A MULTIDIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON BIODIVERSITY PRECONCEPTIONS IN MEXICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

The study of the prior ideas of students has focused on the approximation of concepts derived from scientific knowledge. However, biodiversity is a concept that has transcended biology, permeating diverse fields of knowledge. For its part, the concept of "multidimensionality" implies the connection with other knowledge, to think about science education beyond disciplinary boundaries. Therefore, four dimensions are proposed for the analysis of previous ideas about biodiversity: biological, ethical- political, sociocultural and gender perspective. In this study, we show the research findings of a field work whose main objective was to analyze the prior ideas about biodiversity of first year high school students; analyzing graphic (drawings) and written (words and descriptions) productions from a multidimensional perspective; with a qualitative-interpretative methodological approach and descriptive aspects. For this purpose, we designed and applied a questionnaire in the biology class of a first- grade high school in a public school in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. From the multidimensional perspective, the prior ideas of most students are associated with a biological dimension, mentioning elements perceptible to the naked eye with few attributes or conceptual components. Despite the above, the multidimensionality allowed us to analyze those drawings that were detached from ideas coming from biological knowledge, such as the ethical-political dimension, the sociocultural dimension, and the gender perspective. In conclusion, the exploration of previous ideas from multidimensionality provides valuable opportunities to consider a transversal approach that invites socio-critical reflection on difference and its value in societies.