Thematic Analysis of Graduate Theses on Alternative Concepts and Conceptual Change in Biology Education

Abstract

Our social needs on the behalf of our education and training processes are constantly changing. Considering this study in our country, it has been seen that studies on “providing conceptual change in graduate theses on alternative concepts” are insufficient. Therefore, the number of studies conducted in our country should be increased in order to ensure both individiual and social development and progress in the field of “Biology”. In this research, it is aimed to determine to current situation in the field and to reveal the missing aspects by making the “descriptive analysis of graduate theses in the dimension of conceptual change of alternative concepts”. In this study using “Descriptive Scanning Method”, “The graduate theses made between the years 2012-2022 on the conceptual change or alternative concepts in the biology education” were selected by scanning the official website of the “YOK National Thesis Center” database and reached 32 graduate theses. In the themes of the graduate theses, frequency distribution and graph were drawn by classifying them according to “4N 1K Literature Scans Model” of the “year, sample, type, approach model and realization of the conceptual change”. According to data obtained, conclusion that the most studies were between “2015-2019”, “Quantitative” in the approach and “high school-secondary pupils” in the sample were more preferred, master’s studies were more than doctoral studies and “providing conceptual change” is ignored has been reached. This study increases it is importance in terms of determining the missing places in the field and being a guide for future studies.

Keywords: alternative concept, misconception, conceptual change, biology education, content analysis.

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/15-2-10

Publication date: February 28th 2024