Public understanding of genetics: the role of school science in preparing citizens for participating in a democratic society

This paper reports a qualitative study on different aspects on adolescents’ thinking and understanding of genetics. The aim of the study is to get a picture of what are the most important issues of genetics in order for adolescents to be able to participate in a democratic society. To know this it is necessary to define what should be the public understanding of genetics. Another part of the study examines how students cope with the controversial aspects of genetics, such as utility, risks and ethical dilemmas. The data collected in this study has not yet been analysed, so this article consists mainly of the background, the importance of the study and a description of the methodologies.