Evolution is at the core of modern biology education, yet students continue to struggle to form explanations of evolutionary phenomena. Formative assessment has the potential to support students in their learning, but comprehensive assessment of the concepts and preconceptions students hold presents teachers with difficulties. In this study, we analyze patterns of concepts and preconceptions in upper-secondary level students' explanations of evolutionary phenomena. We investigate how the patterns develop, which interdependencies between concepts and preconceptions we can observe and in which way the findings diverge from the intended sequence of taught concepts. We analyzed the explanations students gave to the ACORNS instrument when implemented at five time points during a unit on five factors of evolution using the EvoGrader tool. We constructed binary patterns indicating presence and absence of six key concepts and three preconceptions. Using these patterns, we traced the development of students’ explanations over the course of the unit. In total, we found 95 of 512 possible different explanatory patterns in 1662 student answers. We analyzed the patterns for frequency and qualitatively analyzed those patterns that were (1) particularly frequent in at least one time point, (2) showed a directed change of frequency over the course of the unit, (3) differed in frequency between animal/gain and plant/loss contexts, or (4) contained a particularly high number of key concepts or preconceptions. We compared the patterns against established learning progressions to determine students’ conceptual progress in relation to the progression underlying the unit design. Our findings highlight not only how a nuanced analysis of student responses can provide instructionally actionable information, but also how crucial elements of student ideas are missed when student explanations are graded as sum scores. We discuss the implications of these findings for formative assessment practices in evolution education.
Evolution education is a central tenet of biology education in school, yet the topic is conceptually complex and students’ understanding is fraught with misconceptions. Learning Progression Analytics (LPA) aims to trace students’ conceptual development along established learning progressions. For this purpose, data from students’ interactions with tasks in digital learning environments are analysed. This is done with the intention to make conceptual change and knowledge integration processes accessible to teachers for formative assessment and feedback. One assessment strategy that can mirror such processes in conceptually complex topics is concept mapping. This study presents an initial attempt to analyse concept maps that students created over the course of a digital teaching unit on factors of evolution (i.e., mutation, natural and sexual selection, genetic drift, gene flow). Our aim was to determine which metrics could be suitable for the use in LPA. We collected data from 250 high school students who participated in a hybrid teaching unit on five factors of evolution in the school year 2022/23. Students completed a pre- and posttest and created a total of five concept maps over the course of the unit, repeatedly revising and reworking their previous maps. We split the students into three groups based on their gain from pre- to posttest and analysed their maps for differences (1) between the different measurement points and (2) between the groups at each measurement point regarding (a) their similarity to expert concept maps, (b) concept scores, and (c) different network metrics. We found significant differences between most of the consecutive measurement points for all calculated metrics (e.g., number of nodes and links, concept scores) across the sample. We found significant differences between the three groups for the average degree and number of edges at two measurement points. From our results, we conclude that the most promising metrics from our study for the use of concept maps in LPA are those focusing on the connections (i.e., average degree and number of edges). Further research is needed to refine these assessments in controlled environments and determine their value for automated assessment and feedback more definitely.
Multiple factors, including the context (human or non-human) in which evolution is learned and whether explicit efforts are made to try to reduce the conflict between evolution and religion in the classrooms, have been demonstrated to influence student understanding and acceptance of evolution. This study aimed to create, implement, and evaluate the impact of two curriculum units for introductory high school biology to teach core evolution concepts, one including both human and non-human examples (the “H NH” unit) and one including only non-human examples (the “ONH” unit). It also aimed to refine, implement, and evaluate the impact of a cultural and religious sensitivity teaching resource to help teachers create a supportive classroom environment in which they can encourage understanding the scientific account of evolution. The study took place in Alabama, a region of the US in which students are less likely to receive accurate, high-quality evolution instruction. Outcome measures included student understanding and acceptance of evolution. Both the “H NH” and “ONH” units generally (in over 70
Evolution is a fundamental concept in biology education, recently emphasized in the Swedish curriculum for Year 4–6. However, teaching evolution poses challenges, necessitating innovative educational tools. This study explores the development and use of a comic book, Cats on the Run–A Dizzying Evolutionary Journey, designed to teach evolutionary concepts to young students through a narrative involving two modern-day house cats traveling through time and space. To explore what function the material has for students’ meaning making we analyze what students describe to have learned working with the comic Cats on the Run, and how aspects of the comic book are reflected in the students’ self-reported learning. The study involved 159 students from Grades 4–6 who used the comic book in their biology lessons. Analysis of student survey responses revealed that the students draw on the comic’s narrative and imagery as they report on learning about key evolutionary concepts such as variation, natural selection, heredity, and evolutionary patterns. Analysis of student survey responses revealed that the comic facilitated meaning making about key evolutionary concepts such as variation, natural selection, heredity, and evolutionary patterns. Students were often referencing the comic's narrative and imagery as they reported their learning. The findings suggest that the comic book is a valuable educational tool. More specifically, the narrative and multimodal aspects of the comic support meaning making and learning. This study highlights the importance of thoughtfully designed educational materials and suggests that combining different resources can enable discussion and learning of complex scientific concepts.
Evolutionary Theory (ET) is a central framework in the biological sciences, guiding understanding across diverse fields. Despite its foundational importance, knowledge and acceptance of ET remain uneven, often influenced by socioeconomic and cultural factors. Misconceptions about ET have been widely documented and are frequently linked to students’ backgrounds, including their political views, gender, race/ethnicity, and economic status. Socioeconomic disparities, particularly within culturally and politically polarized societies, can shape students’ perceptions and understanding of scientific concepts, potentially leading to gaps in scientific literacy. We investigate how these factors relate to ET knowledge among Brazilian undergraduates, aiming to highlight the role of social characteristics in shaping science education outcomes. Our survey of 812 undergraduates revealed significant correlations between ET knowledge and each assessed variable. Students identifying as men achieved higher scores than students identifying as women, and White students outperformed Black and Brown students. Political orientation also influenced performance, with left-leaning students scoring higher than those on the right. Family income positively correlated with ET knowledge, with students from wealthier backgrounds achieving better scores. Regarding religious affiliation, Christian students obtained lower scores when compared to other religious affiliations. Gender, ethnicity, political orientation, religious affiliation, and family income are significant predictors of ET knowledge among Brazilian undergraduates, underscoring the role of socioeconomic disparities in scientific understanding. Marginalized groups may face educational barriers that impact their comprehension of core scientific concepts like ET. Addressing these disparities through culturally inclusive teaching strategies could foster more equitable learning settings. By prioritizing inclusive educational approaches, institutions can support diverse learners in achieving greater scientific literacy, which is essential for informed decision-making and active participation in societal and environmental issues.
Evolution is the core of modern biology, but various misconceptions are persistent companions to the theory. The intuitively appealing but discredited suggestion that organisms innately tend to evolve in a predefined direction still lingers, and remains commonly referenced by biologists, the popular media and even educators in the form of so-called ‘evolutionary shorthand’. The flawed logic of goal-oriented evolutionary hypotheses such as orthogenesis and teleology is known to negatively impact students’ ability to understand evolution, but may remain widespread among the public even in countries where evolution acceptance is high. We have distributed a questionnaire to explore the attitude of respondents in Tromsø, a town in northern Norway, towards accurate evolutionary statements while also asking whether they agree with common misconceptions related to goal-orientation in evolution and hierarchies in nature. Most of the 307 respondents considered evolution to be the best explanation for the origin of species and the development of life on Earth and agreed also to other accurate statements of current evolutionary theory. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of respondents agreed to common misconception statements which e.g. synonymised evolution with improvement, reflected the great chain of being, and described evolution as a progressive process that tends to result in higher complexity and intelligence. Respondents’ inclination towards such evolutionary misconceptions differed significantly based on education level and occupation, and our correlation matrix visualisation indicates that higher agreement with accurate evolutionary statements is associated with lower agreement with misconceptions. Respondents with a university education or an occupational affiliation with biology, and people between 31 and 50 years of age held the lowest degrees of misconceptions. Our results provide a snapshot of current attitudes to evolution and common misconceptions of the theory of biological evolution in Tromsø. While evolution is widely accepted, a substantial proportion of respondents agree to describe the process as goal-oriented and hierarchical in line with discredited evolutionary concepts such as orthogenesis. Based on our observation of an acceptance-understanding discrepancy and the fact that evolutionary misconceptions are not uncommon among the public in Tromsø, we welcome a wider debate among biology educators in Norway on how to best teach the theory.
The biblical story of Noah’s Ark sits at the intersection of faith and science. Over the years many have debated whether scientific evidence exists that would corroborate biological claims in the Ark narrative. Many religions have flood stories, but the biblical idea of a global flood that covered all land is factually erroneous, there is not enough water, and a global flood would turn all water saline, to the detriment of fresh-water organisms. The boat-building skills necessary for the Ark did not appear for centuries after the supposed flood. The notion that Noah took males and females of animals (plants were not mentioned), so as to not erase all of non-human creation, is biologically impossible given that there are 1.7 million species today, as well as undescribed and extinct species. To rescue the Ark narrative from this fatal flaw, creationists created a pseudo-scientific method called baraminology, which claims that animal “kinds” in the bible were not today’s species, but “common denominators” (baramins) from which today’s 1.7 million species arose (e.g., evolved, the antithesis of creation). Hence, Noah did not need to bring all species living at the time on the Ark, only a few baramins. The lack of mention of parasites, insects, microorganisms and much of the earth’s biodiversity (e.g., kangaroos) reveals the primitive stage of biological knowledge at the time. Recent claims that Noah had dinosaurs on the Ark, and that people co-existed with the 600 species of dinosaurs, including one as tall as a 6-story building, and predators like Velociraptor, lack scientific credibility. The idea that today’s species arose from a male and female baramin ignores inbreeding effects; matings would between siblings or siblings and parents. That Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives, gave rise to humanity also ignores inbreeding (and the effects of the parasites they carried). Attempts to reconcile biological aspects of the Ark narrative with modern understanding of geological and biological sciences require the denial of science and the substitution of faith. That is, those who believe in the biological accuracy of the Ark narrative have failed the burden of proof. Nonetheless, if someone wishes to derive a spiritual message from the story of Noah’s Ark, they can do so without requiring it to be scientifically factual, which is fortunate because it is not.
Introducing the fundamental principles of evolution and genetics in the pedagogy of biology and curricula should emphasize an understanding of the basic evolutionary genetic mechanisms. These mechanisms involve a number of intervening and highly variable biological and environmental parameters that affect the inheritance and development of complex traits. This implies that an individual’s DNA sequence alone is insufficient to precisely determine what traits they would or do possess at any given time in their life course. It is not just a matter of uncoupling the genetic and environmental components of a given phenotype, but of understanding the network of causal influences and its complex genetic architecture of phenotypic components. The primary aim of this paper is to provide a general understanding of the scientific background needed by teachers and curriculum designers about the complex and often unpredictable relationships between DNA sequences and the complex traits they influence. This idea holds special importance in classrooms, because failing to integrate this perspective in the context of human genetics and evolution education reinforces essentialism about human beings, that is, the view that a person's biological, physical and intellectual abilities are fixed. Educators and students alike must avoid taking this view. Here, we aim to caution readers to be aware of the limitations of claims made on behalf of DNA-based predictive indices when applied to evaluate children for their potential for educational, financial, and social success. These indices include the classic heritability concept and, more recently, 'polygenic risk score' (PRS). The latter is especially significant because it is often recommended in clinical diagnostics, and is inferred from 'big data' consisting of millions of DNA markers known as 'genome wide association studies' (GWAS), which gives it an air of credibility. GWAS has enabled mapping of specific regions of the human genome associated with many complex polygenic traits. These individual DNA markers indicate a suggestive or real causal association, but their magnitude of influence (effect size) on complex traits is usually small; to compensate, the individual effects of markers that show association are combined into a PRS, a predictive index, which is then applied in clinical diagnostics or to estimate the magnitude of the cumulative influence of DNA markers on a quantitative trait. Behavioral scientists have extended this rationale to predict future educational achievements and financial prosperity of school children. We question the rationale behind these applications by exploring evolutionary genetic principles underlying quantitative traits, particularly the traits used to predict future social and educational achievements in children. Further, because additive effects of alleles form the basis for inferring the properties of PRS and heritability indices, they are constrained by genetic, developmental, and environmental uncertainties, and the complex architectures of correlated phenotypic traits. We assert that PRS, like heritability, is neither a static nor a deterministic property of genes for individuals or populations—it is dynamic and contextual. It can be easily modulated through socio-cultural niche construction and epigenetic reprogramming. We conclude that the application of molecular indices to predict educational and financial success of children is untenable, and should be avoided.
Despite its prominent role in contemporary biology and science, the theory of evolution is still contested by many social groups, showing a deficient understanding of its central postulates and low acceptance rates in many countries. A region traditionally understudied in this respect is Latin America. Within this region, Ecuador stands out as a key territory in the history of evolutionary thought, given the importance of the Galápagos fauna to the eventual realization of the fact of evolution by Charles Darwin. In the present study, we investigate the acceptance of the theory of evolution in a heterogeneous sample of pre-service teacher students (enrolled in formal education programs for teaching certification) from the Sierra region and in-service teachers (participating in professional development) from the Amazonia and Galápagos Islands regions. To gain insights into the potential causes of acceptance of evolutionary theory (MATE instrument), a series of sociodemographic variables, as well as measures of knowledge of evolution (KEE) and religiosity (DUREL) were also taken. Our results show low values of acceptance (MATE = 67.5 out of 100), a very low level of knowledge (KEE = 3.1 out of 10), and moderate religiosity (DUREL = 3.2 out of 5). The relationship between variables was complex, but two of them showed a trend: knowledge and religiosity affect positively and negatively, respectively, the acceptance of evolutionary theory, although this influence is only moderate and varies between regions. A series of potential explanations for this trend are discussed in light of the religious and educational differences of each region.
Evolution is the foundation for understanding life’s diversity and interconnectedness. Acceptance of the theory of evolution is correlated with its effective teaching and learning. The Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution (MATE) is a widely used tool for assessing this acceptance; however, it requires adaptation and validity evidence for application in new linguistic and cultural contexts. This study aims to validate the Spanish adaptation of MATE (MATE-E) for Spanish-speaking high school students and biology teachers. Evidence of content validity, response process, internal structure, relationship with other variables, and testing consequences supports the MATE-E’s suitability for Spanish-speaking, Puerto Rican high school students and teachers. Analysis of the instrument’s structure through exploratory factor analysis identified five factors. The instrument also shows strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.879). Additional evidence on the instrument's relationship with other translations or adaptations of the MATE supports the instrument validity for the intended construct. Additional data from teachers' pre- and post-test assessments following a professional development program affirms the MATE-E's cultural sensitivity and construct validity. The current study provides evidence for the adaptation, reliability, and validity of the MATE-E, supporting its use in research and evaluation among Puerto Rican Spanish-speaking secondary students and biology teachers.
The teaching of evolution stands as a cornerstone in the realm of biological sciences, yet how best to frame and teach the complex web of concepts that are a part of evolutionary theory is still under debate. To address this issue, we propose two sequences for teaching the evolution ideas and concepts that are included in the Israeli curriculum for upper secondary school, starting from either the foundational principles of molecular genetics or the intricate dynamics of ecology or integrating both. This approach involves considering the strengths of both molecular genetics and ecology as frameworks for understanding evolution, recognizing that each perspective offers valuable insights that can enrich students' understanding of the topic. Molecular genetics is the area of evolutionary theory that relies on terms such as genes, alleles, and mutations. Ecology offers a broader, more holistic view of evolution and includes the dynamic interplay between organisms and their environment. The molecular genetics sequence focuses on the mechanism of evolution and the ecology sequence focuses on the external factors that affect the mechanism. This dual approach creates options for teachers; they can take into consideration each path’s advantages and use the characteristics of their classes to choose one of the suggested perspectives or integrate both perspectives to teach evolution.
AbstractIn the face of growing societal, public health and environmental challenges linked to the functioning of the biosphere, strong evolutionary literacy emerges as indispensable to plan and achieve sustainable futures. However, research on evolution education has mainly focused on the content taught in classrooms, leaving its application to sustainability issues largely unexplored. Given this, in this paper, we suggest an integrated view of biological evolution education and sustainability education. For that, we argue for the pivotal role of evolutionary literacy to address diverse sustainability issues and for the development of key competencies in sustainability, namely systems thinking and anticipatory competencies. To support the implementation in classrooms, we propose educational strategies to promote evolutionary literacy, systems thinking and anticipatory competencies through socioscientific issues linked to sustainability topics. Finally, we identify future research needed at the intersection of evolution education and education for sustainability to effectively promote evolutionary literacy and the development of key competencies in sustainability. With this, we aim to contribute to further enhancing education for sustainability through the lens of evolution.
Developing evolutionary literacy is an important component of post-secondary students’ education and is a primary goal for evolution educators. However, as obstacles exist to students’ acceptance of evolution, more information needs to be obtained about what type of evidence students find compelling (or do not) that supports evolution to explain the diversity of life on Earth. Using the lens of conceptual ecologies, this study aimed to determine what lines of evidence senior university biology students found compelling. We examined six semesters of Pre-Post survey data taken at the beginning and end of the semester from 2014 to 2021 to categorize the types of evidence students claimed to find compelling. We identified seven categories of evidence that senior university biology students found compelling: New from Old, Comparative Biology, Structural Homology, Demonstration of Natural Section, Adaptation, Molecular Biology, and Not Convinced. A Chi-Square test of Independence indicated a significant difference in the categories that were most frequently discussed between the Pre- and Post surveys. Demonstration of Natural Selection had the highest percentage of student responses in the Pre-survey, while Molecular Biology ranked the highest in the Post. We parsed out the particular types of evidence nested within the Molecular Biology category to see which students found more compelling in the Post-survey. We also found that participation in a one-semester course decreased the percentage of students who answered Not Convinced from Pre to Post every semester. Results from this study can offer suggestions for evolution education, such as including more examples of Molecular Biology evolution, as students found this category most compelling in the Post-survey. These types of examples can be used throughout evolution courses or focused on more deeply to support student understanding.
AbstractThis study introduces a participatory science-inspired approach to teaching and curriculum design, involving undergraduate students directly in active research. Using a case study on dinosaur eye size, integrated into a first-year undergraduate course in Geology and Palaeontology at a UK university, this study presents the advantages and disadvantages of this approach for both teachers and learners. As part of the study, 22 undergraduate students were involved in data collection, analysis, and the subsequent publication processes, emphasizing active student participation in research. A subsequent survey demonstrated high student engagement and perceived relevance of this participatory science-style teaching approach. Results indicate that students found the approach appealing, engaging, and beneficial for understanding scientific concepts and methods. The case study shows that a participatory science approach through a course-based research experience can enhance student engagement and learning by providing meaningful, hands-on research experiences. This approach allowed students to apply theoretical knowledge in a realistic context, fostering their understanding of evolutionary theory through active data collection and analysis. However, care should be taken concerning data accuracy and ethical aspects, such as exploitation of labour and the recognition of knowledge creators and participants. Despite these challenges, the benefits of integrating such approaches into higher education curricula can be substantial, offering a valuable model for teaching evolutionary theory and related topics.
Abstract Background Phylogenetics is one of the main methodologies to understand cross-cutting principles of evolution, such as common ancestry and speciation. Phylogenetic trees, however, are reportedly challenging to teach and learn. Furthermore, phylogenetics teaching methods traditionally rely solely on visual information, creating inaccessibility for people with visual impairment. Sensory learning style models advocate for tailoring teaching to individual preferred sensory learning style. However, recent research suggests that optimal learning, independently of preferred learning style, depends on the types of transmitted information and learning tasks. The lack of empirically-supported education into the effectiveness of teaching phylogenetics through alternative sensory modalities potentially hinders learning. The aim of this study was to determine whether phylogenetic trees could be better understood if presented in kinaesthetic or multisensory teaching modalities. Results Participants (N = 52) self-assessed personal learning style and were randomly assigned to: visual, kinaesthetic or multisensory learning conditions. Phylogeny reading performance was better for both kinaesthetic and multisensory teaching conditions, compared to the visual teaching condition. There was no main effect and no interaction effect of personal learning style. Conclusions This study establishes a baseline for further research by suggesting that easy-to-implement kinaesthetic teaching modalities might support phylogenetic tree learning and reading. This has practical implications for evolution education and accessibility for students with visual impairment, underscoring the need to shift from vision-centric teaching paradigms towards evidence-based instructional strategies that accommodate sensory diversity.
Abstract Background Evolution continues to be one of the most difficult biological topics to teach, warranting innovative pedagogical tools and assessment strategies for enhancing evolutionary instruction. A major advance in measuring the evolution knowledge of undergraduate students came with the development of the Conceptual Assessment of Natural Selections (CANS). In this study, we use the CANS to measure knowledge and learning of natural selection in a large (N > 6000) sample of undergraduate students to expand upon prior validity testing of this instrument and advance knowledge of student evolutionary reasoning. We apply the Rasch measurement framework to examine if the CANS productively measures the intended construct and investigate the patterns of knowledge and learning about evolution among students with different backgrounds and demographic characteristics. Results While a unidimensional Rasch model demonstrated acceptable reliabilities and fit for most of the CANS items, some items showed problematic fit statistics and were resistant to instruction. The instrument items also did not span the full range of student abilities, which suggests relatively low measurement precision. Our large sample also allowed rigorous tests of multidimensionality, revealing the presence of multiple dimensions or constructs, some of which may not be intentional. These results generated specific item-level recommendations for improving this instrument. Using Rasch measures to examine learning patterns, we found that pre-test evolution knowledge was low but that there were high learning gains by the end of the course. However, some concept categories were found to be more difficult than others, suggesting the need for more attention to these areas by instructors. We also identified pre-test disparities in evolutionary knowledge by socially defined race and biological sex, yet students from all groups achieved comparable learning gains at the end of the course. Conclusion The CANS holds great potential to generate critical insights about student evolutionary reasoning and provide information about which instructional approaches most effectively mitigate the notable knowledge disparities among students. We leverage the findings of this study to propose tangible ways in which this instrument may be improved in order to better achieve both of these goals.
Avida-ED is a model system that lets students explore evolution and the nature of science by observing and manipulating the evolutionary dynamics of digital organisms. Over 5 years, we ran eight 2.5-day in-person professional development workshops for 105 primarily college biology instructors to introduce them to Avida-ED and digital evolution and to help them to plan implementations. In this paper, based upon 60-min interviews with 46 of the attendees, we describe what they found to be of value in the workshop itself and the implementations of Avida-ED that they subsequently carried out. The Active LENS workshops were universally valued by the interviewees as a professional development experience; they valued the overall experience of the workshops, their organization and content, and the instructor support materials. Of the 46 teachers that we interviewed, 41 implemented Avida-ED in their classrooms, in 66 separate implementations. We characterized these with respect to the nature of the implementation and its duration, and examined the data in relation to course type, course level, and stated learning goals of the instructors. The most common use was to have students learn evolutionary concepts by observing them in action. A smaller fraction used it to provide a complete research experience.
Complexity is inherent in most biological phenomena, yet there is little effort to teach biological complexity per se in the classroom. Levels of organization and hierarchical complexity are familiar features of living systems and taken for granted in most instructional materials including the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) of the United States. However, the evolution of the hierarchical organization of life is not being taught because there has been no instructional framework for doing so until now. We seek to address this gap in instruction by translating recent research on evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETI theory) into an integrative, instructional framework for teaching the hierarchy of life that aligns with the three dimensions of the NGSS. ETI theory presents an evolutionary framework for teaching hierarchical complexity using the social principles of cooperation and conflict. These principles are intuitive for students because they are analogous to many of the social situations in their lives. By making use of the ETI framework, instructors can explicitly teach the evolution of the hierarchical organization of life, the organizing framework for all of biology.
Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers have different views on evolution theory. Muslim prospective biology teachers suspect that differences in their understanding of the theory of evolution stem from their religious beliefs. This study aims to investigate Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers’ acceptance and typology of evolution theory. An explanatory sequential design was combined with mixed techniques. Out of 185 potential biology teachers, 153 (16 males and 137 females) completed the questionnaire during the quantitative phase. We interviewed 5 males and 28 females in the qualitative phase to determine the typology of engagement, and all participants filled out an open-ended questionnaire to complete the previous data. The findings demonstrated the validity and reliability of the tools employed, as well as the high degree of acceptance of evolution among Muslim Indonesian aspiring biology teachers. The results also showed that there is a predominant typology of engagement reconciliation among Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers, with few explorers and resistors. Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers do not differ in their conceptual understanding of theory evolution from their religious beliefs.
Understanding evolution is an important part of undergraduate biology education. Despite its importance, however, students often struggle to understand evolution, often holding preconceived notions of what evolution is. Here, we investigate how students in both majors and non-majors introductory biology define and conceive of evolution at the start of the semester for a two-year college and a four-year university near each other. We analyze open-ended responses to an in-class activity on the first day of the semester that asked students to define evolution, generating insight into how students are thinking of evolution prior to any formal instruction on evolution in college. Our analysis of over 300 student responses reveals that students hold diverse conceptions about evolution, with some students perceiving evolution in the context of evolutionary processes while other students define evolution by referring to perceived evolutionary consequences. In addition, we identify multiple non-normative conceptions about evolution, including students viewing evolution and natural selection as synonymous and not recognizing other evolutionary forces, and find that very few students likely have developed mental models linking evolution and genetics. In addition, we find few differences between how students at the two- and four-year institutions perceive evolution, and similarly few differences between students in a majors and non-majors introductory biology, suggesting that these conceptions of evolution are widespread at the beginning of introductory biology, regardless of major or institution. We situate our results in the existing literature examining student conceptions of evolution, with our results extending past work that has primarily relied on more closed-ended questions or focused on specific evolutionary concepts (e.g., natural selection). Our results largely align with past work on student thinking of evolution but provide a broader, more holistic perspective at the ideas and framework that students are drawing upon when introductory biology instructors first introduce the term ‘evolution’. We conclude our paper by discussing implications for the biology education research community as well as instructors.
