ERIC Number: EJ1136370
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
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Available Date: N/A
Empirical Validation of a Modern Genetics Progression Web for College Biology Students
Todd, Amber; Romine, William L.
International Journal of Science Education, v39 n4 p488-505 2017
Research in learning progressions (LPs) has been essential towards building understanding of how students' ideas change over time. There has been little work, however, into how ideas between separate but related constructs within a multi-faceted LP relate. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the idea of "progression webs" to model connections within and between related constructs simultaneously, and to explain and demonstrate the efficacy of path analysis towards validating a hypothesised progression web for understanding of modern genetics. Specifically, we evaluate strength of evidence for a progression web based upon multiple related constructs within a multi-faceted LP describing undergraduate biology students' understanding of genetics. We then utilise the progression web to generalise theory around how undergraduate students understand relationships between related genetics concepts, and how they use simpler concepts to scaffold those which are more complex.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Biology, Genetics, Undergraduate Students, Path Analysis, Correlation, Scientific Concepts, Learning Processes, Evidence, Concept Formation, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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