MEANINGFUL LEARNING, REASONING ABILITY, AND STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING OF TOPICS IN GENETICS

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships among school st udents' (N = 189) meaningful learning orientation, reasoning ability a nd acquisition of meaningful understandings of genetics topics, and ab ility to solve genetics problems. This research first obtained measure s of students' meaningful learning orientation (meaningful and rote) a nd reasoning ability (preformal and formal). Students were tested befo re and after laboratory-based learning cycle genetics instruction usin g a multiple choice assessment format and an open-ended assessment for mat (mental model). The assessment instruments were designed to measur e students' interrelated understandings of genetics and their ability to solve and interpret problems using Punnett square diagrams. Regress ion analyses were conducted to examine the predictive influence of mea ningful learning orientation, reasoning ability, and the interaction o f these variables on students' performance on the different tests. Mea ningful learning orientation best predicted students' understanding of genetics interrelationships, whereas reasoning ability best predicted their achievement in solving genetics problems. The interaction of me aningful learning orientation and reasoning ability did not significan tly predict students' genetics understanding or problem solving. Meani ngful learning orientation best predicted students' performance on all except one of the open-ended test questions. Examination of students' mental model explanations of meiosis, Punnett square diagrams, and re lationships between meiosis and the use of Punnett square diagrams rev ealed unique patterns in students' understandings of these topics. Thi s research provides information for educators on students' acquisition of meaningful understandings of genetics.