CONCEPÇÕES DE ALUNOS DO ENSINO MÉDIO SOBRE A EVOLUÇÃO BIOLÓGICA

Abstract

The biological evolution is an essential theme for the understanding of various other areas of biology, including some everyday subjects that are important for social life. There are numerous challenges in teaching evolution in schools and universities, including the lack of preparation of teachers, the outdated teaching materials, and the students' lack of foundation for understanding this topic. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the conceptions of third and fourth-year high school students at the Federal Institute of Paraná - Campus Umuarama regarding biological evolution. For this purpose, a questionnaire containing 20 objective statements on the topic was administered, with the following response options: totally agree, agree, undecided or no opinion, disagree, and totally disagree. The results highlighted a difficulty in understanding the evolutionary theory, as many students considered evolution as a sign of progress/improvement and that it occurs according to the species' needs. Additionally, a significant difficulty was observed among students in comprehending geological time, as the time scales, we are accustomed to are smaller. Another important result is that most students, approximately 60%, understand that all living beings have a common ancestor and have undergone evolutionary processes, indicating an understanding of the concepts of primitive and derived. Based on these results, it is possible to perceive that even with appropriate conceptions, students still often confuse the concept of biological evolution. This project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (Approval number 5.421.772).