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Plant awareness disparity (PAD), formerly known as plant blindness, refers to the fact of overlooking or failing to perceive plants, perhaps due to poor 'species literacy'. Despite numerous efforts made by scientists and educators over the years, PAD is still present in students at all educational levels. An assessment was carried out on 259 students from primary school to university in the Spanish education system to evaluate their species literacy, especially regarding local flora and fauna, its possible improvement across educational levels, and to assess whether PAD was a reality among students. A biased perception towards animals was confirmed with strong statistical support. Animals were recognized and identified more than plants at all educational levels. Even if a positive correlation for animal-plant literacy was found, the values were weak. Although the curricula set out content and learning outcomes related to local environment and flora, their teaching has been proven to be unsatisfactory. The recently implemented curricula have the mission to reverse this trend, which can be done by improving students' interest in plants through specific educational programs and activities, as well as comprehensive training in the field of botany and the effective implementation of activities for current and future educators.

This article presents an educational experience with 30 high school students based on the flipped classroom methodology and inquiry-based learning on aspects related to the pathophysiology of the digestive system during the 2017/2018 academic year. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and acceptability of the flipped classroom approach at this educational level. This study was also used to assess the level of inquiry competence that high school students present when they have to carry out a research project and the main difficulties encountered in carrying it out. The results of the study show that the experience was clearly positive, since there was not only a significant improvement in student learning but also greater autonomy for students to work with the content, prepare for classes and actively participate in the tasks or practical activities that take place in the classroom, demonstrating its applicability in high school classrooms. The results also indicate that the students perceived advantages in their learning after experiencing the flipped classroom pedagogical model. Most of the students presented serious difficulties in carrying out their research work, probably due to a lack of experience when facing each of the stages that make up the process of inquiry.

This article presents the results of a piece of research that analyzed the views on the nature of science (NOS) among student teachers enrolled in programs of Primary Education at two public universities in Spain. Previous studies have reported that science teachers maintain 'eclectic' epistemological perspectives on science; in this article, we test if such a hypothesis holds when teachers' NOS ideas are 'anchored' in specific periods and topics of the philosophy of science. We studied 114 prospective teachers attending an undergraduate teaching course with emphasis on the natural sciences at the Universities of Burgos and Valladolid in the period of 2017-18. A Likert-scale questionnaire with 37 items was applied to determine trends in those teachers' epistemological views on science. The results showed that teachers' views are mostly correlated with the philosophical period of Logical Positivism/Received View, and to some extent to the period of Recent and Contemporary Accounts. Regarding the classical epistemological topics of correspondence, methodologies, intervention, evolution and representation, teachers' views could be related to the period of Logical Positivism/Received View and Critical Rationalism, but also to the New Philosophy of Science. The main conclusion of this study is that teachers' expressed views on NOS are epistemologically eclectic to a much smaller degree when examined with more details concerning specific periods and topics of the philosophy of science.

Teachers' subject matter knowledge is a substantive component of the teaching-learning process. For a teacher to be able to transform and integrate into the classroom all the knowledge and experience they have acquired in the course of the professional activity, it is first necessary to acquire a deep and solid knowledge of the matter. The aim of the research was to analyse the understanding that pre-service teachers have about the physiology and anatomy of the human body. The alternative conceptions that pre-service teachers held about the nutritional function in living beings were also explored. The research was conducted on a biology course of the Primary Education Bachelor's Degree during the 2018/2019 academic year. Drawings and open-ended questions were collected from 96 pre-service teachers. The results reveal that the students surveyed have limited knowledge of the subject before entering university. The use of drawing proved to be an excellent tool for detecting previous conceptions and evaluating the progression made by the students in their learning. Numerous alternative conceptions were identified among the students, thus demonstrating the need to think about the scientific methodology used to teach these contents.

(Bi0.5Na0.5)1−xBaxTiO3 lead-free ferroelectric ceramics were synthesized via the conventional solid-state reaction method. Structural and dielectric properties were investigated as a function of the doping concentration, considering x = 0, 2, 5, 8, 10, 12, 16, and 18 at. % Ba. The structural analyses were carried out from the x-ray diffraction technique, including the Rietveld refinement method, and Raman spectroscopy. Results confirmed the formation of the perovskite structure, revealing different crystalline symmetries, depending on the Ba2+ concentration: the single rhombohedral ferroelectric phase (R3c) for x = 0 and 2 at. %; coexistence of both rhombohedral ferroelectric (R3c) and tetragonal antiferroelectric (P4bm) phases for x = 5 at. % Ba; the single tetragonal antiferroelectric phase (P4bm) for x = 8 at. % Ba; coexistence of two tetragonal phases (antiferroelectric P4bm and ferroelectric P4mm) for x = 10 at. % Ba; and the single tetragonal ferroelectric phase (P4mm) for x = 12, 16, and 18 at. % Ba. The characteristics of the phases' transition, investigated from dielectric analysis, revealed the presence of two dielectric anomalies, which indeed have been associated to different phases' transitions, one of them showing relaxor-like characteristics. The obtained results offer new insights for a better understanding on the features of the phase diagram for the studied ceramic system, according to the different observed crystalline symmetries (ferroelectric and antiferroelectric) in a very wide doping concentration. In the light of the obtained results, a new phase diagram has been proposed considering a wider compositional range than those reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse student performance and perceptions when a flipped classroom setting is used, in comparison with the traditional model. Design/methodology/approach: The inverted learning model or "flipped classroom" is a pedagogical approach that attempts to reverse the traditional teaching and learning process, making the student the protagonist of their own learning, and is characterised by the theoretical contents being taught "outside the classroom", allowing students to spend more class time carrying out other types of more practical activities that encourage much more active learning, such as enquiry exercises, problem solving, collaborative projects and so on. The study was conducted on a biology course of the Primary Education Bachelor's Degree during the 2017/2018 academic year (n = 240). Findings: The results revealed that better learning outcomes were achieved by students when the flipped classroom methodology was proposed. It has also been found that student perceptions of the teaching approach were more positive when the flipped model was followed. The flipped classroom methodology also seems to foster student participation and motivation more effectively than traditional teaching formats, mainly because the active learning activities that are carried out in this new educative approach manage to involve the students in their own learning processes. Originality/value: Despite the enhanced popularity of flipped classroom research in multiple educational contexts and the growing number of studies published in recent years, there is little empirical evidence regarding the effect of the flipped classroom on learning outcomes and satisfaction in pre-service teachers.

In this paper, we analyse the conceptual and procedural difficulties that university students of the Primary Education Degree have about respiratory physiology. To carry out this study a questionnaire was designed in order to assess the knowledge of these future teachers before and after studying the first subject of natural sciences of the degree. The results obtained revealed that the surveyed students have a low level of knowledge about the subject before their arrival at university, which became more evident when they were subjected to procedural and/or comprehension exercises. It has also been found that after completing the subject course, the level of knowledge increases significantly; however, there are still basic conceptual errors and a notable deficit in certain skills or competences on the part of these students that must be resolved.

In this work we analyze the educational reality of Early Childhood Education classrooms in relation to the teaching of science. A total of 83 students from a fourth-year elementary science teacher training program participated in the study. A 48-item instrument was used to collect data. In general, the results obtained show that sciences are a part, consciously and unconsciously, of children's learning. A marked presence of scientific content in the classroom has also been noted and an excellent predisposition of teachers in practice for their students to carry out activities of scientific inquiry. However, significant shortcomings have also been detected in relation to certain disciplinary content and activities specific to the scientific methodology that should be corrected in order for schoolchildren to achieve adequate scientific literacy. In our opinion, skills such as observation, experimentation, scientific inquiry, reflection and critical thinking should be promoted in children and that are the basis for developing scientific reasoning, positive attitudes towards science and, ultimately, the construction of a scientific basis for their future.

AbstractThis paper examines the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on memories and metaphors associated with the earlier AIDS epidemic. It argues that while previous research has focused on how HIV informs COVID-19, the reverse relationship has received insufficient attention. The authors propose a more comprehensive understanding of the issues, using insights from the sociology of memory. Experiences during COVID-19 not only reshape perceptions of HIV in the present but also transform how we remember the AIDS crisis of the past. We discuss the impact of these pandemics particularly for gay and bisexual men and their connected communities. Doing so underscores the co-construction of collective memories in the present, suggesting that COVID-19 has not only redefined our experience of HIV, but it has also reframed our understanding of the earlier AIDS crisis. We conclude by highlighting the potential for these transformations to be leveraged for empowerment, political action and change. Revisiting and reframing our memories of AIDS in the light of COVID-19 can open up new avenues for optimism and positive engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to evaluate and compare the efficiency of the flipped learning strategy with that of a conventional teaching method with respect to learning outcomes, cognitive gain, and perception and satisfaction with regard to the methodology used. The research was carried out during the 2021-2022 academic year and focused on a molecular biology course within a primary education Bachelor's degree programme, which included a total of 146 students. In order to assess the students' comprehension of the mechanisms involved in DNA replication, transcription and translation, we employed two different methods: the multiple-select Central Dogma Concept Inventory (CDCI) and a concept-mapping activity. A three-point Likert-type scale questionnaire was used to investigate the pre-service teachers' perceptions of the methodological approach that we used. The results show that the flipped learning pedagogical approach not only increases pre-service teacher’s performance but also enables them to develop higher level cognitive skills than with traditional methodology. However, several features of the central dogma processes remained poorly understood, probably because of the multilevel and invisible nature of the molecular biology, and the lack of knowledge of the molecular interactions that facilitate these processes. The preservice teachers had a more positive perception of the teaching approach and their own competence when they followed the flipped model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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