October 2 – Thesis Defense – Milissa Knox
ORAL THESIS DEFENSE
MST Candidate Milissa Knox
Thesis Advisor: Molly Schauffler
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science in Teaching
December, 2015
Thinking Beyond the Fried Egg Model: Basic Biology Students’ Knowledge and Contextual Understanding of Cell Structure and Function
This exploratory study investigated three aspects of introductory undergraduate biology students understanding about cells. The study took place at the University of Maine’s with voluntary students in Basic Biology class (“BIO100”) in the summer and fall of 2009 and examined (1) students’ pre-course perceptions of cells as they exist in a living context in living organisms and (2) gains in students perception and knowledge about cells after completing the one-semester course (BIO100). Results are based on lecture exam scores, pre-post surveys developed as a part of this thesis, and interviews with two groups of biology students. A total of 498 students participated in the study, within that group, 25 students participated in a survey or interview (summer survey (n=15) and fall interview (n=10)). Results suggest that (1) students enter BIO100 with inaccurate perceptions about how living cells vary in shape, size, and function, and that, (2) students’ factual knowledge about cells (such as ability to identify parts of a cell) significantly improves during BIO100 but their contextual understanding (such as cell size can range from a microscopic bacterium to a large ostrich egg) does not improve during the course. Suggestions are offered for how high school or undergraduate curriculum and assessments might be aligned to emphasize not only content knowledge, but also help students improve their perception of the diversity of cell structure and function in living contexts.