UNDERSTANDING

This study was designed to examine students’ conceptual understanding and misconceptions of evolutionary concepts in Biology, with particular emphasis on natural selection and adaptation. Two research questions and one null hypothesis were formulated for the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 5,493 senior secondary school students drawn from thirteen (13) public senior secondary schools in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. A sample of 120 students was selected using simple random sampling technique from four randomly selected schools. Data were collected using a Two-Tier Diagnostic Test (TTDT) adapted from West African Examinations Council (WAEC) questions on evolution. The instrument was subjected to face and content validity by experts, while the data obtained were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation. The null hypothesis was tested using independent samples t-test at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that a large proportion of students demonstrated misconceptions and low levels of understanding of key evolutionary concepts. The results further showed that there was a significant difference between male and female students’ understanding of evolution, with female students having a higher mean score than their male counterparts. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that Biology teachers should adopt interactive and student-centered instructional strategies and ensure gender-sensitive teaching approaches to enhance students’ conceptual understanding of evolution.