How is Mendelian genetics taught in Malawi?

Nellie M. Mbano, P. Chitundu, D. Nampota
{"title":"How is Mendelian genetics taught in Malawi?","authors":"Nellie M. Mbano, P. Chitundu, D. Nampota","doi":"10.33828/sei.v34.i1.3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Understanding genetics, an important topic in the study of biology, is critical for scientific literacy in agriculture, health, and forensic investigations. However, it has been observed that teachers find genetics difficult to teach and pupils do not perform well in it. Teachers can use expository teaching or active learning methods, but the secondary school curriculum in Malawi advocates the latter. The aim of this study was to find out how genetics is taught and how teachers justify their choice of method. This study used a multi-case design involving six teachers and observed their Mendelian genetics lessons and asked them to justify their choice of teaching method. The findings show that teachers mostly use expository methods utilising lecture and question and answer teaching techniques. Contextual factors such as large classes, limited teaching time, and lack of resources were cited as reasons for their choice of expository techniques. In addition, they said that the topic was abstract and learners could not construct their own understanding. Furthermore, they indicated that they did not know what activities to arrange for the learners. The paper discusses the difficulties experienced in implementing active learning methods in teaching genetics and recommends possible avenues for teacher education and further research in Malawi.","PeriodicalId":156311,"journal":{"name":"Science Education International","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Science Education International","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.33828/sei.v34.i1.3","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Understanding genetics, an important topic in the study of biology, is critical for scientific literacy in agriculture, health, and forensic investigations. However, it has been observed that teachers find genetics difficult to teach and pupils do not perform well in it. Teachers can use expository teaching or active learning methods, but the secondary school curriculum in Malawi advocates the latter. The aim of this study was to find out how genetics is taught and how teachers justify their choice of method. This study used a multi-case design involving six teachers and observed their Mendelian genetics lessons and asked them to justify their choice of teaching method. The findings show that teachers mostly use expository methods utilising lecture and question and answer teaching techniques. Contextual factors such as large classes, limited teaching time, and lack of resources were cited as reasons for their choice of expository techniques. In addition, they said that the topic was abstract and learners could not construct their own understanding. Furthermore, they indicated that they did not know what activities to arrange for the learners. The paper discusses the difficulties experienced in implementing active learning methods in teaching genetics and recommends possible avenues for teacher education and further research in Malawi.
孟德尔遗传学在马拉维是怎么教的?
了解遗传学是生物学研究中的一个重要课题,对农业、卫生和法医调查的科学素养至关重要。然而,据观察,教师发现遗传学很难教,学生在这方面表现不佳。教师可以使用说明文教学或主动学习方法,但马拉维的中学课程提倡后者。这项研究的目的是找出如何教授遗传学以及教师如何证明他们选择的方法。本研究采用多案例设计,涉及六位教师,观察他们的孟德尔遗传学课程,并要求他们证明他们选择的教学方法。调查结果显示,教师主要使用说明文的方法,利用讲座和问答教学技巧。背景因素,如大班、有限的教学时间和缺乏资源被认为是他们选择说明文技术的原因。此外,他们说这个话题是抽象的,学习者无法构建自己的理解。此外,他们表示他们不知道为学习者安排什么活动。本文讨论了在遗传学教学中实施主动学习方法所遇到的困难,并建议了马拉维教师教育和进一步研究的可能途径。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
自引率
0.00%
发文量
0
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信