Attempting to break the code in student comprehension of genetic concepts

Conducted in Israel, this research probes students' understanding of the relationships between genetic concepts. Four populations were examined: 9th graders (14 - 15 year olds), who were exposed to genetics for the first time (n = 184); 12th graders (17 - 18 year olds), who were studying biology as their main subject (n = 121); college pre-service teachers, who had not yet earned a degree (n = 29); and university pre-service teachers, who had earned biology degrees and were seeking teacher certification (n = 22). Three research instruments were used: a written questionnaire, interviews, and concept maps. The questions were open-ended to enable the identification of students' patterns of comprehensive thinking and understanding, not identifiable in multiple choice testing. Alternative conceptions and compartmentalisation between related concepts were identified. Based on these findings, genetic instruction in 9th and 12th grade and in college needs improvement.