Fit to teach evolution? Pre- and in-service teachers’ knowledge and acceptance of evolution

Students need a clear grasp of evolution to understand biology and the world’s current environmental crises. Science teachers are essential in fostering evolution knowledge in their students. Numerous European studies have shown that science teachers possess a broad spectrum of alternative conceptions of evolution, and their acceptance of evolution varies. School curricula increasingly include key concepts of evolution from early grades on. However, studies are limited that examine differences in understandings and acceptance of evolution in different country contexts. This study investigated the knowledge and acceptance of evolution in Swiss science teachers: 1352 pre- and in-service year K-9 teachers were surveyed using two established questionnaires (KAEVO 2.0 and ATEVO). The results showed that as a group, pre-service kindergarten and primary school teachers had a poor grasp of evolution, while pre-and in-service lower secondary school teachers had moderate knowledge. However, we found that knowledge of evolution varied a great deal across the groups and that teachers in all groups had a range of alternative conceptions of evolution. Acceptance of evolution was high for all groups. Given that currently, prospective teachers on some educational tracks do not study evolution at all, our findings have important implications for teacher education in the sciences.

学生唯有透彻掌握进化论，方能理解生物学的核心内涵以及全球当前的环境危机。理科教师对于培养学生的进化论认知至关重要。诸多欧洲研究均表明，理科教师持有各式各样的进化论相异构想，且其对进化论的接受程度存在差异。当前各国学校课程正日益从低年级阶段起纳入进化论核心概念。然而，针对不同国家语境下教师对进化论的认知与接受程度差异的研究仍较为匮乏。本研究针对瑞士理科教师的进化论认知与接受程度展开调查：研究采用两款成熟问卷（KAEVO 2.0与ATEVO），对1352名K-9阶段的职前与在职教师进行了调研。结果显示，从整体群体来看，职前幼儿园与小学教师对进化论的掌握程度欠佳，而职前及在职初中教师的进化论知识水平处于中等区间。但研究同时发现，不同群体的进化论知识水平差异显著，且所有群体的教师均存在不同程度的进化论相异构想。所有群体的教师对进化论的接受度均处于较高水平。鉴于当前部分教育培养路径下的准教师完全未修习进化论相关内容，本研究结果对理科教师教育具有重要的借鉴意义。