This study examined biology student teachers' misconceptions about mitosis through drawings and interviews. 124 student teachers studying to become secondary biology teachers participated. They were asked to draw the process of mitosis in a cell. Drawings were analyzed and categorized into 5 levels of understanding. Individual interviews were also conducted with 15 students who demonstrated misconceptions to validate the drawing interpretations. Common misconceptions identified included thinking interphase is the resting phase of mitosis, the chromosome number doubles in prophase and is halved in anaphase, and that homologous chromosomes separate in anaphase instead of sister chromatids. The study provides examples of student drawings to demonstrate different levels of understanding and misconceptions.

1. Group members:
SHARIFAH ROQAIYAH D20091034851
NGANG HUEY CHI D20091034861
YEE HON KIT D20091034822
YEE CHIN TIEN D20091034824

3. M
phase
G1
phase
S
phase
G2
phase
Mitotic cell
cycle basically
comprised
of 4 phases:

4. Ob
jec
tiv
e
Pur
po
se
• This study aims to
investigate the effect
of drawing method of
determining university
students’ misconceptions
concerning cell division –
mitotic cell cycle.
 To identify biology
student teachers’
misconceptions of cell
divisions using drawings
and interviews which
they possess about the
cell division processes
and both the content
and scope of these
misconceptions.

5. Simple
research
instruments
Taps holistic
understanding
An
alternative
form of
expression
Can be
completed
quickly, easily
and in an
enjoyable
way.

6. 1. A total of 124 student teachers, who were studying to
become secondary biology teachers at the Faculty of
Education in Selcuk University in Turkey.
2. Participants previously had studied cell division in
cytology, genetics, and molecular biology, as a school
subject during various semesters.

7. • Biology student teachers’ understanding of the
chromosomes mitosis was examined by two different
methods not mutually exclusive.
• The first method is method of drawing. The
participants were informed about the drawing method
before this application and some practices were applied
about this method.
• The participating students were asked to draw process
of mitosis in a cell on a blank piece of A4-sized paper.

8. • These drawings are analyzed and categorized into model
types corresponding to five levels of understanding.
1. No drawing
2. Non-representational drawings,
3. Drawings with misconceptions,
4. Partial drawings
5. Comprehensive representation drawings.

9.  The second method to examine the university student’s
knowledge is individual interviews.
 After the drawings were evaluated, individual interviews
were conducted about the detailed subjects with 15
randomly chosen who demonstrated misconceptions.
 The purpose was to check the validity of the
interpretation of the drawings.
 In the interview, these students were asked to respond to
questions like:
› What are chromosomes and sister chromatids?
› How do the chromosomes act during mitosis?

10. Research about
misconception of
cell division -mitosis
Examined by two
different methods
Method of drawing,
conducted with two
phases.
1st phase, the
participants were
informed about the
drawing method
before this
application
2nd phase, the
question “Draw
process of mitosis in
a cell” was asked
Analysis of drawings
and categorized into
model types
corresponding to
five levels of
understanding
1)No drawing
2) Non-representational
drawings
3) Drawings with
misconceptions
4)Partial drawings
5) Comprehensive
representation drawings
Second method -
individual
interviews.
Conducted about
the detailed
subjects with 15
randomly chosen
who demonstrated
misconceptions.

11. Figure 1. Example of level 2
(non-representational drawing).

12. Figure 2. Example of level 3
(drawing with misconception).

13. Figure 3. Examples of level 4
(partial drawing).

14. Figure 4. Examples of level 5
(comprehensive representation drawing).

16. Misconception Scientific Idea
1. Interphase is the resting
phase of mitosis.
2. The chromosome number is
doubled in the prophase of
mitosis and halved in the
anaphase of mitosis.
3. In mitosis, homologous
chromosomes separate in
the anaphase.
4. Sister chromatids do not
separate in mitosis.
5. The number of
chromosomes is halved
after mitosis.
6. The number of
chromosomes is doubled
after mitosis.
1. Interphase is the first stage in mitotic
cell cycle in which the cell grows
and replicates its DNA before
undergoing mitosis (M phase) and
cytokinesis.
2. In the anaphase of mitosis, the
spindle separates the two sister
chromatids(not chromosome) of
each chromosome and moves them
to opposite spinde poles.
3. <same as 2>
4. <same as 2>
5. After mitosis, two daughter cells are
genetic duplicates of the parental
cell that entered mitotic division are
produced.
6. <same as 5>

17. Figure 8. A drawing of misconception of “interphase is the resting
phase of the mitosis”.

23.  Misconceptions of cell division held by
student teachers in biology: A drawing
analysis
 Scientific Research and Essay Vol. 5 (2),
pp. 235-247, 18 January, 2010
Available online at
http://www.academicjournals.org/SRE
ISSN 1992-2248 © 2010 Academic
Journals