Sugar Misconceptions Essay

Throughout our lives, we make assumptions based on our observations of the world around up and things we hear or are told. These assumptions shape the way we view the world; however, they are not always accurate. It goes without saying that students will then bring these previous conceptions with them to the classroom. Oftentimes these errors will have a negative impact on the learner’s education and it can be a lot of work to unprogram these misconceptions. The example of a misconception held by high school students that this paper will focus on is that sugars are not the same thing as carbohydrates. One misconception found by Mann and Treagust (2010, p. 149) that is held by students from year eight to year twelve is “if we want lots of energy…

However, it is possible that it is due to food nutrition labels having both carbohydrates and sugars written on it or due to there being a wide variety of sugars. This prior conception may also come about as not all carbohydrates are sugars, although all sugars are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are life’s primary molecules for energy store and transport (Turnbull, 2017). They are composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen and come in many different forms. Monosaccharides are the most basic form of carbohydrate as they are composed of a single sugar molecule. Glucose is one of the most common monosaccharides and is found in much of the food that we eat, such as fruit, vegetables and even honey (Barclay, McGhie & Sandall 2017, p. 233). Polysaccharides are carbohydrates made of chains of monosaccharides that have been joined by dehydration reactions. The human body uses a polysaccharide called Glycogen to store excess energy (Barclay, McGhie & Sandall 2017, p. 237). When the body needs energy, it breaks the bonds in the polysaccharides, the end product, adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is the main “energy currency” for humans (Barclay, McGhie & Sandall 2017, p. 237). Carbohydrates are an important sub-section in study of

Misconceptions effect more than just a students’ score on an exam. An incomplete or incorrect understanding on a topic will negatively affect any future topics that need correct prior knowledge as a building blocks for the explanation of complex ideas. A student holding the misconception that sugars are not carbohydrates, for example, would have difficulty understanding the biochemistry involved in the production of energy. This is why we need strategies to not only recognise misconceptions but also to abate