Young people's understanding of the nature of genetic information in the cells of an organism

This paper reports on small group discussions on cellular genetics by 15 - 16 year old British students (n = 35), led by a researcher. The results sup port and expand on findings from written tasks reported elsewhere and throw new light on students' understanding of basic genetics. The findings demon strate widespread confusion over the nature of genetic information in cells , and the mechanism by which genetic information is transferred from one ce ll to another and between generations. Implications for the curriculum and for teaching are discussed.