Development of an Empirically Validated Learning Progression on Cellular Membrane Structure and Function and Cellular Transport for High School Through Undergraduate Students

Maurina Loren Aranda, Purdue University

Abstract

A learning progression is defined as a hypothetical model of student learning that contains multiple levels. This provides a framework to understand the development of students’ conceptual understanding within a domain. Since cellular biology is an area where students find it difficult to conceptually understand the theoretical and abstract nature of the domain, tools to understand how students learn are needed. Therefore, a learning progression serves to understand student needs within this domain and provides a tool that allows educators to understand students’ prior knowledge and how this knowledge will develop throughout their education. To develop a learning progression from empirical data, a cross-sectional study took place in two high schools and a large public university. In this study, we focused our attention on the development of a learning progression that is effective in describing students’ knowledge on cell membrane structure and function and cellular transport, where the following major research question guided our study: How do high school through undergraduate students conceptualize cell membrane structure and function and cellular transport? To address this research question, we devised the following aims: 1) Develop a research instrument that is effective in eliciting students’ thinking on cell membrane structure and function and cellular transport. 2) Develop a learning progression framework that describes students’ knowledge about cell membrane structure and function and cellular transport. This dissertation provides information about our steps toward developing a coherent and empirically driven learning progression for the knowledge held by students on cell structure and function and cellular transport. Through an iterative process of research instrument development, semi-structured think-aloud interviews with this research instrument and data analysis we identified three levels of student knowledge for these concepts and processes for the following constructs: Structure of Membranes, Properties of Membranes, and Function of Eukaryotic Membranes, Purpose of Cellular Transport, Regulation of Cellular Transport, Active and Passive Transport, Organelle Transport, and Endocytosis and Exocytosis. At the basic level, the typical student response describes their knowledge of the basic structures and functions of the membranes, such as lipids and proteins that provide a barrier for the cell to prevent things from entering the cell that the cell doesn’t need. In contrast, at more advanced level, students are thus able to articulate how the chemical and physical properties of the structure relate to the function of the membrane. Here students describe how the amphipathic nature of the membrane is essential for its bilayer formation, and that the membrane serves multiple roles within the cell, such as a way to separate the extracellular environment from the intracellular environment. With respect to cellular transport, students at a basic level know that transport is needed for nutrient acquisition and processes such as endocytosis are to transport something into the cell but cannot distinguish the mechanisms for how this process occurs. Students with basic-level knowledge do not know the role various proteins play in transport processes, such as receptor proteins, and little is known of organelle transport. The knowledge of signaling pathways within the cell and how these pathways are essential for cellular transport in both the plasma membrane and in organelles is an essential feature for students with an advanced level of knowledge of cellular transport. As expected, most high school students were observed to possess a basic level of knowledge within the constructs. There were a few students who had an intermediate level of knowledge for one or two constructs, but typically students from this population were seen to possess a basic level of knowledge. Similarly, students who completed the upper-level cellular biology course typically possessed the advanced-level of knowledge within all constructs. Interestingly, however, those sampled from the mid-level cellular biology course had the widest distribution of knowledge. These students would respond with basic, intermediate, and advanced-level responses, which suggests that students may advance in knowledge independently of other constructs and supports the notion that over time students will possess more coherence in their understanding of a domain.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Aguilar, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Biology|Science education

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