Research suggests genetics play a role in school effectiveness

By Staff Writer

According to the Twins Early Development Study at King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, the academic success of students may be determined by genetic factors. The study, which is published in the journal PLoS ONE, used data on school performance from 4,000 pairs of twins.

The researchers found that traditional measures of school effectiveness over a period of time may be inaccurate because they cannot take into account genetic factors that children bring to the classroom. They added that studying school environment alone is not enough.

The study showed that environmental factors were just as important as genetic factors, according to the lead author. However, genetics may determine how well students take advantage of a school's quality. The researcher used the example of a classroom full of students that is taught by one teacher. The students may develop at different rates, which reflects factors that are independent of the environment.

This type of research suggest that students are not vessels of information, but individual entities with varying needs.

Researchers concluded that future studies will aim to identify which characteristics allow children to gain the most from education.