Phylogenetic trees and other evolutionary diagrams in biology textbooks and their importance in secondary science education

Diagrams describing relationship between organisms, and their overall evolution, commonly in the form of phylogenetic trees or other evolutionary diagrams, have become a part of even lower secondary biology textbooks. These diagrams can help promote basic science literacy, yet their design may also strengthen misconceptions about evolution. Therefore, based on the content analysis of 112 Czech biology textbooks for secondary schools (ISCED levels 2 and 3), characteristics of introduced phylogenetic trees and other evolutionary diagrams were recorded and evaluated according to the cladistics to see if their construction supports the current scientific understanding of evolution. The content analysis indicates that the design of nearly half of all diagrams in current lower (ISCED 2) and upper secondary (ISCED 3) textbooks promotes ladder thinking. More than 80% of all diagrams were not accompanied by instructions on how to read them, meaning that students did not have sufficient scaffolding to understand them. Mainly ISCED 3 textbooks did not introduce additional problem tasks that would support the use of the diagrams in the lessons. Therefore, authors of textbooks should focus more on the construction quality of these diagrams while also supporting their correct application during the educational process. This is likely to prevent a further increase in student misconceptions.

As Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis em livros didáticos de biologia do ensino médio: uma análise de conteúdo

The aim of this study was to analyze the content of STIs in the didactic collections of Biology of 2018 recommended by the National High School Textbook Program (NHSTP) of the Ministry of Education. Eight didactic collections of biology of NHSTP were selected and analyzed. The methodology of the study was thematic content analysis, with the definition of five categories a priori: location of the theme; structure and formatting; content; language and visual resources that were divided into criteria and subcriteria. The other books evaluated did not address the subject to the satisfaction, being flawed/superficial, which shows that the theme STIs can still be better explored in some biology textbooks in high school. Therefore, it is still important to encourage teachers to explore the subject better with their students, going beyond textbooks. Thus, the study concluded that most of the high school books recommended by NHSTP do not address the theme STIs effectively, generating the need for complementary didactic planning by teachers in order to broaden the debate on this subject in the classroom.

Aristotle, Buddhist scripture and embryology in ancient Mexico: building inclusion by re-thinking what counts as the history of developmental biology

ABSTRACTIt has not gone unnoticed in recent times that historical writing about science is heavily Eurocentric. A striking example can be found in the history of developmental biology: textbooks and popular science writing frequently trace an intellectual thread from the Greek philosopher Aristotle through 19th century embryology to 20th century genetics. Few in our field are aware of the depth and breadth of early embryological thinking outside of Europe. Here, I provide a series of vignettes highlighting the rich history of embryological thinking in Asia and Latin America. My goal is to provide an entertaining, even provocative, synopsis of this important but under-studied topic. It is my hope that this work will spur others to carry out more thorough investigations, with the ultimate goal of building a more inclusive discipline.