Curriculum materials as possible source of misconceptions in evolution

Curriculum support materials, namely the policy documents and textbooks (teacher and learner books) have great influence on the content that is taught. They are important support tools for teachers, especially during times of curriculum change when everything changes for many teachers. A recent change in South Africa was the inclusion of evolution in the school curriculum. Extensive misconceptions about evolution make it difficult to teach this topic. This book provides findings from a study where I did a content analysis of the South African Natural Sciences policy document and six Grade 7-9 Natural Sciences textbooks from two different publishers. The aim was to establish the nature and extent of unscientific ideas about evolution, and how the authors dealt with potential misconceptions. Errors in the policy documents translated into errors in the textbooks. Although this book uses evolution as an example, lessons learned about curriculum materials as a possible influence on misconceptions are applicable to other subjects.