Misconceptions of the 5th and 6th Grade Students of Secondary School about the Classification of Vertebrate and Invertebrate Animals

Abstract

The aim of this research is identify misconceptions about the classification of vertebrate and invertebrate creatures of middle school 5th and 6th grade students. The research method was defined as a case study. A measuring instrument consisting of open-ended questions adapted to the three-tier tests to determine concept misconceptions was prepared by the researcher. This tool was applied to 79 of the 5th grade students in a public school, 82 of the 6th grade students. Findings obtained through measurement were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods and misconceptions were determined according to the way that students classify different kinds of animals. In this research, “Crawl on the ground are reptile”, “Fly in the sky are birds”, “ Swim or live in the water are fish”, “The living creatures hose outer surface is hard are vertebrate and those whose outer surface is soft are invertebrate.”, “A
living thing can be both vertebrate and invertebrate”, “A living thing can belong to two vertebrate classes at once”, “The mammals spawn by laying eggs.” misconceptions were determined. The fact that the answers given to open-ended questions by learners are very simple and even the right answers are not explained as they should be, shows that students can not explain their knowledge based on justifications.