High Science Teachers Research Articles

Science students’ understanding of the nature of science in higher education: A Norwegian case study

Views of the Nature of Science (NOS) among science students in higher education is investigated in a Norwegian university. The research utilizes the Views of the Nature of Science questionnaire version D+ (VNOS-D+), conducting a comprehensive analysis of NOS perspectives among 41 participants in STEM courses during the autumn semester of 2023. An overall decent understanding of NOS was found among all participating science students, regardless of gender, country of origin or study program. The mean values of the results for each aspect of NOS fluctuate between 1.39 and 2.68 on a scale from 0 (inadequate), 1 (naïve), 2 (transitional), to 3 (adequate) and are distributed rather homogeneously (x̄ = 2.02), although the aspect of law and theory stands out for its prevalence of naïve responses (x̄ = 1.39). No significant improvement in NOS understanding was observed with increased academic tenure in this study. The study shows promising usefulness of the VNOS-D+ questionnaire in higher education, as a valuable tool for gaining standardized insights into NOS perspectives. This research contributes to the discourse on science education by examining science students’ understandings of NOS in higher education in a previously rarely examined location.

Presupuestos teóricos en torno a la Historia en la Educación Superior Cubana

The article presented constitutes a new look at the place and role of History as a science in Higher Education in Cuba. Its objective is to offer some theoretical assumptions about this problem and the essential elements that mark the historical trend through which the links with society run to account for behaviors, attitudes and social relationships. Higher Education is directed towards a new interpretation of History, framed in the demands that Cuban society demands. Theoretical level methods were used such as: logical historical and dialectical hermeneutics, which allowed the understanding, explanation, interpretation of History as a science and its importance in the training of the university professional. The main results are framed in some assumptions that from a theoretical point of view allow us to take a new look at History. The conclusions are that History as a science must be analyzed with a comprehensive, totalizing vision, always respecting the space or context of coexistence and study. With this, achieving a new awareness that overcomes dogmas and mechanistic positions about this science.

Fostering students' inquiry aptitudes and collaborative reasoning in higher education science courses with social annotation tools and collaborative platforms

AbstractInteractive digital technologies are playing an increasingly important part in education for enhancing collaborative learning processes and improving engagement. Social annotation (SA) tools and collaborative platforms are an innovative way to involve students to give and take feedback, annotate, and brainstorm on complex topics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This article focuses on innovative practices that integrate inquiry‐based discussions using SA tools and collaborative platforms to promote undergraduate students' interest and curiosity about sciences. In this article, lectures were combined with inquiry‐based discussions using an open education SA tool and an open‐access collaborative platform to engage students in a meaningful dialog with peers on scientific topics. Students debated with peers on scientific content in an online environment. Findings show that the integration of inquiry‐based discussions using SA tools and collaborative platforms provides a practical way to effectively improve students interest in science. The information reported in this article can support STEM instructors in designing collaborative learning activities in online and hybrid settings that spark students' curiosity and inquiry attitude about natural sciences.

Introduction of Space Science in Higher Education: Space Science in BSc Engineering

Space science is a fascinating and powerful field in which our country has now become an important part. From an educational point of view, several universities now offer some kind of specialised training in space science, and there are already master's degrees in space engineering. Under the UniSpace programme, 17 Hungarian universities are cooperating to offer advanced training in space science at four universities. However, at bachelor's level, a prospective engineer is unlikely to encounter a subject related to space science outside of basic physics, or it may only be offered in a few specialised programs. Future professionals should be introduced to this discipline as soon as possible. This is why universities should consider offering undergraduate-level space science courses, to better prepare students interested in pursuing careers in this field. The Széchenyi István University of Győr has already taken several steps to promote space technologies, including the SZESAT student group, where students can work on space telecommunications, the Mobilis summer children's camps, where SZESAT gives lectures on the topic every year, and the University of Győr is also a member of the UniSpace Hungary consortium. The study seeks to answer two questions: first, how interested students are in a similar subject that introduces them to space science and the basic space technology opportunities. The second is what majors are interested in the new subject, and which segments of the discipline might be the most interesting to them. In addition to the two main orientations, another important consideration is how students might integrate it into their studies and what prior learning would be required to start such a new subject.

Development of Certified Reference Materials Set for Open Porosity of Mammoth Ivory

Mammoth ivory is in demand in the jewelry industry, folk crafts and in the manufacture of cosmetics. This unique natural resource is an alternative to the prohibited extraction of ivory. It is fundamentally important for consumers to identify the raw material unambiguously as mammoth ivory and to accurately determine the grade of the material.The article presents the results of a study, which resulted in the development of a reference materials set of open porosity of the mammoth ivory. The reference materials are cylinders with an outer diameter of 30 mm and a height of 30 mm. Certified values of open porosity were determined by gas pycnometry. Reference materials are intended for certification of measurement methods and control of the accuracy of measurement results of open porosity of mammoth ivory in laboratory conditions. Reference materials can be used for various types of metrological control if the metrological characteristics of reference materials correspond to the established requirements.The research materials are of an applied nature for a number of economic sectors where mammoth ivory is used as a raw material. Reference materials of mammoth ivory are in demand in materials science, biology, geology, and other natural sciences, and in expert activities to determine the authenticity of products made from mammoth ivory. The article may also be of interest to students and teachers of natural sciences in higher education, as well as anyone interested in artifacts of ancient fauna.

Contribution of Lecturers Attributes in Distance Education Accounting Science in Higher Education

Abstract Purpose - This study aimed to investigate the impact of lecturer personal attributes (APD) on the relationship between Distance Learning/Distance Education (PJJ) and Accounting learning effectiveness (EPA) in higher education. The uniqueness of the study was the collection of primary data over a year into the pandemic (2021), with the expectation that APD would be more favorable and homogeneous compared to data collected in 2020. Design/methodology/approach - The sample comprised 353 accounting studentsexperiencing PJJ from a campus equipped with a Learning Management System (LMS), selected using Purposive Sampling method. Furthermore, the hypotheses were tested using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). Findings - The results showed that PJJ had a significantly positive effect on EPA in higher education, while lecturers APD did not strengthen the influence of PJJ on EPA.Research limitations/implications – But interestingly this research found that personal attributes of lecturers (APD) were identified as an independent variable influencing EPA. Keywords: Lecturers Personal Attributes, Distance Education, Accounting, and Higher Education

The Role of Higher Education in Science and Technology in the Development of Technology-Intensive Industries in China

Abstract Technology-intensive industries in China have developed rapidly since its economic reform. This article examines the role of higher education institutions (HEI s) in science and technology (S&T) in innovation and the development of technology-intensive industries in China. First, it illustrates the evolution and current status of S&T education at HEI s and their relationship to enterprises and science parks that led to China’s innovation and technological development. Second, it reveals the government’s role in promoting S&T education at HEI s and strengthening the relationship between universities and enterprises. Finally, it derives policy implications for developing countries in light of China’s experience.

The use of information and communication technologies in teaching-learning processes of social science in higher education: A systematic review

ABSTRACT Teaching-learning processes can incorporate information and communication technologies (ICT) for transmission, mediation, interaction, and assessment in several fields of knowledge. This paper established the current trends in using ICT for social science in higher education, including online, blended, and ICT-supported learning. The review allowed us to quantify studies related to social science education, identify research trends, and identify ICT tools. The systematic review showed that: there is a lag in the incorporation of ICT tools in social sciences; most of the research identified were perception studies; few works introduce new digital tools; and few research studied the impact of ICT on student performance. This review establishes the advantages and disadvantages of online learning and some recommendations to incorporate ICT in social science teaching-learning processes.

Development of Undergraduate Student's Criticality in Social Sciences in Higher Education: A Comparative Study with Socio-Material Perspective

In the field of higher education, there are two dominant strands of interpretation of criticality, either as a decontextualized skill of logical reasoning, or a sense of action within larger contexts more than mere cognition. This research offers a reclaiming and reimagining of criticality in universities as an affective process, highlighting the entanglement of social, discursive and material perspectives. This research takes a comparative lens to investigate undergraduate students’ perceptions of criticality and institutional cultivation of it in a Sociology undergraduate degree in China and the UK, adopting a qualitative interview method. Differences were found between cultures regarding the level of engagement with a range of criticality-embedded practices, including field work, critical inquiry in class, group work, etc. Through the development of criticality in various activities, students’ feelings towards it shifted with contexts. While placed within physical and discursive universities that convey a sense of professionalism, students in the study acknowledged the importance of criticality and proactively demonstrated it. However, the feeling towards showcasing criticality outside campus was two-fold. Whereas criticality can be associated with negativity in social interactions, its value is appreciated as it enabled students to reconstruct their identities into a more rational, tolerant and caring one.

State-of-the-Art Review on Current Approaches to Female Inclusiveness in Software Engineering and Computer Science in Higher Education

State-of-the-Art Review on Current Approaches to Female Inclusiveness in Software Engineering and Computer Science in Higher Education

Different strategies to facilitate meaningful reflections among post-secondary students in a community service learning water project

This study explored how continuous diverse reflective exercises embedded in a Community Service Learning chemistry lab support science students' meaningful learning. The findings of this study are intended for those involved in teaching natural science in higher education, as well as those interested in Community Service Learning, self-directed learning, and reflective strategies. Fourteen students in a second-year Analytical Chemistry II lab participated in this study. Reflective exercises representing multiple modes of reflection were purposefully designed and embedded across the lab curriculum. Qualitative content analysis of data from reflective writings, scrapbook reflections, and reflective discussions demonstrates that students were able to articulate their self-directed learning from the perspective of academic enhancement, personal growth, and civic engagement in the different reflective exercises. Students indicated a high level of satisfaction, agreed that the integration of diverse continuous reflective strategies can enhance their transformative learning practice in an engaging way, and would like to continue this practice for other science laboratory courses.

A Study of the Integration of Aesthetic Practices in the System of Professional Knowledge in Higher Education in Science and Technology

A Study of the Integration of Aesthetic Practices in the System of Professional Knowledge in Higher Education in Science and Technology

Important but elusive: informal education in the context of reflection on the quality of teaching in higher education

Despite conceptual challenges in defining informal education and learning, as well as methodological difficulties in identifying clear markers of its validity, the relevance of informal education and learning in the teaching-learning environment is emphasized in this paper. Informal education is presented here from an educational-organizational standpoint and assumed to play an essential role in the context of educational quality. The article provides an understanding of selected educational and organizational features of informal education as seen through the eyes of students from three universities in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Research results indicate the existence of a significant group of students who are unaware of the content of the university's mission and values, which may affect the university culture. A significant percentage of respondents at each university do not know where to look for support in conflicts and have not heard about equality and anti-discrimination procedures. The study's findings are part of the “Enhancing Quality Teaching of Humanities and Social Sciences in Higher Education for 21+” research project funded by the Erasmus+ KA220-HED Cooperation partnership in higher education.

Global perspectives of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning science in higher education

The COVID-19 pandemic required higher education institutions to rapidly transition to Emergency Remote Instruction (ERI) with little preparation. Discussions are now underway globally to learn the lessons of COVID-19 and to use this knowledge to shape the future of learning science in higher education. In this study, we examined the experiences of instructors and students to ERI in three universities across three continents–America, Europe, and Australia. We measured the instructional strategies used by instructors including assessment types, and interaction opportunities during and outside class schedules. We also measured the learning challenges experienced by students including planning, distractions, technology, learning resources, their views on educational quality and what characterized quality interactions during ERI. Our findings suggest that most instructional strategies used by instructors changed little during ERI, although the nature of instructor and student interactions during class relied more heavily on technology. Students reported significant learning challenges which included distractions from their physical and social media environments and access to technology. Both instructors and students reported that interactions with each other and their peers were concerningly low, albeit similar to pre COVID-19 pandemic levels. There were differences in the perceptions of instructors and students on whether instructor-student interactions were better or worse online. Common among all universities, there was a large proportion of students reporting mental health and work-related stress. Lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic include ensuring more support for instructors to implement effective and equitable pedagogies and an increased recognition of the importance of practicals, and the social, interactive and hands-on aspects of learning science in higher education. We predict that the incorporation of active learning pedagogies and strategies which increase student engagement and foster a sense of belonging will be ongoing global challenges for learning science in a post COVID-19 campus.

Epistemological Deviant, Epistemic Abjection and Lost Opportunities: A Case Study of a Muslim Trans Intersex Student’s Othering and Dehumanisation in an Indian Science Classroom

This article sheds light on the registers of violence through which people from marginalised groups—especially non-normative or minoritised collectivities of gender, sex and religion—are constructed as outsiders in science higher education in India. Further, this article delineates the production and construction of a ‘normal’ sex/gender in a science classroom as distinct from a ‘biological’ sex/gender. Towards these goals, this article uses autobiographical narratives of a Muslim intersex transgender (trans) individual pursuing their masters in a science institution in Bengaluru, India, which it analyses using sociology of science and psychoanalytic lenses to articulate these mechanisms as the construction of the ‘epistemological deviant’ and the employment of ‘epistemic abjection’.

A Framework for Evaluating Distance Learning of Environmental Science in Higher Education using Multi-Criteria Group Decision Making

A Framework for Evaluating Distance Learning of Environmental Science in Higher Education using Multi-Criteria Group Decision Making

Writing Castelessly

Abstract This article combines historical and life-writing approaches to demonstrate how caste is made invisible in histories and structures of education, canonical knowledge, and research. As a dominant-caste (savarna) Bengali academic, the author follows caste-oppressed feminists to offer a methodological intervention that challenges several ways in which castelessness is reproduced in feminist scholarship. The author asks why savarna write castelessly. “Writing castelessly,” wherein caste reflexivity is absented from analysis, solidarity, and teaching, is one manifestation of savarna feminists’ historical-material relation to caste. Narrating regional caste histories of savarna Bengalis, the author shows that her practice of writing castelessly is founded on material structures of power—historically claimed monopolies over culture and education, land, labor, and political representation. Relatedly, another reason savarna write castelessly is that disciplinary training in social sciences in higher education taught the author to think, feel, read, and write castelessly. Finally, the author traces the reproduction of these disciplinary structures in her scholarship. Ultimately, this self-critique grounded in historical and material relations of caste seeks a feminist readership invested in public accountability and denaturalizing Brahminical merit in academia.

The Critical Role of Understanding Epistemic Practices in Science Teaching Using Wicked Problems

AbstractWicked problems have been characterised by their high epistemological and axiological complexities. These are the kinds of problems that may invade our classrooms because many of them concern many stakeholders, including our students. Several approaches have been developed to address wicked problems in various contexts. However, little is known about how they may translate into educational research and practice. This paper proposes a conceptual framework in which wicked problems are analysed from their ontological, epistemological, and ethical commitments. Subsequently, they are framed within post-normal science, drawing on critical discourse in science studies and science education. Chief to the arguments is a focus on epistemic practices that are strongly anchored in but also extend from disciplinary science and engineering education. Implications for research and practice in higher science education are presented.

Attitudes towards science in higher education: Validation of questionnaire among science teacher candidates and engineering students in Indonesia

In higher education, academic success and failure can be affected by students' affective states, such as their attitudes towards courses and learning. Many studies highlight the role of attitudes in the educational process resulting in a high demand for attitude assessments to plan comprehensive instructional strategies. The present study assessed and compared attitudes towards science in higher education. A total of 296 Indonesian undergraduate students from science teacher training and engineering majors participated in this study by completing the online Attitudes Towards Science Questionnaire (ATSQ). The validation analysis with confirmatory factor analysis and the Rasch model was performed to measure the instrument's properties resulting in a good fit model for the questionnaire's theoretical construct with acceptable individual fit items. Comparing the attitudes of science teacher candidates and engineering students, no significant differences were found in attitude towards science. Both groups revealed moderate attitudes, with higher responses to the science value variable, followed by enjoyment and confidence, anxiety and difficulty, and participation in science learning and activities. However, there were differences in the pattern of correlations between the variables, especially for anxiety and difficulty. The ATSQ has good psychometric properties and therefore can be used in research to assess attitudes towards science. It can stimulate further research in different contexts to confirm empirical evidence and promote attitude development in higher education.

Citizen Science in Australian Higher Education: Emerging Learning and Research Communities

Citizen science, though well established in Australia has not yet found wide use in tertiary science education. We offer case studies to illustrate that Citizen Science approaches are slowly being adopted and we highlight the spectrum of experiences in higher education from undergraduate to alumni. Courses that integrate citizen science methods tend to focus on the involvement of students in scientific research. More recently, however, citizen science theories and practice have been explicitly taught, empowering students to bring a critical lens to citizen science approaches in addition to contributing to scientific research. Integrative citizen science approaches can draw together research and teaching in higher education. When combined, these authentic learning experiences provide opportunities for students to practice contemporary science as part of new and emerging research frameworks. This article draws together citizen science initiatives from Australian universities. We discuss the benefits of immersive citizen science projects for learning, the potential of citizen science to connect campuses with community, and the importance of critical approaches to citizen science in a pedagogical setting. We consider ways to shape citizen science in higher education settings to broaden inclusion in science both on and beyond campuses.