Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 85-127 |
| Number of pages | 43 |
| Journal | Studies in Science Education |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 20 Jul 2020 |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Jan 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
Keywords
- Early childhood education, cognitive biases, inheritance, natural selection, variation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Education
Sustainable Development Goals
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In: Studies in Science Education, Vol. 57, No. 1, 28.01.2021, p. 85-127.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Identifying precursory concepts in evolution during early childhood
T2 - A systematic literature review
AU - Bruckermann, Till
AU - Fiedler, Daniela
AU - Harms, Ute
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/1/28
Y1 - 2021/1/28
N2 - Difficulties in understanding evolution are often rooted in early childhood, arising from naïve assumptions and cognitive biases. However, literature reviews mainly focus on school and university students’ understanding of evolution, with only limited comprehensive reviews on children in early childhood aged up to 7 years. This systematic review aims to capture precursory concepts in evolution and influencing cognitive biases as documented in the empirical literature. Searches of three databases identified 204 articles, of which 26 were used for further analyses after screening for eligibility. The analyses revealed that even young children are capable of understanding the basic mechanisms of core concepts in evolution, such as variation, inheritance, and natural selection. However, while children’s understanding of the inheritance concept has been investigated intensively, their understanding of variation lacks in-depth research despite its probable influence on natural selection. Existing evidence is contradictory concerning the usefulness of children’s cognitive biases for learning core concepts in evolution: These can serve as stepping stones for learning evolutionary principles, but their usefulness is questioned if children have already developed scientifically correct explanations. More research is clearly needed concerning the reciprocal effects of children’s precursory core concepts in evolution in order to develop effective learning interventions for children.
AB - Difficulties in understanding evolution are often rooted in early childhood, arising from naïve assumptions and cognitive biases. However, literature reviews mainly focus on school and university students’ understanding of evolution, with only limited comprehensive reviews on children in early childhood aged up to 7 years. This systematic review aims to capture precursory concepts in evolution and influencing cognitive biases as documented in the empirical literature. Searches of three databases identified 204 articles, of which 26 were used for further analyses after screening for eligibility. The analyses revealed that even young children are capable of understanding the basic mechanisms of core concepts in evolution, such as variation, inheritance, and natural selection. However, while children’s understanding of the inheritance concept has been investigated intensively, their understanding of variation lacks in-depth research despite its probable influence on natural selection. Existing evidence is contradictory concerning the usefulness of children’s cognitive biases for learning core concepts in evolution: These can serve as stepping stones for learning evolutionary principles, but their usefulness is questioned if children have already developed scientifically correct explanations. More research is clearly needed concerning the reciprocal effects of children’s precursory core concepts in evolution in order to develop effective learning interventions for children.
KW - Early childhood education
KW - cognitive biases
KW - inheritance
KW - natural selection
KW - variation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088248296&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/03057267.2020.1792678
DO - 10.1080/03057267.2020.1792678
M3 - Article
VL - 57
SP - 85
EP - 127
JO - Studies in Science Education
JF - Studies in Science Education
SN - 0305-7267
IS - 1
ER -