Journal of Baltic Science Education

413-414

Authors: Editorial Board

Journal of Baltic Science Education, Vol. 23, No. 3, 2024 ISSN 1648-3898 /Print/, ISSN 2538-7138 /Online/

416-420

Authors: Uladzimir Slabin

In 1995, the journal "Education and Upbringing” published my paper titled "Genealogical Method in Education and Its Computer Support." I explored the value and importance of creating and studying family trees to learn about the values and cultural heritage of one's nation. One of my more forward-thinking ideas was that, in the future, animated ancestors could interact with their descendants via computer screens. A recent search in the mentioned JBSE archive reveals 11 publications focusing on AI. As we venture further into the age of digital innovation, it is imperative for the JBSE authors to embrace the potential of AI in educational contexts while remaining vigilant about ethical considerations. The integration of AI-generated images, audio, and videos of historical figures like Linus Pauling can revolutionize our teaching methods, making science more engaging and accessible. Such innovations offer unparalleled opportunities to enrich our curriculum, provided we handle the content with care, preserving the accuracy and context of scientific achievements. Let us consider how we can collectively navigate the ethical dilemmas and leverage AI to its fullest potential in science education. Let us remain pioneers in this digital age, pushing the boundaries of what's possible while steadfastly upholding the values of truth and authenticity.

432-448

Authors: Sameera Alshorman

This study aimed to assess the readiness of Jordanian science teachers for integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in science education, focusing on their perceptions, challenges, and training needs. A quantitative survey methodology was employed, using a 35-item questionnaire distributed to 136 science teachers in urban Jordan. The questionnaire, developed and refined through expert peer review and a pilot study, encompassed demographics, attitudes towards AI, perceived benefits and challenges of AI in science teaching, self-efficacy in using AI, and behavioural intentions regarding its use. The results indicated varying teacher readiness levels, influenced by gender, educational background, and concerns over data privacy and security. While there was a general sense of optimism about the potential of AI, significant challenges related to limited resource access and insufficient professional development were identified. These results emphasized the need for targeted policy initiatives and training programs to enhance teachers' readiness for AI adoption. The study's insights contributed to understanding the facilitators and barriers to AI integration in science education, highlighting the critical role of teacher readiness in the effective utilization of AI in educational contexts.

464-475

Authors: Hlologelo Climant Khoza

The adoption of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 Pandemic brought a shift in how lecturers teach in higher education, posing a threat to the usual development of competencies in students. This study aimed to uncover the knowledge and skills backlogs experienced by pre-service teachers. The study is framed within various concepts that characterize an ideal science teacher. Using a qualitative case-study design, data were collected through interviews with nine pre-service teachers who were subjected to the ERT. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed thematically using the established framework as a lens. The findings indicate that while the science pre-service teachers acquired some technological knowledge, there was a concurrent loss of sufficient content knowledge, a crucial prerequisite for the development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Additionally, the pre-service science teachers highlighted a lack of knowledge in practical work and the specific pedagogies essential for teaching science. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of moving forward.

495-517

Authors: Shan Lin, Jian Wang

Scientific thinking constitutes a vital component of scientific competencies, crucial for citizens to adapt to the evolving societal landscape. To cultivate students’ scientific thinking, teachers should possess an adequate professional knowledge foundation, which encompasses pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Assessing teachers’ PCK of scientific thinking facilitates the development of effective curricula tailored to their continuous professional development. Despite its significance, empirical studies on biology teachers’ PCK of scientific thinking are notably lacking. Hence, this research aimed to create a reliable and valid tool to evaluate upper-secondary school biology teachers’ PCK of scientific thinking. The results showed that the instrument exhibits high reliability and good validity, affirming its efficiency for investigative purposes. A collective of 292 in-service biology teachers from upper-secondary schools participated in this investigation through the completion of an online survey. The results indicated that, overall, as well as for each component, upper-secondary school biology teachers’ performance on PCK of scientific thinking fell within the lower to middle range. Specifically, the performance levels of four components: knowledge of students (KSU), knowledge of instructional strategies (KIS), knowledge of curriculum (KC), and knowledge of assessment (KA) declined sequentially.

536-549

Authors: Ina Rajsiglová, Viktorie Poneszová, Milada Teplá

Extracurricular learning plays a key role in shaping students' interest in (not only) biology. The research examined which extracurricular areas related to biology can make biology more attractive for the participating Finnish and Czech students. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was administered to 178 Finnish and 195 Czech 9th-grade lower-secondary school students. Cronbach's alpha, Varimax rotation and Mann–Whitney U-test were performed. Factor analysis identified 7 areas: Family trips, My career, Biology lessons, Healthy lifestyle, Institutions, Nature-related hobbies, and Information sources. For Czech, hobbies related to nature and family trips are significant contributors to fostering interest in biology, and an informal educational environment is crucial for cultivating a lasting relationship with biology. For Finns, biology classes and career orientation have a more significant influence on students, demonstrating the effectiveness of formal educational strategies in increasing students' interest in biology. Increasing interest in biology among the students observed in both sociocultural environments is significantly influenced by family involvement and the use of information sources. Further research should explore how specific ECA can support the connection between family and school environments and their impact on students' interest and engagement in biology lessons.

570-587

Authors: Yajun Wei, Xiaotong Chen, Yi Zhong, Guangyi Liu, Mengjun Wang, Feipeng Pi, Changhong Li

Numerous studies compared the effectiveness of various formats of video-based teaching, yet their focus has primarily been on relatively straightforward content, such as concepts and basic procedures. Research on the effectiveness of teaching complex content through different formats of videos remains limited. This study addresses this gap by conducting a well-controlled comparison between recorded video and narrated animation in the context of teaching physics problem-solving, a challenging content area with easily measurable difficulty levels. The study employed a controlled experimental design with a sample of 361 upper secondary school students who had been randomly assigned to seven classes within a selected secondary school by the school administrator. Data were collected using pre- and post-test assessments that measured students' problem-solving performance after video-based teaching. The results indicated that the effectiveness of recorded videos featuring the teacher's face was not significantly different from that of narrated animations that did not include the teacher's face, irrespective of the content's difficulty level. These findings provide valuable insights for educators in selecting appropriate teaching formats for teaching challenging content through video-based education. They contribute to our understanding of teaching strategies and have practical implications for educators seeking to optimise teaching approaches in similar contexts.

177-178

Authors: Editorial Board

Journal of Baltic Science Education, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2024 ISSN 1648-3898 /Print/, ISSN 2538-7138 /Online/

180-186

Authors: Georgios Tsaparlis

According to Alex H. Johnstone, “most of the concepts we develop in everyday living (such as cars, trees, houses, dogs, and flowers) are based on tangible things; things we can touch, see, smell and taste. … However, concepts such as element, enzyme, atom, gas, resistance, molarity, entropy, and many others cannot be constructed directly by our senses. Some are one or even two steps removed from direct sensory perception” (Johnstone, 2007, p. 8). The famous Johnstone triangle for the physical sciences (Johnstone, 1982 ─ see Figure 1) has at one of its corners tangible things, constituting the “Macroscopic” or “Macro Level”. The two other levels that facilitate further understanding are the “Symbolic and Mathematical Level”, which involves symbols, mathematical and chemical equations, as well as graphs and calculations, and the “Submicroscopic” or “Submicro Level”, which refers to entities such as atoms and molecules, that are so tiny that we cannot observe them either directly or even with the help of a strong microscope; these entitles are objects of thought and we draw conclusions about them through logical thinking and inferences. The emphasis among the three levels varies between the physical sciences, physics and chemistry.

208-220

Authors: Pei-Yu Chen, Yuan-Chen Liu

This study explored the integration of neural networks and artificial intelligence in image recognition for object identification. The aim was to enhance students’ learning experiences through a "Learning by Teaching" approach, in which students act as instructors to train AI robots in recognizing objects. This research specifically focused on the cell division unit in the first grade of lower-secondary school. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design involving four seventh-grade classes in a rural lower-secondary school. The experimental group (41 students) were taught via an AI robot image recognition technology, whereas the control group (40 students) were taught via a more conventional textbook-centered approach. The research followed a pre-test design, with three classes lasting 45 min each, totaling 135 min of teaching time over two weeks. Evaluation tools include the "Cell Division Two Stage Diagnostic Test" and the "Science Learning Motivation Scale." The results indicate that learning through teaching AI robot image recognition technology is more effective than textbook learning in enhancing students’ comprehension of the "cell division" concept and boosting motivation to learn science.

240-259

Authors: Nthoesele Hlaela, Loyiso C. Jita

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is considered an important ingredient in shaping classroom practice. PCK requires valid measurement at domain-specific level on different components excluding the teaching context. While the research focuses on measuring the PCK of unqualified teachers and pre-service teachers, the description of qualified teachers’ domain-specific PCK is often overlooked. The purpose of this study was to measure quantitatively the domain-specific PCK of qualified physics teachers focusing on the five PCK components: content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, assessment knowledge, knowledge of students and curricular knowledge. Data were collected through the paper-and pencil PCK test that was responded to by 87 Physics teachers teaching the last two years of secondary school. Data were analyzed using the Extended Rasch Model and descriptive statistics. The results revealed that Physics teachers have a low PCK in general and low levels of PCK components, the lowest being content knowledge. The study recommends regular refresher workshops for qualified teachers focused on developing different PCK components, with more emphasis on content knowledge.

280-291

Authors: Hunkoog Jho, Minsu Ha

This study aimed at examining the performance of generative artificial intelligence to extract argumentation elements from text. Thus, the researchers developed a web-based framework to provide automated assessment and feedback relying on a large language model, ChatGPT. The results produced by ChatGPT were compared to human experts across scientific and non-scientific contexts. The findings revealed marked discrepancies in the performance of AI for extracting argument components, with a significant variance between issues of a scientific nature and those that are not. Higher accuracy was noted in identifying claims, data, and qualifiers, as opposed to rebuttals, backing, and warrants. The study illuminated AI's promise for educational applications but also its shortcomings, such as the increased frequency of erroneous element identification when accuracy was low. This highlights the essential need for more in-depth comparative research on models and the further development of AI to enhance its role in supporting argumentation training.

315-330

Authors: Soyeon Kim, Jung Bog Kim

Despite increased research interest in improving students' scientific inquiry abilities, how to conduct scientific inquiry using science textbooks that are easily accessible to primary school students remains understudied. This study developed and verified an inquiry activity model (IAM) to improve the performance of primary school students in science textbook inquiry activities. Data were collected from sixth-grade primary students (n = 167) to analyze the difficulty level of textbook inquiry activities. An analysis tool was developed, focusing on inquiry skills and process flow. Expert analysis increased the tool’s validity. The analysis revealed that students possessed low integrated inquiry skills, were partially aware of the inquiry process flow, and could not design experiments. Hence, the IAM was developed to enhance students’ ability to perform textbook inquiry activities and understand the activity phases. It emphasized the flow and representation of the inquiry process for students to easily recall the contents as they learn the interconnectivity between phases. The post-test of the experimental group and the inquiry process flow chart showed significant improvement in all areas of inquiry ability. The scores for “connections” and “interconnectivity” in the inquiry process flow were high, reflecting the model’s effectiveness in showing the interconnectedness of all stages.

352-376

Authors: Uladzimir K. Slabin

Scholars as exemplars and their linked eponyms play a significant role in education. Since the discovery of the periodic law in 1869, perceptions of Mendeleev and his eponyms may have shifted. With the aim of assessing the historical and current portrayal of Mendeleev and his eponyms in chemistry textbooks and on the Internet, content analysis of textbooks, including Soviet and contemporary Russian (11) and Ukrainian (16), was conducted. Additionally, an Internet search in 7 languages was conducted to assess the prevalence of Mendeleevian eponyms online. Primary Mendeleevian eponyms are predominantly utilized in the Russian segment of the Internet. While Mendeleev’s portrayal held significance in mid-20th-century Soviet chemistry textbooks, his presence has dwindled in current Russian and Ukrainian textbooks. This decline is attributed to the obsolescence of associated chemical realities, the disputed priority of Mendeleev, and an ambiguous attitude towards him. The implications of this decline include loss of historical context, reduced memorization aids, impact on critical thinking, disruption of continuity, and reduced humanism in education. The research underscores the importance of a balanced and inclusive approach to science education, recognizing contributions from scientists of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and highlights the interconnected nature of science education and international relations.

390-410

Authors: Jian-Bo Zhu, Yu-Zhou Luo

Science identity, encompassing perceptions of competence, interest, and recognition in science, alongside learning self-efficacy reflecting confidence to master science skills, are key drivers of outcomes. However, developmental patterns likely vary across contexts. Participants were 512 Chinese students spanning grades 1-3 who completed the Science Identity Scale and Science Learning Self-Efficacy Scale, with physics, chemistry, and biology achievement scores gathered. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model assessed relationships. Results substantiated psychometrics for motivational measures. The model indirectly predicting achievement via first-order discipline-specific paths explained more variance than direct second-order effects. Effects significantly varied across groups stratified by grade and region. Interest and conceptual knowledge drove physics and chemistry success, while higher-order skills enhanced biology achievement overall. However, relationships differed within subgroups, suggesting personalized motivational support needs—self-belief/competence foundations for struggling learners, conceptual development for those with high prior achievement, and intrinsic enrichment for disinterested students. Results detail complex motivational profiles underlying science achievement requiring tailored identity safety and self-efficacy scaffolding alongside conceptual and skill-building for excellence across scientific disciplines. Motivational support systems may spur more equitable and optimal science outcomes among diverse adolescent learners.

1-2

Authors: Editorial Board

Journal of Baltic Science Education, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2024 ISSN 1648-3898 /Print/, ISSN 2538-7138 /Online/

4-8

Authors: Markus Sebastian Feser

As digital technology becomes increasingly available in education, educational researchers around the globe increasingly have to confront how it may affect school students’ academic success. To conclude, the use and potential benefits of AI-based chatbots such as ChatGPT within high school (STEM) education is a novel area of educational research with a broad variety of research gaps. To the best of my knowledge, this is especially true when it comes to parents’ views in this regard. Therefore, it is plausible to assume that delving into an in-depth inquiry of parents’ attitudes, perspectives, and concerns about the use of such chatbots in educational settings would substantially contribute to bridging some crucial voids in our understanding of the overall impact of these digital technologies on high school (STEM) education and thus may be a particularly promising area for future research.

20-36

Authors: Jelena Ilić, Mirjana Ivanović, Aleksandra Klašnja-Milićević

STEM education, which includes science, technology, engineering and mathematics, has been expanding for the past two decades. This study aimed to map new trends and the possibility of implementing digital game-based learning (DGBL) in STEM education. For this purpose, a systematic literature review was conducted. The resulting sample was further selected according to PRISMA guidelines, with screening and eligibility processes conducted based on the inclusion criteria defined concerning the research objective. This review consisted of twenty-eight studies. The findings revealed a growing interest in DGBL in STEM education from 2018 to 2023. Furthermore, most studies have focused on the K-12 education system and universities. According to the review, educational games for digital learning and simulation technology are the most promising tools used in research. The analysis is launched by studying the effects that influence the increase of student motivation in DGBL teaching STEM education. The findings support the conclusion that prior experience in gaming has a positive impact on increasing students' motivation to learn in DGBL STEM teaching. In addition, students' previous knowledge of a STEM subject increases engagement and motivation. Implementing educational computer games, therefore, showed a great interest in students in STEM education.

45-55

Authors: Vida Lang, Andrej Šorgo

Smartphones and tablets have permeated various aspects of life. This study explores the differences in wishes between students, parents, and teachers regarding the use of smartphones and tablets in biology classes in the upcoming school year. An online questionnaire was used for the study, which provided eight different scenarios for the use of smartphones for teaching purposes. The data were collected from 934 participants, including 465 students, 282 parents, and 188 biology teachers from various Slovenian lower secondary schools. The principal component analysis revealed the unidimensional structure of the instrument, explaining 59.7% of the variance (alpha = .91). The results showed that the use of smartphones and tablets for distance learning, teaching purposes, schoolwork and homework is generally desirable. There was less consensus on their use for laboratory and field work, evaluation of knowledge, and biology lessons. The main finding was that the differences between the groups were small or even negligible in terms of effect sizes. Statistically significant differences were found between the focus groups, with students and teachers expressing greater agreement than parents. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing parents' concerns and understanding the perspectives of stakeholders in order to effectively integrate smartphones and tablets into the classroom.

76-89

Authors: Ruo-Yang Li, Yu-Yang Ma

Biotechnology has great importance as a socioscientific issue in STEM education. This study aimed to explore the knowledge and attitudes of college students toward biotechnology. A total of 236 university students participated in the study. Questionnaires on knowledge and attitudes towards biotechnology were used for data collection. The results revealed that participants had inadequate knowledge about several basic concepts related to genetics and biotechnology, particularly those concerning genetically modified organisms. The results regarding the attitudes revealed more neutral results. The participants had a neutral attitude towards biotechnology, with mean scores ranging from 2.71 to 3.55. They were generally against buying genetically modified products but supported biotechnology for medical purposes and strongly desired to increase their knowledge about genetically modified products. The participants did not have a negative opinion of biotechnology in general but were critical of its purpose and use. The correlation analysis between knowledge and attitudes produced weak correlations. Offering supplementary resources on biotechnology can enhance students' and individual’s understanding and attitudes of this topic.

104-118

Authors: Yu-Ren Lin, Tzu-Ting Wei

This study examined the effects of students’ argumentation standpoints on their argumentation learning in the context of socio-scientific issues (SSIs). To that end, four kinds of argumentation standpoints were defined: affirmative standpoints, oppositional standpoints, multiple standpoints, and non-standpoints. These four kinds of standpoints allow for six possible combinations of any two of the different kinds of standpoints, which enabled us to conduct six kinds of 2-team format debates. The resulting differences of students’ four types of arguments (i.e., claims, warrants, rebuttals, and qualifiers) generated in six types of debates were examined. This study invited 208 10th-grade students to participate in a quasi-experimental research design. The results showed the affirmative group students demonstrated superior performance in terms of claims and warrants, and the oppositional group students had the largest number of rebuttals. The students in the debate with combinations of affirmative and oppositional groups exhibited the best performance regarding the generation of claims, warrants, and rebuttals. Based on the results, the present study concluded the standpoint had significant effects on the students’ argumentation learning, which suggests that teachers can investigate students’ standpoint on the learning topic of SSI and their prior knowledge about the standpoint before teaching.

131-150

Authors: Brenda Braga Pereira, Sangwoo Ha

In light of the increasing frequency of misleading information in social media regarding environmental issues, this study aimed to identify misleading information spread through TikTok videos and to discuss why such content is considered misleading, drawing on relevant literature. Hashtags with large numbers of views, such as #climatechange, #sustainability, #pollution, #biodiversity, #environmentalprotection, #environmentalissues, #energysource, and #environmentalproblems, were used for data collection through web scrapper called Apify (https://apify.com/). A total of 29 misleading videos were found. Content analysis was applied to identify and classify the topics and misleading claims. The topics of misleading videos, according to the most frequent mentions, were energy sources, followed by climate change, pollution, biodiversity, and environmental degradation. Among the misleading claims, videos related to pyramids as non-pollutant power plants and conspiracy related to pollution exhibited the highest frequency. The results show various misleading claims in videos related to environmental topics. Also, emphasized the importance of science education in addressing misleading information. In addition, the importance of an interdisciplinary approach for addressing environmental issues was reinforced.

164-174

Authors: Wenxiu Tang, Yangyi Qian, Hong Wang, Jinju Wen, Jiayi Huang, Xintong Zhu, Yangqian Wang

Redox reaction is a core chemical concept. However, its abstract nature makes it very difficult for students. Students’ conceptual structure reflects their mastery of concepts, which helps teachers implement targeted educational strategies. This study aimed to explore the conceptual structures of redox reaction held by students (grades 10 to 12) by employing MDS and HCA. A total of 606 students participated, with 195 students in 10th grade, 202 in 11th grade, and 209 in 12th grade. The results indicated that three-dimensional solutions were appropriate for the conceptual structures of 10th and 12th graders, while 11th graders demonstrated two-dimensional solutions. All students grouped the 15 concepts related to redox reaction into two large clusters: metrology and the redox reaction process. Moreover, both 10th and 12th graders further subdivided the 15 concepts into four subclusters: metrology, oxidation process, reduction process, and chemical reaction. Students’ conceptual structures were rational across all three grades. The conceptual structures of 10th and 12th graders were more refined than those of 11th graders, and there was no significant difference between the conceptual structures of 10th and 12th graders. 11th graders learned about electrochemistry and tended to confuse concepts related to redox reaction with those related to electrochemistry.

949-950

Authors: Editorial Board

Journal of Baltic Science Education, Vol. 22, No. 6, 2023 ISSN 1648-3898 /Print/, ISSN 2538-7138 /Online/

952-955

Authors: Boris Aberšek

From Socrates onwards, the Greek cultural life began to take shape, and the whole nature of philosophical and scientific thought also began to change. From the natural sciences, interest shifted towards man and his societal role. Starting with the Sophists, a critical look at the surviving myths became pivotal at the time. Even if humans are still unable to get answers to all the riddles of nature, for which, among other things, mythology offers supernatural explanations, we (as human beings) do realize that we are only human. And humans need to learn to live together in different forms of social life. The Sophists were interested in man and his place in society. Socrates used conversations and tried to help his interlocutors generate valid reasoning and knowledge. According to him, proper knowledge must arise inside the individual, which is today's constructivist approach; no one can instill knowledge in the individual from the outside. Only knowledge that comes from within is true understanding. Socrates also wanted to find a solid basis for human knowledge. He believed he had found it in human reason.

974-990

Authors: İsmail Dönmez

Various studies have reported that students have limited, stereotypical perceptions of STEM fields. However, few studies have attempted to evaluate interventions undertaken with the aim of changing female student’s perceptions of STEM professions. This research aimed to examine the changes in mental images among female students as a result of interacting with STEM professionals in a STEM camp. The Draw-a-Scientist Test was revised, and female students were asked to draw and describe STEM professionals at work before and after attending STEM camp. The participating students attended workshops and career talks given by STEM professionals. The findings showed that the perceptions of the participating female students regarding gender images of STEM professionals changed. After the STEM camp, it was also observed that knowledge about STEM professionals and the content of their work had increased. The studied intervention program for female students positively contributed to changes in the students’ mental images of STEM professionals. Therefore, it is recommended that female students interact with professionals working in STEM fields to change their perceptions of those fields.

1011-1024

Authors: Sare Asli, Zinab Safi, Abeer Shehadeh-Nasser, Avi Hofstein, Muhamad Hugerat

The use of stories in science education can make science more interesting and engaging, illustrate concepts, and provide opportunities for contextual and meaningful learning. Also, integrating a scientific story in which the sustainability goals are incorporated can lead to increasing students’ motivation to learn as well as improve and facilitate the learning process. Having children ask questions allows the educator to learn about the child's insights, views, level of interest, motivation for learning, and knowledge. Therefore, this study focuses on the relationship between science storytelling, questioning, and sustainability among elementary school students. It compares the levels of questioning among primary students who learned a sustainability story in segments versus those who learned the story in its entirety. A quantitative study was conducted involving 120 second graders from the Arab sector in Israel. The results revealed a significant difference in the two groups’ level of questions: the students in the experimental group, who learned the story in segments, asked higher-level questions than those in the control group. The study concluded that learning a scientific story in segments proved effective in enhancing primary students' questioning ability, and that there was a notable preference for this segmented storytelling approach over traditional whole unit learning methods.

1038-1049

Authors: Ke Ma, Bei-He Hui

This study employed a bibliometric analysis of research on attitudes in STEM education to identify patterns and themes within scholarly publications to address a research gap in the current literature. The publications indexed in the SCOPUS database on attitudes and STEM were analyzed to collect data. 173 articles were chosen for analysis. Bibliometric analysis revealed an upward trend in research publications between 2008-2022, with notable increases in 2013 and 2018 and between 2018 and 2022. Curtin University was the institution that contributed the most to the literature during this period. The results also showed that institutions from Australia, Taiwan, and the United States contributed equally to research on attitudes and STEM. Another finding is that the United States had the most publications on attitudes and STEM. The International Journal of Science Education was cited the most, followed closely by The Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Science Education. Barry J. Fraser and Jaquelynne S. Eccles are authors who were cited more than one hundred times in the publications. Based on the findings, implications for further studies are drawn.

1063-1073

Authors: Rauno Neito, Elisa Vilhunen, Jari Lavonen, Kaido Reivelt

Enhancing interest in physics learning has been an important component of education policy and policy implementation for decades. However, in many countries, student interest in physics has not increased. The aim of this study was to predict situational interest using individual interest and the instructional activities students engaged in. Also, the suitability of the data collection approach to measure situational interest was assessed. A teaching module about real-world oscillations was implemented to 179 Estonian lower secondary school students. Data about situational interest were collected using the experience sampling method (ESM), which was measured three times during the module. The results indicated that gender, grade, and instructional activities did not predict situational interest. Individual interest was a significant predictor and correlation with situational interest increased with time, contrary to previous findings. The ESM approach used in this study was considered to be effective in disturbing students’ study flow minimally but may have affected the amount of missing data. This study contributes to the research done on student interest in a classroom setting by indicating a more complex relationship between situational and individual interest than previously suggested.

1089-1102

Authors: Teresa Zamalloa, Araitz Uskola, Ainara Achurra

The human nutrition model is relevant in Biology education. Researchers and policymakers propose the introduction of modelling practices in science education, including the representation of the model. Despite being scarce, previous studies have shown that the guideline given to students conditions their performance when representing their models. This study addresses how the context given to 79 preservice teachers (PSTs) in two cohorts at the end of a modelling sequence conditions the representations of the nutrition model constructed by them. The contexts were a child running and a lactose intolerant person. Written explanations and drawings of PSTs were analyzed according to the components-mechanisms-phenomena (CMP) framework. PSTs of both cohorts expressed a more developed nutrition model in a running context than in an intolerance context with respect to CMP aspects, which was shown by statistically significant differences. Therefore, the conclusion is that the context conditions the expression of the model. In this case, it was the context that appealed directly to the circulatory system and implied the use of energy, the one that led to a more complete representation of the human nutrition model.

1120-1136

Authors: Yi Zou, Xinyu Xue, Lizhen Jin, Xiao Huang, Yanbing Li

In recent years, developing students’ knowledge integration of specific topics through effective teaching methods has been a concern in science education. This study explored an alternative teaching method, which aims to help lower secondary school students develop their knowledge structure about buoyancy towards a logically integrated conceptual framework through enhancing their understanding of the nature of buoyancy. Specifically, this study constructed a conceptual framework on buoyancy and a set of matching test questions to map out the three levels of knowledge integration of students, and designed and implemented a teaching experiment of promoting students’ understanding of the nature of buoyancy. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, it was found that the knowledge integration development of the treatment group was significantly better than that of the control group. The results indicated that enhancing students’ understanding of the nature of buoyancy can effectively improve their knowledge integration of buoyancy. Accordingly, improving knowledge integration through enhancing students’ understanding of the nature of the specific scientific concept may be a new direction for future research.

741-742

Authors: Editorial Board

Journal of Baltic Science Education, Vol. 22, No. 5, 2023 ISSN 1648-3898 /Print/, ISSN 2538-7138 /Online/

744-748

Authors: Peter Demkanin

I have worked more than thirty years in physics education (as some of the readers of this journal), many years as a secondary school physics teacher in various curricula (as some of the readers), and more than 20 years at university doing research and preparing future physics teachers (as some or readers). I am also the author of a physics textbook for secondary education, and now I am working on a new one. Naturally, I would like to have the new textbook, like my other outputs, based on the current state of knowledge and well-developed and well-applied theories behind physics education. And here is the seed of the question - how does our journal contribute to raising the quality of our outputs – in my case, increasing the quality of physics education? I first look at the goals of physics education. Here, I use the most straightforward taxonomy of goals presented in (Demkanin 2013): goals related to attitudes of society to science, goals related to methods of science, and goals related to particular knowledge. The last one I split into two sub-goals – knowledge selected to develop methods and attitudes and knowledge selected to raise the quality of living and general scientific culture. Of course, the goals we can reach by means – by the methods of education – methods of teaching and learning. So, let's look at a few previous issues of JBSE and at the contributions having the potential to raise the quality of physics education. I have mentioned only some of the contributions I will probably use in the next few years. I tried to focus on physics education, not explicit chemistry or biology education, even if some of such articles could be fully relevant to my work.

767-780

Authors: Sufirman Arifin, Nyet Moi Siew

This study was conducted to i) ascertain the validity, reliability, and feasibility of a module based on the socioscientific issue approach and design thinking model (SIA-DT), and ii) assess its effects on the entrepreneurial creative thinking (ECT) in STEM education. The first phase of ECT module validation was conducted with the assistance of three expert evaluators and 32 students. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire and the ECT test were used to collect data. The second phase consists of evaluation using a quasi-experimental design with a Pre-Post Test of Non-Equivalent Control Groups. A total of 64 Form Four students were divided into two groups: SIA-DT (n = 32) and control (n = 32). The ECT module has a high validity value and an acceptable Cronbach's alpha reliability of .92. The ECT Module's feasibility was substantiated by a mean score of 4.71. The results of the independent-sample t-test prove that there is a significant difference in the post-test for students in the SIA-DT group compared to the control group in ECT and five constructs of ECT. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that the ECT Module is valid, reliable, and feasible in STEM education and that it is effective in enhancing students' ECT.

799-812

Authors: Peter Paul Canuto

Plant identification apps make learning about plants more convenient. This study explored the participants' perceptions of using three plant identification apps, PlantNet, PictureThis, and LeafSnap, as potential educational tools. Problems experienced, differences in perceptions, and the participants' most preferred apps were also determined. Through purposive sampling, the study engaged 162 primary pre-service teachers in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Philippines. Data were collected through a developed questionnaire and analysed quantitatively. The questionnaire was reliable with an identified single component for perception. Participants first explored and used the apps to identify local plants, thereafter, responding through an online questionnaire. Results showed that participants strongly perceived the apps as engaging, helpful in plant identification, easy to browse, providing details, effective as emerging tools, and significant for scientific literacy, except for consistency of results. There were significant differences, but with small effect sizes, indicating negligible differences in the perceptions of male and female participants regarding the apps' consistency of results and effectiveness. Weak internet connection was the primary issue affecting the apps' utilization. The pre-service teachers preferred LeafSnap over PictureThis and PlantNet. Conclusively, this study affirmed the potential of the apps for students learning about plants, further supporting their feasibility as emerging educational tools.

833-850

Authors: Gonca Keçeci

STEM education is included in education programs by many countries on a global scale. Pre-service teachers are also expected to apply STEM education in their future classrooms. The aim of the research was to determine how pre-service science teachers perceived STEM education, whether they adopted it or not, whether they thought of themselves as sufficient, and the environment and situations that affected their STEM experience. The understanding of the pre-service science teachers was tried to be determined before the theoretical STEM education, after the theoretical education and after the STEM application. The study group of the research consisted of a total of 66 pre-service teachers. Content analysis results of the interviews were carried out in three stages. It was found that there was no single STEM definition that pre-service science teachers agreed on. The training provided increased the STEM competency levels of pre-service science teachers. However, the majority of pre-service science teachers defined themselves as having intermediate competence in STEM education. Pre-service teachers adopt STEM education and believe that it will contribute to students. Pre-service science teachers had the most difficulty in disciplinary integration during the STEM theory and practice education. The most preferred model after both theoretical knowledge and application was the problem-based STEM model.

865-880

Authors: Ruying Li, Gaofeng Li

Exploring students’ systems thinking (ST) is essential in enhancing science learning, but existing studies have failed to understand students’ ST fully as it relates to ecological issues. This study aimed to fill the aforementioned literature gap by exploring lower-secondary school students’ ST regarding ecological issues. The Systems Thinking Test regarding Ecological Issues, which measures four ST skills (system organisation, behaviour, application, and evaluation), was administered to 1,092 lower-secondary school students. The results reveal low ST performance in ecological issues, with students finding it particularly difficult to identify interactions among components and understand system characteristics. Furthermore, most lacked reflective consciousness and consideration of the diverse dimensions of ecological issues, resulting in monocausal reasoning in system decision-making and evaluation. Comparatively, urban school students performed better than their rural counterparts; additionally, an item-level analysis revealed that climate warming was challenging for the students to understand. This study suggests that greater efforts should be made to address students’ drawbacks and that multi-perspectival teaching is necessary in the context of ecological issues. The addition of system decision-making and evaluation in assessments can enable a broader understanding of ST.

900-913

Authors: Qi Liu, Xiaoxia Tian, Younghwan Bang, Kyung Hee Park

The social responsibility of college students in the later stages of adolescence for sustainable development is emphasized, and the role of universities has become a crucial task. This study aimed to explore the level of college students' cognition, attitude, and behavior towards sustainable development and the association among them through the moderation effect of informal online learning. The difference verification and structural equation modeling were applied to 559 students who majored in science, and statistical validity was confirmed. Regarding the sustainable development level of college students, there was a significant difference in cognition, attitude, and behavior towards sustainable development between males and females, formal education, and informal online learning. Further, college students’ attitudes towards sustainable development played a significant mediating role between cognition and behavior. The study also found a significant moderation effect of informal online learning on students’ cognition and attitude toward sustainable development behavior. Accordingly, this study suggests that universities should systematically design educational programs to promote college students' behavioral change toward sustainable development through personal life-oriented learning courses.

929-944

Authors: Pingping Zhao, Chun-Yen Chang, Yueyang Shao, Zhi Liu, Hao Zhou, Jian Liu

Students’ problem-solving strategies and the differences among strategy groups were explored by analyzing the process data collected during student interactions with computer-based science items. Data were gathered from 1516 eleventh-grade students from 4 schools in China. Analyses of the sequences of students’ response actions revealed that the students were divided into four strategy groups when designing experiments to solve scientific problems: the scientific and rigorous strategy (18.5%), scientific and less rigorous strategy (25.4%), incomplete strategy (31.5%), and chaotic strategy (24.6%). The heatmaps of response actions for each strategy and the frequencies of the most representative response sequences were further explored to understand the students’ detailed trajectories. The results showed that successful problem solvers were generally inclined to explore all possibilities of experimental combinations and design experiments scientifically and rigorously based on the relevant scientific principles. Moreover, the timestamps of response actions were explored to show that the students who adopted the scientific and rigorous strategy spent more time seeking solutions, suggesting that students may need sufficient time to solve complex and authentic scientific problems. The findings enrich the literature on using process data to address theoretical issues in educational assessment and provide students with individualized instructional needs for teachers to improve students’ scientific problem-solving competency.