Contributions from Biology Education Research – serie

This edited volume presents the current state of the art of genetics education and the challenges it holds for teaching as well as for learning. It addresses topics such as how genetics should be taught in order to provide students with a wide and connected view of the field. It gives in-depth aspects that should be considered for teaching genetics and the effect on the student’s understanding. This book provides novel ideas for biology teachers, curriculum developers and researchers on how to confront the presented challenges in a way that may enable them to advance genetics education in the 21st century. It reviews the complexity of teaching and learning genetics, largely overlooked by biology textbooks and classroom instruction. It composes a crucial component of scientific literacy.

This edited volume presents the current state of the art of genetics education and the challenges it holds for teaching as well as for learning. It addresses topics such as how genetics should be taught in order to provide students with a wide and connected view of the field. It gives in-depth aspects that should be considered for teaching genetics and the effect on the student’s understanding. This book provides novel ideas for biology teachers, curriculum developers and researchers on how to confront the presented challenges in a way that may enable them to advance genetics education in the 21st century. It reviews the complexity of teaching and learning genetics, largely overlooked by biology textbooks and classroom instruction. It composes a crucial component of scientific literacy.

This book is a collection of full papers based on the peer-reviewed submissions accepted for the ERIDOB 2020 conference (which was cancelled due to COVID-19). ERIDOB brings together researchers in Biology Education from around the world to share and discuss their research work and results. It is the only major international conference on biology education research, and all the papers therefore are written by international researchers from across Europe (and beyond), which present the findings from a range of contemporary biology education research projects. They are all entirely new papers describing new research in the field. The papers are peer-reviewed by experienced international researchers selected by the ERIDOB Academic Committee. The papers reflect the ERIDOB conference strands by covering topics on:Socioscientific issues, Nature of Science and scientific thinkingTeaching and learning in biologyPerceptions of biology and biology educationTextbook analysisOutdoor and environmental education By providing a collection of new research findings from many countries, this book is a great resource for researchers and practitioners such as school, college and university biology teachers' around the world. It is useful for training biology teachers and therefore valuable to teacher training institutions.

This book is a collection of full papers based on the peer-reviewed submissions accepted for the ERIDOB 2020 conference (which was cancelled due to COVID-19). ERIDOB brings together researchers in Biology Education from around the world to share and discuss their research work and results. It is the only major international conference on biology education research, and all the papers therefore are written by international researchers from across Europe (and beyond), which present the findings from a range of contemporary biology education research projects. They are all entirely new papers describing new research in the field. The papers are peer-reviewed by experienced international researchers selected by the ERIDOB Academic Committee. The papers reflect the ERIDOB conference strands by covering topics on:Socioscientific issues, Nature of Science and scientific thinkingTeaching and learning in biologyPerceptions of biology and biology educationTextbook analysisOutdoor and environmental education By providing a collection of new research findings from many countries, this book is a great resource for researchers and practitioners such as school, college and university biology teachers' around the world. It is useful for training biology teachers and therefore valuable to teacher training institutions.

This volume seeks to broaden current ideas about the role of critical thinking (CT) in biology and environmental education considering educational challenges in the post-truth era. The chapters are distributed into three sections, perspectives of a theoretical character (part I), empirical research about CT in the context of biology and health education (part II), and empirical research on CT in the context of environmental and sustainability education (part III). The volume includes studies reporting students’ engagement in the practice of critical thinking, and displays how CT can be integrated in biology and environmental education and why biology and environmental issues are privileged contexts for the development of CT. The chapters examine a range of dimensions of CT, such as skills, dispositions, emotions, agency, open-mindedness, or personal epistemologies. In addition, they explore topics such as climate change, sustainable diets, genetically modified food, vaccination, acceptance of evolution, homeopathy, and gene cloning.Concluding remarks regarding the connections between the chapters and future directions for the integration of critical thinking in biology and environmental education are presented in a final chapter.

This volume seeks to broaden current ideas about the role of critical thinking (CT) in biology and environmental education considering educational challenges in the post-truth era. The chapters are distributed into three sections, perspectives of a theoretical character (part I), empirical research about CT in the context of biology and health education (part II), and empirical research on CT in the context of environmental and sustainability education (part III). The volume includes studies reporting students’ engagement in the practice of critical thinking, and displays how CT can be integrated in biology and environmental education and why biology and environmental issues are privileged contexts for the development of CT. The chapters examine a range of dimensions of CT, such as skills, dispositions, emotions, agency, open-mindedness, or personal epistemologies. In addition, they explore topics such as climate change, sustainable diets, genetically modified food, vaccination, acceptance of evolution, homeopathy, and gene cloning.Concluding remarks regarding the connections between the chapters and future directions for the integration of critical thinking in biology and environmental education are presented in a final chapter.

This book synthesizes a wealth of international research on the critical topic of ‘fostering understanding of complex systems in biology education’. Complex systems are prevalent in many scientific fields, and at all scales, from the micro scale of a single cell or molecule to complex systems at the macro scale such as ecosystems. Understanding the complexity of natural systems can be extremely challenging, though crucial for an adequate understanding of what they are and how they work.The term “systems thinking” has become synonymous with developing a coherent understanding of complex biological processes and phenomena. For researchers and educators alike, understanding how students’ systems thinking develops is an essential prerequisite to develop and maintain pedagogical scaffolding that facilitates students’ ability to fully understand the system’s complexity. To that end, this book provides researchers and teachers with key insights from the current research community onhow to support learners systems thinking in secondary and higher education. Each chapter in the book elaborates on different theoretical and methodological frameworks pertaining to complexity in biology education and a variety of biological topics are included from genetics, photosynthesis, and the carbon cycle to ecology and climate change. Specific attention is paid to design elements of computer-based learning environments to understand complexity in biology education.

This book synthesizes a wealth of international research on the critical topic of ‘fostering understanding of complex systems in biology education’. Complex systems are prevalent in many scientific fields, and at all scales, from the micro scale of a single cell or molecule to complex systems at the macro scale such as ecosystems. Understanding the complexity of natural systems can be extremely challenging, though crucial for an adequate understanding of what they are and how they work.The term “systems thinking” has become synonymous with developing a coherent understanding of complex biological processes and phenomena. For researchers and educators alike, understanding how students’ systems thinking develops is an essential prerequisite to develop and maintain pedagogical scaffolding that facilitates students’ ability to fully understand the system’s complexity. To that end, this book provides researchers and teachers with key insights from the current research community onhow to support learners systems thinking in secondary and higher education. Each chapter in the book elaborates on different theoretical and methodological frameworks pertaining to complexity in biology education and a variety of biological topics are included from genetics, photosynthesis, and the carbon cycle to ecology and climate change. Specific attention is paid to design elements of computer-based learning environments to understand complexity in biology education.

This book is a guide for educators on how to develop and evaluate evidence-based strategies for teaching biological experimentation to thereby improve existing and develop new curricula. It unveils the flawed assumptions made at the classroom, department, and institutional level about what students are learning and what help they might need to develop competence in biological experimentation.Specific case studies illustrate a comprehensive list of key scientific competencies that unpack what it means to be a competent experimental life scientist. It includes explicit evidence-based guidelines for educators regarding the teaching, learning, and assessment of biological research competencies. The book also provides practical teacher guides and exemplars of assignments and assessments. It contains a complete analysis of the variety of tools developed thus far to assess learning in this domain.This book contributes to the growth of public understanding of biological issuesincluding scientific literacy and the crucial importance of evidence-based decision-making around public policy. It will be beneficial to life science instructors, biology education researchers and science administrators who aim to improve teaching in life science departments.Chapters 6, 12, 14 and 22 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This book is a guide for educators on how to develop and evaluate evidence-based strategies for teaching biological experimentation to thereby improve existing and develop new curricula. It unveils the flawed assumptions made at the classroom, department, and institutional level about what students are learning and what help they might need to develop competence in biological experimentation.Specific case studies illustrate a comprehensive list of key scientific competencies that unpack what it means to be a competent experimental life scientist. It includes explicit evidence-based guidelines for educators regarding the teaching, learning, and assessment of biological research competencies. The book also provides practical teacher guides and exemplars of assignments and assessments. It contains a complete analysis of the variety of tools developed thus far to assess learning in this domain.This book contributes to the growth of public understanding of biological issuesincluding scientific literacy and the crucial importance of evidence-based decision-making around public policy. It will be beneficial to life science instructors, biology education researchers and science administrators who aim to improve teaching in life science departments.Chapters 6, 12, 14 and 22 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This open access volume is a collection of full papers based on the peer-reviewed presentations accepted for the European Researchers in Didactics of Biology, ERIDOB 2022 conference. ERIDOB aims to bring together researchers in didactics of Biology from Europe and around the world to share and discuss their research work and results. It is the only major international conference whose focus lies exclusively on biology education research, and all the papers are written by international researchers from across Europe (and beyond) which report on a range of contemporary biology education research projects. They are all entirely new papers describing new research in the field. Each paper has been peer-reviewed by experienced biology education researchers and the members of the ERIDOB Academic Committee.   The selected papers are collated within the following categories of biology education:  ·       Teaching Strategies and Learning Environments  ·       Students’ Knowledge, Conceptions, Values, Attitudes and Motivation  ·       Outdoor and Environmental Education  ·       Biology Teachers’ Professional Development  By providing a collection of new research findings from many countries, this book is a great resource for researchers and practitioners such as school, college and university biology teachers' around the world. It is useful for training biology teachers and therefore valuable to teacher training institutions.

This open access volume is a collection of full papers based on the peer-reviewed presentations accepted for the European Researchers in Didactics of Biology, ERIDOB 2022 conference. ERIDOB aims to bring together researchers in didactics of Biology from Europe and around the world to share and discuss their research work and results. It is the only major international conference whose focus lies exclusively on biology education research, and all the papers are written by international researchers from across Europe (and beyond) which report on a range of contemporary biology education research projects. They are all entirely new papers describing new research in the field. Each paper has been peer-reviewed by experienced biology education researchers and the members of the ERIDOB Academic Committee.   The selected papers are collated within the following categories of biology education:  ·       Teaching Strategies and Learning Environments  ·       Students’ Knowledge, Conceptions, Values, Attitudes and Motivation  ·       Outdoor and Environmental Education  ·       Biology Teachers’ Professional Development  By providing a collection of new research findings from many countries, this book is a great resource for researchers and practitioners such as school, college and university biology teachers' around the world. It is useful for training biology teachers and therefore valuable to teacher training institutions.

This edited volume explores the exciting and increasingly important role of citizen science in biology and environmental education. This comprehensive collection provides valuable insights on how to design, implement, and explore citizen science educational initiatives. Featuring contributions from leading experts, the book provides a range of research perspectives and pedagogical tools to facilitate the incorporation of citizen science into the classroom. It showcases contemporary examples worldwide, highlighting the research aspect of citizen science educational projects. This book is a valuable resource for researchers, educators, and individuals interested in citizen science and its contribution to biology and environmental education. It provides readership with state-of-the-art information on the latest advances in research and practice in the field and encourages an active participation in citizen science endeavors.

This open access volume presents full papers from peer-reviewed contributions to the ERIDOB 2024 conference, hosted at the University of Lyon, France, July 1–5, 2024. It showcases contemporary research exploring key influences on the advancement of biology education and teacher development. The empirical studies are organized into four focal areas: Teaching Strategies and Learning Environments; Students’ Knowledge, Conceptions, Values, Attitudes, and Motivation; Outdoor and Environmental Education; and Biology Teachers’ Professional Development. This volume serves as a valuable resource for biology educators at all levels and supports teacher training worldwide through evidence-based insights and pedagogical innovations.