Biology Teacher Education Research Articles

Fostering ePCK in pre-service biology teacher education using adaptive scaffolding in a video-based simulation

Fostering ePCK in pre-service biology teacher education using adaptive scaffolding in a video-based simulation

Preservice Biology Teachers’ Beliefs About Evidence-Based Medicine and Alternative Medicine

AbstractHealth-related discussions in society and the media—specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic—showed that individuals are confronted with Alternative Medicine and Evidence-Based Medicine. When making reflective decisions about these treatments, both knowledge and beliefs are important. Previous research with preservice biology teachers has shown that they commonly use Alternative Medicine, although they have little knowledge about it. To date, systematic studies on preservice biology teachers’ beliefs about Alternative Medicine and Evidence-Based Medicine are lacking. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the present study elicited German (N = 40) preservice biology teachers’ beliefs about these treatments via an open-ended questionnaire. Behavioral, normative, and control beliefs were categorized using qualitative content analysis. The results showed that the participants mentioned the efficacy, scientificity, and safety of treatments as important beliefs. For Alternative Medicine, beliefs were related to scientific evidence for its efficacy, naturalness and mild effects. These beliefs indicate that some preservice biology teachers do not have a clear understanding of Evidence-Based Medicine and Alternative Medicine, which can influence their decision-making. The results highlight the need to incorporate Alternative Medicine and Evidence-Based Medicine into health-related decision-making within biology education and biology teacher education and provide a basis for further research.

Training for conducting conversations professionally across domains – comparing communication training in biology teacher and medical education

ABSTRACT In higher education, the training of students’ communicative skills necessary for conducting professional conversations is gaining attention across domains – including medical and teacher education. Although teachers need communicative and content-specific knowledge for subject conversations on biological topics, biology-specific communication training is rare. Research on an interdisciplinary perspective on communication training, with the use of simulated conversations with standardised interlocutors, would close this gap. This study compares such training in medical and biology teacher education. We questioned pre-service biology teachers (n = 25) and medical students (n = 31) participating in communication training about their fear of failure in future professional conversations, and their perceived utility value of communication training. After some input, single participants in both groups simulated a conversation with a standardised caregiver or patient. Both training sessions ended with reflections on the simulation. Our results of t-tests and ANOVA indicate that training in subject conversations about sex education reduced the fear of failure, increased the perceived utility value, and indicate that future physicians and pre-service biology teachers benefit comparably from training. The findings and limitations of the study are discussed.

Exploring of Inquiry Skills of Teacher Students: Biology, Physics, and Elementary School Teacher Education

Inquiry skills are needed by a teacher to create effective learning experiences so that the overall quality of education can improve. This becomes even more important for distance education students, whose characteristics include being independent and active learners. This research aims to determine the level of inquiry abilities of students in the biology education, physics education, and elementary school teacher education programs at the Open University. The subjects of this research were 96 students from various regions. The survey method was implemented by providing an instrument in the form of questions to measure inquiry skills, which were distributed via Google Forms. The research results show that students’ inquiry skills vary. Students in the Biology Education and Physics Education study programs are at an intermediate level, but students in the Elementary School Teacher Education study program are at a low level of inquiry skills. Inquiry skills for each dimension also vary. Based on these results, efforts are needed to improve the inquiry skills of distance education students in the form of training or other habits so that they can implement them.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND EDUCATION OF FUTURE BIOLOGY TEACHERS

The article reviews and analyzes the state of environmental education and upbringing of future biology teachers. The purpose of the article is to establish the role of economic education in the education of future teachers of biology. To test the research hypothesis, various methods were used: conversation, observation, survey, questionnaire, methods of mathematical statistics for quantitative and qualitative analysis of experimental data, determination of the reliability of the results. The methodological basis for revealing the essence of the state of environmental education and upbringing of future biology teachers at the present stage of society's development is based on various approaches and principles. The necessity of improving and saturating the content of the educational process with environmental material and creating appropriate conditions for the environmental education of future biology teachers is proved. Environmental education and upbringing are becoming the core of modern education and serve as a key to the restructuring of its modern systems and society as a whole. The role of environmental education as the basis of a new morality and a support for solving numerous issues of people's practical life is especially relevant.The basic principles of environmental education and upbringing of future biology teachers are revealed, such as: the principle of practical orientation, the principle of continuity and consistency, the principle of activity and consciousness, the principle of nature correspondence, the principle of interdisciplinarity. The main approaches to the development of environmental education and upbringing are highlighted: natural science, naturalistic, global-biospheric, problematic, and value-based. The current state of development of environmental education and upbringing is characterized by the search for new ways of cooperation between teachers and students, during which the latter become initiative, independent and creative individuals.

METHODOLOGY FOR THE FORMATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL BASE OF STEM IN THE PREPARATION OF FUTURE BIOLOGY TEACHERS

The contemporary educational landscape necessitates the integration of science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) into the preparation of future biology teachers. This study presents a comprehensive methodology for establishing a robust educational base in STEM, tailored to the specific needs of biology teacher training. Recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of STEM and its growing significance in biology education, this research employs a mixed-methods approach to explore effective strategies for embedding STEM principles within the biology teacher curriculum. The methodology encompasses both quantitative and qualitative analyses, utilizing surveys and interviews with teacher educators and STEM experts. The research highlights a significant gap in current teacher education programs regarding STEM integration, underscoring the need for innovative teaching methods such as project-based learning and collaborative educational models. These approaches aim to enhance the proficiency of future biology teachers in both STEM concepts and their application in educational settings. The findings suggest that a holistic and integrated approach to STEM education is imperative for developing future teachers who are not only well-versed in biological sciences but also skilled in the pedagogical application of STEM principles. The study emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development and institutional support for teacher educators to facilitate this integration. The proposed methodology offers a strategic framework for effectively incorporating STEM into biology teacher education, fostering a generation of educators equipped to navigate and teach in an increasingly interdisciplinary academic environment.

The Influence of H5P Interactive Video on Stereoisomer Understanding in Terms of Learning Style

The study aims to find differences in understanding of stereoisomers using h5p interactive videos based on student learning styles. The research method used was quasi-experimental, with a one-group posttest-only design. This study’s subjects were all second-year biology teacher education students at IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon. The data were analyzed using descriptive and two-way ANOVA tests to determine differences in understanding. Future research is suggested to include more interactive video features in learning scenarios and measure other cognitive topics. The study found differences in stereoisomer understanding based on interactive videos and learning styles. There is no relationship between interactive video interaction and learning style and stereoisomer understanding simultaneously. This study is limited to the use of H5P interactive video. Subsequent work can increase the intensity and optimize the use of all H5P interaction features.

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE TEACHERS

In this article, methods of modernizing the education of the "Biology" department of Urganch State University in order to ensure the conditions for the formation and development of alternative models of the professional and personal growth of teachers for today based on the principles of training and sustainability of the new generation of biology teachers. was studied. In order to ensure sustainable development, ideas and methods of integrating education and professional training of future biology teachers were defined. The factor forming the methodical system of preparation for professional activity is the idea of combining an active approach to knowledge acquisition with their moral reflection, awareness of personal value in professional and everyday life.

Group Work during Inquiry-Based Learning in Biology Teacher Education: A Praxeological Perspective on the Task of (Collaborative) Protocol Generation

Writing protocols is a central activity in the natural sciences, but is also a part of science education. In the context of inquiry-based learning, keeping records is considered beneficial for the comprehension of scientific reasoning and the associated problem-solving process. Previous studies have focused particularly on the evaluation of learner-generated protocols and their potential for learning. The process of protocol writing, especially in the context of inquiry-based group work, as it is usually implemented in practice, has hardly been researched so far. In this video-based study, we use the documentary method, a reconstructive analysis method, in order to investigate how student groups implement joint protocol generation in an experimental inquiry-based setting and which action-guiding orientations emerge in the process. In all groups, action-guiding orientations to “task completion” and using the “protocol as means to provide structure and security” were found. Moreover, we have found differing orientations which can be titled “protocol as a flagship” and “protocol used in a pragmatic manner”. Overall, the protocol seems more to serve as a guide and an assurance in the experimentation process rather than as a tool for improving scientific thinking and problem solving.

Learning to teach: an investigation into pre-service biology teachers' perceptions toward lesson study

PurposeDespite numerous kinds of research regarding the potential of lesson study (LS) in internship and microteaching in teacher education curricula, studies examining the adaptation of LS in the lesson planning (LP) course have not been established. To fill this gap, this study aims to explore the perceptions of pre-service biology teachers of an adapted LS in the LP course toward their instructional design skills and teaching competency.Design/methodology/approachThis study opted for basic qualitative studies. The participants were eleven pre-service biology teachers in their third year who had already taken a LP course. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Collected data were then transcribed and thematically analyzed using grounded theory and focused on participants' perceptions about the development of their teaching competency in lesson planning through LS.FindingsThe findings revealed that participants appreciated the planning and consultation phases, teaching practice, peer observation as well as observer feedback from the reflection phase in supporting the development of their basic teaching skills. There was also a change in their perceptions related to the concept of teaching.Originality/valueThe findings of this study offer insight regarding the benefits and challenges of involving pre-service biology teacher students in the LS for biology teacher education programs with a focus on the method or LP course.

The initial education of Biology teachers in the state of Santa Catarina: controversies for implementing the Base Nacional

The objective of this article is to investigate the curricular changes imposed by the promulgation of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) in the final years of the Elementary School of Sciences in public schools education network, as well as to investigate adequacy of the curricular matrices of some Science teachers training courses to work in Science Elementary Education offered in the state of Santa Catarina. With the qualitative and interpretative study of the documents, it was found that the reform imposed by the BNCC considerably diversified the curricular matrix of Science teaching in Elementary School. This diversification arises with the insertion of Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, and Geosciences contents. However, curricula of the seven teacher training courses analyzed have a large workload devoted to the contents of Biology. It is considered that this disparity in the approaches of the analyzed courses represents gap for the formation of the future teacher of the final years of Basic Science Education.

Conceptions of prospective biology teachers about the Wadden Sea ecosystem

The present study contributes to the thematization of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Wadden Sea in biology didactics. Despite the uniqueness and high potential of the Wadden Sea ecosystem, especially for out-of-school learning, it has hardly been considered in biology didactics so far. The overall aim of this study is to gain insight into prospective biology teachers' existing conceptions regarding the Wadden Sea. Students are not only learners in their role at the university but prospective teachers as well due to their intended professional goal. Therefore, they can be considered the intersection of these two perspectives and are of particular interest to relevant research projects. In this paper, prospective biology teachers (n = 209, mean age 22.89 years) from Germany were surveyed using a word association test. Associations to the stimulus words Wadden Sea, mudflat hiking tour, tides, national park, and UNESCO World Heritage Site were collected. In the analysis, a category system was developed as literally as possible from the associations. This paper uses mind maps to provide a detailed overview of the identified associations. There was a wide range of identified associations: In addition to subject-area-related and subject-didactic associations, there were experience-oriented associations as well as associations unrelated to the subject. To place these results in context, secondary school students' associations to the same stimulus words are used for comparison. A central commonality is associations that encompass the experience possibilities at the Wadden Sea. In contrast to the secondary school students, the prospective teachers focus more on the school context. Conclusions are drawn regarding the education of biology teachers. In addition to identifying possible future research projects, this study suggests the need to consider the Wadden Sea in university teacher training.

Methodology for improving the professional training of future biology teachers

The purpose of this research; The aim of this study is to get the opinions of prospective teachers about the methodologies for improving the professional education of future biology teachers . This research was designed in accordance with the qualitative research method. The study group of the research consists of 50 biology teacher candidates studying at universities in Kazakhstan. The data collection tool of the research is the semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. Research data were analyzed by descriptive analysis method. In this direction, in this research; In this study, it was aimed to get the opinions of prospective teachers about the methodologies for improving the professional education of future biology teachers . As a result of the research; The majority of future biology teachers who participated in the research stated that they found their professional self-efficacy and educational development somewhat adequate. The vast majority of future biology teachers participating in the research; While they stated that they found their personal development sufficient, they also stated that they found their field-specific development somewhat sufficient. Keywords: Biology, prospective teachers, methodology

LOGICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE ESSENCE OF ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION OF FUTURE TEACHERS OF BIOLOGY

The article presents a logical and methodological analysis of the essence of environmental education of future biology teachers. The influence of environmental factors on all spheres of human activity: production and politics, economics and energy, urban planning and development of new technologies, health care and education, and the formation of basic worldviews of modern man. The concept of “worldview”, in particular the biosphere or ecocentric, and “world”. The global functions of the education system are highlighted: neohumanist (orientation of the educational process on the survival and continuation of human development, care for future generations) and ecological (aimed at preserving the biosphere and nature as a whole (Earth and Space), providing favorable environmental conditions). Specific aspects of environmental education are identified. Approaches to solving problems of environmental education in theory and practice are revealed: socio-philosophical, personal-activity, individual-creative, professional, culturological, biological, socio-pedagogical, and systemic. Accordingly, the most important problems of environmental education and its significant shortcomings were identified. A regional program of continuing environmental education has been developed, in which the regional nature of the content of environmental education is preferred, and its three most important components have been identified: natural science, value-normative, and activity. A systematic description of the goals and objectives of environmental education is given, the principles of its construction (scientific, predictive, interconnected disclosure of global, regional and local aspects of ecology, integration, continuity, and system) are identified, leading ideas are identified, and models of environmental education at school are developed. Concepts of real realization of ecological education at all its stages are developed, as well as the conceptual provisions of development of ecological education.
 Keywords: logical and methodological analysis; essence; ecological conditions; worldview; world; biosphere; ecocentric; ecological education; future biology teachers.

Assessment of Nigerian Biology Teachers’ Knowledge of Errors in Biological Drawing

In this survey research, biology teachers’ knowledge of errors in biological drawing was assessed with a focus on their qualifications and years of teaching experience. A total of 100 out of 235 biology teachers in public secondary schools in Kwara State Central Senatorial District, Nigeria took part in the study. The teachers were selected through stratified random sampling procedure. An assessment test titled “identification of errors in biological drawing test” (IEBDT) designed by the researcher was used to gather data in the study. The reliability coefficient of IEBDT was 0.83. Results of the study revealed that biology teachers had poor knowledge of errors in biological drawings and that a significant difference does not exist in their knowledge of errors in biological drawing based on their qualifications and years of teaching experience. It was recommended that biology teacher education programs should be re-jigged while biology teachers were admonished to regularly participate in teacher professional development programs. Further research studies to determine factors responsible for the teachers’ poor knowledge of errors in biological drawing and lack of significant difference in their knowledge based on qualifications and teaching experience in contrast to logical expectations was also, recommended in the study.

The Disappearance of Natural History, Fieldwork, and Live Organism Study from American Biology Teacher Education

The Disappearance of Natural History, Fieldwork, and Live Organism Study from American Biology Teacher Education

Investigating the dimensions of modeling competence among preservice science teachers: Meta‐modeling knowledge, modeling practice, and modeling product

AbstractWorldwide, teachers are expected to engage their students in authentic practices, like scientific modeling. Research suggests that teachers experience challenges when integrating modeling in their classroom instruction, with one explanation that teachers themselves lack the necessary modeling competence. Currently, theoretical conceptualizations structure the modeling competence into three dimensions: meta‐modeling knowledge, modeling practice, and modeling products. While each of these dimensions is well researched on its own and the three dimensions are commonly expected to be highly positively related, studies investigating their specific relationships are widely lacking. Aiming to fill this gap, the present study investigated the meta‐modeling knowledge, modeling practice, and modeling products of 35 secondary preservice biology teachers engaging in a black box modeling task. Data were collected with an established pen‐and‐paper questionnaire consisting of five constructed response items assessing meta‐modeling knowledge and by videotaping the participants engaging in the black box modeling task. Herein, the three dimensions of modeling competence were operationalized as five variables including decontextualized and contextualized meta‐modeling knowledge, complexity, and homogeneity of the modeling processes and a modeling product score. In contrast to our expectations and common assumptions in the literature, significant relationships between the five variables were widely lacking. Only the complexity of the modeling processes correlated significantly with the quality of the modeling products. To investigate this relationship further, a qualitative in‐depth analysis of two cases is presented. Implications for biology teacher education are discussed.

Приложение на образователни подкасти в професионалната подготовка на бъдещи учители по биология (В условията на епидемична обстановка, причинена от COVID-19)

One of the priority areas in vocational education (including the education of pre-service biology teachers) is related to providing a quality and innovative educational process based on modern information technologies and digitalization of educational content. The article presents the pedagogical effectiveness of educational podcasts in the e- learning for future biology teachers. This article presents and discusses the results of the application and design of educational podcasts in distance education of future biology teachers (in the context of an epidemic situation caused by COVID-19). Different types of podcasts and their pedagogical effectiveness are presented. The process of creating educational podcasts as a learning resource in the training of future biology teachers is described.

Inquiry-Based Activities for Teaching about Natural Selection

Teaching evolution is one of the most difficult tasks in biology education since there are a great variety of obstacles to its understanding. The inclusion of the nature of science and scientific inquiry, the connection with aspects of daily life, work based on scientific argumentation, and the use of empirical studies from current research have been identified as important aspects to include in teaching evolution. In this work, we present a series of three activities, which were developed after considering all the recommendations of the literature described above. The sequence begins with the example of the evolution of one of the species most loved by students: dogs. Through argumentation, students make their preconceptions explicit. After this, a long-term experiment about artificial selection in the silver fox (Vulpes vulpes) is presented (see Glaze, 2018) as part of the reflection on the experimental evidence that supports evolution. Finally, students are asked to generate a hypothesis about how they think the domestication process of wolves occurred, eventually resulting in dogs. The outcomes of implementation in high school classrooms and biology teacher education are discussed.

К вопросу о формировании этноэкологической культуры будущих учителей

The article offers a brief analysis of implementation of ethno-environmental component in academic subjects included in basic academic program "teachers’ training" with two training profiles "Biology and Chemistry" and "Biology and Geography". The subject matter of the article is the curriculum and extracurricular activities that are relative to ethnocultural features. The article is a theoretical overview of Russian and foreign literature on the considered topic. The analysis of the curriculum and extracurricular activities was carried out with the sue of applied examination method. It is concluded that ethno-environmental education of future biology, chemistry and geography teachers is facilitated with a range of conditions developed in the Faculty of Science Education, which include: disciplines of subject-methodical unit aimed on development of environmental thinking, based on ethno-cultural experience of Chuvash; curricular and extracurricular activities aimed on activation of their ecological and ethno-cultural practice. The main forms of upbringing the ethno-environmental culture of future teachers are as follows: master classes in ethno-environmental research; round tables devoted to ethnocultural information about toponyms; ethno-environmental seminars on the problems of protected areas of Chuvashia, etc.