N.V. DAVID-EGBENUSI

Undergraduate students’ perception of misconceptions on the concept of evolution and their achievement in biology was investigated. This study investigated the prevalence, sources, and impacts of evolution misconceptions among 150 undergraduate biology students across three departments—Curriculum and Instructional Technology (CIT), Animal and Environmental Biology (AEB), and Plant Biology and Biotechnology (PBB) at university of Benin. Guided by six research questions, it explored (1) common misconceptions about evolution, (2) the relationship between students’ evolution perceptions, misconceptions, and academic achievement, (3) the origins of these misconceptions, (4) departmental differences, (5) overall trends, and (6) preferred instructional strategies to address them. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire employing Likert scales (Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree; True/False/Not Sure) and an objective test of evolutionary concepts. Frequency distributions, means, and percentages summarized responses, while an objective assessment categorized students’ test scores into five performance bands. Findings revealed that although 88% of students affirmed evolution as the foundation of modern biology, pervasive misconceptions persisted: 55% believed individuals evolve within a lifetime; 48% thought natural selection generates new traits; 46% accepted inheritance of acquired characteristics; and 39% assumed direct human–monkey ancestry. Misconceptions correlated strongly with poor performance: over 90% of students scored “Very Poor” or “Below Average” on objective questions, with no one achieving “Above Average” or “Excellent.” Major sources of misunderstanding included secondary school instruction (71%), current teaching methods (71%), popular media influence (66%), and conflicts with personal beliefs (70%). Students endorsed multiple pedagogical interventions; real-life examples (79%), visual aids and simulations (78%), interactive debates and projects (71%), belief-inclusive discussions (65%), and remedial sessions (69%), as means to deepen conceptual clarity. The study concludes that high acceptance of evolution does not equate to accurate
understanding. To bridge this gap, curricula must incorporate misconception-driven modules, active learning strategies, and belief-sensitive dialogues, supported by teacher training and targeted remediation. These measures are essential to enhance evolutionary literacy and improve academic outcomes in biology at the University of Benin.

Undergraduate students have different perceptions of the use of experiments in the teaching of cell biology.This study aimed to identify some of the student's opinions about the use of the us of experiments in the teaching of cell biology. A descriptive survey research design was utilized and the study was guided by seven research questions. The research was conducted at the University of Benin in Edo state, Nigeria. A total of 150 undergraduate students were selected from three departments at the University of Benin. Plant Biology and Biotechnology (50 students), Animal and Environmental Biology (50 students), and Curriculum and Instructional Technology (50 students). The sampling technique employed was simple random sampling. The data were collected with a questionnaire instrument and analyzed using simple percentages and means. The findings indicated that students expressed working with live cells and observing their behavior was enjoyable. The results also show that there are available materials in the experiment of bacterial cell-like cell culture dishes, Petri dishes, pipettes, etc. Also, results show that undergraduate cell biology students face challenges such as teaching methods used by the lecturer and lack of learning aids. Additionally, some factors influence students' perceptions such as the amount of time required to complete the experiment, the level of difficulty of the experiment, etc. In conclusion, it is therefore recommended that teachers should adapt their teaching methods, increase their knowledge of conducting experiments, allocate suf icient time, and provide adequate learning aids. Additionally, researchers recommend that teachers ensure proper preparation and caution before conducting experiments