Dataset "Birch and Sparrow"

This study examines whether instruction designed according to the El’konin–Davydov system leads to the formation of a theoretical concept of the organism that students can use as a tool for independent reasoning. Sixth- and seventh-grade students (N = 426) participated either in a year-long developmental biology course (New Biology) or in standard instruction. To assess whether this concept functioned in students’ reasoning, the Birch–Sparrow diagnostic was used. Students produced five statements and five questions about two familiar organisms not discussed during instruction. Utterances were evaluated by independent experts on a five-point scale of scientific meaningfulness.