A Study of Secondary School Students’ Participation in a Novel Course on Genomic Principles and Practices

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents the design, development, and validation of a study among secondary school students’ participation in a novel course on genomic principles and practices by analyzing and documenting evidence of their participation, and educational outcomes, in a novel course on genomic principles and practices. A mixed methods approach, using qualitative and quantitative methods, was used to address three research questions. 1) Based on affective evidence, how did secondary school students perceive and critically judge, content topics learned in a course on modern genomic principles and practices? 2) Based on cognitive evidence, how much of the content did secondary school students learn when they participated in a course on modern genomic principles and practices? 3) Using individual interview evidence, what are the major perceptions that the secondary school students expressed throughout the duration of the course? The participants were provided an opportunity to comment on the course through individual and collaborative interviews, in order to find out to what extent they perceived the course to be interesting and challenging. Future inquiry expanding from this research would help to establish the foundational pathway for designing a more inclusive genomics curriculum. In conclusion, the course offered real-life/real-world applications that encourage all students to conceptualize genomics, human health, diseases, medicine, ethics, beliefs, research, and careers.