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首页> 外文期刊>PLoS Biology >Teaching genetics prior to teaching evolution improves evolution understanding but not acceptance
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Teaching genetics prior to teaching evolution improves evolution understanding but not acceptance

机译：在讲授进化论之前先教遗传学可增进对进化论的理解，但不能改善接受

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What is the best way to teach evolution? As microevolution may be configured as a branch of genetics, it being a short conceptual leap from understanding the concepts of mutation and alleles (i.e., genetics) to allele frequency change (i.e., evolution), we hypothesised that learning genetics prior to evolution might improve student understanding of evolution. In the UK, genetics and evolution are typically taught to 14- to 16-y-old secondary school students as separate topics with few links, in no particular order and sometimes with a large time span between. Here, then, we report the results of a large trial into teaching order of evolution and genetics. We modified extant questionnaires to ascertain students’ understanding of evolution and genetics along with acceptance of evolution. Students were assessed prior to teaching, immediately post teaching and again after several months. Teachers were not instructed what to teach, just to teach in a given order. Regardless of order, teaching increased understanding and acceptance, with robust signs of longer-term retention. Importantly, teaching genetics before teaching evolution has a significant ( p < 0.001) impact on improving evolution understanding by 7% in questionnaire scores beyond the increase seen for those taught in the inverse order. For lower ability students, an improvement in evolution understanding was seen only if genetics was taught first. Teaching genetics first additionally had positive effects on genetics understanding, by increasing knowledge. These results suggest a simple, minimally disruptive, zero-cost intervention to improve evolution understanding: teach genetics first. This same alteration does not, however, result in a significantly increased acceptance of evolution, which reflects a weak correlation between knowledge and acceptance of evolution. Qualitative focus group data highlights the role of authority figures in determination of acceptance. Author summary What is the best way to teach evolution? We hypothesised that if students know the fundamental concepts of genetics, then this might help them understand evolution better. To evaluate this, we performed a large trial in which pupils in United Kingdom secondary schools were either taught genetics and then evolution or evolution and then genetics. We found that the students being taught genetics first had a 5%–10% improvement in their understanding of evolution, above that shown in the group taught evolution first. The change was seen in both higher- and foundation-ability classes. Indeed, in the foundation classes the genetics-first approach was the only approach that enabled an increase in evolution understanding. Teaching genetics first comes at no cost to genetics understanding (and may even improve it). However, the genetics-first approach was no different from the evolution-first approach in helping the acceptance of evolution. Qualitative follow-up studies indicated a major role for authority figures in determining acceptance, potentially explaining the weak correlation between understanding and acceptance. These results suggest a simple, minimally disruptive, zero-cost intervention to improve evolution understanding: teach genetics first.
机译：教授进化论的最好方法是什么？由于微进化可能被配置为遗传学的一个分支，这是从理解突变和等位基因（即遗传学）到等位基因频率变化（即进化）的短暂概念飞跃，我们假设在进化前学习遗传学可能会有所改善学生对进化的理解。在英国，通常向14至16岁的中学生讲授遗传学和进化，将其作为单独的主题，彼此之间的联系很少，顺序不一，有时之间的时间跨度也很大。然后，在这里，我们报告关于进化和遗传学教学顺序的大型试验结果。我们修改了现有的问卷，以确认学生对进化和遗传学的理解以及对进化的接受。在教学前，教学后立即和几个月后再次对学生进行评估。没有指示老师教什么，只是按照给定的顺序教。无论顺序如何，教学都可以增进理解和接受，并具有长期保留的明显迹象。重要的是，在讲授进化论之前先教遗传学，对问卷调查得分的改进对进化理解的影响显着（p <0.001），超出了相反顺序所讲授的增长。对于能力较弱的学生，只有先教授遗传学才能看到进化理解的提高。首先，通过增加知识，遗传学教学会对遗传学理解产生积极影响。这些结果表明了一种简单的，破坏性最小的，零成本的干预措施，可以改善对进化的理解：首先教遗传学。但是，这种相同的更改不会导致对进化的接受度显着增加，这反映出知识与对进化的接受之间的弱关联。定性焦点小组的数据突出显示了权威人物在确定接受程度方面的作用。作者总结教授进化论的最好方法是什么？我们假设，如果学生了解遗传学的基本概念，那么这可能有助于他们更好地理解进化。为了对此进行评估，我们进行了一项大型试验，在该试验中，英国中学的学生要么接受了遗传学的培训，然后接受了进化论的培训，然后接受了遗传学的培训。我们发现，首先学习遗传学的学生对进化的理解提高了5％–10％，高于该小组首先教进化的知识。这种变化在高能力和基础能力课程中都可以看到。的确，在基础课程中，遗传学优先方法是使进化理解增加的唯一方法。首先，遗传学教学对遗传学的理解是免费的（甚至可以提高遗传学的理解）。但是，遗传学优先方法与进化优先方法在帮助接受进化方面没有什么不同。定性的后续研究表明，权威人士在确定接受程度方面起着主要作用，可能解释了理解与接受之间的弱相关性。这些结果表明了一种简单的，破坏性最小的，零成本的干预措施，可以改善对进化的理解：首先教遗传学。

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