Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting Task
ABSTRACT Visual literacy, which is the ability to effectively identify, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media, is an important aspect of science literacy. As molecular processes are not directly observable, researchers and educators rely on visual representations (e.g., drawin...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00198-22 |
| _version_ | 1797843541456584704 |
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| author | Dina L. Newman Hannah Spector Anna Neuenschwander Anna J. Miller Lauren Trumpore L. Kate Wright |
| author_facet | Dina L. Newman Hannah Spector Anna Neuenschwander Anna J. Miller Lauren Trumpore L. Kate Wright |
| author_sort | Dina L. Newman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Visual literacy, which is the ability to effectively identify, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media, is an important aspect of science literacy. As molecular processes are not directly observable, researchers and educators rely on visual representations (e.g., drawings) to communicate ideas in biology. How learners interpret and organize those numerous diagrams is related to their underlying knowledge about biology and their skills in visual literacy. Furthermore, it is not always obvious how and why learners interpret diagrams in the way they do (especially if their interpretations are unexpected), as it is not possible to “see” inside the minds of learners and directly observe the inner workings of their brains. Hence, tools that allow for the investigation of visual literacy are needed. Here, we present a novel card-sorting task based on visual literacy skills to investigate how learners interpret and think about DNA-based concepts. We quantified differences in performance between groups of varying expertise and in pre- and postcourse settings using percentages of expected card pairings and edit distance to a perfect sort. Overall, we found that biology experts organized the visual representations based on deep conceptual features, while biology learners (novices) more often organized based on surface features, such as color and style. We also found that students performed better on the task after a course in which molecular biology concepts were taught, suggesting the activity is a useful and valid tool for measuring knowledge. We have provided the cards to the community for use as a classroom activity, as an assessment instrument, and/or as a useful research tool to probe student ideas about molecular biology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:06:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7597058a8fd47feb2923de30b8b50f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1935-7877 1935-7885 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:06:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7597058a8fd47feb2923de30b8b50f42023-04-20T13:01:01ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education1935-78771935-78852023-04-0124110.1128/jmbe.00198-22Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting TaskDina L. Newman0Hannah Spector1Anna Neuenschwander2Anna J. Miller3Lauren Trumpore4L. Kate Wright5Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USAThomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USAThomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USAThomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USAThomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USAThomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USAABSTRACT Visual literacy, which is the ability to effectively identify, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media, is an important aspect of science literacy. As molecular processes are not directly observable, researchers and educators rely on visual representations (e.g., drawings) to communicate ideas in biology. How learners interpret and organize those numerous diagrams is related to their underlying knowledge about biology and their skills in visual literacy. Furthermore, it is not always obvious how and why learners interpret diagrams in the way they do (especially if their interpretations are unexpected), as it is not possible to “see” inside the minds of learners and directly observe the inner workings of their brains. Hence, tools that allow for the investigation of visual literacy are needed. Here, we present a novel card-sorting task based on visual literacy skills to investigate how learners interpret and think about DNA-based concepts. We quantified differences in performance between groups of varying expertise and in pre- and postcourse settings using percentages of expected card pairings and edit distance to a perfect sort. Overall, we found that biology experts organized the visual representations based on deep conceptual features, while biology learners (novices) more often organized based on surface features, such as color and style. We also found that students performed better on the task after a course in which molecular biology concepts were taught, suggesting the activity is a useful and valid tool for measuring knowledge. We have provided the cards to the community for use as a classroom activity, as an assessment instrument, and/or as a useful research tool to probe student ideas about molecular biology.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00198-22molecular biologycard sortingconceptual understandingvisual literacyvisual representations |
| spellingShingle | Dina L. Newman Hannah Spector Anna Neuenschwander Anna J. Miller Lauren Trumpore L. Kate Wright Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting Task Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education molecular biology card sorting conceptual understanding visual literacy visual representations |
| title | Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting Task |
| title_full | Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting Task |
| title_fullStr | Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting Task |
| title_full_unstemmed | Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting Task |
| title_short | Visual Literacy of Molecular Biology Revealed through a Card-Sorting Task |
| title_sort | visual literacy of molecular biology revealed through a card sorting task |
| topic | molecular biology card sorting conceptual understanding visual literacy visual representations |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00198-22 |
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