International Journal of Science Education
By Kao, Huey‐Lien
“A Study of Aboriginal and Urban Junior High School Students’ Alternative Conceptions on the Definition of Respiration”
Publisher: Routledge
4/29
Pp. 517-533
2007
A Study of Aboriginal and Urban Junior High School Students’ Alternative Conceptions on the Definition of Respiration
Type: Empirical
Data collection method: Survey
Number of subjects, range: Large — 31 or more
Grade and age of subjects: 6th-8th grade — under 13-14 years, 9th-12 grade — under 17-18 years

  • Microorganisms do not have respiratory organs, such as lungs or tracheas, so they cannot perform respiration.
  • Oxygen is the raw material needed to produce blood.
  • The brain needs oxygen because it controls our body activities.
  • As long as trees photosynthesize, they can live because photosynthesis can replace respiration.
  • If there is storage of nutrition when the leaves have been shed, trees can live without respiration.
  • Energy can be given to the stems from the sites of photosynthesis.
  • The function of stems is transportation, thus stems are unable to perform respiration.
  • Plants require O2 at night because during this time they are unable to photosynthesize.
  • O2 can promote breathing and the exhalation of CO2.
  • O2 is one kind of nutrition and can help development.
  • O2 can promote breathing and the exhalation of CO2.
  • Plants need O2 to produce nutrition at night.
  • O2 can be used as a raw material in photosynthesis.