Contrasting biology and physics in science education: Emphasizing the central role of evolution in teaching

Kyriacos Athanasiou

doi:10.29333/ejmste/18074

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Kyriacos Athanasiou ¹ ^*

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¹ Department of Early Childhood Education, The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GREECE^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This work aims to constructively use the differences between physics, as a typical representative branch of science, and biology, to enhance science education. It advocates for the use of a common science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teaching framework as a pedagogical tool for conveying concepts related to the epistemology of these two disciplines, highlighting their epistemological distinctions. Notable disparities include the absence of “universal” laws in biology, combined with the presence of a unifying theory in its instruction. Additionally, the differing roles of experimentation, mathematics, and history in these fields are examined. The text also addresses the distinction between the concepts of “social implications” and “social science,” alongside a discussion of essentialism in physics compared to the non-typological “population perspective” in biology, where the constant interplay of random errors and mutations serves as the universal driving force behind all biological phenomena.

Keywords

differences
physics/biology
didactics
NOS

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Review Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 22, Issue 3, March 2026, Article No: em2799

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18074

Publication date: 11 Mar 2026

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Article Downloads: 4

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How to cite this article

APA

Athanasiou, K. (2026). Contrasting biology and physics in science education: Emphasizing the central role of evolution in teaching. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 22(3), em2799. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18074

Vancouver

Athanasiou K. Contrasting biology and physics in science education: Emphasizing the central role of evolution in teaching. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2026;22(3):em2799. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18074

AMA

Athanasiou K. Contrasting biology and physics in science education: Emphasizing the central role of evolution in teaching. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2026;22(3), em2799. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18074

Chicago

Athanasiou, Kyriacos. "Contrasting biology and physics in science education: Emphasizing the central role of evolution in teaching". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2026 22 no. 3 (2026): em2799. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18074

Harvard

Athanasiou, K. (2026). Contrasting biology and physics in science education: Emphasizing the central role of evolution in teaching. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 22(3), em2799. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18074

MLA

Athanasiou, Kyriacos "Contrasting biology and physics in science education: Emphasizing the central role of evolution in teaching". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 22, no. 3, 2026, em2799. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/18074