Biology-specific vocabulary: students' understanding and lecturers' expectations of student understanding

The current A-level biology curriculum includes a broad coverage of all the biosciences which demands knowledge of a wide range of biological vocabulary. Students (n = 184) from two UK universities were presented with a list of vocabulary, associated with a 'Revise Biology' text which high...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of biological education 2019-08, Vol.53 (4), p.422-430
Main Authors: Jones, Harriet L, Green, Jon R, Prendergast, John, Scott, Jon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
A-level
Biology
College Entrance Examinations
College Freshmen
Comprehension
Course Descriptions
expectations
Foreign Countries
Intellectual Disciplines
knowledge
Knowledge Level
Science Teachers
Scientific Concepts
Student Attitudes
Teacher Expectations of Students
transition
Vocabulary
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Summary:The current A-level biology curriculum includes a broad coverage of all the biosciences which demands knowledge of a wide range of biological vocabulary. Students (n = 184) from two UK universities were presented with a list of vocabulary, associated with a 'Revise Biology' text which highlighted key terms that students should know. Lecturers (n = 26) were asked which of these terms they expected students to know, or be aware of. Findings revealed that students' claimed knowledge of vocabulary exceeded lecturer expectations. In addition, there were a number of terms which students did not understand and lecturers did not expect them to know, which could be removed from A-level biology courses. This is discussed in relation to whether A-level curricula need to be so content heavy and whether lecturers would benefit from knowing more about their students' knowledge of discipline-specific terms.
ISSN:0021-9266
2157-6009
DOI:10.1080/00219266.2018.1490800