an innovative approach

esults showed that the students had a better understanding of the photosynthesis
content, but they could not understand the relationships completely. In this case,
Ekborg suggested that challenging students to understand the nature of science and to
be aware of the difference between science context and everyday context might help
them to relate science in the classroom with science in their environment.
Therefore, integrating photosynthesis in environmental education may be a
better way for student learning. In this case, encouraging students to use their
understanding of photosynthesis from their environmental experiences should be
recognized.
5. Thai Student Learning about Photosynthesis
In Thailand, there has been a small amount of research concerned with
learning about photosynthesis. The research showed that Thai students were retaining
many misconceptions about photosynthesis. IPST (1989) investigated Grade 12
student understandings of plant food-making and the mechanism of the photosynthetic
process. The findings illustrated that they did not understand the roles of H2O,
chlorophyll, and CO2 in the process. They were unclear about how the hydrogen ion
(H + ) worked in oxidation-reduction reaction and the Calvin cycle. In addition, two
master’s theses in education at Kasetsart University presented student
misunderstanding of concepts in biology. Sukpimontree (1988: 80) found that some
Grade 11 students in the Southern area of Thailand had difficulty of understanding the
function and role of H2O in photosynthesis. They wrongly understood that soil was a
raw material of the photosynthesis processes, that H2O worked as a plant food
transporters and that proteins and lipids were nutrients produced by the processes.
Jantranon (1999: 58) argued that the high school students, Grades 7-12, also had
misconceptions about food. These students thought that H2O was food because it was
plant food; it helped plants to operate photosynthetic reactions. Others thought that
the H2O was food because it was animal food. All studies concluded that the students
were confused about the differences between plant food and animal food. The
studies made it clear that Thai students had difficulty in learning photosynthesis,
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