Models of micro-organisms: children's knowledge and understanding of micro-organisms from 7 to 14 years-old.

Jenny Byrne (1)

1 School of Education

This paper describes the expressed models of children aged 7, 11 and 14 years have about micro-organisms and microbial activity. These were elicited using a variety of data collection techniques that complemented each other resulting in a rich data set, and provided information about the level of knowledge and progression of ideas across the age range studied. Subsequent analysis of the data enabled generalised mental models of micro-organisms to be derived that indicate a hierarchy in the sophistication and accuracy of the concepts explored. The resulting mental models were categorised as extended, transitional and emergent and characterise the ideas held by some children in each of the age groups studied. The implications for curriculum development and consequences for learning and teaching microbiology are discussed.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Domaines: Education

Jenny Byrne. Models of micro-organisms: children's knowledge and understanding of micro-organisms from 7 to 14 years-old.. International Journal of Science Education, 2011, pp.1. ⟨10.1080/09500693.2010.536999⟩. ⟨hal-00676090⟩