<![CDATA[Misconceptions among preservice teachers represent a serious concern in science education because they have the potential to be transmitted to students at the primary education level. This study aimed to identify and map the misconceptions of students in the Primary School Teacher Education (PGSD) program regarding the structure of plant and animal cells. The research employed a descriptive quantitative approach with a diagnostic survey design. The research subjects were 33 second-semester PGSD students who had completed the Basic Science Concepts course, selected using purposive sampling. The instrument used was a 20-item two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test supplemented with a Certainty of Response Index (CRI) scale, with a KR-20 reliability coefficient of 0.84. Data were analyzed descriptively by categorizing students’ conceptions into four groups: understanding the concept, misconception, lack of understanding, and guessing. The results showed that the overall average percentage of misconceptions reached 34.28%, with the highest misconceptions occurring in the concept of differences between plant and animal cell organelles (41.90%), particularly regarding vacuoles (63.80%), cell wall function (58.09%), and non-chloroplast plastids (55.23%). Students with non-science backgrounds demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of misconceptions (42.17%) compared to students with science backgrounds (26.38%). This study concludes that PGSD students’ misconceptions about cell structure are real, structured, and persistent. Therefore, PGSD programs need to explicitly integrate diagnostic and remediation strategies for misconceptions into science instruction.]]>
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