Biology Lessons Part 2: Population Biology

Lesson 2.6: How Do Flowering Plants Reproduce? Alternative Ideas

We don't know of any persistent, deep-seated alternative conceptions regarding flowering plant reproduction.

However, there are some common errors which are typically easily remedied:

• some students don't realize that the flower is a sexual organ
• some students don't realize that flowering plants include flowering trees and shrubs as well as what we typically call flowering plants
• there is persistent confusion between botanical meanings and popular meanings:

  -for example, some things popularly called vegetables are considered fruits in botanical terms (e.g., tomato, cucumber)

  -other vegetables may be roots (e.g., carrots, potatoes) or shoots (e.g., bamboo shoots, chives)

• the life cycle of flowering plants and the alternation of generations are often elusive to students

* A misconception or alternative idea has three primary features: it is a cognitive idea that differs in a significant way from the scientific idea, it is held by a sizable proportion of the population, and it is notably resistant to being taught away; it is often described as a conceptual primitive (Clement, 1982). There are many other types of errors in understanding besides misconceptions (Fisher & Lipson, 1986).

Clement, J. (1982). Students' preconceptions in introductory mechanics. American Journal of Physics, 50 (1), 66 - 71.

Fisher, K. M. & Lipson, J. I. (1986). Twenty questions about student errors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 23 (9), 783-803.