Neuromyths among Chilean teachers: origins and predictors

Abstract

The present study investigated the prevalence of neuromyths and the general neuroscience knowledge of Chilean teachers. We surveyed 91 teachers working in primary and secondary education at different schools. Consistent with previous research, the results showed that teachers have some general knowledge of neuroscience, but also hold many misconceptions about the brain, the so called “neuromyths”, especially those associated with VAK methodologies, Brain Gym®, and hemispheric dominance. Teachers who reported higher general neuroscience knowledge also showed high prevalence of neuromyths, which indicates that as they learn real neuroscience knowledge, they also learn misconceptions. The only significant predictors of neuromyths were Reading popular scientific magazines and self-evaluation of neuroscience knowledge. We discussed these predictors and the origin of the most popular neuromyths from a neuroscientific perspective, in order to reveal the evidence that debunks these misconceptions.