Cognitive achievements in identification skills

Species identification tasks are generally accepted as fundamental aspects of biodiversity education. Our educational training unit, therefore, focused on identification skills by introducing stuffed specimens in combination with identification books and preparation booklets.We limited the number of bird species to six. 492 secondary school pupils (163 from 8th grade [high stratification level] and 329 from 9th grade [medium stratification level]) participated in the study. Instruction-1 pupils received a hands-on lesson about the natural history of six bird species, while Instruction-2 pupils were taught in a conventional teacher-centred manner. Pupils from the hands-on classes achieved significantly better grades in two follow-up tests. The measure of well-being was significantly enhanced by the teaching technique, while interest, anxiety and boredom were not affected. Additionally, pupils appreciated the opportunity of self-regulation. In general, a shift from the unspecific to the specific was observed: for instance, from duck and gull to mallard and black-headed gull. A reduction in the number of species presented to pupils within a lesson seems to enhance learning and retention effects.     

Alternative Conceptions about Micro-organisms are Influenced by Experiences with Disease in Children

Children’s ideas concerning natural phenomena often differ from those of scientists, and these ideas are termed as alternative conceptions. The prevalence of alternative conceptions is highest among young children who possess less experience with the natural world as compared with adults. Children’s ideas about micro-organisms are of special importance, because an improved awareness of them may reduce risk of contamination by pathogenic infection. We investigate in this paper how individual differences in vulnerability to disease influence expressions of conceptions regarding micro-organisms amongst kindergarten children. More disease-vulnerable children drew smaller micro-organisms and used darker colours when drawing them compared to their healthier counterparts. The children’s drawings were not influenced by gender differences. Interviews showed that all the children knew that micro-organisms are somewhere in the human body and that their placement in all probability reflects their own experiences with disease. Perhaps surprisingly, hands were one of the least frequently cited sources of micro-organisms which may reflect low awareness on the part of children regarding threats from potentially pathogenic bacteria. These results support the universality of children’s conceptions regarding micro-organisms and suggest further implications both for teaching and research regarding children’s conceptions.     

The Teaching of Photosynthesis in Secondary School: A History of the Science Approach

In this article we present a synthesis of the research affecting pupils' conceptions of photosynthesis and plant nutrition. The main false conceptions of the pupils identi?ed in this literature review are: that green plants ?nd their food in the soil; that water and mineral salts are suf?cient to the growth of a plant; the role of chlorophyll, where the transformation of luminous energy into chemical energy is never evoked; and air as a source of matter, which is never underlined. Secondly, we are going to see that several of these false conceptions have been developed during history. For example, the famous philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BC) thought that plants receive their food from the soil already elaborated. Several centuries later, the physician and chemist Van Helmont (1677–1644) added more precision to Aristotle’s conception while claiming that plants use only water for their growth. Finally, we will see that the analysis of the false theories developed during history will permit in a context of teaching to valorize the false conceptions of the pupils. Indeed, the history of sciences could incite a teacher to valorize his pupils’ false conceptions while considering them as an indication of difficulties that deserve particular pedagogical and didactic tools. The false conceptions constructed by the pupils don’t have to be ignored in a teaching context because they obey particular reasoning rules, sometimes similar to those that once guided some scientific steps. This view, drawing on false conceptions developed during history, gives a dynamic and human picture of the science very distant from the one sometimes carried on by dogmatic teaching.     

The effects of discovery learning in a lower-division biology course

This study investigated discovery learning pedagogy and its effects on students' achievement and attitudes toward instruction in a lower-division biology course, entitled Structure and Function of Organisms. Instruction was primarily lecture-based but included four discovery learning activities. Results indicate that students had greater achievement on content learned through discovery methods than lecture-based instruction. Findings regarding students' attitudes toward discovery-based instruction suggest that students enjoyed active, discovery-based problems, believed that discovery helped them gain an understanding of the material and helped them to develop skills that could be used in other courses. The study presented here shows that a moderate amount of discovery learning used in combination with traditional methods of instruction may be an effective means for promoting students' achievement.     

Knowledge of,and Attitudes Towards Health-related Biotechnology Applications Amongst Australian Year 10 High School Students

Modern biotechnology has a large and rapidly increasing impact on society. New advances in genetics, stem cells and other areas hold great potential for human health but also presenting socioscientific issues that commonly divide public opinion. While knowledge is necessary to develop informed opinions about biotechnology, they may also be influenced by polarized discourse and fiction in the media. Here, we examined prior knowledge about and attitudes towards health-related biotechnological applications in Year 10 high school students from Western Australia using online questionnaires. The impact of teaching on students’ understanding was tested by repeating the questionnaire after a lesson. Finally, students’ argumentation skills were examined by recording responses to statements about biotechnological applications. We found that, prior to instruction, most students exhibited a reasonable understanding of biotechnology. There was little evidence for alternative conceptions, and instruction led to a diversification in understanding. Attitudes towards biotechnology were generally positive but varied. Despite interest in biotechnological issues, argument for positions was generally cognitive-affective in nature. Consequently, biotechnology is a relevant topic for science education, and presents excellent opportunities to build on pre-existing knowledge. Rather than expanding students’ knowledge, our results suggest educators should focus on deepening existing understanding and strengthening argumentation skills.     

“Trees Live on Soil and Sunshine!”- Coexistence of Scientific and Alternative Conception of Tree Assimilation

Successful learning is the integration of new knowledge into existing schemes, leading to an integrated and correct scientific conception. By contrast, the co-existence of scientific and alternative conceptions may indicate a fragmented knowledge profile. Every learner is unique and thus carries an individual set of preconceptions before classroom engagement due to prior experiences. Hence, instructors and teachers have to consider the heterogeneous knowledge profiles of their class when teaching. However, determinants of fragmented knowledge profiles are not well understood yet, which may hamper a development of adapted teaching schemes. We used a questionnaire-based approach to assess conceptual knowledge of tree assimilation and wood synthesis surveying 885 students of four educational levels: 6^th graders, 10^th graders, natural science freshmen and other academic studies freshmen. We analysed the influence of learner’s characteristics such as educational level, age and sex on the coexistence of scientific and alternative conceptions. Within all subsamples well-known alternative conceptions regarding tree assimilation and wood synthesis coexisted with correct scientific ones. For example, students describe trees to be living on “soil and sunshine”, representing scientific knowledge of photosynthesis mingled with an alternative conception of trees eating like animals. Fragmented knowledge profiles occurred in all subsamples, but our models showed that improved education and age foster knowledge integration. Sex had almost no influence on the existing scientific conceptions and evolution of knowledge integration. Consequently, complex biological issues such as tree assimilation and wood synthesis need specific support e.g. through repeated learning units in class- and seminar-rooms in order to help especially young students to handle and overcome common alternative conceptions and appropriately integrate scientific conceptions into their knowledge profile.     

An exploratory study of student teachers’ conceptions of teaching life science outdoors

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate elementary student teachers’ conceptions of teaching life science outdoors. The study involved 99 student teachers who were enrolled in an elementary science methods course at a large public university in the United States of America. The study utilised drawings, and narratives to investigate the nature of these teachers’ conceptions. Data analysis revealed that three conceptions of teaching life science were common among the participants: (1) teaching life science is predominantly conceptualised as being situated in the schoolyard, (2) teaching life science outdoors is teacher-directed, and (3) teaching life science outdoors is disconnected from in-class science instruction. Implications include the need for (1) teacher education programmes to provide reflective supports that explicate student teachers’ conceptualisation of teaching life science and thus exposing prior frameworks; and (2) teacher educators to examine student teachers’ prior frameworks for teaching life science outdoors and provide knowledgeable theory and practice platforms that will serve as frameworks for student teachers to adopt, connect and routinize outdoor life science teaching with in-school teaching of life science.     

The effect of hands-on activities on children’s knowledge and disgust for animals

Research has shown that hands-on activities in biology/science education tend to improve children’s attitudes towards science. These hands-on activities can influence children’s interest in various ways, perhaps because they invoke varying emotions. We used a sample of 10–12-year-old children (n = 142) to examine the effect of hands-on activities with living snails on children’s achievements and disgust sensitivity. Children with living snails received significantly higher knowledge scores about snails measured with both a knowledge test and with analyses of drawings as compared with control children who received a traditional lecture without living snails. Disgust sensitivity was significantly lower in the experimental group and children who scored higher on the disgust scale received a lower knowledge test score. It would seem that the emotion of disgust negatively correlates with achievement.     

Effects of different forms of physiology instruction on the development of students' conceptions of and approaches to science learning

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions of and approaches to learning science in two different forms: internet-assisted instruction and traditional (face-to-face only) instruction. The participants who took part in the study were 79 college students enrolled in a physiology class in north Taiwan. In all, 46 of the participants were from one class and 33 were from another class. Using a quasi-experimental research approach, the class of 46 students was assigned to be the "internet-assisted instruction group," whereas the class of 33 students was assigned to be the "traditional instruction group." The treatment consisted of a series of online inquiry activities. To explore the effects of different forms of instruction on students' conceptions of and approaches to learning science, two questionnaires were administered before and after the instruction: the Conceptions of Learning Science Questionnaire and the Approaches to Learning Science Questionnaire. Analysis of covariance results revealed that the students in the internet-assisted instruction group showed less agreement than the traditional instruction group in the less advanced conceptions of learning science (such as learning as memorizing and testing). In addition, the internet-assisted instruction group displayed significantly more agreement than the traditional instruction group in more sophisticated conceptions (such as learning as seeing in a new way). Moreover, the internet-assisted instruction group expressed more orientation toward the approaches of deep motive and deep strategy than the traditional instruction group. However, the students in the internet-assisted instruction group also showed more surface motive than the traditional instruction group did.     

Student-generated instructional videos facilitate learning through positive emotions

The central focus of this study is a learning method in which university students produce instructional videos about the content matter as part of their learning process, combined with other learning assignments. The rationale for this is to promote a more multimodal pedagogy, and to provide students opportunities for a more learner-centred, motivating, active, engaging and productive role in their learning process. As such we designed a ‘video course’ where the students needed to produce an instructional video which could be used for university teaching. In addition to producing the video, the students needed to write a literature review of the topic of the video and a learning journal. At the end of the course the students filled a questionnaire regarding their learning and emotions during the project. Based on the students’ subjective answers, it appeared that producing a video, combined with writing the literature review can be an efficient way of learning. Most students found the project emotionally very positive and regarded it motivating to work on a video which they knew will have use in the future. This research suggests that a multimodal video project in a higher education setting enhances learning through increased motivation and positive emotions.     

Teaching This Class Drives Me Nuts! - Examining the Person and Context Specificity of Teacher Emotions

Teachers’ emotions are critically important for the quality of classroom instruction, and they are key components of teachers’ psychological well-being. Past research has focused on individual differences between teachers, whereas within-teacher variation across contexts has rarely been considered. As such, the present research addresses the long-standing yet unresolved person-situation debate pertaining to the emotional experiences of teachers. In two diary studies (N = 135, 70% female, and N = 85, 28% female), we examined the role of person, academic subject, and group of students for teacher emotions; focusing on three of the most salient emotions found in teachers: enjoyment, anger, and anxiety. Findings from multi-level analysis confirmed the person specificity of enjoyment, anger, and, in particular, anxiety. In addition, underscoring the existence of within-teacher variability, findings supported that teachers’ emotions considerably varied depending on the subject and group of students taught, particularly so for enjoyment and anger. Implications of the person and context specificity of teacher emotions are discussed in relation to assessments and intervention programs aiming to improve teachers’ emotional lives in the classroom.     

CRISPR基因编辑技术虚拟仿真教学软件的构建及应用

CRISPR基因编辑技术逐渐成为一个强有力的分子技术,已越来越广泛地应用于科学研究和临床试验.在高校教学实践中,为了解决该实验原理复杂、操作难度大、周期长、成本高等问题,构建了CRISPR基因编辑仿真教学软件.该软件包括原理演示和实训操作2个模块.原理部分通过3D技术呈现出每个分子的结构,并以动画的形式演绎CRISPR...     

Extracurricular involvement and psychological adjustment in the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood: The role of mastery and creative self-efficacy

A minimal amount is known regarding the mechanisms underlying the potential benefits of extracurricular activities (ECAs) for adolescents’ psychological adjustment. This preliminary cross-sectional study, during which 512 undergraduates retrospectively reported information about high school ECAs, used structural equation modeling to show that feelings of mastery and creative self-efficacy partially explained relationships between past ECA involvement and current psychological adjustment (depression, anxiety, and well-being) as well as creative achievement, though results varied according to the type of ECAs examined. These findings support the importance of studying the specific processes that may account for the benefits of extracurricular involvement within and across activity domains. Future studies using longitudinal designs are needed to assess the causal nature of these findings.     

Biology student teachers’ dialogic talk in inquiry-based instruction

ABSTRACT

Inquiry-based learning has generally accepted by scholars as a most effective teaching approach in biology education. The talk during inquiry-based teaching needs to be practiced. There is less evidence how student teachers talk with students during their inquiry-based biology instruction. This knowledge is needed in supporting student teachers to develop their teachership in biology education. In this qualitative case study, the dialogic talk of biology student teachers (N = 6) was studied in the context of inquiry-based lessons in lower secondary school. The student teachers’ lessons were video and audio recorded and the data was analyzed using content analysis. The student teachers used dialogic talk in their inquiry-based instruction only occasionally, mainly in the examination and the conclusion stages. During the introduction stage, dialogic talk was less used and it was mainly explaining and instructing the content. In the examination stage, student teachers also guided students and stated facts. During the conclusion stage, student teachers mainly explained and also evaluated students’ statements. The lesson’s topics and methods used in inquiry-based learning may enable the dialogic talk of student teacher to some extent. However, teacher education should focus more on scaffolding student teachers’ talk with their students in all kinds of inquiry approaches.     

Adding Cognition to the Formula for Culturally Relevant Instruction in Mathematics

Although equity is one of the goals of the mathematics reform movement, there has been little research done to develop programs that meet the needs of specific cultural groups. By studying how mathematical knowledge is developed in the course of everyday life, it is possible to change mathematics instruction to enhance mathematical achievement. In a series of research projects with Native Hawaiian children, ethnographic information and cognitive studies of mathematical thinking guided a program to develop culturally relevant mathematics teaching. The approach taken in this study is compared to other recent efforts to develop culturally relevant instruction in mathematics.     

Effects of Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematical Metacognition on Word Problem Solving in Children with and without Mathematical Learning Difficulties

Mathematics is one of the most objective, logical, and practical academic disciplines. Yet, in addition to cognitive skills, mathematical problem solving also involves affective factors. In the current study, we first investigated effects of mathematics anxiety (MA) and mathematical metacognition on word problem solving (WPS). We tested 224 children (116 boys, M = 10.15 years old, SD = 0.56) with the Mathematics Anxiety Scale for Children, the Chinese Revised-edition Questionnaire of Pupil’s Metacognitive Ability in Mathematics, and WPS tasks. The results indicated that mathematical metacognition mediated the effect of MA on WPS after controlling for IQ. Second, we divided the children into four mathematics achievement groups including high achieving (HA), typical achieving (TA), low achieving (LA), and mathematical learning difficulty (MLD). Because mathematical metacognition and MA predicted mathematics achievement, we compared group differences in metacognition and MA with IQ partialled out. The results showed that children with MLD scored lower in self-image and higher in learning mathematics anxiety (LMA) than the TA and HA children, but not in mathematical evaluation anxiety (MEA). MLD children’s LMA was also higher than that of their LA counterparts. These results provide insight into factors that may mediate poor WPS performance which emerges under pressure in mathematics. These results also suggest that the anxiety during learning mathematics should be taken into account in mathematical learning difficulty interventions.     

以学生为中心的微生物学线上线下混合式教学创新与实践

为解决当前传统教学方式不能满足学生差异性与个性化需求、大学生普遍感觉迷茫与微生物抽象难学造成学习动力与兴趣不足这两大教学问题,微生物学教学团队以学生为中心、产出为导向,通过“找闪光点、做人生规划”帮助学生“树立志向、报效国家、振兴乡村”;进行“课前自学-课中研讨-课后体验”的创新设计,实现线上线下无缝对接。依据创新性、高阶性与挑战度要求,实施每集一悟、体验学习、拓展学习等创新举措,并将课程思政贯穿全程,充分开展师生、生生互动。建立了形成性多元考核评价体系。学生对改革较为满意,双创项目参与率、考研录取率、学习成绩与学科竞赛成果持续显著提升。研究结果可为微生物学课程的创新教学改革提供参考。     

Student conceptions about energy in biological contexts

The concept of energy serves biologists as a powerful analytical model to describe phenomena that occurs in the natural world. Due to the concept’s relevance, educational standards of different countries identify energy as a core idea for the teaching and learning of biology and other science subjects. However, previous research on students’ energy understanding has mostly focused on physics contexts. This cross-sectional study extends insight to the field by providing a systematic analysis of students’ (N = 30, grades 5, 7, 9, 11) conceptions about energy in biological contexts. In order to connect the findings to previous research, the study analyses conceptions about four energy aspects that are regarded as central for understanding the concept in different disciplinary contexts, i.e. (1) energy forms/sources, (2) transfer/transformation, (3) degradation/dissipation and (4) energy conservation. The findings identify substantial changes in students’ conceptions about energy between the different grade levels, but also highlight conceptions that students consistently employed across age groups. The results are discussed in the light of previous research on students’ progressing energy understanding and the connection of their energy understanding across different disciplinary contexts. Lastly, the article provides implications for the further development of energy teaching in biological contexts.     

基于BOPPPS的混合式教学模式在生物化学中的应用

随着互联网时代的到来,大规模开放式在线课程(慕课,MOOC)为教育改革提供了新的研究思路和方向。为了提高生物化学的学习效果,本文结合该课程知识点杂而多、理论性强和学生学习兴趣不高的特点,设计了一种基于BOPPPS教学的线上线下混合式教学模式,并在生物化学课程中进行了实践。BOPPPS中的情景案例激发了学生的学习兴趣,逐层递进的课堂练习让学生沉醉其中。研究结果表明,体验过混合式学习的学生与通过传统学习方式学习的学生相比,实验组学生对知识的理解深度明显好于对照组,在学习效果上也存在显著差异(P<0.05),试验组学生的平均成绩(81.13)比对照组学生的平均成绩(76.21)提升5分左右。问卷调查结果显示,与传统教学模式相比,学生更愿意接受新的教学模式,并愿意在未来的学期里支持继续使用新型的教学模式。学生认为,能从新的教学模式学到比传统的授课形式要多的知识,而且新的教学模式还促进了团队合作能力,提高了学生的学习兴趣,学生课前愿意花费较长时间自主预习。该方法激发了学生的学习主动性,促进了学生更好地学习。