Honors High School Graduates Students’ Misconceptions Regarding Evolutionary Theory of Biology

Abstract

Over the years, there has been a growing emphasis in scientific research on uncovering students' alternative conceptions or interpretations of fundamental concepts and principles within the field of biology. This endeavor has yielded a wealth of valuable international bibliographic data, particularly about the teaching and reception of the theory of evolution among respondents. Specifically, this paper addresses the theory of evolution, investigating alternative perspectives held by honors graduate students from the third Lyceum for Biology who are enrolled in medical school. Additionally, the study explores how gender influences participants' viewpoints. To achieve these objectives, a comprehensive multiple-choice questionnaire was administered to students, inquiring not only about their background knowledge in biology, including gender, age, and level of interest measured on a Likert scale but also about their understanding of the fundamental tenets of evolutionary theory. A subsequent analysis of the data collected was conducted to determine if there were any correlations between gender and the percentages of correct and incorrect responses, as well as whether these responses were indicative of gender-based patterns or statistical deviations. According to the statistical analysis of the collected data, many honors students within our educational framework hold alternative viewpoints about biological concepts. Furthermore, there was no correlation between misconceptions identified in the questionnaire and variables such as grade in the Panhellenic exams, gender, or interest in biology courses. The findings of this study hold implications for the enhancement of science education, curriculum development, and the ongoing professional development of educators in the field.