A survey of junior high school students’ recognition of dominant traits, and a practice that corrects their misconception

Abstract

All junior high school science textbooks in Japan include a cautionary statement that dominance and recessiveness in genetics do not equate to superiority and inferiority. However, no surveys have been conducted in Japan with the intent of revealing how many students possess misconceptions on this topic, and accompanied by exercises intended to correct their false perceptions. In this study, we implemented a survey of students’ recognition accompanied by exercises concerning dominant traits. The participants were third-year students in two junior high schools. The results showed that some of the surveyed students thought dominant traits were advantageous for survival. We also found our exercises were effective for correcting such misconceptions.