Fragmented Knowledge and Missing Connections between Knowledge from Different Hierarchical Organisational Levels of Reproduction among Adolescents and Young Adults - Research findings and implications

Oct 15, 2026

Study evidence based on responses from 310 adolescents and young adults in Slovenia shows that knowledge about reproduction across levels from molecular to organismal is seriously flawed. Correlations between performance on different tasks are low or negative, indicating fragmented understanding and missed connections across anatomy, physiology, and the genetic–inheritance axis. The work highlights difficulties in building coherent genetic-to-organismal knowledge structures and stresses the importance of high-quality biology and science instruction at the elementary and secondary school stages.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Educational context and misconceptions

Causes of flawed knowledge

Fragmented Knowledge and Missing Connections between Knowledge from Different Hierarchical Organisational Levels of Reproduction among Adolescents and Young Adults Andrej Šorgo*1 and Rebeka Šiling2 • Based on the responses of our sample (N = 310) of adolescents and young adults from Slovenia (students of secondary and tertiary schools, university students) to a number of tasks covering reproduction, from the molecular to organismal levels, it can be concluded that their knowledge is seriously flawed. Correlations of knowledge between individual tasks are low, or even negative, showing patchiness and missed connections between different aspects of reproduction. Our study confirms the well-known difficulties in building a consistent body of knowledge on the genetic–inheritance axis while expanding it to the anatomy and physiology of reproduction. It is crucial to stress the quality of elementary school biology, and science (biology) courses in secondary schools because, for most people, this will be the last formal contact with some important topics that could influence their life decisions. Keywords: knowledge; biology; misconceptions; genetics; reproduction 1 *Corresponding Author. University of Maribor, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Slovenia; [andrej.sorgo@um.si](andrej.sorgo@um.si). 2 University of Maribor, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Slovenia. 70 Fragmented knowledge and missing connections between knowledge from ... Nepovezanost in manjkajoče povezave med znanjem z različnih hierarhičnih organizacijskih ravni razmnoževanja, ki ga izkazujejo mladostniki in mlajšiodrasli Andrej Šorgo in Rebeka Šiling • Na osnovi odgovorov 310 mladostnikov in mlajših odraslih (dijakov slovenskih srednjih šol, študentov višjih in visokih šol ter univerz) navečje število nalog, povezanih z razmnoževanjem, na ravneh od molekularne do organizemske, lahko ugotovimo, da je njihovo znanje samopomanjkljivo. Korelacije znanja, izkazanega z odgovori na posameznenaloge, so nizke in včasih celo negativne. Vzorec znanja zaznamujenepovezanost in manjkajoče povezave med različnimi vidiki razmnoževanja. Z rezultati študije potrjujemo dobro poznane težave v gradnjikonsistentnega korpusa znanja na osi genetika – dedovanje ter jo širimona področji anatomije in fiziologije. Na osnovi pridobljenih spoznanj bi morali nujno pretresti kakovost poučevanja biologije v osnovni šoli in naravoslovja (biologije) v srednjih šolah. Za veliko večino bo namreč takrat pridobljeno znanje zadnji formalni stik s pomembnimi vsebinami, ki lahko zaznamujejo življenjske odločitve. Ključne besede: znanje, biologija, napačni koncepti, genetika, razmnoževanje Introduction Teaching about reproduction is not only one of the traditional biological topics and vital for understanding life phenomena but, especially in the case of human reproduction and sexuality, an important personal and societal issue. Reproduction of organisms and genetics, as underlying principles, are complex issues, which generate the formation of many naïve presentations, alternative concepts or misconceptions, well described by a body of research (Children’sideas, 1992; Nguyen & Rosengren, 2004; Prokop & Fančovičová, 2008; Yip, 1998) . Particularly important are misconceptions about human reproduction because these cannot be regarded as merely a biological issue, but also as a cultural and social (societal) issue (Flowers-Coulson, Kushner & Bankowski, 2000; Hamani, Sciaki-Tamir, Deri-Hasid, Miller-Pogrund, Milwidsky & Haimov-Kochman, 2007; Wynn, Foster & Trussell, 2009) . It is possible to identify many causes behind flawed biological knowledge about reproduction and its underlying principles. One of the major reasons is the natural complexity of the issue. Reproduction exists in different forms, from asexual to sexual, and in different combinations of both; it occurs at different hierarchical organis

FAQs

What does the study conclude about adolescents' and young adults' knowledge of reproduction?

Their knowledge is seriously flawed, with low or even negative correlations across tasks measuring different aspects of reproduction.

Why are misconceptions about human reproduction considered especially important?

Because they cannot be treated only as a biological issue; they also have cultural and societal implications.

What major factors contribute to flawed biological knowledge about reproduction?

The topic’s natural complexity, misconceptions in educational resources and teacher knowledge after didactic transposition, and simplified or context-inconsistent explanations and diagrams.

Oct 15, 2026

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