Title: On the Meaning of Concepts in Science Education
Abstract: Scientific concepts can be described as systematic mental representations of the natural world, and they have a central place and role in science.They may correspond to observable entities (e.g., "mammal" or "mountain"), to unobservable entities (e.g., "atom" or "gene"), or they can be related to processes (e.g., "photosynthesis" or "adaptation").As a result, any kind of discourse about science has to involve concepts, the meaning of which ought to be clear among those participating in the discourse.However, this should not be taken as self-evident neither in science education nor in science itself.In contrast, ambiguity is possible because of features that are inherent in the concepts themselves.There are at least three issues to keep in mind: (1) that the meaning of particular terms in the vernacular language is different from the respective scientific concepts; (2) that many of the scientific concepts are, or relate to, metaphors; and (3) that the same scientific concept can have different meanings in different scientific contexts.Let us consider these issues one by one.The first issue has to do with the vernacular meaning of words.For instance, the term "adaptation" in the everyday sense of the term refers to the adjustment of something to fit something else, e.g., to adapt a play form an original version in order to make it suitable for children.In most cases of the vernacular use of the term, adaptation relates to a conscious process of change that takes place in order for something to become suitable for specific conditions or uses.This notion is very different from the scientific concept of adaptation, which refers to an unconscious process of change through which populations, not individuals, adapt because the individuals with a specific trait that confers an advantage in the particular environment outnumber those that do not have it (these advantageous traits are also described as adaptations).Therefore, in order for students to understand the scientific concept of adaptation, teachers not only need to clearly explain the scientific meaning that has no connection to intentions, but also contrast it to the vernacular one that is related to intentionality.Otherwise, it is possible for students to extend the vernacular sense of the term, with which they are likely familiar, to its scientific use and think that adaptation is an intentional process.A second issue relates to the use of metaphors.Metaphors are very common in science because in order to represent or explain something we do not fully understand, it is often easier