Dataset for "Teaching genetics prior to teaching evolution improves evolution understanding but not acceptance"

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.

探讨进化教育的最佳途径，本研究假设，若学生掌握了遗传学的基本概念，则这或许有助于他们更深刻地理解进化。为验证此假设，我们进行了一项大规模试验，在英国中学的学子中，一组先接受遗传学教育后学习进化，另一组则先学习进化后学习遗传学。研究发现，先接受遗传学教育的学生在对进化的理解上提高了5%至10%，这一提高幅度超过了先学习进化的组别。这种变化在高级能力和基础能力班级中均有体现。实际上，在基础能力班级中，以遗传学为先导的教学方法成为唯一能够提升学生对进化理解度的方法。在遗传学理解上，先行教授遗传学并无任何成本（甚至可能提升理解度）。然而，在促进进化接受度方面，以遗传学为先导的方法与以进化为先导的方法并无显著差异。定性的后续研究表明，权威人物在决定接受度方面发挥着至关重要的作用，这或许可以解释理解与接受度之间微弱的关联。这些研究结果提示了一种简单、最小化干扰、零成本干预措施，旨在提升学生对进化的理解：即先教授遗传学。