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The Characteristics of Homeostasis: a New Perspective on Teaching a Fundamental Principle in Biology Sara Klein and Michal Zion

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The Characteristics of Homeostasis: a New Perspective on Teaching a Fundamental Principle in Biology Sara Klein and Michal Zion The characteristics of homeostasis: a new perspective on teaching a fundamental principle in biology Sara Klein and Michal Zion ABSTRACT Homeostasis is a fundamental principle in biology that represents the biological essence of living organisms: the dynamic stability of the body. There are difficulties comprehending homeostasis, as there are concrete sensory aspects as well as scientific aspects that are abstract and complex. These difficulties have led us to define eight characteristics of homeostasis, in order to describe the ‘homeostatic features’ of physiological systems (processes and situations) in living organisms. We present perceptions regarding homeostasis of 12th grade biology students (age 17–18) who studied homeostasis through those eight characteristics. The students’ perceptions reflect their understanding of the multifaceted appearance of homeostasis in living organisms. Over many years, research has examined students’ For many years, homeostasis was studied perceptions of physiological homeostatic systems primarily in specific physiological systems, and has demonstrated students’ erroneous such as the nervous and the cardiovascular perceptions and difficulties in understanding the systems. Then, homeostasis was studied on the fundamental principle – homeostasis in the entire cellular, molecular and ionic levels by applying body. In order to develop a better understanding mathematical, physical, chemical and cellular of homeostasis among students, we defined properties (Cheng, Jiang and Han, 2007). characteristics of homeostasis that may be used Recent studies have focused on examining in the teaching and studying of homeostasis. We homeostasis in long-term processes, which result investigated how students understood homeostasis in abnormal states, in cases such as change of by its characteristics. body temperature, stress, weight loss, obesity and living at higher altitudes (Stewart, 2006). There is Defining and understanding homeostasis also reference to different levels of homeostasis Definitions and understandings of homeostasis throughout the natural lifespan in general, and in have undergone many changes, beginning with old age in particular (Calabrese et al., 2006). Claude Bernard (1813–1878). Bernard first Difficulties in understanding homeostasis referred to the body’s internal environment – milieu interne (Cannon 1929: 400). Walter Physiological systems that demonstrate homeostasis Cannon (1871–1945) was the first to define the in the body, such as the urinary, respiratory and term homeostasis. He assumed that constancy cardiovascular systems, are particularly complex and stability in the body require ceaseless change, in structure and function. Memorising names of and he explained that the dynamic stability system components is not enough to understand the is homeostasis (Cannon, 1929: 400). In his behaviour of the whole system (Hmelo-Silver and physiological research, Cannon (1929) also defined Azevedo, 2006). Students often exhibit difficulties in six ‘homeostatic agents’ navigating the operation understanding homeostasis because formal thinking of physiological factors that maintain homeostasis levels are required to understand this complex in the body. He emphasised the role that these and abstract principle (Westbrook, 1987). These factors play in maintaining constancy of the body, difficulties are expressed in the understanding of: ceaselessly neutralising ‘disturbing conditions’. He l the complexity of the body – the organism’s also referred to cooperation between homeostatic body is composed of several physiological factors that affect processes synchronously. systems that function together; students often SSR September 2015, 97(358) 85 Homeostasis: a new perspective on teaching a fundamental principle in biology Klein and Zion perceive the body as a ‘black box’, and its Methodology internal processes (such as thermal regulation) The research participants were 93 Israeli 12th as a complete mystery (Ben-Zvi Assaraf, grade biology students (age 17–18 years) Doddick and Tripto, 2013); attending municipal or regional high schools l each physiological system is composed of with heterogeneous classes of students from several complex organs, built of different similar socio-economic backgrounds. The tissues in an organised structure; students studied homeostasis as demonstrated in l various physiological and biochemical the lactose operon by means of an instructional processes occur simultaneously; website Homeostasis on the Molecular Level. l each process is composed of sequential This website (for which the second author was steps, and occurs under control and regulation; the scientific adviser) contained several learning l homeostasis is both a state and a process; tools (dynamic simulations, analogies, virtual l homeostasis exists in different levels of labs and a game) and applied these tools to organisation – some phenomena are easier illuminate the characteristics of homeostasis in the to understand on the organisation level of the lactose operon. Moreover, the characteristics of entire body but more difficult to understand on homeostasis were demonstrated and highlighted a cellular or molecular level; in other physiological homeostatic situations l many terms are involved in description and and regulation processes. For, example, the definition of the homeostatic mechanism, characteristics were summarised by demonstrating such as regulation, coordination, control, the features of homeostasis in organisms such as negative feedback, dynamic equilibrium, a snake, an elephant and a shrew, in comparison stability and internal environment; with humans. By the end of this learning process l internal contradictions are embedded in the the students were expected to have obtained classic definition of homeostasis – examples a multidimensional image of homeostasis – of these contradictions are the terms ‘dynamic from the molecule in a bacterium cell to the stability’, ‘a constant internal environment’ whole body. and ‘dynamic equilibrium’. We examined homeostasis understanding Characteristics of homeostasis by administering a questionnaire (CHCQ: Comprehension of Homeostasis Characteristics We defined eight characteristics of homeostasis, Questionnaire). The questionnaire was initially based on the scientific literature and through developed by interviewing biologists, teachers consultation with two physicians, three biologists, and science education specialists. The content five teachers and two science education and components were examined and validated specialists. Each characteristic is explained in by experts: three teachers, two biologists and Table 1. The characteristics are based on the two science education specialists. Validation was following descriptions: carried out by examining the correlation between l process dynamics (‘dynamics’ and the questionnaire components and characteristics ‘physiological balance’); of homeostasis. A reasonable consistency of l biochemical-physiological mechanisms α = 0.734 was found. The CHCQ contained two (‘control and regulation’ and ‘feedback’); types of question: l location (‘environments’); 1 questions about concrete phenomena and l interrelated systems (‘dependency between processes chosen to represent characteristics events’ and ‘multi-systems’); of homeostasis such as blood clotting (control l the occurrence of homeostasis on different and regulation of the clotting factors) and levels in living organisms, including hormones (feedback); prokaryotes (‘levels of organisation’). 2 questions that refer to images from which Having defined the characteristics of characteristics of homeostasis can be ‘extracted’ homeostasis, we then set out to examine – we constructed an indicator (which was whether biology teaching that emphasises these examined by two specialists in biology and characteristics can help students understand science education) for analysing the students’ homeostasis as a fundamental principle. responses and used it to rate student replies 86 SSR September 2015, 97(358) Klein and Zion Homeostasis: a new perspective on teaching a fundamental principle in biology Table 1 Content of the Comprehension of Homeostasis Characteristics Questionnaire (CHCQ) Content group Description of content Dynamics of a Homeostatic processes are characterised by the active maintenance of physiological, homeostatic process chemical and physical parameters. The processes occur throughout time, all the time, and there are bidirectional, fluctuating and correcting deviations in process rates or physiological parameters around average values. Homeostasis is the sum of all processes maintaining the stability of the internal environment. Physiological balance This characteristic emphasises the dynamic equilibrium in the body (or tissue, or cell) that is sustained physiologically throughout the lifespan of an organism. Homeostasis is a steady state, meaning that there is a dynamic equilibrium in which input and output of materials and energy are balanced. Control and regulation of Homeostasis in complex organisms requires a mechanism that monitors changes, a homeostatic process accompanied by regulatory mechanisms that return the altered state to a desirable one. The overall control of the body is integrated with the local regulation (enzymes, ions and co-factors (in any particular system and its micro-environment. Feedback mechanism The homeostasis mechanism relies primarily on the principle of negative or positive feedback. Feedbacks are expressed in the effect
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