The use of narrative to promote primary school children's understanding of evolution

This study explores learning about evolution when information is presented in either a narrative or an expository text (ET). Narratives engage the imagination, and consequently may allow children to overcome conceptual constraints that make evolution difficult to comprehend. Participants were 16 Year One, 21 Year Two and 25 Year Three pupils from a British primary school. Expository and narrative texts about evolution were read with children before assessing participants' understanding. Those reading the narrative showed a greater understanding of the book's contents about evolution than those reading the ET. Implications for using the imagination and narrative in the science classroom are discussed.