Abstract:

This study investigated learners' perceptions of their difficulties in understanding meiosis, a critical process that underpins key concepts such as genetics, heredity, genetic variation, reproduction, and evolutionary biology. Despite its importance, many learners struggle to comprehend the concepts related to meiosis, primarily because they are often abstract and the terminology used is typically unfamiliar to them. Inadequate understanding of meiosis could lead to the development of alternative conceptions that might adversely affect learners’ comprehension of related Life Sciences topics, resulting in overall poor performance in the subject. Consequently, learners may have limited access to Life Sciences-related higher education studies, such as medicine, biotechnology, conservation biology, plant science, and many others.

Gaining insight into learners' perspectives on the difficulties associated with learning meiosis could illuminate why they perform poorly in meiosis assessments and inform teaching practices, interventions, and policies related to the study of the topic. Furthermore, this understanding could help dispel misconceptions about Meiosis. Therefore, it became necessary to explore learners’ perceptions of the difficulties they encounter while learning meiosis.

The following research questions were explored:
1. Which meiosis concepts do Life Sciences learners find difficult?
2. What challenges do they experience when learning these concepts?

A qualitative case study approach, utilizing interviews and questionnaires, was employed to collect data from 20 South African Grade 12 Life sciences learners. The first generation of Activity Theory, initially proposed by Lev Vygotsky (1978), served as the theoretical framework for the study. This theory primarily focuses on understanding the subject, in this case, the learners, while the tools represent the methods, techniques, and language identified by learners as either helpful or limiting in their understanding of meiosis. The objects symbolize learners’ perspectives about the difficulties of learning meiosis. Interactions among these elements of Activity Theory led to the outcomes of the study.

The findings revealed several aspects of meiosis with which learners struggle, which include cytokinesis, chromosome assortment, replication, and distinguishing between Miosis I and II. In addition, the abstract nature of the concepts, limited instructional resources, time constraints, and language barriers posed a challenge to learners. They highlighted the need for more interactive tools, such as 3D models and animations, to better understand the process of Meiosis. These insights provide valuable implications for teachers, curriculum developers, and policymakers.

Keywords:

Meiosis, Life Sciences, perceptions, difficulties, chromosomes.