Rectifying Learners' Misconceptions by Using the Classification Table of Plants

Abstract

This paper deals with students' misconception and a proposal to rectify it by using a new method. Many students think that the flowers of plants growing from bulbs (e.g. tulip) or potato sets do not produce seeds. To correct this misconception Magara (1990) presented students with a reading material explaining why a tulip was raised from a bulb although it produced seeds. After reading the materials, the students were able to accept the fact that a tulip produced seeds, but many of them failed to generalize this to other bulbous plants (e.g. hyacinth) and potato. In this study, in addition to the explanation given to Magara's students, we presented our students with the classification table of plants, and explained that plants could be divided into two categories, i.e. plants, that reproduce by seed, and plants that reproduce by spore. In the post-test, the students could answer that not only tulips but also hyacinths and potatoes had seeds.