Table 4.
Student explanations of the central dogma from students at four different institutions, across all levels of undergraduate studya
| Category | Example | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| DNA is copied or carries information | The DNA is providing a template for the RNA to form off of. | 24% (correct) |
| A new molecule of RNA is being created | Transcription. DNA is used as a template to create an RNA molecule, which is single-stranded, to be used in translation | 30% (correct) |
| Transformation of one molecule to another | Transcription: the process of turning a section of the double-stranded DNA into a piece of single-stranded RNA using certain proteins. | 20% (incorrect) |
| RNA exists before the process and/or drives it | transcription occurs at #2 as the DNA transfers information to mRNA | 16% (incorrect) |
| DNA is a “template” (used the term only) | DNA acts as a template for RNA. | 6% (ambiguous) |
| DNA is “transcribed to RNA.” | DNA is transcribed to RNA. | 9% (ambiguous) |
| DNA is “transcribed into RNA.” | DNA is transcribed into RNA. | 23% (ambiguous) |
an = 128. Some responses fell into more than one category. Some responses were considered ambiguous because the student did not explain the meaning of a key technical term.