Determining the Middle School 7th Grade Students’ Levels of Understanding the Concept of Ecosystem via Worksheets

Abstract

This study aims to determine students' levels of understanding the concept of ecosystem and its elements. Data were collected from 47 seventh grade students attending 3 different middle schools via the worksheets entitled "Let's Create Our Own Ecosystem", which was developed by the researchers. The collected data were analyzed through the rubric developed by the researchers. The research results indicate that students understand the concept of ecosystem partially, and that although they are aware of the elements of ecosystem individually, they have limited cognition of and some misconceptions regarding the functions of these elements as well as their interactions with one another. To get rid of these problems, students should be made to comprehend that the ecosystem is a dynamic system, and that any change in one of its elements affects the entire system. Relationships between these elements should be presented to students on the basis of cause and effect relationships by providing concrete examples from the daily life.