Lay and Professional Knowledge of Genetics and Inheritance  

Oleh:

Richards, Martin

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Public Understanding of Science vol. 5 no. 3 (Jul. 1996), page 217-230.
Fulltext: 217PUS53.pdf (85.61KB)

Isi artikel

Despite almost a century of educational effort, studies of both schoolchildren and adults show that the public understanding of Mendelian genetics is very limited. A similar conclusion is drawn from studies of those who have been offered explanations of inheritance in genetic counselling clinics. The aim of this paper is to provide an explanation of these observations. It is argued that Mendelian explanations of inheritance conflict in a number of ways with a lay knowledge of inheritance that is general in society. Furthermore, it is suggested that lay knowledge is grounded in concepts of kinship which are themselves sustained by everyday social practice and relationships, which may make the lay knowledge of inheritance particularly resistant to change. It is suggested that Mendelian explanations may not be easily assimilated because of the conflicts with pre-existing lay knowledge that an individual holds. Preliminary results are described from an empirical study which tests the hypothesis that ideas of genetic connectedness are derived from concepts of kin relationships. The evidence appears to confirm the hypothesis. Parallels are drawn between the history of the acceptance of Mendel’s ideas in the scientific community and the assimilation (or the lack of it) of Mendelian explanations by the public. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of public education in Mendelian genetics in schools and genetic counselling clinics, and the ways in which it could be more effective. Introduction With the development and deployment of recombinant DNA techniques in relation to human disease (the new human genetics) there have been growing calls for more public education in genetics. Among the arguments put forward for an education programme aimed to produce what is often termed ‘genetic literacy’ is that the public needs to be well informed in order to make best use of predictive tests and other new techniques, and to become more involved in debates about the future direction of research and the provision of services.1 As well as general agreement about the desirability of creating a more general genetic literacy, there is a widespread view that the current level of public understanding of genetics is very low. This was a point stressed by witness after witness at the 1995 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee enquiry,2 and has been demonstrated in studies of school children3 and adults.4 While terms like gene, DNA and chromosome are widely used by children5 and adults6 and, indeed, have become icons of popular culture,7 few people are familiar with the basic scientific account of Mendelian inheritance, let alone molecular genetics.8 Even young people who have received teaching at school on genetics as part of the British National Curriculum give little or no sign of any such knowledge, or of the ability to relate ideas about inheritance to notions of susceptibility to disease.9 0963-6625/96/030217 + 14$19.50 c 1996 IOP Publishing Ltd and The Science Museum 217

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