Enhancing high school human evolution education: Harnessing “sapiens: a brief history of humankind” as an effective learning resource

Rio Christy Handziko; Dippya Kharisma Widiatmika

doi:10.21009/biosferjpb.38368

Authors

Rio Christy Handziko Audio-Visual Laboratory, Biology Education Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Dippya Kharisma Widiatmika Audio-Visual Laboratory, Biology Education Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21009/biosferjpb.38368

Keywords:

Biology Learning Resource, Human Evolution, Popular Science Book , Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Abstract

Understanding human evolution can be challenging for students and may lead to misconceptions, often stemming from the learning materials employed. Current learning resources commonly include textbooks, images, and the internet. The popular science book "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" offers potential as an educational tool for teaching human evolution. This study aims to assess the suitability of "Sapiens" for high school Biology education and its potential as a resource for teaching human evolution in senior high school. Employing a qualitative descriptive method with a content analysis approach, data is gathered through documentation techniques. Primary data is derived from the documentation and content analysis of "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind." Data analysis follows the model proposed by Miles and Huberman (1983), encompassing data reduction, presentation, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that the book effectively addresses 7 out of 9 (77.78%) sub-topics of human evolution commonly taught in high school Biology. Importantly, the book replaces outdated terms like Pithecantropus and Megantropus paleojavanicus, found in traditional textbooks. Moreover, the book fulfills the five criteria for selecting learning resources as outlined by Djohar (1987). Consequently, "Sapiens" can serve as a valuable learning resource for high school Biology, particularly regarding the study of human evolution.

References

Abebe, L. M., Bartels, B., Caron, K. M., Gleeson, A. M., Johnson, S. N., Abebe, L. M. ;, Bartels, B. ;, Caron, K. M. ;, Gleeson, A. M. ;, Johnson, S. N. ;, Kluza, T. J. ;, Knopik, N. W. ;, Kramer, K. N. ;, Maza, M. S. ;, Stava, K. A. ;, Sullivan, K. ;, Trimble, J. T. ;, & Zink, R. M. (2017). Answers to common misconceptions about biological evolution. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscievolutionhttp://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscievolution/4

Adrianto, O. M., Candramila, W., & Ariyati, E. (2017). Analisis Konsepsi Dan Miskonsepsi Siswa Kelas Xii Ipa Sma Don Bosco Sanggau Pada Materi Evolusi. Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Pembelajaran Khatulistiwa (JPPK), 6(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.26418/jppk.v6i4.19732

Baab, K. L. (2016). The place of Homo floresiensis in human evolution. Journal of Anthropological Sciences, 94, 5–18. https://doi.org/10.4436/jass.94024

Bermúdez de Castro, J. M., & Carbonell, E. (2022). A new perspective on the origin of Homo sapiens. Historical Biology, 34(8), 1331–1336. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2021.1949306

Bishop, B. A., & Anderson, C. W. (1990). Evolution, Student conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 27, 415–427. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660270503

Bravo, P., & Cofré, H. (2016). Developing biology teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge through learning study: the case of teaching human evolution. International Journal of Science Education, 38(16), 2500–2527. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2016.1249983

Carroll, S. B. (2005). Evolution at Two Levels: On Genes and Form. PLoS Biology, 3(7), e245. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030245

Cofré, H., Cuevas, E., & Becerra, B. (2017). The relationship between biology teachers’ understanding of the nature of science and the understanding and acceptance of the theory of evolution. International Journal of Science Education, 39(16), 2243–2260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2017.1373410

Cofré, H., Jiménez, J., Santibáñez, D., & Vergara, C. (2016). Chilean Pre-service and In-service Teachers and Undergraduate Students’ Understandings of Evolutionary Theory. Journal of Biological Education, 50(1), 10–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2014.967278

Dennell, R. W., Louys, J., O’Regan, H. J., & Wilkinson, D. M. (2014). The origins and persistence of Homo floresiensis on Flores: biogeographical and ecological perspectives. Quaternary Science Reviews, 96, 98–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.QUASCIREV.2013.06.031

Djohar. (1987). Peningkatan Proses Belajar Sains Melalui Pemanfaatan Sumber. IKIP Yogyakarta.

Dunk, R. D. P., Petto, A. J., Wiles, J. R., & Campbell, B. C. (2017). A multifactorial analysis of acceptance of evolution. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 10(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-017-0068-0

Fuentes, A. (2021). “The Descent of Man,” 150 years on. Science, 372(6544), 769–769. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj4606

Groucutt, H. S., Petraglia, M. D., Bailey, G., Scerri, E. M. L., Parton, A., Clark-Balzan, L., Jennings, R. P., Lewis, L., Blinkhorn, J., Drake, N. A., Breeze, P. S., Inglis, R. H., Devès, M. H., Meredith-Williams, M., Boivin, N., Thomas, M. G., & Scally, A. (2015). Rethinking the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa. Evolutionary Anthropology, 24(4), 149–164. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.21455

Hall, S., & Liebenberg, L. (2024). Qualitative Description as an Introductory Method to Qualitative Research for Master’s-Level Students and Research Trainees. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241242264

Harari, Y. N. (2017). Sapiens: Riwayat Singkat Umat Manusia. Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia.

Helmi, Rustaman, N. Y., Sudargo Tapilouw, F., & Hidayat, T. (2019). Misconception Types Analysis onMechanism of Evolution. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1175(1), 012169. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1175/1/012169

Huberman, A. M., & Miles, MatthewB. (1983). Drawing valid meaning from qualitative data: Some techniques of data reduction and display. Quality & Quantity, 17(4), 281–339. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00167541

Infanti, L. M., & Wiles, J. R. (2015). “Evo in the News:” Understanding evolution and students’ attitudes toward the relevance of evolutionary biology. Bioscene, 40(2), 9–13. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1069977

Kimbel, W. H., & Villmoare, B. (2016). From Australopithecus to Homo : the transition that wasn’t . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371(1698), 20150248. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0248

Lam, L., LI, D., & Yang, X. (2005). Why there are no professional popular science book authors in China. Pantaneto Forum, 18(18 (April)), 2004–2006. https://www.sjsu.edu/people/lui.lam/popsci/190804-Lam%20WHY%20THERE%20ARE%20NO%20PROFESSIONAL%20POPULAR%20SCIENCE%20BOOK%20AUTHO.pdf

Lewin, R. (2004). Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction. Wiley. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=RWm4EAAAQBAJ

Malone, K. L., Schuchardt, A. M., & Sabree, Z. (2019). Models and Modeling in Evolution. In Evolution Education Re-considered (pp. 207–226). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14698-6_12

Nelson, C. E., Scharmann, L. C., Beard, J., & Flammer, L. I. (2019). The nature of science as a foundation for fostering a better understanding of evolution. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 12(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12052-019-0100-7

Nurhayati, N., & Wijayanti, R. (2021). Buku Biologi untuk Siswa SMA/MA Kelas 12 (T. Nugraha, Ed.; 1st ed.). Yrama Widya.

Parkinson, J., & Adendorff, R. (2004). The use of popular science articles in teaching scientific literacy. English for Specific Purposes, 23(4), 379–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2003.11.005.

Patterson, N., Richter, D. J., Gnerre, S., Lander, E. S., & Reich, D. (2006). Genetic evidence for complex speciation of humans and chimpanzees. Nature, 441(7097), 1103–1108. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04789

Pobiner, B. (2016). Accepting, understanding, teaching, and learning (human) evolution: Obstacles and opportunities. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 159, 232–274. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22910

Pratiwi, D. A., Maryati, S., Suharno, & S., B. (2017). Biologi. Penerbit Erlangga.

Rachmatullah, A., Nehm, R. H., Roshayanti, F., & Ha, M. (2018). Evolution Education in Indonesia: Pre-service Biology Teachers’ Knowledge, Reasoning Models, and Acceptance of Evolution. In Evolution Education Around the Globe (pp. 335–355). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90939-4_18

Relethford, J. H. (2017). 50 Great Myths of Human Evolution: Understanding Misconceptions about Our Origins. Wiley. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=YsbqDQAAQBAJ

Schmidt, R., Armstrong, L., & Everett, T. (2007). Teacher Resistance to Critical Conversation: Exploring Why Teachers Avoid Difficult Topics in Their Classrooms. NERA Journal, 43(2). https://ncte.org/app/uploads/2018/05/Schmidt-critical-conversations.pdf

Shaw, D. G., & Dybdahl, C. S. (2000). Science and the Popular Media. Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas, 37(2), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00368120009603564

Steegmann, A. T., Cerny, F. J., & Holliday, T. W. (2002). Neandertal cold adaptation: physiological and energetic factors. American Journal of Human Biology : The Official Journal of the Human Biology Council, 14(5), 566–583. https://doi.org/10.1002/AJHB.10070

Stringer, C. (2016). The origin and evolution of Homo sapiens. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 371(1698), 20150237. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0237

Sugiyono. (2017). Metode Penelitian Kualitatif (3rd ed.). Alfabeta.

Tattersall, I. (2009). Human origins: Out of Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(38), 16018–16021. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0903207106

The New York Times. (2015, April 13). Best-Selling Science Books. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/14/science/best-selling-science-books.html

Tocheri, M. W., Orr, C. M., Jacofsky, M. C., & Marzke, M. W. (2008). The evolutionary history of the hominin hand since the last common ancestor of Pan and Homo. Journal of Anatomy, 212(4), 544–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.00865.x

Tshuma, T., & Sanders, M. (2015). Textbooks as a Possible Influence on Unscientific Ideas about Evolution. Journal of Biological Education, 49(4), 354–369. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2014.967274

Tudge, C. (1989). The rise and fall of Homo sapiens sapiens. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences, 325(1228), 479–488. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1989.0101

Wei, B., & Wang, Y. (2021). The Presentation of Science Practice in Twenty Historical Cases: A Content Analysis of a Popular Science Book. Science and Education, 30(2), 365–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00172-0

Wood, B. (1996). Human evolution. BioEssays, 18(12), 945–954. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.950181204

Wood, B. (2020). Birth of Homo erectus. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews, 29(6), 293–298. https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.21873