Knowledge about genetics is essential to build a society capable of participating in socioscientific and ethical debates. However, this subject remains difficult for students, making it necessary to develop new educational strategies, such as gamification. Thus, two main objectives are established in this work: (a) to design and evaluate…

The study focused on the development of a website that can be used in various fields of science in Junior High School. Particularly, topics that were utilized as part of the re-search report include chromosomes, DNA, and genes for grade 9 learners. This exploratory case study explored learners' engagement and performance on a developed virtual…

Computational techniques have great potential to improve the teaching-learning. In this work, we used a computational strategy to visualize three-dimensional (3D) structures of proteins and DNA and help the student to comprehend biochemistry concepts such as protein structure and function, substrate, and inhibitors as well as DNA structural…

This study aimed to examine the relative effectiveness of using an animation versus static pictures in terms of supporting the learning of genetics. To provide a methodologically sound comparison, the two sessions were constructed to be equivalent and were designed based on principles provided by the cognitive theory of multimedia learning and the…

Darwinian evolution is difficult to understand because of conceptual barriers stemming from intuitive ideas. This study examined understanding of evolution in 52 students (M = 14.48 years, SD = 0.89) before and after a guided field trip to a natural history museum and in a comparison group of 18 students (M = 14.17 years, SD = 0.79) who did not…

Evolution is a main concept in biology, but not many students understand how it works. In this article we introduce the game "DNA Re-EvolutioN" as an active learning tool that uses genetic concepts (DNA structure, transcription and translation, mutations, natural selection, etc.) as playing rules. Students will learn about molecular…

This study tests the hypothesis that undergraduates who peer teach genetics will have greater understanding of genetic and molecular biology concepts as a result of their teaching experiences. Undergraduates enrolled in a non-majors biology course participated in a service-learning program in which they led middle school (MS) or high school (HS)…

We selected diabetes mellitus for this laboratory exercise to provide students with an explicit model for scientific research concerning the association between the R230C polymorphism and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is highly prevalent in the Mexican population. We used a collaborative project-based learning to engage…

The purpose of this study was to investigate primary students' learning through participation in an out-of-school enrichment programme, held in a science centre, which focused on DNA and genes and whether participation in the programme led to an increased understanding of inheritance as well as promoted interest in the topic. The sample consisted…

Learning modern genetics is challenging and students have difficulty acquiring a coherent cognitive mental model of abstract concepts such as DNA, bacteria and enzymes. Here we investigated students' mental models of genetics through analysis and interpretation of the discourse that took place while high-school students practised hands-on…