education. Journal of Biological Education, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2025.2486963

Evolution education seeks to help students develop scientifically adequate explanations of evolutionary adaptations. Those explanations are usually thought to entail only processes that act independently of organism agency, such as genetic mutation, inheritance, and selection. However, the role of organism agency in evolutionary outcomes has been reconsidered by evolutionary biologists in recent decades. We suggest that this agential perspective offers new potential and implications for evolution education. To explore this potential, we developed the assessment tool EvoFlex. It aims to identify students’ ability to flexibly and adequately integrate the role of organism agency across cases of evolutionary adaptation. We implemented this assessment tool with preservice biology teachers, followed by interviews with a subset of respondents. Results indicate that many participants could recognise the scientifically adequate integration of organism agency across cases, despite not being specifically trained in this perspective. However, other students were also prone to disregard any role of organism agency, or they had difficulty thinking about what role it might play in evolution. Our results highlight that the agential perspective has potential in evolution education and point to several future directions in educational research and practice.

Menschliches Verhalten und Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung - Ein Versuch der didaktischen Reduktion

Hanisch, S., & Schneider, D. P. (2025). Menschliches Verhalten und Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung – Ein Versuch der didaktischen Reduktion. die hochschullehre, 11(44), 575–589. https://doi.org/10.3278/HSL2544W

Human behavior plays a central role in issues of sustainable development and their solutions. At the same time, education for sustainable development (ESD) is increasingly focusing on promoting action competence. The topic of human behavior therefore plays a central role in ESD. How can teachers be empowered to address human behavior in their classrooms? In this article we present a case study on the redesign of the teacher training module “Human Behavior and Sustainable Development”. The focus is on measures for didactic reduction and for stimulating deep learning processes. The results show that these measures enabled participants to gain a broad orientation knowledge of behavioral science concepts while fostering deep processing of these concepts. The lecturers were also able to support participants’ individual learning processes in a more targeted manner. Overall, these experiences underline the potential of teaching human behavior as an interdisciplinary theme in ESD.

Developing Teacher Competencies for Teaching Evolution across the Primary School Curriculum: A Design Study of a Pre-Service Teacher Education Module

Hanisch, S., & Eirdosh, D. (2023). Developing Teacher Competencies for Teaching Evolution across the Primary School Curriculum: A Design Study of a Pre-Service Teacher Education Module. Education Sciences, 13(8), 797. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13080797

Numerous studies indicate that evolutionary concepts can and should be taught at the primary school level. However, teaching evolution in primary school is presumably not yet the norm globally. At the same time, the educational potential of evolutionary concepts lies in their applicability to many curriculum topics in the natural and social sciences. Capitalizing on this potential requires broad teacher content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) about the teaching of evolutionary concepts. However, not much is known regarding ways to develop primary teacher CK and PCK during pre-service training. In this article, we present the iterative design, implementation, and mixed methods formative evaluation (based on a design-based research framework) of a pre-service teacher education module. Its aim was to promote the development of pre-service primary school teacher CK, PCK, as well as motivation and confidence for teaching evolution across the primary school curriculum. Results indicate that pre-service teachers can be supported and motivated to teach evolutionary concepts across various themes in the primary school curriculum through a semester long course. Participants were able to develop core aspects of CK and PCK regarding the teaching of evolutionary concepts in primary school. The resulting module design integrates existing collective PCK on teaching evolution at the primary level as well as novel design considerations and teaching approaches that can be integrated into pre-service teacher education programs. However, challenges remain, particularly regarding the integration of evolutionary concepts in mandated curriculum standards such that the educational potential of evolution can be fully capitalized on by teachers.

Behavioral Science and Education for Sustainable Development: Towards Metacognitive Competency

Hanisch, S., & Eirdosh, D. (2023). Behavioral Science and Education for Sustainable Development: Towards Metacognitive Competency. Sustainability 15, no. 9: 7413. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097413

Behavioral science is increasingly considered foundational for addressing various sustainable development challenges. Behavioral change and action competence have also become important goals in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), complementing and interacting with other educational goals such as the development of sustainability-relevant knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes. We argue that these interconnected learning goals of ESD can be advanced by integrating interdisciplinary behavioral science concepts, methods, and insights into the design of curricula, learning environments, and processes for participatory whole-school approaches. Specifically, we highlight the role of metacognitive competency in self-directed individual and collective behavior change and we present our educational design concept for teaching human behavior as an interdisciplinary theme in ESD.

Teaching for the interdisciplinary understanding of evolutionary concepts

Hanisch, S., Eirdosh, D. (2023). Teaching for the Interdisciplinary Understanding of Evolutionary Concepts. In: du Crest, A., Valković, M., Ariew, A., Desmond, H., Huneman, P., Reydon, T.A.C. (eds) Evolutionary Thinking Across Disciplines. Synthese Library, vol 478. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33358-3_8

Evolutionary concepts are used, with varying and arguable degrees of scientific utility, across a wide range of disciplines. Evolution education, however, remains overwhelmingly within the confines of biology education, when it is taught at all within general education. The reasons for this disciplinary myopism are complex, and normative guidance for curriculum designers is scarce. This contribution explores how understanding the structures of knowledge, or the organization of facts and generalizations in science, cognition, and education, may help illuminate the educational potential and evidence-informed pedagogical practices appropriate for teaching about the interdisciplinary application of evolutionary concepts.

A community science model for interdisciplinary evolution education and school improvement

Eirdosh, D., Hanisch, S. (2023). A Community Science Model for Inter-disciplinary Evolution Education and School Improvement. In: du Crest, A., Valković, M., Ariew, A., Desmond, H., Huneman, P., Reydon, T.A.C. (eds) Evolutionary Thinking Across Disciplines. Synthese Library, vol 478. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33358-3_7

A generalized conceptualization of evolutionary processes allows for a view of the cognitive, behavioral, and cultural variation in our everyday lives as elements of diverse evolving systems. Such a view invites questions about how cultural evolutionary processes may favor or hinder the expression of variant thoughts and behaviors, any of which may be more or less valued by any given community. From an educational perspective, this implies an untapped potential for engaging students in understanding the cultural evolutionary dynamics of their everyday lives, schools, and broader communities. As a strategy to engage this potential, the Community Science Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology is developing a unique model of Community-Based Cultural Evolution (CBCE) for inter-institutional collaboration at the intersection of evolution education and applied school improvement efforts. Using advances in teaching for conceptual understanding and transfer of learning, the CBCE model aims to empower students to clarify, investigate, and collaboratively influence the cultural evolutionary dynamics of their own school and surrounding communities. The relationship between students’ evolving intuitive theories of school improvement, and the evolving scientific theories of school improvement scientists, provides a framework for understanding the development of student conceptions of cultural (and, perhaps, biological) change more generally. This chapter provides a conceptual foundation for exploring the claim that engaging students in reflecting on the cognitive, behavioral, and cultural evolutionary processes in their everyday lives provides new opportunities for school improvement and interdisciplinary evolution education initiatives. The practical and systemic challenges of this approach are clarified and future directions are outlined.

Causal mapping as a teaching tool for reflecting on causation in human evolution

Hanisch, S. & Eirdosh, D. (2020). Causal mapping as a teaching tool for reflecting on causation in human evolution. Science & Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00157-z

Teleological reasoning is viewed as a major hurdle to evolution education, and yet, eliciting, interpreting, and reflecting upon teleological language presents an arguably greater challenge to the evolution educator and researcher. This article argues that making explicit the role of behavior as a causal factor in the evolution of particular traits may prove productive in helping students to link their everyday experience of behavior to evolutionary changes in populations in ways congruent with scientific perspectives. We present a teaching tool, used widely in other parts of science and science education, yet perhaps underutilized in human evolution education—the causal map—as a novel direction for driving conceptual change in the classroom about the role of organism behavior and other factors in evolutionary change. We describe the scientific and conceptual basis for using such causal maps in human evolution education, as well as theoretical considerations for implementing the causal mapping tool in human evolution classrooms. Finally, we offer considerations for future research and educational design.

Educational potential of teaching evolution as an interdisciplinary science

Hanisch, S. & Eirdosh, D. (2020). Educational potential of teaching evolution as an interdisciplinary science. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 13 (25). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-020-00138-4

Evolution education continues to struggle with a range of persistent challenges spanning aspects of conceptual understanding, acceptance, and perceived relevance of evolutionary theory by students in general education. This article argues that a gene-centered conceptualization of evolution may inherently limit the degree to which these challenges can be effectively addressed, and may even precisely contribute to and exacerbate these challenges. Against that background, we also argue that a trait-centered, generalized, and interdisciplinary conceptualization of evolution may hold significant learning potential for advancing progress in addressing some of these persistent challenges facing evolution education. We outline a number of testable hypotheses about the educational value of teaching evolutionary theory from this more generalized and interdisciplinary conception.

Cooperation as a causal factor in human evolution: a scientific clarification and analysis of German high school biology textbooks

Hanisch, S., & Eirdosh, D. (2024). Cooperation as a causal factor in human evolution: A scientific clarification and analysis of German high school biology textbooks. Journal of Biological Education, 58(1), 64–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2021.2020875

Many evolutionary anthropologists view cooperation as core to the evolutionary success of our species. Concurrently, many sustainability scientists view cooperation as core to the future sustainable development of our species. When it comes to biology education, however, it is unclear how or if students are being engaged in these scientific perspectives. This article offers an overview of scientific perspectives regarding cooperation as a central causal factor in shaping human behaviour, cognition, and culture during human evolution. Against this background, we analysed 23 German high school biology textbooks with the aim to understand if and how cooperation is presented as a causal factor in human evolution and behaviour. Overall, the role of cooperation, especially the emotional and motivational aspects of cooperative behaviour, and the role of a cooperative social and cultural environment in shaping human traits, appears to be significantly deemphasized compared to the role of individual brain size and ‘intelligence’ in the evolution of our species. Furthermore, in sections on behavioural ecology, humans are hardly ever presented as an example of a highly cooperative species. Overall, textbooks show a diversity of strengths and weaknesses, from which we identify several learning opportunities in the appropriate integration of cooperation science within biology education.

Are humans a cooperative species? Challenges and opportunities for teaching the evolution of human prosociality.

Hanisch, S. & Eirdosh, D. (2021). Are humans a cooperative species? Challenges and opportunities for teaching the evolution of human prosociality. The American Biology Teacher, 83 (6). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2021.83.6.356

Evolutionary anthropologists commonly describe humans as a highly cooperative species, based on our evolved socio-cognitive capacities. However, students and the general public may not necessarily share this view about our species. At the same time, fostering our ability to cooperate is considered a key foundation for achieving sustainable development, and students’ understanding of the conditions that enable or hinder cooperation is therefore an important learning goal in sustainability education. In this article, we describe a small classroom activity that explored students’ and preservice biology teachers’ preconceptions about the human capacity to cooperate around shared resources in comparison to the capacity of our closest relative, the chimpanzee. Results indicate that students and teachers had limited knowledge about the evolved human capacity for cooperation around shared resources in small groups, most often viewing chimpanzees as more capable of cooperation and sustainable resource use. Based on the results of this classroom intervention, we highlight important learning opportunities for educators in biology on teaching human evolution and human behavior, particularly as related to current challenges of sustainable development.

Additional publications

Collective Teacher Efficacy for community improvement. A Teacher’s Guide

Gariuolo, A. (2024). Collective teacher efficacy for community improvement: A teacher’s guide. https://openevo.eva.mpg.de/teachingbase/collective-teacher-efficacy-guide/.

This guide explores Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE), a powerful concept that centres on the shared belief among educators in their collective ability to positively impact students’ learning. Recognized as a critical factor in fostering a collaborative school environment, CTE empowers collective action within the school community, creating a united front to address challenges and pursue common goals. This unified approach doesn’t just benefit students—it significantly influences teachers and school administrators across various domains, such as improving work conditions, boosting job satisfaction, and encouraging effective teaching behaviours. Research shows that CTE can lead to improved student outcomes, making it a key driver in school-wide transformation efforts. Understanding and building CTE is essential for educators who aim to create meaningful, lasting change in their schools.

Embracing Complexity. A guide to exploring the mind in educational settings through evolutionary and behavioral science

Freymann, J. (2025). Embracing Complexity - A guide to exploring the mind in educational settings through evolutionary and contextual behavioral science. 1st Edition. Leipzig/Berlin, Germany.

This guide is designed for educators, students, and anyone interested in exploring the mind in educational contexts through the lens of evolutionary and contextual behavioral science. In this first edition, we will embark on a journey to reflect on what it means to be human in the 21st century and how insights from the science of the mind can help us address various challenges across different contexts. To do so, we will explore the mind through the DNA-V model (Hayes & Ciarrochi, 2015), while also integrating other scientific approaches, as well as knowledge from ancient traditions and the wisdom of great thinkers from the past, presented through stories and quotes. The activities in this guide will invite you to experience your own mind from different perspectives. Additionally, illustrative graphics, specifically developed for this guide, will support your understanding and help reinforce the key processes.We invite you to engage! Reflect on how the ideas and content in this guide relate to your daily life, as well as to your teaching and learning goals. Experiment with the concepts and connect with us to share your experiences, provide feedback, join our efforts in educational innovation, or ask any questions you may have.

Menschliches Verhalten als Querschnittsthema in der BNE

Hanisch, S., & Tempelmann, S. (2023). Menschliches Verhalten als Querschnittsthema in der BNE. Journal Für lehrerInnenbildung, 23(3), 84–91. https://doi.org/10.35468/jlb-03-2023-08

Verhaltensdimensionen spielen eine zentrale Rolle bei allen Herausforderungen einer sozial, ökonomisch und ökologisch nachhaltigen Entwicklung. Menschliches Verhalten ist ein wichtiger Treiber praktisch aller Nachhaltigkeitsprobleme und muss entsprechend Teil deren Lösung sein. Folgerichtig wird den Verhaltenswissenschaften eine zunehmend zentrale Rolle in der Bewältigung dieser Herausforderungen eingeräumt (UN, 2021). Daraus lässt sich der Anspruch an eine Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung (BNE; sensu UNESCO & Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission e. V., 2020) ableiten, verhaltenswissenschaftliche Aspekte prominent zu integrieren. Diesem Anspruch folgend stellen wir ein pädagogisches Gestaltungskonzept zur Implementierung menschlichen Verhaltens als fächerübergreifendes Thema sowie eine auf dieser Basis entwickelte Lehrveranstaltung für angehende Lehrpersonen vor. Zudem werden wir die Implementierung der Lehrveranstaltung an zwei Lehrer*innenbildungsinstitutionen skizzieren und reflektieren.

Evolving cooperation and sustainability for common pool resources

Hanisch, S., Eirdosh, D., & Morgan, T. (2023). Evolving cooperation and sustainability for common pool resources. In X. Sá-Pinto, A. Beniermann, T. Børsen, M. Georgiou, A. Jeffries, P. Pessoa, et al. (Eds.), Learning evolution through socioscientific issues (pp. 127-147). Aveiro: UA Editora. doi:10.17617/2.3486776.

Sustainable resource management is often a matter of managing common-pool resources (CPRs), which include the social and material resources shared by groups of individuals. CPRs can be prone to overuse through competition between resource users who are motivated to maximise their resource use (or contribute little to the maintenance of the resource) for individual gain and at the expense of group-level sustainability—an outcome known as the Tragedy of the Commons. CPR dilemmas are pervasive in human contexts, ranging from mitigating climate change to sharing public spaces, fighting a pandemic or tackling antimicrobial resistance. Since CPR dilemmas are also found across the non-human living world, sustainability scientists, economists and evolutionary biologists are interested in the dynamics of competition and cooperation around resources. In this chapter, we argue that students’ conceptual understanding of CPR dilemmas through exploration and critical reflections on human and non-human examples is central to developing a basic understanding of sustainability issues more broadly, as well as of evolutionary dynamics that can help explain the evolution of cooperative social behaviours and conflict resolution mechanisms. We provide an overview of the science of CPR dilemmas in the evolution of living systems and human natural resource contexts. Moreover, we present a flexible set of resources that educators in secondary school biology or environmental science can employ to help students engage in cross-cutting concepts, scientific ideas of the life sciences and a range of scientific practices to develop understandings and socioscientific reasoning skills surrounding real-world issues of sustainable resource use.

A Teacher's Guide to Evolution, Behavior, and Sustainability Science

Hanisch, S., Eirdosh, D. (2024). A Teacher's Guide to Evolution, Behavior, and Sustainability Science. 3rd Edition. Leipzig/Jena, Germany.

This guide is intended for educators, students, and others interested in advancing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the lens of evolutionary and behavioral sciences. Our approach to ESD is informed by the human sciences that offer valuable perspectives and tools for understanding the challenges and solutions to human well-being and sustainability, as well as for developing a variety of competencies. The purpose of this guide is to offer an introduction to the big ideas and core understandings that we think are relevant for understanding the role of human behavior in sustainable development, from across evolutionary, behavioral, and sustainability sciences. Additionally, it provides a set of practical tools that can help teachers to adapt and design lessons for various classroom contexts. Specifically, this guide outlines our educational design concept for teaching human behavior as an interdisciplinary theme – comprising three design principles, nine content anchors, a number of thinking tools, and pedagogical approaches that can be integrated to create a wide diversity of lessons and units working towards the big understandings of human evolution, behavior, and sustainable development. In this third edition of the teacher’s guide, we have added and expanded upon some new content and design elements. Throughout the guide, we provide links that lead you to further online resources on our website.

Other Media and Science Communications

Max Planck Society - Keynote talk

Understanding Humans, AIs, and the evolution of equitable societies

Watch OpenEvo co-founder, Dustin Eirdosh, deliver a keynote talk to members of the Max Planck Society on the role of understanding humans and AIs in education for sustainable development.

TEDxLeipzigInternationalSchool

Why human behavior is at the center of education and learning

Watch OpenEvo co-founder, Dustin Eirdosh, deliver a TEDx talk on teaching human behavior as an interdisciplinary theme.

Frontiers for Young Minds

Our lab has produced two Frontiers for Young Minds articles, as well as facilitated the Youth Review of another.

Sánchez-Amaro, A., Eirdosh, D., & Haun, D. (2024). Studying Great Apes and Cultural Diversity To Understand the Human Mind. Frontiers for Young Minds, 12, 1337514. https://doi.org/10.3389/frym.2024.1337514

Cronin KA and Hopper LM (2020) Do Monkeys Care What Is Fair? Front. Young Minds 8:550299. doi: 10.3389/frym.2020.550299

Hanisch, S., Eirdosh, D., Schäfer, M., and Haun, D. (2021). What Is “Fair” Is Not the Same Everywhere. Frontiers for Young Minds. 9:580435

Our blog posts and articles

We have written a range of articles for general audiences interested in issues of evolution, behavior, and sustainability science education.

What was Darwin thinking? A Lesson From The Psychology of Evolution

To understand how the theory of evolution has developed, we have to understand what exactly Darwin was thinking. Rather, I should say we have to understand how he was thinking.

Education is an Evolutionary Science. Why Don’t We Teach It That Way?

Educational sciences have long be informed by discussions in the evolutionary sciences, so why don’t teacher education programs (or whole school communities) explore these fascinating big questions on the nature of humans, learning, and schooling?

Finding Purpose in Evolution Education

How should evolution educators help students reconcil the human sense of purpose with the complex processes of evolutionary change?

It’s Time to Fix Evolution’s Public Relations Problem

Evolution has a public relations problem. Not the well-known problem of evolution acceptance on religious grounds, but rather one which also includes secular and scientific communities. This is the problem of accepting the relevance of evolutionary theory for understanding the human condition.

Elinor’s Classroom: Developing a Connected Concept of the Commons for 21st Century Civic Education

There is an important link between Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom’s scientific work on collective action, and emerging perspectives in the evolutionary human sciences, such that this work may also have significant import for how we teach evolution science itself.

Transfer of Learning in Evolution Understanding: A Challenge Not Just For Students

One of the “holy grails” of education is to develop in students the ability to transfer their prior learning to new contexts and, most importantly, to the world and their lives outside of the classroom. How educators and scientists think about evolution may relate to how we achieve (or not) this elusive goal of learning that transfers.