Do people think about genetic inheritance as a deterministic or probabilistic process? Do adults display systematic biases when reasoning about genetic inheritance? Knowing how adults think about genetic inheritance is valuable, both for understanding the developmental endpoint of these concepts and for identifying biases that persist even after…

Genetic variation is historically challenging for undergraduate students to master, potentially due to its grounding in both evolution and genetics. Traditionally, student expertise in genetic variation has been evaluated using Key Concepts. However, Cognitive Construals may add to a more nuanced picture of students' developing expertise. Here, we…

Molecular biology can be challenging for undergraduate students because it requires visual literacy skills to interpret abstract representations of submicroscopic concepts, structures, and processes. The Conceptual-Reasoning-Mode framework suggests that visual literacy relies on applying conceptual knowledge to appropriately reason with the…

The adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Ghana has raised a lot of public concerns and mixed feelings among some Ghanaians. Our present study, therefore, explored the current knowledge of the general public on GMOs, their perceptions, and factors that influence their understanding of GMOs. A total of 200 Ghanaians were interviewed…

Even though genetics has been implemented in biology curricula at secondary schools for decades, reports repeatedly indicate that students still hold various misconceptions about this topic. To successfully target these misconceptions, we need to know their nature and origin. We aimed to investigate these properties in the Czech educational system…

Unlike in other countries, heredity and genetics appear first in Spanish science standards in secondary levels. However, some researchers have suggested the need of progressively introducing some basic genetic ideas already from primary education levels. In this context of no formal instruction in early stages, the objectives of our work were to…

This descriptive study explored the science literacy of secondary agricultural education students in the context of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). Forty-nine students from Oklahoma were asked of their opinion of GMO products and were then asked to provide a description of how genetic modification occurred. The interviews were recorded and…

Children with mucopolysaccharidosis IIIA (MPS-IIIA) may receive a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to MPS-IIIA's initial symptom similarities with ASD. This may lead to professionals receiving referrals to work with these children but unaware of how these children may respond differently to treatment. To appropriately work with…

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored the importance of mRNA vaccines. The mechanism for how such vaccines work is related to the core biology topic of the central dogma, which students often misunderstand despite its importance. Therefore, we wanted to know whether students can apply their biology knowledge of central…

Lab activities are characteristic of life science education. In the current study, we investigate whether pre-lab modules can improve students' understanding of the theories and experimental procedures associated with lab activities. Such effects were studied in context of an expository lab on gene mapping in biology undergraduate education. An…

This qualitative study analyses how effective an activity based on the critical and reflexive reading of the historical case of Rosalind Franklin and the elucidation of the molecular structure of DNA can be for learning about the nature of science (NOS). The aspects of NOS addressed are the plurality of methods in scientific research, research…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, various applications of genetics were used as a basis for studying the origin of the virus to diagnosing patients with this disease. Student literacy about COVID-19 from the genetic aspect will strengthen them in dealing with misinformation in a society that rejects the existence of COVID-19. This study aimed to…

An understanding of basic science is central to student success at the university level, even for students who will never work in scientific fields. Our investigation into students' understanding of DNA is part of a larger investigation into students' knowledge and attitudes about science. DNA and the concepts associated with it (e.g., heredity…

Pedigree problems are typical tasks in school genetics classes. However, they are perceived as difficult and often are not successfully completed. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine relevant factors that might have an impact on success in pedigree analysis. Based on previous research, we investigate the influence of the…

Community health advisors (CHAs) play a key role in promoting health in medically underserved communities, including in addressing cancer disparities. There is a need to expand the research on what characteristics make for an effective CHA. We examined the relationship between CHA personal and family history of cancer, and implementation and…