Dataset for the project "Enhancing conceptual knowledge about evolution through self-assessment and conditional knowledge"

The data was collected within the DFG-funded project “Enhancing conceptual knowledge about evolution through self-assessment and conditional knowledge” (project number: 432974998). Abstract of the related dissertation (Hartelt, 2025): Students’ conceptions are essential factors in learning and should be addressed in education to support the acquisition of adequate conceptual knowledge. Many of those conceptions are based on cognitive biases, i.e., general intuitive ways of thinking. These cognitive biases prove helpful in various contexts (e.g., everyday life) but can simultaneously be problematic in scientific contexts such as evolution. Because of the context-dependency as well as the pervasiveness and persistence of cognitive biases, education should not aim at changing students’ intuitive thinking but rather at supporting the regulation of their thinking. Instructional approaches based on self-regulated learning and metacognition may enable students to become metacognitively aware of their intuitive conceptions based on cognitive biases and self-regulate these context-dependently. However, studies providing evidence of causal effects are missing. At the intersection of evolution/science education and cognitive/educational psychology, this dissertation aims to fill this research gap. Through a thorough experimental design (N = 941 upper secondary students), the effectiveness of two innovative metaconceptual instructional approaches based on self-regulated learning and metacognition was investigated: (a) a self-assessment of one’s conceptions and (b) instruction on conditional metaconceptual knowledge (metacognitive knowledge about why and in which contexts specific conceptions are appropriate or not). Intervention effects on students’ conceptual knowledge about evolution were examined and further cognitive and affective factors relevant to conceptual and self-regulated learning were considered, such as self-efficacy (by using a newly developed instrument that was tested for validity), cognitive load, and self-assessment accuracy. It was found that both metaconceptual approaches enhanced conceptual knowledge as they enabled students to self-regulate their intuitive and/or scientific conceptions. A combination of both approaches enhanced conceptual knowledge even in the long term. Further analyses of students’ self-efficacy, cognitive load, self-assessment accuracy, and additional variables contribute to a deeper understanding of the intervention effects and provide the basis for conclusions that can be drawn for implementation in the classroom. Overall, the results have important implications for research and education as they highlight the role of self-regulated learning and metacognition for conceptual learning in science education.