Abdullah, Nabilah
(2006)
Primary School Pupils' Patierns Of Understanding
Relating To Germination Of Seeds.
PhD thesis, Perpustakaan Hamzah Sendut.
Abstract
Locally, there is a dearth of research on primary school children's understanding of
science concepts. Not much is known about the conceptions they hold of science
objects or phenomena and nor do the factors that influence their understanding of
concepts. Using a combination of the grounded theory and case study approach, this
study sought to examine the patterns of understanding relating to germination of seeds
of sixty-two Year Four pupils from two primary schools within the Klang Valley. Each
pupil was asked to draw his or her context map, interviewed and sat for a paper-andpencil
test twice; once before and another after classroom instruction. The patterns of
understanding of seed germination were formed based on their notion of seeds, seed
formation, germination process and germination requirements. The findings of the
study highlighted several important points on which an evolutionary model of
understanding of science concept and a comprehensive a framework for science
learning and understanding were generated. First, pupils brought into their classrooms
a myriad of non-scientific ideas relating to the understudied concepts, largely
influenced by the socio-cultural factors within which they were brought up. These
included their home environment, the society, media, religion, belief system, language
and metaphors used. Internal factors in the form of previous knowledge and
conceptual schema of seeds were also found to have influenced their understanding of
germination. However, there were also pupils who were not exposed to seeds and
germination during their early years of socialization, resulting in their knowing nothing
or very little about those concepts.
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