Abstract
Teachers’ professional competence is essential for students’ learning. Since the 80’s researchers have discussed how this professional competence should look like in order for students to learn in different subject matter areas. My interpretation of these discussions is that a concept is needed to elucidate the specific knowledge required to teach and to develop teaching in a specific subject matter area for a specific group of students. I call this knowledge competence in subject matter didactics. In order to have and develop this competence I suggest that the teacher must integrate different kinds of knowledge, which I specify in aknowledge base of subject matter didactics. It contains knowledge of: subject matter theory, theories of learning and knowledge, curricula and syllabuses, frame factors, textbooks, students’ preconditions to learn the subject matter, the teacher’s preconditions to teach the subject matter, teaching strategies and evaluation.
The purpose of this thesis is to elucidate and discuss teachers’ competence in didactics of evolutionary biology by studying the knowledge in a group of teachers regarding teaching strategies, subject matter theory and students’ preconditions to learn evolutionary biology. Data is generated by interviews with 26 experienced science/biology teachers.
Two “teaching projects” are identified, orientation and conceptual understanding. In the orientation teaching project focus is on descriptions of evolution and sometimes proofs of evolution and its chronology. The scientific concepts genealogy, diversity and variation are not linked to evolution, and the concepts natural selection, adaptation and speciation are not taught at all or only briefly defined. In the conceptual understanding teaching project focus is on the mechanisms of evolution. The scientific concepts genealogy, diversity and variation are linked to evolution, and conceptual understanding of natural selection, adaptation and speciation are considered important.
Many teachers expressed everyday conceptions during the interview when they used one or both of the concepts natural selection and adaptation. Natural selection could be expressed in terms of that individuals change in order to survive. In addition several teachers attributed evolutionary theory a low explanatory power and/or low scientific status. Many teachers showed good knowledge about students’ preconditions to learn evolutionary biology and of their everyday conceptions, but there were still several teachers who did not comment on formulations in a written student response, that could be interpreted in terms of that want or need of individuals is the driving force of evolution. Correlation tests showed that teachers with the teaching project conceptual understanding to a greater extent expressed good knowledge about students preconditions to learn and to a lesser extent expressed own everyday conceptions in evolutionary biology.
It’s apparent that most teachers in the test group do not describe a teaching of evolution with focus on conceptual understanding. One possible explanation is that they do not have the competence required. This is not at all surprising since the knowledge needed to teach with that focus is extensive. The consciousness of this have been low or missing in school politics, educational research, teacher education and in schools. My view is that teacher students and active teachers have not had the opportunity to develop this competence. If we want students at schools and universities to develop conceptual understanding in evolutionary biology and other science areas, the competence of science teachers must be adapted to this. I think that a knowledge base of subject matter didactics, as a central theme in science teacher education and further education of science teachers, would give future and active science teachers better opportunities to develop this competence.
Language: Swedish with summary in English
ISBN: 91-7346-469-4
Contact: asa.ryegard@mdh.se
Series: Göteborg Studies in Educational Sciences 197. Göteborg: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.Author’s present place of work:Department of Education, Göteborg University, Box 1010, SE-40530 Göteborg, Sweden
Contact: ann.zetterqvist@ped.gu.se
