Biology Undergraduates' Misconceptions about Genetic Drift
Biology Undergraduates' Misconceptions about Genetic Drift
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DOI：
10.1187/cbe.11-12-0107
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发表时间：
2012-09-01
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Lemons, P. P.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Andrews, T. M.;Price, R. M.;Lemons, P. P.
本研究旨在探讨生物学本科生对遗传漂变的误解。我们使用定性和定量的方法来描述学生的定义，识别常见的误解，并检查遗传漂变教学前后的差异。我们确定并描述了五个总体类别，其中包括16个不同的误解遗传漂变。学生概念的准确性差别很大，有的回答表明对进化的任何方面都有肤浅的了解，有的回答表明了解遗传漂变，但对遗传漂变的细微差别感到困惑。经过指导后，更多的回答表明对遗传漂变有一定的了解（p = 0.005），但74.6%的回答仍然包含至少一个误解。最后，我们提出了一个框架，组织学生的遗传漂变概念如何随着教学而变化。我们还阐明了三个假设，关于本科生的进化概念，特别是遗传漂变。我们建议：1)学生从未发展的进化概念开始，不认识不同的变化机制；2)学生形成了更复杂但仍然不准确的概念框架，这些框架反映了词汇的使用经验，但仍然缺乏深刻的理解；3)随着学生对进化论理解的加深，一些关于遗传漂变的新误解也出现了。
This study explores biology undergraduates' misconceptions about genetic drift. We use qualitative and quantitative methods to describe students' definitions, identify common misconceptions, and examine differences before and after instruction on genetic drift. We identify and describe five overarching categories that include 16 distinct misconceptions about genetic drift. The accuracy of students' conceptions ranges considerably, from responses indicating only superficial, if any, knowledge of any aspect of evolution to responses indicating knowledge of genetic drift but confusion about the nuances of genetic drift. After instruction, a significantly greater number of responses indicate some knowledge of genetic drift (p = 0.005), but 74.6% of responses still contain at least one misconception. We conclude by presenting a framework that organizes how students' conceptions of genetic drift change with instruction. We also articulate three hypotheses regarding undergraduates' conceptions of evolution in general and genetic drift in particular. We propose that: 1) students begin with undeveloped conceptions of evolution that do not recognize different mechanisms of change; 2) students develop more complex, but still inaccurate, conceptual frameworks that reflect experience with vocabulary but still lack deep understanding; and 3) some new misconceptions about genetic drift emerge as students comprehend more about evolution.