Inquiry-based science education in primary school in Spain : teachers' practices

Teaching science by inquiry allows students to develop scientific skills, which is key during primary school, and enhances learning. In this study we present the results of a survey to 63 primary school teachers in Spain about their practices in science class and their knowledge about inquiry-based science education (IBSE). Our results show that concept-based paradigm of science is predominant. Scientific skills, besides observation, are not developed, and the concept of research is restricted to bibliographic search. Teachers believe that IBSE is feasible in the Spanish educative system, although they identify the length of the curriculum and the lack of time are the main obstacles

Are pre-service Primary School teachers prepared to teach science by inquiry?

[EN] Inquiry-based science education (IBSE) focuses on the development of science process skills. This teaching methodology has been shown to be especially effective during Primary School as it allows children to explore and confront their own ideas about Nature. Also, a methodology based on process skills is coherent with the main purpose of this educational stage where children need to learn to do things. In order to implement a methodology based on science process skills Primary teachers need to know to use science process skills, and how to teach them. In this paper we address if Spanish pre-service teachers are able to implement IBSE. We focus on pre-service Primary School teachers and compare our results with in-service teachers and a random sample of non-teachers. We explore their level of knowledge about science process skills and if pre-service teachers know how to develop an inquiry-based learning sequence. An overview of the situation of science education and teaching of scientific skills among the degrees on Primary Education in Spain is also presented. Our results show that pre-service teachers have a lack of knowledge on science process skills and fail when they attempting to build a learning sequence based on inquiry.Montero-Pau, J.; Tierno, SP.; Tuzon, P. (2017). Are pre-service Primary School teachers prepared to teach science by inquiry?. En Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1294-1301. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD17.2017.55861294130

Education for Health in Spanish education laws: comparative between the LOE and the LOMCE

Background: The current Organic Law for the Improvement of Educational Quality (LOMCE) incorporates substantial changes from the previous law, in particular a new curricular configuration with a higher prevalence of optionality, which may affect the development of health competencies by students. The objective was to address health education in the last two years, according to the amount and variability of Health related terms. Methods: A comparative quantitative analysis was performed based on the presence of 281 terms related to eight areas of Health Education in both laws and for the two compulsory education stages (Primary and Secondary). Results: Overall, no significant differences were found in the number of terms, or in the treatment of the health areas between laws. However, the increase in optional subjects in the LOMCE increases differences in training in Health Education. The difference in the number of terms studied by a student depending on the curricular itinerary is 28% in Primary and ESO in the LOMCE, compared to 0% and 7% in the LOE. Conclusions: The LOMCE does not represent an improvement in Health Education in terms of the number of health terms, and allows considerable asymmetry in the training of young people depending on their curricular itinerary. The results suggest that it would be necessary to reinforce the contents of Health Education in compulsory subjects

Long-Term Coexistence of Rotifer Cryptic Species

Despite their high morphological similarity, cryptic species often coexist in aquatic habitats presenting a challenge in the framework of niche differentiation theory and coexistence mechanisms. Here we use a rotifer species complex inhabiting highly unpredictable and fluctuating salt lakes to gain insights into the mechanisms involved in stable coexistence in cryptic species. We combined molecular barcoding surveys of planktonic populations and paleogenetic analysis of diapausing eggs to reconstruct the current and historical coexistence dynamics of two highly morphologically similar rotifer species, B. plicatilis and B. manjavacas. In addition, we carried out laboratory experiments using clones isolated from eight lakes where both species coexist to explore their clonal growth responses to salinity, a challenging, highly variable and unpredictable condition in Mediterranean salt lakes. We show that both species have co-occurred in a stable way in one lake, with population fluctuations in which no species was permanently excluded. The seasonal occurrence patterns of the plankton in two lakes agree with laboratory experiments showing that both species differ in their optimal salinity. These results suggest that stable species coexistence is mediated by differential responses to salinity and its fluctuating regime. We discuss the role of fluctuating salinity and a persistent diapausing egg banks as a mechanism for species coexistence in accordance with the ‘storage effect’

Development of environmental health competencies through compulsory education. A polyhedral approach based on the SDGs

This paper focuses on the competencies in environmental health acquired by students during compulsory education. Questionnaires addressing environmental health problems were completed by 923 students of primary and secondary schools from five different Spanish regions. The results for five challenging situations related to hunger, consumerism, climate change, pollution in the cities and allergies are analysed according to the internal coherence of each sub-competency, i.e., addressing knowledge, skills and attitudes towards these topics. Our results show that problems related to air and water pollution were the most commonly described by the students. Focusing on competency achievement, the higher the educational level, the higher the score students obtained, especially regarding pollution and climate change, two problems that appear directly in the school curriculum. The complexity of the concept of environmental health matches with the necessary holistic perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals in a polyhedral approach including as many factors (facets) as necessary to complete the approach to this evolving concept

Haplotype analyses reveal novel insights into tomato history and domestication driven by long-distance migrations and latitudinal adaptations

A novel haplotype-based approach that uses Procrustes analysis and automatic classification was used to provide further insights into tomato history and domestication. Agrarian societies domesticated species of interest by introducing complex genetic modifications. For tomatoes, two species, one of which had two botanical varieties, are thought to be involved in its domestication: the fully wild Solanum pimpinellifolium (SP), the wild and semi-domesticated Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme (SLC) and the cultivated S. l. var. lycopersicum (SLL). The Procrustes approach showed that SP evolved into SLC during a gradual migration from the Peruvian deserts to the Mexican rainforests and that Peruvian and Ecuadorian SLC populations were the result of more recent hybridizations. Our model was supported by independent evidence, including ecological data from the accession collection site and morphological data. Furthermore, we showed that photosynthesis-, and f lowering time-related genes were selected during the latitudinal migrations

Loss of Arabidopsis β-COP Function Affects Golgi Structure, Plant Growth and Tolerance to Salt Stress

The early secretory pathway involves bidirectional transport between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus and is mediated by coat protein complex I (COPI)-coated and coat protein complex II (COPII)-coated vesicles. COPII vesicles are involved in ER to Golgi transport meanwhile COPI vesicles mediate intra-Golgi transport and retrograde transport from the Golgi apparatus to the ER. The key component of COPI vesicles is the coatomer complex, that is composed of seven subunits (α/β/β'/γ/δ/ε/ζ). In Arabidopsis two genes coding for the β-COP subunit have been identified, which are the result of recent tandem duplication. Here we have used a loss-of-function approach to study the function of β-COP. The results we have obtained suggest that β-COP is required for plant growth and salt tolerance. In addition, β-COP function seems to be required for maintaining the structure of the Golgi apparatus

Quantitative genetic analysis of floral traits shows current limits but potential evolution in the wild

The vast variation in floral traits across angiosperms is often interpreted as the result of adaptation to pollinators. However, studies in wild populations often find no evidence of pollinator-mediated selection on flowers. Evolutionary theory predicts this could be the outcome of periods of stasis under stable conditions, followed by shorter periods of pollinator change that provide selection for innovative phenotypes. We asked if periods of stasis are caused by stabilizing selection, absence of other forms of selection or by low trait ability to respond even if selection is present. We studied a plant predominantly pollinated by one bee species across its range. We measured heritability and evolvability of traits, using genome-wide relatedness in a large wild population, and combined this with estimates of selection on the same individuals. We found evidence for both stabilizing selection and low trait heritability as potential explanations for stasis in flowers. The area of the standard petal is under stabilizing selection, but the variability is not heritable. A separate trait, floral weight, presents high heritability, but is not currently under selection. We show how a simple pollination environment coincides with the absence of current prerequisites for adaptive evolutionary change, while heritable variation remains to respond to future selection pressures

European traditional tomatoes galore: a result of farmers' selection of a few diversity-rich loci

A comprehensive collection of 1254 tomato accessions, corresponding to European traditional and modern varieties, early domesticated varieties, and wild relatives, was analyzed by genotyping by sequencing. A continuous genetic gradient between the traditional and modern varieties was observed. European traditional tomatoes displayed very low genetic diversity, with only 298 polymorphic loci (95% threshold) out of 64 943 total variants. European traditional tomatoes could be classified into several genetic groups. Two main clusters consisting of Spanish and Italian accessions showed higher genetic diversity than the remaining varieties, suggesting that these regions might be independent secondary centers of diversity with a different history. Other varieties seem to be the result of a more recent complex pattern of migrations and hybridizations among the European regions. Several polymorphic loci were associated in a genome-wide association study with fruit morphological traits in the European traditional collection. The corresponding alleles were found to contribute to the distinctive phenotypic characteristic of the genetic varietal groups. The few highly polymorphic loci associated with morphological traits in an otherwise a low-diversity population suggests a history of balancing selection, in which tomato farmers likely maintained the morphological variation by inadvertently applying a high selective pressure within different varietal types

Discovery of a major QTL controlling trichome IV density in tomato using K-seq genotyping

Trichomes are a common morphological defense against pests, in particular, type IV glandular trichomes have been associated with resistance against different invertebrates. Cultivated tomatoes usually lack or have a very low density of type IV trichomes. Therefore, for sustainable management of this crop, breeding programs could incorporate some natural defense mechanisms, such as those afforded by trichomes, present in certain Solanum species. We have identified a S. pimpinellifolium accession with very high density of this type of trichomes. This accession was crossed with a S. lycopersicum var. cerasiforme and a S. lycopersicum var. lycopersicum accessions, and the two resulting F2 populations have been characterized and genotyped using a new genotyping methodology, K-seq. We have been able to build an ultra-dense genetic map with 147,326 SNP markers with an average distance between markers of 0.2 cm that has allowed us to perform a detailed mapping. We have used two different families and two different approaches, QTL mapping and QTL-seq, to identify several QTLs implicated in the control of trichome type IV developed in this accession on the chromosomes 5, 6, 9 and 11. The QTL located on chromosome 9 is a major QTL that has not been previously reported in S. pimpinellifolium. This QTL could be easily introgressed in cultivated tomato due to the close genetic relationship between both species