When we consider the responses to the second question; two of the 6th graders submitted understanding level
answers about food production, while the response of the remaining 6th grader fell into no answer category. The
same two students gave responses in no answer category about burning food and the remaining was in
misconception category (Table 1). The students gave explanations for this question as; “I think it happens less in the
dark because it respires in the dark room. The liquid-like things in it disappear” and “…chloroplast I guess is fewer I
suppose. It can’t do. It cannot use it.” These explanations show that the students thought that the decrease in the
mass of the plant was caused by the loss of water or chloroplast. On the other hand, response of one of the 7th
graders was in understanding level, one was in misconception and one was in no answer level for the same question