Tracing matter in the carbon cycle: zooming in on high school students’ understanding of carbon compounds and their transformations

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between high school students’ understanding of carbon compounds, including their transformations, and their ability to trace matter in the carbon cycle. The rationale of this study is based on the hypothesis that the students’ lack of knowledge about carbon compounds and their transformations limits the students’ ability to trace carbon in the carbon cycle. A total of 16 students aged 14–16 years (grade 9) from two different secondary schools were interviewed about carbon compounds, and they were asked to trace matter in the carbon cycle in response to a written diagnostic task. We argue that students’ lack of knowledge about carbon compounds and their transformations is responsible for their construction of the carbon cycle as either a gas-gas or solid-solid cycle. Educational implications are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Student conceptions
• carbon cycle
• tracing matter

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Laura Große-Krabbe, who contributed to the data collection while writing her master’s thesis at the Centre for Biology Education, Münster.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Katharina Düsing studied Biology and Latin Philology at Münster University, Germany, and Venice University, Italy. She is currently working on a Ph.D. thesis at the Centre for Biology Education, Münster University, Germany. Her dissertation focuses on promoting student competencies in engaging with the levels of biological organisation in the context of ecology.

Roman Asshoff studied Biology and Philosophy at Jena University and Leipzig University, Germany. He received a Ph.D. in Ecology from Basel University, Switzerland. Currently, he is a senior lecturer in Biology Education at the Centre for Biology Education, Münster University, Germany. His research areas include students’ conceptions and scientific inquiry.

Marcus Hammann studied Biology and English at Kiel University, Germany, and Kansas University, USA. He received a Ph.D. in Biology Education from the Leibniz-Institute of Science Education (IPN), Kiel, Germany. Currently, he is a professor of Biology Education at the Centre for Biology Education, Münster University, Germany. His research focuses on cognitive and affective aspects of biology teaching and learning.

ORCID

Katharina Düsing http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5460-7778

Roman Asshoff http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1001-4479

Marcus Hammann http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4820-5219

Notes

1 According to Düsing et al. (2019), students’ responses qualified for the category tracing carbon across the levels of biological organisation when students identified both a carbon-containing educt and a product of at least one carbon compound-transforming process. However, qualifying for this category by naming carbon dioxide and glucose as carbon compounds regarding photosynthesis is only the first step regarding a coherent understanding of the carbon cycle across carbon compound-transforming processes and across the levels of biological organisation. For example, the further explanation that glucose molecules are transformed into cellulose, which is the main component of plants’ cell walls, would be an indicator of the student’s ability to more explicitly interrelate the molecular and organismal levels.

2 According to Bransford (2012), ‘the idea of conditionalizing one’s knowledge is related to the ability to understand why, when, where and how particular types of knowledge are useful. This understanding allows us to use knowledge as a tool’.