Science Education System Research Articles

Bhutanese Primary Science Teachers’ Epistemic Beliefs of Science

AbstractEpistemic beliefs of science (EBS) are considered to have a strong influence on how science teachers view science itself and carry out science teaching. To this end, Bhutanese primary science teachers, as much as secondary science teachers, are expected to possess sophisticated EBS. While this is one of the aims of the Bhutanese science education system, there is little to no information regarding Bhutanese primary science teachers’ EBS. Hence, this cross-sectional study examined EBS held by primary science teachers from three districts in Bhutan. One hundred and ninety-five (N = 195) primary science teachers took part in the study using a total population sampling design. Data collected using the Epistemic Beliefs of Science Questionnaire (EBSQ) were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Findings revealed that Bhutanese primary science teachers from three districts in Bhutan held naive EBS in several aspects of source, certainty, development, and justification dimensions of scientific knowledge. The chi-square test of independence (χ2) revealed that there were no significant relationships between Bhutanese primary science teachers’ EBS and their teaching background (p > .05). The one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA), while showed significant differences in certainty dimension, revealed that were no significant differences among Bhutanese primary science teachers’ EBS in other dimensions based on their academic qualifications (p > .05). The implications of research findings to the Ministry of Education, science curriculum documents, and teacher preparation are discussed.

Curriculum Development and Teachers for Cultivating OECD Student Agency in Japan: From an Examination of Educational Thought, Educational System, History, and Contemporary Science and Mathematics Education Practices

Curriculum Development and Teachers for Cultivating OECD Student Agency in Japan: From an Examination of Educational Thought, Educational System, History, and Contemporary Science and Mathematics Education Practices

Assessing the interplay of presentation and competency in online video examinations: a focus on health system science education

BackgroundThe integration of Health System Science (HSS) in medical education emphasizes mastery of competencies beyond mere knowledge acquisition. With the shift to online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased emphasis on Technology Enhanced Assessment (TEA) methods, such as video assessments, to evaluate these competencies. This study investigates the efficacy of online video assessments in evaluating medical students’ competency in HSS.MethodsA comprehensive assessment was conducted on first-year medical students (n = 10) enrolled in a newly developed curriculum integrating Health System Science (HSS) into the Bachelor of Medicine program in 2021. Students undertook three exams focusing on HSS competency. Their video responses were evaluated by a panel of seven expert assessors using a detailed rubric. Spearman rank correlation and the Interclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) were utilized to determine correlations and reliability among assessor scores, while a mixed-effects model was employed to assess the relationship between foundational HSS competencies (C) and presentation skills (P).ResultsPositive correlations were observed in inter-rater reliability, with ICC values suggesting a range of reliability from poor to moderate. A positive correlation between C and P scores was identified in the mixed-effects model. The study also highlighted variations in reliability and correlation, which might be attributed to differences in content, grading criteria, and the nature of individual exams.ConclusionOur findings indicate that effective presentation enhances the perceived competency of medical students, emphasizing the need for standardized assessment criteria and consistent assessor training in online environments. This study highlights the critical roles of comprehensive competency assessments and refined presentation skills in online medical education, ensuring accurate and reliable evaluations.

Reconstruction Of Primary and Secondary School Science Education System Based on Steam Education Concept

As a project-based learning model, STEAM education aims at cultivating innovative talents with interdisciplinary thinking skills. This paper will introduce the STEAM education concept into the reconstruction of our country's primary and secondary education system. The purpose is to make up for the gap between knowledge and application under traditional exam-oriented education, and to train students' exploration thinking and application of engineering technology. The STEAM education concept can handle and analyze many practical problems in real life, and it has been applied in primary and secondary school teaching. This paper introduces the teaching concept of STEAM into the learning of primary and secondary schools, so that the teaching model can be further promoted in primary and secondary schools, and at the same time it can help teachers and students to carry out innovative research and learning.

Экологическое образование школьников в системе естественнонаучного дополнительного образования

The issues of organization of ecological education of schoolchildren in the system of additional natural science education, the role of network interaction: school-university are considered. Examples of some forms of environmental and local history activities organized by students and teachers are given. Institute of Earth Sciences, Tyumen State University.

Design Thinking Strategy Integrated PjBL-STEM in Learning Program: Need Analysis to Stimulate Creative Problem-Solving Skills on Renewable Energy Topic

Currently, science education systems worldwide face global challenges, especially in anticipating the availability of renewable energy related to the Educational for Sustainable Development (ESD) theme. Problems related to reduce renewable energy reserves need special attention in education. This research is a descriptive survey that aims to determine the needs of teachers and students regarding learning programs on the topic of PjBL-STEM integrated renewable energy. Data collection used a questionnaire with 25 physics teacher and 57 high school students in Lampung Province. Based on survey results, only 40% of teachers have integrated learning programs with PjBL-STEM. In addition, it turns out that 52% of teachers and 77% of students do not know the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Then 85% of teachers and 59% of students experience problems in conducting learning on renewable energy topics, such as the lack of availability of media, tools, and teaching aids to carry out learning related to global issues, especially the case of renewable energy. In simpler terms, most teachers (82%) and students (86%) haven't used worksheets with activities to boost their Creative Problem Solving skills. Therefore, developing a learning program on PjBL-STEM integrated renewable energy is necessary

Strategies for Structuring Health Systems Science Curriculum in the Korean Medical Education: A Study Based on an Analysis of the Domestic Status of Health Systems Science Education and Case Studies of US Medical Schools

Health systems science (HSS) is recognized as the third pillar of medical education. alongside basic and clinical sciences. Today’s physicians must also be systems thinkers who are able to discern how social, economic, environmental, and technological forces influence clinical decision-making. This study aimed to propose strategies for structuring an HSS curriculum that is tailored to the Korean healthcare and medical education context. First, the authors of this study conducted a survey to identify the present curricular contents of HSS related education at Korean medical schools. Second, a needs assessment was performed to determine the necessity of HSS competencies, as well as the prerequisites for the seamless integration of HSS into the existing curriculum. Third, literature reviews on HSS education at 14 US medical schools and expert consultations was conducted. We would like to propose a set of strategic approaches, classified into two levels: comprehensive and partial restructuring of the current medical curriculum to incorporate HSS. The partial restructuring approach entails a gradual, incremental incorporation of HSS content, while maintaining the current curricular structure. In contrast, a complete overhaul of the curriculum may be ideal to build HSS as the third pillar of medical education, but its feasibility remains relatively limited. The partial reorganization approach, however, has the advantage of being highly feasible. Collaborative efforts between professors and students are imperative to collectively devise effective methods for the seamless integration of HSS into the existing curriculum.

Development and Implementation of Health Systems Science Education in the Clinical Learning Environment

Health systems science is a new medical educational field added to the traditional medical education curricula of basic and clinical sciences. Health systems science emphasizes a more comprehensive approach utilizing systems thinking to care for patients, including interactions between multiple healthcare systems. In this review, I explore how health systems science education can be applied when medical instructors teach students in clinical clerkships through representative case studies. This study first looks at examples of health systems science education in clinical clerkship in the United States and suggests how to develop the curriculum of health systems science for clinical learning environments in Korea by combining Kotter’s 8-step change management model and Kern’s 6-step curriculum development model. Finally, based on practical examples from actual clinical practice education situations, suggestions are made regarding how to develop the entire educational program of a medical school from the stage of applying health systems science at the individual level to clinical practice education.

The Concept of Health Systems Science and Educational Needs in the Korean Context

Physicians should be able to address health-related issues of patients and populations from a multidimensional perspective. Therefore, medical schools have a social responsibility to develop and implement curricula that enable trainees to acquire the competencies needed to improve all aspects of patient care and healthcare delivery. This study explored the concept of health systems science concept as the third pillar of medical education (the other two are basic science and clinical medicine) in the Korean context, as well as related educational needs. The theoretical foundation of health systems science is the biopsychosocial conceptual model, which emphasizes the biological, psychological, and social factors surrounding patients. We concluded that the three domains (core functional, foundational, linking) and 12 subcategories of health systems science proposed by the Association of American Medical Colleges could be applied to Korean medical education. Health systems science education must be emphasized to solve the various healthcare problems facing Korea today and to train physicians to provide medical services in line with society’s needs. Introducing a health systems science curriculum will be challenging in the Korean medical environment, which has traditionally emphasized basic science and clinical medical education. Health systems science education should begin in the basic medical education phase, where physicians’ professional identity is formed, and continue through graduate medical education. It is essential to understand related educational needs, develop curricular content, conduct faculty development programs, and provide financial resources for the development of an integrated curriculum.

Impacts of integrating engineering design process into STEM makerspace on renewable energy unit to foster students’ system thinking skills

Currently, science education systems around the world are faced with global challenges, especially in anticipating environmental changes related to sustainable development programs. Complex system problems related to climate change, reduced fossil-based energy reserves, and social environmental problems that have an impact on the economy have made stakeholders aware of the Education for Sustainability Development (ESD) program. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of STEM-PBL integrated Engineering Design Process (EDP) in renewable energy learning units to improve students' system thinking skills. The quantitative experimental research with a non-equivalent control group design was conducted on 67 high school students in XI grades. The results showed that the performance of students who were taught with STEM-EDP was better than students who studied with traditional STEM learning approach. In addition, this learning strategy also encourages students to be actively involved in every EDP process so that they show good performance in mind-on and hands-on activities which have an impact on increasing students' system thinking abilities. Furthermore, the STEM-EDP learning is implemented to develop students' ability to design through applied technology and engineered activities, paying special attention to design-based theory. It does not require students and teachers to prepare super-sophisticated technology, because the integration of technology in this learning design used cheap, simple and ‘easy to find’ equipments, to create more meaningful learning packages. In the critical pedagogy, STEM-PBL integrated EDP can be used to systematically foster students' STEM literacy and thinking skills through the engineering design thinking process, thus expanding students' cognitive building and perspectives in reducing the routine in conventional pedagogy.

The Comparison of Hungarian and Indonesian Curriculum: A Case Study of ISCED 2 Mathematics and Sciences Curriculum

In the twenty-first century, there has been significant and rapid advancement in mathematics and science education. Comparing the educational systems of different countries according to international standards can provide valuable insights for improving educational quality. This study aims to investigate and compare the science and mathematics education systems of two countries, Indonesia and Hungary, specifically at the ISCED 2 level. The Indonesian curriculum used in this study is the most recent version of Curriculum 2013, updated in 2016, while the Hungarian curriculum used is the National Core Curriculum 2020 (NCC). This research is categorized as library research and applies the qualitative descriptive-analytical method. We searched several legal documents of curriculums from both countries in libraries, legal websites, formal institutions, and the archives of the ministries of education. After finding the relevant documents, the authors from each country translated, analyzed, and reviewed them thoroughly. According to the findings, several differences between the two educational systems might generate drawbacks. In Hungary, both science and mathematics curricula are empirical-based and involve activities, whereas in Indonesia, they start from new activities and are content-based. There are also several disjoint topics in mathematics between both countries, such as absolute value and quadratic equations. In Indonesia, science education is focused on biology topics as the main proportion of knowledge and is theoretical-oriented, while in Hungary, it is more varied in topics and is realistic and empirical-oriented. The Hungarian science curriculum is also emphasized on inquiry and experimental activities. To further investigate and compare the education systems, more studies are needed at every level of education.

Flipped Learning Model: An Effective Approach to Primary School STEM Education

As early as 1986, the US National Science Board published Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education, which is regarded as the initiation of STEM education (NSB, 1986). In October 2005, the National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Center jointly submitted to the Congress of the United States Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, a report that put forward relevant recommendations to promote STEM education (Bybee, 2010). In October 2007, the US National Science Board issued A National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the US Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System, proposing to expand STEM education from colleges to primary and secondary schools (NSB, 2007). In 2009, former President of the United States, Barack Obama, emphasized the need for the nation to prioritize the development of STEM education. Since then, the US federal government has heavily invested in STEM education research across all levels, from kindergarten through higher education. Educational communities in other countries have also begun researching and implementing STEM education practices. Numerous studies and extensive practice have demonstrated the potential of STEM education in promoting students’ cognitive development, enhancing their critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity skills, as well as improving their emotional and spiritual well-being.

How do universities’ organizational characteristics, management strategies, and culture influence academic research collaboration? A literature review and research agenda

AbstractIn the contemporary science and higher education system, national and supranational governments fund and foster universities to collaborate through specific funding lines and competition in World University Rankings, making it indispensable for universities to demonstrate collaboration at the organizational level. Thus, universities strive to encourage their scientific members to collaborate – and to different degrees – facilitate forms of collaboration. Questions on how universities as organizations influence academic research collaboration arise. To go beyond the existing literature, this study firstly develops an analytical two-dimensional framework organizing the literature on four levels of investigation (meta, macro, meso, micro). Based on this framework, the paper presents a literature review of the current state of the art in academic research collaboration. Secondly, the paper establishes a research agenda by synthesizing organizational influences found as organizational characteristics, management strategies, and organizational culture and presents three research avenues for future research. The paper concludes that we have only just begun to study the organizational influences of universities (especially the organizational culture) on academic research collaboration and how these organizational categories are interrelated.

Science communication: The link to enable enquiry-based learning in under-resourced schools

Improving skills in STEM disciplines has been identified as essential in meeting South Africa’s economic growth targets. Despite this, learner uptake and completion rates within these subjects is currently well below international standards. We therefore examined key stages within the science education system to identify factors contributing to the low throughput in science education. We reviewed how national science policy changes have impacted the curriculum and teaching practices across different education establishments and socio-economic groups. We highlight that 80% of public schools have a lack of resources for practical learning, making it difficult for teachers to implement enquiry-based teaching methods. We explored strategies for effective engagement with science from the science communication literature and present recommendations to improve learner engagement with science in under-resourced school settings. Whilst education reform is needed at a national scale, we make a case for using science communication practices in science classes as a more immediate solution to generate greater interest and understanding, and encourage learners to pursue careers in science.Significance: We examined key challenges in the science education and training pipeline in South Africa and recommend the use of science communication practices to design resources to enhance science teaching and learning in under-resourced schools. Exploring ways of integrating informal learning tools into schools could be a simple approach to improve science teaching and learning in developing countries such as South Africa where infrastructural deficit poses a longer-term barrier to learning.

Introduction of America's Health Systems Science Education and Its Criticism.

Recently, Korean medical education circles have proposed a fullscale introduction of America's health systems science to replace the existing medical humanities education in Korea. The so-called Flexner education system, formed in the early 20th century, was centered on basic and clinical sciences. America's health systems science education was introduced to supplement the system. The full-scale introduction of health systems science has been promoted, mainly by the Korean Association of Medical Colleges. However, it does not fit into the current circumstance of Korean medical education circles. It is deemed that there are political reasons behind the push - the alignment of interests between the medical education circles and the government. This study first examined the social and cultural circumstances behind the emergence of health systems science in America, focusing on pragmatism, a native American ideology, to critique the background of the introduction of the American system. It also discussed the negative aspects of pragmatism in American medical education in the cases of American educators Ralph Tyler and Abraham Flexner. Then, it specifically examined the background and reasons for introducing America's health systems science to Korea and discussed the problems of directly introducing the health systems science to Korea without any adaptation process through a comparative analysis with existing medical humanities. Finally, it suggested a more desirable adaptation form of health systems science that can be considered for its implementation in Korea.

SKILLS, ABILITIES, BELIEFS: HIGHEST LEVELS COMPETENCES AND OUTLOOK OF THE INDIVIDUAL

The multi-disciplinarily of STEM-integration innovations of the modern system of natural science education focuses on effective and high-quality formation of the future specialist through the prism of the formation of one’s own author’s credo as an essential indicator of his competence and worldview. Since the end of the 1990s, the problem of improving the quality of education of specialists in the field of natural sciences has become quite relevant in the educational policy of many European countries. Experience [3–13; 15; 17–22] confirms: the reform of science education on the basis of competency-based and worldview approaches can be fully resolved only under the condition of a comprehensive understanding of this problem, which involves updating state standards (learning content and educational environment), curricula, textbooks, manuals, tools, practical training etc. The formation of an individual’s natural and scientific competence takes place in the process of his mastering a set of sciences that study nature and its laws. STEM-integration of education prompts modern multi-disciplinarily to the need to optimize the process of solving the problem of managing the competence-viewpoint formation of a future specialist of any profile. The publication proves that the development of the New Ukrainian School focuses on the implementation of technologies of binary goal orientations (a specific academic discipline + its teaching method) as a means of forming a holistic natural and scientific credo of an individual: ensuring the readiness of a teenager, a young person, a specialist of any profile to study throughout all life and mastering the experience of mankind regarding the creation and use of high technologies in all possible scientific and industrial spheres of safe innovative human activity.

Visualising trends in computational thinking research from 2012 to 2021: A bibliometric analysis

Using the analytical tool CiteSpace, this review study conducted a bibliometric analysis of the characteristics of 249 studies on Computational Thinking (CT) indexed in the Web of Science from 2012 to 2021. The multi-dimensional analytical approach provided a holistic view of the scope of CT research and its progression,and enabled the major topics, themes, disciplinary domains, and prominent authors, institutes, countries/regions, and papers to be identified. Based on the general descriptive data analysis, the results showed that CT has gained increasing influence as a field of research over the past decade. A clustering analysis of the retrieved keywords showed that the development of CT in K-12 education was the most frequently discussed topic. The co-occurrence knowledge maps identified the 11 main research themes and their progress. The research was from a wide spectrum of disciplines including education, science education, computer science, interdisciplinary application, psychology, engineering, and information systems. The highest co-citations were found in the journals of Communication of the ACM, Computers and Education, and Computers in Human Behaviors. The researchers, institutes, and countries/regions that have made the most significant contributions to CT research and the 10 most highly cited CT studies were also identified. Overall, the findings of this review study indicate the paths for future research on developing CT in the classroom.

Reviewing Science Education Research in Socioculture Perspective

In order to ensure that our country is able to provide enough human capital in the future, Malaysia is striving hard to improve the quality of its science education system. Various strategies have been regulated but still, the percentage of students taking science stream keeps dropping each year. Thus, science education scholars need to focus their attention by examining the impact of socioculture factor on students' interest in science. This article reviews a few socioculture point of views which affect science education progress. It discusses the pros and contras that arise when modern science that originates from the west clashes with the culture, traditions and beliefs of non-western students. This study is important to ensure that the human capital produced by our education system is capable of competing at the global stage without sacrificing our identity, beliefs and cultural heritage.

Advocacy for Health Justice: An Innovative Pilot Course for MD and Master of Public Policy Students

Problem : U.S. medical schools are searching for ways to address issues of health justice in undergraduate medical education. Physicians have not typically received training in how to be effective advocates for systemic change and individuals in policy fields are not usually equipped to understand the complex issues of health science and their intersection with the health system and society. To address this gap, medical school faculty partnered with school of public policy faculty on a collaborative learning model that engaged MD and Master of Public Policy students together to strengthen their collective knowledge of the healthcare landscape, and to build skills to work for health justice. Intervention: We hypothesized that pairing medical students with public policy students to learn about the intersections of health justice and advocacy could enhance the efficacy of each group and provide a new model of collaboration between medical and policy professionals. The students collaborated on a health justice advocacy project through which they provided consultation to an established community organization. Context : The 8-week course took place in the spring of 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Due to Covid-19 the course was taught online and included asynchronous learning modules and live Zoom sessions. The project also served as a pilot for the post-clerkship phase of a new longitudinal health justice curriculum for MD students that launched in August 2021. Impact : Analysis of student work products, course evaluations, partner interviews, and student focus groups showed that students valued learning through their interdisciplinary collaborative work which gave them new perspectives on health justice issues. The community partners indicated that the students consultative work products were useful for their initiatives, and that they found working with MD and MPP students to be a valuable way to think about how to build stronger and more inclusive coalitions to advocate for health justice. This project has the potential for national impact as it aligns with the Association of American Medical Colleges’ renewed focus on the responsibility of academic medicine to partner with communities for health justice. The project also contributed to the national conversation on how to align health systems science education with the aims of health justice through our participation in the American Medical Association Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium. Lessons Learned : Leveraging faculty relationships with community partners was crucial for developing meaningful projects for students. Cultivating and expanding community partner networks is necessary to sustain and scale up this type of intervention. Centering the needs of communities and supporting their on-going work for health justice is essential for becoming an effective advocate. Learning communities that bring interdisciplinary students, healthcare providers, policy professionals, and community partners together to learn from one another can create key opportunities for ameliorating health inequities.

Incorporation of Nature’s Design and Development in Higher Science Education Curriculum Design and Research Practice

The incorporation of nature’s design and development in the higher science education system and research practice is emphasized to foster improved awareness of foundational skills in molecular biology among learners. Multiple perspectives through the prism of global interest in molecular biology will have a huge ripple effect throughout the world of science while protecting the environment and preserving the ecosystem. Steps in the right and exciting directions could enhance the ability to carry out solution-focused and productive research activities on various topics in this interdisciplinary area and eventually result in new costeffective technologies, technology commercialization, and practical applications. It is clear that in the long run, the benefits of research practice will have a significant positive impact on society.