Developing a Learning Continuum of the Pedagogic Materials of Genetics Aspects from Elementary School to Senior High School Level Based on the Opinions of Biology Education Experts

Abstract

Learning continuum is a set of competencies mutually related from one concept to the others. The competencies are ordered from the easy ones to the difficult and specific ones at all levels sustainably from the elementary to the secondary level. This study aims to reveal the opinions of biology education experts on the learning continuum of genetics materials viewed from the competency level and material characteristics and also to reveal the learning continuum of the specific pedagogic materials of the genetics aspects according to experts. The expert respondents were selected by considering their educational background, namely their expertise in the field of biology education, with regard to their bachelor, masters, and doctoral programs. This study is a survey with a sample of 85 biology education experts, established using the convenience technique, i.e. those who are easy to find. The result of this study shows that 25% of the respondents agree that genetics is taught to grade 9 students at the cognitive level of C2 (comprehension), on the sub-aspect of character inheritance, while 75% have the opinion that genetics is taught to grade 12 students at the cognitive level of C2 (comprehension). However, 100% of the participants of the Forum Grup Discussion have the opinion that genetics is taught to grade 12 students at the cognitive levels of C2 and C3. Therefore, it can be concluded that the genetics aspect is taught to grade 9 students of junior high school and it is taught again to high school students for the different cognitive level and the learning materials are different and more complex.