At school, we had different grades. Someone explains this by the ability to memorize, someone - by a penchant for certain subjects and areas of knowledge, someone - by restlessness, banal laziness and unwillingness to listen to the teacher's words. But today scientists are convinced that genes also have an impact on academic performance! True, this only applies to primary school. How hereditary predisposition affects further learning has not yet been established. But the results of the studies already carried out are pretty impressive.
Twin pair research
To give the world accurate statements, scientists analyzed about 6 thousand pairs of twins. Research and analysis has shown a logical fact: those children who did well in elementary school showed excellent results in the final exams at school.
Why exactly twins? Their participation helped scientists assess the important share of differences in school success that can be attributed to hereditary factors. For example, in identical twins, the genes are 100% similar, in non-identical twins - by 50%.
Everything is simple here. If identical twins have similar academic success, then it makes sense to argue that hereditary predisposition affects mental abilities. There is also an opportunity to study the heritability of a particular trait, the proportion of differences.
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Research results
And what was found out by scientists? In 70% of cases, school grades for identical twins were the same just because of the genes! What substantiated this?
We investigated the standard tests that are offered in schools to primary school students. When analyzing them, an amazing fact was established - in 70% of cases, identical twins coped with the tasks equally successfully! At the same time, the children attended different schools, they had different teachers, training programs and approaches to education.
However, factors other than the identity of their genes also influenced equal results. For example, in 25% of cases, children studied in the same class, were brought up in the same family, and attended the same school. There is a high probability that the same level of their mental development is due to equal conditions of upbringing and education.
What about the remaining 5%? The guys had completely different friends. Or they were not taught by the same teacher.
Changing ratings
Weren't there cases where identical twins showed completely different academic success?
The results of school performance of primary and secondary school students were analyzed. And it was found that the unequal level of mental development of twins is observed for reasons that do not determine heredity.
Genes influence grades
Therefore, scientists tend to believe that heredity affects the estimates in many ways. This was confirmed in 60% of the twins' school performance study.
At the same time, they, who had matured, were also asked to pass verbal and verbal tests in adolescence, as adolescents. The analysis of such a study showed that with age, a similar mental development is still preserved!
Genome association studies
This very compelling result suggests that genes affect school performance not only of twins, but also of wider groups of people. In general, scientific work in recent years has convinced specialists that genes have a greater impact on human abilities than previously thought.
This has been proven by studies of the so-called genome associations. They help identify specific genetic markers that are associated with certain traits in a person. What do we see here?
One such genetic marker can explain the very low similarity of relatives (about 0.1%) in achieving school success. Such individual differences and similarities cannot even be taken as the basis of scientific statements. It is much more reasonable to write them off as an accident.
But time does not stand still. Scientists have developed an innovative method that allows you to study not one, but thousands of genetic markers at once! It is called polygenic genome assessment. First of all, the indicator is highly accurate. And this makes it possible to predict the difference according to a certain characteristic (for the same school success, for example) not only in twins, but also in people who are not related by kinship.
Research using new technologies
After testing the new method in reality, scientists moved on to a new test. The results of previous tests for polygenic genome assessment were taken as a basis.
The scientists, again, were interested in the twins' school success. What did they do? Each pair of twins in the study was tested again. The researchers did not analyze the results already available, but what the gene can "tell" about the child's future educational success. Therefore, studies, previous and new, were no longer related in their direction.
The error turned out to be the smallest. So, for example, for children studying in primary school, it was 4%. For older students - 10%.
Heredity predetermines
Now scientists were able to assert with accuracy that heredity predetermines our success in school! The results of the practical and genetic tests were almost identical. And this, of course, does not only apply to twins. It's hard to believe it, but the mental abilities of each person, it turns out, are determined from his birth.
Also, this study can explain why school performance can differ significantly. Someone is predisposed to mathematics, solving logical problems. Then, at school, this child will solve complex algebraic problems in no time.
And someone has a predisposition, on the contrary, to creativity. The child will show excellent results in music, in art lessons, his compositions will be read to the whole class. But in mathematics and physics, alas, he will lag behind. After all, his brain is "sharpened" for a completely different activity.
The practical value of research
Yes, scientists were able to prove a very interesting fact. But how useful and applicable is it in practice?
The researchers are confident that the results of their work will help improve the existing education system. For example, in the near future, parents will be able to conduct such tests for their children at will. The information received will help to better prepare children for school. It will also be possible to identify children with perceived learning disabilities at an early stage of development.
The children will be offered a special educational program that is most capable of revealing their talents. In addition, a special plan has been created to teach those subjects with which they are expected to have problems.
Agree, this is very cool: at the birth of a child, a DNA test is carried out. And according to its results, parents already know that a child, for example, will have problems with speed reading. They can choose for him an individual early development program that will help the baby not to experience difficulties with this at school.
Is it just genes?
But do not blame all the successes and failures only on unrequited genes. The researchers themselves argue that genes are just one of the factors that affect school success. And he is far from the only one. The environment, the teacher, training programs, family relationships - all this also plays an important role.
Yes, our school success was largely predetermined genetically. And modern scientific research has proven this. But also no one cancels the influence on the grades of the teaching program, personal attitude towards learning, environment and family.
Author: Yulia Abdulbarova