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This study examines teachers' understanding of the connections between key concepts of biotechnology and underlying biological principles that are critical for an in-depth understanding of biotechnology education in school. Many teachers in Sri Lanka avoid addressing biotechnology topics available in the A-level biology curriculum (age 16-18). We aimed to explore the factors that influence teachers' practice. Using a structured questionnaire, we examined randomly selected teachers' understanding of these relationships at school level in the Eastern Province in Sri Lanka.
Findings from this study were as follows. Teachers strongly believe that biotechnology is interesting and important for life improvement and this attitude influences their practice in biotechnology education. Almost all the teachers had a good knowledge of biotechnology but not the relationship between application and basic knowledge. The teachers were willing to buy genetically modified (GM) foods if they were healthier than other foods. However, they did not accept the application of biotechnology for medical purposes. Many teachers consider that biotechnology education is important. Their interest in the subject and subject knowledge contributes to this attitude.
Although the outcomes are preliminary in nature, the results provide cause for concern over the status of biotechnology education in Sri Lanka that needs raising from ground level.
