News

2010.1004

Scholars Report Association between Academic Achievement and Genes

<div> <p>TAIPEI — Amid the announcement of the College Entrance Exam (CEE) and the Basic Competency Test (BCT) results that were pleasing to some students yet upsetting to others, an interdisciplinary study entitled “Correlation between COMT Genotype and Academic Achievement in Taiwanese High School Students” found that students carrying certain genes seem to enjoy an innate advantage in science learning. Given that education should help children develop their own aptitude and remedy their inadequacies, it is advisable for parents to recognize their children’s natural talent and learning difficulties rather than obsessing over how to give them a head start.</p> </div> <div> <p><span>    The study was led by a team of researchers, including Director Chun-Yen Chang from the Science Education Center of the National Taiwan Normal University, Professor Chung-Yi Hu from the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Medical Biotechnology of the National Taiwan University, Dr. Ting-Chi Yeh from the Mackay Memorial Hospital, as well as doctoral candidates Ting-Kuang Yeh and Ming-Yeh Lin.</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span>    Based on the data released by the College Entrance Examination Center, four high schools that epitomize the national distribution of BCT scores were sampled, and a total of 779 high school volunteers were recruited for the study. The genotypes of the volunteers were then examined so as to compare the correlation between genotypes and BCT scores. It is found that COMT genes might be associated with students’ academic performance in science. The result of the study was published at the end of last year in the international journal “Brain and Cognition”, and currently the team is conducting a follow-up study on how the internal mechanism works.</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span>    Humans have approximately 30,000 genes, each of them responsible for different tasks, such as instructing cells to produce specific proteins such as enzymes. COMT (catechol-O-methyl transferase), for instance, is an enzyme that catalyzes the degradation pathway of dopamine. Other studies have found that COMT genotypes play a role in modulating cognitive function. In those studies, students with two Met-158 genotypes had better working memory and verbal IQs than those carrying only one or one pair of Val-158 genotypes.</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span>    Professor Chang had postulated that carriers of two Met-158 genotypes might perform better on the CEE, since a number of studies have demonstrated that there is a highly positive correlation between intelligence and academic performance. If COMT genes are a key factor in determining intelligence, it is very likely that such genes would have an effect on the high school students</span>’ learning outcomes.</p> </div> <div> <p><span>    However, the study conducted by Prof. Chang and his fellow researchers runs counter to the hypothesis. It is found in the study that the 60 students carrying two Met-158 genotypes scored lower in math, science and social science on the BCT than did other students, particularly those with 2 Val-158 genotypes. In addition, Met/Met carriers also showed a trend towards poorer performance in English, Chinese and writing.</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span>    Prof. Chang explained that Met-158 genotypes may be associated not only with working memory and verbal IQs but also with learning anxiety and emotional vulnerability as previous studies suggested. Therefore, since students are under more stress in high-stakes tests such as the BCT or CEE, those with Met-158 genotypes may suffer from mood swings and thus underperform. If that is the case, it is probable that these children will have enhanced performance once the stress in the environment is alleviated.</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span>    Dr. Jenny Barnett, a psychiatric geneticist from the Cambridge University, said that it is indeed a possibility, since the advantageous cognitive abilities of the Met-158 genotypes may be compromised due to increased stress during the tests. But she also pointed out that the results could be a statistical fluke because the sample was too small, and that this is quite common among these kinds of studies because the genetic effects on cognition are usually tiny, especially in a healthy population. Therefore, a bigger size of the sample is needed in order to corroborate the theory.</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span>    Although Prof. Chang is not sure whether the results could apply to other groups, but he believes that they may shed light on the phenomena observed in such Asian countries as Taiwan, Japan and Korea, where national exams can make or break a student</span>’s future. He also said that in terms of learning and brain development, genes are only one of the determining factors. Education and environment also hold sway in advancing the progress. If we can identify children’s strengths and weaknesses in learning and tailor teaching to their learning styles, chances are we could help them overcome their inadequacies in intelligence and give full play to their talents.</p> </div> <div> <p><span>    It is not uncommon for children to encounter learning problems, which can be attributed to inherency, negative attitude toward learning, low motivation, passivity, uncooperativeness, or failure to adapt to the learning environment. Parents and teachers should not place too much an emphasis on academic performance or keep forcing children to study hard; instead, they ought to recognize that there are individual differences that are shaped by both nature and nurture, and that identifying learning difficulties is key to facilitate learning.</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span>    Prof. Chang said that whether children enter a prominent high school and whether children are gifted are both secondary. What truly matters is the fact that each child is granted the chance to develop his or her own aptitude. Instead of obsessing about giving children a head start, parents should also encourage students to do extensive reading, and expose them to a diverse learning environment, so that they could engage in active learning based on their interests and unleash their potential. </span></p> </div> <div> </div> <div> </div>