Exploring the development of biological literacy in Tanzanian junior secondary school students

<p>Internationally, scientific literacy is a major goal of science education in the twenty first century. In Tanzania, where there is a widespread lack of public understanding about major health issues, biological literacy is needed so that people can make decisions about the socio-scientific issues that confront them. To that end, the Tanzanian school curriculum aims to connect students’ understandings of Biology to their everyday lives but few studies have been conducted that show whether these aims have been achieved, especially in junior secondary school. This ethnographic case study investigates the ways in which the junior secondary school Biology curriculum in Tanzania supports or constrains the development of biological literacy and how institutional context, particularly as it relates to urban and rural schools, influences the delivery of the Biology curriculum. Teachers’ and Year Four students’ of secondary schools views about school Biology were sought in the course of this study and the issues that emerged were analysed using social constructivist and social constructionist theoretical frameworks. Data were collected through student questionnaires, student focus group interviews, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. The research sites included rural and urban schools, and government and private schools. The findings suggest that the Biology curriculum and the ways it is delivered do not adequately address the students’ needs and therefore is unlikely to enable them to become biologically literate. Rural schools are less well equipped than urban schools to deliver the curriculum and teachers and students face bigger challenges. A key finding was that Tanzanian young people have a strong desire to learn more about reproductive Biology and health issues but these are not prioritised in the current curriculum. In light of these findings, curriculum changes are recommended to provide learning opportunities for students to gain biological knowledge and skills that are relevant to their daily lives.</p>

Exploring the development of biological literacy in Tanzanian junior secondary school students

<p>Internationally, scientific literacy is a major goal of science education in the twenty first century. In Tanzania, where there is a widespread lack of public understanding about major health issues, biological literacy is needed so that people can make decisions about the socio-scientific issues that confront them. To that end, the Tanzanian school curriculum aims to connect students’ understandings of Biology to their everyday lives but few studies have been conducted that show whether these aims have been achieved, especially in junior secondary school. This ethnographic case study investigates the ways in which the junior secondary school Biology curriculum in Tanzania supports or constrains the development of biological literacy and how institutional context, particularly as it relates to urban and rural schools, influences the delivery of the Biology curriculum. Teachers’ and Year Four students’ of secondary schools views about school Biology were sought in the course of this study and the issues that emerged were analysed using social constructivist and social constructionist theoretical frameworks. Data were collected through student questionnaires, student focus group interviews, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. The research sites included rural and urban schools, and government and private schools. The findings suggest that the Biology curriculum and the ways it is delivered do not adequately address the students’ needs and therefore is unlikely to enable them to become biologically literate. Rural schools are less well equipped than urban schools to deliver the curriculum and teachers and students face bigger challenges. A key finding was that Tanzanian young people have a strong desire to learn more about reproductive Biology and health issues but these are not prioritised in the current curriculum. In light of these findings, curriculum changes are recommended to provide learning opportunities for students to gain biological knowledge and skills that are relevant to their daily lives.</p>

Assessment of Biological Literacy Levels Among Third-Grade Secondary School Students in Medina

This research aims to assess the levels of biological literacy (nominal, functional, structural, and multi-dimensional) among students of the third grade of scientific secondary school in Medina. To achieve the objectives of the research, the researcher used the descriptive and analytical method, and a sample of (340) students was selected by the random cluster method. A scale was prepared in the light of Project (2061) Vision, and the Uno and Bybee model (Uno &amp; Bybee, 1994) to assess students&rsquo; ability to identify biological concepts (nominal literacy), define some biological concepts (functional literacy), and understand biological diagrams (structural literacy), and measuring some students&rsquo; skills on understanding a short biological text (multi-dimensional literacy). The results reflected a high level of nominal literacy and a low level of multi-dimensional literacy. The results also showed that the students possessed the functional level and the structural level. The study recommends that biology teachers use effective teaching methods that enable them to present biological knowledge in the form of social issues and problems related to technology and other sciences.

Biological education in changing sociocultural conditions

The article discusses the issues facing the biological education of schoolchildren as a unique tool for the development of biological literacy of the individual and society, designed to ensure their preservation, safety and adaptation to various changes. Biological literacy is important for all age and professional categories, especially for socalled nonbiologists, who are responsible for making biosphere - and socially signifcant decisions, but unfortunately do not possess it. It develops mainly in the process of learning at school. According to our ideas, we defne three levels of its formation - academic, functional, and system. The last two levels are aimed at mastering knowledge and developing metacompetencies (cognitive, communicative, activity, value), scientifc outlook and personal qualities in the process of mastering the subject. For its formation, we have developed a conceptual didactic system of training on an integrative basis. The practice of implementation in schools, universities and teachers ‘ professional development in the educational process has shown its efectiveness. It was submitted to the Commission on biological education of the International union of biological sciences at UNESCO, which initiated the development of bioliteracy in the world at the conference in Moscow (1997). The article analyzes the results of its own, as well as international studies (TIMMS, PISA 2015, 2018.; TALIS, 2018) problems of biological education in the formation of bioliteracy in a changing sociocultural and ecological settings in recent years (biology and environmental challenges, digitalization of the educational environment, pandemic 2019-2020, etc.). They indicate the need for an early response from the educational community. Among them: the problem of reducing the educational time of mastering subjects of the biological cycle, which has a systemnetwork nature. That leads to many interrelated consequences; lack of awareness of teachers in the real results of educational achievements of schoolchildren; replacement of biology lessons with other subjects; outdated content of biological subjects, and some others. Despite the unsatisfactory results in the formation of biological literacy and related metacompetencies, the latter are currently perceived by teachers as a secondary need. The article discusses the reasons that lead to such results. The issue of the content of biological education remains unresolved. We believe that training programs should be updated by including knowledge, for example, in virology, microbiology, immunology, epidemiology and other branches of biology, as well as translating the acquired knowledge into the practice of everyday life. Today it will be in demand among all categories of citizens. For the development of biological literacy, the process of mastering digital technologies is important, as a new means of learning and a vector of selfdevelopment, which requires the use of activity control by biology teachers and parents in practice. The results of the study of schoolchildrens’ learning problems can be used in the modernization of biological education at all levels of education, including in improving the skills of teachers.

Cultural-Historical Foundations of School Course in Biology

The article analyzes the provisions of the cultural-historical psychology that serve as a theoretical and methodological basis for the practice of general education in biology. International monitoring of educational achievements reveals low biological literacy of Russian schoolchildren. The authors see the main reason in the insufficiently thought-out selection of the subject content. In middle school courses, it is mostly empirical, reduced to the study of the structure and functions of organisms and their diversity. In high school courses, it is theoretical, but theoretical concepts are given in a ready-made form, are not sufficiently interconnected and are often reduced to dictionary definitions, which negatively affects the development of cognitive and personal abilities of students. Currently, general biological education is being reformed, and the concentric construction of the subject content is being replaced with a linear one, which completely eliminates theoretical concepts from the middle school courses. The authors see the solution to the problem in updating the content of the school course in biology. As a methodological basis for the selection of content, a system approach is considered, the provisions of which were implemented by L.S. Vygotsky in the construction of the subject area of the cultural-historical psychology. Vygotsky’s ideas about developmental learning and their further elaboration in the general psychological and psychological-pedagogical theory of activity are suggested as a theoretical basis for the organization of the educational process. Special attention is paid to the theory of learning activity developed in the works of D.B. Elkonin, V.V. Davydov, their disciples and followers. The paper presents the concept of the content for the school course in biology and describes the experience of its implementation.

KEMAMPUAN LITERASI BIOLOGI BERDASARKAN GENDER PADA SISWA PEMINATAN MIPA DI SMA NEGERI KABUPAEN LOMBOK BARAT

PISA measurement results from 2000-2015 show the fact that students in Indonesia have a low ability in the science literacy. This study aims to determine the ability of biological literacy based on gender in MIPA Specialization students in SMA Negeri in West Lombok regency. This research used descriptive qualitative method. Samples of research were 360 students from 2357 students of class XI and XII MIPA interest in 6 Senior High Schools of West Lombok regency in learning year 2017/2018. The research instrument uses adaptation of PISA Science Literacy test in 2006 and 2009 which consists of two aspects, namely: Knowledge and Competency). The result of this research: Biology literacy ability of MIPA Student by gender in West Lombok regency, male students dominant at level 1, level 2 and level 3 while female student is dominant at level 4, level 5 and level 6.Keywords: Biological literacy, Gender, MIPA Specialization