An analysis of the students performance and the content covered in the items of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology of the National High School Exam (ENEM): Curricular implications

Abstract

In the last decades, Genetics and Evolutionary Biology have become promising and intriguing areas. However, although their concepts are considered important in the formation of critical and socially responsible citizens, Brazilian teachers and students continue to report difficulties throughout the teaching-learning process in these areas. In order to understand and measure the difficulties of Brazilian students, a documentary research was carried out, with a quantitative and qualitative approach, through which the performance of the participants and the content of the items of the regular tests in Natural Sciences were analyzed, referring to the National High School Examination from 2012 to 2016. The obtained results allowed identification of factors and objects of knowledge related to the low performance of the participants in items of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, when compared to the other areas of Biology and Natural Sciences. Thus, evidencing the need for changes in teaching-learning for a meaningful learning of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, as well as identifying aspects to be considered during the elaboration of evaluative items, such as the construction of balanced alternatives, the use of scientific language and the presentation of the problem in an objective and clear way. Moreover, throughout this work, reflections on the science and biology school curriculum are encouraged and an approach to basic concepts of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology is proposed, in a gradual and coherent way with the development of students and the skills of BNCC, since Elementary School.