Browsing by study line "Ämneslärare i biologi"
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(2021)The aim of this master’s thesis was to examine university teachers’ professional vision and misconceptions from the perspective of the role of students’ prior knowledge in learning. We also examined how participants’ professional vision and concepts changed during the pedagogical course. University students can also have a lot of misconceptions which differ from scientific view. Those misconceptions can make learning harder and even hinder it. Teachers should recognise these misconceptions and they should be able to support students’ conceptual change in their teaching. Participants (N=73) were life science university teachers. They were selected to this study because they participated in two university pedagogical courses with the same content. Participants’ professional vision, conceptions and beliefs were investigated with a video annotation and two questionnaires. Study is quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest design. Video annotation and one of the questionnaires were tested before and after the pedagogical course. The delayed questionnaire was collected six months after the course. Purpose of the delayed questionnaire was to know if the teachers have been using the things they learn in a course in their own teaching. At the analysis phase participants were divided in to three groups according to their previous teaching experience and pedagogical courses (novices, experienced teachers, and most experienced teachers). Then we were able to compare these three groups and examine if the teaching experience had any effect on the answers. This study utilized a mixed methods approach and analysis was made with both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results show that pedagogical course changed teachers’ concepts considering learning and teaching. All participants’ groups got better scores in professional vision after the pedagogical course despite their previous teaching experience or pedagogical courses. Novices got lowest scores in the pretest which was expected because they didn’t have any previous experience. Their answers changed significantly in all research aspects. Experienced and most experienced teachers also got better scores in posttest especially in professional vision. Developed professional vision was related to more constructivist beliefs of learning. These findings support previous studies that even short pedagogical course can change teachers’ beliefs and concepts about teaching and learning.
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(2023)Microbiology is included in the subject of biology in lower secondary school as part of the National Core Curriculum for Basic Education (POPS). Microbiology teaching has traditionally relied on inquiry-based methods and practical work, where inquiry is highlighted in POPS. In this study, a survey of teachers investigated microbiology teaching and inquiry-based methods in lower secondary school. The study focused on these areas: 1. What groups of microbes are mentioned and in what biological contexts? 2. What methods are used in teaching microbiology? 3. How much are inquiry-based methods used and does the amount vary regionally? 4. What type of inquiry-based teaching is used? and 5. What are the potential limitations in delivering inquiry-based teaching? The data were collected by an online survey for biology teachers in lower secondary schools around Finland and 36 responses were received. The data were analyzed mainly by qualitative content analysis which was supported by quantitative and regional analysis. According to the results, the coverage of microbial diversity is wide in biology teaching but Archea may receive less attention. Microbiology is taught well in many biological contexts but least in the context of evolution and development of life. The teaching methods are diverse, and many different practical activities are carried out. Inquiry-based methods were utilized by 97.2% of teachers and the amount does not vary regionally. Structured inquiry is used the most in microbiology teaching and the majority of the teachers found inquiry-based methods valuable. The amount of inquiry is limited by a lack of time, size and heterogeneity of the student groups, lack of equipment and workspace. The results indicated that the teaching of microbiology in lower secondary school is diverse and inquiry-based methods are common, but limitations were expressed. Solutions in response to these concerns could be, for instance, virtual activities, improved learning materials and more collaboration between universities and schools which is now poor. There are so far no other published studies about this in Finland. In the future, it would be interesting to study further how inquiry-based methods and the teacher’s self-efficacy and own training in these areas affect the outcomes of microbiology education. Such research could then be used to improve teacher education to address the limitations presented in this thesis.
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(2022)Perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteet (POPS) painottaa biologian opetuksen kohdalla tutkivaa oppimista ja tutustumista biologialle ominaisiin tutkimusmenetelmiin. POPS:n biologian sisältöalueisiin kuuluu myös mikrobiologiaa. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin sisällönanalyysin keinoin miten yläkoulun biologian Koodi- ja Elo-oppikirjasarjojen tehtävissä ilmeni mikrobiologia ja tutkimuksellisuus. Tutkimuskysymykset olivat: 1. Kuinka paljon mikrobiologiaan liittyviä tehtäviä on ja mihin aiheeseen ne liittyvät? 2. Kuinka paljon mikrobiologian tutkimuksellisia tehtäviä on ja millaista tutkimuksellisuutta ne edustavat? 3. Onko mikrobiologian tehtävien määrällä ja laadulla eroavaisuutta kirjasarjojen välillä? Tulosten perusteella pohdittiin vastasivatko oppikirjat POPS:n sisältöjä ja tavoitteita mikrobiologiaan liittyvien tehtävien osalta. Molemmissa kirjasarjoissa oli mikrobiologiaan liittyviä tehtäviä lähes yhtä paljon. Koodi-kirjasarjassa tehtäviä oli selvästi eniten Elämä-kirjassa ja Elo-kirjasarjassa tehtäviä oli eniten Ihminen-kirjassa. Koodi-kirjasarjassa erilaisia mikrobiryhmiä oli käsitelty hieman kattavammin ja tasaisemmin kuin Elo-kirjasarjassa. Elo-kirjasarjasta myös puuttuivat kokonaan yhteen POPS:n sisältöalueeseen, elämän kehitykseen ja evoluutioon, liittyvät mikrobiologiset tehtävät, joita Koodi-kirjasarjassa oli useita. Sen sijaan vain Elo-kirjasarjassa oli POPS:ssa mainittua biotekniikka-sisältöä mikrobiologiaan liittyen. Tutkimuksellisia tehtäviä oli molemmissa kirjasarjoissa vähän alle puolet mikrobiologian tehtävistä. Elo-sarjassa niitä oli hieman enemmän, tutkimuksellisuus oli monipuolisempaa ja myös kokonaisia tutkimuksia oli useita, toisin kuin Koodi-kirjasarjassa. Molemmissa kirjasarjoissa oli useita mikroskopointitehtäviä. Tuloksista voitiin päätellä, että molemmat kirjasarjat vastaavat POPS:n tutkimuksellisuustavoitteeseen, vaikkakin Elo-kirjasarja hieman paremmin. Mikrobiologian aihesisältöjen osalta kirjoissa oli painotuseroja ja joitain puutteita verrattuna POPS:n sisältöihin. Tutkimuksen tulokset voivat olla biologian opettajan apuna oppikirjan valinnassa ja sen POPS:n vastaavuuden tarkistamisessa. Jatkotutkimuksena oppikirjojen tekstin analysointi antaisi kokonaiskuvan oppikirjojen mikrobiologian sisällöstä. Oppikirjojen mikrobiologian sisältöjen näkymistä opetuksessa voisi myös tutkia.
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