Knowledge of biological evolution of Maltese undergraduates

Abstract

The principal objective of this study was to explore the range of misconceptions about evolutionary thought harboured by Maltese biology undergraduates. A mixed-methodology approach was used, where information was collected from undergraduate students of Biology in Malta through 15 interviews and 66 questionnaires. Analysis of the data identified 42 misconceptions present at different frequencies. There was no relationship between the undergraduates’ academic experience, self-assessed level of knowledge and level of acceptance of evolutionary thought. Instruction in genetics did aid students to gain a better understanding of evolution, but some misconceptions persisted even in students who participated in a study unit about evolution. The results indicated that whilst evolution as a process, is widely-accepted, knowledge of evolutionary processes tends to be superficial or incomplete. This suggests that more emphasis on the study of evolutionary biology is required as this would then facilitate the understanding of other aspects of biology.