Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    An Exploration of Young Childrens' Understandings of Genetics Concepts from Ontological and Epistemological Perspectives.

    Access Status
    Open access via publisher
    Authors
    Venville, G.
    Gribble, Susan
    Donovan, J.
    Date
    2005
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Venville, G. and Gribble, S. and Donovan, J. 2005. An Exploration of Young Childrens' Understandings of Genetics Concepts from Ontological and Epistemological Perspectives. Science Education. 89 (4): pp. 614-633.
    Source Title
    Science Education
    DOI
    10.1002/sce.20061
    ISSN
    00368326
    School
    ES & C Divisional Leadership & Administration Units (various)
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/43927
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    This research examined 9- to 15-year-old children's understandings about basic genetics concepts and how they integrated those understandings with their broader theories of biology. A cross-sectional case study method was used to explore the students' (n = 90) understandings of basic inheritance and molecular genetics concepts such as gene and DNA. Data were collected by interview and were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. A theoretical framework consisting of an ontological perspective and an epistemological perspective informed the data analysis. The results indicate that the majority of students had a theory of kinship because they could differentiate between socially and genetically inherited characteristics. While these students had heard of the concepts gene and DNA, a bona fide theory of genetics was elusive because they did not know where genes are or what they do. The discussion explores popular cultural origins of students' understandings and potential ontological and epistemological barriers to further learning about genetics.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Secondary students' understanding of the gene concept : an analysis of conceptual change from multiple perspectives.
      Venville, Grady J. (1997)
      A journey into the past century of genetics history reveals transformations of the concept of the gene through notions of discrete units that obeyed Mendelian laws to the modem bewildering gene concept. We can no longer ...
    • Teaching and Learning Genetics with Multiple Representations
      Tsui, Chi-Yan (2003)
      This study investigated the secondary school students' learning of genetics when their teachers included an interactive computer program BioLogica in classroom teaching and learning. Genetics is difficult to teach and ...
    • Secondary Students' Understanding of Genetics Using BioLogica: Two Case Studies
      Tsui, Chi-Yan; Treagust, David (2013)
      This chapter reexamines our research on secondary students’ understanding of genetics in terms of gene conceptions and reasoning when they learned genetics with multiple external representations (MERs). In our Australian ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.