Students' Ideas About Plants & Plant Growth

Scientific Practices in Elementary Classrooms: Third-Grade Students’ Scientific Explanations for Seed Structure and Function

“…The evidence for students’ preexisting mechanism libraries is apparent in almost three decades of research on plant growth and development. Alternate conceptions about seed growth and development are prevalent in elementary school (Barman, Stein, McNair, & Barman, ; Canal, ; Jewel, ; Patrick & Tunnicliffe, ) and remain into adulthood (Wandersee & Schussler, ). Students articulate naïve conceptions about the purpose of the seed, where the seed comes from, what is contained inside the seed, what the dormant seed needs to grow, and whether it is living or nonliving.…”

Prospective Teachers’ Initial Conceptions About Pupils’ Difficulties in Science and Mathematics: A Potential Resource in Teacher Education

“…This understanding includes knowledge that carbon dioxide is the main source of matter for growth (dry weight) and that there is a transformation process to form carbohydrates in photosynthesis with sunlight as the energy source. However, many research studies have revealed pupils' difficulty with plant growth, including the concept of photosynthesis (Barman, Stein, McNair & Barman, 2006;Lin & Hu, 2003;Marmaroti & Galanopoulou, 2006;Stavy, Eisen & Yaakobi, 1987). There is a common conception among both pupils and university students that the main raw materials for plant growth are taken from soil and sunlight and not from the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which is the scientific view (Helldén, 2004;Özay & Öztas, 2003;Stavy et al, 1987).…”

“…Researchers have documented a difficulty in conceiving gas as matter (Carlsson, 2003;Stavy et al, 1987). Furthermore, although pupils and students know that carbon dioxide is taken up by plants, they find it problematic understanding the transformation in plants in which carbohydrates are produced from water and carbon dioxide (Barman et al, 2006;Carlsson, 2002a) and the carbohydrates produced are used by the plants themselves as building material and in respiration (Barman et al, 2006;Carlsson, 2002b;Özay & Öztas, 2003). A number of studies have also identified learners' difficulties in recognising the relationship between different concepts concerning matter cycling and energy flow (Carlsson, 2002b;Lin & Hu, 2003;Stavy et al, 1987).…”

“…Recognising gas as a substance has been noted as a critical aspect for understanding the basic process of photosynthesis (Carlsson, 2003;Stavy, 1988). The perception that pupils have difficulty understanding the transformation processes in plants has been pointed out by other researchers for pupils at different ages (Barman et al, 2006;Carlsson, 2002a). Carlsson (2002aCarlsson ( , 2003 stated that knowledge about transformations is one of several keys for understanding photosynthesis.…”

Understanding Cellular Respiration in Terms of Matter & Energy within Ecosystems

“…Students frequently demonstrate difficulty understanding cellular respiration, thinking it is exclusive to animal cells, that plants obtain energy directly from the sun, and that there is no need for cell respiration (Barman et al, 2006). Other students confuse the processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis, creating a hybrid alternative conception that mixes the products and reactants of these distinct biochemical processes (Carlsson, 2002a).…”