Teaching Genetics in Secondary Classrooms: A Linguistic Analysis of Teachers' Talk About Proteins

Research in Science Education

Volumn 44, Issue 1, 2014, Pages 81-108

  Thörne, Karin ^a   Gericke, Niklas ^a  

^a KARLSTAD UNIVERSITY   (Sweden)

Author keywords

Classroom study; Genetics education; Proteins; Secondary school; Teachers language

Indexed keywords

EID: 84893718531     PISSN: 0157244X     EISSN: 15731898     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s11165-013-9375-9     Document Type: Article

References (48)

1. Allchin, D. (2000). Mending Mendelism. The American Biology Teacher, 62(9), 632-640.
2. Brown, B. A., & Spang, E. (2008). Double talk: synthesizing everyday and science language in the classroom. Science Education, 92(4), 708-732.
3. Dagher, Z., & Cossman, G. (1992). Verbal explanations given by science teachers: their nature and implications. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29(4), 361-374.
4. Darden, L. (2008). Thinking again about biological mechanisms. Philosophy of Science, 75(5), 958-969.
5. Donovan, J., & Venville, G. J. (2012). Blood and bones: the influence of the mass media on Australian primary school children's understandings of genes and DNA. Science Education. doi: 10. 1007/s11191-012-9491-3.
6. dos Santos, V. C., Joaquim, L. M., & El-Hani, C. N. (2012). Hybrid deterministic views about genes in biology textbooks: a key problem in genetics teaching. Science Education, 21(4), 543-578.
7. Duncan, R. G. (2007). The role of domain specific knowledge in generative reasoning about complicated multileveled phenomena. Cognition and Instruction, 25(4), 271-336.
8. Duncan, R. G., & Reiser, B. J. (2007). Reasoning across ontologically distinct levels: studentst' understandings of molecular genetics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(7), 938-959.
9. Duncan, R. G., Rogat, A. D., & Yarden, A. (2009). A learning progression for deepening students' understanding of modern genetics across the 5th-10th grades. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(6), 655-674.
10. Duncan, R. G., & Tseng, K. A. (2011). Designing project-based instruction to foster generative and mechanistic understandings in genetics. Science Education, 95(1), 21-56.
11. Eklund, J., Rogat, A. D., Alozie, N., & Krajcik, J. S. (2007). Promoting student scientific literacy of molecular genetics and genomics. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, April 2007, New Orleans.
12. Fang, Z. (2005). Scientific literacy: a systemic functional linguistics perspective. Science Education, 89(2), 335-347.
13. Flodin, V. (2009). The necessity of making visible concepts with multiple meanings in science education: the use of gene concept in a biology textbook. Science Education, 18(1), 73-94.
14. Gericke, N. M., & Hagberg, M. (2007). Definition of historical models of gene function and their relation to students' understanding of genetics. Science & Education, 16(7-8), 849-881.
15. Gericke, N. M., & Hagberg, M. (2010a). Conceptual incoherence as a result of the use of multiple historical models in school textbooks. Research in Science Education, 40(4), 605-623.
16. Gericke, N. M., & Hagberg, M. (2010b). Conceptual variation in the depiction of gene function in upper secondary school textbooks. Science & Education, 19(10), 963-994.
17. Gericke, N. M., Hagberg, M., & Jorde, D. (2013). Upper secondary students' understanding of the use of multiple models in biology textbooks-The importance of conceptual variation and incommensurability. Research in Science Education, 43(2), 755-780.
18. Gericke, N. M., Hagberg, M., Santos, V. C., Joaquim, L. M., & El-Hani, C. N. (2012). Conceptual variation or incoherence? Textbook discourse on genes in six countries. Science & Education, doi: 10. 1007/s11191-012-9499-8.
19. Gericke, N. M. & Wahlberg, S. (2013). Clusters of concepts in molecular genetics: a study of Swedish upper secondary science students' understanding. Journal of Biological Education, 47(2), 73-83.
20. Guilfoile, P. (1997). Wrinkled peas and white-eyed fruit flies: the molecular basis of two classical genetic traits. The American Biology Teacher, 59(2), 92-95.
21. Halliday, M. A. K. (1993). Towards a language-based theory of learning. Linguistics and Education, 5(2), 93-116.
22. Halliday, M. A. K., & Martin, J. R. (1993). Writing science: literacy and discursive power. Bristol: Falmer.
23. Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004). An introduction to functional grammar. London: Arnold.
24. Hand, B., Alvermann, D., Gee, J., Guzzetti, B., Norris, S., Phillips, L., et al. (2003). Message from the "Island Group": what is literacy in science literacy? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(7), 607-615.
25. Knippels, M. C. P. J. (2002). Coping with the abstract and complex nature of genetics in biology education-the yo-yo learning and teaching strategy. Dissertation, CD-β Press, Utrecht.
26. Lemke, J. L. (1990). Talking science: language, learning, and values. Norwood: Ablex.
27. Lewis, J., Leach, J., & Wood-Robinson, C. (2000). All in the genes? Young people's understanding of the nature of genes. Journal of Biological Education, 34(2), 74-79.
28. Lewis, J., & Kattmann, U. (2004). Traits, genes, particles and information: re-visiting students' understandings of genetics. Research report. International Journal of Science Education, 26(2), 195-206.
29. Machamer, P., Darden, L., & Craver, C. F. (2000). Thinking about mechanisms. Philosophy of Science, 67, 1-25.
30. Marbach-Ad, G. (2001). Attempting to break the code in student comprehension of genetic concepts. Journal of Biological Education, 35(4), 183-189.
31. Marbach-Ad, G., & Stavy, R. (2000). Students' cellular and molecular explanations of genetic phenomena. Journal of Biological Education, 34(4), 200-205.
32. Mortimer, E. F., & Scott, P. (2003). Meaning making in secondary science classrooms. Buckingham: Open University Press.
33. Nygård-Larsson, P. (2008). Hur systematisk är systematiken? Några semiotiska resursers betydelse för skapandet av explicita tematiska mönster i lärartext och lärobok. In P. Juvonen (Ed.), Language and learning. Papers from the ASLA Symposium in Stockholm, 7-8 November (pp. 71-83). Uppsala: Svenska föreningen för tillämpad språkvetenskap.
34. Ogborn, J., Kress, G., Martins, I., & Mc Gillicuddy, K. (1996). Explaining science in the classroom. Buckingham: Open University Press.
35. Oyoo, S. O. (2011). Language in science classrooms: an analysis of physics teachers' use of and beliefs about language. Research in Science Education. doi: 10. 1007/s11165-011-9228-3.
36. Robson, C. (2002). Real world research: a resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. Oxford: Blackwell.
37. Schönborn, K. J., & Bögeholtz, S. (2009). Knowledge transfer in biology and translation across external representations: experts' views and challenges for learning. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 7(5), 931-955.
38. Swedish National Agency for Education. (2006). Curriculum for the compulsory school system, the pre-school class and the leisure-time centre (94th ed.). Stockholm: Swedish National Agency for Education.
39. Swedish National Agency for Education. (2011). Curriculum for the compulsory school system, the pre-school class and the leisure-time centre 2011. Stockholm: Swedish National Agency for Education.
40. Tsui, C.-Y., & Treagust, D. F. (2007). Understanding genetics: analysis of secondary students' conceptual status. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(2), 205-235.
41. van Mil, M., Boerwinkel, D., & Waarlo, A. (2013). Modelling molecular mechanisms: a framework of scientific reasoning to construct molecular-level explanations for cellular behaviour. Science & Education 22(1), 93-118.
42. Venville, G. J., & Donovan, J. (2005). Searching for clarity to teach the complexity of the gene concept. Teaching Science, 51(3), 20-24.
43. Venville, G. J., Gribble, S. J., & Donovan, J. (2005). An exploration of young children's understandings of genetics concepts from ontological and epistemological perspectives. Science Education, 89(4), 614-633.
44. Venville, G. J., & Treagust, D. F. (1998). Exploring conceptual change in genetics using a multidimensional interpretive framework. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35(9), 1031-1055.
45. Venville, G. J., & Treagust, D. F. (2002). Teaching about the gene in the genetic information age. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 48(2), 20-24.
46. Verhoeff, R. P., Boerwinkel, D. J., & Waarlo, A. J. (2009). Genomics in school. EMBO Reports, 10(2), 120-124.
47. Wellington, J., & Osborne, J. (2001). Language and literacy in science education. Buckingham: Open University Press.
48. Wilson, J. M. (1999). Using words about thinking: content analyses of chemistry teachers' classroom talk. International Journal of Science Education, 21(10), 1067-1084.