The effects of meiosis/genetics integration and instructional sequence on college biology student achievement in genetics

Mark Edward Browning, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to manipulate two aspects of genetics instruction in order to measure their effects on college, introductory biology students' achievement in genetics. The study was conducted as a true experiment and utilized a fully randomized 2 x 2 factorial design. One independent variable was the degree to which meiosis was instructionally integrated with genetics. At one level of integration, meiosis was treated separately from genetic inheritance. At the other level, meiosis was used in genetic contexts to explain the results of gametogenesis. The other independent variable was instructional sequence. One sequence, similar to that found in many biology texts, dealt first with monohybrid autosomal inheritance patterns, then sex-linkage. The alternate sequence, suggested by R. R. Tolman, was the reverse. Instruction was individually delivered vias microcomputer tutorials to all of the 42 students from one biology course and to 41 volunteers from another. Computer delivered instruction was chosen to control for teacher effects. The criterion test was developed by the investigator and measured a subject's ability to define genetics terms, state relationships between terms, and solve various types of familiar and novel genetics problems. The criterion test scores were analyzed using two-way ANOVA's and revealed the following. The 41 volunteer subjects did so poorly on the criterion test that their scores were uninterpretable. Fortunately, the other group of subjects did much better. In terms of the test overall, the average score of the subjects who received the integrated instruction was higher than those who received the non-integrated instruction. With respect to the individual test tasks, the Tolman sequence groups scored significantly higher on the definitions task than did the non-Tolman groups. However, the non-Tolman groups scored significantly higher on the monohybrid genetics problem. Finally, the groups which received integrated presentations scored significantly higher on two novel genetics problems that required a meaningful understanding of the role of meiosis in genetic inheritance. In terms of genetics instruction, these results favor the integrated approach. However, the sequence results are less clear, providing insufficient evidence to warrant the abandonment of the approach found in many biology texts.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Lehman, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Science education

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