Bridging the educational research-teaching practice gap. Conceptual understanding, part 1: The multifaceted nature of expert knowledge

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education

Volumn 36, Issue 4, 2008, Pages 309-315

  Anderson, Trevor R ^a   Schönborn, Konrad J ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU NATAL   (South Africa)

^b UNIVERSITY OF GÖTTINGEN   (Germany)

Author keywords

Assessment; Cognitive skills; Conceptual understanding; Expert versus novice knowledge; Meaningful learning

Indexed keywords

EID: 49149108793     PISSN: 14708175     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/bmb.20209     Document Type: Review

References (55)

1. Committee on Undergraduate Biology Education to Prepare Research Scientists for the 21st Century (2003) Bio2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists, National Academy Press, Washington. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309085357.
2. S. Hamilton, M. J. T. M. da Costa, T. R. Anderson, J. G. Voet, D. Voet (2007) SBBq-IUBMB Workshop: Development of a concept inventory for the molecular life sciences. Proceedings of the 36th SBBq and 10th IUBMB Conference, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, May 21-25, 2007.
3. T. Wright, S. Hamilton, S. Howitt, M. Rafter, M. J. T. M. da Costa, T. R. Anderson, W. Laffan, A. Kahn (2007) Development of a Concept Inventory for the Molecular Life Sciences, Carrick Grant Award, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
4. S. E. Thompson, N. J. Barrows, J. Bond-Robinson, D. W. Sears (2006) Conceptual assessments to explore students' misconceptions in visualized biochemical structures, Proceedings of the SASBMB meeting, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, July 2-5, 2006.
5. R. E. Mayer (2002) Rote versus meaningful learning, Theory Pract. 41, 226-232.
6. A. Chattopadhyay (2005) Understanding of genetic information in higher secondary students in northeast India and the implications for genetics education, Cell Biol. Educ. 4, 97-104.
7. A. J. Wolfson, E. Boyer, H. Hamm, E. Bell, J. Bond, P. Rubenstein, R. A. Copeland, T. R. Anderson, The Teagle foundation (Last Accessed 14 November 2007) http://www.teaglefoundation.org/grantmaking/grantees/disciplines.aspx.
8. W. B. Wood (2008) Teaching concepts versus facts in developmental biology, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 7, 10-11.
9. M. Orgill, G. Bodner (2007) Locks and keys: An analysis of biochemistry students' use of analogies, Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 35, 244-254.
10. R. White, R. Gunstone (1992) The Nature of Understanding, Probing Understanding, The Falmer Press, London, pp. 1-14.
11. J. Charney, C. E. Hmelo-Silver, W. Sofer, L. S. N. Coletta, M. Nemeroff (2007) Cognitive apprenticeship in science through immersion in laboratory practices, Int. J. Sci. Educ. 29, 195-213.
12. L. W. Anderson, D. R. Krathwohl, P. W Airasian, K. A. Cruikshank, R. E. Mayer, P. R. Pintrich, J. Raths, M. C. Wittrock, in L. W. Anderson, D. R. Krathwohl, Eds. (2001) A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Complete edition), Longman, New York.
13. D. F. Treagust, A. G. Harrison, G. J. Venville (1996) Using an analogical teaching approach to engender conceptual change, Int. J. Sci. Educ. 18, 213-229.
14. H. Kitano (2002) Systems biology: A brief overview, Science 295, 1662-1664.
15. K. J. Schönborn, T. R. Anderson (2006) The importance of visual lit-eracy in the education of biochemists. Biochem. Mol. Bio. Educ. 34, 94-102.
16. M. Gorodetsky, K. M. Fisher, in K. M. Fisher and M. R. Kibby, Eds. (1996) Generating Connections and Learning in Biology, Knowledge Acquisition, Organization, and Use in Biology (NATO ASI Series F, Vol. 148), Springer Verlag, New York, pp. 135-154.
17. T. L. Nahum, R. Mamlok-Naaman, A. Hofstein, J. Krajcik (2007) Developing a new teaching approach for the chemical bonding concept aligned with current scientific and pedagogical knowledge, Sci. Educ. 91, 579-603.
18. J. Khodor, D. Gould Halme, G. C. Walker (2004) A hierarchical biology concept framework: A tool for course design. Cell Biol. Educ. 3, 111-121.
19. R. Stevens, D. F. Johnson, A. Soller (2005) Probabilities and predictions: Modeling the development of scientific problem-solving skills, Cell Biol. Educ. 4, 42-57.
20. M. T. H. Chi, P. J. Feltovich, R. Glaser (1981) Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices, Cognit. Sci. 5, 121-152.
21. F. Reif (1986) Scientific approaches to science education, Phys. Today, November, 48-54; cited by Grayson (1995).
22. J. D. Novak, A. J. Cañas (2006) The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct them, technical report IHMC Cmap-Tools 2006-01, Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, available at (Accessed 5 July 2007): http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf
23. G. Marbach-Ad, V. Briken, K. Frauwirth, L.-Y. Gao, S. W. Hutcheson, S. W. Joseph, D. Mosser, B. Parent, P. Shields, W. Song, D. C. Stein, K. Swanson, K. V. Thompson, R. Yuan, A. C. Smith (2007) A faculty team works to create content linkages among various courses to increase meaningful learning of targeted concepts of microbiology, Cell Biol. Educ. 6, 155-162.
24. T. R. Anderson (2007) Bridging the educational research-teaching practice gap: The importance of bridging the gap between science education research and its application in biochemistry teaching and learning: Barriers and strategies, Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 35, 465-470.
25. N. G. Lederman (1992) Students' and teachers' conceptions of the nature of science: A review of the research, J. Res. Sci. Teach. 29, 331-359.
26. T. R. Anderson, in A. van Niekerk, Ed. (2005) The Effective Practice of Agricultural Science, Ethics in Agriculture - An African Perspective, Springer, The Netherlands, Chapter 8, pp. 143-163.
27. N. J. Entwistle, P. Ramsden (1983) Understanding Student Learning, Croom Helm, London.
28. T. R. Anderson (2007) Bridging the educational research-teaching practice gap: The power of assessment, Biochem. Mol. Biol. Educ. 35, 471-477.
29. B. S. Bloom, M. D. Engelhart, E. J. Furst, W. H. Hill, D. R. Krathwohl, in B. S. Bloom, Ed. (1956) Taxonomy of Education Objectives, Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. David McKay, New York.
30. D. Allen, K. Tanner (2002) Approaches to cell biology teaching: Questions about questions, Cell Biol. Educ. 1, 63-67.
31. D. R. Krathwohl (2002) A revision of bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theor. Pract. 41, 212-218.
32. D. Ausubel (1968) Educational Psychology, Holt, Rinehart & Winston, New York.
33. G. M. Bodner (1986) Constructivism: A theory of knowledge, J. Chem. Educ. 63, 873-878.
34. K. M. Fisher, in K. M. Fisher, J. H. Wandersee, D. E. Moody, Eds. (2000) Meaningful and Mindful Learning, Mapping Biology Knowledge, Kluwer, London, pp. 77-94.
35. J. D. Novak (2003) The promise of new ideas and new technology for improving teaching and learning, Cell Biol. Educ. 2, 122-132.
36. D. J. Grayson (1995) Science education research and implications for university science instruction, S. Afr. J. Sci. 91, 168-172.
37. D. Allen, K. Tanner (2003) Approaches to cell biology teaching: Mapping the journey-concept maps as signposts of developing knowledge structures, Cell Biol. Educ. 2, 133-136.
38. J. H. Wandersee, in K. M. Fisher, J. H. Wandersee, D. E. Moody, Eds. (2000) Using Concept Mapping as a Knowledge Mapping Tool, Mapping Biology Knowledge, Kluwer, London, Chapter 8, pp. 127-142.
39. J. D. Novak, in: D. F. Treagust, R. Duit, B. J. Fraser, Eds. (1996) Concept Mapping: A Tool for Improving Science Teaching and Learning, Improving Teaching and Learning in Science and Mathematics, Teachers College Press, New York, pp. 32-43.
40. C. E. Hancock (2006) Identification and remediation of student difficulties with quantitative genetics, Ph.D. Thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
41. K. M. Fisher, J. Faletti, H. A. Patterson, R. Thornton, J. Lipson, C. Spring (1990) Computer-based concept mapping: SemNet software - A tool for describing knowledge networks, J. Col. Sci. Teach. 19, 347-352.
42. R. E. Mayer, M. C. Wittrock, in D. C. Berliner, R. C. Calfee, Eds. (1996) Problem-Solving Transfer, Handbook of Educational Psychology, Mcmillan, New York, pp. 47-62.
43. D. J. Grayson (1993) Teaching for transfer, Educ. Dev. Updat. 3, 4-6.
44. G. Salomon, D. N. Perkins (1989) Rocky roads to transfer: Rethinking mechanisms of a neglected phenomenon, Educ. Psychol. 24, 113-142.
45. S. V. Sharma (2006) High school students interpreting tables and graphs: Implications for research. Int. J. Sci. Math. Educ. 4, 241-268.
46. M. Orgill, G. Bodner (2004) What research tells us about using analogies to teach chemistry, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. 5, 15-32.
47. A. G. Harrison, O. De Jong (2005) Exploring the use of multiple analogical models when teaching and learning chemical equilibrium, J. Res. Sci. Teach. 42, 1135-1159.
48. G. J. Venville, D. F. Treagust (1996) The role of analogies in promoting conceptual change in biology, Instr. Sci. 24, 295-320.
49. J. Clement (1993) Using bridging analogies and anchoring intuitions to deal with students' preconceptions in physics, J. Res. Sci. Teach. 30, 1241-1257.
50. K. J. Schönborn, T. R. Anderson (2008) Development of a model of factors determining students' ability to interpret external representations in biochemistry, Int. J. Sci. Educ., DOI: 10.1080/09500690701670535.
51. T. R. Anderson, D. J. Grayson (1994) Improving students' understanding of carbohydrate metabolism in first-year biochemistry at tertiary level, Res. Sci. Educ., 24, 1-10.
52. J. Ramadas, U. Nair (1996) The system idea as a tool in understanding conceptions about the digestive system, Int. J. Sci. Educ. 18, 355-368.
53. J.-H. S. Hofmeyr, A. Cornish-Bowden (2000) Regulating the cellular economy of supply and demand, FEBS Lett 476, 47-51.
54. T. Grotzer, B. B. Basca (2003) How does grasping the underlying causal structures of ecosystems impact students' understanding? J. Biol. Educ. 38, 16-29.
55. M. Evagorou, K. Korfiatis, C. Nicolaou, C. Constantinou (2007) An investigation of the potential of interactive simulations for developing system thinking in elementary school: A case study with fifth-graders and sixth-graders, Int. J. Sci. Educ., DOI: 10.1080/09500690701749313.