Search

Many science educators have argued in favour of including socioscientific issues (SSI) in general, and ethical issues in particular, in school science. However, there have been a number of objections to this proposal, and it is widely acknowledged that such teaching places additional demands on science teachers. This study examined the curricula, textbooks and views of both student teachers and established teachers in England and in Germany regarding the teaching of ethical issues in secondary school science, particularly the ethical issues surrounding animal tests. Analysis of the curriculum documents for secondary or upper secondary school science showed that in both countries, ethical considerations feature strongly. However, in both countries, the overall treatments in the school textbooks of the ethical issues of animal testing were generally 'thin', and little opportunity was given for students to consider different ethical frameworks. The teacher and student teacher interviews revealed that interviewees generally gave ethical issues less emphasis than fundamental science. A number of interviewees referred to a lack of appropriate teaching material, and many of them also had concerns that such teaching could give rise to classroom management issues or that they might be accused of indoctrinating their students. Given the increasing acknowledgement of the need for school science to address so-called wicked socioscientific problems, these findings are a concern. We end with recommendations for curricula, for textbooks and for teacher education.

In response to growing concern about the increased disconnect between youth and their outdoor environment, this study examines how nature-based citizen science experiences with a local animal (American eels) influence urban adolescents' (high-school students) sense of place in a US city. The juvenile American eel is a unique animal due to its see-through body, small size, lengthy migratory pathway, high periodic population density, and conservation concern. Interview, written, and observational data were collected through a case study of ten high-school students during a citizen science project that lasted three months. Analyses of these data indicate that students developed greater ­ecological place meaning and place attachment. Students developed greater ecological place meaning by learning more about the ecology of the river and the eels, and developed greater place attachment by developing pride and empathy. Based on these findings, we argue that nature-based citizen science programs can help environmental educators in the US foster more equitable access to nature by providing urban youth with much-needed opportunities to deeply experience local places and develop a closer and more meaningful relationship with their local environment.

We are living climate change. The unchecked acceleration of globalisation, colonisation, and extractivism create a world in dire need of change if we are to survive. Crucial now, are critical, geopolitical, and biopolitical discussion and an urgent need for diverse methodologic and pedagogic strategies for action across micro to macro scales. Research-creation, practice-led approaches to action, that work across and with artistic practice, scientific data, and critical and cultural theory can spark activist pedagogic experiences for change. The effective potential of such methodologies is explored via inefficient mapping; a counter-mapping, methodologic protocol, and its use in 'Mapping Extinction', a project into the catastrophic biodiversity loss due to the 2019/2020 Australian bushfires. The protocols and visual works produced facilitate discussion on creative practice as educational research into the real impacts of climate change.

When most people think "King Island," they think of a place synonymous with premium Australian dairy products. But hidden away from the lush, green pastures of grazing cows is an island teeming with invertebrate and plant species. You could probably eat some of those too, but that wasn't the intent of the Bush Blitzers who set off to find them. Bush Blitz is an initiative of the Australian Government through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and Parks Australia along with BHP and the Earthwatch Institute Australia. This article describes how a team of scientists, along with representatives from the government and industry (Bush Blitz), set up base on the stunning island to scour its waterways, seashores and vegetation in the hopes of discovering previously undescribed plants and creatures, and of recording the presence of those already known.

Living with a pet is related to a host of socioemotional health benefits for children, yet few studies have examined the mechanisms that drive the relations between pet ownership and positive socioemotional outcomes. The current study examined one of the ways that pets may change the environment through which children learn and whether childhood pet ownership might promote empathy and prosocial behavior through parent-child conversations about emotions and mental states in the presence of a pet dog. Participants included 123 parent (118 mothers, four fathers) and child (65 female, 58 male, M[subscript age] = 39.50 months, 75 White, not Hispanic, nine Asian/Pacific Islander, seven Hispanic, five Black/African American, two South Asian/Indian, two American Indian/Alaska Native, two "other," 21 more than one race, 111 residing in the United States) dyads currently living with a pet dog (n = 61) or having never lived with a pet dog (n = 62). As hypothesized, we found that parents used a greater proportion of emotion and mental state language with their children when playing with their pet dog than with a lifelike toy, suggesting that the presence of a household pet may be one context used to promote conversations about emotions and mental states.

Children's experiences with nature may develop ecological literacy and enhance their psychological well-being. However, a limited understanding of how the village landscape has functional impacts on the children's play behaviour and perceptual performances can influence ecological literacy. This study investigated children's preferences in the village landscape stimulated by their play behaviour and knowledge, which becomes a basis for ecological literacy. Seventy-one responses from middle-aged children were elicited using drawings and go-along methods. Data were analysed using NVivo 12 Plus for content analysis. The results revealed that children who preferred being outdoors were associated with play activities, which directly influenced ecological literacy. The findings showed that the children were related to the wilderness, interspecific relations with animals and plants, physical work, recreation and socialising, rurality and natural beauty. The children expressed a strong affiliation to their everyday environment in which the village landscape became a milieu for ecological literacy.

Purpose: To examine the influence of monitor farm programmes on practice change using the Irish BETTER farm sheep programme as a case study. Methodology: A mixed methods approach combining 16 semi-structured and 69 structured interviews with benchmarking data analysis. Findings: Provision of intensive, tailored advice helped support practice change on the participating monitor farms. They increased productivity through changes in management practices, which positively impacted on financial performance. Monitor farmers also positively influenced members of their associated discussion groups to make practice changes. Practical Implications: Practical recommendations for similar programmes are discussed such as the need for different and additional extension approaches to influence and support the adoption of more complex practices and the potential for greater input from farmers into the design and implementation of extension programmes. Theoretical Implications: From a practice change perspective evaluating the influence of a more structured participatory extension programme (PEP) on a participating farmer is easier than the evaluation of the influence of the PEP on the wider farming community, particularly when the evaluation is not incorporated into the original programme design. Originality: Adding to the relatively small number of PEP evaluations in developed countries, the influence of monitor farm programmes on both the monitor farmer and their associated discussion group peers is examined for a wide range of practices using a mixed methods approach.

This study describes student interest in the agricultural content pathways established by the National Council for Agricultural Education. Differences exist between male and female students concerning curriculum choices in agriculture, food, and natural resources. Male students were most interested in food products and processing systems, while females averaged the highest interest in animal systems. Females were significantly more interested in animal systems. Males were more interested in power, structural, and technical systems, biotechnology, food products and processing, and agribusiness systems. When considering the students' race and ethnic background, Native Americans or Alaska Natives reported the most interest in animal systems. Asian students reported the highest interest in natural resource systems. African American students averaged the highest interest in power, structural and technical systems. White Non-Hispanic students reported the highest interest in animal systems. White Hispanic students reported the highest average interest in natural resources. White Non-Hispanic students were significantly more interested in agribusiness systems, animal systems, food products, and processing systems than were African American students. Native American or Alaskan Native students were significantly more interested in animal systems than African American students. This study concluded that male and female students value agricultural curriculum content differently and that the differences were significant in most agricultural content pathways. Students of different races and ethnic backgrounds value agricultural content pathways differently, but most of these differences were insignificant.

The purpose of this collective instrumental case study was to understand the motivational factors that support families' decisions to exhibit livestock. The expectancy value theory served as the theoretical lens, and a review of literature led to four issues to be explored. Four typical family cases were identified, and interviews were conducted. Five In-Vivo themes were identified: (a) "a family tradition," (b) "bonds us together," (c) "on-the-job training for life," (d) "joys and discomforts of agricultural life," and (e) "the show industry." It was concluded that families value tradition, family togetherness, the agricultural community, work ethic, and the development of life skills critical for the success of their children. Winning, as traditionally defined in the show ring, was not the expectation. Rather, families expected to grow together, enjoy their time, and be competitive. The perceived family utility outweighed the noted costs. It was recommended that all stakeholders in the livestock exhibition community identify ways to enhance family involvement and work to reward ethical behaviors.

Evolution is foundational to understanding biology, yet learners at all stages have incomplete and incorrect ideas that persist beyond graduation. Contextual features of prompts (e.g., taxon of organism, acquisition vs. loss of traits, etc.) have been shown to influence both the learning process and the ideas students express in explanations of evolutionary processes. In this study, we compare students' explanations of natural selection for humans versus a nonhuman animal (cheetah) at different times during biology instruction. We found "taxon" to be a significant predictor of the content of students' explanations. Responses to "cheetah" prompts contained a larger number and diversity of key concepts (e.g., variation, heritability, differential reproduction) and fewer naïve ideas (e.g., need, adapt) when compared with responses to an isomorphic prompt containing "human" as the organism. Overall, instruction increased the prevalence of key concepts, reduced naïve ideas, and caused a modest reduction in differences due to taxon. Our findings suggest that the students are reasoning differently about evolutionary processes in humans as compared with nonhuman animals, and that targeted instruction may both increase students' facility with key concepts while reducing their susceptibility to contextual influences.

Many high school students learn about nutrient cycling during biology, environmental science, and agriculture classes. These lessons often focus on soil and plants, and nutrient cycling is usually taught independently from climate change. Scientists know that animals, including fish, can have strong effects on nutrient cycling (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) in ecosystems. Additionally, research has shown that nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates of animals increase with water temperatures. We worked with high school students to design and conduct nutrient excretion experiments using common fish (zebrafish) to explore the impact of climate change on nutrient cycling. This allowed students to have hands-on laboratory experience. In 2021, we worked with students participating in a residential summer program in Georgia. Meanwhile, in 2022, students enrolled in the local high school visited the university campus on two occasions to participate in the experiments, and we once again worked with students in Georgia. Students from all three groups showed an increased understanding of the role of animals in nutrient cycling and ways climate change may impact these processes, despite variable results from the excretion experiments. Students also showed increased understanding of science processes and were more likely to feel like part of the science community. We believe that these experiments can be done in high school classrooms to expand students' understanding of the scientific process, nutrient cycling, and climate change.

Animal fears are common, emerging in early childhood and often continuing into adulthood. This study explores the outcomes of positive and negative storybooks about animals on children's attitudes and behaviors. Ninety-six children (ages 4-8 years) were exposed to either negative or positive information about two animals (snakes and frogs) via age-appropriate storybooks, and fear beliefs and avoidance behaviors were then measured. Our results suggest that prior knowledge influences learning and behavior, with children exhibiting more fear towards snakes than frogs, regardless of condition. Accordingly, children who showed fewer fear beliefs were more likely to reach for the animals. In addition, storybook information impacts learning and fear, with children exhibiting more fear in the negative storybook conditions than positive storybook conditions. Storybook information also influenced behavioral avoidance, especially for snakes, with more children reaching for the snake when they received positive information rather than negative information. Additionally, across negative conditions, more children reached for the frog compared to the snake. Finally, parental and child characteristics were associated with more both self-reported fear and observed fear. Implications for parents and educators are discussed.

A common question posed to environmental scientists by nonscientists, particularly policymakers, is the following: In a world that is globally warmer, what will the new climate be like in specific geographical regions? This question has been and continues to be addressed by computer modeling, a technique that is out of reach for vast majority of students. However, an alternate approach to investigating this issue exists that is more practical for students. Past climates can be inferred for specific regions from fossils, utilizing climate tolerances of related modern organisms. When these inferred past climates correspond to periods of the Earth's history where levels of carbon dioxide were as high or higher than today, these data can be used to extrapolate possible future local climates in a globally warmer world. The last Pleistocene interglacial period (known as the Eemian), which occurred approximately 120,000 years ago, is an ideal time period for studies of this kind for the following reasons. First, carbon dioxide levels were elevated at this time to levels approximating modern global conditions, and the world was warmer as evidenced by a much higher sea level than exists today. Secondly, most Eemian-age animals (especially mollusks) still exist, have known climate tolerances, and are relatively common as fossils. Students examining fossil mollusk faunas have applied this methodology to infer the Eemian climates of South Florida and coastal Virginia and found unexpectedly that for both regions the Eemian climate did not greatly differ from the modern one. The methodology described here can be used to address other important questions and puts such authentic and potentially valuable scientific research within practical reach of student scientists.

This article describes how integrating children's literature in mathematics classrooms has proven to provide a common context that is suitable for problem solving and modeling that advances mathematical thinking and reasoning. The engaging task inspired by children's literature allowed this teacher to infuse science, engineering, technology, and mathematics to understand the needs of chickens and construct a viable prototype of a coop. The task allowed students to comprehend the needs of chickens through the modeling of area, given the specific recommendations for housing chickens. With a class producing several prototypes, the teacher coined this the "Poultry Egg-States" for housing chickens.

Vean is a tool used to catch fish in traditional way in Ohoi Disuk, Kei Island, in Southeast Maluku. This study aims to examine vean tradition as a local wisdom of customary people that has been inherited from generation to generation. This research uses qualitative method applying descriptive analytical approach. The number of respondents is 10 people. The results show that the construction of vean resembles the human body, which implies that humans must move their limbs to work in order to meet the life needs. In addition, vean (sero) can also build relationship between the sea and humans as keepers and connoisseurs of nature. Vean has three main motivations, namely economic aspect to create quality of life, social aspect to develop a sense of justice without expecting anything in return, and ecological aspect for the conservation of ecosystems and marine life. On the other hand, vean has very meaningful values to maintain kinship and brotherhood in building social relations, creating a good social harmony. Based on the perspective, motivation, and values contained in vean, this local wisdom can be used as a way to strengthen maritime culture in history learning because it comes from the culture of local community as a source of learning.

One of the overlapping curriculum designs indicates the mismatch of teaching materials with the cognitive level process and student development, impacting the unstructured qualification of mastery of the material. On the other hand, the breadth and depth of teaching materials in the curriculum must be following students' mental development and level of cognitive processes. This study aims to collect the opinions of science teachers in junior high schools and biology teachers in high schools about the learning continuum design on reproducing living things. The method used is a survey. The study population is a hypothetical population with a convenience sample. The sample involved in this study were 111 teachers in Bantul Regency and Yogyakarta City. The data collection method used a questionnaire distributed through four subject teachers' conference (MGMP). The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The results showed several sub-aspects of reproduction of living things that cannot be taught in elementary schools. The material for propagating fungi, protists, bacteria, and viruses starts in grade VII with a cognitive level of C1 (remembering), after previously students received material about types of animals and plants in grade VI (elementary school). Furthermore, the material on reproductive anatomy and physiology can only be given to class IX with cognitive level C2 (understanding) and continued in class X and XI with cognitive level C4 (analyzing). Especially for reproductive anatomy and physiology, fungi were introduced to class VII with C1 level cognitive processes (remembering). This teacher opinion generates a learning continuum grid that can help policymakers improve educational curriculum.

Creative thinking ability can be trained to students during learning process using suitable learning materials. The purpose of this study was to produce a valid and practical student worksheet based on iMindMap in Animalia topic to train students' creative thinking ability. This R & D referred to 4D model (define, design, develop, and disseminate) without disseminate phase. The validity of student worksheets was determined based on experts (material, education and media) assessment. Meanwhile, the practicality was evaluated based on teachers' and students' responses; and the readability of the worksheet decided based on Fry Graph. The data gained were analyzed descriptive-quantitatively. The research results revealed that the worksheet developed was declared as very valid (mode value: 4) and very practical based on practitioners' responses (mode value: 4) and students' responses (the positive responses reached 90.45%). In addition, the readability test result was at level 10, which means that the worksheet was suitable for Grade 10. Hence, it can be concluded that the student worksheet based on iMindMap in Animalia topic can be used to train students' creative thinking ability.

This essay explores the legacy of the four philosophers now often referred to as 'The Wartime Quartet': G.E.M. Anscombe, Iris Murdoch, Philippa Foot and Mary Midgley. The life and work of the four, who studied together in Oxford during the Second World War, is the subject of two recently published books, "The Women Are Up to Something," by Benjamin Lipscomb, and "Metaphysical Animals," by Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman. The two books show us how Anscombe, Murdoch, Foot and Midgley became friends united in their hostility to the logical-positivist orthodoxy of the day and its deleterious influence on Oxford moral philosophy. And we see how their friendship had a formative influence on their subsequent--highly distinguished--careers, so that it is possible to discern, if not exactly a school of thought, then various common themes, ideas and concerns, which are expressed and developed in contrasting ways. While Lipscomb represents the work of the Quartet as of largely historical significance, my paper defends what I take to be Mac Cumhaill and Wiseman's position that their legacy is very much a living one, containing insights that are not just of enduring relevance, but can transform how we see ourselves and how we do philosophy. For Mac Cumhaill and Wiseman, the key idea shared by the members of the Quartet is to place the concept of "life" at the centre of philosophical attention. This commitment has at least four dimensions: (1) an interest in the ordinary; (2) a focus on virtue, goodness and human flourishing; (3) an affirmation of our animal nature; and (4) recognition of the normative landscape that structures our lives. I try to bring out the philosophical significance of these themes in a way relevant to the philosophical elucidation of education.

Bed bugs are on the rise and are increasingly perceived as harmful parasites. Because individuals affected by bed bugs often feel disgust and shame and are stigmatized, bed bugs are an important public health and environmental justice concern and therefore a health education issue as well. In this quasi-experimental study, we examine how different constructs, namely, forms of stigma, disgust, psychological distance, and myths about bed bugs (dependent variables), change over time (pre/posttest) in response to two forms of teaching intervention (independent variables) in upper secondary-level high school. The content of the interventions was the same, but in class, we showed live bed bugs to one group of students, assuming this would lead to a more realistic, less imaginative response to bed bugs than in the group presented with only pictures of bed bugs. Together with previous studies, we assumed that live bed bugs would be perceived as less disgusting and with a lower degree of stigmatization. Our results show that stigma, psychological distance, and myths can be reduced through intervention (regardless of live animal or picture). Disgust was more strongly reduced by live animals than by pictures. We present implications for biology education and contemporary health education.

In certain domains, people represent some of an individual's properties (e.g., a tiger's ferocity), but not others (e.g., a tiger's being in the zoo), as stemming from the assumed "essence" of the individual's category. How do children identify which properties of an individual are essentialized and which are not? Here, we examine whether formal explanations--that is, explanations that appeal to category membership (e.g., "That's ferocious 'because it's a tiger'")--help children to identify which properties are essentialized. We investigated this question in two domains: animal kinds (Study 1) and social categories (specifically, gender; Studies 2 and 3). Across studies, we introduced children to novel behaviors and preferences of individuals using either a formal explanation or closely matched wording that did not express a formal explanation. To measure the extent to which children essentialized the novel properties, we assessed their inferences about the stability, innateness, and generalizability of these properties. In Study 1 (N = 104; 61 girls, 43 boys; predominantly White and multiracial children from high-income backgrounds), we found that formal explanations led 5- and 6-year-old children to view novel properties of individual animals as more stable across time. In Studies 2 and 3 (total N = 163; 84 girls, 79 boys; predominantly White, Asian, and multiracial children from high-income backgrounds), we found that formal explanations led 6-year-olds, but not 5-year-olds, to view novel properties of individual girls and boys as more stable across contexts. These studies highlight an important mechanism by which formal explanations guide conceptual development.

The multiple crises of the 21st century once again highlight the significant role of sustainable education in all educational institutions. Particularly in higher education, the inclusion of nature and animals in the curricula is underrepresented. Using the method of Multispecies Ethnography, which recognizes the interconnectedness and inseparability of humans and other life forms of the more-than-human world, such as plants or animals, this paper discusses the presence of nature in online-based nature and outdoor learning in higher education. This study examines nature-based learning in higher education. It analyses the role of nature in the learning process in general and in sustainable education in particular. The results of the study show that a relationship with nature leads to a change in one's worldview, which is evidence of the methodological importance of introducing nature in the learning process. The results also illustrate that -- despite digitalization -- direct interaction with nature is essential for a paradigm shift in education.

Since the early 1990s the number of systematic reviews (SR) of animal studies has steadily increased. There is, however, little guidance on when and how to conduct a meta-analysis of human-health-related animal studies. To gain insight about the methods that are currently used we created an overview of the key characteristics of published meta-analyses of animal studies, with a focus on the choice of effect size measures. An additional goal was to learn about the rationale behind the meta-analysis methods used by the review authors. We show that important details of the meta-analyses are not fully described, only a fraction of all human-health-related meta-analyses provided rationales for their decision to use specific effect size measures. In addition, our data may suggest that authors make post-hoc decisions to switch to another effect size measure during the course of their meta-analysis, and possibly search for significant effects. Based on analyses in this paper we recommend that review teams: 1) publish a review protocol before starting the conduct of a SR, prespecifying all methodological details (providing special attention to the planned meta-analysis including the effect size measure and the rational behind choosing a specific effect size, prespecifying subgroups and restricting the number of subgroup analyses), 2) always use the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist to report your SR of animal studies, and 3) use the random effects model (REM) in human-health-related meta-analysis of animal studies, unless the assumptions for using the fixed effect model (FEM) are all met.

Snakes and spiders are two of the most commonly feared animals worldwide, yet we know very little about the mechanisms by which such fears are acquired. We explored whether negative information about snakes and spiders from parents shapes children's fear beliefs. Study 1 included 27 parents (22 mothers, five fathers) and children (12 female, 15 male, Mage = 5.33 years, 18 White, one Hispanic, eight more than one race). Most parents reported having an advanced degree (78%) and an annual household income of above $100,000 (74%). Participants read an animal picture book and then rated their fear toward each animal. Study 2 included 54 parents (44 mothers, eight fathers, two legal guardians) and children (27 female, 27 male, M[subscript age] = 5.52 years, 30 White, one Hispanic, seven Asian/Pacific Islander, four South Asian/Indian, 12 more than one race). Most parents reported holding an AA/BA degree (28%) or an advanced degree (59%) and reported an annual household income of $60,000--$100,000 (28%) or above $100,000 (59%). In Study 2, half of the parents were primed about how their conversations might shape children's fear prior to reading the book. Across both studies, we found that participants provided more negative than positive information about snakes and spiders and provided less positive (Study 1) and more negative (Study 2) information compared to other animals. Our results highlight the prominence of negative information in conversations about snakes and spiders and suggest that the way parents talk about these animals may shape the development of children's fears.

In biology education which is an inseparable discipline of medical and veterinary education, it is of great importance that enabling students to make practice in real conditions and gain knowledge and skills related to their professional fields during their education. It is necessary to adapt the new technologies rapidly to education rather than the use of cadavers or laboratory animals, especially when making practice directly related in human and animal anatomy. For this purpose, virtual and augmented reality applications, which have been developed rapidly in recent years, come to the fore as a highly effective technique with the possibility of interacting visually with the objects they give to the user. In this study, the techniques were examined that used in order to increase the learning performance in biology, anatomy, physiology and experimental animals and the process was examined to develop a specific mobile application on Unity3D application. It is envisaged that the difficulties in providing materials for students and ethical debates on the use of experimental animals can be overcome with the dissemination of augmented reality applications and virtual laboratories developed as a result of procedures such as the needs analysis, lesson or course content and scenario writing processes in addition to software development.

This paper presents a narrative inquiry study on agency development in student-teachers of an English language teacher program at a public university in the south of Colombia. Our goal was to understand how student-teachers develop agency when narratively inquiring their community by planning and conducting community-based pedagogy projects on issues they found pertinent to investigate. The data were gathered through semi-structured focus group interviews, individual journal entries, and video-recorded talks about their inquiries. As a conclusion, we acknowledge that certain social and narrative practices such as interacting within their inquiry groups, interacting with their communities, voicing their communities' necessities, and acting upon the inquired necessities facilitated developing agency and contributed to rethinking their roles as transformative members of their communities.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the nature education project on the attitudes and awareness levels of secondary school students towards the environment. The research is based on an experimental model which is a type quantitative research approaches and the population consisting of the students studying at a secondary school in Denizli. The sample of the study consists of 24 students participating in the project selected from Denizli. The first criterion for the selection of the students was determined as the participation of a 4006 science fair before, and other criteria were some variables such as academic achievement, gender, absence of health problems, and high communication skills. The data of the study collected with the journal form was used to gather the opinions and thoughts of the participants through an "Environmental Affect Scale" (EAS) consisting of 15 questions in type of five point likert scale along with another "Environmental Behavior Scale" (EBS) consists of 12 questions in type of seven point likert scale that were both developed by Sontay, Gökdere & Usta (2014). SPSS 22 program is used in the analysis of the data.When the results obtained are evaluated in general, it is evident that nature education program significantly contributes to both the environmental consciousness and environmental attitudes of the participants. In addition, in the evaluation made according to the sub-dimensions of the attitude scale, it is clearly seen that the program increases students' positive attitudes towards the environment as well as ensuring their permanence. However, no significant differences were found in the environmental perception scores of the students.

For many years, research has supported the value of using real-life experiences as teaching opportunities (Noobanjong & Louhapensang, 2017; Powell, 2015). This is just as true of teaching writing as of anything else. In fact, when learners use writing (such as journaling) to share their experiences, they benefit in several ways, including their communication skills (Khanmohammad & Eilaghi, 2017). Writing workshops have been shown to be effective approaches to coaching writing at several different levels (Williams, 2014). Such workshops provide the opportunity to reflect on drafts, collaborate with peers and work through the writing process. They are, therefore, a highly effective context in which to integrate writing about real-life experiences. This, in turn, allows students to develop their writing and their content knowledge. In order to investigate the integration of real-life writing practices into the writing workshop, we focused on one important real-life setting: nature. We created a nature-based writer's workshop, Writing in Nature, for students in the upper-elementary/middle grades (ages 10-12). During the two-session workshop, we provided students with a natural setting. Then, we led them in a writing workshop. Results showed high student engagement and interest, both in the topic and in writing. Our findings suggest that using a natural setting for writing workshops is an effective real-life context for increasing engaged time, teaching content, and developing writing skills.

The empowerment of metacognitive skills has an important role in increasing the capacity of critical thinking and active control of students' cognitive processes in learning. Metacognitive skills can be enhanced through the implementation of learning strategies involving higher-order thinking. The RQA, ADI, RQA integrated with ADI are constructivistic learning strategies that can accommodate these skills. The researches specifically examining the correlation between metacognitive skills and critical thinking skills at the implementation of RQA, ADI, and RQA integrated with ADI learning strategies are still rarely found. This research is a correlational research, aiming at revealing the correlation between metacognitive skills and critical thinking skills. The data of metacognitive skills and critical thinking skills are collected by using a valid and reliable essay test. The samples of this research are the fourth semester (IV) biology education students programming Animal Physiology course in the 2016/2017 academic year consisting of 109 students. The results of this research show that (1) there was a significant correlation between metacognitive skills and critical thinking skills at the implementation of the four learning strategies, (2) the regression equations analyzed using Anova obtain regression lines (not coincide), and non parallel regression lines (intersected); meaning that there is a difference in the increase rate and magnitude of the critical thinking skills influenced by the four learning strategies. It is expected that the teachers and the lecturers always strive to improve the quality of the learning process through the implementation of active and constructive learning strategies.

David Jardine shares his reflections on pedagogy, conspiracy and bird watching. To him the purpose of bird watching is not about getting a longer and longer list of things that he can now ignore. Its purpose is to make almost unbearable the folding layers of sweet and inevitably fatal conspiracy. He shares his experiences of bird-watching with teacher and children.

Awareness as a broad term is subject of many scientific disciplines such as psychology, education and biology etc. Thus the awareness study about our surrounding and environment can be called as a socio-scientific issues. The human species are often in interaction with almost all living and non-living things in the world. And we are not aware about these to some extent. The awareness changes according to the same variables such as mobility, color contrast and similarity to the human being. The living groups (plants and animals) come first rather than non-livings such as stones, water and air. It is the clear that people have higher awareness towards animals. Against plants and mushroom, the awareness is well below the desired level. In this study, it was tried to determine the changes in middle school students' awareness towards animals, plants and mushrooms through nature education. Nature education connects individual with nature. During the education, students recognize livings in the nature and try to understand the importance of nature for a sustainable future. Within the scope of the study, 47 secondary school students were given one week of natural education. Students' answers were analyzed statistically. The pictorial information scales applied before and after the education reveal a significant increase in plant awareness, especially in a world where plant blindness is high. [Note: The page range shown in the header on the PDF (122-136) is incorrect. The correct page range is 122-135.]

"Non-existent Animal" test, which is projective in nature, has been used as an individual recognition technique in many countries, especially in Russia. There are a number of important differences that distinguish "Non-existent Animal" Test from other similar tests. The most important one is that the "thing" to be drawn is something that does not exist. Drawing something that does not exist is different from drawing something that exists. S/he could be more cooperative due to lack of anxiety for not being able to make the picture similar to anything. Another difference is that it is not restrictive. In this study, pictures drawn by 154 university students for the "Non-existent Animal" projective test were examined. The pictures drawn by the participants were evaluated by the researcher in light of some keys of the Non-existent Animal Test. These keys were determined as; the originality of the drawn picture; the general status of the lines; the status of the drawn animal's organs such as head, eyes, ears, feet, arms, wings, thorns, antennae; and the animal's way of life. Results showed that the pictures drawn by the males and females were different from each other in many aspects.

Drawing on evolutionary theory, the author questions which cognitive processes underlie the capacities to play and to pretend play and the degree to which they are present in both humans and nonhuman animals. Considering cognitive capacities not all-or-nothing phenomena, she argues they are present in varying degrees in a wide range of species. Recognizing the risks involved in comparative studies, she identifies the unique features of cognition underlying pretend play while describing the broader phylogenetic sources from which they come. In the end, she finds, although play based on particular degrees of memory, perception, and consciousness can be found in many species, pretend play depends on distinctive degrees of memory, imagination, and metacognition--a cognitive process she calls "reflective imagination"--and appears characteristically human.

In this article we discuss, as a proof of concept, how a network model can be used to analyse gaze tracking data coming from a preliminary experiment carried out in a biodiversity education research project. We discuss the network model, a simple directed graph, used to represent the gaze tracking data in a way that is meaningful for the study of students' biodiversity observations. Our network model can be thought of as a scanning signature of how a subject visually scans a scene. We provide a couple of examples of how it can be used to investigate the personal identification processes of a biologist and non-biologist when they are carrying out a task concerning the observation of species-specific characteristics of two bird species in the context of biology education research. We suggest that a scanning signature can be effectively used to compare the competencies of different persons and groups of people when they are making observations on specific areas of interests.

This paper examines the meaning, assessment, and development of connection to nature (C2N) in two- to five-year-old children. It grows out of a Connection to Nature Workshop organized by the University of Florida, Stanford University, the North American Association for Environmental Education, and the Children and Nature Network to evaluate instruments that measure C2N. Defining and measuring C2N in young children emerged as a current research gap. The workshop was followed by the formation of an Expert Advisory Panel on Early Childhood Nature Connection to address this need. Through semi-structured interviews and narrative responses to a survey, panel participants provided insight on early childhood connection to nature and reviewed existing measures of nature connection for this age group. This paper presents a synthesis of panel ideas. One outcome of the analysis was a detailed description of C2N, highlighting the importance of both quantity and quality of time in nature. Quality time in nature includes opportunities for self-directed exploration, multisensory engagement with nature places, the presence of animals, and the supportive influence of peers and adults. Research implications include recommendations for mixed-method assessment strategies for young children as well as the importance of access to nature for all children.

Researchers of team behavior have long been interested in the essential components of effective teamwork. Much existing research focuses on examining correlations between team member traits, team processes, and team outcomes, such as collective intelligence or team performance. However, these approaches are insufficient for providing insight into the dynamic, causal mechanisms through which the components of teamwork interact with one another and impact the emergence of team outcomes. Advances in the field of animal behavior have enabled a precise understanding of the behavioral mechanisms that enable groups to perform feats that surpass the capabilities of the individuals that comprise them. In this manuscript, we highlight how studies of animal swarm intelligence can inform research on collective intelligence in human teams. By improving the ability to obtain precise, time-varying measurements of team behaviors and outcomes and building upon approaches used in studies of swarm intelligence to analyze and model individual and group-level behaviors, researchers can gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the emergence of collective intelligence. Such understanding could inspire targeted interventions to improve team effectiveness and support the development of a comparative framework of group-level intelligence in animal and human groups.

Knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures presents opportunities for geography students to learn about holistic belief systems that are spiritually and intellectually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways. One means that geographers use to examine these connections is through the notion of relational space. In this article, the space occupied by Gweagal inhabitants of Kamay/Botany Bay, circa 1770, is presented in relational terms. By way of contrast, absolute space is emphasised in the context of James Cook's expedition two hundred and fifty years ago. Of course, both absolute and relational space are co-present in both contexts.

Biology course can be difficult for students at times as it includes a lot of concepts and a relatively intense content. At this point, students' attitude towards biology and biology course is highly important because having developed a positive attitude would significantly affect behavior. In other words, those students who have developed a positive attitude towards biology and biology course are expected to be more interested in class, more enthusiastic for learning, and as a result more successful. In this research, the gender and grade level variables as well as the pet-keeping variable were examined. The effects of these variables on the attitudes of secondary school students towards biology and biology course were examined by MANOVA. The sample of the research, which was designed in a relational survey model, consisted of 1047 secondary school students. In the collection of data, "Secondary School Students' Attitude towards Biology and Biology Course Scale" was used. It was concluded that students who keep a pet have a more affirmative attitude. It was determined that female students have a more affirmative attitude compared to male students and 9th graders have a more affirmative attitude compared to students in other grade levels. Finally, it has been discussed why female students', pet keeping students' and lower grade students' attitudes towards biology and biology course are more affirmative, and suggestions for increasing students' attitudes have been developed.

This article will discuss social, environmental, and ecological justice in education for sustainable development (ESD) and Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDG). The concept of sustainable development and, by extension, the ESD, places heavy emphasis on the economic and social aspects of sustainability. However, the ESD falls short of recognizing ecological justice, or recognition that nonhumans also have a right to exist and flourish. An intervention in the form of an undergraduate course titled Politics, Business, and Environment (PBE) will be discussed. As part of this course, students were asked to reflect on the three pillars of sustainable development: society, economy, and environment, linking these to the fourth concept, ecological justice or biospheric egalitarianism. Biospheric egalitarianism is characterized by the recognition of intrinsic value in the environment and is defined as concern about justice for the environment. Some of the resulting exam answers are analyzed, demonstrating students' ability to recognize the moral and pragmatic limitations of the anthropocentric approach to justice. This analysis presents ways forward in thinking about the role of "ecological justice" as the ultimate bottom line upon which both society and economy are based.

This study investigated the perception of 13 invasive alien animal species (IAAS) by 220 teacher students and their attitudes towards species management, either with or without prior information about the IAAS presented. In a first questionnaire, the IAAS (eight vertebrates, five invertebrates) were presented as photographs and their invasive status was not revealed. In a second questionnaire, one half of the participants received information about the invasive character of the species, the other half did not. Then, attitudes of both groups towards various management options were assessed. Mammals such as grey squirrel, raccoon and raccoon dog were considered most beautiful and wanted, but the harlequin ladybird, an insect, was also considered attractive. Participants who had received information about the invasive character of the species presented were more in favor of eradication and partial removal than those who had not, but still less willing to remove mammals and birds than arthropods. The present results highlight the importance of information on IAAS so that teacher students can understand the reasons for certain types of management. As multipliers of tomorrow, they might be better prepared for teaching this topic in school.

Equine fiction is an established genre in the English juvenile literary canon. Current works in the field appeal to adolescent readers thanks to their interface between classic motifs of vintage and contemporary forms of equine narratives. Performing a close reading of selected passages in Miranda Kenneally's "Racing Savannah" (2013), this paper acknowledges how this novel is a revitalization and a challenge to this pattern. Savannah, who is more gifted than her companions, is subordinate to the decisions of the junior of the household where she works. Jack Goodwin, the protagonist's romantic lead, educated in a neocolonialist background of male jockeying, becomes Savannah's marker of difference according to her sex and lower socioeconomic status, which lay at the root of her later racialization despite her being a white character. My analysis attempts to expose how these difficulties encountered by the protagonist to become a professional jockey articulate past and present constraints of the horse-racing ladder.

Using the comparative approach, researchers draw inferences about the evolution of cognition. Psychologists have postulated several hypotheses to explain why certain species are cognitively more flexible than others, and these hypotheses assume that certain cognitive skills are linked together to create a generally "smart" species. However, empirical findings suggest that several animal species are highly specialized, showing exceptional skills in single cognitive domains while performing poorly in others. Although some cognitive skills may indeed overlap, we cannot a priori assume that they do across species. We argue that the term "cognition" has often been used by applying an anthropocentric viewpoint rather than a biocentric one. As a result, researchers tend to overrate cognitive skills that are human-like and assume that certain skills cluster together in other animals as they do in our own species. In this paper, we emphasize that specific physical and social environments create selection pressures that lead to the evolution of certain cognitive adaptations. Skills such as following the pointing gesture, tool-use, perspective-taking, or the ability to cooperate evolve "independently" from each other as a concrete result of specific selection pressures, and thus have appeared in distantly related species. Thus, there is not "one cognition". Our argument is founded upon traditional Darwinian thinking, which--although always at the forefront of biology--has sometimes been neglected in animal cognition research. In accordance with the biocentric approach, we advocate a broader empirical perspective as we are convinced that to better understand animal minds, comparative researchers should focus much more on questions and experiments that are ecologically valid. We should investigate nonhuman cognition for its own sake, not only in comparison to the human model.

Animal love holds an important role in the emotional and social development of children. The ability of children to form an attachment to and to take responsibility for an animal, and the development of sensitive behaviors towards animals emphasize the importance of animal love in the personal development of children. This study was conducted to examine the views of primary school students about sensitivity to animals. The phenomenology design, among qualitative research methods, was used in the study. Based on criterion sampling and maximum variation sampling methods, 120 primary school students attending the 3rd grade of 3 distinct public schools with low, middle and high socioeconomic levels in Afyonkarahisar provincial center were determined as participants. The data of the study were obtained by using a semi-structured interview form. The data obtained in the study were analyzed with descriptive analysis technique, and students' responses were examined in-depth, and results were tabulated using descriptions and supported with direct quotations from the views of primary school students. According to the findings, the ability of students to empathize with street animals, to give examples from their own lives on the protection and improving the living conditions of animals, and to use emotional statements like "'I feel sorry for the animals left to the street', 'The animal's life is so precious', 'They are living beings, too and like members of my family'" reveals that students have sensitivity to animals. [This research was presented as an oral paper at the 2nd International Congress of Geography Education held in Eskisehir on 3-5 October 2019.]

Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopment disorder that affects an individual's social skills, communication skills and repetitive behaviours. Due to these factors, an autism learning environment has to be purposely-built to cater for the sensory needs of these learners. In special education practice, animal-assisted intervention has become popular over recent years to this end. This study aims to analyse the practice of animal-assisted intervention in an autism learning environment with the aid of a sustainable system called an integrated farming system. The study is conducted using mixed methods, involving content analysis of the technical information and detailed drawings of an integrated farming system, as well as an online survey about the implementation of the intervention in autism classrooms via such a system. Our findings show that the technical drawings for implementing an integrated farming system in the built environment represent an architectural intervention. The online survey also shows positive feedback from experts in autism services. The study concludes that animal-assisted autism learning is a promising future model for special education. It also suggests that an integrated farming system is a potential nature-based livestock farming solution to include animals in a farm-based autism educational setting. This could serve as a reference and basis for future architects or researchers to extend the research or implement animal-assisted interventions in real practices.

Unrecognized grief (also called disenfranchised grief) is an emotion experienced when a loss is not socially supported, mourned, or acknowledged (Doka, 1989). Elementary students often experience unrecognized grief when relationships with friends, family, teachers, support professionals, and pets change or end. While these developments are often a normal part of life, elementary students experience grief that may lead to academic or behavioral difficulties in school. The purpose of this article is to review the concept of unrecognized grief experienced by elementary students due to relationship loss and provide school counselors with individual, group, and system-wide strategies.

Environmental education (EE) programs, when combined with human-wildlife interactions (HWI), can trigger emotions, an essential part of attitudes that influence pro-environmental behaviors (PEB). We used participant observation and a post-event evaluation survey to investigate emotional response to HWI among participants from marine educational programs at the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium, Savannah, GA. We found that during HWI participants demonstrated positive (e.g., empathy) and negative emotions (e.g., frustration) with animals, including misconceptions and negative perceptions toward snakes and horseshoe crabs. In addition, outdoor exploration, contact with wildlife (direct or indirect), biofacts exhibitions and live animal presentations were the practices that most engaged participants in the programs, indicating that animals (e.g., turtles and crabs) can increase participants' interest in educational activities. By incorporating wildlife in EE practices, educators can engage individuals in activities and stimulate their emotional attachment to animals, which can encourage changes in perceptions, leading to PEBs necessary for environmental conservation.

Background: Student anxiety about statistics may lead to poorer learning outcomes. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate an exercise designed to teach students in an introductory statistics class the principles of bivariate regression and to emphasize how statistical tools used by psychologists are also implemented in other fields. Method: Students used a published model on the relationship between tooth size and the length of great white sharks to estimate the length of extinct sharks and to explore factors that could affect the accuracy or validity of regression analyses. Data from an anonymous self-report scale were used to assess the activity. Results: More than 95% of respondents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the activity was engaging, approximately 95% of students "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that the activity helped them learn about factors that can lead to problems with bivariate correlation/regression, and approximately 91% of respondents correctly answered a question designed to assess basic content acquisition. Conclusion: Feedback data suggest that the exercise was successful in achieving its content and process learning goals. Teaching Implications: Implementation of similar exercises may improve student engagement and outcomes in psychology statistics courses.

Children's early knowledge and skills set the stage for later reading development. The present studies examined children's conceptual knowledge of reading prior to formal literacy instruction. Young children's knowledge about who is able to read books and what readers are reading when they read books has been studied primarily through interviews. However, conclusions from this research are limited by methodological concerns. In three experiments with a total of 105 U.S. preschoolers (ages 3 years, 1 month to 5 years, 5 months) we examined whether prereaders understand what part of a book is read, who can read, and who engages in reading. We created storybooks for Experiments 1 and 2, asking children questions about the print and what parts of a book an adult can read. In Experiment 3, we asked children questions about pictures of animals and adults looking at books. Although prereaders could generally locate letters and words in a book, they were still learning that it is this print, not the pictures, which a reader reads. Prereaders knew that adults but not animals have the ability to read, but many also indicated that engaging in the activity of reading does not require the ability to read. Children who cannot read are still in the process of learning that print is what a reader reads and that engaging in reading requires a special skill. Therefore, when formal literacy instruction begins, teachers should not overestimate the knowledge about print and reading that children have acquired from prior exposure to books.