Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 7, Issue 2, Article 9 (Dec., 2006) Emine Selcen DARÇIN & Lütfullah TÜRKMEN A study of prospective Turkish science teachers’   knowledge at the popular biotechnological issues Previous Contents Next

Results

All responses of the students to biotechnological issues are shown in the following Table 1.

Table1. Responses to the questions relating to knowledge about biotechnology 
(See the appendix for the details of questions)

Questions #	True		Neutral		False		Total
	f	%	f	%	f	%	f	%
1	175	90.2	15	7.7	4	2.1	194	100
2	118	60.8	50	25.8	26	13.4	194	100
3	99	51.0	40	20.6	55	28.4	194	100
4	83	42.8	48	24.7	63	32.5	194	100
5	111	57.2	30	15.5	32	16.5	194	100
6	57	29.4	105	54.1	32	16.5	194	100
7	53	27.3	93	47.9	48	24.7	194	100
8	116	59.8	54	27.8	24	12.4	194	100
9	130	67.0	44	22.7	20	10.3	194	100
10	62	32.0	105	54.1	27	13.9	194	100
11	145	74.7	34	17.5	15	7.7	194	100
12	14	7.2	128	66.0	52	26.8	194	100
13	92	47.4	74	38.1	28	14.4	194	100
14	35	18.0	117	60.3	42	21.6	194	100
15	91	46.9	44	22.7	59	30.4	194	100
16	42	21.6	115	59.3	37	19.1	194	100
17	11	5.7	160	82.5	23	11.9	194	100
18	70	36.1	81	41.8	43	22.2	194	100
19	60	30.9	85	43.8	49	25.3	194	100
20	102	52.6	71	36.6	21	10.8	194	100
Average	83.33	42.93	74.6 5	38.47	35	18.04	194	100
Average % of true statements		49.88		31.18		17.84		100
Average % of false statements		35.98		45.77		18.25		100

These general averages  do not correspondence to the real percentage of how the students give the right answers to the statements because the answers of ten of twenty statements are true and the answers of the other ten statements are false.    In the result, the half of the students (49.88%) say “true” the true of ten statements but the percentage of the students said “not true” the true of ten statements was also high (35.98%). In the false statements, 18.25% percent of the students said “false” the false of ten statements but 45.77 % of the students were not sure the false statements “false” or “true”.

After giving the general results of students’ responses to biotechnological issues covering the mean of biotechnology, agricultural biotechnology and benefits, health, environmental biotechnology, and issues, questions are classified under five different areas of biotechnological issues and matters  in Tables 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.   

 Students’ responses to the questions related to the knowledge of biotechnological issues are shown in the Table 2.

  Table 2. Students’ responses to the questions related to the knowledge of describing biotechnology

Questions #	True		Neutral		False		Total
	f	%	f	%	f	%	f	%
1	175	90.2	15	7.7	4	2.1	194	100
2	118	60.8	50	25.8	26	13.4	194	100
13	92	47.4	74	38.1	28	14.4	194	100
17	11	5.7	160	82.5	23	11.9	194	100

 

Most of the students answered first, second and 13th questions (using one-cellular microorganisms, side effects of biotechnological methods, if or not biotechnological methods only transfer genes from one organism to another organism) correctly (90%; 60.8%; and 47.4%, respectively), but 82.5% of students answered  17th question (biotechnology was described as cytogenetics), as neutral. The authors suggest that most of the students have misconception about cytogenetics and biotechnology.  

 Fourth, seventh and fourteenth questions cover agricultural biotechnology and its benefits (Table 3).

Table 3. Students responses to the agricultural biotechnology and its benefits

Questions #	True		Neutral		False		Total
	f	%	f	%	f	%	f	%
4	83	42.8	48	24.7	63	32.5	194	100
7	53	27.3	93	47.9	48	24.7	194	100
14	35	18.0	117	60.3	42	21.6	194	100

The responses indicate that the knowledge level of the majority of students in the department of science education is below 50% in the statements covering agricultural biotechnology and its benefits.   

Responses to Questions concerning knowledge of human health and pharmacy (Questions of 3rd, 5th, and 11th) were answered “true” by most of the students indicating that they had a good knowledge of these biotech issues (Table 4). On the other hand, the 12th question elicited a neutral response indicating that students had inadequate knowledge of how stem cells were obtained by using biotechnology.

Table 4. Questions related to the knowledge of human health and pharmacy

Questions #	True		Neutral		False		Total
	f	%	f	%	f	%	f	%
3	99	51.0	40	20.6	55	28.4	194	100
5	111	57.2	30	15.5	32	16.5	194	100
11	145	74.7	34	17.5	15	7.7	194	100
12	14	7.2	128	66.0	52	26.8

8, 16 and 19th questions refer environment and biotechnology (Table 5).

Table 5. Questions refering to environment and biotechnology

Questions#	True		Neutral		False		Total
	f	%	f	%	f	%	f	%
8	116	59.8	54	27.8	24	12.4	194	100
16	42	21.6	115	59.3	37	19.1	194	100
19	60	30.9	85	43.8	49	25.3	194	100

The majority of undergraduate science education students (59.8%) estimate correctly to use organic waste for being fuel with biotechnological process. But, almost all students didn’t know genetically modified plants adverse effect biodiversity.

Statements using biotechnology for food production were 6, 9, 10, 15, 18 and 20th questions and the results could be seen in the Table 6.

Table 6. Statements using biotechnology for food production

Questions #	True		Neutral		False		Total
	f	%	f	%	f	%	f	%
6	57	29.4	105	54.1	32	16.5	194	100
9	130	67.0	44	22.7	20	10.3	194	100
10	62	32.0	105	54.1	27	13.9	194	100
15	91	46.9	44	22.7	59	30.4	194	100
18	70	36.1	81	41.8	43	22.2	194	100
20	102	52.6	71	36.6	21	10.8	194	100

 

It was seen that most of the students did not know anything about using biotechnology for production of organic acids, enzymes, primary products such as carbohydrate, alcohol, amino-acid and ketone. Ninth and fifteenth statements about traditional biotechnology were correctly answered by most of the students; however 52% gave false responses to the use of the yeast.

 

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