@article {1247, title = {THE WATERWORKS: A CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING CHEMISTRY CONCEPTS IN THE SEVENTH GRADE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {21}, year = {2022}, month = {December/2022}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {1165-1180}, abstract = {Industry field trips provide the contexts that enable students to improve their understanding of chemical concepts and processes. The aim of this research study was to explore to what extent students improve their understanding of water, solutions, mixtures, and the methods used for separating mixture components in the context of the waterworks, and what their views towards such an approach are. The sample consisted of 36 students aged 13 to 14 years, equally divided into the experimental and control group. The teaching unit Water and its significance for the living world was realised within the context of the waterworks in the experimental group, while in the control group it was realised using a conventional approach at school. Prior to the elaboration of the teaching unit the students from both groups had been tested using a pre-test, and upon the completion they were tested using a post-test. The views of the experimental group were examined using a questionnaire. The obtained results showed that the activities in the context of waterworks improved the understanding of the studied concepts, that students recognised the relevance of the applied context for their personal and societal life, as well as for their own future professional activities. }, keywords = {chemistry concepts, context-based approach, industry field trip, thirteen-year-old students, waterworks}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/22.21.1165}, url = {https://oaji.net/articles/2022/987-1672585401.pdf}, author = {Milo{\v s} S. Kozi{\'c} and Dragica D. Trivic} } @article {994, title = {ON WOLVES AND BEES: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE NATURE RELATEDNESS OF THE PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {20}, year = {2021}, month = {April/2021}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {252-260}, abstract = {Biodiversity is the result of long-term evolution. It is one of the fundamental global problems of today as it is declining in space and time. The aim of this research was to determine the relationship of man and nature and to analyze the influence of variables such as gender, age, pet ownership, cultivation of plants, and perception of popular and unpopular animals. A total of 549 respondents took part in the research survey. In addition to the above-mentioned demographic variables, the research also contained 5 items related to the perceived vulnerability of respondents and 37 items focused on the perception of wolves and bees as example of unpopular or popular animals. All variables except gender had a significant influence on man{\textquoteright}s relationship to nature. Students who perceived their own vulnerability to a greater extent had a more negative attitude towards nature. Fear of both groups of observed animals had a negative influence on the relationship to nature. Other dimensions correlated positively, age as well as plant growing and pet breeding. In the end, the possibilities of improving the relationship to nature are suggested.}, keywords = {nature relatedness, popular animals, quantitative approach, university students, unpopular animals}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/21.20.252 }, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2021/987-1616865968.pdf}, author = {Milan Kubiatko and Karel Nepras and Tereza Strejckova and Roman Kroufek} } @article {910, title = {THE WAYS THE THEORY OF PHYSICS EDUCATION CAN EVOLVE}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {19}, year = {2020}, month = {December/2020}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {860-863}, abstract = {Theory of physics education, as well as our Journal of Baltic Science Education, made a significant step over the last 20 years. Twenty years ago, formal physics education had a one-and-a-half century of development; JBSE was just an idea to be turned into the 1st issue in 2002. In this article, I would like to mention some of the great steps physics education made in the last decades and some open questions for the nearest future. I would like to apologize to the readers from the field of biology, chemistry or primary science education - unlike in my previous articles in this Journal (Demkanin, 2013; Demkanin, 2018), here I focus on physics education.}, keywords = {digital technologies, physics education, science education, university students}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/20.19.860}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2020/987-1606572136.pdf}, author = {Peter Demkanin} } @article {874, title = {WHO IS AND SHOULD BE A SCIENCE TEACHER}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {19}, year = {2020}, chapter = {520-522}, abstract = {Who is and should be a Science teacher like? This seemingly multiple-time answered ques-tion, however, has not been clearly answered yet; moreover, in this case, a multi-alternative an-swer is required. Ideas of an optimal characteristic of Science teacher should be defined in context of their main activity. Two alternatives are under the focus; the apparent discrepancy which has been solved in some legal documents, and the state which is frequently not unambiguous in practice. }, keywords = {general education, personal development, science teacher, teaching qualification}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/20.19.520}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2020/987-1597214072.pdf}, author = {Martin B{\'\i}lek} } @article {641, title = {WRITING VERSUS TYPING DURING SCIENCE TEACHING: CASE STUDY IN SLOVENIA}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {17}, year = {2018}, month = {February/2018}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {84-96}, abstract = {In a case study conducted in a biology class in Slovenia, six grade students participated in a biology project Writing Versus Typing in a Biology Class. The final task in this project was to write a chapter for a biology textbook with the title Urtica dioica. The task was performed twice: firstly, the text was written by the hand and secondly it was typed on the computer keyboard. Handwritten and keyboard typed scientific texts, textbook chapters, were compared with the special focus on the lexical, syntactic, and semantic level of the text. The purpose of this research was to find out the effect of replacing handwriting with typing in the process of teaching/learning science subjects, where the understanding of texts is of crucial importance. A closer look at the students{\textquoteright} text products in the typing modality reveals that students, while typing, seem to be cognitively overloaded. One of the consequences of this is a lower level of cognitive achievement in their typed text: students show less knowledge, less terminological accuracy, and, above all, a lesser understanding of the interconnection between the items of information provided. }, keywords = {biology science class; embodied cognition, handwriting, keyboard writing}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/18.17.84}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2017/987-1519060073.pdf}, author = {Kordigel Aber{\v s}ek, M. and Boris Aber{\v s}ek and Andrej Flogie} } @article {544, title = {THE WORLD OF PLANTS IN CHILDREN{\textquoteright}S DRAWINGS: COLOR PREFERENCES AND THE EFFECT OF AGE AND GENDER ON THESE PREFERENCES}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {16}, year = {2017}, month = {February/2017}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {32-42}, abstract = {Plants is a neglected topic in biology education. Educational activities about plants are important in early terms because they are the base of both the science and the biology education. The purpose of this research is to understand opinions of the children by utilizing drawings and the colors they used. It is run by the phenomenological model point of view in qualitative research method. In the scope of the research, researchers worked with 80 children (40 girls, 40 boys). Data of the research consist of children{\textquoteright}s drawings. In this context, A4 sized papers and crayons have been distributed to children and they have been asked to make drawings of plants. At the end of the research, it was found that there was a total of 21 different elements and that these elements were drawn 237 times in the children{\textquoteright}s drawings. Moreover, no statistically significant dependence was particularly found between the elements of the sun, tree, flower, grass and rain, and age and gender. Similarly, while no significant correlation was found between the number of colors used in the drawings and age, a statistically significant correlation between the number of preferred colors and gender was found in favor of the girls. Furthermore, it was found that the children preferred light colors in their drawings. In light of the findings of the current research, it can be argued that science education given during the preschool period should be conducted by using methods, which are enjoyable and allow children to reflect the knowledge in their minds, for example, through drawings.}, keywords = {biological knowledge, children{\textquoteright}s{\textquoteright} drawing, phenomenological model, plant world, qualitative research}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/17.16.32}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2017/987-1493049530.pdf}, author = {Berat Ahi} } @article {420, title = {WHY SHOULD WE PUBLISH IN JOURNALS INDEXED IN WEB OF SCIENCE?}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {14}, year = {2015}, month = {April/2015}, pages = {Continuous}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {160-161}, abstract = {I would like to thank the editor of the journal, who offered me to write an editorial. When I was thinking about the topic, which would be interesting for the readers of journals, I got more ideas. One of the topics, which is more and more discussed is the problem of publication. Where should the author send his manuscript? He/she should choose a shorter way or try to send his own manuscript to the journal with the demanding reviewing process. But, the author is the person who makes the final decision, our effort is to evoke only thinking about the importance of academic work.}, keywords = {editorial boards, international journals, recognized databases}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/15.14.160}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2016/987-1473430543.pdf}, author = {Milan Kubiatko} } @article {308, title = {WHAT NOS TEACHING PRACTICES TELL US: A CASE OF TWO SCIENCE TEACHERS}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {12}, year = {2013}, month = {December/2013}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {424-439 }, abstract = {Translation of nature of science (NOS) views into teaching practice and the development of teachers{\textquoteright} NOS teaching are still open to investigation. Therefore, how teachers{\textquoteright} translation of NOS understanding into practice occurs and what extend science teachers are able to transform their understanding into explicit reflective NOS instruction have been issues still need to be further exploration. This study explored the impact of intensive nature of science summer workshop on science teachers{\textquoteright} views of NOS and their instructional practices. The current study was a case study of two middle school science teachers documenting their NOS views and instructional practice on NOS in the classrooms. Data resources included the VNOS-C; interviews and classroom observations. Participants made substantial improvements in their understandings of the targeted aspects of NOS as a result of their participation in professional development program. The study also showed that two of teachers translated their understanding of NOS in a certain degree into instructional practice.}, keywords = {in-service teachers, nature of science, professional development program}, issn = {1648-3898}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/13.12.424}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2015/987-1425809032.pdf}, author = {Nihal Dogan and Jale Cakiroglu and Kader Bilican and Seda Cavus} } @article {234, title = {WOMEN SCIENTISTS IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TEXTBOOKS IN TURKEY}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {10}, year = {2011}, month = {December/2011}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {277-284 }, abstract = {The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of inclusion of woman scientists in the textbooks prepared in accordance with the 2004 Science and Technology Curriculum in Turkey. The study is a descriptive field study since it proposes an assessment of the situation. In the study, document analysis was conducted. The 4th to 8th grade textbooks were analysed. It was identified that, despite the aim to include men and women who contributed to science in the science and technology curriculum, the textbooks do not reflect this sufficiently. In the textbooks, even though a total of 78 different scientists are mentioned, only two of these are women. It is important to include women scientists in science textbooks for girls to be able to find the role models they need when choosing a career Therefore, women scientists who contributed to science should be included in textbooks and this must be reinforced with one-to-one activities. In addition, it is important that teachers be sensitive and informed on this issue.}, keywords = {history of science, science education, science textbooks, women scientists}, issn = {1648-3898}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2014/987-1410547841.pdf}, author = {Canan La{\c c}in-{\c S}im{\c s}ek} } @article {162, title = {WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH DO WE NEED FOR DEVELOPING STL IN SCIENCE EDUCATION?}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {8}, year = {2009}, month = {March/2009}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {4}, abstract = {The effectiveness of any R\&D work depends on research methodology used by studying nature, regularities and peculiarities related to the researched field of knowledge. How often have we heard that educational researches belong to {\textquoteleft}soft studies{\textquoteright} because all social sciences including science education belong to the soft field of knowledge. A quilty person in this case is not at all science education but educators {\textendash} researchers working in the field of science education and using only soft methodology and strategies. Any educational research has the same attributes as fundamental ({\textquoteleft}strong{\textquoteright}) sciences and embraces formulating topics and a tittle, planning theoretical and experimental study, collecting empirical data, statistically treating the results of research etc. There is a single exception between {\textquoteright}soft{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}strong{\textquoteright} studies: in social sciences including science education, we cannot repeat experiments under the same circumstances. During the time between two parallel studies, our kids, pupils, students or currently, our respondents have changed cognitively, emotionally, communicatively etc. A number of changes in their knowledge, skills, values and even in characters can be noticed. In addition to the above mentioned changes, we fail to understand the kind of changes taking place during experimental study.. }, keywords = {flexible theories, Research Methodology, science education, statistical methods}, issn = {1648-3898}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2014/987-1404720331.pdf}, author = {Aarne T{\~o}ldsepp} } @article {160, title = {WILL THE CONTRUCTIVIST APPROACH EMPLOYED IN SCIENCE TEACHING CHANGE THE {\textquotedblleft}GRAMMAR{\textquotedblright} OF SCHOOLING?}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {7}, year = {2008}, month = {October/2008}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {175-184}, abstract = {This study aimed to describe the extent to which constructive approach in Primary School Science and Technology subject programme is reflected in the classroom atmosphere. For this purpose, the study investigates how students perceive cooperativeness in the classroom, order and student involvement, teacher involvement and support and which factor(s) in the new programme are thought to be better than the ones in the old programme. The present study where descriptive method was applied was carried out with 371 fifth grade students. In the study, Classroom Environment Scale was used. The students positively perceive the new classroom environment where the new Science and Technology subject programme is applied. The findings obtained from the study indicate the reflections of constructivist approach in the classroom environment and considerable presence of behaviourism as well. }, keywords = {classroom environment, constructivism, science and technology education, teaching and learning}, issn = {1648-3898}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2014/987-1404720152.pdf}, author = {Hasan Seker} } @article {64, title = {WHY CHOOSE PHYSICS {\textendash} IN NORWAY AND FINLAND ?}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {3}, year = {2004}, month = {March/2003}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {5-12}, abstract = {Questionnaire data from Norway and Finland were compared to explore the factors that influence upper secondary school students{\textquoteright} choice of subjects (notably physics). Results indicate that personal and emotional factors (interest, abilities), but also practical factors (entrance requirements, usefulness) are keywords for students{\textquoteright} choice. Although both Finnish and Norwegian students claim to base their educational choice mainly on personal interest and ability, there is a tendency for Norwegians to be relatively more influenced by background and Finns to be more influenced by the educational system (teachers, entrance requirements). These differences are discussed in light of educational policy and sociological theory. Thus, our recommendations based on this small study are: {\textperiodcentered} More attention should be given to educational choice guidance in secondary school {\textendash} probably particularly so in Norway. Physics in particular might profit from this, and physics teachers should take an active role as "ambassadors" for their subject. {\textperiodcentered} If recruitment is to be improved, physics needs to get away from the image of being difficult and work-intensive; probably also from the prevailing culture of the subject (which is likely to be even harder to change). {\textperiodcentered} Finally, there is a need for more research exploring the interaction between students{\textquoteright} socioeconomic background, their interest and performance in various school subjects (notably physics), and their actual educational choices.}, keywords = {educational choices, educational policy, school physics}, issn = {1648-3898}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2016/987-1482419239.pdf}, author = {Ellen K. Henriksen and Carl Angell and Jari Lavonen and Anders Isnes} } @article {51, title = {WHAT STUDENTS{\textquoteright} UNDERSTAND FROM ENTROPY?: A REVIEW OF SELECTED LITERATURE}, journal = {Journal of Baltic Science Education}, volume = {2}, year = {2003}, month = {March/2003}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {21 - 27}, abstract = {This study is intended to review some of the selected researches carried out on students{\textquoteright} understandings of entropy. The review puts together the important findings of the researches, summarises the misunderstanings identified together with the possible sources of these misunderstandings and new approaches in defining entropy. Therefore, this study would be beneficial for the researchers and lecturers in science and chemistry education area. The review shows that Entropy is found to be difficult idea to be grasped by high school students and undergraduates. In many cases students{\textquoteright} understanding of the basic aspects of the idea are limited, distorted or wrong. The difficulties arise from misinterpretation of mathematical equations in thermodynamics and not adequately integrating the new knowledge with students{\textquoteright} existing knowledge. Students{\textquoteright} explanations are mostly based on the macrophysical world, their thinking on the microphysical world is limited. The everyday meanings of the scientific terms dominate their interpretations. Lecturers should check that students have acquired the correct scientific meanings of the concepts and apply them in both everyday and theoretical situations.}, keywords = {entropy, misunderstandings, tertiary education}, issn = {1648-3898}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2017/987-1503927942.pdf}, author = {Mustafa Sozbilir} }