title: Understanding the science-learning environment: A genetically sensitive approach.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that environmental influences on school science performance increase in importance from primary to secondary school. Here we assess for the first time the relationship between the science-learning environment and science performance using a genetically sensitive approach to investigate the aetiology of this link. 3000 pairs of 14-year-old twins from the UK Twins Early Development Study reported on their experiences of the science-learning environment and were assessed for their performance in science using a web-based test of scientific enquiry. Multivariate twin analyses were used to investigate the genetic and environmental links between environment and outcome. The most surprising result was that the science-learning environment was almost as heritable (43%) as performance on the science test (50%), and showed negligible shared environmental influence (3%). Genetic links explained most (56%) of the association between learning environment and science outcome, indicating gene-environment correlation.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Claire M A
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Haworth
authors.forename: Oliver S P
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Ken B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Hanscombe
authors.forename: Yulia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kovas
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plomin
keywords: Behavioural genetics; Gene–environment correlation; Learning environments; Science ability; Twins
references.citation: Int J Educ Res. 2010;49(2-3):92-101
references.pmid: 21499451
references.citation: Learn Individ Differ. 2010 Oct 1;20(5):549-553
references.pmid: 21572559
references.citation: Behav Genet. 1984 Jul;14(4):325-43
references.pmid: 6542356
references.citation: Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2007 Aug;8(1):1-51
references.pmid: 25530726
references.citation: Child Dev. 1983 Apr;54(2):424-35
references.pmid: 6683622
references.citation: J Educ Psychol. 2010 Feb 1;102(1):32-42
references.pmid: 20204169
references.citation: Psychol Med. 2007 May;37(5):615-26
references.pmid: 17176502
references.citation: Twin Res Hum Genet. 2007 Feb;10(1):96-105
references.pmid: 17539369
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1979 Mar;86(2):420-8
references.pmid: 18839484
references.citation: Twin Res Hum Genet. 2007 Aug;10(4):554-63
references.pmid: 17708696
references.citation: PLoS One. 2011 Feb 02;6(2):e16006
references.pmid: 21311598
references.citation: Twin Res. 2000 Sep;3(3):129-33
references.pmid: 11035484
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 1977 Mar;84(2):309-22
references.pmid: 557211
references.citation: Mol Psychiatry. 2010 Nov;15(11):1112-20
references.pmid: 19488046
references.citation: Brief Bioinform. 2002 Jun;3(2):119-33
references.pmid: 12139432
references.citation: Psychol Bull. 2001 May;127(3):291-324
references.pmid: 11393298
references.citation: Child Dev. 1995 Jun;66(3):812-29
references.pmid: 7789203
references.citation: Child Dev. 2009 May-Jun;80(3):662-73
references.pmid: 19489895
references.citation: Monogr Soc Res Child Dev. 2007;72(3):vii, 1-144
references.pmid: 17995572