How Humans Evolved According to Grade 12 Students in Singapore

Autor/inn/en	Seoh, Kah Huat Robin; Subramaniam, R.; Hoh, Yin Kiong
Titel	How Humans Evolved According to Grade 12 Students in Singapore
Quelle	In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 53 (2016) 2, S.291-323 (33 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-4308
DOI	10.1002/tea.21256
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Evolution; Grade 12; Secondary School Students; World Views; Role of Religion; Cultural Influences; Interviews; Thinking Skills; Scientific Concepts; Animals; Singapore + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; School year 12; 12. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 12; Sekundarschüler; World view; Weltanschauung; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Denkfähigkeit; Animal; Tier; Tiere; Singapur
Abstract	Tree thinking, the understanding of the evolutionary relationships between organisms depicted in different types of tree diagrams, is an integral part of understanding evolution. Novice learners often read tree diagrams differently from specialists, resulting in diverse interpretations of the relationships depicted. The aim of this study is to understand how learners construct the picture of human phylogeny, focusing particularly on their views of the last common ancestor of two sister species, humans, and chimpanzees. A theoretical framework based primarily on the schema theory is used to interpret these views. The primary study gathered responses to an open-ended question about human ancestry at various time points in our evolutionary history. The data were coded into categories consisting of "lineage," "trait description," "trait gain," "trait loss", and "others". The "lineage responses" were further categorized and examined in the secondary study, with the provision of a simplified phylogenetic tree and the "main lineage" responses obtained in the primary study. Thirteen students were also selected for interviews. Diverse interpretations, including those that consider humans as direct descendants of extant apes (transmutation) or products of hybridization between extant apes, were found to be affected by respondents' alternative schemata related to the "last common ancestor" and "deep time". We also discuss the potential influence of religious and cultural worldviews on some of these interpretations and present nine alternative models of how learners visualize the last common ancestor that humans shared with the chimpanzee. Findings suggest that complex interactions between different sets of schemata (consilience) may result in diverse interpretations of simple phylogenetic trees. Implications for the teaching of tree thinking are provided. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01