This study investigated Ontario science and biology teachers’ practices and attitudes toward
animal dissection and dissection alternatives. The data was collected through a mixed
methods approach involving online surveys (n=153) and subsequent telephone interviews
(n=9) with secondary school science and biology teachers. The findings indicate that teachers
identify strengths and drawbacks to both dissection and alternatives, but the majority
continue to strongly favour traditional dissection and see it as vital to biology education.
Further, although teachers expressed concerns with dissection, their concerns were overshadowed
by an overall dissatisfaction with alternatives. It is argued that teachers need to
engage more deeply with the ethical questions that underlie dissection and consider how its
learning outcomes can be achieved through humane science education practices. It is also
argued that science teacher education programs should include ethical discussions about the
controversies of dissection and provide training to familiarize pre-service teachers with alternatives.