Participation In Scientific Activities Research Articles

Promoting relational thinking in preschoolers (ages 3–5) through participatory science learning: insights from RMTS with Roma children

The study examined the development of relational thinking in children aged 3–5 years within a Roma community using the relational matching-to-sample task. Following a four-month period of participatory science learning, there was a twofold increase in the proportion of relational choices made by the children. The teachers and assistant teachers deliberately encouraged child participation in science activities, while adhering to the established state curriculum. This emphasis on child involvement in science activities was discussed as a potential factor contributing to a domain-general shift in relational thinking, an effect not observed in the control group of children from the same community.

Performance Enhancement of Madrasah Teachers’: A structural Equation Model

Objective: This study highlights the important role of leadership style, teacher competence and emotional intelligence and teacher motivation to improve teacher performance in Madrasah Aliyah. This study aims to explore the factors that cause significant shifts in improving teacher performance at Madrasah Aliyah. Method: This Study uses is Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). With the validity, reliability, and goodness of fit of the analytical tools used to answer the research hypotheses. Result and Conclusion: The findings of this study imply that the role of leadership style, work competence, emotional intelligence, and teachers' work motivation directly or indirectly have a positive and significant impact on their performance. Research Implications: This research proposes relevant and concrete steps in improving teachers' performance. This research encourages the need for collaboration among teachers in developing their professionalism on an ongoing basis such as the application of the latest and innovative learning methods, the development of teacher ideas and creativity and active participation in scientific activities.

Women in Natural Science: Challenges and Solutions

Objectives: The primary goal of this study is to investigate and understand the challenges surrounding women's empowerment, particularly in the context of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The objectives include identifying the reasons behind the underrepresentation of women in STEM, analyzing the consequences of this gender gap, and proposing potential solutions to address these issues.
 
 Methods: To achieve the stated objectives, a thorough examination of the factors contributing to the lack of women's participation in scientific activities within STEM disciplines was conducted. The research methodology involved a comprehensive review of existing literature, statistical analyses, and case studies to gather insights into the root causes of the gender gap. Additionally, the study explored successful strategies and initiatives aimed at promoting women's engagement in STEM fields.
 
 Results: The findings of this scientific article reveal the multifaceted challenges faced by women in STEM disciplines, contributing to their underrepresentation. The results highlight the persistent gender gap at higher levels of education despite achieving gender parity in primary education. Furthermore, the study presents an in-depth analysis of the consequences of this underrepresentation and sheds light on the need for urgent interventions to foster inclusivity in scientific activities.
 
 Conclusion: In conclusion, this research underscores the strategic importance of addressing the issue of women's empowerment in STEM for long-term development. The study advocates for targeted initiatives and policies to eliminate the identified causes of underrepresentation. The proposed solutions are discussed in the context of their potential positive impact, emphasizing the significance of promoting diversity and gender equality in scientific fields. Ultimately, the conclusion emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts to create a more inclusive environment for women in STEM disciplines.

5. Sınıf Üstün Yetenekli ve Üstün Yetenekli Olmayan Öğrencilerin Girişimciliklerinin Karşılaştırılması

Developing entrepreneurial skills at all educational levels, but especially in the early years of education is critical for growing individuals that are able to adapt to a world that is rapidly changing and for the development of society at large. In order to stimulate students' entrepreneurial endeavors, educators, policymakers, and scholars need to understand the characteristics of their entrepreneurial behavior. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine a number of variables about the relative characteristics of entrepreneurship such as leadership and leadership responsibility, personal gain, need for achievement, and self-confidence among gifted students and those who are not identified as gifted in 5th grade. The present study employs a descriptive research model in order to reach generalizations by comparing some variables and entrepreneurship between gifted students and 5th-grade students who are not identified as gifted. Additionally, the causal comparison approach was utilized, by examining the research question separately by gender, school type, participation in science activities outside of school, the choice of a career related to mathematics and the perception of competence in mathematics. In terms of the scale, the results of the research show that there is no significant difference between gifted students and students without a diagnosis of giftedness. However, the average for gifted students is higher than the average for non-gifted students.

A direct personal experience of science and nature changes intended behaviours for conservation

ABSTRACT Social and affective empathy may generate future conservation benefits as the consequence of transformed personal attitudes. In this study, we investigated changes in attitudes and intended behaviours about the plight of woodland songbirds before and after participation in science activities and direct interaction with scientists monitoring avian biodiversity at Mount Lofty Ranges (MLR) in South Australia. A total of 55 anonymous adult participants were invited to join a survey before and after participating in two 3-h workshops on avian science plus acoustic data collection. Comparing the survey results before and after the experience, there were significant shifts in self-reported “good” knowledge about woodland songbirds; increased concern about the conservation status of woodland birds; increased concern about cessation of songbird research; and an increased interest to play a role in songbird conservation. Further investigations could aim to elucidate the mechanisms for shifts in attitudes that occur together with experiencing nature. In general, this small-scale study provides evidence that nature-based science activities can represent valuable hands-on experience in science and may contribute to conservation outcomes by fostering environmental awareness and self-reported aims for involvement.

Increasing students' interest in scientific work in chemistry through research lessons

At present, the organization of research work of students at school is considered a popular form of the educational process and a necessary means of forming students' own creative attitude to life. One of the most important tasks in the education system is to educate a student-researcher who knows new methods of research, who is able to creatively approach problem solving, independently search and replenish his knowledge. In particular, the organization of research lessons, the implementation of lessons with elements of research, the creation of problem situations , projectbased learning technology and participation in scientific activities. The use of research technologies in chemistry lessons contributes to the development of students' research skills and creative thinking. The development of communication skills, the ability to work with information, and its educational value. That is, the main goal of research work is not to obtain new results, as in big science, but to form the student as a creative person. If the purpose of research activity in science is to obtain new results, then the purpose of research activity in the educational process is the development of students' creative and research abilities.

Finding the Invisible Workers in Astronomy

Why do we remember some scientists while forgetting others who participated in the same knowledge-making process? Mount Wilson Observatory was founded in 1904 by George Ellery Hale near Pasadena in Southern California and is perhaps most famous for astronomer Edwin Hubble and his observations made with the 100-inch reflector telescope, which suggested that our universe is expanding. Moving away from the prominent astronomers, intellectual ideas, and telescopes at Mount Wilson Observatory, this article focuses on the work done by some of the forgotten participants such as human computers, who were mostly women, and telescope assistants, who were men, during the first two decades since its founding. By regarding Mount Wilson Observatory as a factory observatory that carried out specialty production, I narrate scientific knowledge-making from the perspectives of these workers by examining their labor and the products that came out of their labor. These highly skilled individuals carried out various tasks, yet the degree of their participation in scientific activities depended on the supervisor, gender, and geographical space. Efficiency was the primary driving factor in how astronomers delegated work at Mount Wilson Observatory, and gender facilitated the managerial practice of using geographical space to achieve efficiency. Such practice effectively created a glass ceiling only for women, and the gendered workspace may also have contributed toward an epistemic preference by astronomers for observation over computation.

Development and validation of an instrument to measure students’ engagement and participation in science activities through factor analysis and Rasch analysis

ABSTRACT In this study, we present a new instrument, the Participation and Engagement Scale (PES), for the evaluation of the students’ involvement in STEM-oriented activities. The instrument was administered to about 1000 secondary school students who participated in the activities of the Italian Piano Nazionale Lauree Scientifiche in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The activities were carried out in a remote modality due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Through an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, it was possible to validate a two-factor structure of the instrument: satisfaction towards the activities and value of the activities. The proposed factor structure shows a good model fit, with each of the obtained scales displaying excellent reliability. Construct-related validation evidence was obtained through the Rasch analysis, which allowed further psychometric improvement of the instrument. Convergent validation evidence was established through a correlation with the academic motivation and perceived difficulties scales. Using the proposed instrument, we found no statistically significant relationships between engagement, the different types of science activities attended, and the intention to enrol in a STEM course. Implications of the study for the evaluation of public understanding of science activities in both remote and in-presence modalities are also discussed.

ATTITUDES TOWARDS EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING AND BARRIERS AGAINST UTILIZING RESEARCH: THE CASE OF PEDIATRICS NURSES

determining the attitudes of nurses working in the pediatrics clinics towards evidence-based nursing and the barriers they encounter while trying to utilize research. Methods: This research is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. Study was conducted in the pediatrics clinics of two big public hospitals located in a metropolitan city in the northern region of Turkey. The sample of the study consists of 244 nurses. A Personal Information Form, the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BRUS), and the Attitude Towards Evidence-Based Nursing Questionnaire (ATEBNQ) were used as data collection instruments. Results: It was determined that 67.6% of the nurses did not participate in any scientific event. It was found that the total average BRUS score of the nurses included in the study was 46.80±2.99 and the total average ATEBNQ score was 58.11±16.29. It was determined that the most important barrier in the use of research by nurses was "Not enough time to read scientific studies because of work" (46.3%). It was seen that there is a statistically significant difference between the total score averages of the research utilization scale and the working duration time and the workload they have (p <0.05). In addition, statistically significant differences were found between the level of participation in scientific activities and the type of these activities, and the total mean ATEBNQ scores (p <0.05). Conclusion and Suggestions: In this study, it was determined that nurses' attitudes towards evidence-based nursing and their perceived barriers against utilizing from their research were moderate; however, the majority of the nurses stated that they did not participate in scientific events, did not review the literature, did not try to bring an evidence-based approach to clinical practice, and that they did not consider themselves competent on this matter. It was determined that most of the barriers against the use of scientific studies in nursing practices stem from nurses and institutions.

Hemşirelerin İş Doyumunun İncelenmesi

INTRODUCTION: This descriptive study was carried out in order to determine the job satisfaction of the nurses working in the Application and Research Hospital and the State Hospital. METHODS: The research was carried out in descriptive and cross-sectional research design. The study population consisted of 400 nurses working in the Research Hospital and the State Hospital in Zonguldak Provincial Center between May 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019. The sample of 220 nurses, aged between 18-65 years, who accepted to participate in the study, and completed at least 1 year in their positions have been evaluated using research data collection tools of ”Personal Information Form” and “Job Satisfaction Scale”. Descriptive statistics were used for statistical analysis of continuous (quantitative) variables. Categorical variables were given as numbers, percentages, “mean (.± standard deviation), minimum and maximum values. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann- Whitney U tests were used to compare the means of categorical data. RESULTS: In this study, the level of job satisfaction of nurses was found to be at a medium level (86.18 ± 21.73). Mean overall Job Satisfaction Scale scores of the nurses working in a university and state hospital were found to be 89.77 ± 22.05, and 82.46 ± 20.86 points, respectively. Nurses who worked with a 24-hour shift 1-2 times or did not work with a 24-hour shift in last month had higher scores than others in subscale of business policy (p<0,05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In this study, it was determined that the job satisfaction level of the nurses was at a medium level. In order to increase job satisfaction, it may be beneficial to make new plans to improve the weekly working hours of nurses working for 5 years or more, to take into account the requests of the nurses about the unit they will work, and to support participation in scientific activities in nursing.

Participación de residentes de cirugía plástica de Chile en la publicación científica: Revisión de los últimos 20 años.

Objetivo: Analizar la participación de los residentes de cirugía plástica de Chile en la publicación científica de los últimos 20 años y evaluar su experiencia durante la residencia.Materiales y Métodos: Revisión de la literatura desde 1998-2018 bajo los términos: Cirugía Plástica, Plastic Surgery y Chile. Se incluyeron aquellos con al menos un autor cirujano plástico con filiación en Chile. Se registró la participación reportada de residentes y analizaron sus autores según su período de residencia y fecha de publicación, agregándolos como residentes no reportados. Se analizó tema, año de publicación y revista. Se aplicó una encuesta a residentes de cirugía plástica y post-becados recientes para conocer la percepción sobre su participación en actividades científicas. Se comparó la participación entre residentes con y sin año de investigación mediante el test exacto de Fisher.Resultados: Predominó la temática reconstructiva (48,2%), en adultos (68,6%) y en centros Universitarios (48,7%). La participación reportada de residentes fue de 8,4%, subiendo a 38,2% al ampliarla a los no explicitados como residentes. Los encuestados expusieron la falta de tiempo como principal impedimento a la publicación y participación en congresos.Discusión: La participación en actividades científicas resulta beneficiosa para residentes, sus tutores y la reputación académica de sus centros. La mayoría de los residentes cree que su participación podría haber sido mayor en caso de que se hubiesen dado más facilidades.Conclusiones: La participación de residentes de cirugía plástica se encuentra sub reportada. Programas de investigación, tiempos protegidos y mayor tutorización podrían aumentar esta cifra.

Peculiarities of interaction between a teacher and a student musician in online education

The article is devoted to the problem of interaction between a teacher and a student of musical education in the process of distance learning. The main tasks facing each teacher during the quarantine period are outlined, and the preference is given to the ability to master the techniques of conducting online music lessons using various Internet resources or platforms for maintaining feedback. The author gives examples of online piano lessons, which took place individually with each student in a convenient mode for them. Attention is drawn to the problems that arose during the implementation of team tasks. Particular attention is paid to the research work of applicants, which ensured their continuous participation in scientific activities throughout the distance learning. The result was the performance of a first-year student at an online conference of the piano department with a report on the peculiarities of the reproduction of the artistic image in a musical work, which ended with the performance of an instrumental lyric piece. The research work provides an opportunity to show analytical abilities, observation, concentration, flexibility of thinking, which helps student musicians to acquire skills of independent work for future professional activity, promotes the development and formation of their personal qualities. The proposed study focuses on the peculiarities of interaction between the subjects of distance education who took an active part in prestigious international competitions and festivals in the category of instrumental art, which were held online. The specifics of work on musical pieces are revealed, the main difficulty of which is the true reproduction of artistic images.

Using demographics toward efficient data classification in citizen science: a Bayesian approach.

Public participation in scientific activities, often called citizen science, offers a possibility to collect and analyze an unprecedentedly large amount of data. However, diversity of volunteers poses a challenge to obtain accurate information when these data are aggregated. To overcome this problem, we propose a classification algorithm using Bayesian inference that harnesses diversity of volunteers to improve data accuracy. In the algorithm, each volunteer is grouped into a distinct class based on a survey regarding either their level of education or motivation to citizen science. We obtained the behavior of each class through a training set, which was then used as a prior information to estimate performance of new volunteers. By applying this approach to an existing citizen science dataset to classify images into categories, we demonstrate improvement in data accuracy, compared to the traditional majority voting. Our algorithm offers a simple, yet powerful, way to improve data accuracy under limited effort of volunteers by predicting the behavior of a class of individuals, rather than attempting at a granular description of each of them.

Exploración de la relación entre actitudes ante las ciencias y el rendimiento en el Programa Internacional para la evaluación de estudiantes (PISA)

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 and PISA 2015 is focused on students’ competency in science, providing wide data banks for the analysis of the interaction between science performance and attitudes toward science. The few attempts to study this relationship in other assessment studies suggest some positive correlations on the individual level and some unexpected negative correlations and a lack of scalar invariance across countries. The aim of this study is to contribute to the exploration of the generalizability of this relationship across countries and regions within nations. For this, the PISA 2015 data are analyzed using Ordinary Least Square and Quantile regression modelling techniques together with bivariate correlation matrix analysis. The relationship patterns between attitudes —such as self-efficacy, interest in science, participation in science activities, and enjoyment of science—and performance in science are explored at different scales; across 72 PISA participating countries and across 17 regions in Spain. Across countries, the relationship is unexpectedly negative for all attitudes, although high quantiles show a much less pronounced pattern. Across regions, only self-efficacy is significantly and positively correlated with science performance. Overall, positive non–linear relationships are distinguished for high performance values. The results of this study suggest the need of further research using non-parametric quantile regression modeling, and exploring attitudinal indices scaling when investigating potential universal/invariant models. This research should try to justify the comparison across countries/regions using aggregated scores, while incorporating differences in cultural, educational, and social influences on attitudes toward science.

Exploring the relationship between attitudes toward science and PISA scientific performance

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 and PISA 2015 are focused on students’ competency in science, providing wide data banks for the analysis of the interaction between science performance and attitudes toward science. The few attempts to study this relationship in other assessment studies suggest some positive correlations on the individual level and some unexpected negative correlations and a lack of scalar invariance across countries. The aim of this study is to contribute to the exploration of the generalizability of this relationship across countries and regions within nations. For this, the PISA 2015 data are analyzed using Ordinary Least Square and Quantile regression modelling techniques together with bivariate correlation matrix analysis. The relationship patterns between attitudes—such as self-efficacy, interest in science, participation in science activities, and enjoyment of science—and performance in science are explored at different scales; across 72 PISA participating countries and across 17 regions in Spain. Across countries, the relationship is unexpectedly negative for all attitudes, although high quantiles show a much less pronounced pattern. Across regions, only self-efficacy is significantly and positively correlated with science performance. Overall, positive non–linear relationships are distinguished for high performance values. The results of this study suggest the need of further research using non-parametric quantile regression modeling, and exploring attitudinal indices scaling when investigating potential universal/invariant models. This research should try to justify the comparison across countries/regions using aggregated scores, while incorporating differences in cultural, educational, and social influences on attitudes toward science.

How do middle school girls of color develop STEM identities? Middle school girls’ participation in science activities and identification with STEM careers

AbstractThis study explores ways to support girls of color in forming their senses of selves in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) during the middle school years. Guided by social practice theory, we analyzed a large data set of survey responses (n = 1,821) collected at five middle schools in low‐income communities across four states in the United States. Analyses focus on the extent to which key constructs that inform girls’ development of senses of self and relations among those indicators of STEM identities varied by their race/ethnicity. Though the means of indicators sometimes varied across racial/ethnic groups, multigroup structural equation modeling analyses indicate no significant racial/ethnic differences in the relations of STEM identities, suggesting that similar supports would be equally effective for all girls during the middle school years. Girls’ self‐perception in relation to science was the strongest predictor of their identification with STEM‐related careers, and this self‐perception was positively and distinctively associated with their experiences with science at home, outside of school, and in school science classes. This study argues for strategically expanding girls’ experiences with science across multiple settings during middle school in a way that increases their positive self‐perception in and with STEM.

Attitude of Nursing Students Toward Scientific Research: A Cross-Sectional Study in Turkey

Nursing, a social applied science, is a dynamic profession. Professional nurses must be curious, investigative, and open to learning as well as practice critical and analytic thinking to sustain their professionalism. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of nursing students toward scientific research. A descriptive and cross-sectional study design was used. This study was conducted at a nursing department of a university in Turkey. A sample of 375 nursing students participated. Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form" and "Attitude Scale towards Scientific Studies." Standard descriptive statistical methods, correlation, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and post hoc Bonferroni were used in data analysis. Nearly all (90.1%) of the participants were female, and 33.9% were sophomore (second-year) students. Junior (third-year) students held the most positive attitudes toward research, as compared with the participants in other academic years. Participants who had participated in scientific activities held more positive attitudes toward research than those who had not. Participants who had prior experience doing scientific research showed more positive attitudes toward research and researchers than those without this experience. Being older, having scientific research experience, following the continuous broadcasts related to nursing, and participating in scientific activities all significantly influenced attitude toward research (p < .05). Although nursing students who participated in this study exhibited generally positive attitudes toward scientific research, they had relatively little experience participating in scientific activities. Therefore, to foster a positive scientific research culture among undergraduate students, grants should be provided that encourage wider participation in scientific activities and offer opportunities for undergraduate students to do scientific research.

Motivational predictors of students' participation in out-of-school learning activities and academic attainment in science: An application of the trans-contextual model using Bayesian path analysis

Given the shortfall in students studying science, promotion of motivation and engagement in science education is a priority. The current study applied the trans-contextual model to study the motivational predictors of participation in science learning activities in secondary-school students. In a three-wave design, secondary-school students completed measures of perceived autonomy support, autonomous and controlled motivation, social-cognitive beliefs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control), intentions, and self-reported participation in out-of-school science learning activities. Five-weeks later, students self-reported their science learning activities. Students' science grades over the semester period were obtained. Bayesian path analyses supported model hypotheses: in-school autonomous motivation predicted out-of-school autonomous motivation, beliefs, intentions, science activity participation, and science grades. Specifying informative priors for key model relations using Bayesian analysis yielded greater precision in estimates. Findings provide evidence for a link between students' autonomous motivation toward science activities across contexts and may inform interventions promoting motivation and participation in science activities.

Роль научных коммуникаций в научно-технологическом развитии России

The role of scientific communications in scientific and technological development of the country is studied in the article. It is shown that the improvement of interaction in the scientific community directly depends on increasing the efficiency of modern science. At the international level, efficiency is associated with the search for a balance of local and international participation in scientific activities, an optimal balance of fundamental and applied research, commercialization of research and development. Russian state policy in the field of science is aimed at implementing priorities, one of which is the formation of a system of scientific communications, as well as the formation of a model for international cooperation and international integration in the field of research.

Medical students and research: Is there a current discrepancy between education and demands?

This article refers to a correspondence letter recently published in The Lancet, describing successful student-led research initiatives in Latin America, which were introduced because of low support from universities and governments. As a final-year medical student with keen interest in science, the topic of student engagement in research activities caught my interest. Literature shows that while junior doctors are required to perform research on their own and face intense pressure to publish, formal training in principles of research and scientific writing is often neglected by medical schools. This contrast is worrying, as the progression of the medical profession and the quality of patient care depend on high-quality research and on future generations of physician-scientists being both enthusiastic and competent. Hence, this article summarizes suggestions to increase both students' research proficiency and participation in scientific activities, and offers a critical view on this important topic, as medical schools without curricular research education and without active student integration should urgently consider revising their policies.