An exploration of attitudes towards modern biotechnology: a study among Dutch secondary school students

Modern biotechnology will have a large impact on society and requires informed decision-making and critical attitudes toward biotechnology among the public. This study aims to explore these attitudes in secondary education. For this purpose, a questionnaire was constructed according to the general tripartite theory of attitudes. 574 Dutch secondary school students completed the questionnaire. Based on principal component analyses, several distinct and independent cognitive, affective, and behavioural factors were found, demonstrating that attitudes towards biotechnology are a multi-component concept. In a cluster analysis on these factors, we found four interpretable clusters representing different groups of students. The four groups are labelled as 'confident supporter' (22%), 'not sure' (42%), 'concerned sceptic' (18%) and 'not for me' (17%). These results indicate that there is a diverse appraisal of modern biotechnology amongst secondary school students. Suggestions for educational interventions are made

Education through fiction: acquiring opinion-forming skills in the context of genomics

This study examined the outcomes of a newly designed four-lesson science module on opinion-forming in the context of genomics in upper secondary education. The lesson plan aims to foster sixteen-year-old students’ opinion-forming skills in the context of genomics and to test the effect of the use of fiction in the module. The basic hypothesis tested in this study is whether fiction stimulates students to develop opinions with regard to socio-scientific issues. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used, involving two treatment groups and one control group. One of the experimental groups received a science module incorporating movie clips (i.e. the movie group). The other experimental group received the same science module, however, only news report clips were used (i.e. the news report group). Prior to and after the module, 266 secondary school students completed a questionnaire to test their opinion-forming skills. The results demonstrate that the science module had a significant positive effect on students’ opinion-forming skills and that the movie group improved their skills more compared to the news report group. It may be concluded that the use of fiction, to be more specific movie clips about genomics extracted from feature films, to introduce a socio-scientific issue in the classroom stimulates students to develop their opinion-forming skills

Effects of a science education module on attitudes towards modern biotechnology of secondary school students

This article evaluated the impact of a four-lesson science module on the attitudes of secondary school students. This science module (on cancer and modern biotechnology) utilises several design principles, related to a social constructivist perspective on learning. The expectation was that the module would help students become more articulate in this particular field. In a quasi-experimental design (experimental-, control groups and pre- and post-tests) secondary school students’ attitudes (N=365) towards modern biotechnology were measured by a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests. Significant differences were obtained between the control and experimental conditions. Results showed that the science module had a significant effect on attitudes, although predominantly towards a more supportive and not towards a more critical stance. It is discussed that offering a science module of this kind can indeed encourage students to become more aware of modern biotechnology, although promoting a more critical attitude towards modern biotechnology should receive more attention

Schoolcompositie en kenmerken van docentkwaliteit op VO-scholen. Resultaten van secundaire analyses op de Nederlandse data in het OESO-TALIS 2013 bestand.

In deze studie worden de resultaten gerapporteerd van secundaire analyses op de Nederlandse data van het Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) onderzoek van de OESO. Onderzocht werd of schoolcompositie en ervaring een verband hadden met werktevredenheid, kenmerken van docentkwaliteit en behoefte aan professionalisering op het gebied van diversiteit. Uit de resultaten blijkt dat docenten op scholen met relatief veel leerlingen met een lage sociaaleconomische achtergrond, minder tevreden zijn met hun beroep, minder vertrouwen i

The impact of teacher's self-efficacy and classroom externalising problem behaviors on emotional exhaustion:Between- and within-person associations

Teaching can be a challenging profession, which puts teachers at high risk for developing burnout symptoms, such as emotional exhaustion. In this study we aim to investigate the interplay between classroom externalising problem behaviours (as a job demand), teachers’ self-efficacy (as a job resource) and emotional exhaustion over a school year. Conducting three measurements during a school year among 103 Dutch primary education teachers, we examine the sensitivity for, and the individual development of, emotional exhaustion. Findings show that emotional exhaustion, classroom externalising problem behaviours, and teachers’ self-efficacy are stable constructs in teachers. Traditional (between-person) cross-lagged panel models indicate that teachers with low levels of self-efficacy are more likely to develop emotional exhaustion during the school year, compared to their colleagues. We found no evidence that teachers confronted with classroom externalising problem behaviours were more likely to develop emotional exhaustion. Random intercept (within-person) cross-lagged panel models indicate that teachers with high levels of classroom externalising problem behaviours do not show increased emotional exhaustion at a later time point. For self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion, we could not estimate the within-person model due to limited variance in the variables. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research were discussed

Academic and social integration and study progress in problem based learning

The present study explores the effects of problem-based learning (PBL) on social and academic integration and study progress. Three hundred and five first-year students from three different psychology curricula completed a questionnaire on social and academic integration. Effects of a full-fledged PBL environment were compared to (1) effects of a conventional lecture-based learning environment, and (2) effects of a learning environment that combined lectures and other methods aimed at activating students. Lisrel analyses show direct positive effects of the learning environment on study progress: students in PBL obtained more credits compared to students in more conventional curricula. Moreover, the levels of social and academic integration were also higher among students in the PBL curriculum. The links between integration and study progress were less straightforward. Formal social integration positively affected study progress, but informal academic integration was negatively related to study progress

Effect of Key2Teach on Dutch teachers' relationships with students with externalizing problem behavior:A randomized controlled trial

The teacher-student relationship plays an important role in the academic and behavioral development of primary school children with externalizing problem behavior. However, such problem behavior often threatens the quality of the teacher-student relationship. Teacher-focused coaching intervention Key2Teach aims to improve elements of the relationship between teachers and students with externalizing problem behavior and consists of two phases and four building blocks. This intervention provides primary school teachers with insight into their mental representation of the relationship and opportunities to practice functional interaction skills. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), effects of Key2Teach on different aspects of the relationship between teachers and students with externalizing problem behavior were examined. In two cohorts, 103 dyads consisting of a teacher and a student with externalizing problem behavior in grades 3-6 were assessed three times during a school year. Fifty-three dyads received the intervention (intervention group), whereas 50 dyads received no intervention (control group). Data were collected on teacher-reported teacher-student closeness and conflict, and on teacher interaction skills in various domains. Results show a significant increase in closeness and a decrease in conflict as a result of Key2Teach, with substantial effect sizes. No effects on teacher interaction skills were found. This study indicates that Key2Teach may help teachers to improve elements of the relationship they have with students with externalizing problem behavior. Implications for practice and future research are discussed