Models and other Mental Representations in the Study of DNA by High School Students

he study of models and mental representations is an important landmark in the research on science teaching. This inquiry took place in a state school with students in the 1st year of high school education in the subject of biology and analyzes the relation between the construction of meaningful learning and the use of figures from the Didactic Book (DB) in an approach by Johnson-Laird. The results show that those students who did not use the figures in the DB during the learning process of scientific concepts (DNA replication) presented a higher frequency of drawings with mental models. It discusses the relevance in the production of this type of mental representation when studying DNA in meaningful learning. This research also seeks to reflect on the DB methodology used in the classroom and points out some consequences for and limitations to students' learning.