Abstract
The current study presents an evaluation of the laboratory instructional tasks prepared based on innovative teaching approaches (research-inquiry, problem solving, project, argumentation and web-based interdisciplinary learning approaches) designed to enhance science teachers’ biotechnology knowledge, awareness and laboratory experiences. The laboratory instructional tasks developed by the researchers aim to improve the laboratory experiences, as well as support the teaching of biotechnology through innovative teaching approaches. For this purpose, in-service training course titled Biotechnology Education Practices was conducted with the voluntary participation of science teachers (n = 17). The current study employed the embedded design. The quantitative part of the embedded design is designed as the single group pretest-posttest model and the qualitative part of it is designed as the case study. The data of the current study were collected through the Biotechnology Awareness Questionnaire, Biotechnology Evaluation Questions, The Laboratory Self-Evaluation form and worksheets. The results obtained from the analyses revealed that the instructional tasks conducted within the context of the Biotechnology Education Practices resulted in significant effects on the science teachers’ biotechnology knowledge and awareness and that the innovative teaching approaches were effective in developing the science teachers’ laboratory experiences. It would be useful to use laboratory instructional tasks enriched with innovative teaching approaches in teaching biotechnology subjects.
Highlights
Technological developments in fields such as medicine, agriculture, industry, etc. shape the future educational approaches and the curricula are updated
The biotechnology instructional tasks prepared on the basis of innovative teaching approaches were found to be effective in enhancing the science teachers’ biotechnology knowledge, awareness and laboratory experiences
In light of the findings of the current study, the following suggestions can be made:. Both theoretical and experimental information should be given to science teachers about the teaching of issues related biotechnology and while planning how to this, innovative teaching approaches should be taken into consideration
Summary
Technological developments in fields such as medicine, agriculture, industry, etc. shape the future educational approaches and the curricula are updated . Shape the future educational approaches and the curricula are updated . As stated in the science curriculum of the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE) [1] and U.S National Research. Council (NRC) [2] the comprehensive goal of science curricula is science literacy. Genetics and biotechnology in science education are an integral part of science literacy. For this reason, curricula are important in individuals’ decision-making situations related to biotechnological processes [3]. Biotechnology is an important and rapidly advancing field, it has not been a common subject of teaching in science education, in public schools [4]. Pre-test, the place in daily life and application areas of biotechnology
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