Students Fail to Transfer Knowledge of Chromosome Structure to Topics Pertaining to Cell Division

Newman, Dina L.; Catavero, Christina M.; Wright, L. Kate

doi:10.1187/cbe.12-01-0003

Cited by 37 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Notwithstanding the fact that low performers struggle with integrating new with existing knowledge during their learning and with applying basic science knowledge in practice, this study suggests that a lack of appropriate SRL also impacts their response to failure. The findings demonstrate that maladaptive SRL behaviours, such as the normalising of failure, a lack of reflection on action and the external attribution of failure, prevent students from overcoming failure appropriately and effectively confine them to a cycle of repeated failure (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The struggling student: a thematic analysis from the self-regulated learning perspective

et al. 2015

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ContextStudents who engage in reflective, self-regulated learning (SRL) are more likely to have academic success, whereas students who have deficits in SRL tend to struggle with academic performance. Understanding how SRL is used by struggling medical students will inform development of better remediation. MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 55 students who had failed the final re-sit assessment at two medical schools in the UK to explore their use of SRL. A thematic analysis approach (TA) was used to identify factors from the lived experience of students who failed at high stakes assessment that prevented them from appropriately overcoming failure. ResultsStruggling students had inappropriate learning strategies as well as inflated beliefs and expectations about their performance on the course. Their adjustment after a failed assessment was restricted by the coping strategies they used to deal with the failure experience, which included normalising the experience and externally attributing reasons for failing. These strategies were a barrier to taking up formal support and seeking informal help from peers. ConclusionsThis study identified that struggling students had problems with SRL, thereby entering a cycle of failure due to limited attempts to access formal and informal support. The findings have implications for how medical schools can provide remediation opportunities for struggling students. Implications for how medical schools can create a culture that supports uptake of SRL and help-seeking, and improve remediation for struggling students are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The struggling student: a thematic analysis from the self-regulated learning perspective

et al. 2015

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“…One of the most common issues is student misunderstanding about the relationship between genes, alleles and chromosomes. For example, Lewis and Kattman pointed out that many students think of genes as “particles” (15), a phenomenon we have observed in our own work exploring knowledge transfer with advanced biology students (21). Students also mistakenly believe that genes are only present in a cell when they are actively being expressed or are needed for that particular cell (6, 25).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Using PCR to Target Misconceptions about Gene Expression

Wright

Newman

2013

J Microbiol Biol Educ.

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We present a PCR-based laboratory exercise that can be used with first- or second-year biology students to help overcome common misconceptions about gene expression. Biology students typically do not have a clear understanding of the difference between genes (DNA) and gene expression (mRNA/protein) and often believe that genes exist in an organism or cell only when they are expressed. This laboratory exercise allows students to carry out a PCR-based experiment designed to challenge their misunderstanding of the difference between genes and gene expression. Students first transform E. coli with an inducible GFP gene containing plasmid and observe induced and un-induced colonies. The following exercise creates cognitive dissonance when actual PCR results contradict their initial (incorrect) predictions of the presence of the GFP gene in transformed cells. Field testing of this laboratory exercise resulted in learning gains on both knowledge and application questions on concepts related to genes and gene expression.

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“…Together, these issues make the learning of cell biology rather uninspiring for students. Moreover, previous studies have reported that students fail to make connections across different topics, leading them to only partially appreciate how nature functions (Mil, Boerwinkel, and Waarlo 2011;Newman, Catavero, and Wright 2012). From my previous experience, I have noted that students tend to study topics in isolation, with little or no regard for functional interactions among them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Using Primary Literature in an Undergraduate Assignment: Demonstrating connections among cellular processes

Yeong

2014

Journal of Biological Education

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Learning basic cell biology in an essential module can be daunting to second-year undergraduates, given the depth of information that is provided in major molecular and cell biology textbooks. Moreover, lectures on cellular pathways are organised into sections, such that at the end of lectures, students might not see how various processes are connected to one another. To help students contextualise and integrate their understanding of cellular processes, a read-and write-to-learn assignment was designed, making use of a research article that demonstrated links between an enzyme functioning in glycolysis and the processes of protein trafficking and cell division in cells. The students were required to make associations among these topics through writing an essay that required them to answer questions on how these processes functionally interact. In an exam question that tested students' ability to integrate what they had learnt in separate topics, students provided a range of answers making use of knowledge from different topics. In a post-intervention survey, students indicated that the research article helped them construct links among seemingly unrelated topics. Thus, a deliberate choice of research data incorporated into purposefully designed assignments can help students integrate concepts in a constructivist manner.

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Students Fail to Transfer Knowledge of Chromosome Structure to Topics Pertaining to Cell Division

Cited by 37 publications

References 39 publications

The struggling student: a thematic analysis from the self-regulated learning perspective

The struggling student: a thematic analysis from the self-regulated learning perspective

Using PCR to Target Misconceptions about Gene Expression

Using Primary Literature in an Undergraduate Assignment: Demonstrating connections among cellular processes

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