Grundskoleelevers uppfattningar om begreppet art relaterade till formuleringar i läroböcker i biologi<br>12 to 15 year old pupils' perceptions of the concept species related to formulations in textbooks in Biology

Abstract

This study contributes to knowledge about pupils’ conceptions of species. There is no unique and unequivocal definition of the species concept and this is a matter of discussion among biology researchers. This complexity is not communicated when the species concept is presented in Swedish Biology textbooks used in grades 6/7–9. Diverse conceptualizations of science concepts among pupils have, however, been analyzed in previous educational studies. This study analyses pupils’ expressions concerning species and the species concept and how these correspond to the presentations of them in Biology textbooks. The findings are based on results from content analyses of seven textbooks as well as a questionnaire answered by 12–15-year-old pupils. The results demonstrate that pupils essentially base their perception of the species concept on morphological similarities; hence the pupils’ perceptions deviate from textbook presentations. This is an issue which teachers, textbook authors and producers of other teaching materials should be aware of.