Teachers teaching misconceptions: a study of factors contributing to high school biology students’ acquisition of biological evolution-related misconceptions

Table 5 Summary of analyses of dependent-samples t -test results for students’ mean data related to specific variables

*Variable*	Test	df	Mean	SD	t	*p (two-tailed)*
BEL Survey mean index score	Pre	535	70.11	6.97	4.19	<.01^a
	Post		71.72	8.80
Number of misconceptions	Pre	535	8.98	2.75	3.33	<.01^a
	Post		9.46	2.59
Student self-knowledge rating	Pre	530	3.30	0.99	10.97	<.01^a
	Post		2.77	0.90
Student BEL Survey responses:
Strongly agree	Pre	535	4.20	2.87	4.82	<.01^a
	Post		4.88	3.04
Somewhat agree	Pre	535	6.07	2.84	1.39	.17
	Post		6.28	3.09
Strongly disagree	Pre	535	4.05	2.66	5.51	<.01^a
	Post		4.80	2.98
Somewhat disagree	Pre	535	4.62	2.80	1.07	.28
	Post		4.77	2.76
Undecided/never heard of it	Pre	535	3.92	3.84	10.49	<.01^a
	Post		2.15	2.53

^aDifference between pre- and post-test means was statistically significant at p ≤ .01. BEL, Biological Evolution Literacy; df, degrees of freedom; post, student post-instruction; pre, student pre-instruction; SD, standard deviation.

ISSN: 1936-6434