摘要：Research has shown that children usually provide teleological explanations for the features of organisms and artifacts, from a very early age (3–4 years old).However, there is no consensus on whether teleological explanations are given in the same manner for non-living natural objects as well.The present study aimed to document the teleological explanations of 5- to 8-year-old children for particular features (color and shape) of organisms, artifacts and non-living natural objects.In addition, it was examined if there was any correlation between these explanations and children’s explanations for the usefulness of those features.Our results indicate a developmental shift in children’s teleological explanations, from a non-selective teleology in pre-school to a selective one in the second grade.In the latter case, children provided teleological explanations mostly for the shape of the feet of organisms and for the shape of artifacts, whereas pre-school children provided teleological explanations for non-living natural objects as well, both for the color and for the shape in all cases.Our results are not conclusive and further research is required, including a larger spectrum of students, since teleology is one of the most important conceptual obstacles in understanding evolution that persists even into adulthood.We conclude by proposing a particular research program for this purpose.
