The Contribution of History and Philosophy to the Problem of Hybrid Views About Genes in Genetics Teaching

In Michael R. Matthews (ed.), International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching. Springer. pp. 469-520 (2014)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Currently there are persistent doubts about the meaning and contributions of the gene concept, mostly related to its interpretation as a stretch of DNA encoding a single functional product, i.e., the classical molecular gene concept. There is, however, much conceptual variation around genes, leading to important difficulties in genetics teaching. We investigated whether and how conceptual variation related to the gene concept and gene function models is present in school science and what potential problems it may bring to genetics teaching and learning. Here, we report results on how ideas about genes and gene function are treated in textbooks and appear in students’ views and, also, about a teaching strategy for improving higher education students’ understanding of scientific models and conceptual variation around genes and their functions.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Genes made molecular.C. Kenneth Waters - 1994 - Philosophy of Science 61 (2):163-185.
Are genes units of inheritance?Thomas Fogle - 1990 - Biology and Philosophy 5 (3):349-371.

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-12-09

Downloads
32 (#429,625)

6 months
2 (#658,980)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Joao Magalhaes
London School of Economics

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references