224
Biyoloji Öğretmen Adaylarının Evrim…
Misconceptions of Prospective Biology…
NEF-EFMED Cilt 11, Sayı 2, Aralık 2017/
NFE-EJMSE Vol. 11, No. 2, December 2017
There is no concrete information in evolution.
8
6
The theory of evolution only responds to the diversity of animals.
5
There is no link between the theory of evolution and diversity of
life.
20
7
Fossil records refute the theory of evolution.
14
Refuting the theory of evolution is the lack of transitional forms
between species.
14
No intermediate form has been found so far.
36
If theory of evolution was true, then there should be fossils of all
creatures ranging from the simplest to the most complex.
24
8
Evolution is not a law yet, it is not accepted since it is a theory.
26
Evolution is a theory accepted based on assumptions.
27
9
The theory of evolution is no longer accepted today.
9
With increase in the number of scientific researches, faith of
scientists in the theory of evolution has weakened.
8
Most scientists do not believe in evolution.
28
11
Evolution happens when individuals evolve, however
population
does not evolve.
17
12
A creature should lose all of its properties to evolve.
1
An evolving creature becomes extinct, otherwise number of
creatures would increasingly rise leading to an imbalance.
3
Dinosaurs became extinct due to an upcoming new creature.
3
If a creature evolves, it hands over all of its properties to the new
creature and becomes extinct.
4
Since the emergence of the new creature is a need-based process,
the need disappears and the old creature becomes extinct.
7
13
Each type has a specific ancestor.
11
There is no common ancestor between the species.
23
10, 14
These two items are mostly empty and misleading, and there are
no misconceptions.
0
Discussion
KESKİN, B. & ÖZAY KÖSE, E.
225
Necatibey Eğitim Fakültesi Elektronik Fen ve Matematik Eğitimi Dergisi
Necatibey Faculty of Education, Electronic Journal of Science and Mathematics Education
Since it is naturally the responsibility of the biology teacher to effectively teach the
theory of evolution in the class, this study aims to identify misconceptions in prospective
biology teachers about evolution. The results reveal that the teachers ticked up too many
wrong answers and that they carry many misconceptions as reflected by the supporting
arguments accompanying their answers.
54.70% of the students provided wrong answers to the first question (Table 2). When
students were asked about the reason, it was observed that some of them misconceived
biological evolution as a theory describing how earth was created while some misconceived it
as one describing how the first creature formed. In fact, biological evolution is not about the
origin of life but its diversity. It focuses on how life has diversified so much rather than how it
emerged (Understanding Evolution, 2013). The definition "evolution provides a logical
description of multiplicity in the world of creatures” emphasizes how important education of
evolution is in biology (Bozcuk, 2007). The most important factor that makes it difficult for
the society to accept the theory of evolution is the fallacy that exploring evolution and the
origins of life mean the same (Köksal & Arslan, 2007). Evolution does not explore the origin
of life; however the latter may be addressed only as a fictional scientific problem. As Gould
(1987) argues, "evolution explores the means and mechanisms of the organic variation
occurring after the onset of life." Making this distinction when teaching evolution breaks the
resistance of majority of the students against understanding evolution (Clough, 1994). In
summary, the theory of evolution rather focuses on how life evolves after genesis. Science
attempts to clarify how life started (e.g. in a deep estuary where organic molecules
accumulated, etc.), but these are not the key concepts of the theory of evolution. Not how life
began but how life diverged and diversified after genesis are the focal processes addressed by
evolution.
33.33% of the students provided wrong answers to the second question (Table 2).
When asked about the reasons, majority of the students are observed, as demonstrated by the
statements above, to have opinion that the theory of evolution is totally aleatory. However,
despite mutations cropping genetic variations are random (Hasenekoğlu, 2002), selection of
individuals capable of adapting and transferring this capability to next generations is not
random (Pazza, Penteado & Kavako, 2010, Understanding Evolution, 2013). Natural selection
is a process structured across a well-defined goal rather than a random one (Varela, 2009).
78.63% of the students provided wrong answers to the third question (Table 2). When
asked about the reasons, majority of the students are observed, as demonstrated by the