Assessing the Judicious Use of the ‘Language’ of Certain Types of Graphs by 10th Grade Biology Pupils

Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which an heterogeneous population of 10th grade pupils was able to gain meanings of certain types of graphs which are frequently used in the textbooks of their biology curriculum. No part of the population sample displayed a satisfactory level of handling of intervariable graphical relationships. Few pupils appeared to process information equally well from tables and graphs. However, the main source of failure did not appear to be a lack of elementary basic skills. Different patterns of combination success and failure characterized different exercises. It can be concluded that very often, for various reasons, pupils do not appear to be spontaneously aware of the crucial features of graphs, nor to spontaneously use their relevant skills.