ERIC Number: EJ682051
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Nov-19
Pages: 21
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: N/A
Genetically Modified Food in Perspective: An Inquiry-Based Curriculum to Help Middle School Students Make Sense of Tradeoffs. Research Report
Seethaler, Sherry; Linn, Marcia
International Journal of Science Education, v26 n14 p1765-1785 Nov 2004
To understand how students learn about science controversy, this study examines students' reasoning about tradeoffs in the context of a technology-enhanced curriculum about genetically modified food. The curriculum was designed and refined based on the Scaffolded Knowledge Integration Framework to help students sort and integrate their initial ideas and those presented in the curriculum. Pre-test and post-test scores from 190 students show that students made significant (p is less than 0.0001) gains in their understanding of the genetically modified food controversy. Analyses of students' final papers, in which they took and defended a position on what type of agricultural practice should be used in their geographical region, showed that students were able to provide evidence both for and against their positions, but were less explicit about how they weighed these tradeoffs. These results provide important insights into students' thinking and have implications for curricular design.
Descriptors: Middle School Students, Pretests Posttests, Food, Genetics, Thinking Skills, Science Education, Curriculum Design, Educational Technology, Agricultural Production, Scientific Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A