Preschoolers’ Concepts of Digestive Physiology and Their Links with Body Mass Index

Abstract

In this exploratory study, a sample of 20 four-year-olds took part in structured interviews in order to assess their biological knowledge of how the human body processes a food that they perceived to be fattening. There were two main outcomes to the study. First, the sample demonstrated knowledge of the digestive processes of ingestion, digestion/distribution and terminal digestive events that was broadly analogous to previous studies, and included a number of misconceptions. A minority of children could apply biological reasoning to make holistic sense of a series of linked, abstract physiological events. Data also revealed that young learners' models of distribution of food away from the gut might be more sophisticated than previously reported, although none of the sample could provide any mechanism for distribution. Second, data were analysed quantitatively to give performance scores which were compared with children's standardised body mass indices. Children of healthy weight displayed more accurate scientific knowledge of digestive processes than their overweight peers at statistically significant levels. Specifically, the healthy weight children had attained a more holistic understanding of these processes. This potentially has consequences for early years biology education since findings indicate, at a tentative level, that young, overweight children could be considered as having a distinctive special educational need. We propose that there may be a possible way forward for addressing the issues of overweight and obesity in young children by improving their understanding of digestive processes. These outcomes are aligned with calls in the literature for school science education to become more focused on aspects of scientific literacy such as health education. Further studies are recommended using larger samples from more diverse populations.

Teaching digestive system: Spanish pre-service teacher’s learning difficulties and alternative conceptions

“…As in previous studies (Cardak, 2015;Sasmaz & Ormanci, 2014), it is also necessary to highlight the poor anatomical knowledge that our pre-service teachers have on their arrival at university, not being able to identify and connect the main structures or organs that form part of this system, and even stating that digestion begins in the mouth and ends in the stomach, completely forgetting the rest of the structures or organs involved in this process. But what is really surprising and worrying is that all these alternative conceptions that we have been able to identify among our pre-service teachers have already been described in previous studies carried out with primary and secondary education students (Ahi, 2017;Allen et al, 2019;Aydin & Ural, 2018;Carvalho et al, 2004;Cucin et al, 2020;Teixeira, 2000), which indicates that these ideas have become so deeply rooted in students' minds that, despite years of schooling, they persist over time and are resistant to change, becoming misconceptions and contributing to the strengthening of the difficulties that students present when learning science (Halim et al, 2018;Lazarowitz & Lieb, 2006;Mintzes et al, 2005).…”

“…The existence of alternative conceptions about digestion and the digestive system among students at different educational levels has already been highlighted by numerous authors (Ahi, 2017;Allen et al, 2019;Aydin & Ural, 2018;García-Barros et al, 2011). A review of the literature indicates that, at the most basic levels of education, there is a general tendency to consider digestion as an exclusively physical process in which food is broken down to separate good substances from bad; that it is also chemically modified and reduced to components that can be absorbed by the body is not considered (Cakici, 2005;Carvalho et al, 2004;Rowlands, 2004;Teixeira, 2000).…”

Mars Explorers: A Science Inquiry-Based Learning Project in Preschool

“…The domain-specific theory of cognitive development claims that young children have the capacity to learn science (Gelman & Brenneman, 2004). In contrast to traditional theories, many researchers defend that preschoolers are able to form abstract concepts and to establish cause-effect relationships (Convertini, 2021;Eshach & Fried, 2005), as long as science activities allow for direct exploration of phenomena in everyday-life contexts (Allen et al, 2019;Gomes & Fleer, 2020;Worth, 2010). Indeed, the order in which cognitive development materializes can be shaped by experience.…”