Schools Don't Provide Basic Understanding Of Evolution

Schools Don't Provide Basic Understanding Of Evolution

A new study shows that schools and many education programs are failing to provide students with a basic understanding of evolution.

It is famously difficult to explain evolutionary principles without resorting to anthropomorphic or figurative language: Evolution "selects" the fittest individuals; species "adapt" to change. Both of these phrases are commonplace when explaining the very complex processes involved in evolution.

However, this use of language implies that there is an agency or cognition involved in evolution. This misunderstanding is being picked up on by students in the classroom and could form part of a wider desire to fit evolutionary theory into broad social narratives.

Rob Moore and colleagues (University of Cape Town, South Africa), writing in the Spring issue of the Journal of Biological Education, call for more care in the use of language in science education.

"Given the centrality of evolutionary theory to a clear foundation in biology, the widely documented difficulty that many students have in coming to terms with these concepts is of enduring concern. ... Establishing a clear conceptual grasp of evolutionary theory will need to include an enhanced sensitivity to language usage."

JBE is the journal for applied educational research, published by the Institute of Biology.

The Institute of Biology is the professional body for UK biologists. It was founded in 1950, obtained a Royal Charter in 1979, and is a registered charity. It has an international membership of over 16,000 bioscientists, working in all sectors of the profession, including research, production, testing, management, consultancy and education and training.

As the Voice of British Biology, the Institute promotes the biological sciences, serves the professional needs of its members, fosters public understanding of the life sciences, enhances the status of the biological profession and represents its members and the biology profession as a whole in the science-based commercial world, in academia and in the political arena.

(Reference: Moore et al (2002) Undergraduate's understanding of evolution: ascriptions of agency as a problem for student learning. Journal of Biological Education, 36, 65-71.)

20-Mar-2002

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