Joshua T. Soriano, from
the different institute of Philippines. wrote a Research Article about, Enhancing
Biology Education: Developing an RNA-DNA Instructional Kit. Entitled, Development
of RNA-DNA kit as instructional material in teaching Biology. This research
paper published by the International Journal of Biosciences (IJB). an open
access scholarly research journal on Biosciences. under the
affiliation of the International Network For Natural Sciences| INNSpub. an
open access multidisciplinary research journal publisher.
Abstract
The study was designed to develop a simple but functional instructional material for Biology instruction. The RNA-DNA kit was developed aligned with the constructs of providing scaffold towards better delivery of difficult lessons in Genetics. The instructional material was conceptualized based on the low performance of BSFT students in Microbial Genetics, thus bringing inside the classroom the model of the ribonucleic acid (RNA) and the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) though puzzle chips manipulatives which could help to clearly facilitate their understanding of the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology and to increase their science performance. The material was useful in various topics in Biology including base pairing, Chargaff’s rule, translation, and transcription that are paired with a manual which serves as a guide for students and teachers on how to use the kit. The simplicity and the originality of the designs of RNA-DNA chips which are made of used matchboxes passed the ocular evaluation and strict suggestions and recommendations of experts in Biology. Further, the use of recyclable materials in the kit has a potential for income generation. A quantitative method utilizing questionnaire checklist and twenty item summative tests were also employed to determine how the RNA-DNA kit affects students’ learning. Also, considered is the acceptability of the material for Biology instruction through subjecting to selected group of respondents who are purposively pre-identified MAT-Science students in Technological University of the Philippines and University of Rizal System. Results showed that the material was much acceptable and effective in teaching biology as revealed by the performance of the students which shows significant difference on the level of their performance with the average score of 18.15 verbally interpreted as “High Average” from the 20-item multiple choice type of test given to the respondents. The findings revealed that the utilization of RNA-DNA kit helped to increase Science performance of the students as well as reducing waste in our environment.
Introduction
Biology education, an integral component of scientific education, helps train future biologists, healthcare professionals, technologists, environmentalists, and researchers. Molecular genetics and genomics advancements in Biology result in the need for innovative and effective instructional materials to help students understand challenging biological concepts. This can be achieved by incorporating interactive and inquiry-based classroom activities (Bogar, 2019; Brederode, 2020; Simamora et al., 2023) into biology instruction to achieve quality science education.
The Philippines consistently ranks lower on the 2018 Programme for International Assessment (PISA) for junior high school students and the 2019 Third International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) for fourth graders (Schleicher, 2019; Mullis et al., 2020). This type of performance is still visible at the tertiary level, particularly when students take board exams, which serve as a mirror of the university or college to which they belong. The Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) earned 27.78% in the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Board Exam for Food Technologists in 2023 (PRC, 2023), which is below the national passing standards. This alarming situation prompted the researcher to conduct a study and examine the least mastered competency of Bachelor of Science in Food Technologists (BSFT) students in one of their major subjects, General Microbiology, with Microbial Genetics identified as one of the concepts that requires more focus and attention.
In Genetics, RNA-DNA
interactions are vital in regulating gene expression, hence understanding them
is essential to molecular biology particularly in modelling it like a jigsaw
puzzle (Liu et al., 2014). The development and validation of an instructive
RNADNA kit offers a compelling way to bridge theoretical and practical biology
education. A kit like this can help students understand biological concepts by
letting them explore with RNA-DNA interactions like Chargaff's rule for base
pairing, transcription, and translation. The study examined the biology
teaching effectiveness utilizing the RNA-DNA kit particularly its potential to
improve students' molecular biology knowledge and to understand RNA-DNA model
interactions. The researcher aimed to prove the kit's usefulness in encouraging
biology students' active learning, critical thinking, and scientific curiosity
through rigorous validation and assessment, thus improving their Science
performance.
Several studies have
been conducted on the development of instructional materials to supplement
digital literacy (Asrizal et al., 2018; Manuel Área Moreira et al., 2023; Tang
and Chaw, 2016) and to bridge distance learning (Altawalbeh and Al-Ajlouni,
2022; Rizwan and Masrur, 2018; Sutton, 2020; Yilmaz and Korur, 2020) in Science
education. The current study, however, considers the development of a material
that is readily available, recyclable and can supplement both traditional and
modular classroom settings using RNA-DNA kit which is made of by used match boxes
as puzzle chips and used cheese cloth for ribosome representation to model the
complex process of the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology.
he purpose of the study
is to design, to develop and to test the acceptability of RNA-DNA kit as
instructional material in teaching Biology.
Development of RNA-DNA
kits The RNA-DNA kit is designed to provide students with hands-on experience
in exploring RNA-DNA interactions, which are fundamental to gene expression and
understanding the central dogma of molecular biology. The development process
involves the creation of puzzle chips and an activity manual to facilitate
significant biological processes like DNA replication, transcription, and
translation. Pioneering work by researchers like Beltramini et al. (2006) and Newman
et al. (2018) highlighted the importance of developing instructional materials
like model kits and simulation (Cano et al., 2022) to facilitate the teaching
of RNA-DNA biology and Genetics. Their study presented a comprehensive testing
of their developed instructional materials and demonstrated their utility in a
classroom setting.
Development and
improvisation of instructional materials for Biology instruction Instructional
materials include various tools such as textbooks, digital resources, and hands-on
manipulatives. According to Olayinka (2016), these materials facilitate the
transmission of information, encourage active participation, and promote
enhanced comprehension. They play an essential role in guiding instruction and
enabling educators to reach diverse learners. The development of RNADNA kit for
Biology instruction is timely and relevant to supplement traditional textbooks
and online simulations (Alvarez, 2021; Cano, 2021; Cano et al., 2022), thus
maximizing the access and ensuring the quality of academic instruction. Fowler
(2018) emphasized that the quality of Science instruction could be achieved if
significant changes in academic performance of the students are both
quantitatively and qualitatively observed as well as its context (Darling‐Hammond
et al., 2019). This gave bearing to the current study by developing
instructional material designed to bridge the difficult concepts in the Central
Dogma of Molecular Biology and a foundation in understanding Microbial Genetics
for the college students which was validated though their Science performance
test and evaluation of the developed material by the experts that includes
MAT-Science Graduate Students in the field.
Improvisation of
instructional materials resolves the scarcity of resources in a traditional
classroom setting (Thasmai Dhurumraj and Zainul Moola, 2023). Mushimiyimana et
al. (2022) and Esezi et al. (2019) highlight the significance of employing
improvised instructional materials in chemistry and social sciences as well as
Cruz and Rivera (2022) in using validated project-based module in Biology to
enhance learner engagement, inclusivity, and participation. With the aid of
utilizing used match boxes for RNADNA puzzle chips, used cheese cloth for
ribosomal representation, used newspapers and used shoe box as container kit,
the developed RNA-DNA kit could be easily replicated at low cost, thus
responding for the scarcity of learning materials. Jeremake (2023) developed
the “make-roscope” key chain which is an alternative to sophisticated
microscopes contained in school laboratories. It’s handy feature and magnifying
power enable it to be useful to bridge distance learning at the height of the
pandemic particularly in facilitating laboratory activities where the use of
microscopy is highly needed. Since DNA and RNA requires high powered
microscopes to be clearly examined, the development of RNA-DNA kit will be
useful in modelling these structures and explaining the difficult concepts
governing it, thus strict evaluation in terms of its usefulness, quality,
safety, and maintenance were also considered.
The second box, the process phase, entails the designing, development of an RNA-DNA kit and data through the preparation and validation of a questionnaire checklist and item analysis of test questions about the acceptance and effectiveness of the RNA-DNA kit as instructional material in teaching Biology through data analysis. The final box, the output phase, comprises the study's findings, which include the acceptance and effectiveness of the RNA - DNA kit as instructional material in Biology class. The arrow from the first box across the second box and leading to the third box represents the study's principal tool or technique in establishing the appropriateness of developing an RNA-DNA kit as an instructional material in teaching Biology.
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