HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF FOOD WEBS: IDENTIFICATION OF A LEARNING HIERARCHY AND RELATED MISCONCEPTIONS.

The article presents a study which investigates the nature of food webs as an important topic in recent biology curricula. It was stated that the relationships represented in a food web are rule-like so it is possible to construct a learning hierarchy. The paper is concerned with the development and validation of a learning hierarchy relating to the concept of food web. It also considers the use of the learning hierarchy model as a tool to aid identification of students' misconceptions in science. Particular misconceptions relating to the concept of food web are reported.