A statistical approach to quantitative data validation focused on the assessment of students' perceptions about biotechnology

Student awareness levels are frequently used to evaluate the effectiveness of educational policies to promote scientific literacy. Over the last years several studies have been developed to assess students' perceptions towards science and technology, which usually rely on quantitative methods to achieve broad characterizations, and obtain quantifiable and comparable data. Although the usefulness of this information depends on its validity and reliability, validation is frequently neglected by researchers with limited background in statistics. In this context, we propose a guideline to implement a statistical approach to questionnaire validation, combining exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis. The work focuses on the psychometric analysis of data provided by a questionnaire assessing 1196 elementary and high school students' perceptions about biotechnology. Procedural guidelines to enhance the efficiency of quantitative inquiry surveys are given, by discussing essential methodological aspects and relevant criteria to integrate theory into practice.The authors are grateful to all the participant teachers and students that contributed to gather the data presented and to Catarina L. Santos for useful comments and suggestions on the manuscript. Maria Joao Fonseca was supported by the FCT fellowship SFRH/BD/37389/2007 and this work was sponsored by a research grant (PTDC/AGR-PRO/111857/2009) from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal)

Arquitetura, desenvolvimento e diversidade dos Metazoários: exercício 2

Ensino Médio::BiologiaAprsenta exercício interativo que convida o aluno a testar seus conhecimentos sobre o desenvolvimento das células embrionária

English is fun

Educação Infantil::Linguagem oral e escritaEnsino Fundamental::Séries Iniciais::AlfabetizaçãoEnsino Fundamental Final::Língua EstrangeiraApresenta animação para o ensino da língua inglesa. O idioma inglês é apresentado através de atividades do cotidiano e através de exemplos lúdicos. Todas as instruções em inglês possuem, também, versão em português de portuga

Arquitetura, desenvolvimento e diversidade dos Metazoários: exercício 2

Ensino Médio::BiologiaAprsenta exercício interativo que convida o aluno a testar seus conhecimentos sobre o desenvolvimento das células embrionária

English is fun

Educação Infantil::Linguagem oral e escritaEnsino Fundamental::Séries Iniciais::AlfabetizaçãoEnsino Fundamental Final::Língua EstrangeiraApresenta animação para o ensino da língua inglesa. O idioma inglês é apresentado através de atividades do cotidiano e através de exemplos lúdicos. Todas as instruções em inglês possuem, também, versão em português de portuga

A hands-on activity to raise awareness about healthy sun exposure

"Published online: 04 Apr 2014"Excessive exposure to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes sunburn and has been consistently associated with increased susceptibility to melanoma and skin ageing. Acknowledging the need to promote healthy sun exposure habits, numerous educational initiatives have been developed to raise public awareness towards this issue. However, studies reveal that misinformed behaviours persist, particularly amongst young people, emphasising the need to broaden the range of interventions specifically targeting this population segment. The goal of this study was to develop and assess a hands-on activity addressing the lethal effect of sunlight. Using a mixed-method approach based on a case-control pre-/post-test design, the effectiveness of this activity was evaluated following its implementation in four high schools in Portugal. Data collected through questionnaires, classroom observations, analysis of activity reports and interviews with 140 12th-grade science students aged 17.10 ± 0.67 years old attending biology classes reveal that the activity had a positive impact on student knowledge about the effects of solar UV radiation and the importance of safe sunlight exposure. The implications of these findings for health and biology education-namely, concerning the instructional design of practical activities in this scope-are discussed.The authors are grateful to all the participant students and teachers, and to Ralph Levinson for helpful comments and suggestions on the manuscript. MJF was supported by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia fellowship SFRH/BD/37389/2007