Search

Electronic student worksheets (e-worksheet) are needed as alternative teaching materials in learning. This study aims to produce teaching materials in the form of e-worksheet based on Search Solve Create and Share (SSCS) Islamic context to improve science process skills on class XI excretory system material that is worthy of the results of validity, responses of students and biology teachers. This research was conducted at MAN 1 Bogor. The research model used is a 4D model (Define, Design, Develop, Disseminate), but in research only to the development stage (Develop). The e-worksheet teaching materials developed are tested for validity. The results of validity tests by design and media experts obtained 89% in the very decent category, material expert assessments obtained 84% in the very feasible categories, and expert assessments of Islamic religious education obtained 100% in the very feasible categories. The results of student responses obtained percentages of 89% in limited trials and 89.7% in expanded trials. Based on the findings of the research results, it can be concluded that E e-worksheet based on Search Solve, Create and Share (SSCS), an Islamic context to improve science process skills on the excretory system material developed, is very feasible to be used and applied to biology learning.

In this industrial revolution era, university-level education emphasises higher-order thinking skills. This research aims to analyse the effect of implementing the PjB-HOTS learning model on cognitive learning, creative thinking skills, analytical thinking skills, and metacognitive skills of the students studying osmoregulation concepts in Animal Physiology courses. The sample consisted of 61 fifth-semester students divided into two classes. An open-ended test was used to measure students' cognitive learning levels, creative thinking skills, analytical thinking skills, creative thinking skills, and metacognitive skills. The research data were analysed using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results of this research show that the learning model had a significant effect on the cognitive learning gains (0.000< [alpha]= 0.05), creative thinking skill (0.001< [alpha]= 0.05), analytical thinking skill (0.000< [alpha]= 0.05), and metacognitive skill (0.000< [alpha]= 0.05). These results indicate that the combined syntax of PjBL and HOTS can foster students' higher-order thinking skills and improve their cognitive learning gains. We recommend the PjB-HOTS learning model be used for other biological concepts at the university-level.

Light passes through biological tissue, and so it is used for imaging biological processes in situ. Such observation is part of the very essence of science, but mechanistic understanding requires intervention. For more than 50 years a "second function" for light has emerged; namely, that of photochemical control. Caged compounds are biologically inert signaling molecules that are activated by light. These optical probes enable external instruction of biological processes by stimulation of an individual element in complex signaling cascades in its native environment. Cause and effect are linked directly in spatial, temporal, and frequency domains in a quantitative manner by their use. I provide a guide to the basic properties required to make effective caged compounds for the biological sciences., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Mechanical injury is a prevalent challenge in the lives of animals with myriad potential consequences for organisms, including reduced fitness and death. Research on animal injury has focused on many aspects, including the frequency and severity of wounding in wild populations, the short- and long-term consequences of injury at different biological scales, and the variation in the response to injury within or among individuals, species, ontogenies, and environmental contexts. However, relevant research is scattered across diverse biological subdisciplines, and the study of the effects of injury has lacked synthesis and coherence. Furthermore, the depth of knowledge across injury biology is highly uneven in terms of scope and taxonomic coverage: much injury research is biomedical in focus, using mammalian model systems and investigating cellular and molecular processes, while research at organismal and higher scales, research that is explicitly comparative, and research on invertebrate and non-mammalian vertebrate species is less common and often less well integrated into the core body of knowledge about injury. The current state of injury research presents an opportunity to unify conceptually work focusing on a range of relevant questions, to synthesize progress to date, and to identify fruitful avenues for future research. The central aim of this review is to synthesize research concerning the broad range of effects of mechanical injury in animals. We organize reviewed work by four broad and loosely defined levels of biological organization: molecular and cellular effects, physiological and organismal effects, behavioural effects, and ecological and evolutionary effects of injury. Throughout, we highlight the diversity of injury consequences within and among taxonomic groups while emphasizing the gaps in taxonomic coverage, causal understanding, and biological endpoints considered. We additionally discuss the importance of integrating knowledge within and across biological levels, including how initial, localized responses to injury can lead to long-term consequences at the scale of the individual animal and beyond. We also suggest important avenues for future injury biology research, including distinguishing better between related yet distinct injury phenomena, expanding the subjects of injury research to include a greater variety of species, and testing how intrinsic and extrinsic conditions affect the scope and sensitivity of injury responses. It is our hope that this review will not only strengthen understanding of animal injury but will contribute to building a foundation for a more cohesive field of 'injury biology'., (© 2022 The Authors. Biological Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Cambridge Philosophical Society.)

Selection of the appropriate species and strain of laboratory animals are among the scientist's major concerns. Tarabul's gerbil ( Gerbillus tarabuli ) is a small, seasonally breeding, desert rodent native to Africa. Despite its unique biological features, which make it an ideal model candidate for biomedical research, only a few reports have used it in research. Hence, the present review aims to provide more data about this species, covering all aspects of its biology, such as taxonomy, morphology, anatomy, ecology, wildlife biology, molecular biology, physiology, neurobiology, genetics, reproduction, development, evolutionary biology, and conservation biology, and covers current progress in exploration of G. tarabuli , discussing its valuable characteristics, which are widely useful for research in various fields. This review paper is destined for biologists, scientists, mammologists, zoologists, academics, and students.

Background: Circadian rhythms are important for all aspects of biology; virtually every aspect of biological function varies according to time of day. Although this is well known, variation across the day is also often ignored in the design and reporting of research. For this review, we analyzed the top 50 cited papers across 10 major domains of the biological sciences in the calendar year 2015. We repeated this analysis for the year 2019, hypothesizing that the awarding of a Nobel Prize in 2017 for achievements in the field of circadian biology would highlight the importance of circadian rhythms for scientists across many disciplines, and improve time-of-day reporting., Results: Our analyses of these 1000 empirical papers, however, revealed that most failed to include sufficient temporal details when describing experimental methods and that few systematic differences in time-of-day reporting existed between 2015 and 2019. Overall, only 6.1% of reports included time-of-day information about experimental measures and manipulations sufficient to permit replication., Conclusions: Circadian rhythms are a defining feature of biological systems, and knowing when in the circadian day these systems are evaluated is fundamentally important information. Failing to account for time of day hampers reproducibility across laboratories, complicates interpretation of results, and reduces the value of data based predominantly on nocturnal animals when extrapolating to diurnal humans., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Views of obesity as a consequence of "lack of willpower" or other behavioral choices, rather than a complex array of biological and other factors, are quite common among undergraduate students. Many undergraduates in prenursing or biology programs have little exposure to the physiology and pathophysiology of obesity, including learning about leptin and other hormones involved in appetite control. I developed materials for teaching about the pathophysiology of obesity in two different pathophysiology courses: one designed as a survey of pathophysiology topics for prenursing majors, and the other designed as an in-depth exploration of the molecular and cellular basis of selected diseases for upper-division biology majors. In the molecular basis of disease course, obesity is covered as part of a unit organized around metabolic syndrome. The discussion includes molecular and cellular mechanisms that link obesity to several other diseases, including type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. This article briefly describes the approaches I have taken for teaching obesity to two different undergraduate student populations and lists several resources that may be useful tools for teaching about obesity.

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered language models presents new opportunities and challenges in education. By teaching students how to craft prompts that elicit insightful responses, faculty can scaffold activities where AI acts as a supplemental resource to amplify critical thinking and support student learning. Ongoing dialogue and iteration focused on ethical usage norms can achieve the right balance between emerging technology and foundational skills development. With care and intention, AI-assisted study tactics offer students personalized support while adhering to academic standards. While AI-powered tools provide many positive opportunities, students and faculty need to learn about and use them responsibly and ethically, not as replacements for required thinking and effort. Before implementing these AI tools for studying biology, there are several key things to discuss with students. This article outlines several ways that students can employ these tools to support better learning along with a set of guidelines for all to be wary of when implementing these in an academic setting.

This study aims to determine the effect of the Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) learning model on students' argumentation skills and mastery of concepts in human excretory system material, especially in the sub-material of kidney disorders. The research method used quasi-experimental with a group pretest-posttest design. The sample of this research was second-grade MIPA students in one of the high schools in Bandung, which consisted of 29 students in the experimental class and 25 students in the control class. The purposive sampling technique did the sampling. The study used some instruments, which consisted of a test of argumentation skills in the form of essay questions, an exam of mastery of concepts in the form of multiple choice, and a questionnaire on student responses to learning using the ADI learning model. The results showed that the ADI learning model had a more significant effect on argumentation skills in the experimental class than in the control class, with a significance value of 0.019. The quality of students' argumentation was at level 3. However, the ADI learning model did not significantly affect students' mastery of concepts in the excretory system material because a significant difference was not found between the pretest and posttest data in both research classes. Student response data shows students respond completely well to applying the ADI learning model. Therefore, the ADI learning model is recommended for biology teachers to improve students' argumentation skills and concepts mastery in other biological materials.

Many educators highly recommend integrating science learning with the themes of local wisdom. Orientation to indigenous knowledge and Western science is believed to facilitate students in connecting science learning with the actual condition of their surroundings. The applied curriculum yet widely provided an opportunity for such local integration in science learning. This study aim to investigates the indigenous science and values of Betawi tribe (Indonesia) traditional martial art "silat beksi" to identify ccontent's and valuable context for science learning in biology education on the topic of movements systems. This study employs a qualitative method with a descriptive approach of ethnoscience studies. Data analysis was carried out by qualitatively interpreting the results of interviews and direct observations (data reduction/categorisation, data appearance, drawing conclusions). The results showed twelve reconstructed moves of "silat beksi" based on the bones, joints, muscles and the type of movement. It shows a scientifically rich cultural context in the local wisdom of Betawi people. This research contributes to integrating aspects of local wisdom that are relevant to science learning. It also emphasizes the importance of studying and identifying local wisdom aspects in science learning before being integrated into the curriculum

The human nutrition model is relevant in Biology education. Researchers and policymakers propose the introduction of modelling practices in science education, including the representation of the model. Despite being scarce, previous studies have shown that the guideline given to students conditions their performance when representing their models. This study addresses how the context given to 79 preservice teachers (PSTs) in two cohorts at the end of a modelling sequence conditions the representations of the nutrition model constructed by them. The contexts were a child running and a lactose intolerant person. Written explanations and drawings of PSTs were analyzed according to the components-mechanisms-phenomena (CMP) framework. PSTs of both cohorts expressed a more developed nutrition model in a running context than in an intolerance context with respect to CMP aspects, which was shown by statistically significant differences. Therefore, the conclusion is that the context conditions the expression of the model. In this case, it was the context that appealed directly to the circulatory system and implied the use of energy, the one that led to a more complete representation of the human nutrition model.

The brain organizes somatosensory experience based on the body location from which it originated and the pathway by which in arrived. Here, I present a classroom discussion-based activity centered around the concept of a phantom limb to allow students to explore how cortical representation of sensory experience can be altered. The goal of the activity is to allow students to explore concepts surrounding plasticity of cortical representation. The mouse barrel cortex, a common model system for studying these effects, will be presented to explore potential mechanisms of the change. Finally, the students will hypothesis how the mirror box therapy can be used to ameliorate phantom limb pain without the use of pharmacological treatment. The activity is designed for second- or third-year biology or physiology majors and can be conducted in a single class period. Students can work in small groups answering questions before discussing their answers as a class. There are many opportunities to expand the discussion described.

The biology education literature includes compelling assertions that unfamiliar problems are especially useful for revealing students' true understanding of biology. However, there is only limited evidence that such novel problems have different cognitive requirements than more familiar problems. Here, we sought additional evidence by using chatbots based on large language models as models of biology students. For human physiology and cell biology, we developed sets of realistic and hypothetical problems matched to the same lesson learning objectives (LLOs). Problems were considered hypothetical if (i) known biological entities (molecules and organs) were given atypical or counterfactual properties (redefinition) or (ii) fictitious biological entities were introduced (invention). Several chatbots scored significantly worse on hypothetical problems than on realistic problems, with scores declining by an average of 13%. Among hypothetical questions, redefinition questions appeared especially difficult, with many chatbots scoring as if guessing randomly. These results suggest that, for a given LLO, hypothetical problems may have different cognitive demands than realistic problems and may more accurately reveal students' ability to apply biology core concepts to diverse contexts. The Test Question Templates (TQT) framework, which explicitly connects LLOs with examples of assessment questions, can help educators generate problems that are challenging (due to their novelty), yet fair (due to their alignment with pre-specified LLOs). Finally, ChatGPT's rapid improvement toward expert-level answers suggests that future educators cannot reasonably expect to ignore or outwit chatbots but must do what we can to make assessments fair and equitable.

This study aims to determine what pre-service teachers know about the path of water through the body, and how they intend to explain this knowledge to five-year-old preschool children. This study aims to see the opportunities young children in preschool can obtain from an explanation of the nature of science related to an everyday life activity. A questionnaire was distributed to 42 pre-service teachers participating in the study. They study part time at the university (75% studying and 25% working), and most of the students are or have been working in preschools. All the students have passed the mandatory science courses. Data were collected through a questionnaire where the students explained their knowledge using drawings, and explaining pedagogic standpoints in open-ended questions. The results concluded that four pre-service teachers could sufficiently explain the workings of three organ systems. However, only one of the four intended to mention the three systems necessary for providing a coherent explanation of the body to a five-year-old child. Even the pre-service teachers who could describe more than one system did not intend to explain what they knew to the children. A typical response from the students was that they would seek facts together with the child.

Bully victimization is known to cause adverse psychological outcomes; however, resilience may mitigate the more adverse effects. Little is known regarding the role played by BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in youth resilience against psychological harm caused by bully victimization. In this cross-sectional study, a community sample of 598 participants (M[subscript age] = 20.1 ± 1.4 years, 48.8% males) completed the questionnaire on bully victimization, resilience, and psychological symptoms. Salivary genomic DNA was genotyped for the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. A path analysis was used to test the mediating role of resilience in the association between bully victimization and psychological symptoms. Furthermore, the BDNF genotype was added to the model to explore its moderating effects on the mediating role of resilience in the path with 5000 bootstrapped samplings using SPSS PROCESS Macro. Results revealed a significant indirect effect via resilience that accounted for 17.2% of the association between bully victimization and psychological symptoms. While the Val66Met polymorphism interacted with bully victimization to predict resilience scores, bully victimization was more strongly associated with poor resilience (F = 4.59, p = 0.03) in subjects with the Met/Met genotype ([beta] = -3.22, p < 0.001), as compared to participants with other genotypes ([beta] = -1.33, p = 0.051). Findings suggest a gene-environment interaction effect on psychological resilience in bully-victimized youth.

This study aimed to assess the fertility knowledge of Japanese education undergraduates who plan to become schoolteachers and examine related factors. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with 252 first-year education undergraduates at a Japanese university. The Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale (CFKS) was used to measure fertility knowledge, and other items inquiring about basic reproductive knowledge were included. We assessed the relationship between fertility knowledge and gender and the experience of future life planning, among other factors. We found that fertility knowledge varied. Participants possessed a relatively good knowledge of the relationships between fertility and female ageing, and smoking, but limited knowledge about the effect of sexually transmitted infections on fertility. Male participants answered more correctly than female participants (p < 0.01) regarding 'sperm production'; however, female respondents answered more accurately than male respondents (p < 0.01) regarding 'timing of menopause. In Japan, the national curriculum standard for upper secondary schools was revised in 2018, and fertility was added to the Health and Physical Education curriculum. The study results suggested that it is important to include fertility in a sex education teaching curriculum for education undergraduates to enable them to deliver fertility education as teachers in the future.

Sex and fertility education is essential to enable people to make informed choices. School is an important source of education, so we examined the current curriculum relating to sex and fertility education in England and compared it with students' accounts of their experiences. We analysed the Awarding Body GCSE science and biology specifications (for 14-16 year-olds) and the A-level biology specifications (for 16-18 year-olds), as these related to relationships, sexuality and fertility. An online survey was conducted with 221 16-17 year-old school students to evaluate their views about their sex and fertility education. We found significant variation between the specifications of the Awarding Bodies at both GCSE and A level. Most of the specifications specify sexually transmitted infections (STIs), hormonal aspects of reproduction and contraception. In the school survey, students indicated that topics such as puberty, contraception and STIs were more likely to be learnt in school. However, topics such as endometriosis, menopause and miscarriage were more likely to be learnt outside school. From both our curriculum analysis and student survey we conclude that there are significant gaps in the curriculum with many important topics being neglected.

Through the method of tracing-and-mapping, this paper traces the history of how menstruation has been conceptualized in English education policies since 1928, as well as how such conceptualizations have positioned young people. It explains how education policy in England has conceptualized menstruation as a (cis girls') biological process; a controllable problem; and a process that can be instructed on and learned. The paper unfolds how such conceptualizations positioned young people as passive non-agents. It also draws on feminist relational materialism, critical menstruation studies and childhood studies to experiment with different articulations of menstruation and agency. It concludes by reimagining menstruation education and young people's role in addressing menstrual stigma.

We describe a novel, university-level, introductory biology course that uses evolution as a narrative framework. Our course conveys the content in an introductory biology course by telling the story of the evolution of life on Earth. We begin with early Earth environments in which biological molecules and processes evolved and led to the first RNA-based living entities, then to DNA-based cells, and then to all of the life around us. We use this framework to describe the evolution of the physiological processes important for beginning biology students. This structure contrasts with the widespread "levels of organization" approach in which the order of topics treats the molecular level first, then cells and organisms, and finally evolutionary and ecological processes. This traditional approach is limited in at least two ways: (1) The material taught at each level is not explicitly connected to that at other levels, making the concepts more difficult to assimilate and retain; and (2) Evolution is taught as a discrete section of the course, rather than as the integrating principle of life itself. We find that our narrative evolutionary approach enables students to more effectively assimilate, retain, and connect the vast amount of information presented in an introductory biology course.

The California Blackworm ("Lumbriculus variegatus") is a freshwater segmented worm species that has been used by biology instructors as a model system for inquiry-based student investigations. The blackworm dorsal blood vessel pulsation rate is easily quantified. Moreover, this species can facilitate the study of neuromuscular functioning via its photosensitive escape behavior which can be quantified as a segmental reflex rate. Both of these variables can be used to examine the physiological response of the "L. variegatus" circulatory and neuromuscular systems to environmental changes. Because knowledge about this species and its optimal environmental conditions is limited, we studied dorsal vessel pulsation and segmental reflexes of "L. variegatus" maintained at differing lighting, temperature and water cleaning frequency conditions. Our data strongly indicate that "L. variegatus" circulatory and motor functions are significantly affected by environmental conditions. We provide evidence-based recommendations for the careful control of environmental conditions that will allow instructors, students and researchers to collect robust data on "L. variegatus" and better utilize this model organism in their investigations.

Facilitating the learning of physiology by allied health majors who lack foundational coursework in biology and chemistry presents unique pedagogical challenges. By focusing on the strengths of this group of learners (team skills, interest in applied physiology), a new mechanism for conveying the primary interconnection and synergism of the body's organ systems was developed: the Great Organ Systems Debates. After learning sequentially about the primary organ systems, the Debates are a culminating, integrative experience, where students "debate" the relative importance of their system in different situations. Used and refined over several years, it is an engaging, interactive, and effective learning tool that could be adapted to almost any level of instruction.

Learning physiology requires students to apply physical and chemical principles to the study of biological systems. Unfortunately, many undergraduate anatomy and physiology (A&P) students are unprepared for this due to a lack of prerequisite knowledge in physics and chemistry. This lack of prerequisite knowledge of chemistry and physics makes learning physiology especially difficult and may contribute to the high failure rates among A&P courses nationwide. However, undergraduate physiology courses catering to biology majors often require more stringent chemistry and physics prerequisites that help prepare students to learn physiology. This study compared prerequisite requirements in chemistry and physics between A&P classes for health-related majors and physiology classes for biology majors across numerous four-year institutions and found striking differences in prerequisite preparation between the two groups. 62% of physiology courses for biology majors required a chemistry prerequisite while only 18% of A&P classes for health-related majors had the same requirement. As a result, students entering physiology courses for biology majors may have a better foundation upon which to learn physiology than students entering A&P for health-related majors.

Determining the level of difficulty and student development is important in the learning continuum, especially the anatomical and physiological aspects. This study aimed to collect teachers' opinions about the learning continuum of anatomical and physiological aspects based on its difficulty level. This survey research was conducted in the cities of Bantul and Yogyakarta using a questionnaire. The selection of respondents through convenience sampling, totaling 111 teachers consisting of 68 junior high school science teachers and 43 junior high school biology teachers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine the mode of teachers' opinions. The results of this study indicate that the learning continuum in grade X of senior high school based on difficulty level in anatomical and physiological aspects, especially multicellular and unicellular concept has not yet been formed, with the difficulty at level 4. Therefore it is necessary to the provision of subject matter is sorted from easy to difficult and adjusted to the level of development of students at each level.

The Physiology Core Concept of flow down gradients is a major concept in physiology, as pressure gradients are the key driving force for the bulk flow of fluids in biology. However, students struggle to understand that this principle is foundational to the mechanisms governing bulk flow across diverse physiological systems (e.g., blood flow, phloem sap flow). Our objective was to investigate whether bulk flow items that differ in scenario context (i.e., taxa, amount of scientific terminology, living or nonliving system) or in which aspect of the pressure gradient is kept constant (i.e., starting pressure or pressure gradient) influence undergraduate students' reasoning. Item scenario context did not impact the type of reasoning students used. However, students were more likely to use the Physiology Core Concept of "flow down [pressure] gradients" when the pressure gradient was kept constant and less likely to use this concept when the starting pressure was kept constant. We also investigated whether item scenario context or which aspect of the pressure gradient is kept constant impacted how consistent students were in the type of reasoning they used across two bulk flow items on the same homework. Most students were consistent across item scenario contexts (76%) and aspects of the pressure gradient kept constant (70%). Students who reasoned using "flow down gradients" on the first item were the most consistent (86, 89%), whereas students using "pressures indicate (but don't cause) flow" were the least consistent (43, 34%). Students who are less consistent know that pressure is somehow involved or indicates fluid flow but do not have a firm grasp of the concept of a pressure gradient as the driving force for fluid flow. These findings are the first empirical evidence to support the claim that using Physiology Core Concept reasoning supports transfer of knowledge across different physiological systems.

Pressure gradients serve as the key driving force for the bulk flow of fluids in biology (e.g., blood, air, phloem sap). However, students often struggle to understand the mechanism that causes these fluids to flow. To investigate student reasoning about bulk flow, we collected students' written responses to assessment items and interviewed students about their bulk flow ideas. From these data, we constructed a bulk flow pressure gradient reasoning framework that describes the different patterns in reasoning that students express about what causes fluids to flow and ordered those patterns into sequential levels from more informal ways of reasoning to more scientific, mechanistic ways of reasoning. We obtained validity evidence for this bulk flow pressure gradient reasoning framework by collecting and analyzing written responses from a national sample of undergraduate biology and allied health majors from 11 courses at five institutions. Instructors can use the bulk flow pressure gradient reasoning framework and assessment items to inform their instruction of this topic and formatively assess their students' progress toward more scientific, mechanistic ways of reasoning about this important physiological concept.

The Rashomon effect - a phenomenon studied in the arts and social sciences - occurs when the same event is given contradictory interpretations by different individuals involved. The effect was named after Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon, in which a murder is described in four contradictory ways by four witnesses. In the film, a samurai has been killed under mysterious circumstances. Four people give contradictory reports about the crime. In particular, the samurai's wife claims that she was sexually abused by a bandit, fainted, and then awoke to find her husband dead; the bandit claims that he seduced the wife and challenged the samurai in a battle to victory or at least to an honorable death; the woodcutter (who may have been an onlooker) claims that he witnessed the rape and murder but was not involved; and the dead samurai's spirit claims that he committed suicide. The Rashomon effect is not only about constructing different versions of the world based on differences in perspective; it occurs when such differences appear together with the absence of evidence to assess any version of the truth, plus "the social pressure for closure on the question." In this commentary, we describe the relevance of the Rashomon effect beyond the arts and social sciences, namely in the field of biology. We use examples from redox biology, which is full of contradictions, thus making it fertile ground on which to apply reasoning derived from the Rashomon effect., (© 2018 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.)

The aim of this study is to determine the students' misconceptions about the digestive system. In this quantitative research, the study group comprised totally 259 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. The data were collected through a three-tier diagnostic test and analyzed in terms of scientific knowledge, the lucky guess, lack of knowledge, and misconception levels of students on digestive system. According to the findings, 20.1% of the students' answers were in the scientific knowledge category and 9.1% were in the lucky guess category. On the other hand, 39.7% of the answers were in the lack of knowledge category and 26.0% were in the misconception category. The most prominent findings in the study were the students' misconceptions in a few questions, especially about physical and chemical digestion. In addition, some students did not fully understand the distinction between the excretory and digestive organs and the functions of some accessory. They also gave incorrect answers about the organs where the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats begins and ends. At the end of the study, suggestions were made to eliminate the misconceptions.

The informal learning environment and the station technique provide students with learning environments where they can be active and materialize the abstract terms. With this regard, the purpose of the study was to determine the contribution of activities, which are carried out through the station technique in informal learning environments (STiIL), to the cognitive, affective, and life skills of eleventh-grade high school students. The participants of the study are 26 eleventh-grade students. The "Musculoskeletal System" topic within the scope of the study is addressed through the station technique in the 2018-2019 educational year. The data-gathering tools for the study are semi-structured questionnaires, focus group interviews, and researcher journals. Deductive and descriptive analyses were performed together on the qualitative data. Results showed that teaching with STiIL increases learning and retention of knowledge in the cognitive domain. It improves the affective skills of students in terms of eagerness to learn and makes the teaching and learning process entertaining. Self-confidence and communication skills stand out in the life skills domain.

This narrative study tells the teaching and learning story of the recently retired Dr. Peggy LePage, a longtime member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society with a career as a community college anatomy and biology professor spanning nearly three decades. Drawn from a lengthy narrative interview, this paper describes Dr. LePage's background as a nontraditional student and explores her resilience as a woman in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). When Dr. LePage neared a breaking point early in her career, an encounter with a well-known advocate for active learning in science classrooms transformed her pedagogy. She also became involved with HAPS and never looked back. Narrative passages from her interview emphasize Dr. LePage's persistence in STEM, her shift toward a teacher as learner mentality, and the benefits of learning communities for anatomy and physiology instructors.

Analogical reasoning is an important type of cognition often used by experts across domains. Little research, however, has investigated how generating analogies can support college students' self-regulated learning (SRL) of biology. This study therefore evaluated a contextualized cognitive learning strategy intervention designed to teach students to generate analogies as a learning strategy to aid learning within a university biology course. Participants (n = 179) were taught how to generate analogies as a learning strategy to learn about plant and animal physiology. We hypothesized the quality of students' generated analogies would increase over time, and their analogical reasoning, knowledge of cognition (KOC; a component of metacognitive awareness), and course performance would be higher after intervention, controlling for associated pre-intervention values. Regression analyses and repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a positive relationship between generated-analogy quality and analogical reasoning, and increased analogy quality after intervention. No change in reported KOC was observed, and analogy quality did not predict course performance. Findings extend understanding of strategies that can support college students' biology learning. Researchers and practitioners can leverage our approach to teaching analogies in their own research and classrooms to support students' SRL, analogical reasoning, and learning.

During the pandemic, the use of question pools for online testing was recommended to mitigate cheating, exposing multitudes of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students across the globe to this practice. Yet instructors may be unfamiliar with the ways that seemingly small changes between questions in a pool can expose differences in student understanding. In this study, we undertook an investigation of student performance on our questions in online exam pools across several STEM courses: upper-level physiology, general chemistry, and introductory physics. We found that the difficulty of creating analogous questions in a pool varied by question type, with quantitative problems being the easiest to vary without altering average student performance. However, when instructors created pools by rearranging aspects of a question, posing opposite counterparts of concepts, or formulating questions to assess the same learning objective, we sometimes discovered student learning differences between seemingly closely related ideas, illustrating the challenge of our own expert blind spot. We provide suggestions for how instructors can improve the equity of question pools, such as being cautious in how many variables one changes in a specific pool and "test driving" proposed questions in lower-stakes assessments.

Historically sleep was considered a passive activity, but research now strongly suggests that it is a time of neurological growth, where memories and skills are consolidated (Fallone et al., 2002). Good sleep is thought to influence cognitive, physical and emotional performance, and aid in effective emotional regulation (Alfano & Gamble, 2009). Whilst sleep problems are relatively common amongst children and adolescents, with estimates varying between 11% and 47% (Russo et al., 2007), they are significantly more common in those with Autism (30% to 80%, Goldman et al. 2012; Hirata et al. 2016; Krakowiak et al. 2008). Research also suggests that without intervention these problems are likely to persist (Goldman et al. 2012; Hodge et al. 2013). Emerging research finds that autistic children and adolescents experience specific sleep difficulties that are unique to this group. As research on the etiology of sleep problems in autism develops we are refining our approaches to intervention to more effectively meet the needs of these children and young people and their families. This article summarises current research into the specific sleep needs of this group. It also considers the multifactorial etiology of sleep problems for this group, and evidence based interventions to date. The author argues that through increased awareness, professionals can do much to ameliorate challenges related to sleep, and improve family functioning and quality of life.

In this paper, we describe a dynamic-model as a strategy to teach DNA transcription and translation in an active way. This activity aims to provide learning beyond memorisation through the simulation of molecular processes, stimulating the elaboration of questions and hypotheses by students. The dynamic consists of four steps, starting with different problem situations which provide a context and encouragement to start the activity. The next steps connect these problems with DNA transcription and translation, requiring the active participation of students to simulate these processes through a construction of a model based on an iron board and representations of cellular structures, enzymes and genetic sequences fixed in magnets. An implementation experience of this dynamic, applied to 21 undergraduate veterinary students at a public university in the city of Curitiba, Paraná State, Brazil, is also described. Data from pre and post-questionnaires suggest knowledge about DNA transcription and translation was improved and some previous mistakes were clarified. Among the positive aspects that were cited by the students, the words visualisation and playful were more frequent, which reflect the didactic aspects of the dynamic. Some points of attention are discussed throughout the paper, as well as educational implications associated with the material and its potential to promote active learning.

Most undergraduate students do not have practical experience working with model organisms despite having theoretical knowledge of their importance. This practical was developed to offer students experience working with three species of nematode, including "Caenorhabditis elegans." In the first task, students prepare slides of three previously fixed nematode samples and are asked to identify their feeding preferences based on information given to them in a short pre-practical presentation. The second and third tasks allow students to deduce the existence of a functional nervous system in "Caenorhabditis elegans" and then to measure the response of two genotypes, N2 and "slo-1," to different concentrations of an ethanol solution. These tasks demonstrate the heterogeneity of different nematodes and enable students to gain experience in widely applicable skills including microscopy, slide preparation, assay design and data presentation. Students also gain experience in specialised skills such as worm picking, which is essential in "Caenorhabditis elegans" research. This practical can be completed as a standalone and would suit any early year biology course.

In the context of England, secondary biology education is dominated by sub-organismal systems, such as physiology, often to the detriment of evolution & ecology and impeding an integrated understanding of biology. This paper proposes a framework that teachers could use to help them consider how the learning of physiological and developmental systems can be combined with ecological and evolutionary thinking. Thus, keeping a balance between anthropomorphic contexts, and those of nature. The framework has two axes: physio-developmental -- ecology, and contemporary -- evolutionary, from which four quadrants emerge for consideration during topic design. It is proposed that topic design in general should be centred on the whole organism in its environment, which would ensure that physiological phenomena are contextualised in the organism's ecology. Furthermore, it is proposed that by pedagogical use of comparative biology, an evolutionary perspective can be integrated with organismal systems and ecology, whilst also offering more opportunities for students to discern the pattern being studied and be exposed to more non-human organisms. The framework is designed for practising teachers and would not require a radical change in pedagogy or teaching resources, but a new way of seeing the content and organisation of the course.

Learning about components and processes of complex biological systems is challenging and requires abstraction through mediational tools such as text, visuals, models and visualisation experiences. The 'systems concepts' necessitate building coherent relations and anticipating consequences, requiring greater mediational support. This article reports findings from two components of a study. The first component involved a comparative analysis of textbooks and revealed weak links between visuals and other scaffolding tools such as activities and end-chapter exercises. Visuals in textbooks were found to be inadequate, inappropriate and often potential sources of confusion. The second component of the study involved drawing-based task that elicited learner struggles in internalising ideas about the human digestive system. The study calls for a refined understanding and use of mediational tools towards bridging the gaps between conceptual models and learners' mental models. The study opens avenues for further inquiry that could support learning biology.

Menstrual health literacy has a direct impact on young peoples' quality of life, health, academic and professional performance. In Australia, the key learning area of Health and Physical Education [HPE] provides opportunities for students to develop menstrual health literacy. This paper reports on the findings of a survey of 5007 young Australian women aged 13-25 on their experiences of menstruation, dysmenorrhea and education. The discussion herein relates to the qualitative component that asked the question 'What was the most useful information about menstruation received in HPE [Health and Physical Education] class?' Applying a thematic analysis to the data, three key themes emerged. These include: (a) it's all just biology; (b) the cause but not the effect, and; (c) too little, too late. The findings suggest limitations in educational approaches taken by teachers potentially resulting in poor menstrual health literacy portending long-term negative health consequences for some individuals.

Plant Physiology and Ecophysiology (PPE) is a subject taught in the biology degree. One of the skills that students must acquire is "the ability to solve PPE problems." Acquiring this competence requires a precise working methodology, a high degree of presence, and teamwork between teachers and students. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and health restrictions, we had to teach the class online. This article shows the learning methodology we employed using information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the achievement of this competence. We also analyzed the results obtained in the academic performance of the students in comparison with previous years in which the classes were face-to-face. The results confirmed that the students obtained this subject-specific competence through the ICT teaching process compared to face-to-face teaching. The study also revealed that online assessment services are not secure as they do not appear to prevent cheating behavior. Therefore, we propose this learning methodology for future online teaching activities although improvements in the evaluation process must be addressed.

One of the overlapping curriculum designs indicates the mismatch of teaching materials with the cognitive level process and student development, impacting the unstructured qualification of mastery of the material. On the other hand, the breadth and depth of teaching materials in the curriculum must be following students' mental development and level of cognitive processes. This study aims to collect the opinions of science teachers in junior high schools and biology teachers in high schools about the learning continuum design on reproducing living things. The method used is a survey. The study population is a hypothetical population with a convenience sample. The sample involved in this study were 111 teachers in Bantul Regency and Yogyakarta City. The data collection method used a questionnaire distributed through four subject teachers' conference (MGMP). The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The results showed several sub-aspects of reproduction of living things that cannot be taught in elementary schools. The material for propagating fungi, protists, bacteria, and viruses starts in grade VII with a cognitive level of C1 (remembering), after previously students received material about types of animals and plants in grade VI (elementary school). Furthermore, the material on reproductive anatomy and physiology can only be given to class IX with cognitive level C2 (understanding) and continued in class X and XI with cognitive level C4 (analyzing). Especially for reproductive anatomy and physiology, fungi were introduced to class VII with C1 level cognitive processes (remembering). This teacher opinion generates a learning continuum grid that can help policymakers improve educational curriculum.

Animal 'personality', defined as repeatable inter-individual differences in behaviour, is a concept in biology that faces intense controversy. Critics argue that the field is riddled with terminological and methodological inconsistencies and lacks a sound theoretical framework. Nevertheless, experimental biologists are increasingly studying individual differences in physiology and relating these to differences in behaviour, which can lead to fascinating insights. We encourage this trend, and in this Commentary we highlight some of the benefits of estimating variation in (and covariation among) phenotypic traits at the inter- and intra-individual levels. We focus on behaviour while drawing parallels with physiological and performance-related traits. First, we outline some of the confusion surrounding the terminology used to describe repeatable inter-individual differences in behaviour. Second, we argue that acknowledging individual behavioural differences can help researchers avoid sampling and experimental bias, increase explanatory power and, ultimately, understand how selection acts on physiological traits. Third, we summarize the latest methods to collect, analyse and present data on individual trait variation. We note that, while measuring the repeatability of phenotypic traits is informative in its own right, it is only the first step towards understanding how natural selection and genetic architecture shape intra-specific variation in complex, labile traits. Thus, understanding how and why behavioural traits evolve requires linking repeatable inter-individual behavioural differences with core aspects of physiology (e.g. neurophysiology, endocrinology, energy metabolism) and evolutionary biology (e.g. selection gradients, heritability)., (© 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

This research was conducted to determine whether there are differences between the norm values used in the evaluation of children who train in different sports and physical education lessons according to the chronological age and biological age of the children. The research group consists of a total of 239 male students of 13 (n=116) and 14 (n=123) chronological years, who study in grades 7 and 8. In addition, the biological ages of the students who make up the research group are calculated and divided into 13(N=140) and 14 (n=86) biological age groups. Within the scope of the research, heights, body weights, body mass indexes and body fat percentages of students were determined as anthropometric variables. Hand grip, leg strength, flexibility, horizontal and vertical jump, medicine ball throwing, ball throwing and sprint running skills were measured as motoric performance variables. The differences of variables according to chronological age and biological age were calculated by the Independent-Samples t-test. According to age groups, the arithmetic mean (x) is shown as 10%. While establishing the norm, the ratings accepted as Canadian criteria were used. In our study, significant differences were found between body weights in 13 and 14 age groups according to both chronological age and biological age. While there is a similarity in 13 age group in terms of heights, difference in favor of biological age was calculated in 14 age group. Even if there is no difference in the comparisons made for the bio motor abilities that are the subject of our study, percentage differences were found in comparing norm values in 10% slices according to chronological age and biological age. Thanks to norm values generated according to both chronological and biological age, the physical condition of the children, strengths and weaknesses related to the level of students in physical education classes, according to the separation of the application groups of children directed to the appropriate sport or the athletes and the students about training programs that will be applied to the course content it is envisaged that the results of this research will provide guidance. In this way, it is thought that by dividing the chronological age and biological age in children, a possible loss of motivation will be prevented in both physical education and training and competitions.

In biology education which is an inseparable discipline of medical and veterinary education, it is of great importance that enabling students to make practice in real conditions and gain knowledge and skills related to their professional fields during their education. It is necessary to adapt the new technologies rapidly to education rather than the use of cadavers or laboratory animals, especially when making practice directly related in human and animal anatomy. For this purpose, virtual and augmented reality applications, which have been developed rapidly in recent years, come to the fore as a highly effective technique with the possibility of interacting visually with the objects they give to the user. In this study, the techniques were examined that used in order to increase the learning performance in biology, anatomy, physiology and experimental animals and the process was examined to develop a specific mobile application on Unity3D application. It is envisaged that the difficulties in providing materials for students and ethical debates on the use of experimental animals can be overcome with the dissemination of augmented reality applications and virtual laboratories developed as a result of procedures such as the needs analysis, lesson or course content and scenario writing processes in addition to software development.

Information that is different from scientific knowledge, consistent and resistant to change, can be expressed as misconceptions. Misconceptions are one of the critical factors that prevent students from understanding in Biology education. This study was conducted in Kosovo with high school 12th-grade students of three different ethnic origins. It is aimed to determine the misconceptions that students have about "Digestive System in Human" comparatively. The study was carried out with 150 12th grade students in Kosovo in the 2016/2017 academic year. The research was carried out with qualitative research techniques as a data collection tool consisting of student drawings and explanations, and true/false items used. A descriptive analysis made. The findings showed that the students had many misconceptions about the human digestive system. Some Turkish students have drawn the digestive system with the kidney and intestine compared to other ethnic groups. Albanian and Bosnian students generally draw the digestive system after the stomach for separate solids for liquids. This misconception may be related to the concept of image (prima de perception) (Bachelard, 1938). Also, cultural misconceptions stemming from language encountered. Bosnian students use the concept of "boiling" instead of "digestion".

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of inquiry-based science education in Human biology lessons at the university level and compare this efficacy with traditional laboratory works using "cookbook" manuals written by teachers. Pre-tests and post-tests were used to measure the level of students' knowledge and scientific skills before the set of laboratory works and after. By knowledge, we understand the content knowledge of Human physiology, e.g., understanding of terms and phenomena, and by scientific skills, we understand operations students need to know to be able to design their own experiments, interpret their findings and set final conclusions. Biology major (N = 53) and non-biology major (N = 115) students of the University were involved in this study. They attended a one-term course and were divided into two groups, an experimental one (N = 98) with an inquiry-based science education (IBSE) approach and a control group (N = 70) based on traditional laboratory works where students follow step-by-step the instructions by the teacher. We found that IBSE led to a similar or slightly higher acquirement of knowledge in comparison to traditional labs, but this effect was not statistically different. A significant change was found in relation to the level of new skills acquirement of students where students from the experimental group with IBSE approach achieved better results. We also compared efficacy among non-biology and biology major students and no differences in IBSE efficacy based on the type of the study programme were found there.

Biology learning, especially the topic of plant physiology, requires Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). This ability needs to be improved with HOTS based teaching materials. The teaching materials, however, have not been developed, especially those in plant physiology topic. Students' HOTS in biology learning still requires an improvement as HOTS is important for the 21st century. One alternative that can be developed is teaching materials in the form of an E-Supplement Book Based on Plant Physiology Research (ESPPRe). The purpose of this study was to measure students' HOTS related to the concept of plant physiology as the basis for developing ESPPRe. The method used was descriptive using a survey technique. The instrument used in this study amounted to 10 items distributed using Google form. The results indicated that the scores were categorized as low for all students (40.81) with male students (41.39) and female students (40.74). This suggested that the HOTS score still needs to be improved and it is necessary to develop ESPPRe in further research. The content on the ESPPRe media that must be developed is related to activities to analyze and criticize problems that have been presented in ESPPRe. Next, students are expected to be able to create solutions and ideas related to these problems. The development of various learning media will make students happier in learning. This is because HOTS-based learning implementation will be varied. This study concludes that the HOTS score is still in the low category and the ESPPRe can be developed in subsequent studies. Suggestion from this research is to be able to implement the book to improve students' abilities to solve problems.

Questioning skills is one of competencies required by teachers in dealing with the 21st-Century challenges. The purpose of this study was profiling biology teacher candidates' questioning skills in Pekanbaru. The subjects of the research were the students, in three institutions, who were taking Zoology course. The total number of the subjects were 278 students selected using purposive random sampling. The instrument used was test contained of five items which instructed students to make questions related to five objects. The results showed that the teacher candidates' question level in three institution were low-level question (more than 50% in C1-C3 level). The questions posed were dominance in the level of memorizing, understanding, applying, and analyzing. They were not accustomed to asking questions with the evaluating and creating levels. The systematic of question was dominated as a divergent question, while the question area asked was dominated in the physiology (32.93%) and morphology (32.14%) concept. The information gained from this study can be consideration point for further research.

Research investigating how the brain develops and learns profoundly impacts education. Understanding the brain mechanisms responsible for learning and memory and the factors that influence them, such as age, environment, emotions, and motivation, can transform educational strategies by contributing to the development of programs that optimize learning. Including neuroscience education in teachers' training requires teaching them a multidisciplinary approach to science, which presents a challenge. Furthermore, the potential educational advances from the incorporation of neuroscience into teachers' training are hindered by significant obstacles such as translating research into the classroom; this includes the spread of neuromyths and the products, practices, and programs based on them. Our group has 9 years of experience in developing courses for training teachers. However, in 2020 the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed on society a new way of carrying out its daily activities, including teaching. This study reports the experiences of our group as we developed the ninth edition of the Neuroscience Applied to Education teachers' training in an online format that included synchronous and asynchronous activities. Sixty teachers participated in the course. The synchronous meetings lasted 1.5 h/wk and addressed different themes: neuroscience and education, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurobiology of learning and memory, factors that interfere with learning, and pedagogical innovation. According to the teachers' perceptions, the course was fundamental for them in terms of acquiring new knowledge about neuroscience. Everyone agreed on the possible applicability of the concepts covered to improve their pedagogical practice and teaching environment.

The effectiveness of animal physiology practical book based on guided inquiry model is the essential factor to achievement student understanding a about animal physiology concepts. The purpose of this study was to observe the effectiveness of animal physiology practical book based on guided inquiry model in Padang State University. The variables measured were affective, cognitive, psychomotor, and students' activities. The data of this pre-experimental research were analyzed using averaged, percentage and standardized with Institutional assessment criteria. The results showed that the mean values were: 90.56 for affective competency (Criteria A), 82 for knowledge (Criteria A), and 89.66 for skills (Criteria A). Meanwhile, the percentage of student activities was 90.74% with very active category. It can be concluded that the effectiveness of practical book based on guided inquiry model was very effective to optimized student competences.

The development of multimedia based on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to empower students critical thinking skills has not been optimally carried out. The purpose of this research was to develop multimedia of human anatomy and physiology material based on STEM which improve students' critical thinking skills. This research and development (R&D) used 4D Thiagarajan development model which consisted of define, design, develop, and disseminate. The instruments used were interview guidelines, observation sheets, questionnaires, and test. The data obtained consisted of quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data was obtained from the test results and the assessments of respondents using a Likert scale, while the qualitative data in the form of experts recommendations. The results showed that the media developed were classified as valid with the scores were 96.89% (media aspects), 97.53% (usefulness), and 85.22% (readability). Furthermore, the prerequisite test results showed that the data are spread normally (p>0.05) and homogeneously (p>0.05) so that the ANACOVA test is continued. The ANACOVA test results showed that students' critical thinking skills taught with multimedia were significantly difference (sig <0.05).This study recommends the use of multimedia in learning human anatomy and physiology.