Genomics literacy matters: Supporting the development of genomics literacy through genetics education could reduce the prevalence of genetic essentialism

• Published in: Journal of research in science teaching Vol. 58; no. 4; pp. 520 - 550
• Main Authors: Donovan, Brian M., Weindling, Monica, Salazar, Brae, Duncan, Alex, Stuhlsatz, Molly, Keck, Phillip
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-04-2021; Wiley; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Attitude Change; Beliefs; Clinical trials; Comparative Analysis; Conceptual knowledge; Essentialism; Genes; Genetic diversity; genetic essentialism of race; genetic variation; Genetics; genetics education; Genomics; High School Students; Learning Experience; Literacy; multifactorial genetics; population thinking; Race; Racial Differences; Racial groups; Science Instruction; Scientific Concepts; Self Concept; Social identity; Student Attitudes; Student Improvement; Students; Teaching Methods; Thinking Skills
• ISSN: 0022-4308; 1098-2736
• DOI: 10.1002/tea.21670

Recently, it has been argued that improving students' genomics literacy could prevent students from developing erroneous beliefs about social identity, such as the belief that racial groups differ cognitively and behaviorally because of their genes; a belief called genetic essentialism. To date, however, little research has explored if or how a conceptual understanding of genomics protects against the development of genetic essentialism. Using a randomized control trial (RCT) (N = 721, 9th–12th graders), we explore if students with more genomics literacy are more able to conceptually change their genetic essentialist beliefs after engaging in a learning experience designed to refute essentialist thinking. The results of the RCT demonstrated that students with higher genomics literacy (relative to those with lower genomics literacy) exhibited greater reductions in the perception of racial differences and greater reductions in belief in genetic essentialism after learning how patterns of human genetic variation refute genetic essentialism. These results suggest that genetics education can protect students from developing a belief in genetic essentialism when it provides them with opportunities to learn multifactorial genetics and population thinking in conjunction with how these concepts refute essentialist thinking.