Genetics: a comparison about the knowledge acquired in medium and high school

Abstract

The present study aims to identify the knowledge about genetics acquired in high school and higher education. For this, a mixed type research was carried out, based on qualitative and quantitative methods. Students from a Biological Sciences course at a public university in the state of Ceará were interviewed, so that the target audience was students from the 1st semester, who had knowledge about genetics from high school, and students from the 5th semester, presenting this knowledge acquired in higher education, since in this teaching institution the discipline of Genetics is taught in the 4th semester. The data were obtained through the application of a semi-structured questionnaire, analyzed with the resources of Microsoft® Word and Excel, and graphics were elaborated to facilitate the visualization of the results. It was found that knowledge about genetics is pronounced differently between different levels of education. Students who study genetics in high school have a good knowledge of the area, bringing to the higher education an adequate baggage regarding the topics covered. It is important that teachers are aware of the main difficulties in learning, especially regarding the assimilation of concepts. Thus, it is necessary to constantly develop investigations regarding deficiencies in the teaching-learning process of genetics, which must be accompanied by the effective overcoming of difficulties.