ERIC Number: EJ939397
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9266
EISSN: N/A
How to Foster an Understanding of Growth and Cell Division
Kruger, Dirk; Fleige, Jennifer; Riemeier, Tanja
Journal of Biological Education, v40 n3 p135-140 2006
The study presents the frequencies of students' conceptions of growth and cell division before and after one hour of instruction. The investigation supplements qualitative results by directing attention to those conceptions which might occur most frequently to students: teachers can then concentrate their preparation on practical requirements. A total of 120 students (9th grade) participated in the investigation using a questionnaire. Some 29 students out of this group were instructed and the lesson's effectiveness was examined. The most frequent conception of growth and cell division in open tasks was "division of cells" followed by the scientific concept of "division and enlargement". In closed tasks, "division and enlargement" became the most prominent concept--if students were encouraged to think about this, it might represent a plausible explanation to them, although often it was not yet in their repertoire of concepts. When conceptions of division were examined, "becoming more" and "separation" appear far more frequently than "becoming small". In the lesson students broke a bar of chocolate into pieces. They clearly recognised that division leads to more pieces but the whole does not increase in size or mass. The scientific concept of "division and enlargement" was almost completely transferred into the students' consciousness. (Contains 2 tables and 7 figures.)
Descriptors: Investigations, Scientific Concepts, Grade 9, Questionnaires, Instructional Effectiveness, Task Analysis, Cytology, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 10, Secondary Education, Foreign Countries, Science Instruction, Outcomes of Education, High Schools
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 10; Grade 7; Grade 8; Grade 9; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A