Factors influencing secondary students’ attitudes towards biotechnology: a review of the literature

With the importance of Biotechnology in everyday life increasing, it is imperative that the scientific community continues to explore students’ attitudes to key biotechnology aspects. Secondary school students will become future citizens on whose lives biotechnology will have an impact. This study represents a first attempt at a review of existing literature on secondary students’ attitudes towards biotechnology in the last 20 years (1990-2010). Such a review is timely and useful to science educators and designers of science education curricula, given the recent rapid scientific development in this field and its potentially major societal impacts.Τhe goals of this literature review was to examine past research in order to identify the factors influencing the formation of secondary students’ attitudes towards biotechnology. Five main factors were identified as influencing the formation of secondary students’ attitudes towards biotechnology: 1) age, 2) gender, 3) life form receiving the biotechnology application, 4) different application types and purpose of biotechnology and 5) knowledge. An overview of these factors is provided in this summary, along with a discussion on the educational implications of this review

Scaffolding students in evaluating the credibility of evidence using a reflective web-based inquiry environment on Biotechnology

This case study investigated scaffolding to support twelve 11th grade students' collaborative construction of evidence-based explanations and their evaluation of the credibility of evidence through the utilization of a web-based reflective inquiry environment on Biotechnology. Over eleven 90-minute lessons students investigated and evaluated scientific data relating to the cultivation of genetically modified plants. The analysis of pre-and post-tests on students' conceptual understanding of Biotechnology topics and their skills in evaluating the credibility of evidence revealed learning gains and suggested that the intervention was successful. Students' written explanations in task-related artifacts and the analysis of two groups' videotaped discussions showed that the students became sensitive to credibility criteria, questioned the sources of data and correctly identified sources of low and high credibility. Students' difficulty in applying methodological criteria suggests that this criterion should be addressed in future studies

A multi-modal, web-based inquiry learning environment on Genetically Modified Organisms

A multi-modal, web-based inquiry learning environment (LE) on Biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is the focus of this presentation. The LE has been developed for use in science education as a means to raise students’ interest in socio-scientific problems and create a bond between the scientific enterprise and human life through the use of new information technologies. The LE was built around the idea of software-based scaffolding, the role of which is crucial for successful reflective inquiry and synchronous and asynchronous collaboration among students. A design-based approach was followed for the development of the LE; the LE was designed by a Local Working Group (LWG) in Cyprus, piloted, redesigned and re-enacted in a high school class. The analysis of pre and post tests administered to students during the LE’s reenactment demonstrated the effectiveness of the intervention; students’ conceptual understanding and credibility skills were significantly improved by the end of the enactment. Such approaches can become the catalyst for making science education more attractive and appealing to students’ learning need

Design and initial implementation of a Computer Aided Diagnosis System for PET/CT Solitary Pulmonary Nodule Risk Estimation

The assessment of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) is a diagnostic task that requires precision. We have investigated alternative ways of SPN classification working on both Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) images as well as on re-calculated sinograms. The best classification schemes have been included in a graphical interface accompanied with risk estimators based on clinical and other data. This is a forerunner for an SPN Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) system expected to be a precious tool in the hands of medical doctors

The educative and scalable functions of authoring tools to support inquiry-based science learning

Specialized authoring tools enable non-programmers to develop computer-based learning environments that reflect a particular task model. Large-scale implementation of novel but pedagogically sound environments is made possible if the resulting environments reflect the intended essential pedagogical features. We explore the balance between constraints and generativity through five teams' experiences with a specialized authoring tool, STOCHASMOS. We hope to spark a critical discussion of the role of specialized authoring tools in scalability. We also suggest that future research examine the educative function of these tools. ISLS