An initial approach to Chilean undergraduate students' understanding of the Evolution Theory

Abstract

Given the importance of the Theory of Evolution (TE) as scientific knowledge, the aim of the present study was to characterize the understanding about TE of 248 undergraduate students. Data was collected based on an 18 question instrument (3 demographic, 14 Likert scale and one open-ended), that targeted three main topics: Understanding of Theory and Law (UTL), Understanding of TE (UTE), and Acceptance of TE (ATE). The analysis of data revealed that 74% of the participants accept TE as established scientific knowledge; however, they also had misconceptions about ET and TL. The implications for teaching TE in high school and in the education of science teachers are also discussed in this study.