Genetic effects upon instruction/learning processes: A comparative study of instructional methods of English by the cotwin control method

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to show two types of genetic effects-genetic main effects and genotype-environment (GE) interaction-upon several aspects of motivation as learning outcomes through instruction, using the cotwin control method. These genetic effects can emerge both indirectly, upon the basis of some preexisting aptitudes having been genetically influenced (indirect effects), and directly as some novel genetic architecture never been activated before (direct effects). Nineteen pairs of identical twins and 15 pairs of fraternal twins in the sixth grade received two different English teaching methods : the Grammatical and the Communicative Approach. Indirect genetic main effects were shown in most of the motivational aspects through some genetically influenced aptitudes such as general activity. The direct genetic main effects, most of which were nonadditive, were indicated, too. Marginally significant indirect GE interactions were found upon social extraversion, when the motivation toward a communicative activity was entered as a dependent variable. Finally, direct interaction was also found for general motivation towards English by means of intrapair difference-sum correlation.