Prompt Context Changes the Content of Students’ Model-Based Responses
Joshua Marwede, 2nd year
Abstract
In biological science, instructors use system models to help students connect concepts and demonstrate their mastery of topics covered in class. When constructing system models, students place core concepts (components) in boxes and link them together with arrows to show relationships between components.
System models can provide insight into students’ thinking that is different from traditional assessments, such as multiple choice and essay questions. Prior research has shown that the amount and type of contextual information provided in prompts can influence the content, size and architecture of students’ models. In this study, I analyzed how students’ responses differed when they were asked to model decontextualized system components (e.g., gene, chromosome) vs., contextualized equivalents (e.g., CFTR gene, chromosome 7). Student responses (n=380) to a prompt about the genetic basis of cystic fibrosis were collected from two different semesters of undergraduate introductory biology for majors. I predict that students given decontextualized components will produce smaller-sized models and use generic terms when describing relationships between components. The results of this research will help inform instructors about key features of prompts likely to influence students’ model-based responses.