Science Curriculum Research Articles

Cultivating partnerships to incorporate health promotion modules into primary school curricula: a case study in France

School-based health promotion (HP) emerged from the settings-based approach. Children from disadvantaged neighborhoods benefit from HP in their school. Teachers deliver HP modules but need additional resources. This case study aimed to form a transdisciplinary partnership in a socially disadvantaged area to co-develop and embed HP modules into existing curricula. A 3-stage framework was used in this study. Stage 1 cultivated partnerships, reviewed evidence and existing data. Stage 2 generated ideas and co-developed HP modules. Stage 3 trialed the modules within primary school classrooms. Stage 1 resulted in a partnership between city authorities, a primary school and a comprehensive cancer center all located in the same community in France. The reviewed data and evidence provided 18 examples of school-based HP programs and showed that the school is in a highly disadvantaged neighborhood with a large immigrant population. Stage 2 developed 3 HP modules: “Taste and Science Week,” “Nutrition Weeks,” and “Breakfast Week,” each embedded as add-ins into existing math and science lessons and workshops. Finally, stage 3 trialed the modules in 10 first to fifth grade classrooms impacting 214 total students. Transdisciplinary partnerships help co-create and support evidence-driven HP programs. This collaborative approach enabled primary school teachers to effectively embed the HP modules into pre-existing math and science curricula. Families and volunteers are an integral part of successful HP programs however, limited participation was a challenge. Further research is needed to evaluate indicators such as student academic success and health behavior change.

Secondary science teachers' conceptualizations and modifications to support equitable participation in a co‐designed computational thinking lesson

AbstractIncreasing access to computational ideas and practices is one important reason to integrate computational thinking (CT) in science classrooms. While integrating CT into science classrooms broadens exposure to computing, it may not be enough to ensure equitable participation in the science classroom. Equitable participation is crucial because providing students with an environment in which they are able to fully engage and participate in science and computing practices empowers students to learn and continue pursuing CT and science. To foreground equitable participation in CT‐integrated curricula, we undertook a research project in which researchers and teachers examined teacher conceptualizations of equitable participation and how teachers design for equitable participation by modifying a lesson that introduces computational modeling in science. The following research questions guided the study: (1) What are teachers' conceptualizations of equitable participation? (2) How do teachers design for equitable participation through co‐design of a CT‐integrated unit? Our findings suggest that teachers conceptualized and designed for equitable participation in the context of a CT‐integrated curriculum across three primary dimensions: accessibility, inclusion, and relevancy. Our contributions to the field of science teaching and learning are twofold: (1) obtaining an initial understanding of how teachers think about and design for equitable participation is crucial in order to support teachers in their pursuit of creating equitable learning experiences for CT and science learners, and (2) our findings show that we can study teacher conceptualizations and their design choices by examining specific modifications to a CT‐integrated science curriculum. Implications are discussed.

Sustainable restoration: addressing critical challenges through university‐led projects

The urgency to restore ecosystems amid climate change and biodiversity loss has led to widespread engagement in habitat restoration projects. However, many projects fall short of their goals, highlighting the need for innovation. We use a case study at our university to explore how the integration of habitat restoration into university curricula might address some of the major challenges to long‐term restoration success. We demonstrate how integration with university activities could help address three key challenges in restoration: insufficient planning and monitoring, limited community engagement, and lack of long‐term funding. Our approach demonstrates how involving students and faculty in restoration projects can enhance adaptive management by including these efforts in science curricula, foster community participation through volunteer engagement, and reduce costs through volunteer efforts and collaboration with campus entities. These findings suggest that universities can play a vital role in advancing ecological restoration, benefiting both society and the environment.

Investigation of the Items Prepared by Teachers Who Received Training on Item Preparation Measuring Higher-Order Thinking Skills

This study was conducted to determine how the in-service training program for science teachers affects teachers' competencies in preparing items measuring higher order learning levels. The study was conducted with the exploratory special case design, which is one of the special case study models. The study group consisted of 8 science teachers who participated in the training program implemented within the scope of the study. The training program is an 8-week question preparation training that measures higher-order thinking skills. The training was carried out theoretically and practically by science education, assessment and evaluation and curriculum experts. During the study, the teachers prepared items to measure higher order thinking skills related to the Earth and Universe learning area in the science curriculum for six months. A 21-item checklist developed by the researcher was used as a data collection tool in the study. The data obtained in the scope of the program were analyzed descriptively. The analyses were reported as frequency and percentage, and the results were visualised with graphs. At the end of the program, it was determined that 43% of the items prepared by the teachers measured higher-order thinking skills. This finding suggests that the training program positively affected the teachers' competence in writing items that measure higher-order thinking skills. At the end of the study, a fair number of suggestions were made, the most important being the widespread implementation of the training program.

Evaluation of a school-based health promotion intervention in a resource-constrained community

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of a school-based health promotion intervention that was implemented in three primary schools in a resource-constrained community in Bronkhorstspruit, South Africa, among Grade 4 to 6 learners. I accordingly investigated the learners’, teachers’ and parents’ experiences, perceptions and potential behavioural changes in terms of healthy food practices after the implementation of the Win-LIFE (Wellness in Lifestyle, Intake, Fitness and Environment) intervention. The study forms part of a broader institutional project. I followed an evaluation research design, applying Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) principles, an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative approach. The conceptual framework was based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) bio-ecological theory and Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive learning theory. A purposeful sample of 31 learners, 18 teachers and 31 parents participated in PRA-based data-generation and documentation activities. In addition, I used observation-as-context-of-interaction, field notes, research diaries and audio-visual techniques. In terms of results, the teacher-participants valued the PRA-based nature and their involvement as partners in developing and implementing the intervention. They also perceived the intervention as valuable to others, experienced some challenges during the implementation and made certain recommendations for future implementation. The parent-participants indicated that they gained knowledge about healthy food practices because of the Win-LIFE intervention. They started applying their newly gained knowledge yet required additional guidelines. Finally, the learner-participants’ experiences (reported as part of two master’s studies) of the enriched Life Skills curriculum (Bentley, 2016) and Natural Sciences and Technology curriculum (De Vos, 2017) were positive. They valued the experiential and cooperative learning approach and supportive facilitators, resulting in positive learning outcomes and their application of the newly gained knowledge, despite some challenges they identified. The findings thus indicate that the Win-LIFE intervention was valuable to teachers, learners and parents, increasing their awareness of, as well as their knowledge and skills regarding healthy eating practices (food choice, production, preparation and storage) and healthy living, thereby enabling them to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Furthermore, the teachers’ repertoire ofteaching strategies was extended. The learners, on the other hand, began to engage in their own learning more actively, based on the confidence, discipline and ability that they gained to retain information. Learners also transferred their knowledge and skills to their parents and other family members.

Strengthening science education in basic education through a professional development program on participatory action research for science teachers

Science education empowers individuals with critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as creativity which drive sustainable development, social progress, and economic growth. Unfortunately, the basic education science curriculum does not seem to prepare students to become scientifically literate for a number of reasons. Toward this vein, this calls for science teachers to be creative being at the forefront of implementing science education curriculum successfully. One mechanism to draw out their creativity is to mentor and engage them in participatory action research. Hence, a four-year professional development program for science teachers aimed at designing, implementing, and publishing participatory action research project was introduced to them by specialists from a higher education institution as their community extension project. The program consisted of mentoring on action research problem conceptualization until publication of teachers' project, continuous monitoring, and feedbacking to support their progress. Guskeys' (2000) five level evaluation model for professional development program effectiveness serves as the guiding framework for evaluation. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from the participating science teachers of the school. It started with conducting an initial assessment of their action research skills as basis of the proposed professional development program on participatory action research. At the end of the program, the teachers disseminated their project in a reputable science education journal. The four-year professional development program resulted to a robust impact in all five levels of Guskey's evaluation model, namely: teachers' reactions, teachers' learning, organization support and change, teachers' use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning outcomes. The success of this program highlights the importance of sustained, collaborative, and research-oriented professional development program in form of action research mentoring. Moreover, the outcomes of the study suggest the need for a professional development program evaluation framework that will facilitate the evaluation of the program effectiveness.

A PBL strategy for incorporating 3D cell culture into the classrooms of undergraduate biotechnology engineering students

ABSTRACT Background In Mexico, the undergraduate curriculum in biological, biomedical and related sciences only gives hands-on experience in 2D cell culture due to its low cost and ease of implementation. These traditional lecture-based cell culture courses are often limited to routine learning methods and fail to demonstrate alternative culture strategies that would be needed to realistically mimic the processes occurring within the human body and be used to solve relevant medical problems. The use of 3D cell culture, on the other hand, makes it possible to recreate a microenvironment similar to that of living tissue, which is extremely useful for physicochemical studies. Moreover, the incorporation of problem-based learning (PBL) techniques to teach 3D cell culture has the potential to greatly enhance student learning. Purpose The objective of the work herein was to evaluate the success of implementing a 3D cell culture technique using the PBL method of teaching. Sample In this pilot study, eight students attended a traditionally structured cell culture course to learn cell culture techniques (control group), and six students were taught using a PBL model. Design and methods The activities were carried out either with the guidance of an instructor (traditional learning) or through an autonomous search for information (PBL).3D cell culture and scaffold printing exercises were incorporated into the course schedule, fostering in our students the ability to solve real world problems within a team. Results With the PBL teaching method, students displayed a slight tendency to better interpret and discuss their results (P = 0.436). Conclusion This pilot study highlights the usefulness of self-learning through a PBL system and warrants larger-scale research to better examine the potential benefits of incorporating a PBL strategy for teaching 3D cell culture in undergraduate biotechnology engineering laboratories.

Educational Robotics and Preservice Teachers: STEM Problem-Solving Skills and Self-Efficacy to Teach

Integrating STEM education within the elementary school science curriculum in Ontario, Canada, elevated the expectation for elementary preservice teachers to teach STEM skills such as problem-solving through coding. Research shows that educational robotics can promote STEM knowledge and skills. This mixed methods study investigates the effect of an educational robotics intervention on preservice teachers’ STEM problem-solving skills and their self-efficacy to teach with educational robotics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data sources included a pre- and post­questionnaire on problem-solving, a pre- and post- self-efficacy teaching questionnaire, a problem-solving worksheet, and transcripts of group interactions. Quantitative findings were statistically significant for preservice teachers’ self-efficacy to teach with educational robotics (large effect size) and for problem-solving competencies (small effect size). Using a STEM problem-solving framework, two preservice teacher group interactions were analysed. Qualitative findings indicated that preservice teachers exhibited similar problem-solving processes as STEM experts, but preservice teachers’ prior STEM knowledge limited the types of decisions considered at the problem-solving stages. The study provides an example of how preservice teachers’ self-efficacy to teach with educational robotics was developed within a science education course and lends unique insights into the problem-solving processes these preservice teacher groups engaged in.

The Effect of an Educational Program on the Knowledge and Attitude of Medical Sciences Students About Social Determinants of Health in Iranian University Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Given the importance of social determinants on health outcomes, training medical sciences students in addressing social determinants of health can enhance their effectiveness and social accountability. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an educational program on the knowledge and attitude of medical sciences students regarding social determinants of health. Using a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design, this study selected 200 students from a medical university in Iran through simple random sampling. A tailored educational intervention, grounded in the conceptual framework for action on social determinants of health, was implemented. To assess the program's effect, data were collected using a validated questionnaire that measured the students' knowledge and attitudes towards social determinants of health both at baseline (pretest) and 1 month following the intervention (posttest). The application of the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test revealed a significant increase in the median scores for knowledge and attitude postintervention. Specifically, the posttest median scores were significantly elevated compared to the pretest knowledge score (Z = -11.89, p < 0.001) and attitude score (Z = -11.60, p < 0.001). This indicates that the educational intervention significantly improved the students' knowledge and attitudes concerning social determinants of health. The study outcomes suggest that educational interventions focused on social determinants of health effectively improve students' knowledge and attitudes. We recommend integrating such programs into the medical sciences curriculum and experiential training. By doing so, we can better prepare future healthcare professionals to address social determinants of health-related issues. This approach has the potential to reduce health disparities and also addresses broader social challenges affecting population health.

Artificial Intelligence Technology Embedded in High School Science Learning: A Study of Teacher Perception

This study examines teachers' perceptions and acceptance of using artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the teaching of Sciences (IPA) in Vocational High Schools (SMK). Based on quantitative and qualitative data, the results indicate that the understanding and use of AI in teaching are still limited. Quantitative data were collected through a structured questionnaire to assess teachers' knowledge, confidence, and AI usage frequency, while qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews exploring their views and challenges. Although some teachers see the great potential of AI in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes, various obstacles such as lack of training and technological infrastructure hinder optimal implementation. This articles also offers strategic recommendations for integrating AI into the science curriculum in vocational schools. Although AI has significant potential in vocational science education, its effective implementation is hindered by limited teacher training and infrastructure, necessitating strategic improvements to fully leverage AI's benefits in schools.

Exploring Food Processing in Natural Science Education: Practical Applications and Pedagogical Techniques

Food processing is an essential link in the chain that connects agricultural production with consumer nutrition and safety. This paper attempts to discuss how effectively food processing can be integrated into the curriculum of natural sciences to further the understanding of students about scientific principles through practical applications. Discussion of relevance to food processing prepares the ground for biology, chemistry, and environmental science, focusing on such core processes as fermentation, pasteurization, and conservation. This paper outlines how reviewing successful strategies and case studies, concept concretization of science is realized through practical activities and interdisciplinary projects, and larger goals are achieved in education for sustainability, food safety, and healthier eating. Besides, it underscores the place of technology and innovation through digital tools and virtual simulation in making the lessons interactive for the students in a career-oriented manner. The article concludes with the following practical suggestions for educators and advocates of the partnership among schools, industry, and community toward an enriched education preparing students with vocational skills.

Student Interest Drives Modernization of Climate Science Curriculum: Engaging with Community Partners Outside the Classroom

Abstract As climate change continues to accelerate, there is a growing need for collaboration between geoscientists and community partners to co-create equitable science-based climate solutions that align with community priorities. However, the curriculum of many geoscience Ph.D. programs focus almost exclusively on physical science knowledge production confined to the academic sphere with little attention to usability or applications of climate information to decision-making. A consequence is that there is often little educational support to train future generations of geoscientists with the skills needed to serve as knowledge brokers and interpret climate information into the context needed for decision-making. To address this, a group of students and faculty at the University of Michigan developed a pilot course to provide hands-on experience engaging with local communities to develop climate solutions. This project involved a collaboration with the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner's Office to discuss their high-priority objectives. The inaugural project involved identifying high-priority locations in Washtenaw County for rain garden development to be used for internal planning purposes. The process of recurring communications with partners played a critical role in tailoring the project to have ongoing use for local government after the course. This project provided a student driven bridge between climate knowledge production, climate science usability and community engagement. This type of formal engagement with community partners provides opportunities to train the next generation of geoscientists to have the skills to engage with practitioners and decision-makers and make climate science more accessible.

A Survey Study on the Current Status of Professionalism of Elementary School Science Teachers in Changsha County

As the main participants in the teaching of science curriculum, the professionalism of elementary school science teachers is very important to the teaching work of teachers, the scientific literacy of students as well as the reform and development of science education. Therefore, the professional literacy of elementary school science teachers in Changsha County was thoroughly researched and analyzed from three aspects: professional affective literacy, professional knowledge literacy and professional ability literacy. Through the questionnaire survey and interviews, it was found that some science teachers have the problems of lack of professional affective literacy, single knowledge structure and low professional ability literacy. These problems are mainly attributed to the teachers’ weak sense of professional development, the limitations of curriculum teaching and implementation ability, the schools’ insufficient attention to the science curriculum, and the insufficient investment in education funding. To address these problems, this paper proposes optimization paths such as clarifying development goals, strengthening practice reflection, deepening the learning and application of the new curriculum standards, raising the importance of science curriculum teaching, and increasing the investment in science education. Through these measures, we aim to enhance the professionalism of elementary school science teachers, improve the quality of teaching, cultivate students’ scientific literacy, and promote the sustainable development of science education.

The impact of a block-based visual programming curriculum: Untangling coding skills and computational thinking

Backgroundand Context: Computer programming is increasingly being taught to young children worldwide. Quality programming curricula are needed to enable students to explore computer science concepts and develop a positive attitude towards programming. However, few studies have been conducted on the available curricula for young learners. ObjectiveThis study aims to provide an evidence-based, public, and free computer science curriculum for early childhood education by investigating the efficacy of the CAL-ScratchJr curriculum, among second graders. MethodA cluster-randomized controlled trial involving 11 schools and 21 second-grade classrooms was conducted to examine the impact of the 24-lesson curriculum on students’ coding proficiency and computational thinking. FindingsThe results indicated that the CAL-ScratchJr curriculum intervention had a medium positive effect on second graders’ coding skills, but no significant impact on computational thinking. ImplicationsResults caution against incorporating disconnected abstract computational thinking practices in education. The features of the curriculum were discussed.

EXPLORING LOCAL WISDOM VALUES OF SOUTH NIAS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CONSERVATION-BASED SCIENCE CURRICULUM

This study aims to explore the local wisdom values of the Nias Selatan community and investigate the potential integration of these values into a conservation-based Science curriculum. The method employed is literature study, which includes the analysis of documents, articles, and relevant sources regarding local wisdom and environmental education. The results indicate that the local wisdom of Nias Selatan, such as sustainable agricultural practices and marine resource management, embodies important values that align with conservation principles. Integrating these values into the Science curriculum can not only enhance students' understanding of the environment but also foster a caring attitude towards sustainability. Despite challenges in implementation, such as a lack of resources and teacher training, recommendations for the development of a conservation-based curriculum are proposed. This research is expected to contribute to efforts in environmental preservation and the development of relevant education in Nias Selatan.

Scientific Literacy in Basic Education: An Analysis of Curricula Contexts and Pre-service Teachers’ Views in Tanzania

This is an analysis of how scientific literacy (SL) is featured in the science education pipeline of Tanzania based on the SL frameworks of five arguments (economic, utility, democratic, social and cultural) and three visions (Visions I–III). It analyses four curriculum documents for science in basic education, and the views of 79 pre-service teachers collected using a questionnaire. The findings indicate that only economic and utility arguments are abundant in the curricula and pre-service teachers’ responses. Further, the findings show that Tanzania’s basic education science curriculum largely reflects Vision I, which emphasises content and procedural knowledge. Moreover, the curriculum is highly structured, thus making it difficult for teachers and students to engage in science-related situations (Vision II). The need to cope with the pressure exerted on teachers and students by high-stakes examinations adds to this difficulty. Generally, we establish that SL is not well featured in all the curriculum documents we analysed, as the pre-service teachers’ responses confirmed. We recommend that the curriculum be reviewed to include explicit reference to SL.

From outdated to outstanding: an institution’s journey in reforming the dental materials science curriculum and lessons learned

BackgroundThe Dental Materials Science (DMS) course within Malaysian undergraduate dental education has traditionally been taught in isolation, with a relatively stagnant delivery mode. Recent shifts in national dental competency standards have necessitated substantial reform in the DMS curriculum. This study aims to outline the journey of a local dental institute in developing and implementing a competency-based DMS curriculum.MethodsA faculty curriculum task force was established to oversee the curriculum reform process. The reform was guided by a “bottom-up” approach using the five-step curriculum reform model: (1). Curriculum mapping, (2). Comprehensive needs assessment, (3). Clear learning objectives and outcomes, (4). Curriculum development and implementation, and (5). Continuous evaluation and improvement.ResultsStep 1 revealed the need to reduce content repetition and improve alignment with the new competency standards. Step 2 identified the need to include advanced materials, integrate theoretical and clinical aspects, and enhance teaching methods. The new curriculum included 25 relevant topics. Step 3 established three course learning outcomes, while Step 4 integrated DMS content horizontally and vertically across the curriculum, introduced innovative teaching methods, and diversified assessment methods. Step 5 ensured ongoing curriculum monitoring, with both short-term and long-term evaluations planned.ConclusionThe curriculum reform process represents a significant advancement in dental materials science while addressing challenges and aligning the curriculum with national standards. Ongoing evaluation, adaptability, interdisciplinary collaboration, and international engagement are essential for further improvements. This journey serves as a valuable reference for educators seeking to update their DMS curricula.

INCREASING STUDENTS’ EMPATHY LEVELS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION: A THEMATIC REVIEW

K-12 education as an enterprise always has two main aims; to teach basic skills and knowledge and to cultivate moral citizenry. There is substantial evidence that empathy can promote morality and character development through education. To shed light on what has been done and to identify the pathways already established, a thematic review of research focused on empathy development in K-12 science education has been conducted. A systematic examination of literature published before January 2024 resulted in 28 publications being analyzed in terms of their general characteristics and the specifics of the designed interventions. Results show that educational interventions can improve empathy skills; these studies use collaborative learning environments, take 3-10 weeks to implement, and the most preferred strategy is recognizing different perspectives of a given situation with reflective exercises. All of the studies reviewed positively affected students' affective and cognitive domains. For future research, more interventions designed to improve empathy skills in parallel with the science curriculum are proposed to supply teachers with new comprehensive resources to implement. Keywords: empathy development, empathy skills, science education, thematic review

SECONDARY SCHOOL PHYSICAL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ON THE PURPOSES AND GOALS OF SCIENCE TEACHING: THE PRESENCE OF CULTURAL MYTHS

Understanding why teachers teach the way they do is important especially in a time of curriculum reforms. Hence, the aim of this research is to unpack the secondary school physical science teachers’ beliefs on the purposes and goals of science teaching (PGST) and to check the alignment of their beliefs on PGST with constructivism. A convergent parallel mixed method design was employed. Scale and checklist were used to collect data on the teachers’ beliefs. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews was used to explore the teachers’ implementation of the science curriculum. Results revealed that while teachers agree with the basic tenet of constructivism, their beliefs on the PGST were traditional. Difficulties of implementing their constructivist ideas on teaching and learning reinforced the cultural myths. Length of teaching experience and actual classroom teaching hours were seen as significant factors in the development of beliefs, whereas familiarity of curriculum intentions correlate negatively with the development of constructivist beliefs. Keywords: constructivist physical science education, purposes and goals of science teaching, teachers' beliefs, cultural myths in physical science education

Examining Diversity and Equity in LIS Education: A Syllabus to Reading List Analysis

To determine how effectively the Master of Library and Information Science curriculum at Indiana University - Indianapolis is addressing the new ALA core competency related to social justice, we analyzed all the course syllabi and are now in the process of analyzing all course readings, using various text analysis methods. We found the initial review of syllabi to lack the level of granularity that would have revealed the different kinds of diversity and equity issues in the curriculum. Additionally, courses we know for certain that covered topics related to social justice, the syllabus alone indicated otherwise. For these reasons, we decided to examine the readings that comprised the entire curriculum. With 68 courses and over 3000 readings to date, gathering the data for analysis has taken several months of time. Metadata and PDFs of course readings were stored in Zotero and extracted from there for analysis. Terminology, as identified from the study that examined all ALA-accredited LIS program course descriptions, will be used to frame the textual analysis (Dill, Grote, &amp; Hardin, 2023). We will present the topics and trends identified through bibliometric analysis, topic modeling, and visual analysis of the citation data. This analysis will shed light on areas of strength and for improvement within curriculum with the goal of preparing students to effectively work in socially just library environments.