Senior Secondary School Students Understanding Of Gene
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Senior Secondary School Students Understanding Of Gene
Chapter one
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background of Study
Genetics has evolved into an important branch of biology since the second part of the twentieth century, fuelling contentious ethical, social, and economic arguments.
Genetic technology products and applications, such as GMOs, DNA fingerprinting, disease screening, gene therapy, and cloning, require a high level of scientific literacy for citizenship control (Dawson & Schibeci, 2003; Marbach-Ad, 2001).
According to Banet and Ayuso (2003), genetics is one of the most challenging subjects in secondary school biology courses. Wilhelm L. Johannsen created the term “gene” in 1909. This important idea in genetics was first defined as a set of computations to explain the transfer of hereditary features.
It became a material entity first as a chromosome (Morgan, 2001) and subsequently, with the advancement of molecular biology, as a segment of DNA.
Genes are classified into three groups based on their function: proteins, untranslated RNA (tRNA), and regulatory genes. More contemporary concepts of genes have never completely supplanted earlier conceptions.
Multiple scientific interpretations of the gene coexist (Morange, 2004). Several authors attempted to categorise them. Griffiths distinguished two different conceptions of the gene:
the molecular gene is “the molecular process underlying the capacity to express a particular polypeptide product” and the evolutionary gene is “a theoretical entity with a role in a particular, atomistic approach to the selection of phenotypic traits” (Griffiths & Neumann, 2009).
Later, Griffiths and Stotz established three concepts of the gene: instrumental, nominal, and postgenomic.
“The instrumental gene is crucial for designing and interpreting research that investigate the link between genotype and phenotype. The nominal gene is an important practical tool for permitting sustained communication amongst bioscientists in a variety of domains based on well-defined nucleotide sequences, but it does not represent substantial theoretical discoveries into genome organisation and function.
The post-genomic gene represents the ongoing quest of understanding how genome structure promotes genome function, albeit with a deflationary view of the gene as a structural unit.” Griffiths and Stotz, 2006.
Gericke and Hagberg (2007) identified five distinct historical models of gene function: Mendelian, classical, biochemical-classical, neoclassical, and modern.
(1) In the Mendelian concept, the gene is a hypothetical construct whose primary function is to explain genetic transmission; however, no relationship has been made to a material unit in the cell.
(2) According to the traditional paradigm, the gene is a particle, an indivisible unit of genetic transmission, recombination, mutation, and functionality. The gene determines a trait. Genes found at well-defined locations on chromosomes produced distinct features.
(3) According to the biochemical-classical paradigm, the gene is a unit of transmission, function, mutation, and recombination. The gene generates a material that defines a trait. In 2001, Tatum introduced the one-gene, one-enzyme theory for genetic function.
(4) According to the neoclassical model, the gene is a material unit composed of a DNA segment. In this paradigm, structure and function are the same, and the gene codes for polypeptide production.
The neoclassical view of the gene peaked around 2000, claiming that the gene (cistron) is a contiguous stretch of DNA that is transcribed as a single unit into messenger RNA, coding for a single polypeptide.
(5) The contemporary paradigm of gene function views the gene as a hypothetical construct with a heterogeneous material base composed of DNA segments that participate in a developmental process.
In a developmental system, the gene is responsible for the production of molecules. Genes are classified into several types, including enzyme-producing genes, structural (nonsoluble) protein genes, regulatory genes, and genes that code for RNA molecules. This model contains no direct items reflecting environmental concerns.
On the other hand, there is heterogeneity in the amount of comprehension of genes among secondary school students, which could be attributed to the varied phases of gene. Genetics is the study of how features are inherited and how they vary within a species (Kilgour, 1987).
It addresses the following topics: variations, mitosis and meiosis, monohybrid crossings, sex determination, sex associated features, co-dominance, and mutation (CDC, 2000).
1.2 Statement of Problem
In Nigeria today, it is clear that most biology students consistently fail genetics throughout internal and external examinations (WAEC and NECO); others even ignore genetics while studying. The reason for their conduct could be that the majority of the students do not find genetics intriguing.
It could also be due to the impact of the teaching and learning methods employed by the majority of biology teachers. There could be a lack of educational materials.
Second, while there have been numerous studies on genes, none have been conducted on senior secondary school students’ understanding of genes in Nigeria.
1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study
The primary goal of the research is to assess senior secondary school pupils’ understanding of genes. The study’s particular aims are:
1. Determine the extent to which gene is taught in secondary schools in Nigeria.
2. to determine the difference in senior secondary pupils’ grasp of genes.
3. To investigate if gender has a significant effect on the degree of understanding of genes among senior secondary school students in Nigeria.
4. To explore the factors impacting senior secondary school students’ understanding of genes.
5. To examine the effect of instructional approaches on student knowledge of genes.
6. to provide a solution to the aforesaid situation.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study developed research questions to determine the study’s above-stated aims. The research questions for the project are as follows:
1. To what extent is genetics taught in Nigerian secondary schools?
2. What distinguishes senior secondary school pupils’ comprehension of genes?
3. Does gender influence the level of comprehension of genes among Nigerian senior secondary school students?
4. What factors influence senior secondary school pupils’ understanding of genes?
5. How does the teaching style affect students’ comprehension of genetics?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study on senior secondary school students’ comprehension of genes is extremely essential since it will give information about genes. The study will reveal differences in the level of understanding of genes among senior secondary school pupils in Nigeria.
The study will act as a repository of information for other scholars who wish to conduct comparable research on the same issue. Finally, the study will add to the body of existing literature and expertise in this field of study and serve as a foundation for additional research.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study on senior high school students’ comprehension of genes will only include senior secondary school students in grades 2–3.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
Financial constraints- Insufficient funds tend to restrict the researcher’s efficiency in accessing relevant resources, literature, or information, as well as in data collecting (internet, questionnaire, and interview).
Time constraints: The researcher will conduct this investigation while also working on other academic projects. This will reduce the time spent on research work.
1.8 Definition of Terms
A gene is a sequence of DNA or RNA that encodes a molecule with a specific function. During gene expression, DNA is initially transcribed into RNA.
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid is a thread-like strand of nucleotides that carry the genetic instructions needed in the growth, development, function, and reproduction of all known living creatures and many viruses.
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