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Developing learning tools based on local potential is necessary because it directly relates to students' daily lives. One of them is a Popular Science Book (PSB), which highlights the potential of gastropods in coastal areas as a subject for observing biodiversity. The implementation of assessments and the value of students' critical thinking abilities still need to be improved. This research aimed to implement the PSB based on its practicality and effectiveness in improving students' critical thinking abilities. The research method used formative evaluation, focused on testing the practicality and efficacy of valid development products. Practicality was analysed based on student response tests through the percentage of responses and the implementation of the learning plan (LP) through categorization. Furthermore, effectiveness was analysed based on student learning outcomes through the percentage of completeness and achievement of critical thinking ability indicators through the N-gain test. The research results prove that the PSB developed was practical and effective. Apperception and interpretation were two of the three stages of implementation of the LP that received the highest average, where students could provide theoretical ideas based on appreciation of environmental issues. This was also supported by the student's critical thinking ability tests, where the interpretation aspect obtained the highest N-gain. The development of local potential-based PSB shows positive impacts, especially ease of use, interest in learning, motivation, apperception, and interpretation. However, it is still necessary to study in more depth the causal factors and solutions for the differences in results between the implementation of the LP at the conclusion stage and the indicators of critical thinking in the inference aspect.

"Kurikulum Merdeka" is a learning experience framework that offers flexibility and focuses on essential content, character development, and students' competencies. Teachers had the discretion to develop their modules to choose, design, and organize the learning contents for students, based on their needs. By using that module, there is more flexibility and independence either for teachers and students, while enhancing the relevance, interactivity, and effectiveness of learning. This research aims to develop problem-based teaching modules on biology based on "Kurikulum Merdeka" as a reference in the learning process. This research and development, referring to Borg and Gall's model, consists of (1) research and information collection, (2) planning, (3) developing a preliminary form of the product, (4) preliminary field testing, and (5) main product revision. The participants in this development research are teachers as learning experts and students of a senior high school in one of the districts of East Lombok as a subject in limited trials. Data collection used closed questionnaires to determine the feasibility and ideality of the instrument. Data analysis using quantitative descriptive analysis involves analyzing the results of instrument feasibility and ideality from experts and students. The results show that the developed module was included in the very feasible and ideal learning resources. The readability test of the worksheet after limited trials was included in the good category for the biodiversity content, and quite good for the virus and ecosystem content. Therefore, the problem-based teaching module on biology content in phase E of grade XI of senior high school is considered feasible.

Given the world's continuous environmental concerns, there is a need for increased participation in nature protection. The ecological crisis of the last decade on Earth has become one of the causes of the rupture of society's relationship with nature. Such relationships can predict diverse attitudes, concerns, intentions, and pro-environmental behavior (PEB). A systematic literature review (SLR) aims to compare, study, and analyze journal articles that relate to issues related to nature as a major factor in pro-environmental behavior. The results of selecting articles indexed by SCOPUS found as many as 1716 publications. The 50 open-access publications of articles were chosen based on specific criteria and further examined to identify eight final articles that align with the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) scale. Pro-environmental behavior strengthens human relationships with nature and encourages a sense of ownership and involvement with the environment. Pro-environmental behavior refers to behaviors that are beneficial to the environment, such as supporting conservation policies, recycling, and participating in nature. Research using INS scale, which focuses on connections with nature, still has significant potential and should persist in making contributions to science and humanity.

Local wisdom which is the theme of the project to strengthen the character of Pancasila in the Merdeka Curriculum includes the fading of ancestral culture such as traditional vegetable medicine. Although schools have limited resources for teaching local wisdom through books, students' preference for mobile learning requires a more flexible and practical approach, as seen from the use of Tambakboyo Reservoir's herbal diversity as website content. This research aims to determine the types of herbal plants in the Tambakboyo Reservoir and their suitability as learning media. This R&D research uses the ADDIE model which is limited to the development stage. There are 62 types of Indonesian herbal plants in Tambakboyo Reservoir. The results of reviews by material experts, media experts, practitioners, and student readability tests on the herbal plants website show that the media is declared appropriate and meets the assessment criteria and can then be continued with implementation.

The past decade has been marked by a series of global crises, presenting an opportunity to reevaluate the relationship between science and politics. The biological sciences are instrumental in understanding natural phenomena and informing policy decisions. However, scholars argue that current scientific expertise often fails to account for entire populations and long-term impacts, hindering efforts to address issues such as biodiversity loss, global warming, and pandemics. This article explores the structural challenges of integrating an evolutionary perspective, historically opposed to functional determinants of health and disease, into current biological science practices. Using data on Swiss biology professors from 1957, 1980, and 2000, we examine the structural power dynamics that have led to the division between these competing epistemologies, and how this division has influenced resource allocation and career trajectories. Our analysis suggests that this cleavage presents a significant obstacle to achieving fruitful reconciliations, and that increased academicization and internationalization may benefit functional biologists at the expense of evolutionary biologists. While evolutionary biologists have gained symbolic recognition in recent years, this has not translated into valuable expertise in the political domain.

Especially within the light of the current loss of biodiversity, we want our students to gain a better understanding of the issues at stake in order to take action and support plants and their pollinators. Many educational approaches focus on honeybees, disregarding the vast diversity in the context of pollination systems and the complex (co-)adaptations on both plants and pollinators that evolved over time. This article tries to remedy this by providing scientific background and two practical teaching approaches including legumes (Fabaceae s. s., Faboideae) as one of the largest plant families worldwide, containing many well-known crop species. Legume flowers show specializations regarding pollination and are therefore excellent examples to teach not only about pollination and adaptations, but also conservation. The main elements of both teaching approaches are functional flower models. The first approach was developed for learners with little background knowledge on pollination, whereas the second approach is more elaborate.

Access to authentic research is limited at the 7-12 science education level. At the same time, many local restoration projects would benefit from, but don't have access to a long-term system of monitoring. This project seeks to unite those two needs by developing a protocol for 7-12 classrooms to be able to participate in authentic research through long-term monitoring of a local restoration project. The protocol developed in this project was used by Jenison High School students at Grand Ravines Park. Grand Ravines Park is a recently acquired Ottawa County park with a history of anthropogenic disturbances. Shortly after the acquisition of the final section of the park, Ottawa County Parks and Recreation (OCPR) staff seeded the portions of the north side of the park with native grasses and forbs, and the south side of the park was not supplementally seeded. This study aimed to develop protocols for the student collection and analysis of vegetation and invertebrate biodiversity data in both the north and south sides of the park. Various metrics of plant and invertebrate biodiversity were compared between the seeded and unseeded areas. Students from Jenison High School were involved in the data collection and analysis, increasing their exposure to scientific research and field sampling and developing their scientific literacy. A long-term database was developed, with the goals of facilitating park management decisions and driving future student research questions.

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

The decline of biodiversity and natural habitats, and the lack of progress in society's behaviour towards conservation, has prompted research into effective educational programs. Studies have shown that positive emotions towards nature, particularly in relation to the innate human predisposition towards the natural environment, can encourage environmentally friendly actions. As people's attitudes towards species are linked to familiarity and experiences, insects, and other invertebrates, despite their vital role in ecosystems, are often underappreciated and face inequalities in research and conservation. Negative attitudes towards insects are shaped by cultural and educational factors. Hence, education, particularly environmental education, can play a significant role in changing preconceptions and attitudes towards insects and fostering positive behaviour towards biodiversity conservation. This study presents a scoping review of environmental education programs focused on enhancing students' awareness of insects and their significance in the ecosystem (from 2000 to 2022). The aim was to analyse the effects of intervention programs and key characteristics that contributed to their efficiency. The review highlights the importance of program duration, outdoor experiences, and the use of inquiry-based and experiential learning methods in promoting positive attitudes and knowledge about insects. The findings have implications for the design and implementation of effective environmental education programs targeting insect awareness.

This qualitative study investigated perceptions of STSE topics manifested by adults visiting four biodiversity exhibits at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada. Seven visitors were observed by researchers during their visits and completed post-visit interviews. The theoretical perspective on STSE relationships expounded by Pedretti and Nazir (2011) and Steele (2014) was adopted for the analysis portion of this investigation. Results indicate that the exhibits were able to communicate their central messages on the relationship between human beings and the natural world and the relationship between science and society, as well as reveal some of the effects that these messages had on the public. However, results also support the assertion that some of the intended STSE concepts were not perceived by the participants. Moreover, we identified limitations regarding adult visitors' abilities to perceive science and technology as human activities embedded in a social, historical and moral context.

Learning resources are everything that can be used to facilitate the learning process. Folklore is one of the cultural products that can be innovated as a biodiversity learning resource in high school. This study reviewed relevant literature regarding folklore from various regions of Indonesia to examine and analyse the potential of folklore as a learning resource for biodiversity. The descriptive analysis revealed that the contents of folklore can be used to study examples of the biodiversity level, the regional distribution of Indonesia's biodiversity, flora and fauna characteristics of Oriental, Australian, and Transitional, benefits of biodiversity and its conservation efforts. In addition, folklore as a learning resource also has the potential to develop student competencies such as environmental care, creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving. However, the folklore content cannot describe all the material on biodiversity, therefore it must be combined with other learning resources for use in the biodiversity learning process.

The importance of biodiversity is one of the most critical issues today, and intense efforts are being made to protect and maintain biodiversity. In this study, biodiversity, which is related to many disciplines, was evaluated in terms of education. A bibliometric analysis was used. The bibliometric method is widely used to reveal the relationship between scientific studies, the effect of the studies, and the effect of the researchers and journals in a particular field. Research findings showed that many articles have been published on biodiversity recently. In education, out-of-school learning activities are used more widely today. Moreover, the USA, China, and Germany are among the countries that publish more articles about biodiversity. Based on the research findings, it was determined that combining the formal education process with out-of-school activities will help students exhibit positive behavior about the environment and biodiversity. Considering the trend in recent years, studies related to climate change, ecosystem service, sustainability, and citizen science can be carried out.

Biology education is crucial for living in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, disruptive, and diverse environment. Moreover, most literature suggested developing learning activities for students based on the knowledge, attitudes, and skills competency gaps. Thus, this study assessed the academic performance in terms of their examination scores among the 150 randomly selected Grade Eight Biology students in different public schools in a rural municipality in Cebu, Philippines. It employed a descriptive research methodology. The test questionnaire was anchored on the Department of Education Learning Guide in determining the student's academic performance in Biology. The respondents' data were gathered from their Biology teachers and were expressed in frequencies and percentages. Data were computed using SPSS Statistics 27. The majority of the student's academic performance in Biology for Digestive System (n=65, 43.33%), Biodiversity (n=68, 45.33%), and Ecosystem (n=56, 37.34%) competencies indicate that the majority of the respondents' scores did not meet expectations. Our findings strongly recommend that teachers carefully plan and provide necessary learning activities based on the needs and knowledge gaps of the students in their instructional practices to give their students a thorough grasp of the topics covered in the Biology class.

The objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the efficiency of Application on Nymphaea 'Thai Lotus Species' for creating awareness of Undergraduate Students, 2) compare students' achievements before and after learning through the Application on Nymphaea 'Thai Lotus Species' for Creates Awareness of Undergraduate Students, and 3) examine student satisfaction towards the Application on Nymphaea 'Thai Lotus Species' for Creates Awareness of Undergraduate Students. The sample comprised 30 Secondary 4 second semester at Faculty of Technical Education, Rajamangala University Thayaburi Education Service Area Office Pathum Thani, derived through purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through an application called Nymphaea 'Thai Lotus Species' to create awareness among undergraduate students. The research used a pretest, a post-test, and a student satisfaction form. The data was analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and t-test for dependent samples. The findings showed that the Nymphaea 'Thai Lotus Species' application was adequate, with an E1/E2 score of 81.58/80.03. The study also revealed that students achieved better results after using the application to learn about creating awareness among undergraduate students. The mean and standard deviation before learning were 8.27 and 2.22, while the mean and standard deviation after education were 4.66 and 0.61. The t-test score used before and after schooling was 31.16 at a statistically significant level of 0.05. Moreover, the student satisfaction towards the Application of Nymphaea 'Thai Lotus Species' for Creates Awareness of Undergraduate Students was high.

In teaching, students' representations could constitute an obstacle to the construction of scientific knowledge and are often considered stable cognitive structures whose organization is sought to be inferred through questionnaires and interviews. This study aims at identifying and analyzing high school students' representations related to the concept of biodiversity. To meet this objective, a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire were used to collect data. 202 Moroccan students participated in this survey (46.5% from rural areas and 53.5% from urban areas of the "Direction Provinciale" of education of Guelmim city in Morocco). The results of the interview indicated that only 1.82% of the students gave a definition that consists of the three biodiversity dimensions, namely the species, the ecosystems, and the genetic diversity. The questionnaire results revealed a low to medium correlation between their representations and their acquired knowledge related to the concept of biodiversity dealt with in Moroccan school programs (from the discipline of "scientific activity" in the primary cycle and that of "life and earth sciences" in the secondary cycle). The results further indicated a low presence of supervised activities related to biodiversity within the school and therefore a low degree of influence on the students' representations. It was concluded that there was no effective transmission or adequate assimilation of the concept of biodiversity among the students surveyed.

The iNaturalist application has been gaining traction in both biodiversity research and education. Increasingly more research is being carried out, looking into using the iNaturalist application in biology education, to promote biodiversity and educate students about this topic. We used the PRISMA systematic literature review method to examine research carried out using the iNaturalist application in biology education by searching Web of Science and Scopus, and including citizen science in the process. We searched through the iNaturalist forum, where users contribute research performed using iNaturalist. We found that an increasing number of articles have been published on this topic over the years. Researchers are using iNaturalist to improve BioBlitz activities, to enhance outdoor education activities, and to help make herbaria. Summarizing the work performed in this area, we suggest guidelines for including and preparing the iNaturalist application in a school context to be used by teachers and researchers alike.

This study aims to investigate pre-service science teachers' knowledge levels, practical experiences, and perceived competencies in teaching biodiversity at secondary school level. The study was conducted in Turkey with 151 pre-service science teachers, 50 of whom were first-year, 34 second year, 42 third year, and 25 fourth year during the fall semester of 2022-2023. An open-ended biodiversity concept test was applied to identify their knowledge levels, prior education experiences, and perceived competencies in teaching biodiversity. Descriptive statistics and content analysis results revealed that as the year level increased, the knowledge levels and experiences of the pre-service teachers increased as well, and in parallel, they perceived themselves as more competent in teaching the subject of biodiversity. When first and second year students were evaluated together, it was found that most of their answers were at a low level in terms of their knowledge about biodiversity. When the third and fourth grade teacher candidates' knowledge levels about biodiversity were examined, it was revealed that they were predominantly at a good level. As can be clearly seen, as year levels increased, the level of knowledge also increased. These results highlight the importance of theoretical and practical courses for content and pedagogical knowledge on the perceived competencies of the pre-service teachers in teaching biodiversity.

Purpose: The study aims to assess the implementation of an intervention program that combines nature-based solutions with an environmental citizenship pedagogical approach for pre-service teachers. The research questions revolve around the educational potentials and challenges of this intervention. To our knowledge, no previous studies resorted to this combination to organize courses for initial teacher training. Design/methodology/approach: For this qualitative and interpretative case study, data was obtained through focus groups. 30 pre-service teachers of the Basic Education Course (training kindergarten and primary school teachers) in Portugal participated in the intervention. The transcripts of the focus groups' content were subjected to categorical qualitative content analysis. Findings: According to the participants, the implemented approach contributed to the development of a better understanding of the complexity of the environmental issues addressed, and of critical thinking skills. The pre-service teachers recognized the educational potential of nature-based solutions in the promotion of their environmental citizenship and activist competences and of the pedagogical knowledge necessary for its implementation.

This article draws from a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative research project that aimed to explore how three early childhood centres support children to experience and learn about their local area, including its stories, geology, biodiversity, and cultural meanings. The project helps children envision socioecological futures. This article focuses on one of the research settings that participated in this study, Pakuranga Baptist Kindergarten, and how the pedagogy of listening and an unhurried approach to learning supports children to deepen both their understandings of and connection to place.

Hands-on activities are considered to be particularly suitable for generating long-term knowledge that increases environmentally friendly behaviour. Appropriate flagship species in a respective curricular context can enable high-quality education. We have developed a teaching concept and material for hands-on activities with bumblebees. This includes aspects of outdoor bumblebee-keeping in a teaching unit, together with the identification of bumblebee species and conservation activity in the context of biodiversity; bumblebees can act as umbrella species because their conservation needs incidentally protect other species. Moreover, the project involves keeping bumblebees indoors in a teaching unit that covers ethology and neurobiology. A total sample size of 188 German high school students from the fifth to seventh grade (lower and intermediate secondary-school levels) participated in the project. We measured students' knowledge about bumblebees in general and insect decline, as well as fear of bumblebees in a pre-test, post-test and follow-up test. Learning enjoyment was also measured in the post-test. Students acquired long-lasting knowledge and considerably enjoyed the learning experience. Fear of bumblebees decreased long-term, although knowledge that bumblebees can sting increased.

Environmental education (EE) is a concern in modern society. Plant blindness and nature-deficit disorder highlight how important nature contact and plant consciousness is for urban populations. Considering rapid urbanisation, these phenomena are of increasing concern in China. Integrating EE curricula in Chinese cities is necessary to help younger generations appreciate the environment and understand how to address environmental challenges. Based on our EE teaching experiences in Southwest China's largest urban conglomeration, Chengdu, we discuss anecdotes and propose strategies to improve Southwest China's EE, with guidance for future research. Although children are more drawn to animals, EE education should focus on ecosystem-wide approaches rather than entirely zoocentric or anthropocentric perspectives, since these could reinforce the problematic view that plants are merely 'backdrops'. Urban greenspaces should be utilised in active education schemes, with teachers trained via professional EE modules rooted in local environmental concerns and complementing national/regional priorities. EE programmes should actively engage parents, encouraging their interaction with schools during EE activity preparation and venue selection, as their participation can help overcome obsessive safety and liability concerns. Older generations should be encouraged to transmit their own environmental and ecological knowledge, with implications for both cultural resilience and biocultural diversity conservation efforts.

The loss of insect biodiversity is a major global sustainability issue that is highly relevant to science education. Science education can support and develop learners' competence to take actions to sustain insect biodiversity and empower learners to deal actively with this sustainability issue. However, we currently lack an instrument to assess these aspects of individual competence. This paper aims to fill this gap by introducing the Self-Perceived Action Competence for Insect Conservation scale (SPACIC). This scale allows for investigating learners' action competence by focusing on self-perceived knowledge, confidence, and willingness to take insect conservation actions. The scale is grounded in theory and face-validated by external experts. The piloting with 180 secondary school students showed a good quality of the instrument in terms of reliability and validity, as the reliability analyses and confirmatory factor analysis show. The SPACIC scale is applicable to various formal and informal educational settings. Applying the scale can yield information about the effects of educational approaches and inform learners, educators, and researchers about changes in self-perceived competence. In this way, the SPACIC scale can contribute to the evaluation and design of educational approaches and eventually boost learners' development into becoming active environmental citizens.

Current models of best practice in science education advocate for students to learn science by engaging in applied contexts that integrate the various science disciplines. Permaculture offers one such integrated context for elementary science. Although permaculture is relatively new in PK-12 education, the broader practice of school gardening has an established history of supporting student engagement in and conceptual understanding of science. However, many elementary teachers report feeling unprepared to implement garden-based lessons. This article examines preservice teacher (PST) ideas about permaculture and views toward teaching permaculture that emerged within an elementary science methods course. The course's pilot instructional intervention on permaculture included four components: background permaculture readings and videos, guided discussion, food forest design activity, and lesson plan analysis activity. We designed these components to engage preservice teachers both as current learners and future teachers of permaculture. Data was collected from pre/post-tests, the lesson analysis activity, and the PST daily endof-class reflections. After the permaculture intervention, PSTs self-reported higher levels of knowledge of permaculture topics and ways to use permaculture in their classrooms. They also effectively connected permaculture-based lesson plans to a variety of elementary learning standards. The PSTs positively viewed permaculture-based lessons as providing active, real-life learning experiences that support environmental consciousness, but viewed the cost and time required as barriers to implementing permaculture in their classrooms. Collectively, they positioned the developmental appropriateness and spatial resources required of the lessons as both advantages and disadvantages. Implications for teacher preparation and development are discussed.

Student agency theorising traditionally positions individuals as sovereign and under-theorises the role non-human material elements play in enacting agency. We recognise the role of the material but to honour our research participants and context we adopt an asymmetrical view of the agency of the material non-human in relation to the human in co-shaping agency. We apply this view to students learning in nature, and data from a developmental evaluation of visitor experience of an outdoor learning centre. Student and teacher participants took photographs representing their connection to nature on two occasions. Intrigued by the role the camera, the site and its material elements played in participants' photographs, and photo-elicitation interviews, we conceptualised the relationships at work as joint human/non-human material collaborations. We argue educators' recognition of the material agency of settings can assist them in understanding students' agentic positioning within the political imperative of connecting humans to nature as curriculum.

Local biodiversity can help students develop conservation attitudes regarding biodiversity. However, studies reveal students' preferences regarding exotic than local biodiversity. Therefore, more research can permit an improved understanding of the reasons for their interest in these organisms. This research aimed to investigate São Paulo state (Brazil) students' interests and perceptions about their local biodiversity and understand how teaching materials present this topic. A Likert-type questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data regarding students' interests and perceptions. Textbooks and handouts analysis included counting quoted living beings and verifying their occurrence in local biomes using open-access datasets. Results showed that the students were less interested in local biodiversity than global biodiversity. They further expressed little knowledge about local biomes and their biodiversity. Teaching materials mostly name living beings that exist in Brazil. However, they offer few explicit examples of them in students' biome. Furthermore, regional teaching materials must deal with more contextualisation. Results from our study support previous research that suggests students need more than proximity to local biodiversity to be aware of it. Therefore, we recommend developing teaching materials focusing on local biodiversity, with follow-up studies examining their impact on student awareness of local biodiversity.

Participation in authentic research in the field and online through Community and Citizen Science (CCS) has shown to bring learning benefits to volunteers. In online CCS, available platforms present distinct features, ranging from scaffolding the process of data collection, to supporting data analysis and enabling volunteers to initiate their own studies. What is yet not well understood is how best to design CCS programmes that are educational, inclusive, and accessible by diverse volunteers, including young people and those with limited prior science experiences who are rather few in CCS. In this study, we interviewed 31 young people, aged 7-20 years old, who used iNaturalist, an online biodiversity monitoring platform, and identified how different forms of participation online and in the field facilitated (or inhibited) certain forms of learning, as defined by the Environmental Science Agency framework. Findings revealed that iNaturalist enabled participation of young people including those with limited science experiences and facilitated science learning such as the development of science competence and understanding. A blended learning framework for biodiversity monitoring in CCS is presented as a means to support the development of hybrid, educational, and inclusive CCS programmes for young people.

Evidence increasingly demonstrates nature engagement benefits. However, little evidence shows nature engagement provides children with a reflective perception of biodiversity, nor whether perception influences children's wellbeing and resilience. We explored the impact of weekly nature engagement in schoolgrounds on 509 eight-to-eleven-year-olds' biodiversity perception, wellbeing, and resilience. At the start and end of the academic year, wellbeing and resilience questionnaires were completed, and biodiversity perception was assessed by children drawing what they thought was in their schoolgrounds. Children initially perceived few organisms within easily visible taxa, and perceived more vertebrates compared to invertebrate species. After, children were more aware of taxa, resulting in a more reflective biodiversity perception. Children with initially low scores in wellbeing and resilience increased in these measures, and a positive association was found between increased invertebrates and vertebrates perception and improved resilience. Nature engagement within curriculum could reduce children's extinction of experience and improve wellbeing and resilience.

Sensory differences are highly prevalent in autistic individuals. However, few studies have compared their presentation between autistic males and autistic females. We used psychophysics to assess and compare tactile perceptual sensitivity between autistic and non-autistic boys and girls aged between 8 and 12 years of age. While there were sex-differences of amplitude discrimination, frequency discrimination and order judgement thresholds, these sex-differences were not autism-specific. Mean RTs and detection thresholds were elevated in autism but were comparable between the sexes. Tactile sensitivity measures that are elevated in autism but are otherwise comparable between autistic males and autistic females suggest the possibility that certain sensory features could be used as sex-indifferent markers of autism. Further investigation with larger and more representative samples should be conducted before any stronger conclusions are made.

Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest environmental issues in the world today and the biodiversity literacy of citizens can be key to counteracting this. Considering that children can be change agents and actively take part in decision-making from early years, we have assessed the native fauna identification skills of Primary School students (aged 6-12 years-old; n = 1975) from northern Spain along with their conservation preferences regarding common and threatened species. We have observed that, despite students' species literacy increasing with the education level, it remains overall very low. Besides, the conservation preferences of children are not exclusively guided by conservation priorities and, although are partially explained by species identification accuracy, other factors also seem to skew these preferences. These findings point out the need to properly address knowledge of local fauna from the early school years and the urgent need to provide children with the appropriate training regarding the characteristics to be taken into account when selecting species for protection and ensure their conservation.

Postsecondary science faculty face challenges in balancing the engagement of undergraduates and concomitantly ensuring they gain and retain knowledge, either in standard lectures or labs as well as in outdoor activities. Designing on-campus trails with interpretive signs may provide a unique avenue to inform students across majors of local biodiversity and tie in concepts related to ecology, organismal biology, and conservation. In this article, we evaluate the efficacy of course-specific interpretive signs deployed around a small on-campus natural area to engage first-year students. We assessed students' overall engagement level and retention of information conveyed across specific signs via a student-guided nature walk where students examined signs and answered both a pre- and post-activity survey, rated their favorite sign, and provided a short reflection on this outdoor activity. Students' responses indicated that they retained general information on specific signs, most notably regarding reptiles and what types of mammals are found around campus. Overall, students rated this activity as engaging, with 87.7% combined agreeing or strongly agreeing that signs helped them learn about the biodiversity and ecosystems on campus.

When students think of evolution, they might imagine T. rex, or perhaps an abiotic scene of sizzling electrical storms and harsh reducing atmospheres, an Earth that looks like a lunar landscape. Natural selection automatically elicits responses that include "survival of the fittest," and "descent with modification," and with these historical biological catch phrases, one conjures up images of large animals battling it out on the Mesozoic plane. Rarely do teachers or students apply these same ideas to cancer and the evolution of somatic cells, which have accrued mutations and epigenetic imprinting and relentlessly survive and proliferate. Our questions in this paper include the following: Can cancer become an important teaching model for students to explore fundamental hypotheses about evolutionary process? Can the multi-step somatic cancer model encourage visualizations that enable students to revisit and reenter previous primary concepts in general biology such as the cell, mitosis, chromosomes, genetic diversity, ecological diversity, immune function, and of course evolution, continually integrating their biology knowledge into process and pattern knowledge? Can the somatic cancer model expose similar patterns and protagonists, linking Darwinian observations of the natural world to our body? And, can the cancer clone model excite critical thinking and student hypotheses about what cancer is as a biological process? Does this visually simple model assist students in recognizing patterns, connecting their biological curriculum dots into a more coherent learning experience? These biological dynamics and intercepting aptitudes of cells are amplified through the cancer model and can help shape the way biology students begin to appreciate the interrelatedness of all biological systems while they continue to explore pivotal points of biological fuzziness, such as the microbiome, limitations of models, and the complex coordination of genomic networks required for the function of even a single cell and the realization of phenotypes. In this paper we use clonal evolution of cancer as a model experience for students to recreate how a single, non-germline cell appears to shadow the classic pattern of natural selection in body cells that have gone awry. With authentic STEAM activities students can easily crossover and revisit previous biological topics and the ubiquitous nature of natural selection as seen in the example of somatic cells that result in a metastasizing tumor, giving students insight into natural selection's accommodating and tractable patterns throughout the planet.

Ecosystem services (ES) are the benefits people obtain from nature contributing to our well-being. Although this concept has high didactic potential, its presence in education literature is scarce. This article presents the ES framework as a new teaching principle that, taught together with the biodiversity concept, may help students develop competencies to make valid claims about the world and to think critically about humans' role on Earth. To do so, we present an educational experience based on active teaching and learning strategies implemented with pre-service teachers (PSTs), which is adaptable and transferable to many educational contexts. Teaching ES through active teaching methodologies has proven to be useful and necessary to help PSTs understand and be able to defend the importance of nature conservation. As a result of teaching the ES concept, students improved their argumentation in favour of nature conservation and developed communication competencies to better transfer this knowledge to society. We conclude that teaching ES can make a large contribution to education for sustainable development, as teaching the ES concept contributes to acquiring knowledge, skills (e.g. argumentation capacity) and values that are necessary to shape a sustainable future. .

It is essential that concepts surrounding species interactions and their importance for biodiversity conservation are widely taught and understood. Incorporating playfulness into ecological education initiatives can attract more interest in these aspects of ecology. Over the last three decades Pokémon has engaged with millions of people by replicating many aspects of real-world wildlife in cartoons and games. Studies have speculated how the Pokémon franchise creates opportunities for didactic purposes. This study aims to identify the potential for ecological interactions portrayed in the Pokémon universe to contribute to children's engagement and learning. We first gathered information on all the ecological interactions described among Pokémon 'species' from the franchise's website. We found 150 Pokémon species engaging in an array of different ecological interactions. We tested the use of Pokémon as a teaching tool about ecological interactions to high-school students aged [greater than or equal to] 18 years. The use of Pokémon significantly increased learning of almost half of ecological interactions and raised engagement, particularly among students who like the franchise. Our findings show that Pokémon can be a playful and didactic tool for teaching about ecological interactions.

Following the severe impact of capitalist industrialization on the environment, the EU has funded several projects in the context of the European Green Deal to pursue climate neutrality by 2050. Some of these projects attempt to achieve zero emissions through political participation, while others by committing EU citizens to adopt sustainable habits in terms of both practical behavior and economic choices. The GreenSCENT project, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, aims to develop a Competence Framework compliant with the European Qualifications Framework and the European Green Deal. The present article documents the process of developing such a Competence Framework. Eight distinct research teams independently conducted a similar thorough literature review over an assigned topic (Climate Change; Clean Energy; Circular Economy; Green Building; Smart Mobility; From Farm to Fork; Biodiversity; Zero Pollution). The resulting documental corpora have then elicited to build the competence matrices and the corresponding European Qualification Framework levels. Once the information has been reorganized as a knowledge graph, the researchers discovered a large amount of novel interdomain connections, providing a more engaging way of interacting with the Competence Framework, and potentially apt to avoiding information overload issues while preserving the complexity, in line with the simplexity paradigm. The environmental education tools produced by this research could be useful in mitigating the repercussions of Capitalocene on the environment toward the adoption of more sustainable behaviors.

Purpose: This study aims to convey lessons learned from two sustainability initiatives at Norway's largest university. This contributes to knowledge-based discussions of how future, sustainable higher education institutions (HEIs) infrastructures should be envisioned and planned if the fundamental uncertainty of the future development of learning, researching and teaching is acknowledged. Design/methodology/approach: This study was submitted on 24 January 2023 and revised on 14 September 2023. HEIs, particularly when they are engaged in research activities, have a considerable environmental footprint. At the same time, HEIs are the main producers and disseminators of knowledge about environmental challenges and their employees have a high awareness of the urgent need to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss. In this study, the gap between knowledge and environmental performance is addressed as a question of infrastructural change, which is explored in two case studies. Findings: The first case study presents limitations of ambitious, top-down sustainability planning for HEI infrastructures: support from employees and political support are central for this strategy to succeed, but both could not be secured in the case presented leading to an abandonment of all sustainability ambitions. The second case study exposes important limitations of a circular approach: regulatory and legal barriers were found against a rapid and radical circular transformation, but also more fundamental factors such as the rationality of an institutional response to uncertainty by rapid cycles of discarding the old and investing in new equipment and facilities. Research limitations/implications: Being based on qualitative methods, the case studies do not claim representativity for HEIs worldwide or even in Norway. Many of the factors described are contingent on their specific context. The goal, instead, is to contribute to learning by presenting an in-depth and context-sensitive report on obstacles encountered in two major sustainability initiatives. Originality/value: Research reporting on sustainability initiatives too often focuses descriptively on the plans or reports the successes while downplaying problems and failures. This study deviates from this widespread practice by analysing reasons for failure informed by a theoretical frame (infrastructural change). Moreover, the juxtaposition of two cases within the same context shows the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to infrastructural change particularly clearly.

Within citizen science projects, learning about natural resources can encourage environmentally friendly behaviour. More empirical understanding is needed on how citizen science projects facilitate learning outcomes to support sustainable resource management, such as agrobiodiversity. Here we present the learning outcomes of a citizen science project where participants interacted with agrobiodiversity in landscape observatories in Flanders (Belgium). The observatories consisted of square-meter (m[superscript 2]) gardens planted with vegetable crops. Participants were asked to visit their m[superscript 2]-garden and to perform tasks according to a scientific protocol (e.g. harvesting). Most of the knowledge gained was practical, while some was more in-depth. More than half of the respondents changed their views on agrobiodiversity and about a third changed their actions related to agrobiodiversity. Transformative learning outcomes were more likely when participants reported having less prior knowledge. Participants cited the tactile tool of the m[superscript 2] gardens and frequent written and informal communication as key learning tools.

A long history of theory exists to underpin our understanding of how to engage individuals and communities in more effective environmental conservation and sustainability practices. Yet rarely do we delve deeply into sociocultural theories of learning, which help demonstrate how learning and action are fundamentally intertwined in our interactions, our societies, and the world around us. To our detriment we ignore this compelling, well-grounded, and robust body of empirical and theoretical evidence. As climate change, biodiversity loss, and other pressing social-ecological issues intensify, the key to stemming and solving the greatest challenges of our time requires engaging individuals and communities. In this theoretical paper, we attend to the history and underpinnings of sociocultural theories of learning and their implications for environmental literacy, in particular, collective environmental literacy. We also discuss how such underpinnings are important to understand when pursuing carefully designed, actionable, and effective sustainability solutions.

Unsustainable palm oil production is having a devastating impact on biodiversity in producing countries in Southeast Asia. Certification schemes for sustainable palm oil have the potential to reduce these impacts. The ubiquity of palm oil in processed foods found in supermarkets is a challenge that requires intervention at the policy level and with consumers through increasing public knowledge of the problem and awareness of sustainable alternatives. Zoos are increasingly demonstrating their role in increasing awareness of multifaceted conservation issues across a range of audiences. This paper describes the evaluation of a repeat-engagement outreach programme on palm oil delivered to 7-11 year old children in UK schools by zoo educators. We conducted a mixed-method study using before-after control-treatment surveys to examine the relationship between programme participation and participants' knowledge of palm oil, sustainability, and awareness of sustainable alternatives. The analysis indicated improvements in participants' understanding of palm oil as a conservation issue, and knowledge of how and where to identify sustainable palm oil in consumer products. The analysis also indicated a smaller improvement in participants' understanding of sustainability. We discuss these findings in the context of zoo-led conservation education, and its potential role in Target-16 of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

We investigated what students learnt about biodiversity, a broad and multi-dimensional concept, challenging to understand, following a visit to a nature reserve. Acknowledging the individual nature of informal learning, we explore Personal Meaning Maps (PMMs) coupled with semi-structured interviews to investigate learning among 13 scouts aged 13-15 years as they participated in a single guided tour to a nature reserve in Mauritius. PMMs were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Adopting a constructivist approach, biodiversity learning was framed along three lenses, namely, 'ecological literacy', 'biodiversity and society' and 'nature and self', recognising that biodiversity is a socio-scientific concept. Following the visit, there was an increase in ecological literacy through an understanding of the importance of biodiversity, conservation measures and endemic species. Participants retained a species-centred view of biodiversity. Students could better critique biodiversity and society issues and displayed a higher appreciation for nature and the intrinsic value of biodiversity. The visit contributed to an enrichment in biodiversity-related vocabulary especially regarding local endemic and extinct species. Prior knowledge determined vocabulary enrichment but not conceptual additions among individual students. We suggest a wider exploration of PMMs to investigate prior knowledge and subsequent learning during nature reserve visits which can powerfully enhance biodiversity education.

The importance of genetic diversity, especially within small populations of endangered species, is becoming increasingly apparent. Genetic engineering techniques that could potentially enhance diversity are now being developed. However, the use of such techniques would require social licence and yet within the general population there is limited understanding of the importance of variation within a species. This qualitative study explored the potential of introducing the concept of within-species variation to New Zealand primary school children (5 to 11 year olds) with the aim of preparing these students to make critical decisions about the use of these techniques in their futures. Eighty-four children participated in the study and their explanations for the impact that differences between individuals may have were analysed revealing their scientifically acceptable understanding of the concept. But findings also highlighted potential misconceptions that they may retain. These misconceptions include a belief that animals think and behave in a manner similar to humans or that variations within a species are for identification purposes only. Findings showed that the concept of within-species variation could be introduced to primary school children. However, to do this successfully curriculum documents may need to be reviewed and teachers may require specific professional development.

Insects form a highly diverse taxonomic group, which has fundamental ecological functions, but is currently in a process of mass extinction. Here, we present the first cycle of design, implementation, and assessment of a didactic sequence oriented towards improving pre-service teachers' knowledge and appreciation of insect diversity. A methodological approach aiming to promote rigorous observation was followed, for which activities consisting of scientific and naturalistic drawing, among others, were included. The sequence was contextualised at a university organic garden, both to make learning meaningful and to promote new personal experiences with alive insects. We present the empirical results of the first implementation with a group of 28 pre-school (3-6 years) pre-service teachers at a Spanish university. Assessment was based on the analysis of drawings with a purposely designed instrument to assess constructive accuracy, and on the qualitative analysis of open questions that were posed before and after the implementation. Positive results were obtained regarding participants' knowledge of insect diversity, and positive impacts were observed also on their attitudes. Improvements to some activities are suggested before subsequent implementations of the didactic sequence. Finally, our study supports the effectiveness of maintaining organically managed gardens as facilities for biological education.

In two different occasions in the twentieth century John Dewey and Maxine Greene stressed the point that educators should attend to 'what the known demands of us'. Following this dictum, from a critical perspective and with a constructive pedagogical spirit, in this paper we portray a new paradigm for values education that addresses the major challenges to the sustainable futures of young people in the third decade of the twenty first century as well as proposing transformative and empowering educational strategies. Employing the terminology of sustainability in its wider sense, we begin with a widely acknowledged diagnosis of the five major global risks -- interconnected and interdependent -- that endanger the sustainable future of humanity and nature: environmental, political, social, health, and cultural. We then move to suggest a constructive solution, proposing three conceptual pillars for repairing the world and laying foundation for a thriving sustainable future: (a) Ecohumanism as the paradigm for values education -- merging the humanist concern for human dignity, social justice and democracy with the ecological concern for climate stability, biodiversity and environmental sustainability; (b) education of democratic personality and for democratic culture that is holistic and transformative; and (c) a threefold notion of activist pedagogy that addresses the element of cultivating personal agency, empowering political literacy and agency, and engaging students in experiential, holistic, and active teaching-learning experiences.

Through an examination of "In-Common Sites," conducted with young people to investigate their relationship with Mousehold Heath in Norwich, this article considers the possibilities of performance to not UK, only represent a spatially defined urban common but also to enact a commons. It is argued that performance is a generative social practice: the ecological potential of both performance and commoning practices lies in their shared commitments to participation, collaboration, and interaction among people and their environments. Starting from the sensory and affective encounters between body and environment, I reflect on contested and entangled acts of human and more-than-human interconnection.

As part of its STEM programming initiatives, Community Boating, Inc., the nation's oldest public sailing organization introduced an "Introduction to Microscopy" course merging principles of scientific investigation with analytical techniques using compound light microscopes. Boston's Charles River provided the environmental setting for five two-day sessions. In all, 49 students between the ages of 10 and 15 took part. Students developed an ability to analyze river water samples they had collected during field expeditions in kayaks. Once in the laboratory, following instruction in the use of the microscope, wet mount slides were prepared for microscopic investigation for cyanobacteria and photosynthetic phytoplankton, diatoms, and dinoflagellates crucial for a healthy aquatic ecosystem. With these new skills students were able to better appreciate the biodiversity of the microbial life within the river, and better understand the importance of environmental stewardship in a world threatened by global climate change and the effects of urban pollution. This program demonstrated the feasibility of developing sophisticated STEM programming founded upon principles of the scientific method for important environmental initiatives in the unique setting of a community sailing program.

The Philippines is one of the world's top conservation priority areas, yet unique species in the country are threatened. However, Filipinos still have poor awareness of Philippine wildlife and the country's biodiversity situation. A resolution to this situation is pro-environmental behavior, which can be achieved as an indirect benefit of environmental awareness. A questionnaire was used to survey a group of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students in Grades 11 and 12 (n = 314) from the University of Santo Tomas Senior High School (UST-SHS) to gather data about their level of knowledge about biodiversity, international conventions and local initiatives for the environment, and level of awareness about the critically endangered endemic mammals (CEEMs) in the Philippines. Results showed that STEM students have a fair weighted mean value (3.51) about diversity and little knowledge (2.77) of the Philippines' critically endangered and endemic mammals. A weighted mean value of 2.54 results in a level of knowledge on the local and international initiatives about CEEM has been revealed in the study. Significant differences were also noted between the biodiversity knowledge and CEEM knowledge and the international and local initiatives and CEEM knowledge. The multiple regression analysis pointed out a significant 0.289 r value, which means that the likelihood is too weak or too small that it can be neglected or considered trivial. The researchers suggest that future studies increase the scope of respondents to help determine differences between STEM and non-STEM students and how environmental behavior, knowledge, and awareness correspond.

In this article, we share the inspiring story of 9-year-old Tallulah, who is passionate about creating homes for wildlife. We include information to help you and your students carry out a biodiversity audit. As an extension activity, students can implement a plan to improve the habitat for wildlife in their area. While students will be learning about biodiversity, it's also an opportunity to cover sustainability as a cross-curriculum priority.

The quality of life sustained by human beings is largely possible thanks to the opportunities offered by the biodiversity resources in nature. It is widely accepted that the continuation of this lifestyle largely depends on the sustainable use of consumed and destroyed natural resources. Therefore, teaching biodiversity becomes an important element of science teaching. In this context, it is important to reveal the biodiversity literacy levels of the new generation. This study aims to investigate secondary school students' biodiversity literacy levels. The descriptive survey method, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the research. A total of 787 secondary school students studying at state schools during 2021-2022 academic year participated in the research. "Biodiversity Literacy Assessment Instrument" was used as a data collection tool in the study. Independent t-test was used to compare gender scores while one-way ANOVA was used to compare student scores based on their grades, students' feelings about studying biodiversity, and understanding problems related to biodiversity. Tukey HSD test was used to determine the direction of significance in multiple comparisons. The findings revealed that while secondary school students' scores for attitudes toward biodiversity were high, their biodiversity knowledge levels were low. Also, female students gained higher scores for "the conservation and importance of biodiversity", "ethics and biodiversity" and "sustainability and biodiversity" sub-dimensions of biodiversity literacy scale in comparison to male students. Additionally, the study found that participant students' biodiversity literacy scale scores differed based on students' years of study. The study has implications for teaching biodiversity that include activities to help students take responsibility for the protection of biodiversity and the place of biodiversity in the national curriculum.

The social interactions that take place in science museums, whether between family members or with mediators, are recognized as essential to visitors' experience. However, there is still little empirical research in the Brazilian context on how families interact and converse on visits to science museums -- and even less on the role of the mediator in the museum experience. In this exploratory study, the authors analyze the social interactions of families in an interactive exhibition on biodiversity: "Forest of the Senses", at the Museum Science and Life (Brazil), characterized by having one of the lowest human well-being indicators in the country. In particular, the authors analyzed the ways in which the presence of human mediation influenced the experience of family visits to the exhibit. Video and audio of ten low-income families' visits were recorded and analyzed using a protocol based on social interactions that take place in museums. Results show that human mediation did not influence the amount or types of visitor-exhibit interactions or the amount of time spent at the exhibit, but increased the amount of conversation time among the groups, including the amount of time discussing science content, thus providing insights into mediator training and qualification.