Undergraduate Students' Misconceptions About Protein Structure and Function Stem From Challenges in Visuospatial...

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry Education
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Understanding protein structure and function is fundamental to biochemistry.
• Undergraduate students frequently encounter difficulties applying knowledge of protein structure to function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To expand on existing typologies of common protein misconceptions.
• To qualitatively examine undergraduate biochemistry students' misconceptions about protein structure and function.

Main Methods:

• Recruited participants from a large, lecture-based, non-major biochemistry course.
• Utilized a series of qualitative assessments to examine student responses.

Main Results:

• Identified three nuanced misconceptions: protein stability based on orientation, confusions about protein dynamics, and protein structure related to function.
• These misconceptions are potentially linked to difficulties with visuospatial reasoning.

Conclusions:

• The findings highlight specific areas where students struggle with protein concepts.
• Addressing visuospatial reasoning may be key to improving student understanding of protein structure-function relationships.