Remembering, Rationalizing, Digitalizing, Networking (2RDN): An Instructional Intervention to Improve Students’ Understanding on Plants’ Life Energy and Processes

Abstract

Plants’ life energy and processes is one of the most difficult topics students are confronted with in life science classes. This can be due to alternative concepts students’ hold, which are often profoundly inconsistent with scientifically acceptable counterparts. Consequently, meaningful, and transformative learning environments should build on learners’ alternative conceptual understandings to initiate conceptual change towards a more scientific understanding. In this quasi-mixed-method design study, a heterogenous class of grade 9 Korean students’ pre-instructional concepts about plants’ life energy and processes were evaluated and identified empirically. Afterwards these students were exposed to the 2RDN instructional intervention in order to create a cognitive conflict. The learning processes and signs of conceptual change were assessed using the t-test and concept change analyses. The results show that the 2RDN reinforces students’ pre-instructional concepts and triggers conceptual change. Further, the t-test results reveal that the difference in scores between pretest and posttest was significant. This significant improvements on the students’ conceptual understanding on plants’ life energy and processes suggest the efficacy of the 2RDN instructional intervention.