Towards a better understanding of ecology

Abstract

In biology teaching, ecological subjects play an important role in dealing with nature in a responsible way. Empirical research has shown that, even after school instruction, students do not understand essential ecological concepts.The main reason is that preconceptions which influence learning are not taken into account in the construction of curricula.We combine findings from two independently-designed studies which have their main objectives in common. In both studies the focus is on students' conceptions of ecological terms and phenomena — ecosystem, and balance-and-change in nature. The studies were conducted within the framework of Educational Reconstruction, where three components of research are linked together: ‘scientific clarification’, ‘comprehension of students' perspectives’ and ‘construction of instruction’. In order to capture the structure and quality of students' conceptions, qualitative methods were used. The results of both studies indicate that students tend to refer to more or less constant properties, in particular those which are visible in the everyday world. Processes are rarely their concern. Therefore the scientific conceptions of ecosystem, imbalance and the dynamics of biodiversity would be difficult for them to understand. For a better understanding, the dimensions of both space and time should be included in curricular design.

Keywords:

• Conceptions
• Ecology
• Balance of nature
• Units of nature
• Environmental education