Abstract
Reproduction is among basic functions of living beings and one of elementary complex subjects of the biology course. This is complicated for learners to construct cognitive structures on the subject. The aim of the current study is to investigate pre-service biology teachers’ cognitive structures related to “reproduction” through the free word-association test and the drawing-writing technique. As the research design of the study, the qualitative research method was applied. The data were collected from pre-service biology teachers. The free word-association test and the drawing-writing technique were used as data collection instruments. The data were subject to content analysis and divided into categories through coding. With the help of these categories, the cognitive structures of pre-service biology teachers were explained. The data collected through the study were divided into 7 categories (structures required for reproduction, re-production in plants and sections, types of reproduction, insemination, reproduction-inheritance, defining reproduction and its importance, reproductive anatomy). In the categories obtained, it was determined that ample data could be collected using different assessment instruments. On the other hand, it was de- termined that pre-service biology teachers had alternative conceptions related to reproduction. It was observed that the pre-service teachers had imperfect cognitive structures regarding the subject of reproduction. Comprehensive suggestions related to the subject are presented at the end of this article.
Highlights
One of the common basic functions of living organisms is “REPRODUCTION”
The following categories were produced in the drawing technique: structures required for reproduction (43), insemination (31), types of reproduction (17), reproduction and inheritance (12), reproduction in plants and sections (7) and reproductive anatomy (4); whereas the following categories were produced in the writing technique: types of reproduction (18), reproduction and inheritance (8), defining reproduction and its importance (8), structures required for reproduction (6), insemination (6) and reproductive anatomy (4) (Table 3)
Analyses pertaining to the drawings of the pre-service biology teachers on reproduction are presented in Table 5 under the following relevant levels: non-representative drawings (30), drawings with alternative conceptions (11), partial drawings (2) and conceptual representative drawings (2)
Summary
One of the common basic functions of living organisms is “REPRODUCTION”. Plants, animals and single-cell organisms reproduce, they do this in different forms.The subject of reproduction is covered in many different courses throughout the education life; biology is among those in which it is covered most. Researches show that students fail to adequately comprehend the subject of reproduction, that they fail to address the subject in its complexity by linking micro and macro levels (Hmelo-Silver & Azevedo, 2006; Inagaki & Hatano, 2002; Inagaki & Hatano, 2006), that students cannot form their cognitive structures, that they cannot concretize abstract aspects inherent in the subject and that they fail to link the subject with their daily lives (Bahar, Johnstone & Hansell, 1999; Cimer, 2012; Jones & Rua, 2006; Lazarowitz & Penso, 1992; Lewis, Leach, & Wood-Robinson, 2000a, 2000b; Lukin, 2013; Prokop, Prokop, & Tunnicliffe, 2007; Prokop, Prokop, Tunnicliffe, & Diran, 2007; Seymour & Longdon, 1991; Simpson & Marek, 1988; Udovic et al, 2002; Tekkaya, Ozkan, & Sungur, 2001; Treagust, 1988). Construction of cognitive structure is negative affected by abstract natures of these subjects (Knippels, Waarlo, & Boersma, 2005; Krawczyk, 2007; Smith, 1991; Quinn, Pegg, & Panizzon, 2009)
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