Students’ motivations and socio-professional integration as drivers of doctoral program completion: a reflection on personal experience

Doctoral education allows individuals to acquire necessary skills needed to carry out research-related careers and/or creates the opportunity to show one’s potential to do research. To complete doctoral programs, much effort is needed by doctoral candidates. However, the completion of the program is not resolved to students’ effort and motivations; it is a combination of other factors operating within their working environment. The institutional frameworks on the requirements for the award, the scientific communities mainly comprising the supervisory team and the peers are key determinants of student’s success. Based on lived experience and on theories such as choice theory, self-determination and socialization, the present paper intends to provide insights into the nature of doctoral studies and how motivation and socio-professional integration determine successful completion of the program. Furthermore, the author’s experience serves to enlighten prospective and present doctoral students, supervisors and managers of doctoral programs on tips that support success into the program.Keywords: Doctoral Education, Motivations, Self-determination, Mentorship, Persistenc

Biology Instructional Resources Availability and Extent of their Utilization in Teaching Pre-Service Biology Teachers

Education of pre-service science teachers necessitates inquiry and resource-based instruction to ensure the production of both hands-on and mind-on skilled science teachers. This becomes possible when a variety of instructional resources regularly support the teaching process. This study aimed to identify the types of available biology instructional resources and their extent of use in teaching pre-service biology teachers. The study used a descriptive survey research design and was conducted in three private Universities selected from those offering education in Rwanda. Eighty-two pre-service biology teachers and five biology lecturers participated in the study. Observational checklist of biology instructional resources and questionnaires aided the collection of data analyzed by frequency counts and percentages. The findings revealed that biology instructional resources like classroom chairs, chalkboards, laboratories, microscopes, centrifuge, slide projectors, biology textbooks were available while resources like a class whiteboard, classroom overhead projectors, electrophoresis unit, recorders, Polymerase chain reaction machines, among others, were absent. The findings also revealed low-level use of available biology instructional resources in teaching pre-service biology teachers. The implication is the likelihood of producing less competent future biology teachers. The provision of adequate biology instructional resources, as well as the monitoring of their use in teaching biology, was recommende

Influence of phytomanagement on a metal-contaminated ecosystem : application to Miscanthus × giganteus

La phytoremédiation est présentée comme une option pour gérer des sols dégradés. Les potentialités de Miscanthus × giganteus ont été évaluées, dans des conditions ex situ et in situ, avec pour objectif de produire une biomasse sur des sols agricoles fortement contaminés par Cd, Pb et Zn. Il a été dressé un bilan sur le comportement de la plante face à un gradient de contamination des sols, en intégrant les variations saisonnières et différentes pratiques agronomiques (choix du cultivar, densité de plantation, amendement biologique, fertilisation azotée). Il a aussi été étudié l’influence du miscanthus sur la mobilité des métaux dans les sols. Les résultats ont montré que la contamination des sols ne perturbe pas la croissance de M. × giganteus et le rendement de la biomasse récoltée. Le cadmium, Pb et Zn sont principalement accumulés dans les racines et d’une façon générale, M. × giganteus réduit leur transfert vers les organes aériens. Cette plante présente un bon potentiel pour la phytostabilisation des métaux et d’une façon plus globale, pour le phytomanagement. Prises individuellement, les pratiques agronomiques n’ont pas d’effet sur le comportement de la plante. En revanche, la fertilisation azotée d’une part, et l’interaction entre le cultivar et l’ajout de l’inoculum endomycorhizien d’autre part, favorise légèrement l’accumulation de Cd et Zn dans les organes aériens des cultivars étudiés. Compte tenu du caractère pérenne de la plante, il conviendrait de valider ces résultats sur le long terme, d’étudier les effets du stress métallique sur la santé de la plante et d’évaluer le devenir des polluants en lien avec l’accumulation des matières organiques dans le sol.Phytoremediation is considered as an option for management of degraded soils. The potential of Miscanthus × giganteus were assessed in ex situ and in situ conditions, with the aim of producing biomass on agricultural soils heavily contaminated by Cd, Pb and Zn. The study mainly focused on the behavior of M. × giganteus growing on soils presenting a contamination gradient, and included seasonal variations and different agronomic practices, i.e., choice of the cultivar, planting density, biological soil amendment and nitrogen fertilization. The influence of the plant on metal mobility in soils was also assessed. The results show that soil contamination does not affect M. × giganteus growth and shoot yields. Cadmium, Pb and Zn are mainly accumulated in roots and in general M. × giganteus reduces their transfer to the aboveground organs. This plant presents therefore a great potential for metal phytostabilisation, and in a more comprehensive way, for phytomanagement. Taken individually, agronomic practices did not affect the plant behavior. However, nitrogen fertilization on one hand, and the interaction between the cultivar ad the endomycorrhizal inoculum on the other hand, increase the Cd and Zn accumulation in miscanthus organs. Given the perennial nature of the plant, long-term studies are needed to validate the present results, to assess the effects of metal-induced stress on the plant health as well as the fate of contaminants in relation to the accumulation of soil organic matter in miscanthus plantations

An Empirical Investigation of Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes as the Correlates of Environmental Identity among Pre-Service Biology Teachers in Tanzania

Despite the extant literature that discusses the potentiality of environmental identity in shaping people’s engagement with nature, there is little evidence of which specific domains of environmental attitudes and knowledge are connected with environmental identity. The present article reports on the results from two studies that were conducted within the framework of the Solomon four-group design, in four randomly selected teacher colleges (TCs) in Tanzania. Specifically, study one was an intervention with pre- and post-measurements that involved indoor and outdoor environmental programs among pre-service biology teachers in two TCs. Moreover, study two was conducted in two other selected TCs, with a post-test only. The two-Major Environmental Values (2-MEV) and a Competence Model for Environmental Education were used for measuring environmental attitudes and knowledge, respectively. Finally, environmental identity was measured using the environmental identity (EID) scale. The results revealed that preservation was positively correlated with domains of identity, while other variables demonstrated overlapping relationships in different measurement points. Moreover, notable correlations between social desirability responding with some domains of attitudes and identity were evident, whereas the age of respondents had limited associations with other variables. The article concludes by proposing the need to promote environmental attitudes (EA) and knowledge as important strategies in fostering environmental stewardship

Arundo donax L., a candidate for phytomanaging water and soils contaminated by trace elements and producing plant-based feedstock. A review

Plants and associated microorganisms are used to remediate anthropogenic metal(loid) contamination of water, soils and sediments. This review focuses on the potential of Arundo donax L. (Giant reed) for alleviating risks due to soils, water, and sediments contaminated by trace elements (TE), with emphasis on its advantages and limits over macrophytes and perennial grasses used for bioenergy and plant-based feedstock. Arundo donax is relevant to phytomanage TE-contaminated matrices, notably in its native area, as it possesses characteristics of large biomass production even under nutrient and abiotic stresses, fast growth rate, TE tolerance and accumulation mainly in belowground plant parts. Cultivating A. donax on contaminated lands and in constructed wetlands can contribute to increase land availability and limit the food vs. plant-based feedstock controversy. To gain more tools for decision-taking and sustainable management, further researches on A. donax should focus on: interactions between roots, TE exposure, and rhizosphere and endophytic microorganisms; biomass response to (a)biotic factors; sustainable agricultural practices on marginal and contaminated land; integration into local, efficient, energy and biomass conversion chains with concern to biomass quality and production; Life-Cycle Assessment including contaminant behavior, as well as environmental, agricultural and socio-economic benefits and drawbacks