Learning Progression of Students’ Reasoning about Life Cycles
Hayat Hokayem
Department of Teaching and Learning Sciences, Andrews Institute for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, Texas Christian University, College of Education, Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America
Ihsan Ghazal
Department of Teaching and Learning Sciences, Andrews Institute for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, Texas Christian University, College of Education, Fort Worth, Texas, United States of America
Savannah R. Graham
Department of Teaching and Learning Sciences, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
Abstract
This study explored elementary students’ reasoning about the life cycles of various organisms, including insects and amphibians. The study took place in a private school in Lebanon with 24 fifth-grade students. Students participated in a life cycle unit with pre and post-written assessments about what they learned and interviews to help determine their reasoning about life cycles. Using our findings, we suggest a learning progression (LP) approach to guide students over time in their learning about life cycles and their importance for species persistence within an ecosystem. Two LPs were developed from this study: Reasoning about the cyclic nature of life and comparison of life cycle stages. Overall, students improved their understanding of the cyclical nature of life, but comparing organisms’ structures, stages, and life cycles proved to be more challenging. These LPs have direct implications for elementary instruction about life cycles, organisms, and species.
