Plant Taxonomy Learning in Moroccan University Level: Student’s Motivation and Alternative Conceptions

This study aims to assess learning outcomes and identify students’ misconceptions in plant
classification. We conducted a questionnaire survey with undergraduate and master’s students. The
qualitative analysis of the students’ responses made it possible to shed light on the difficulties of
assimilation of many notions and also to identify the different misconceptions constructed during their
learning courses about plant organisms. The findings indicate that some students are not motivated to
take the course on plant classification. This demotivation is reinforced further by students’ perceptions
of plant classification, especially that it is not important and not useful for learning other biology
specialities. The findings also show that more than half of the students who participated in this study
consider plant systematics a difficult subject. We also note that some of the students surveyed seem
not to have acquired many concepts of plant biology including concepts related to the biology,
reproduction and evolution of plants. Thanks to this, we could see different types of problems in plant
classification, which constitute misconceptions hindering learning. Initial training in plant biology does
not appear to have a significant effect in modifying students’ misconceptions related to plant
classification.