ABSTRACT:Traditional strategies for teaching genetics rely on teacher explanation, textbooks, and problem-solving activities (in which problems are solved by application of an already known algorithm). This study examines: (a) the knowledge that secondary school students have concerning some basic aspects related to the location of inheritance information before they are taught about genetics; (b) the effects of traditional instruction (in Spain) on students' learning about these subjects; (c) the characteristics of the teaching programs that are implemented in Spain; (d) the characteristics of a teaching program on the location of inheritance information based on constructivism; and (e) the learning achieved as a consequence of the implementation of this program (compared with what is learned by pupils who study genetics in a more traditional way). The results demonstrate that many students involved in this program restructure their initial misunderstanding of the location of inheritance information and acquire a knowledge that is more in keeping with scientifically accepted principles. We conclude by pointing to some implications for the teaching of genetics at the secondary school level.

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The conceptual patterns concerning human nutrition encountered in a sample of students aged between 11 and 17 are described. These patterns show that the conceptual structures of the students were relatively well organized and, although sometimes incomplete or wrong, seemed perfectly coherent to them, even constituting theories that they used to explain any problem situation connected with these processes. The results obtained demonstrate that these patterns are found in all the educational levels examined and show the predominance of alternative conceptions concerning nutritional processes even though they have been repeatedly studied. Finally, some suggestions are presented in an attempt to improve nutrition teaching in compulsory education.