Formal Science Education Research Articles

Sharia Banking Internal Auditors' Perceptions Regarding the Influence of Auditors' Sharia Knowledge Education on the Effectiveness of Sharia Compliance Inspections

Islamic banks need to ensure that their operations comply with sharia principles to increase loyalty and satisfaction of sharia bank customers. Internal audit has one of the functions of ensuring sharia compliance has been fulfilled in sharia banking by carrying out sharia compliance checks. One of the challenges in internal audit in carrying out its function is the lack of qualified sharia auditors who have adequate sharia knowledge. In this context, education in sharia science for auditors becomes very relevant. This research aims to identify the influence of formal and non-formal sharia education for auditors on increasing the effectiveness of auditing compliance with sharia principles in sharia banking according to the perception of internal auditors. The method used is a quantitative method by distributing questionnaires to internal auditors in conventional commercial banks that have Sharia Business Units. Based on the results of this research, the variable perception of formal sharia science education does not have a significant effect on the effectiveness of sharia compliance checks, the perception of non-formal sharia science education has a significant effect on the effectiveness of sharia compliance checks. Furthermore, simultaneously the variables of perception of formal sharia education and non-formal sharia science education have a significant effect on the effectiveness of sharia compliance.

Intentional water and tired wood: exploring causes for primary teachers’ reference to intuitive construals in science education

ABSTRACT Research reveals that teachers regularly refer to intuitive construals (IC) in formal science education. Only a few studies, however, have investigated why teachers refer to them. Alarmingly, these studies suggest didactic consideration is not the main reason for this. Instead, teachers introduce IC unintentionally or due to a lack of expertise. A possible explanation for an unconsidered reference to IC – a part of lack of expertise – is that teachers spontaneously align their language with the students’ perspective as a form of implicit didactisation. We asked fifty prospective primary teachers to explain a basic scientific phenomenon of inanimate nature to fictitious recipients of varying expertise (a science expert and a student). We reasoned that if lack of knowledge was the reason for using IC, explanations should be equally intuitive for all addressees. If spontaneous language didactisation is the reason, only the explanations for students should contain intuitive elements. Results show that the majority of participants use IC exclusively when addressing students and not when addressing experts. In a substantial minority, however, lack of knowledge is a more likely cause. We conclude that there might be a tendency towards language didactisation even outside didactic professional knowledge. Implications for teacher training are discussed.

Pathways to early science literacy: investigating the different role of language and reading skills in science literacy among early primary school children

ABSTRACT The initiation of formal science education provides an opportunity to investigate how age-related language and reading skills respond to the challenge of science literacy (SL) performance. SL in early primary schools refers to the understanding and application of scientific core ideas and practices for informed decision-making. Studies revealed that high levels of singular reading or language skills correlate with better SL performance in school settings. However, it is essential to explore how nuanced words and textual reading skills relate to SL performance for early primary learners. One hundred ninety-three Hong Kong second graders were assessed on word reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary, nonverbal reasoning, and SL. The hierarchical regression model shows that word reading and reading comprehension are significant predictors of SL, controlling for nonverbal reasoning and vocabulary. Further, mediation analysis reveals that reading comprehension significantly mediates the effect of word reading on SL at grade 2, suggesting a shared reading-SL cognitive process. A tailored early elementary school literacy instruction is a promising way to enhance SL development among young learners.

Citizen Science in the Classroom: Data Quality and Student Engagement

This project sought to evaluate a citizen science project in the classroom via two foci: 1) whether the project could benefit students by increasing their science engagement, and 2) whether students could generate high-quality data. A total of 116 students in two honors biology and four environmental studies classes at a rural high school in the Chesapeake Bay watershed gathered water-quality data from a local stream. Water-quality data gathered from the same area by professionals were obtained from the local water treatment company via email. The quality of the student data was determined by comparing student data to professional data, as well as by eliciting students’ understanding of data quality before and after the project via short-answer questions. Students’ emotional and behavioral engagement were measured and compared before and after the project using a Likert-type questionnaire, and their behavioral engagement was additionally quantified via observation. The results showed that student data gathered using high-quality instruments were similar to professional data, according to unpaired t-tests. Students’ self-reported engagement did not change, but the students’ observed behavioral engagement was significantly higher post-intervention. The similarity between student and professional data and the increase in students’ behavioral-science engagement show that citizen science has the potential to benefit both students and scientists at the same time, by providing a high-quality dataset while increasing student engagement. This project has implications for formal and informal science education providers, and those interested in developing citizen science programs for youth and adults.

Building Confidence & Competency: Assessing and Addressing New Hospital Librarians’ Professional Development Needs

ABSTRACT There is often a disparity for new hospital librarians between formal Library Information Science (LIS) education and the skills required for doing the job. To bridge the gap, new medical library professionals search out Medical Library Association (MLA) classes and webinars, find courses on the Internet, or link to National Library of Medicine (NLM) training. The MLA Hospital Library Caucus tasked an Education Task Force to ascertain what new librarians needed to help them in their early careers. The Task Force created a survey, which was sent to hospital librarians with less than 5 years’ experience. Respondents were asked to rate their top five duties and responsibilities and indicate with which they needed help. Using the results of the survey as a guide, the task force created a LibGuide for new hospital librarians.

Development of the “Scale for the assessment of non-experts’ AI literacy” – An exploratory factor analysis

Artificial Intelligence competencies will become increasingly important in the near future. Therefore, it is essential that the AI literacy of individuals can be assessed in a valid and reliable way. This study presents the development of the “Scale for the assessment of non-experts' AI literacy” (SNAIL). An existing AI literacy item set was distributed as an online questionnaire to a heterogeneous group of non-experts (i.e., individuals without a formal AI or computer science education). Based on the data collected, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to investigate the underlying latent factor structure. The results indicated that a three-factor model had the best model fit. The individual factors reflected AI competencies in the areas of “Technical Understanding”, “Critical Appraisal”, and “Practical Application”. In addition, eight items from the original questionnaire were deleted based on high intercorrelations and low communalities to reduce the length of the questionnaire. The final SNAIL-questionnaire consists of 31 items that can be used to assess the AI literacy of individual non-experts or specific groups and is also designed to enable the evaluation of AI literacy courses’ teaching effectiveness.

Examining models constructed by kindergarten children

AbstractDespite its proven added value, modeling‐based learning (MbL) in science is not commonly incorporated into the early grades. Our purpose in this descriptive case study was to enrich our understanding of how kindergarten children enact MbL by examining these children's constructed models and their accompanying oral descriptions of their models. For this purpose, we adopted a drawing‐based modeling approach in which children used annotated drawings to represent their models. The participants consisted of four groups of 5‐ to 6‐year‐olds (68 children total) who studied the solution of substances in water. We analyzed child‐developed models (artifact analysis) and their oral presentations (discourse analysis), seeking to provide rich, detailed descriptions of the characteristics of these models. Our findings suggest that children in the study developed five different types of models using three different depiction strategies. Our findings also suggest that when developing and presenting their models of a physical phenomenon, our kindergarten children tended to rely on analogical reasoning to identify similar, known situations corresponding to the phenomenon under study. They then invoked mechanistic reasoning to develop representations of the phenomenon under study based on the analogy they used. The spectrum of mechanistic reasoning used by the children, and the analysis of the structure and components of their constructed models serve as evidence suggesting that despite their limited experiences with formal science education, as well as with MbL in science, participating children could successfully engage in authentic MbL activities. We contend that this is aligned with the idea of modeling resources, suggesting that it is more productive to help children to develop more reliable access to modeling resources they already have, even though they are usually not aware of their connection to MbL, such as prior scientific knowledge, experience, and MbL skills.

Brief History of K-12 Computer Science Education in Ireland

This paper brings together the history of Computer Science Education in Ireland. It aims to plot Ireland's road-map leading to the implementation of formal Computer Science Education in schools. This road map starts with the first notions of introducing secondary school children to computing in the 1970s up to the roll out of a nationwide Computer Science curriculum in secondary school at the Senior Cycle level in 2018. This story is only available in disparate publications and reports, and piecing together the entire story is often difficult especially if you are from another jurisdiction and unfamiliar with the Irish education system. This paper collates the available literature as well as the authors local knowledge of the process, into one usable form that may be of interest locally and of value to other jurisdictions that are beginning their planning of national or regional curricula. This paper describes the development and the current situation of the formal curricula and standards in Computer Science at second level. The current landscape of Computing Education at primary level, which is currently in the planning stages in Ireland, will also be described. Additionally, an investigation into the current landscape of Computing Education in schools in the international jurisdictions that directly influenced the Irish roll out takes place, to evaluate their progress and summarize any lessons learned that might provide insights for Ireland going forward

A Multimedia Strategy to Integrate Introductory Broad-Based Radiation Science Education in US Medical Schools.

US physicians in multiple specialties who order or conduct radiological procedures lack formal radiation science education and thus sometimes order procedures of limited benefit or fail to order what is necessary. To this end, a multidisciplinary expert group proposed an introductory broad-based radiation science educational program for US medical schools. Suggested preclinical elements of the curriculum include foundational education on ionizing and nonionizing radiation (eg, definitions, dose metrics, and risk measures) and short- and long-term radiation-related health effects as well as introduction to radiology, radiation therapy, and radiation protection concepts. Recommended clinical elements of the curriculum would impart knowledge and practical experience in radiology, fluoroscopically guided procedures, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, and identification of patient subgroups requiring special considerations when selecting specific ionizing or nonionizing diagnostic or therapeutic radiation procedures. Critical components of the clinical program would also include educational material and direct experience with patient-centered communication on benefits of, risks of, and shared decision making about ionizing and nonionizing radiation procedures and on health effects and safety requirements for environmental and occupational exposure to ionizing and nonionizing radiation. Overarching is the introduction to evidence-based guidelines for procedures that maximize clinical benefit while limiting unnecessary risk. The content would be further developed, directed, and integrated within the curriculum by local faculties and would address multiple standard elements of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and Core Entrustable Professional Activities for Entering Residency of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Museums theme – Science vs technology in a museum’s display: changes in the Vienna Museum of Technology with a focus on permanent and temporary exhibitions and new forms of science education

Museums theme – Science vs technology in a museum’s display: changes in the Vienna Museum of Technology with a focus on permanent and temporary exhibitions and new forms of science education

The Construction of Civil Scientific Literacy in China from the Perspective of Science Education.

On 25 June 2021, the State Council issued the new Outline of the National Action Scheme for Scientific Literacy for All Chinese Citizens (2020–2035) (Outline of Scientific Literacy). In order to provide reference for its implementation, this study analyzes the achievements and obstacles in the implementation of the old Outline of Scientific Literacy (2006–2010-2020) based on the results of all previous surveys on civic scientific literacy (CSL) in China and from the perspective of science education. The results showed a continued steady growth in CSL, from 1.6 in 2005 to 10.56% in 2020. Specifically, male, urban, and younger adults were more likely to qualify as possessing CSL. Moreover, education level was found to be positively related to CSL. The study also found that in China, the effectiveness of formal science education has been hampered by the long-term division of the arts and sciences, examination-oriented education, the urban–rural gap, and the aging population. In terms of informal education, 37.2% of Chinese citizens visited science museums in 2020, and the Internet plays an increasing important role. Nowadays, Chinese science popularization lacks interaction, with limited opportunities for public engagement. There are deficiencies in both the country’s formal and informal science education, meaning that there is still much room for improvement in the promotion of CSL in China.

Animated Concept Cartoons as a Starter for Cognitive Conflict in Online Science Learning: A Case of Circular Motion

Before taking formal science education, learners usually construct preconceptions based on their daily life experiences, many of which are scientifically unacceptable misconceptions. In formal science learning, new concepts often contradict these misconceptions. To correct a misconception, it is first needed to create dissatisfaction about it by initiating cognitive conflict. This study aims to create an animated concept cartoon about circular motion and evaluate its usability to start cognitive conflict about centrifugal force misconception in online learning. This is a one-group quasi-experimental study whose participants are 110 undergraduate students with non-science backgrounds. An animated concept cartoon about circular motion and an online data collection instrument were developed and implemented for the participants. Results showed that half of the participants might be considered to be in a status of cognitive conflict after reading the animated concept cartoon. In addition, participants' overall satisfaction with the animated concept cartoon was found to be relatively high. Participants' satisfaction with the animated concept cartoon was equal for students with and without cognitive conflict. In the context of these findings, the animated concept cartoon may be considered an enjoyable and useful learning activity to initiate cognitive conflict in online science learning.

ON THE GENERALIZATION OF PHYSICS CURRICULUM TO SCIENCE EDUCATION AND POPULAR SCIENCE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF EMOTION REGULATION

BackgroundScience Education in China is a way to improve citizens' scientific and technological literacy. It also popularized physics that promoted innovation. The deep popularization of physical science is an important content of science education. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the logical relationship and practical path between science education, college physics curriculum and science popularization, that is, the generalization of physics curriculum to science education and popular science from the perspective of emotional regulation.Subjects and MethodsApply Bruner's cognitive structure learning theory in psychology to college physics teaching, and transform the basic structure of physics into the cognitive structure of physical theories and phenomena in students' minds. In order to coordinate the development of physics courses and the popularization of science, the basic physics courses and majors of the University have been adjusted to help students understand the principles of physics and apply them to engineering. A total of 415 junior middle school students in three grades of an experimental middle school were investigated by cluster stratified sampling. The emotional regulation ability scale compiled by Lu Jiamei and Ji Jiajun (2010), the Chinese version of emotional behavior scale (PBI) revised by Yang Hongjun (2009) and the Chinese version of aggressive behavior (BWAQ) (2008) were used as research tools, and spss17 0 to analyze the data results by descriptive analysis, analysis of variance and linear regression.ResultsWe found that while widely spreading science and technology, cultivating citizens' awareness of science and technology is a necessary condition for further popularizing science. We have identified four aspects of in-depth popularization of science. We have also created a four part physics course and created a teaching method that combines online and offline teaching, large and small classes, as well as theoretical and practical learning. Using various forms of science education, we have constructed three ways to provide ideological education in the curriculum. In the practice of many science education, we have not only proved that the most important part of physics education is scientific and technological literacy, but also formed the soul of basic physics curriculum: “explore laws after encountering phenomena, respond to principles creatively, and pursue loyalty and accuracy”. Based on the teaching philosophy and objectives of Xi University of technology, and taking two innovative points, three characteristic physics courses and popularization as the main line, this paper explores 30 elements of ideological education related to “physics, weapon industry and calligraphy”. These reforms were highly praised by the heads of 15 engineering majors related to the ordnance industry, and helped 13 engineering majors obtain China's higher engineering education certification.ConclusionAfter 10 years of educational practice, we have developed the physics curriculum to the stage of in-depth popularization of science. In the full combination of physics curriculum and engineering teaching, it embodies the three-stage learning process of acquisition, transformation and evaluation in Bruner's psychological theory. The scientific and technological literacy of Chinese teenagers has improved. In short, we should fully consider the important influence of emotion, actively pay attention to the changes of psychological emotion and behavior in their learning, and strive to become the manager, coordinator and collaborator of curriculum construction.We should actively organize rich activities flexibly according to the psychological characteristics of this part of the group, strive to build a relaxed and harmonious living atmosphere, create a friendly and mutual aid relationship, encourage and guide this part of the group, adjust the psychology to the best state, and promote the healthy growth in a good learning life.AcknowledgementsThe paper was supported by the Shaanxi Social Science Foundation Project of P.R.C (Grant No.2021P022). The authors thanks for the Physical Multifunction Hall Focusing on Demonstration & Research in Xi’an Technological University (PMHFDRXATU), and the “Virtual Teaching-research Center on Cloud Teaching & Reform of Basic Physics in Universities of Midwest of China” led by Professor Shijun Xu. Further, this work was financially supported by three funding projects on the Teaching Reform in Universities of Shaanxi Province in China (Grant No. 21BY081), the 2021 Higher Education Science Research Project of Shaanxi Higher Education Society (Grant No.XGH21139), and the Soft Science Research Project of Xi'an Science and Technology Plan of P.R.C (Grant No.2021-0048).

An examination of middle school student learner characteristics as related to the reuse and remixing of code in two different computer science learning contexts

The goal of this study was to examine how two groups of middle school students’ self-efficacy, interest, goal orientation, and prior experience related to evidence of their building upon existing ideas and code in digital artifacts they created using MIT’s App Inventor, a computational practice that Brennan and Resnick (2012) identified as “reusing and remixing.” Participants included 110 students in a formal computer science education course and 87 students in an after-school computing club. Data sources included a learner profile survey and participants’ digital artifacts. Correlational analysis, followed by logistic regression analysis, uncovered significant relationships between self-efficacy, goal orientation, and evidence of participants’ code-oriented reusing and remixing their digital artifacts.

Towards a 2025 National Ocean Literacy Strategy: Current Status and Future Needs in Primary Education

Globally, ocean health has become critically compromised due to compounding negative human impacts. Marine science education can play a key role in raising collective understanding of the vulnerability of marine environments and the importance of their protection, and this may best begin with integration of ocean literacy in schools. Previous research shows that K-12 students worldwide have a limited understanding of the ocean. This lack of familiarity with the ocean has been linked to the absence of topics related to marine science in most national school curricula. Teachers are the ultimate arbiters deciding whether and how to include these topics in their classes. However, the extent to which marine science may be currently being taught in formal education is still unknown. We used the Australian public school system as a case study to investigate the marine science teaching practices of primary school teachers (Foundation – Grade 6), through an online survey. Our results indicate that while teachers value the importance of ocean education from a young age, most of them rarely or only occasionally cover marine science topics in their lessons. Teachers cited increased levels of marine science knowledge and a greater availability of ocean-related educational resources linked to the school curriculum as key areas for improvement in ocean education practices. This study highlights the importance of formal marine science education in primary education, along with the need for professional development opportunities for teachers.

Citizen science and its potential for science education

ABSTRACT Citizen science is an expanding field in public education and learning and can bridge the gap between science and society. This benefits not only just citizen learning and scientific research, but also earlier learning in formal science education. Citizen science can foster an understanding of engagement with science as well as the perception of the relevance of scientific topics. Based on a review of several citizen science projects in school contexts, potential learning outcomes are identified, showing that citizen science can enhance aspects including pupils’ motivation, interest and knowledge as well as their scientific and communication skills. Project designs with a high level of pupil involvement are found to be particularly promising in terms of achieving learning objectives. However, curricular standards require the thorough preparation of citizen science projects to enable the development of their full potential for all participants.

Foundations matter: Pre-service teachers’ understanding of osmosis and diffusion in relation to their formal science education backgrounds

Osmosis and diffusion are fundamental topics in science education because many processes in nature largely depend on these phenomena. However, many students usually hold misconceptions and have a lack of knowledge about these topics. This study explores pre-service teachers’ understanding of osmosis and diffusion in relation to their prior formal education. The main reason for the study was the need to support pre-service teachers so that they can effectively teach these topics. A total of 243 first-year students in bachelor’s programs at the University of Ljubljana participated in the study. The results showed that students that graduated from vocational and technical secondary schools had a weaker understanding of these topics compared to students from general secondary schools. Furthermore, only students that had passed the leaving exam in biology showed a better understanding of osmosis and diffusion.

Bridging the gap between formal and non-formal science education: traditional fish markets as a tool to promote ocean literacy

Raising awareness on marine environmental issues is crucial to deepen students’ knowledge on ocean sustainability. Nonetheless, ocean-related topics have not been adequately addressed through formal education curricula, thus non-formal learning activities were developed to promote Ocean Literacy among students. These include visits to the local fish market and hands-on activities of fish biological sampling. A mixed methodology with closed and open-self questionnaires and interviews, was used to assess the activities’ effect in student’s learning and to evaluate their implementation and importance. Results showed the activities contribution to the increased learning while promoting a more active citizenship regarding ocean conservancy.

Visual Attention Pattern of Middle School Students During Problem‐Solving in Physics

ABSTRACTThis study investigated how visual attention differed between students who hold scientific knowledge and those who have misconceptions. We analyzed visual fixations of 98 middle students on problems containing information relevant to scientific knowledge and common misconceptions. It showed that students who acquired scientific concepts paid more attention to appropriate information but took less consideration to irrelevant information. On the contrary, students who held misconceptions fixated more on misleading information but failed to select appropriate information. In addition, the senior students demonstrated more eye fixations on relevant information than their younger peers. These findings reflect that students' conceptual understanding affects the way they evaluate the problem information. Our results also suggest that formal science education improves students' ability to select relevant information and efficiently solve a problem. Studying the visual attention pattern during problem‐solving provides implications for the development of effective instructions to promote their ability to solve scientific problems.

Designing environmental storylines to achieve the complementary aims of environmental and science education through science and engineering practices

Environmental education is implemented in formal curricula in multiple ways, including K-12 science. In the United States, the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has provided a lens for considering how the goals of environmental education and formal science education may overlap and complement one another. Potential synergies emerge from similarities between NGSS science and engineering practices and the skills of questioning, analysis, and interpretation in the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence. In this study, middle school students were engaged in an environmental storyline unit that supported their abilities to ask questions, design and conduct investigations, and develop model-based explanations, practices consistent across both fields. Participating students demonstrated positive gains in nature relatedness environmental attitudes. This study provides evidence that curricular design around the practices of science and environmental education connects the goals of each and may be a promising approach to broadening access to effective environmental education experiences. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2021.1949569 .