Assessing Students’ Understanding of the Topic “From Gene to Protein” Using a Four-Tier Diagnostic Test

Molecular genetics is often one of the most challenging subjects for students in biology courses. Identifying misconceptions on this subject will help teachers improve teaching and increase student success. Based on this thought, this study aimed to determine students’ misconceptions about molecular genetics using a four-tier test. The researcher applied the test consisting of 26 questions to 435 senior students from 12 different high schools and found 44 misconceptions about the topic of “from gene to protein” within the scope of the test. Twenty-three of these misconceptions appeared with a frequency of more than 10%. These findings provide teachers with the opportunity to understand students’ possible misconceptions and take precautions against them. The researcher believes the research findings will guide future studies to eliminate the situations preventing students from learning the subject in depth and to eliminate misconceptions about the subject.