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Genetics inquiry: Strategies and knowledge geneticists use in solving transmission genetics problems
Author(s) -
Thomson Norman,
Stewart James
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.10065
Subject(s) - science education , population , computer science , management science , mathematics education , sociology , psychology , demography , economics
Scientists are increasingly challenged to solve problems that require conceptualizing and understanding dynamic complex natural systems. Computer simulations have become an integral tool in helping solve complex problems because they can be effectively used to model dynamic systems. Today's reform standards advocate that science teachers and students be involved in scientific inquiry that is consistent with the practice of science. The goal of this research is to determine methods of inquiry geneticists' use in solving dynamic complex computer‐generated transmission genetics problems, specifically, their strategies and conceptual knowledge. Six geneticists representing three areas of genetics (transmission, molecular, and population) solved four problem types. Using their solution protocols, and through interviews, a hierarchical framework and pathway for solving the problems were developed. For science education researchers, teachers, and students, it is hoped the geneticists' insights and the framework developed can provide a guide for inquiry‐based problem solving that extends beyond genetics. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 87: 161–180, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10065