Conceptions des élèves de terminale D en génétique humaine : Analyse des difficultés d’apprentissage et élaboration des dispositifs d’enseignement

Abstract

The focus of this research is the implementation of teaching tools to address learning difficulties related to students' conceptions in the genetics classroom, as these early conceptions held by such students contribute most of the time to negative outcomes. This research falls in the field of studies dealing with non-digital and digital approaches of the management of students' conceptions in genetics. It raises the problem of the primacy of the so-called classical approaches and the quasi-absence of didactic equipment to handle students' conceptions in genetics, which limits development of scientific knowledge in genetics. Therefore, it aims at designing and experimenting digital and non-digital teaching tools in order to manage students' conceptions in genetics, thereby allowing Terminale D students to develop their initial conceptions in order to build scientific knowledge in human genetics. The setting up of these teaching tools with didactic contents in genetics calls for an approach that combines the register of spontaneous genetics (linked to experimentation) and the register of informed genetics (based on the scientific development of the notions and concepts in genetics). The resulting hypothesis was formulated as follows: "The development of appropriate teaching tools and their implementation contribute to the eradication of learning difficulties related to the conceptions of Terminale D students in human genetics". In order to test this hypothesis, we adopted a didactic engineering methodology based on a researcher-practitioner viewpoint. This methodology entailed developing and analysing digital and non-digital didactic sessions of conception management, running an extensive survey of teachers and students to collect their conceptions, and carrying out a pre-test and post-test with these teachers and students. Upon analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data, it was found that digital and non-digital modelling tools for the management of students' conception issues alleviate the learning difficulties of Terminale D students relating to their conceptions of human genetics. Furthermore, these teaching tools allow for the development of students' initial conceptions in the building of scientific knowledge in genetics.