Polish teachers' conceptions related to environment

We analyse the conceptions of 322 Polish teachers, related to Environment. They mainly differ from the way some teachers think that animals as snails, flies or frogs can or cannot feel happiness and, independently, from their opinions pro- or anti-GMO. The six samples (primary school teachers, secondary school teachers of biology or of Polish, with for the three pre-service and in-service teachers) have different conceptions, the biology teachers being more pro-GMO. Most of the Polish conceptions are for preservation of environment, but, when compared to 12 other countries (the same teachers' samples), they are more anthropocentric than most of the observed conceptions in the 12 other European countries (except in Lithuania and Finland)

IMPORTANCE DIDACTIQUE DES CONCEPTIONS DES ENSEIGNANTS TUNISIENS SUR L'ÉDUCATION À LA SEXUALITÉ DANS UNE PERSPECTIVE CITOYENNE

http://ensciencias.uab.esInternational audienceL'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser les conceptions d'enseignants et futurs enseignants tunisiens et d'identifier les valeurs qu'expriment ces conceptions. Les nombreuses conceptions exprimées sont étudiées en tant qu'interactions entre les connaissances scientifiques, les valeurs et les pratiques d'enseignement, au moyen d'une analyse en composante principale (ACP). L'échantillon est formé de 753 enseignants et futurs enseignants du primaire et du secondaire, qui ont répondu à un questionnaire, dans un contexte strictement contrôlé

Constructing and validating a questionnaire for an international comparative analysis of teachers' conceptions of biology, health and environment: the european project of research Biohead-Citizen

This workshop intends to discuss how a large international questionnaire should be constructed to be applied in several countries with different cultural background and languages. We will present and discuss the methodology used in our European research project Biohead-Citizen to analyse the conceptions of in-service and pre-service teachers in 18 countries concerning biological, health and environmental issues. We will work on some specific examples coming from this project. The several steps of the questionnaire construction – which will be the bases for the discussion in the workshop – are the following: - A clear definition of the goals of the research and of the theoretical background; - Gathering questions (in English) related to the goals, either tested in prior research or entirely new. Collective discussion on these questions; - Questionnaire translation (from English) in each country and, very important, validation of the translations, using procedures that we will present and test during the workshop; - Teachers' interviews to identify difficulties related to particular questions; - Questionnaire pilot test to analyse the reliability of each question (two tests on the same sample groups a month apart); - Application of statistical methods (MCA and PCA) for the selection of the most discriminating questions and the most pertinent ways to analyse data; - Improvement of the initial questionnaire to prepare the final questionnaire; - Definition of the sample groups and delineation of the precise context and way to apply the questionnaire; - Finally, gathering all the data and their analysis: Some of them will be used and discussed. Each step will be a matter of discussion to raise awareness of the difficulties in this process and to find out alternatives also reliable for the construction and application of a questionnaire to a variety of cultural contexts.European project FP6 Biohead-Citizen CIT2-CT-2004-506015.LIBEC/CIFPEC - unidade de investigação (16/644) da FCT

Intra-Clutch Ratio of Yolk Progesterone Level Changes with Laying Date in Rockhopper Penguins: A Strategy to Influence Brood Reduction?

Hatching asynchrony in avian species generally leads to a size hierarchy among siblings, favouring the first-hatched chicks. Maternally deposited hormones affect the embryo and chick's physiology and behaviour. It has been observed that progesterone, a hormone present at higher levels than other steroid hormones in egg yolks, is negatively related to body mass in embryos, chicks and adults. A differential within-clutch progesterone deposition could therefore be linked to the size hierarchy between siblings and to the resulting brood reduction. We tested whether yolk progesterone levels differed between eggs according to future parental ability to feed the entire clutch in wild rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome. This species presents a unique reversed egg-size dimorphism and hatching asynchrony, with the larger second-laid egg (B-egg) hatching before the smaller first-laid egg (A-egg). Yolk progesterone levels increased only slightly with female body mass at laying. However, intra-clutch ratios were not related to female body mass. On the other hand, yolk progesterone levels increased significantly with the date of laying onset for A-eggs while they decreased for B-eggs. Early clutches therefore had proportionally more progesterone in the B-egg compared to the A-egg while late clutches had proportionally less progesterone in the B-egg. We propose that females could strategically regulate yolk progesterone deposition within clutches according to the expected food availability during chick growth, an adaptive strategy to adjust brood reduction to conditions. We also discuss these results, relating to yolk progesterone, in the broader context of other yolk steroids

Teachers' conceptions concerning the environment across nine Mediterranean countries

Text of the oral communicationInternational audienceMediterranean countries share the same climate, the same nature and the same roots of civilization. Nevertheless they differ in socio-political aspects, economical development and religions. Are the teachers' conceptions on Environment linked to some of these parameters? Our research, held in the context of the BIOHEAD-Citizen project " Biology, Health and Environmental Education for better Citizenship ", analysed the answers of 4189 teachers from nine Mediterranean countries to a questionnaire dealing with some topics of Environment: utilization, protection, GMO, feelings of animals, ... Multivariate analyses show great divergences among the teachers' conceptions, several inside each country and some differentiating the countries. In countries from the South of Mediterranean Sea (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon), the teachers' conceptions are more anthropocentric and more pro-GMO than in European Mediterranean countries (Cyprus, Malta, Italia, France, Portugal). The anthropocentric conceptions from the South Mediterranean countries are correlated with a low economical development, but also with a high degree of believing in God and practising religion (with no difference among religions) and with some socio-political positions more "at right" and against secularism. These correlations between knowledge, values and attitudes related to Environment are to be taken into account to improve the Environmental Education in each country

Science and religion: evolutionism and creationism in education : a survey of teachers conceptions in 14 countries

The renewed creationist movements are currently seen as a threat for science teaching in the world What is their impact on teachers' conceptions? We present here the results of a first large survey on this question, analysing teachers' conceptions in 14 countries (5 in Africa, 1 in Middle East and 9 in Europe). The total sample is composed of 5700 teachers (partly in-service, partly pre-service) of primary and secondary schools; 1846 of these teachers have biological training, 1787 have language training and 2077 have training to teach in primary school. We used a questionnaire including personal information and 15 questions on Evolution. The results show high significant differences between countries, religions, ageing, gender and level of instruction. This latter effect suggests the need for increasing the level of teachers’ training in order to overcome the current increasing creationist movements.European Project FP6 “Biohead-Citizen” CIT2-CT-2004-506015Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - LIBEC/CIFPEC - unidade de investigação 16/64

Creationist conceptions of primary and secondary school teachers in nineteen countries

Our work is the first international comparison of teachers' conceptions on Evolution / Creation, using several questions on precise and large samples to identify the importance of creationist ideas in the context of their national, religious, economic, cultural and political backgrounds. This research concerns 19 countries: 13 in Europe, 5 in Africa and one in Middle East: 7050 teachers filled out a questionnaire including several questions on Evolution vs. Creation. Half of them are in-service teachers, the other being at the last year of University before teaching. They are teaching in Primary Schools as well as in Secondary Schools (Biology, or Language). The percentages of teachers' radical creationist conceptions differ more from one country to another (from 2% to 90%) than among religions inside each country. There are some, but not so important, differences between Biology teachers and other teachers. The teachers' conceptions also differ with the level of teacher training: more they are instructed (in any matter), more they are evolutionist.European project FP6 “Biohead-Citizen” CIT2-CT-2004-506015. CIFPEC/CIEC - unidade de investigação 644/317 da FCT.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - CIFPEC/CIEC - unidade de investigação 644/317 da FCT

Five thousand years of tropical lake sediment DNA records from Benin

Until now, sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) studies have only focused on cold and temperate regions were DNA is relatively well preserved. Consequently, the tropics, where vegetation is hyperdiverse and natural archives are rare, have been neglected and deserve attention. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing to barcode sedDNA from Lake Sele, localized in the tropical lowlands of Benin (Africa), and compared the taxonomic diversity detected by DNA analyses with pollen assemblages. Plant sedDNA was successfully amplified from 33 of the 34 successfully extracted samples. In total, 43 taxa were identified along the 5,000 years spanned by the sediment: 22 taxa were identified at the family level and 21 at the genus level. The plant diversity recovered through sedDNA from Lake Sele showed a specific local signal and limited overlapping with pollen. Introduced plants, grown and cultivated close to the water, such as sweet potato, were also well recorded by sedDNA. It appears, therefore, to be a promising approach to studying past diversity in tropical regions, and could help in tracking the introduction and history of agriculture. This is the first time this method has been used in the field of domestication and dissemination of several specific crops, and the results are very encouraging

Is individual social deprivation is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes? Results of a French multicentre cross-sectional survey

Introduction: French national health programmes take into account social deprivation in their implementation, those targeting perinatal outcomes, especially. The main aim of the present work was to assess the association between individual social deprivation and adverse perinatal outcomes. Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional population-based survey was performed between October and December 2007. Eligible women delivered a baby in one of the three maternity hospitals of Clermont-Ferrand area, and read and spoke French fluently. Women who had undergone voluntary termination of pregnancy were excluded. Individual social deprivation was measured by the EPICES score. Standard prenatal follow-up defined by having less than 7 consultations and quality of prenatal care defined by having at least four consultations were measured. Adverse perinatal outcomes were measured by a composite criterion defined by women who had the occurrence of the three main causes of pregnancy-related disorders: preterm delivery, and/or diabetes, and/or obstetrical hypertension.Results: Of the 471 eligible women, 464 were finally included. One hundred and fifteen (24.78%) women were socially deprived. The most deprived women had poor standard prenatal follow-up (p=0.003) and poor quality of prenatal care (0.03). Nationality was the sole confounding factor identified. Deprived women had a two-fold greater risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, adjusted odds ratio 1.95 [1.15; 3.29]. Discussion: Social deprivation was associated with adverse perinatal outcomes. Social deprivation should be systematically screened in pregnant women standard follow-up, among migrant women, especially

Teachers' conceptions on environment and GMO in twelve europen countries

We analyze the conceptions of 4248 teachers on Environment and GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), in 12 European countries: Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania. Most of the differences between teachers' conceptions are observed inside each country. Some of them (related to preservation or utilization of Environment) significantly differentiate the 12 countries. Biology teachers have more knowledge on GMO and more opinions pro- GMO than their colleagues. Female teachers are significantly more anti-GMO than their male colleagues. More a teacher studied at University, more he or she thinks that the resources of our planet are limited.CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, IE, UMinho (FCT R&D unit 317), Portuga