The desire to learn from the child depends on the genes
Last reviewed: 17.10.2021
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A group of scientists from the State Research University of Ohio said that the desire of the child to learn depends largely on the parents, or rather the genes that he got.
American specialists selected 13 thousand twins and twins from 9 to 16 years old from different countries (Russia, Japan, Germany, Canada, USA, Great Britain) for their research. Pairs of twins were chosen by scientists not by chance, since in most cases such children are brought up in the same family and study together in the same school and with the same teachers. In the process of research, scientists compared the responses of twins, in which the hereditary genes are identical with those of twins, in which only half of the hereditary genes.
As a result, it was revealed that the desire and motivation of the child to learn up to 50% depends on the genetic factor, while the specialists found that the results did not depend on the country of residence of the children or the age of participants in the study.
Co-author of the new project Stefan Petril noted that the entire group of specialists who conducted the study expected completely different results. The scientists believed that the main factor determining the desire of the child to learn is the family, upbringing, environment, teachers, etc., but a pair of twins, despite roughly equal living conditions, upbringing, etc., showed different achievements in studies and the desire to training.
According to Petril, scientists were able to obtain the results of research from different countries, while each country has its own educational system and culture. Specialists discovered between the twins personal differences that are inherited from parents and largely determine the desire for learning from children.
He also noted that this study does not say that we should stop encouraging and inspiring schoolchildren, but the desire to study up to 50% is due to a hereditary factor.
Experts say that explaining the child's desire to learn can also in about 50% different education or teachers, which are only one of the twins. About 3% is due to surrounding factors, for example, family traditions, experience. Recently, scientists have proven that hyperactive children are better at school.
For the research group, it was surprising that the desire to learn from the child was more influenced by genetic factors, while the surrounding factors played a less significant role in this. At the same time, the result did not depend on the country of residence of children, the accepted educational system or culture.
This study does not say that scientists have found the "learning" gene that determines the desire for learning from the child. The results can only indicate that the ability and willingness to learn is a more complex process, of which nothing has been known until recently. As it turned out, not only external factors that can attract the attention of the child to learning and develop his abilities (for example, the teacher's special approach to teaching children) participate in the desire to learn, but also genetic ones.
Also, scientists emphasize that the motivation for learning must be present, both among students and among students.