A Study of Aboriginal and Urban Junior High School Students’ Alternative Conceptions on the Definition of Respiration

Abstract

The purpose of this study was two‐fold: one aim was to investigate alternative conceptions of the definition of respiration held by aboriginal and urban junior high students in the Pingtung district, and the other was to determine possible causes for the formation of these alternative conceptions. To achieve this, a two‐tier instrument concerning respiration was administered to 316 aboriginal and 399 urban seventh‐grade to ninth‐grade students who had previously received instruction in respiration. The seventh‐grade and eighth‐grade students who held alternative conceptions of specific categories were selected for interviews. A total of 70 aboriginal and urban students, respectively, were interviewed for the exploration of the sources of alternative conceptions. Results showed that both the aboriginal and urban students held common alternative conceptions. Especially, students in both groups have difficulty in grasping respiration as a chemical process rather than a physical one involving gases going into or out of organisms. In addition, the sources of students’ significant alternative conceptions not only are diverse but may be interrelated. Furthermore, due to different living environments, the sources of these alternative conceptions for the two groups are somewhat different. Aboriginal students tend to learn knowledge in connection with natural phenomena or from their own experiences. However, urban students tend to learn knowledge in connection with common modern equipment and everyday appliances. In addition, the urban students were more impressed by the experiments as well as by advertisements, and were more familiar with social events. Finally, the implication for science teaching is also discussed.

Keywords:

• Aborigines
• Alternative conceptions
• Respiration

Acknowledgment

The author wishes to thank to National Science Council for funding this research (NSC 89‐2511‐S‐153‐020, NSC 90‐2511‐S‐153‐021, NSC 91‐2522‐S‐153‐006, and NSC 92‐2522‐S‐153‐016).