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In the last decade, dialogue between science and society has found a forum in an increasing number of publications on topics such as public engagement with science and public trust in science. Concerning the latter, issues that include cases of research misconduct, accountability in research, and conflicts of interest (COIs) have shaped global discussions on the communication of science. In the publication setting, the perception that hiding COIs and/or not managing them well may affect public trust in the research record has grown among editors. We conducted a search for editorials addressing COIs between 1989 and 2011, using four major databases: Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge. We explored the content of these editorials and the relationship they established between COIs and the public trust in science. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between disclosure of COIs and public trust in science has become a major concern among editors. We, thus, argue that COIs should be discussed more openly and frequently in graduate courses in the sciences, around the globe, not only in biomedical but also in non-biomedical areas. This is a critical issue in contemporary science, as graduate students are the future voices and decision-makers of the research community. Therefore, COIs, especially in the broader context of science and society, merit closer attention from policymakers, researchers, and educators. At times of great expectations for public engagement with science, mishandling of COIs may have undesirable consequences for public engagement with science and confidence in the scientific endeavor.

IntroductionThis paper reports on a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study that assessed technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) competency among life sciences teachers in the context of virtual lab adoption in rural schools in South Africa.MethodsDrawing from TPACK framework as the study’s theoretical foundation, data gathered through questionnaires (N = 186) and in-depth semi-structured interviews (N = 4) were analysed using descriptive and thematic analysis.ResultsThe study uncovered a ubiquitous deficiency in TPACK competency among the participating life sciences teachers. The teachers demonstrated significant expertise in conventional areas such as content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), mainly influenced by teaching experience. However, they exhibited a noticeable gap in technology-related TPACK domains, including technological knowledge (TK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and overall TPACK proficiency.DiscussionThis paper aspires to address a significant gap in educational research by spotlighting the often-overlooked rural teaching contexts. In addition, the paper advocates for tailored professional development initiatives to enhance teachers’ overall TPACK proficiency. Such initiatives are crucial for empowering teachers to integrate technology into their teaching and improve learning outcomes effectively.

Abstract Avida-ED is a model system that lets students explore evolution and the nature of science by observing and manipulating the evolutionary dynamics of digital organisms. Over 5 years, we ran eight 2.5-day in-person professional development workshops for 105 primarily college biology instructors to introduce them to Avida-ED and digital evolution and to help them to plan implementations. In this paper, based upon 60-min interviews with 46 of the attendees, we describe what they found to be of value in the workshop itself and the implementations of Avida-ED that they subsequently carried out. The Active LENS workshops were universally valued by the interviewees as a professional development experience; they valued the overall experience of the workshops, their organization and content, and the instructor support materials. Of the 46 teachers that we interviewed, 41 implemented Avida-ED in their classrooms, in 66 separate implementations. We characterized these with respect to the nature of the implementation and its duration, and examined the data in relation to course type, course level, and stated learning goals of the instructors. The most common use was to have students learn evolutionary concepts by observing them in action. A smaller fraction used it to provide a complete research experience.

Only recently, primary education institutions in the Philippines started to embrace research, resulting in few investigations into research productivity and affecting factors. This mixed method triangulation study measures senior high school scientific research productivity and influencing factors. A total of 130 students, 68 papers, nine faculty, and ten evaluators were the participants in the study. Results showed low research productivity in the quantity and quality of papers. Results also revealed a significant relationship between student and teacher scientific research skills (SRS) and research policy to the quality of research. In conclusion, there is a need for improvement in primary education research productivity by increasing student and teacher SRS and holistically formulating a research policy.

This position paper is predicated on two focus areas. First, it recognises that scientific inquiry is performed in social situations and questions whether and how standard epistemology can be augmented to tackle this aspect. Within this focus, the goals of science education are reviewed. The second focus addresses sociality as an essential feature of knowledge and questions how standard epistemology can be reformed from this generally social perspective. Specifically, this study on one hand addresses the social dimension of science education, and on the other hand, examines the suitability of instructional contextualisation as a possible strategy to achieve the social dimensions of science education. The aim is to initiate a conversation about the importance of framing science education studies and experiences within the sociocultural context of interests and needs to achieve reliable participation of all concerned. To this end, this paper argues that science education ought to place considerable emphasis on students’ acquisition of values and skills of sociality. Furthermore, a comprehensive goal of science education should constitute both the normative and the non-normative aspects of science with a particular emphasis on the development of character formation, moral values, creativity skills and competences. There is, therefore, a need for an examination of the social dimensions of science education and its curriculum implications, especially as science education serves as the nexus between science and society.

This paper discussed science teachers’ beliefs, pedagogical practices, and challenges in integrating multimodality in teaching science in the New Normal. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with the eight selected participants and were analyzed through Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method. Beliefs and pedagogical practices in integrating multimodality in science include inculcating a variety of modes, techniques, and strategies, considering student differences, using pictures, symbols, and models, using technology and interactive media online, and encouraging students’ active participation and engagement offline. The study also identified pedagogical, technological, content, and behavioral challenges. Positive attitudes, such as being adaptable to changes, being eager to acquire basic skills, being well-rounded, patient, and motivated, being creative, and embracing effective professional development, were developed. The findings underscored the need for education policymakers, curriculum designers, and science teachers to strengthen the teaching-learning process by integrating more multimodality approaches.

This paper demonstrates how Longitudinal Qualitative Research (LQR) is an innovative method to understand the lived experiences of members of minoritized groups when temporality is a structuring element of their experiences. Most qualitative research in psychology is cross-sectional, which limits our understanding of individuals whose experiences are context-dependent and linked to the temporal norms of specific social environments. LQR is unique for allowing researchers to compare change and stability over time and reveal how social challenges and barriers impact perspective shifts and long-term decision-making. To demonstrate the usefulness of LQR as an inclusive methodology, we discuss an ongoing study of career decision-making among a diverse cohort of biomedical scientists. We have used annual interviews to follow biomedical science trainees from the beginning of their PhD into the initial stages of their careers. We present case studies of minoritized scientists to illustrate the methods for long-term engagement used to elicit sensitive and critical information during their training. We show how LQR is a viable methodology for a variety of research questions and can be accomplished using large or small sample sizes and limited resources. Our primary goal is to show how LQR is useful to understand the experiences of minoritized individuals in contexts that have historically excluded them.

In the age of modern technology, generative artificial intelligience-powered chatbots offer a variety of uses for different purposes. Undoubtedly, ChatGPT is one of the most widely used chatbots in science education. In this paper, we review the implementations of chatbots, focusing particularly in teaching and learning physics and chemistry. Their roles in the context of science education are classified as tutee, tutor, and tool. We found the development of ChatGPT to be quite impressive. As a tutee, the latest version of ChatGPT is a fast learner, capable of passing standard tests and providing accurate scientific answers using approaches like Chain-of-Thought and Socratic-style dialogue. As a tutor, it can help students learn through classroom teaching techniques such as scaffolding and enhance critical thinking by acting as a personal tutor that offers instantaneous feedback. As a tool, ChatGPT can assist in reviewing students’ handwritten homework, drafting scientific writing, and generating code for science programming. Although ChatGPT offers many benefits, it can sometimes provide inaccurate information, necessitating human oversight in science education. Importantly, students should be taught to critically assess the responses provided by ChatGPT and understand its ethical use to ensure effective utilization.

This paper presents a comprehensive examination of the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in science education and its impact on personalised learning. The research explores current applications, challenges, and future perspectives of AI technologies in educational settings. Through a systematic literature review, we identify the advantages of AI, such as enhanced individualised instruction, data-informed insights, and increased student engagement. The study combines quantitative and qualitative analyses, case studies, expert interviews, and technology assessments to offer a multidimensional understanding of AI's role in personalising science education. Despite the potential benefits, the research highlights barriers, including financial costs, infrastructure requirements, data privacy, and the need for teacher training. The future of AI in education suggests a trajectory towards advanced personalisation capabilities through adaptable learning systems, virtual tutors, and immersive learning environments. We underscore the importance of addressing the identified challenges to fully realise the transformative power of AI in science education. The findings illustrate that, with thoughtful implementation, AI holds promise for tailoring science learning experiences, making them more effective, inclusive, and engaging for students of varied needs and abilities.

A game-based approach is widely used to increase students’ motivation through their active participation, whereby research is interwoven with fun and competition is incorporated with cooperation. Working in teams or groups encourages students to exchange their opinions, to try to find solutions together or to win a game. In this way, they learn and improve skills such as collaboration and responsibility. Several activities involv-ing the 5E model as part of inquiry-based science education and an es-cape room as part of game-based learning were used in science classes (chemistry, biology and physics). The activities were designed on three different topics – gases, ecology and electrical circuits – within the project “Diversity in Science towards Social Inclusion – Non-formal Education in Science for Students’ Diversity”. The activities focused on the students’ self-concept towards science, interest in the subject, motivation and career aspirations in STEM, as well as the effectiveness of the implemented activ-ities. The study aimed to assess the potential advantages of implementing activities in an ethnically diverse environment, benefiting both students and teachers. Pre- and post-questionnaires were designed and distributed to 190 students from various primary and secondary schools in Macedo-nia. The present paper provides an overview of game-based activities as well as a brief analysis of the pre- and post-questionnaire responses from students, focusing on the topic of ecology.

The paper presents a literature review on current barriers and boosters in the context of initial science teacher education for inclusion. The authors argue that current science teacher education programs for prospective teachers could be improved by adopting a more conceptually grounded and sustainable approach toward inclusion. To this end, the paper proposes an approach based on inclusive values and evidence-based practices that would benefit all students. Firstly, the paper identifies several barriers that exist in current science teacher education programs, including the dominance of an add-on approach, separate teacher education tracks, and inadequate preparation for the topic leading to decreasing self-efficacy toward inclusion. Secondly, to overcome these barriers, the paper proposes the integration of evidence-based practices, collaboration, and knowledge-transfer in science teacher education programs. These boosters can equip prospective science teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge for effective inclusive science education. Overall, the paper provides valuable insights and recommendations for improving initial science teacher education programs in the context of inclusion.

ABSTRACT Climate change education is both important and challenging. Prior research suggests that many secondary school science teachers in the United States were conveying “mixed messages” to students that legitimized scientifically unwarranted explanations of recent global warming. In this paper, we focus on US climate education at the middle school level and assess whether teacher attention to recent global warming, and whether the messages conveyed to students, changed between 2014 and 2019. Pooling data from two nationally representative probability surveys of middle school science teachers, we show significant advances on several key criteria, but the prevalence of mixed messages remained high. Exploratory analysis suggests that improvements were spurred partly by the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards by many states and by partly by shifts in the personal views of science educators.

Disadvantaged pupils are those pupils whose ability to learn in school is impeded by their family, social or economic situations which are often times beyond their control. Without adequate intervention, there are chances that this group of pupils could drop out of school. In Nigeria, there are many categories of disadvantaged pupils into which a vast majority of pupils can be grouped. Providing science education requires a lot of resources and organisation. By its nature, the engagement of children in science education under an ideal environment is a huge task, let alone for pupils who are disadvantaged and must learn science under abnormal circumstances. The gravity of the disadvantage suffered by these pupils vary, hence, this paper focuses on two very critical groups of disadvantaged pupils in Nigeria (the pastoralist nomads and the Almajiris), and describes the challenges faced by educators in providing science education to them. The paper further presents a critical appraisal of some national and international educational programmes which are designed to assist educationally disadvantaged pupils with an intention to explore the successes and failures of such programmes within the Nigerian context. Some recommendations on how to tackle the identified challenges are proposed.

Diffractive methodology is a recently established alternative to the interpretivist approach commonly used in educational research. Unlike epistemological practices grounded in representation, it recognises knowledge making as performative and emergent from difference. This paper offers new insights into diffractive readings in early childhood science education through experimentation with entangled empirical video data, theoretical perspectives and transdisciplinary space. A methodological contribution is made by showing how critical points of difference are created when video footage of shared understandings held by early childhood practitioners encounters existing research on early childhood science education diffractively. These points of difference are made to matter and illuminated as affecting emergent new connections which can reconfigure dominant ways of understanding creativity in early childhood science education. In doing so, children’s creative knowledge making practices in science enquiry are (re)presented as expansive, material knowing which is enacted at once through talk and materials.

This is a case study of a science professional development workshop in Nepal with 17 teacher participants from four public schools. These schools mainly served Indigenous students in elementary, middle, and high school (Grades 9 and 10). The workshop focused on educating and building science teacher leaders for culturally relevant teaching and antiracist pedagogy by valuing and integrating Indigenous leadership practices and local knowledge. The teachers participated in a 2-day workshop co-organized by the local district education office and the local high school and led by the high school principal and a U.S.-based university faculty. Data were collected during and after the workshop through field notes, audio/video recordings of some sections of the workshop, and focus group interviews with a select group of participating teachers. The analysis of the data showed (a) struggles and opportunities to prioritize Indigenous science knowledge and Tharu sociocultural connections, (b) teachers seeking affirmation from principals to be science teacher leaders modeled on Indigenous leadership values, and (c) greater willingness for culturally relevant pedagogy among female and Indigenous teachers. The hope is that this paper will contribute to the value of a science teacher leadership professional development program (PD) in building awareness among science teachers about the value of culturally appropriate antiracist pedagogy in science teacher leaders. In addition, the PD also shows that science teacher leaders in Indigenous schools would benefit from the Indigenous relational model of leadership in leading their peers and students in antiracist and culturally relevant science teaching and learning. Finally, the study seems to indicate that a successful science teacher leader always incorporates local Indigenous community values, knowledge, and practices.

The last three decades two distinct trends have emerged within Early Childhood Education, namely Early Childhood Science Education and Early Childhood Special Education. The current paper tries to move along these areas and illuminate the common ground that lie between them. In particular, drawing from the formulated empiricist, Piagetian and socio-cognitive trends within Early Childhood Science Education, it tries to explore to what extend they could expand in special needs context. In addition, it proposes diverse, specific strategies that emerge from the above-mentioned trends and could be implemented in teaching science within special needs settings. By so doing, the present paper aspires to set the frame of a newly born and well-promising trend, that of Early Childhood Special Science Education.

This research project sought to understand how preservice teachers explore their relationship with Science and confidence in teaching about climate change in Science education amid a culture of denial regarding the impact of the climate crisis. Using data from three cohorts of students in an elementary Science methods course, this paper shares the context of climate change acceptance in the province of Alberta, Canada, the fossil fuel economic hub of Canada, and how using Journell’s framework for controversial issues alongside a critical energy literacy framework using inquiry, supported preservice teachers to address their hesitancy in Science classrooms to engage with climate change education. Science education also needs to shift as our energy and economies need to shift in response to the climate crisis. Preservice teachers, therefore, need to be supported in this transition by better understanding their relationship with Science and how to respond to the climate crisis within regions that do not necessarily support renewable or sustainable forms of energy, such as Alberta, Canada.

This paper aims to review and assess the strategies available in literature to improve the practices of science process skills (SPS) among students. SPS encompasses the mental and physical activities of students in collecting and organizing information and then using the information to make predictions, explain phenomena, solve problems, understand the scientific endeavor, and learn science. Students were required to develop and use these skills in the teaching and learning process. The commonly identified and described SPS are observation, measuring, classifying, communicating, predicting, inferring, using numbers, using space/time relationship, questioning, identifying and controlling variables, hypothesizing, defining operationally, designing experiments, interpreting data, and modeling. These skills are important for students as tools for exploration and investigation of the natural world, improving academic achievements and attitudes towards science, learning science with understanding, and promoting development of mental and intellectual processes. From the literature reviewed the following strategies were recognized for the development of SPS in students: integration of SPS in curriculum materials, classroom lessons and assessments, use of instructional strategies or methods, and providing explicit instruction or training on SPS. The instructional strategies identified for enhancing SPS were student-centered teaching methods and multiple representation approaches. Student-centered teaching approaches promote the development of SPS in students by engaging them in mind-on and hand-on activities. Multiple representation approaches involve presenting lessons by using a combination of various teaching methods or various media in the same lesson and are found important for SPS development in students. Therefore, it was recommended to use these strategies for developing SPS to attain science education goals.

Urban green spaces (UGS) are patches of nature that, when located in the vicinity of schools, can be used to encourage active learning. But when educators plan on using these spaces in their daily routine, they have to face numerous difficulties. This paper analyses the uses of UGS by primary education teachers and the influence that the distance between UGS and schools in Zamora, a small city located in NW Spain, has in their usage. Quantitative data were collected by means of a paper-based questionnaire administered to 119 students of the Primary Education Teaching Degree after their professional practice period in primary schools. In the questionnaire, composed of 20 closed-ended questions, students were asked about several aspects of their tutors’ daily use of UGS. Results show low usage of UGS by primary teachers, even though schools have very high accessibility to these spaces. Teachers largely use UGS to reinforce natural and social sciences lessons, developing activities associated with plants and nature. But there are barriers that hinder the educational use of these spaces such as curricular planning and teacher training. Nevertheless, results show that when teachers visit UGS, they use these spaces as teaching laboratories where they apply active teaching methodologies, such as inquiry-based methods.

Computational literacy is one of the 21st century skills–students must therefore acquire the appropriate competencies in computer science to meet the demands of 21st century society. To achieve this, teachers must be adequately trained. Furthermore, this also means that introductory computer science education concepts must also be integrated into the training of (pre-service) science teachers and anchored in the curriculum. This is particularly important because many scientific professions or research can no longer be done without basic computer knowledge and computational literacy. The central approach to educating future teachers is the university course of study. This paper aims to systematically provide an insight into which scientifically relevant publications address this issue. The essential criterion in this review is the restriction on science education or more general science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in schools or universities. Equally important is the specification that computational literacy (informatics competencies, information literacy, computer literacy, or computational thinking) are purposefully taught or trained. Only publications in the Web of Science database were included for quality assurance. This paper investigates to what extent scientifically valid research or knowledge is available at this junction, i.e., computational literacy in science education. Thereby, we distinguish between different approaches, such as effect studies on individual aspects, isolated practical contributions with a pronounced trial-and-error character, or systematic or model-based considerations in quantitative and qualitative studies. The results show common aspects, prominent trends, and promising approaches. However, possibly existing (subject-) didactic concerns should be considered in more detail and the dual perspective role of the students as future teachers. In addition to learning basic computer skills, the ability to teach them is also essential so that the scientific education of the students can benefit from them to the required extent.

This paper aims to describe and explain the impact of certain teaching practices on collegen students’ conception changes. Teachers' practices during a lesson on atomic models were studied, as well as students' conceptions, based on diagrams they drew and commented, before and after the lesson. Aware of the difficulty of changing these students’ conceptions, teachers deliberately use certain forms of content representations as well teaching activities designed to change them. The students' conceptions generally evolve towards a more advanced level of formulation corresponding to the probabilistic model, even if several errors still remain.

This meta-analysis study aimed to scrutinize the effect of the problem-based learning (PBL) approach on students’ academic achievement in science lessons compared to the traditional instructional approach. As research data, the researcher accessed 55 experimental studies as a result of steps of a systematic review with the keywords “problem-based learning,” “science,” and “academic achievement or success” from the Education Resources Information Center, Scopus, Web of Science, Proquest, Taylor and Francis, Center of Higher Education National Thesis Center, and Wiley Online databases. The results showed that the PBL method used in science education had a high effect size on academic achievement compared to the traditional instructional method. The results also explained significant differences between the effect sizes of publication types (conference papers, articles, master’s thesis, and doctoral thesis). On the other hand, they demonstrated that academic achievement was similar in the nationality of the studies, educational levels, instructional variations with PBL, and relevant science areas. It is expected that integrating innovative instructional approaches into PBL could guide researchers who establish a research problem about how it can affect science academic achievement.

This paper answers the call for the importance of integrating the Islamic worldview into science classes. This research provides insights into science teachers' experiences of integrating science and Islam, as well as additional surveys to reveal gains in student understanding. This research consists of two stages. Study 1 used phenomenology and focused on the voice of science teachers through focus groups. This research involved five focus groups in five Islamic high schools providing information describing their experiences. Through thematic analysis techniques, several findings were obtained as follows: (1) the concept of integration emphasises more on the balance of compliance between vertical and horizontal; (2) the integration pattern places more emphasis on learning materials; and (3) in terms of benefits, this effort is focused on increasing understanding and followed by study 2 which aims to add to the evidence base by investigating the effect of integration patterns on student understanding. The results showed that there is evidence that the support of an overarching integration pattern contributes to students' understanding of the material. As a recommendation, it is necessary to strengthen integration at all stages of science learning, allowing students to take advantage of discussions in class to develop more relevant abilities.

We have a responsibility as science educators to work with young people to enact education that enables collective rebalancing of relationships between humans and more-than-humans that are disturbed by human-induced climate change. However, to date, climate change education has not been prioritized in school science at a policy, curricula, classroom and community level, due to an aesthetic which does not sufficiently value climate science or recognize the social impacts of science as part of the discipline. We argue in this conceptual research paper from a pragmatist perspective that an aesthetic shift is required to include science as part of climate change education as a transdisciplinary endeavor that focuses on addressing socio-ecological challenges through student agency and community action. We explore the synergy between science education aesthetics and climate change aesthetics as we advocate for a transformative aesthetics of climate change education. We do so through a process of reflection on and conceptualization of our stories of climate change education in Australia. We propose that such an aesthetic (how we ought to value) should not be considered in isolation but rather that it forms the basis for the ethics (how we ought to conduct ourselves) and logic (how we ought to think) of young people being with us in a community of inquiry in the Anthropocene. We argue that we (teachers and students) ought to conduct ourselves in loving ways toward human and more-than-human kin that necessitates that we think as a community of inquiry to address the challenges of the Anthropocene. In doing so we suggest that we can realize a radical pragmatist meliorism for climate change education that is underpinned by the three normative sciences, the most foundational of which is aesthetics.

AbstractThe pursuit of science is essential for the progress and development of a nation. However, there is evidence of a persistent decline in the number of students opting for science courses in undergraduate programs across the world. This paper investigated the perceptions of the students regarding the reasons for the dearth of science students and why science students switch their majors after the completion of 12 years of education (Intermediate level) in Pakistan. A sequential mixed-methods analysis comprising a survey of a convenience sample of 101 undergraduate students and qualitative interviews with 6 science faculty were used for data collection in the City of Lahore. The findings from quantitative data analyses indicated that the major factors associated with the dearth of science students are favorite subject (

AbstractThis paper investigated constraints associated with biology teaching and learning materials in selected schools in the Central Region of Ghana. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the classroom implementation of biology curriculum. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used for the study. The target population comprised 187 biology teachers and 7790 second year biology students in all the 58 public senior high schools that offered elective biology during the 2016/2017 academic year. The accessible population however consisted of 4500 second year biology students drawn from 21 schools. The final sample comprised 106 biology teachers and 354 biology students. Factor analysis was used to perform inferential analysis and draw conclusions on the research questions. Resources for teaching and learning biology was inadequate in all schools visited. Most teachers did not organise practical activities regularly and this affected some profile dimensions suggested by the teaching curriculum. It is recommended that only qualified and experienced teachers should be employed to handle senior high school students in order to build a good and strong foundation for them.

[Pupose/Significance] The library community can contribute greatly to scientific culture construction. This paper aims tosystematically analyze the connotation of scientific culture construction and explore the potential space where libraries can participate inscientific culture construction. give some enlightenment to libraries in our country.[MethodProcess] This research adopts the methodsof literature research, network research and systematic literature review.First,this study extracts Chinese keywords based on the Chineseliterature about "scientific culture" and analyzes its connotations. Ssecond it builds a list of English and Chinese keywords containing thesub concepts of "scientific culture". After retrieving, classifying and reading the literature about practice of libraries' participation inscientific culture construction carefully,this study compares the practice of Euro-American libraries and Chinese libraries, and putsforward countermeasures and suggestions for Chinese libraries to bridge the gap.[ResultsiConclusions] Scientific culture includes threelayers: scientific culture as basic literacy, scientific culture as research ethics and scientific culture as workplace culture of researchers.Libraries can play an important role to support all of them.However, considering the present situation,Chinese public libraries aresignificantly insufficient in participating in the constructing of scientific culture as basic literacy.University libraries are the main actorsin constucting scientific culture as research ethics and scientific culture as workplace culture of researchers, but the practical results didnot meet expectations. The important problems include few researchers embrace data management and planning, few researchers payattntion to the reproducibility crisis, research integrity education is not enough, and research evaluation services is a lack of standards. Leaming from the experience of other foreign libraries and combining the situation of Chinese libraries, this study proposes that Chinesepublic libraries can increase their participation in scientific culture construction through promoting ideology, strengthening links with thescientific community, increasing the proportion of STEM activities, absorbing ethics related courses, and carrying out citizen science andother comprehensive science popularization activities. Chinese academic libraries can provide the acadenmic integrity support service of"trinity of facilities, resources and services". Besides that, the construction of the academic evaluation service standard of academiclibraries and practicing responsible scientific measurement can maintain the faimess of the academic workplace so as to promote thescientific culture as research ethics and scientific culture as workplace culture of researchers. Our future work will conduct thematicresearch around the medium and micro levels of scientific culture. The preliminary direction is the standard of responsible scientificmeasurement.

This paper attempts to transfer L.S. Vygotsky’s experimental-genetic method in Science Education and, furthermore, into non-formal settings. The nature of Science Education in early school grades as well as the flexibility and the need to some extent of incorporating arts in Science Education indicate that experimental-genetic method may be applied as a useful tool of analysis which will provide in-depth insights about the learning process. The method was applied to the data, collected from the implementation of the educational program «Thunderbolt hunt» at the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina, Greece. Unlike many other courses, this educational program is based on the museums’ exhibits and introduces concepts of science as well as cultivates scientific method. In this paper a meta-analysis of the implementation of the program to a first grade of a public primary school is presented. The data analysis shows explicitly the relation between the formation of the concept of air and the social relations and interactions between the students. The combination of transcending the misconceptions about air, conducting experiments and trying to adapt a new way of working result in a lot of contradictions while at the same time give space for reflection which altogether create «the dramatic character of the organized interaction».

Since the turn of this century, constructivism has dramatically influenced science education and, particularly in Muslim countries, the teaching of evolution. This influence came about gradually. After the 1980’s, Muslim graduate students studying Education in Western universities have been taught constructivism both as a theory of learning and a philosophy, more specifically, as an epistemological theory. This has impacted these students’ views of the nature of science, scientific argumentation, multiculturalism, and the function of democratic values and practices in education. The scope of this influence raises a number of serious questions: Has constructivism introduced a mode of reasoning into science and science education that is foreign to, and even anathema to, scientific discourse? Why does almost every science education research paper suggest or imply negotiation with clergy and religious NGOs? Such questions are discussed in the present paper. To answer these questions, this paper examines in the context of Enlightenment and secularism theoretical frameworks, the methodologies, and suggestions regarding the teaching of evolution in Muslim countries.

The activation of diversified historical sources and methodological approaches have been requested to the production of a new socio-historical knowledge concerning the historical constitutions of the school subjects of science and biology. This approach allows the understanding of controversies and disputes about these subjects. The present paper aims to present and problematize the use of an investigative resource developed in the field of Social sciences and still unusual in the science education studies with historical perspectives: the photobiography. This device combines references from Sociology, History of Education and Curriculum. In the paper, the photobiography dialogues with a research on the social trajectory of a science teacher whose professional practices were in tune with the assumptions of the “Science Education Innovation Movement” of the 1960s and 1970. The photobiography device is used for triggering memories and the production of other meanings of science teaching at that milieu.

The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the thematic group created at the 2009 Enpec [Brazilian National Conference on Science Education Research] edition under the name Diversity, Multiculturalism and Science Education (DMSE). Our research question was: What is that working group like? We set out to examine the group’s production considering the DMSE sessions to be a forum where research is presented and debated. The methodology involved reading and organizing presentation titles, abstracts, keywords, problem questions, and references using the Free Interpretation Analysis approach, which draws connections between a researcher’s perspective and their study’s theoretical framework. Graphs show the most frequent topics within DMSE studies and their oscillations over the years. This paper provides data and results indented to help: a) mapping Science Education studies, observing how they address the reality and the particular conditions of teaching-learning processes in different Brazilian schools; b) introducing a more critical vein to the education of those involved in Science Education , encouraging them to think beyond instrumental aspects and to incorporate a political and ethical approach committed to building a less unequal society and to the defense of human rights; and c) advocating for a more plural Science Education, in which diverse voices can be heard.

This study aims to identify research trends of scaffolding in the field of science education. To this end, both descriptive analysis and co-word analysis were conducted to examine the selected articles published in the Social Science Citation Index journals from 2000 to 2019. A total of 637 papers were retrieved as research samples through rounds of searching in Web of Science database. Overall, this study reveals a growing trend of science educators' academic publications about scaffolding in the recent two decades. In these sample papers, from 1,487 non-repeated keywords, we extracted 286 author-defined keywords shared by at least two studies as a benchmark dictionary. A series of co-word analyses were then conducted based on the dictionary to reveal the underlying co-occurring relationships of the words in title and abstract of the sample papers. Results showed that “scaffolding,” “support,” and “design” were the top three most frequently used keywords during 2000 and 2019. Visualization of co-word networks in each 5-year period further helps clarify both educators' common research foci and relevant research trends. Derived discussion and potential research directions are also provided.

We designed and pilot tested “You and CO2”, a program designed to encourage students to reflect on their personal impact on the environment, while also appreciating their place within society to bring about positive societal change. Over three interlinked workshops, students analysed the carbon footprints of some everyday activities, which they then explored in more detail through interacting with a bespoke piece of interactive digital narrative (IDN), No World 4 Tomorrow. Previous papers have discussed the feasibility of the program and student engagement with the concepts. This paper presents analysis of the playthrough data as each participant in the program played the IDN to completion, examining trends in story selection choices for how they reflect students’ understandings and attitudes towards climate change and their own ability to make a difference in matters large and small pertaining to climate change.

Abstract This study suggests an engineering design process-based (EDP-based) teaching and learning model in science education and examines its educational potential for scientifically gifted students. This model consists of activities designed to help students come up with creative solutions using the engineering design process in a methodological manner to solve problems in everyday life. The EDP-based model has five stages: “defining the problem,” “ingathering information,” “generating the solution,” “implementing the best solution,” and “evaluating the solution and reflecting.” The model was named DIGIER based on these five stages. This EDP-based model has functions for scientifically gifted education such as providing guidance for developing gifted education programs and helping educators use instructionally effective strategy for scientifically gifted students in the science education institute for the gifted, South Korea. Making a simple outdoor paper microscope program developed with the DIGIER model. The students recognize the old paper microscope dissatisfying and recognize a need to make a new simple outdoor paper microscope through experiment to observe stomata in plant leaves with an optical and old paper microscope. Then, the students create a new paper microscope design collaboratively. Therefore, DIGIER model can be a very effective teaching and learning strategy to increase the scientific creativity and collaborative abilities of scientifically gifted students that will play a pivotal role in the future society.

Research on socio-scientific issues (SSI) has revealed that it is critical for learners to develop a systematic understanding of the underlying issue. In this paper, we explore how modeling can facilitate students’ systems thinking in the context of SSI. Building on evidence from prior research in promoting systems thinking skills through modeling in scientific contexts, we hypothesize that a similar modeling approach could effectively foster students’ systematic understanding of complex societal issues. In particular, we investigate the affordances of socio-scientific models in promoting students’ systems thinking in the context of COVID-19. We examine learners’ experiences and reflections concerning three unique epistemic features of socio-scientific models, (1) knowledge representation, (2) knowledge justification, and (3) systems thinking. The findings of this study demonstrate that, due to the epistemic differences from traditional scientific modeling approach, engaging learners in developing socio-scientific models presents unique opportunities and challenges for SSI teaching and learning. It provides evidence that, socio-scientific models can serve as not only an effective but also an equitable tool for addressing this issue.

Contemporarily available technology has provided researchers quite an accessible method to see through students’ eyes. This offers researchers the chance to re-evaluate teaching materials from their, so far hidden, potential function’s point-of view. In this study, a literature review of research on science textbooks using the eye-tracking method is presented. Relevant journal articles or conference papers indexed on the Web of Science and Scopus databases were selected. From the original 112 papers, 18 were submitted to a thorough analysis after duplicate papers and papers not conforming to the topic were excluded. The studies’ characteristics, topics (influence of textbook design on student learning, distribution of attention, textbook effect etc.) and used methods (the device and measurement, additional methods, methodological issues) are included in the review. (Novice) science education researchers, state officers responsible for textbook evaluation, textbook authors or even teachers can profit from this overview, which clearly shows the state of the art as well as potential research directions.

This paper discusses teachers’ interpretations of physics diagrammes. The study based on 55 science and non-science teachers, where a qualitative approach was adopted. First, 12 fundamental physics diagrammes were revealed to the teachers, who were asked to think aloud about them. Science teachers and non-science teachers gave similar answers. It has been observed that only the science teacher cohort extended their explanations. When interpreting the diagrammes, the participants in both groups did not notice certain elements that it was expected they would see. The result of this study can inform how teachers interpret physics diagrammes. This paper contributes to the growing interest in international literature as well as national literature regarding the use of diagrammes for teacher training, because interpreting diagrammes is a comprehensive process, which contains certain elements, such as lines, arrows, curves, colour, and objects with boundaries.

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) has been perceived as an engaging teaching approach to foster students' learning and motivation. There are different opinions about the potential benefits of gaming on students' academic achievements, motivation, and skills in science courses due to the lack of empirical evidence and mixed results. To address this issue, this paper provides a review of relevant literature from 2006 to 2017 to examine the effects of using educational computer games in teaching science at the elementary education level. This paper employed a multidimensional framework to classify learning outcomes from studies of DGBL applications in the area of elementary science education. The findings of this review show a promising potential of DGBL, particularly in the area of content understanding. However, the findings of the review also suggest that there is a need to provide additional research in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of the educational effectiveness of DGBL. Hence, researchers are advised to conduct more randomized controlled trials (RCTs), various learning modes (e.g., collaborative and individual), and comparisons of DGBL to traditional methods of teaching. Furthermore, the researchers are highly encouraged to examine the effectiveness of DGBL applications in other areas, such as problem-solving and critical thinking. The findings of this review can benefit educational computer game designers, educators, and practitioners in the area of science education, particularly at the elementary level.

This paper analyzed Scratch projects developed by undergraduate students. The sample consisted of 22 child development students (18 women and four men) in the 2018-2019 academic year. The study adopted an action research design within the scope of a course titled “Teaching Science and Mathematics in Preschool Education.” The research was conducted within 14 weeks. In the first four weeks, we provided participants with training on why and how to use Scratch in science and mathematics teaching. In the following ten weeks, participants designed Scratch projects every week based on age groups, topics, and learning outcomes of their choice. Participants evaluated their projects themselves and also received feedback from peers and academics. Each participant designed ten Scratch projects (five for math and five for science). The data consisted of 220 Scratch projects and design logs. The data were analyzed using content analysis. In the first weeks, participants knew little about the content of Scratch and used one or two characters and mostly control and looks blocks. In the following weeks, they learned more about Scratch and used different Blocks. Anahtar Kelimeler Scratch, science education, mathematics education, preschool education, coding

Learner-Generated Digital Media (LGDM) in tertiary science education focuses on research skills, inquiry, active learning, teamwork, and collaboration. LGDM across disciplines is under-theorised, under-researched, and only in its early development. This paper evaluates the research in the field of LGDM in tertiary science education. The literature review had four stages – identification, screening, filtering, and selection of relevant scholarly research. Results showed that research in the field of LGDM assignments had been done without a systematic approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating the assessment task. Most studies neglected student digital media training and are characterised by a lack of compelling marking rubrics or strategies to ensure efficient groupwork. Studies also lack rigorous methodologies for data capture to evaluate the intervention and they use small sample size cohorts and different digital media types that require different sets of production skills. With the empirical data available, validation of the benefits of LGDM assignments in science education is not possible, and studies have limited scalability. These gaps in the literature create a need to develop theoretical models for the design, implementation, and evaluation of LGDM in the classroom. This paper discusses future research needs in this field and the implications for assessment design.

A strong theoretical approach with a specific focus on disciplinary research characterizes the common science master’s education in the Netherlands. However, a work-based learning (WBL) approach may as well be expedient and suitable for science education at master’s level. In this paper, a case study is presented of a WBL-program designed for an academic setting: the one year Science, Business and Policy (SBP) master’s track, offered at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of the University of Groningen. The paper describes the design and curriculum of the track, including its underlying theoretical framework, courses, multidisciplinary projects and work placements. Based on the SBP-track’s design we identified six possible indicators of a successful elaboration of an academic WBL-program: the SBP-track 1) is designed in response to the Bologna process; 2) is offered fully within the curriculum of a master’s program of a research university; 3) requires a sufficient academic level and disciplinary knowledge at entrée; 4) follows an educational project approach; 5) focuses on the integration and implementation of knowledge, and; 6) applies learning objectives that are specifically formulated to match the WBL educational method. A directed content analysis of SBP work placements revealed an increase in the number of SBP-students between 2003 and 2019, with an overrepresentation of life science students, as well as a large variety of real-case problems addressed for both business and policy organisations diverse in sector, size and region. Students’ grades showed a positive correlation between the initial theoretical preparation and the report made during the work placement. In conclusion, the societal interpretation of the Bologna process has been implemented successfully with SBP, by combining academic learning with gaining professional experience using a WBL-approach. Received: 03 December 2020 Accepted: 09 April 2021

The global pandemic and climate change have led to unprecedented environmental, social, and economic challenges with interdisciplinary STEM foundations. Even as STEM learning has never been more important, very few pre-college programs prepare students to address these challenges by emphasizing socio-scientific issue (SSI) problem solving and the engineering design of solutions to address local phenomena. The paper discusses the design and evaluation of a pre-college, SSI curricular unit where students expand their learning by creating solutions to increase biodiversity within local urban neighborhoods. The learning approach, which we call eco-solutioning, builds from current vision and policy documents in STEM education emphasizing phenomenon-centric instructional materials, science investigations, and engineering design. The paper outlines design principles for creating an eco-solutioning instructional unit that guides young students to: collect and analyze data on local organisms, use an engineering design approach to craft solutions to increase local biodiversity, and present their solutions to local city planners and community members. Two cycles of research studies evaluated student learning using paired t-tests. Results demonstrated significant pre-post learning outcomes in both research cycles. A third research cycle in the form of a summer extension program supported students as they implemented their local solutions. Conclusions highlight design principles for the successful creation of SSI curricular units centered on local environmental issues of interest to students, teachers, and stakeholders.

This article is an introduction to the rich domain of curriculum studies with specific reference to science teaching and learning. It is designed not as a systematic review or theoretical treatise but rather as an overview for those charged with transforming science content and processes into a classroom curriculum. In other words, while written from the scholarly perspective of curriculum studies, the hope is that it will be seen by teachers as a set of possibilities rather than recommendations while reminding educators that what happens in classrooms to students and their parents is the curriculum, but it is only one of many that might have been delivered. To accomplish this, this paper explores the complex definition of curriculum including the notions of the kinds of curriculum from null, to formal, received, and learned with an emphasis on what occurs as a specific curriculum design results in effective and even faulty learning, a unique consequence proposed here. Next, we explore the common curriculum ideologies or orientations including those focused on academic advancement, tradition, student-centeredness, and social improvement. Finally, a formal recommendation for the content of science instruction in the U.S.—the Next-Generation Science Standards, is are considered as a conclusion by applying the expansive perspective of the term and nature of curriculum discussed throughout.

ABSTRACT Art is a common approach for communicating and educating about science, yet it remains unclear the extent to which science art can benefit varied audiences in varied contexts. To examine this gap, we developed an art exhibit based on the findings of two publications in disease ecology. In study 1, we asked visitors with varying formal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education backgrounds to complete a survey about their interest in science research before and after viewing the exhibit. In study 2, we recruited upper-level ecology undergraduate students to receive one of three treatments: engage with the art exhibit, read the abstracts of the papers, or do neither. Students completed a comprehension quiz immediately after their learning treatment and again 2 weeks later to evaluate retention. Following the exhibit, visitors who did not report a career or major in STEM showed a greater increase in research interest than visitors who did report a career or major in STEM. For the ecology undergraduate students, comprehension quiz scores were higher for students in the abstract group than the art exhibit group, while both groups scored higher than the control group. Retention of information did not significantly differ between the three groups. Overall, these findings suggest that science art exhibits are an effective method for increasing the accessibility of science to broader audiences and that audience identifiers (e.g., level of formal education in STEM) play an important role in audience experience of science communication and science education initiatives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted science education, forcing teachers and students to switch to online and hybrid modes of learning. This paper reviews recent research on how to cope with these challenges using various innovative teaching strategies. These include online platforms and tools, historical and philosophical perspectives, and holistic approaches to science education. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for the future of science education.

This paper charts the recent history of the STEM Learning UK contracts with local Science Learning Partnerships (SLPs) and identifies what leadership has been made available to support the Early Years and Primary school sector. A case study approach is taken using ‘Super SLP’ hubs in England. Curriculum Hubs exist in core subject areas such as maths, English, science and computing. They have recently been expanded to include Behaviour Hubs. This forms the current DfE strategy of Teaching School Hubs (TSHs), i.e., to offer system support and a full career-length support for all stages of teacher-career and leadership development. This paper charts the changes to the Early Years (EY) and Primary teacher support networks, in science particularly, and examines what they provide and how this can be improved, and discusses, through session evaluation and feedback, what teachers have appreciated the most.

The purpose of this paper is two-fold; to explain the ideological thrust of globalization in shaping different approaches of science education; and to discuss the impact of neo-liberal agenda on the science education reforms in LDCs. The structure of the paper is as follow. First, the trends and approaches of western science education along with their theoretical assumptions are discussed. Then, the linkage of neo-liberal ideology with the concept of globalization and current science education is explored. Next, the role of English language, aid agencies and educational research in the context of science education are debated in defining the status of LDCs in knowledge economy. Finally, a call for “indigenization” in curriculum, policies and practices of LDCs is made, in order to achieve the goal of a relevant and context-sensitive science education.

The digitalization of everyday school life has gained increasing importance for teachers in recent years. In Germany, this is especially true since the publication of the strategy on “Education in the Digital World” by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in 2016, which calls for the acquisition of digital competencies by students. In this regard, it is of great importance that future teachers acquire important skills in the field of digitalization during their teacher training in order to effectively and pedagogically use digital media in instruction. In this paper, we present the concept of an intervention on the topic of “Simulation and Modeling” from the competency framework DiKoLAN, which provides possible guidance in relation to the question “which competencies in the field of digitalization should be taught during teacher training?” One focus of the presented concept is the technology of “Augmented Reality,” which has already been described as an effective teaching and learning tool. Furthermore, evaluation results of the seminar are presented, which examine both the effectiveness in terms of conveying the desired competencies through the measurement of self-efficacy expectations, and the attitudes of the pre-service teachers towards the use of AR in science education. The evaluation of the intervention measure shows a significant increase in pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy expectations across all areas of competencies to be taught, as well as a significantly more positive attitude towards the use of AR in science teaching.

Quantum physics is an essential field of science education research, which reflects the high relevance of research on quantum physics and its technologies all around the globe. In this paper, we report on a bibliometric analysis of the science education research community’s scientific output in the area of quantum physics in the period from 2000 to 2021. A total of 1520 articles published in peer-reviewed physics and science education journals were retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus databases to conduct bibliometric analysis. This study aims to provide an overview of quantum physics education research in terms of scientific production, preferred publication venues, most involved researchers and countries (including collaborations), and research topics. The main findings point to a continuous increase in research output in the field of quantum physics education over the last two decades. Furthermore, they indicate a shift regarding the research foci. While formerly mainly papers on the teaching of quantum physics content were published, recently, an increase in the relevancy of empirical studies on the teaching and learning of quantum physics can be observed.

Background: 3D-Virtual Reality Learning Environments (3D-VRLEs) have proven effective in stimulating student engagement in teaching and learning processes. However, some principles should be considered before introducing and implementing these learning environments in science education. This paper aims to document the principles that guide the design and development of the 3D-VRLE in science education and to draw the implications for the Omani educational context. Methods: A design-based research (DBR) methodology was conducted to gather data using two instruments: literature review and semi-structured interviews. One specialist developer and two Subject Matter Experts were selected for interviews using purposeful sampling. The in-person interviews consisted of seven questions and a three-hour discussion. The questions were centered on the technological features of 3D-VRLE applications, the instructional design process used to develop these educational applications, and the design principles used in their development. Keywords used for the literature review included biology, physics, chemistry, science, DBR, 3D-virtual reality, lab, and learning environment. Inductive thematic analysis was used as a technique for analyzing the interview data. Results: The findings pointed to a systematic and planned design process for 3D-VRLE in accordance with the ADDIE model. It was found that the design principles of the 3D-VRLE should include authentic and instructionally grounded systems, a collaborative and motivating environment, and student-centered instruction. Conclusion: 3D-VRLEs may have significant implications for the teaching of science in terms of the physical arrangement of classrooms, the way the teacher delivers the topic, the number of students in the classroom, and the type of technology that needs to be adopted in schools. This study presented the blueprints required by Omani science curriculum designers for the design/development of 3D-VRLE. This allows them to take the initiative in design and production of relevant learning materials and products and use them effectively in the educational context of Oman.