Neuromyths among physical education teacher trainees: a comparative study between pedagogy programs

The advancement of neuroscience has impacted various areas of knowledge, and Education has been one of them. The present study aimed to compare the prevalence of neuromyths and the general level of knowledge about brain function among physical education teacher trainees with other pedagogy programs at a private university in Santiago, Chile. Methodology: The study adopted a quantitative, non-experimental cross-sectional approach. The sample consisted of 404 students from various pedagogy programs at a School of Education. Results: The items with the highest percentage of incorrect answers were item 21. Stimulus-rich environments improve the brains of preschool-aged children, with 93.1%, and item 15. Individuals learn best when they receive information accord-ing to their preferred learning style (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic), with 81.4%. Regarding the comparison between pedagogy courses, physical education students ranked third in general knowledge about the brain (13.1) and had the lowest average belief in neuromyths (2.9). Conclusions: It is essential to apply neuroscience advancements to all classrooms to improve the teaching and learn-ing process.