Lessons for Teaching Botany: What Middle School Students Know about Plants.

Students' alternative conceptions arise out of an interconnected system of beliefs: about the nature of science, of learning, of the natural and social world. Cross-cultural perspectives on these world views are therefore essential. This study probed middle school students' conceptions about plants. Tribal students were found to have a richer and more varied knowledge base about plants both in comparison with the textbooks at their level and urban students. While textbooks emphasized detailed structural descriptions, students focused on gross shapes, environmental features, seasonal variations, and feelings, which in turn they related to the uses of plants. Data for urban and tribal students showed that mere presence of plants in the environment did not result in students being aware of them. Everyday use and sociocultural significance of plants played a greater role. The direct dependence of tribal cultures on forests for shelter, food and medicine, was reflected in their positive attitudes towards plants, and in their more detailed knowledge of ecological interdependencies as compared to urban students.