Search

This paper makes a case for developing a theory of quality ecologies in early childhood education and care, and presents our initial thoughts around how that might be done, including how it might create a space for further thinking, research and discussion. First, the politicised, positivist nature of dominant contemporary interpretations of quality is discussed, including our case for theoretical experimentation and diversification. Then, we discuss existing applications of ecologies theory in education research and the opportunities it presents, followed by our thinking so far around how it can be applied to critical theorisations of quality ecologies. Last, we outline our research program and what we envisage can be accomplished by a theory of quality ecologies in early childhood education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present study a method that enables users to dynamically insert the forest plot into a web page was presented. In this method, I created a Javascript module for generating and inserting a HTML table, including an entry function and two sub-functions. When the user applies it, copy these functions together with the table mark into the web page location where the forest plot is to be inserted. The web page will generate the forest plot by passing in parameters and calling the entry function in the user's own Javascript module. The full Javascript codes were given for free uses of web developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, the Chinese language has emerged as a global language. Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have integrated Chinese language into their educational systems and established Confucius Institutes to promote Chinese language and culture. In Qatar, interest in Chinese language education has risen, though not as pronounced as its neighbouring countries. This article, grounded in a Critical Cultural Political Economy of Education (CCPEE) approach, provides a comprehensive overview of Chinese language and education policy in Qatar, utilising a mix of primary and secondary sources, and insights from the second author’s role as a Chinese language coordinator in Qatar. The article examines cultural, political, and economic aspects related to Qatar-China ties and the Chinese community in Qatar, the role of China during the World Cup, Chinese language in the linguistic landscape, Chinese language education policies, and the state of a Confucious Institute in Qatar. Finally, it offers some implications in terms of the future of Chinese language education in the country and some fruitful directions for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades of research form an extensive body of knowledge on International Collaboration in Research (IRC). However, experiential perspectives of the operative core (the academics) in research collaboration, remained relatively uninvestigated. Besides, explorations on how academics in peripheral countries accomplish IRC are still very limited. Finally, the representation of social sciences is also limited compared to natural sciences and engineering. The current study aims to explore the factors facilitating and inhibiting IRC from the lived experiences of academics in Iran and Türkiye comparatively. The study was designed as a dual phenomenology, one study in each country. In each of the countries, 20 academics in social sciences participated in the study. The results suggest that similar generic forces motivate the researchers for IRC in Türkiye and Iran at the individual level, parallel to international literature. However, macro‐level factors surrounding higher education ecologies including national‐level support schemes, geopolitical dynamics, and the country's foreign policy play an important role in determining the IRC cluster to connect with and the mode of collaboration in these two peripheral countries. The role of macro‐level political factors in IRC patterns suggests that although individual researchers intend to attach to the core cluster (USA, UK, Germany, France) of IRC at the global level, macro‐level factors push researchers in the periphery for more periphery‐periphery collaboration, which may strengthen the growing regionalization in IRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Originally developed for application to ecology courses for undergraduate majors, the Four‐Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) Framework offers possibilities for adaptation to courses with ecology content for many other audiences. Recognizing the extraordinary range of classroom contexts and constraints, we developed some general, flexible recommendations and approaches to guide instructors in adapting the 4DEE Framework for an array of non‐major audiences and classroom context needs. Our hope is that 4DEE‐aligned courses for non‐majors will provide these students with greater appreciation of ecology and inspire them to use their knowledge to address many critical environmental issues in their personal and professional lives. Many of our recommendations likely apply to natural science, engineering, and math majors as well. We encourage more ecologists to embrace teaching non‐majors courses as a response to the urgent need to improve ecological literacy for everyone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study draws from learning ecologies as a framework of analysis in order to explore the activities, resources and relationships practised by 25 Spanish faculty members who teach in the area of Education. Their students nominated them as inclusive faculty. Individual, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted. The results show that the activities, resources and relationships are multiple, diverse and learner-centred. This paper concludes that teaching student teachers involve being consistent and acting as a role model, by being coherent and an inclusive faculty in the university classes. These faculty voices provide recommendations on how universities should teach with a view to promote lifelong learning in which all students feel welcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are three Black women working in childhood and youth education research and practice in Tkaronto, Canada. In this paper we bring together our personal, research, and pedagogical inquiries into Black ecologies. We focus on foregrounding how Black ecologies can bring possibilities to (re)story Black nature relations and respond to socio-ecological injustice. Our intention is to encourage early childhood educators to think, in situated ways, with both the potential and challenges of this work. We do this by intentionally foregrounding propositions, grounded in stories and questions for inquiry, that educators can think with in their own contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the age of Healthcare 4.0, the deep integration of digital intelligent technology and medicine has put forward higher requirements for the digital literacy of medical students. Based on the literature review, this paper analyzes the current situation and deficiencies of digital literacy training in medical education: although most medical colleges have begun to attach great importance to digital technology education, there is a lack of systematic training programs and practice platforms. Based on this, guided by the theory of ecology of education, this paper focuses on four aspects of Collaboration between Hospitals and Universities, Policy support, Smart campus and Smart hospital at the macro level, five aspects of the training concept, Training mode, Evaluation mechanism, Teachers' digital literacy and Curriculum system at the meso level. At the micro level, there are mainly three functional entities, including the guidance and guarantee group, the transmission and development group, and the inheritance and pioneering group. These three entities, based on the macro and meso systems, promote the process of comprehensive improvement of medical students' digital literacy through the transmission of material flow, energy flow, and information flow (knowledge flow). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The imperative shift towards ecological consciousness in architectural design, driven by the pressing need to mitigate energy consumption and carbon emissions while fostering user well-being, has propelled the discourse on sustainable architecture to the forefront of contemporary dialogue. Concepts such as ecological architecture, sustainable, green, and regenerative design have emerged as pivotal frameworks aimed at aligning architectural practices with environmental imperatives. In this evolving architectural landscape, the centers for ecological education (CEEs) play an important role, embodying the intersection of architecture and ecological education. These centers, with their diverse educational initiatives, provide dedicated spaces for comprehensive ecological education. However, a gap exists in the literature regarding studies focusing on CEEs and the evaluation criteria for such facilities. This article seeks to bridge this gap by evaluating buildings designated for ecological education, aiming to present ecological content while exemplifying sustainable architectural principles. The study employs a research by design approach, combining a literature review with site investigations and qualitative assessments to elucidate the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in designing CEEs. Criteria for assessing the ecological quality of buildings are formulated. Through a comparative analysis, the article identifies key parameters for evaluating CEEs, considering their dual function as educational spaces and architectural exemplars. The evaluation framework developed in this study provides a valuable tool for architects, designers, and policymakers seeking to promote ecological education and sustainable architectural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Meta: Avaliação is the property of Revista Meta: Avaliacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Program evaluation frameworks that assess organizations as complex adaptive systems can open our eyes to new approaches and understandings. The proposed iterative and adaptive developmental program evaluation framework interrelates developmental evaluation principles with adaptive action approaches. We explain and demonstrate the framework with a mixed methods case study of the Teaching and Researching Environmental Education (TREE) Semester, an undergraduate pre-service environmental and sustainability educator leadership program. To illustrate developmental evaluation rigor, we describe the collection of TREE students' end-of-program quantitative and qualitative self-assessment responses to factors that helped their learning and promoted their learning gains. Analyzing these responses allowed us to continually make adaptive changes to develop a thriving learning community that fosters environmental and sustainability education leadership development. The iterative and adaptive developmental program evaluation framework improved our understanding of TREE's learning community as a complex adaptive system by elucidating five simple, emergent, pattern-forming rules. The rules describe activity selection, enhanced strategies for communication and support, integrating staff and student learning, and program pace. This demonstration of a developmental program evaluation provides a model framework for environmental and sustainability education program evaluators, especially those who work with new, innovative, complex, and re-imagined programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sustainable Earth Reviews is the property of BioMed Central and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Life cycle diagrams communicate the developmental life stages of an organism. Design choices may inadvertently communicate additional information about survivorship rates, genetic variation, and microevolutionary change. In this controlled experiment, we randomly assigned one of three life cycle diagrams to 684 college students. Each figure included identical life stages of a fictitious organism's development but differed in (1) the number of offspring (single or multiple) and (2) layout (cyclical or linear). Each participant could reference the figure when answering questions about organism survival, variation among offspring, and variation between generations. Students scored 28–30% higher on questions about survivorship when the available diagram included multiple offspring. Students scored 19–30% higher on questions about microevolution when the diagram layout was linear. Overall, students who received the figure with a linear layout and multiple offspring earned the highest average score (54.5%, or 3.3 of six questions) on the assessment, while students with the traditional figure (cyclical layout with single offspring) scored the lowest average (26.1%, or 1.6 of six questions). These results suggest that figure design affects student interpretations and may assist student learning about ecology and evolution concepts and common misconceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial ecology on entrepreneurial behaviour and capabilities. Design/Methodology and Approach: Data was collected from Chinese students studying in various universities and colleges in China. The data was collected using a combination of research methods. A survey questionnaire was employed to collect quantitative data, while interviews were conducted to gather qualitative data. The data was analysed using SPSS. Findings: The study's findings indicate that entrepreneurial culture and its dimensions have a significant impact on entrepreneurial behaviours and capabilities. The present research confirms the proposed mediating role. Implications: This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by empirically examining the mediating role of entrepreneurial ability in the relationship between culture and behaviour. This research contributes to the limited studies conducted in the context of academia on entrepreneurship and culture. Originality: This study aims to investigate the preferences for entrepreneurial behaviour and capabilities among Chinese students. The participants have expressed their preferences regarding spiritualism, institutional support, and leadership ability, which necessitates a study to examine the impact of these factors on their entrepreneurial behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ASLO Multicultural Program (ASLOMP) began in 1990 to promote diversity in the aquatic sciences. It involves brining diverse undergraduate and graduate students to annual ASLO meetings. The students participate in special programing that includes an opening dinner and keynote speaker, a student symposium where they present their work, a field trip, and work with meeting mentors. Between 1990 and 2023, 1443 different students participated in ASLOMP. They were a diverse lot; 43.0% African American, 33.0% Hispanic, 6.4% white, 6.4% Native American, 5.3% Pacific Islander, 3.5% Asian, and 2.4% other. Participants have gone on to be the first persons of color to serve on the ASLO Board of Directors and to assume other leadership positions in the society. Many former ASLOMP participants have gone on for advanced degrees and often return as mentors in the program. The ASLOMP model has been adopted by various other scientific societies including the Ecological Society of America (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability ‐ SEEDS), the Society of Wetland Scientists, Sigma Xi, and the Coastal and Estuarine and Research Federation. The founding of ASLOMP demonstrated the usefulness of empowered allies in leading efforts to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has been publishing journals for over 100 years, including the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, Ecology, Ecological Monographs, and others. In 2022, the ESA journals published 1,034 new papers, with over 5.7 million cumulative paper downloads. The acceptance rates for the journals range from 20 to 49%, and the average time from submission to acceptance is 155 days. Publishing in ESA journals supports critical programs for science communication, training, and diversity, and the revenue generated from publishing in these journals is essential for supporting ESA programs for students, early career researchers, and underrepresented groups. The ESA continues to study the publishing landscape and may consider future partnerships with other publishers. [Extracted from the article]

This paper develops a comprehensive training platform for maritime professionals, emphasizing the integration of digital health concepts. The platform, built on JavaEE, incorporates principles of education ecology, treating the training platform as a vital component of a broader ecological system. This system encompasses a diverse array of training subjects, environmental factors, and ecological elements, structured into a front-end module for user interaction and a system management module for operational oversight. Incorporating digital health into this maritime training platform reflects an innovative approach, aligning with contemporary needs for healthawareness in nautical professions. The platform's performance was rigorously tested, demonstrating stability under high task volumes, with system response times averaging around 40 seconds during simultaneous multiple tasks execution, thereby ensuring a seamless training experience. A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this digital health-focused training approach. Maritime professionals were divided into two groups: an experimental group utilizing the new training platform and a reference group following traditional training methods. The results were significant - the experimental group scored an average of 35.6, which was 4.3 points higher than the reference group's average of 31.3, surpassing the threshold of 0.5 for statistical significance. These findings validate the efficacy of incorporating digital health perspectives into maritime professional training. By embracing this approach, the platform not only enhances the technical and navigational skills of maritime professionals but also equips them with essential knowledge and practices in digital health, a crucial aspect in today's technology-driven maritime industry. This innovative training methodology paves the way for developing more well-rounded, health-conscious maritime professionals, equipped to handle the challenges of modern nautical environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to shape research and education is a highly topical issue. The recent release of ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre‐trained Transformer) by OpenAI on November 30, 2022 has opened up new possibilities for the use of chatbot services in ecological research and education. In this perspective article, we address associated contemporary topics including the use of chatbot services in ecology education and academic writing, the application of AI in ecology, the potential environmental impact, and ethical considerations of using such services. Several logistical, ethical and environmental factors were identified that should be considered in the context of ecological research. We argue that ChatGPT can help reduce the workload of researchers, generate new insights and ideas, and serve as a personal instructor and assistant for students. While we show how AI chatbots have the potential to be useful assets for ecologists, several challenges arose. AI in ecological research includes the limited ability of AI algorithms to capture complexity and nuance, the dependence of AI models on data quality, and ethical concerns about the use of AI in research. The construction and operation of such services also have potential environmental impacts but may also provide environmental benefits in comparison with other conventional approaches, all of which should be evaluated. Despite these limitations and challenges, we consider that the use of AI can be a valuable tool in ecological research and could enhance the speed and efficiency of research by automating certain tasks (e.g. data collection and management) and analyzing large amounts of data. However, we emphasize the importance of taking a responsible, sustainable and transparent approach to using chatbot services and AI in ecological research and education, while remaining mindful of the potential impact on the environment, society, and ethical concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle diagrams communicate the developmental life stages of an organism. Design choices may inadvertently communicate additional information about survivorship rates, genetic variation, and microevolutionary change. In this controlled experiment, we randomly assigned one of three life cycle diagrams to 684 college students. Each figure included identical life stages of a fictitious organism’s development but differed in (1) the number of offspring (single or multiple) and (2) layout (cyclical or linear). Each participant could reference the figure when answering questions about organism survival, variation among offspring, and variation between generations. Students scored 28–30% higher on questions about survivorship when the available diagram included multiple offspring. Students scored 19–30% higher on questions about microevolution when the diagram layout was linear. Overall, students who received the figure with a linear layout and multiple offspring earned the highest average score (54.5%, or 3.3 of six questions) on the assessment, while students with the traditional figure (cyclical layout with single offspring) scored the lowest average (26.1%, or 1.6 of six questions). These results suggest that figure design affects student interpretations and may assist student learning about ecology and evolution concepts and common misconceptions.

It is an important task of the State and the Party to carry out moral education and to cultivate builders and successors with all-round development of morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics and labor. The construction of education ecology is the basic project of morality and human education, and curriculum ideological and political thinking is the most stable and basic element in the education ecology. To evaluate the quality of curriculum ideological and political construction, it is necessary to examine the coordination among departments, schools and governments, between courses, inside and outside the classroom, and among schools, enterprises and society. The construction of an evaluation index system based on systematic thinking can promote the construction of an education community that will involve more subjects and be closer and more supportive, enhancing the overall quality and level of curriculum ideological and political construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitization of classrooms has enormously changed teaching during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The rapid introduction of tablet classes subsequently raised questions about potential learning outputs, as only a few studies had produced quite contradicting outcomes. Consequently, our study was set up to monitor cognitive learning outcomes of conventional and digital teaching interventions by explicitly paying attention to short- and long-term knowledge retention rates. Both modules covered the very same classroom content in focusing on the curricular content of the forest ecosystem. Subjects were eighth-graders from seven Bavarian secondary schools (analog: n = 74; digital: n = 225). We analyzed the knowledge gained by applying a multiple-choice questionnaire (online, 25 items) in a pre–post-retention design. For the statistical analyses SPSS was used, and a Rasch analysis was based on the ACERQuest software (Version 2.1). The Rasch calibration of the ad hoc knowledge items assured solid scores (Rel = 0.72). Both interventions significantly increased knowledge (analog and digital: p < 0.001; Cohen's d: danalog = 0.59, ddigital = 0.42) compared to the pre-test scores. Even after 6–9 weeks, there was no significant drop in the acquired knowledge scores (analog: p = 0.619; digital: p = 0.092) compared to the immediate post-test observed. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the knowledge levels reached after both interventions. The knowledge scores showed typical learning profiles of earlier studies including its consistency even after several weeks. Since no significant differences appeared for the knowledge gain of both groups, the kind of teaching seemingly does not originate any influence independent of participation in the digital or analog module. The same seems to be valid for notebook entry options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communicating and interpreting uncertainty in ecological model predictions is notoriously challenging, motivating the need for new educational tools, which introduce ecology students to core concepts in uncertainty communication. Ecological forecasting, an emerging approach to estimate future states of ecological systems with uncertainty, provides a relevant and engaging framework for introducing uncertainty communication to undergraduate students, as forecasts can be used as decision support tools for addressing real‐world ecological problems and are inherently uncertain. To provide critical training on uncertainty communication and introduce undergraduate students to the use of ecological forecasts for guiding decision‐making, we developed a hands‐on teaching module within the Macrosystems Environmental Data‐Driven Inquiry and Exploration (EDDIE; MacrosystemsEDDIE.org) educational program. Our module used an active learning approach by embedding forecasting activities in an R Shiny application to engage ecology students in introductory data science, ecological modeling, and forecasting concepts without needing advanced computational or programming skills. Pre‐ and post‐module assessment data from more than 250 undergraduate students enrolled in ecology, freshwater ecology, and zoology courses indicate that the module significantly increased students' ability to interpret forecast visualizations with uncertainty, identify different ways to communicate forecast uncertainty for diverse users, and correctly define ecological forecasting terms. Specifically, students were more likely to describe visual, numeric, and probabilistic methods of uncertainty communication following module completion. Students were also able to identify more benefits of ecological forecasting following module completion, with the key benefits of using forecasts for prediction and decision‐making most commonly described. These results show promise for introducing ecological model uncertainty, data visualizations, and forecasting into undergraduate ecology curricula via software‐based learning, which can increase students' ability to engage and understand complex ecological concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is the value of human labor development and the value pursuit of labor education to eliminate alienated labor and move towards freedom and consciousness. However, the connotation of labor itself is misinterpreted, the process of labor education is formalized and the subject of labor education is passivated, which weaken the practical effect of labor education to a certain extent. The improvement of labor education should start with the construction of the labor education system, the organic combination of the curriculum and the creation of a variety of forms of labor education. The three parties collaborate on co-education to create a positive labor education ecology. We should strengthen the top-level design to ensure the efficient development of labor education, make clear the guidance of evaluation, and improve the evaluation system of labor literacy, so that students can truly understand the essence of labor in labor education, realize the return and verification of human nature in labor, to help cultivate socialist builders and successors in all-round development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning where learners are equipped with knowledge to cope with their developmental changes and risky sexual behaviors. Teaching and learning sexuality education has been seen as the responsibility for teachers only, however research indicate that it is a responsibility and collaboration of all stakeholders. Underpinned by an Asset-based approach as the theoretical framework this study addressed this question: "How can an Asset-based approach be utilized to enhance Comprehensive Sexuality Education in rural ecologies?" A case study research design and an interpretive research as the paradigm were adopted. Data were generated using focus group discussions, one-on-one interviews and reflective narratives with teachers, parents, learners, pastor, chief, nurse, social worker and a local business representative and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings pointed out that, the collaboration of various stakeholders enhance the teaching of sexuality education; a strong ongoing partnership between the community and the school should be maintained and sexuality education workshops for young people in collaboration with communities facilitated by social workers. The study concludes that the teaching of Comprehensive Sexuality Education is not a responsibility for schools only, but encourages community-based collaborations and shared activities from the school communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental studies laboratory is an exciting place where students investigate, analyze, and reflect. Students test and apply theories and make abstract concepts concrete. As an example, ecology and environmental science are increasingly using "big data" to expand and refine research questions. This commentary reflects on the design and integration of an environmental justice and data analytics module in an environmental studies lab course. The module introduces an environmental justice framework to give students an understanding of tools and strategies to engage, assess, and intervene at multiple levels; while also developing advocacy and communication skills. Poor and minority populations have historically borne the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering disproportionally from the effects of pollution, resource depletion, dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to environmental hazards. Paying particular attention to "redlining" and the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic dimensions of environmental injustices, this module challenges students to critically examine redlining, socioeconomic, and environmental factors in Atlanta, Georgia (USA) to develop and explore research questions that may visually and/or statistically illuminate trends, patterns, and processes of environmenATL justice. This module also introduces some of the basic data handling and data analysis skills that give students an understanding of data types, descriptive statistics, sampling, and basic inferential statistics. By intentionally incorporating environmental justice activities and conversations in the classroom, instructors afford students an opportunity to engage in authentic examination of their world and make positive changes. Many of the skills learned and knowledge gained in this activity are directly transferable to post‐baccalaureate studies (e.g., graduate school, medical school, professional training, etc.) and the world of employment. The module can also be adapted to various curriculum, courses, and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing students' homework burden is to improve the quality and efficiency of school education. The proposal of "double reduction" aims to call for education to return to the essence of educating people, respect the law of education and the law of talent growth, so that students can achieve personalized development while developing in an all-round way. The "double reduction" policy combines the dual value orientation of equitable pursuit and high-quality development. Reducing students' homework burden and off-campus training burden is the path and basic goal of the "double reduction" policy. It will be a long and challenging process to promote the quality and efficiency of school education, standardize the ecology of off-campus education, and form an effective interaction between them, so that off-campus education can become a good supplement to on-campus education rather than a necessity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Razón Crítica is the property of La Fundacion Universidad de Bogota Jorge Tadeo Lozano and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Communicating and interpreting uncertainty in ecological model predictions is notoriously challenging, motivating the need for new educational tools, which introduce ecology students to core concepts in uncertainty communication. Ecological forecasting, an emerging approach to estimate future states of ecological systems with uncertainty, provides a relevant and engaging framework for introducing uncertainty communication to undergraduate students, as forecasts can be used as decision support tools for addressing real‐world ecological problems and are inherently uncertain. To provide critical training on uncertainty communication and introduce undergraduate students to the use of ecological forecasts for guiding decision‐making, we developed a hands‐on teaching module within the Macrosystems Environmental Data‐Driven Inquiry and Exploration (EDDIE; MacrosystemsEDDIE.org) educational program. Our module used an active learning approach by embedding forecasting activities in an R Shiny application to engage ecology students in introductory data science, ecological modeling, and forecasting concepts without needing advanced computational or programming skills. Pre‐ and post‐module assessment data from more than 250 undergraduate students enrolled in ecology, freshwater ecology, and zoology courses indicate that the module significantly increased students' ability to interpret forecast visualizations with uncertainty, identify different ways to communicate forecast uncertainty for diverse users, and correctly define ecological forecasting terms. Specifically, students were more likely to describe visual, numeric, and probabilistic methods of uncertainty communication following module completion. Students were also able to identify more benefits of ecological forecasting following module completion, with the key benefits of using forecasts for prediction and decision‐making most commonly described. These results show promise for introducing ecological model uncertainty, data visualizations, and forecasting into undergraduate ecology curricula via software‐based learning, which can increase students' ability to engage and understand complex ecological concepts.

Art and design processes and practices can inform and stimulate knowledge building in powerful ways. Artist/designer Marni Stuart and artist/curator Susan Davis have employed creative practice to inform their own seeing and knowing of the natural spaces that surround them in South East Queensland, Australia. Through art and design practice they seek to share ways for others to 'see', appreciate and value these natural habitats and wildflower heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching and learning in ecology depend on multimodality, involving semiotic resources such as visual representations, subject-specific symbols, and written and spoken language. Furthermore, the ecology field involves complex processes and relationships, presenting student challenges. However, more research has yet to investigate how students design multimodal texts to represent complex biological processes. For a holistic understanding of ecology, it is crucial to understand different complex processes, such as the matter cycle, energy flow, decomposition, and their relations. Therefore, this study aims to, through multimodal text analysis based on systemic functional linguistics (SFL), identify how secondary students collectively present and combine such processes and how they position themselves through their textual choices. Results indicate that representing biological processes comprises several challenges for students. One way in which this is shown is the unclear use and meaning of arrows. Thereto, the students include various aspects uncommon in the field of ecology, for example, symbols inspired by comic books, values, and the role of humans, thereby relating ecosystems to their interests and everyday life. Implications for teaching are discussed, for instance, the importance of supporting students in terms of scientific content and how to represent it, which can be conducted through text discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health Research Capacity Building (HRCB) is key to improving research production among health workers in LMICs to inform related policies and reduce health disparities in conflict settings. However, few HRCB programmes are available in the MENA region, and few evaluations of HRCB globally are reported in the literature. Methods: Through a qualitative longitudinal design, we evaluated the first implementation of the Center for Research and Education in the Ecology of War (CREEW) fellowship. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fellows (n = 5) throughout the programme at key phases during their completion of courses and at each research phase. Additional data was collected from supervisors and peers of fellows at their organizations. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and presented under pre-identified themes. Results: Despite the success of most fellows in learning on how to conduct research on AMR in conflict settings and completing the fellowship by producing research outputs, important challenges were identified. Results are categorized under predefined categories of (1) course delivery, (2) proposal development, (3) IRB application, (4) data collection, (5) data analysis, (6) manuscript write-up, (7) long-term effects, and (8) mentorship and networking. Conclusion: The CREEW model, based on this evaluation, shows potential to be replicable and scalable to other contexts and other health-related topics. Detailed discussion and analysis are presented in the manuscript and synthesized recommendations are highlighted for future programmes to consider during the design, implementation, and evaluation of such programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning about the causes and effects of human-induced climate change is an essential aspect of contemporary environmental education (EE). However, it is increasingly recognized that the familiar 'information dump delivery mode' (as Timothy Morton calls it), through which new facts about ecological destruction are being constantly communicated, often contributes to anxiety, cognitive exhaustion, and can ultimately lead to hopelessness and paralysis in the face of ecological issues. In this article, I explore several pathways to approach EE, beyond the presentation and transmission of ecological facts. I position my conceptual discussion around my own teaching experiences speaking about climate change with undergraduate students across several Education classes through 2019 to 2021. I situate these reflections within the current discourse on education and teaching in/for the Anthropocene. Throughout this discussion, I locate various ways in which much EE fails to contribute to student's agency and empowerment by consistently reducing complex ecological phenomena to a set of problems, mainly economic/technological, to be fixed by technocracy. I propose that a contemplative–existential perspective to EE is capable of responding to these reductions, most basically by providing opportunities and practices for students to process their grief and other emotions through recognizing the Anthropocene as an inescapable reality, but also a reality that cannot be determinately imagined or predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse the views of Turkish Generation Z higher education students with metaverse experience on virtual-digital ecologies, self-consciousness, virtual sense of self, and avatar. Conducted on 389 students studying at Fırat University, this study is based on a descriptive survey design. The research data collected with the survey developed in line with the methodology were analyzed using the licensed SPSS package program of Fırat University. While doing analyses, the researchers drew upon frequency and percentage, which are diagnostic statistical techniques, as well as the Chi-square test. The results obtained from the analyses are as follows: Turkish Generation Z higher education students partially differ from their global peers in terms of self-consciousness. Self-consciousness and the virtual sense of self of Turkish Generation Z higher education students are associated with reality-virtuality oscillation. These students view the avatar as an ideal profile self-presentation rather than a substitute for their real self. The following considerations were revealed based on the results: It can be envisaged that depending on the proliferation of the virtual-digital revolution on a global scale, the massiveness of the virtuality phenomenon is likely to increase in the selfformation of Turkish Generation Z higher education students. The fact that the individual's self-consciousness and self-development are associated with the purpose, design, and practices of education requires Turkey to be ready for virtual-digital ecologies in education, at least as a contemporary complement to existing face-to-face education for now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Educational Studies (1673-1298) is the property of Journal of Educational Studies Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

UNESCO has identified education for sustainable development (ESD) as a key factor in the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Education is important in developing awareness of how to preserve natural ecosystems and promote the uptake of renewable energy sources. Ecology education in primary school aims to give students a scientific foundation to further their education in biology and develop environmentally literate citizens who will protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of natural ecosystems. This early education includes awareness of how human welfare depends on resilient ecosystems. However, previous studies have shown that young students face serious challenges when constructing a holistic view of ecological relationships. In this study, we interpret students' written texts and drawings on processes in an ecosystem. By focusing on students' expressed ideas on the availability of energy and matter in the ecosystem, we construe four models. The students in our study propose, firstly, that energy flows or can circulate, and secondly, that matter circulates, is provided by the sun, or is created anew. The students often express fragmented processes, combined in different ways. According to our results, we propose aspects that can inform the design of primary school teaching of ecology for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of 'social-ecological systems', which explores the relationships between society and the environment, was at the center of this study. The study aims to describe Israeli environmental-education master students' level of understanding of the social-ecological systems concept. We used a designated rubric score to analyze drawings and explanations and to identify the levels of understanding asking: How can the analysis of drawings and explanations, using Attentive Teaching as an educational approach, enable the identification of conceptual changes in understanding the social-ecological systems concept? The 270 drawings and explanations of 49 participants were analyzed, and they indicated a general increase in the level of understanding of the social-ecological systems concept. Attentive Teaching, as an educational approach, was found to lead to conceptual change. Drawings and explanations, as an assessment methodology may lead to better understanding of the social-ecological systems concept and may encourage action in relation to the environmental crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a sustainable future, equipping sustainability change agents with relevant sustainability competencies is crucial. Among these competencies is system thinking competence – the understanding of complex interrelationships among the dimensions of sustainable development and the impacts of the interrelationships. Learning approaches relevant to fostering sustainability competencies have been studied. However, research is rare on fostering systems thinking competence by simultaneously using multiple, real-world, and innovative learning approaches. To address this gap, we conducted a pre-test–post-test exploratory experimental study involving higher education students (n = 36). The study explored the contributions of field trips and collaborative learning in combination with mobile learning and paper-and-pencil note taking. The study simultaneously implemented a combined set of learning approaches in a real-world environment. The results suggest that the learning approaches and the real-world environment contribute to fostering the systems thinking competence of participants by exposing them to complex real-world systems and enabling the exchanging of diverse ideas among collaborating participants. As such, our study contributes to social constructivist learning discourses in education for sustainable development by indicating specific combinations of learning approaches and environments that facilitate the meaningful engagement and motivation of learners through self-regulated learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In school-based research, isolating the potential effects of a single variable while attempting to maintain typical classroom routines is always a challenge. Unfortunately, the challenges and methodological approaches to overcoming them are often only shallowly reported, perhaps due to word limits or assumptions that those details are irrelevant to the findings. Thus, future research is unnecessarily impeded, destined to repeat the same mistakes. In this article, we reflect on the design and methodological strengths of our study of nature-based instruction (NBI) and how some strengths also created challenges with implications for interpreting the findings of our study (published in a companion paper, Faber Taylor, Butts-Wilmsmeyer, and Jordan 2022). In that study, we attempted to isolate the potential effects of NBI compared to classroom-based instruction on science learning and to test for potential mechanisms and moderating variables. We share insights in hopes of supporting others' research design and nature-based educational practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connectedness to nature influences the well-being and health of individuals, communities, and the planet. Although many validated scales exist, none includes the three fundamental aspects of any attitude: the affective, behavioural, and cognitive components. The study's main objective was to develop and validate an integral tool, the ABC Connectedness to Nature Scale (ABC-CNS), which would enable the measurement of the affective, behavioural, and cognitive aspects of this construct. The questionnaire was administered to 1,375 students (878 Ecuadorian and 497 Spanish). Exploratory factor analysis retained the three expected factors. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a robust adjustment for the tridimensional structure, but cross-cultural invariance was not attained: Although the ABC-CNS is valid for both Ecuador and Spain, the scores cannot be compared in both cultural contexts analysed. The pattern of relations with other psychological variables (proenvironmental values, appreciation and preservation of nature, and individual and classmates' proenvironmental behaviours) provided evidence of the structure and construct validity. The ABC-CNS scale is an integral, reliable, and short tool to measure connectedness to nature through the proposed dimensions. The tool is suitable for environmental professionals and researchers to assess individuals' connectedness to nature, a psychological variable that may affect a person's mental health and proenvironmental behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion is a central aspect for protecting the environment in environmental and sustainability education (ESE). As such, positive emotions toward nature can increase motivation to learn and take environmental action. This qualitative case study explored the complex interrelationship among place-based education, emotions and values related to ESE, academic social and emotional learning, and explored the situated notion of emotions in the context of environmental citizenship. The emotions of 59 fifth-grade students, who were engaged in a program to protect the Lesser Kestrel, were explored. The findings suggest that the outcomes of the Lesser Kestrel program were complex and mostly positive in activating students' emotions. The results indicate that ESE programs should focus on situated emotions, due to their important role in promoting powerful learning experiences and environmental citizenship, which may mitigate the environmental crisis, along with moral issues that affect the well-being of the individual, and social and natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civic engagement is recognized as a critical process to address environmental and other societal issues. To examine the intersection between environmental education and civic engagement, as reported in the peer-reviewed literature, we undertook a systematic mixed studies review to identify environmental education program outcomes related to civic engagement. The environmental education programs included in the final sample (n = 56) occurred in a range of settings, involved diverse audiences, and were generally longer than a month in duration. All 56 studies reported some level of positive findings, with 19 reporting civic-related outcomes at the community level, such as community learning, community resilience, partnership building, and increased social capital. Fifty studies reported civic-related outcomes at the individual level, with civic attitudes being the most frequent. Increased civic skills and civic knowledge were also commonly reported. Analysis revealed five themes related to environmental education practices and implementation that appear to support development of civic engagement: (1) focusing on the local community; (2) actively engaging learners through participatory and experiential approaches; (3) including action-taking as an integral part of the education program; (4) emphasizing development of lifelong cognitive skills; and (5) providing ongoing opportunities for participants to engage in meaningful social interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated culturally-generated abilities and skills in the frame of human adaptation and environmental education. Under qualitative approach, this research implemented phenomenological research method that seek to understand the situation that occurs locally to certain group. Data collection was done through observation and interview with four key informants involving indigenous community leaders, community members, and formal education practitioner. Additional informants were taken from snowball sampling technique from whose accounts were elaborated until data saturation achieved. Validity and reliability of data were carried through member check and data triangulation Data analysis process follow three sequential phases, namely data reduction, display, and drawing conclusion. Findings of research were grouped into three sections, namely a) cultural ecology of Baduy indigenous community; b) environmental education based on local wisdom of Baduy people; and c) pedagogical experience on local wisdom-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the help of Cite Space software, the authors analyze the research hotspots related to the “double reduction” policy and social work, and then discuss the feasibility of social work to help the “double reduction” policy of education. The mechanism and relationship between ecosystem theory and social work practice are explained, and the changes of student-centered education ecology from the perspective of ecosystem theory are analyzed. From the perspective of ecosystem theory, the authors propose that social work can attempt to intervene education from the levels of students’ micro system, intermediate system, outer system and macro system, social work can serve the “double reduction” policy by way of assistance, coordination, link and feedback. Finally, combined with the development status of school social work, from the perspective of concept, system, organization and funds, they put forward some suggestions on the embedded development of social work to help the “double reduction” policy of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural history, loosely defined as the observational study of organisms in the habitats where they occur, is recognized at the roots of ecology. Although the centrality of natural history in ecology has shifted over time, natural history is currently in resurgence: many again consider it to be the foundation of ecological and evolutionary inquiry and advocate the value of organism‐centered approaches to address contemporary ecological challenges. Educators identify natural history as the foundational entryway into the practice of ecology, for example in the Ecological Society of America's Four‐Dimensional Ecology Education (4DEE) framework. A strong natural history foundation can help generate testable hypotheses to refine mechanistic understanding of the drivers regulating species distributions and abundances and to inform restoration and conservation efforts. Given the resurgence of natural history as the foundation for ecological knowledge and practice, it is important to recognize that natural history has a long history of racism that has impacted ecological thought and priorities. This history shapes not only who conducts ecological science but also foundational ecological concepts. For example, natural history's emphasis on pristine nature untouched by humans disregards or appropriates stewardship and knowledge of most of the world's population. Because of the legacy of chattel slavery, this exclusion is particularly strong for people of African descent. This exclusion narrows ecological inquiry, limits the capacity to find solutions to ecological problems, and risks interventions that perpetuate the relation between eugenics, ecological knowledge, and natural systems. If ecology is to become an inclusive, responsive, and resilient discipline, this knowledge gap must be addressed. We here present the colonial and racist underpinnings of natural history and offer strategies to expand inclusion in the study of nature. Natural history was steeped in racism, providing a hierarchy of cultures and a taxonomy of races. Complementing growing interest in traditional and Indigenous ecological knowledge, we focus on Black ecological knowledge, for example in the study of "maroon ecologies." Addressing the racist history of natural history is necessary for removing structural and racist barriers to diverse participation and expanding ecological knowledge bases in service of better and more just science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of deep ecology started in the 1960s, developed and deepened in the 1980s, and has been more mature and begun its transformation since the coming of 21st century. The in-depth inquiry and reflection of deep ecology provide a new perspective for the reflection of ecological civilization education, its value identification and ecological self-realization can enrich the target system of ecological civilization education, and its holism and deep ecological practice can broaden the practice of ecological civilization education. The main ways to fulfill the purpose of ecological civilization education in deep ecology include renewing the values, strengthening the practical attribute, and deeply reforming the system of ecological civilization education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Open Science (OS) movement is rapidly gaining traction among policy-makers, research funders, scientific journals and individual scientists. Despite these tendencies, the pace of implementing OS throughout the scientific process and across the scientific community remains slow. Thus, a better understanding of the conditions that affect OS engagement, and in particular, of how practitioners learn, use, conduct and share research openly can guide those seeking to implement OS more broadly. We surveyed participants at an OS workshop hosted by the Living Norway Ecological Data Network in 2020 to learn how they perceived OS and its importance in their research, supervision and teaching. Further, we wanted to know what OS practices they had encountered in their education and what they saw as hindering or helping their engagement with OS. The survey contained scaled-response and open-ended questions, allowing for a mixed-methods approach. We obtained survey responses from 60 out of 128 workshop participants (47%). Responses indicated that usage and sharing of open data and code, as well as open access publication, were the most frequent OS practices. Only a minority of respondents reported having encountered OS in their formal education. A majority also viewed OS as less important in their teaching than in their research and supervisory roles. The respondents' suggestions for what would facilitate greater OS engagement in the future included knowledge, guidelines, and resources, but also social and structural support. These are aspects that could be strengthened by promoting explicit implementation of OS practices in higher education and by nurturing a more inclusive and equitable OS culture. We argue that incorporating OS in teaching and learning of science can yield substantial benefits to the research community, student learning, and ultimately, to the wider societal objectives of science and higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting problem-solving in students is an important aim of secondary science education. There is a mismatch, however, between the complex, ill-structured nature of realistic scientific problems, versus the well-structured problems students are generally confronted with. The current study investigates a teaching-learning strategy that resolves this mismatch by combining a focus on hierarchical problem-solving strategies for complex, authentic problems with the use of domain-specific question agendas that represent scientific perspectives. Three design principles were applied to develop an exemplary lesson series that was implemented in two Dutch pre-university classes. A pre-/post-test research design was followed in which data was collected in the form of sets of student-generated research questions. Additionally, audio recordings of lessons and student interviews were collected and analysed. Results indicate that participating students became more proficient at applying hierarchical problem-solving strategies like (1) reducing complex ecological problems to more manageable subproblems by formulating productive research questions and (2) identifying types of ecological problems by connecting them to domain-specific question agendas (problem-abstraction). A qualitative analysis of the teaching-learning process and student interviews informed potential refinements of the design principles, namely the use of more diverse contexts and a greater focus on collaborative learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitization of classrooms has enormously changed teaching during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The rapid introduction of tablet classes subsequently raised questions about potential learning outputs, as only a few studies had produced quite contradicting outcomes. Consequently, our study was set up to monitor cognitive learning outcomes of conventional and digital teaching interventions by explicitly paying attention to short- and long-term knowledge retention rates. Both modules covered the very same classroom content in focusing on the curricular content of the forest ecosystem. Subjects were eighth-graders from seven Bavarian secondary schools (analog: n = 74; digital: n = 225). We analyzed the knowledge gained by applying a multiple-choice questionnaire (online, 25 items) in a pre–post-retention design. For the statistical analyses SPSS was used, and a Rasch analysis was based on the ACERQuest software (Version 2.1). The Rasch calibration of the ad hoc knowledge items assured solid scores (Rel = 0.72). Both interventions significantly increased knowledge (analog and digital: p < 0.001; Cohen’s d: danalog = 0.59, ddigital = 0.42) compared to the pre-test scores. Even after 6–9 weeks, there was no significant drop in the acquired knowledge scores (analog: p = 0.619; digital: p = 0.092) compared to the immediate post-test observed. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the knowledge levels reached after both interventions. The knowledge scores showed typical learning profiles of earlier studies including its consistency even after several weeks. Since no significant differences appeared for the knowledge gain of both groups, the kind of teaching seemingly does not originate any influence independent of participation in the digital or analog module. The same seems to be valid for notebook entry options.