Academic literature on the topic 'Future natural sciences teacher'

The reforming of school natural science education is part of the process aimed at updating educational systems, which has a general European tendency. The content orientation of the field representing natural sciences of general secondary education towards the formation of core competences and effective mechanisms of their introduction causes intensive changes in the training process intended for the future science teachers of the new formation. The component of natural education is biological education which is realized by studying Biology as a school course. Since natural knowledge in the process of external interaction purposefully influence the formation of schoolchildren’s natural outlook, this is the social order that determines the content of biological education and the potential within the education of a certain type of personality. Therefore, the new formats of biological education in the context of the New Ukrainian School are aimed at forming schoolchildren’s motivation for educational and cognitive activities, life competencies, and an active life position. The driving force facilitating the realization of innovations in biological education is a competent teacher as a subject of an innovative educational activity. In this case, the priority way in the professional training of future science teachers is the shift of emphasis from the amount of knowledge to the development of pedagogical interaction skills. This is the ability of the future specialist to work in a team, to negotiate, to make prudent decisions that makes him / her competitive. The basic condition for such an activity is the professional potential of the future teacher which manifests itself in his / her readiness for creative interaction with schoolchildren. The transfer of the study of Biology into the plane of the competence-based educational environment focuses educators’ attention on the person-centred approach to learning. The relationship between the teacher and the schoolchildren should be collaborative, in the course of which schoolchildren become not only the objects of influence, but also become participants of a joint activity. According to these approaches to teaching Biology, the interaction of the subjects of the educational process acquires organized forms of cooperation, the specific characteristic of which is the complementarity of the schoolchild and the teacher. The obviousness of the dialogical educational interaction contributes to the introduction of the elements of teachers’ / students’ creativity into the pedagogical process and motivates them to intellectual growth. Subjectivity as a paradigmatic feature of biology education lies in the pedagogical position of the teacher, since it is profession-oriented and determines the personalization of pedagogical interaction. Therefore, the subjective factor of the pedagogical activity of future teachers of natural sciences becomes a kind of trajectory of self-development and self-affirmation. Keywords: subject, competence-oriented teacher, pedagogical interaction, person-oriented environment, pedagogical communication.

It was established that the professional training of future teachers of natural sciences should be focused on providing an integrated model of education and based on the formation of students a set of general and special (professional) competencies and personal qualities, which are necessary for successful professional activity. Accordingly, the main content components of professional training of future teachers of natural sciences are knowledge of subjects (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.) and their interdisciplinary interaction, understanding of teaching methods, ability to use this knowledge in educational activities and willingness to apply knowledge, skills and abilities in professional activities. The training teacher of natural sciences should be focused on teaching an integrated course «Natural Sciences», which is studied in high school in which natural subjects are not specialized, although his qualifications are a teacher of natural sciences, physics, chemistry, biology, in this specialist has broader qualifications and, accordingly, the range of competencies. Therefore, in addition to the formed competencies in each subject, we expect that in the process of training teachers of natural sciences is also important to integrate the curriculum of mandatory disciplines, which will ensure the formation of a holistic system of knowledge and skills. Analytical review of the programs of the course «Natural Sciences» for high school in terms of their content allowed us to state that they were aimed at the formation of natural sciences competence of the individual, but each provides it differently. While some clearly show the presence of separate semantic blocks of different subjects, in others we see an attempt to make the program more integrated basis on objects of study: matter, field, energy and technology, we anticipate human habitation in the environment and man-made society. We convinced that this approach will be further develops, because it corresponds to the idea of integrativity, embedded in the idea of the emergence of this subject in high school. The introduction of an integrated course «Natural Sciences» in high school forces to move away from the disparate formation of natural knowledge in individual subjects and strengthens the integrative nature of the content of natural subjects. Accordingly, the professional training of future teachers of natural sciences should be improve in the direction of integrating the knowledge, skills and abilities of students in the process of studying the relevant professional disciplines. It was recommended to introduce integrated disciplines in the process of training future teachers of natural sciences, which will ensure their quality professional training.

The article describes the scientific basis for the formation of research competence of future teachers of natural sciences, substantiates the need for research to understand the essence of social, economic, and environmental phenomena, innovative solutions to professional problems. It is substantiated that research activity in a higher pedagogical educational institution is an essential objective condition for the holistic professional competence formation of a science teacher, which ensures the development of the research competence as an important quality of a modern specialist. The research of Ukrainian scientists on the formation of research competence of future teachers is analyzed, and the requirements of the National Qualifications Framework are highlighted, on the basis of which the category ‘research competence of future teachers of natural sciences’ is defined as an integrative quality of personality that characterizes their readiness to solve research (search, design, consulting, organizational and managerial) tasks by applying methods of scientific knowledge, application of the diagnostic approach in educational, scientific, natural and managerial activities and which is expressed in the unity of value-motivational, cognitive and operational components. It is proposed to understand the process of systematic accumulation of positive quantitative and qualitative changes under the formation of research competence of future teachers of natural sciences, which allow applicants for higher education to effectively carry out educational, natural science research. The peculiarities of preparation of future teachers for research activities are considered, taking into account the following principles: scientific, systematic, a connection of theory with practice, continuity of the educational process, humanism and provide two main interrelated areas: teaching elements of research work, formation of research experience; actual research, which is conducted under the guidance of teachers. The system of preparation for research activities of future teachers of natural sciences is characterized, which is characterized by openness, dynamism, manageability, flexibility and provides three main components: theoretical, organizational, and methodological, and practical.

The purpose of this study was to examine the integration of natural sciences and mathematics into home economics teaching, particularly any factors hindering integration. Altogether 88 Slovenian home economics teachers were questioned. The results show that biology, consumer and health education were integrated into home economics courses more often than other subjects. Slovenian home economics teachers’ integration of other school subjects or topics depends mainly on their work experience and combination of subjects during their undergraduate studies. Another indicator, a negative one, was that our teachers didn’t know some relevant science and mathematics subject curricula and they are not enough competent in these sciences. This should be the first step in the future development of home economics teacher education. Key words: education, home economics, integration, mathematics, natural sciences, teacher.

One of the important segments in the initial education of the teachers is creating positive attitudes of students for the importance of teachers’ role as educator. The aim of this research is to determine the attitudes of students – future teachers about the role of the teacher as an educator and to determine the differences in student’s attitudes regarded their sex. The study was conducted on a sample of 94 examiners, students at Teaching Faculties in Republic of Macedonia preparing for future teachers in natural sciences. Obtained results were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative analyses. Differences in student’s attitudes regarded the sex were determined using Pearson chi - square test. It could be concluded that students-future teachers in natural sciences have developed positive attitudes toward teacher’s role as educator, establishing teacher’s personal characteristics, its authority, and reputation and building quality relations with pupils as one of the important aspect. Yet it’s notable that for most of the examiners, teacher’s role as transmitter of knowledge is defined as more important and priority. These findings suggest on need for greater emphasis of the teacher as a factor in creating student’s personality through educational activities and realization of teacher’s role as educator. Keywords: Competences, pedagogical work, educator, students.

The Slovak education is currently experiencing a turbulent period associated with ongoing efforts to reform the education system, under-funding of education with low teacher salaries, overworked and feminized teaching staff, low social status of a teacher in society, problems in the creation and distribution of current textbooks, insufficient interest in studying natural sciences, leaving of young people to study abroad, etc. This situation is also reflected in the training of future teachers including the geography teachers (in combination with other subjects). The aim of this study is to provide basic information on the development of future geography teacher education in Nitra, which has almost a 60-year tradition. Moreover, it characterizes the current state of this education in the context of the subject field didactics and pedagogical practice and identifies the challenges of their future preparation. Methods of text analysis, information comparison, and statistical processing of quantitative information were used in this study. Key findings include the dynamics of the number of graduates from geography teaching study programs, responding to the situation in education system and demographic decline in the population, and reduction of contact lessons at the university leading to a reduction in the professional and didactic extent of knowledge and skills of future teachers. The most important conclusions or recommendations as well as scientific contribution concern the necessity to change the attitude of teachers towards the practically oriented teaching with stronger emphasis on training students’ creativity not only through ICT, but also using creative and critical thinking strategies.

The dynamic development of modern society dramatically changes the educational orientations and priorities. This is especially true of the higher education system, which must respond in a timely manner to the new challenges for the preparation of competitive future professionals. The renewal of the philosophy of school natural education, due to the need for its correlation with the current level of scientific knowledge, as well as with the realities of the modern world. In this connection, there is a problem of professional training of the future biology teacher of the new formation, oriented on innovative pedagogical activity. The recognition of the modern teacher as the subject of innovative changes defines new targets in his vocational training system. The problem of professional training of the future biology teacher does not lose its relevance. The new paradigm of science education necessitates constructive changes in the professional training of the future teachersubjectist. First of all, the process of becoming a future teacher should be professionally and pedagogically oriented. An important component of the professional development of a modern biology teacher is his personal qualities formed in the process of pedagogical training that determine the professional orientation of the future specialist. In this regard, the professional training of the future teacher of the natural sector should integrate in the content of higher education the idea of developing the creative potential of the student's personality, the recognition of students as subjects of the educational process. And the process itself, the formation of the professional competence of the future teacher, should be guided by modern natural science knowledge. The peculiarity of teaching biology in high and high school requires the modern teacher to have specific qualities, which in the conditions of the New Ukrainian School are of particular relevance. Among the most significant are the responsibility of the teacher for the results of his teaching activities. At present, the modern school is waiting for a teacher of a new formation, which is characterized by creative thinking, innovative pedagogical activity, the ability to self-reflection, which significantly expands its role functions. The development of new directions in the training of biology teachers objectively requires a rethinking of the content, forms and methods of pedagogical education, development of new approaches to teaching. In addition, the focus on European educational standards, necessitates the study of foreign teacher training experience in the context of innovation. Thus, the European vectors for the development of higher education in Ukraine necessitate changes in the methodological and psychological-pedagogical foundations of modern higher education of future biology teachers. It is the practice-oriented character of the pedagogical training of the future teacher that will provide the updating of the content of the system of vocational training of future teachers, which will significantly increase its competitiveness.

In accordance with the European parameters of professional training of the new formation of educators, it is mandatory to emphasize the problem of forming in the future teacher the basic competencies of modern human, including an ethnocultural one. The value of this format of professional training is the focus of competence-oriented content of education on the formation of life and worldview of the future teacher, as well as his/her professional self-development. Ethnopedagogical component of training of future bachelors of natural sciences is of particular importance in the implementation of the concept of specialized training in high school and is one of the indicators of professional readiness to implement the multicomponent component of the content of modern natural education. Ethnopedagogy as a component of modern pedagogical science is a powerful resource for the formation of general cultural competence of the future teacher, which reflects a certain level of his/her professional readiness for teaching in the context of interaction of natural and social environments, to emphasize semantic and ideological aspects, to highlight the dominance of new values.

Issues of professional training and the formation of a competent teacher of the New Ukrainian School are relevant in the context of educational European integration and require the introduction of scientific innovations that will increase the responsibility of each student for professional choice. It is well known that competitiveness is a characteristic of the individual, expressed in the ability to survive and win the competition. And a competitive teacher is a person who, thanks to personal and professional qualities, can survive and win in competitive relations in the market of educational services. Competition as a major form of organization of social and interpersonal interaction, primarily aimed at ensuring the quality of education, bringing educational systems closer to the parameters of European standards. That is why the formation of the competitiveness of the future bachelor of natural sciences is a priority of higher pedagogical education in Ukraine. Given the above, the competitiveness of the future bachelor of natural science should be considered at two levels: personal (mobility, adaptability, communication, independence, adaptability, purposefulness, values and attitudes, critical thinking, ability to self-knowledge, self-development, and self-education) and professional (reflexivity, creativity, goal setting, forecasting, and design). In addition, an important determinant of the competitiveness of the modern teacher of natural sciences is the ability to solve non-standard professional tasks, which is a necessary condition for self-realization in the profession, the discovery of potential and natural abilities. Thus, the development of a competitive personality of a future teacher of natural sciences is the development of a reflective personality with positive psychoenergetic potential, able to organize, plan their activities and behaviour in dynamic situations, a person with a new style of thinking, unconventional approaches to problem-solving, adequate response in non-standard situations.

The article deals with the issues of training future teachers of natural sciences; findings: what requirements for professional education are typical for the training of a teacher of a new formation; what role in the professional development of specialists of pedagogical HEI has professional training and what shortcomings in the training of masters of natural sciences occur at the present stage of development of higher education; areas of modernization of vocational education and physical education, in particular, are identified by scientists.

Дисертація присвячена проблемі формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей у закладах вищої освіти. Проведений аналіз результатів наукових пошуків учених показав, що проблема формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей в процесі професійної підготовки становить недостатньо досліджений сегмент педагогічної галузі, тому потребує більш докладного вивчення й наукового аргументування педагогічних умов, які потенційно підвищують ефективність цього процесу. У межах дослідження з’ясовано й уточнено сутність основних понять «екологічна освіта», «екологічна культура», «екологічне виховання», «екологічна свідомість», «екологічний світогляд», «екомислення», «екологічна діяльність», «екологічна етика», «екологізація змісту освіти» у контексті професійної підготовки майбутнього вчителя природничих спеціальностей. Екологічну культуру майбутнього вчителя природничих спеціальностей розглянуто як інтегральне особистісне утворення, що формується у процесі професійної підготовки у ЗВО та ґрунтується на екологічних знаннях і вміннях, екологічній свідомості, екологічному мисленні та поведінці, які проектуються на його професійну діяльність. Формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей потрактовано як цілеспрямований освітньо-виховний процес, побудований з урахуванням загальних педагогічних закономірностей і дидактичних принципів, обґрунтованих педагогічних дій та заходів (умов), ефективна реалізація яких зумовлює якісні зміни в компонентах екологічної культури майбутніх вчителів природничих спеціальностей для досягнення еколого-педагогічної продуктивності у професійній діяльності. На основі узагальнення результатів наукових пошуків учених, нормативно-правових документів, освітнього процесу ЗВО з’ясовано особливості професійної підготовки майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей і стан сформованості у них екологічної культури у контексті реалізації завдань екологічної освіти школярів. Проаналізовано особливості зарубіжного досвіду екологічної професійної підготовки вчителів природничих спеціальностей і виокремлено низку спільних тенденцій. У дисертаційному дослідженні визначено компонентний склад, критерії, показники та рівні сформованості екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей у процесі професійної підготовки. На підставі аналізу наукової літератури, практичного досвіду визначено й обґрунтовано педагогічні умови, що сприяють формуванню екологічної культури майбутніх вчителів природничих спеціальностей, а саме: цілеспрямоване проектування інформаційно-екологічного освітнього середовища у ЗВО; забезпечення мотиваційно-ціннісного ставлення майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей до професійної діяльності, спрямованої на екологічну освіту школярів; екологізація змісту освіти на засадах міжпредметної інтеграції; використання інноваційних форм, методів і технологій навчання для активізації навчально-пізнавальної діяльності; запровадження інтерактивної взаємодії у форматі «викладач-студент-учитель-учень-природа» для удосконалення практичних навичок студентів. Розроблено модель формування екологічної культури майбутніх вчителів природничих спеціальностей у процесі професійної підготовки, яка складається із чотирьох взаємопов’язаних блоків: цільового, теоретико-методологічного, організаційно-педагогічного та результативного. Висвітлено організацію та перебіг дослідно-експериментальної роботи, зроблено висновки щодо ефективності запропонованих педагогічних умов формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей, представлено стан її сформованості. Наукова новизна одержаних результатівдослідження полягає в тому, що: уперше визначено та обґрунтовано педагогічні умови формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей у процесі професійної підготовки (цілеспрямоване проектування інформаційно-екологічного освітнього середовища у ЗВО; забезпечення мотиваційно-ціннісного ставлення майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей до професійної діяльності, спрямованої на екологічну освіту школярів; екологізація змісту освіти на засадах міжпредметної інтеграції; використання інноваційних форм, методів і технологій навчання для активізації навчально-пізнавальної діяльності; запровадження інтерактивної взаємодії у форматі «викладач – студент – учитель – учень – природа» для удосконалення практичних навичок студентів); розроблено модель формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей у процесі професійної підготовки, яка поєднує цільовий, теоретико-методологічний, організаційно-педагогічний та результативний блоки; визначено компоненти, критерії і рівні сформованості екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей у процесі професійної підготовки;уточнено сутність понять «екологічна культура», «екологічна культура майбутніх учителів» і «формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей»;удосконалено організаційно-педагогічний супровід формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей у процесі професійної підготовки; подальшого розвитку набулиположення щодо використання ідей екологізації шкільної освіти та можливостей відкритого навчального середовища. Практичне значення одержаних результатівдослідження полягаєу застосуванні теоретичних положень і сформульованих висновків до організації еколого-орієнтованої підготовки майбутніх фахівців; упровадженні моделі формування екологічної культури майбутніх учителів природничих спеціальностей у процесі професійної підготовки; розробленні навчально-методичного забезпечення для підготовки студентів закладів вищої освіти, зокрема: робочих програм навчальної дисципліни «Основи екології» та спецкурсу «Формування екологічної культури особистості майбутнього вчителя природничих спеціальностей», «Короткого словника екологічних термінів», навчально-методичного комплексу з дисципліни «Основи екології». Розроблені теоретичні й методичні матеріали дисертації можуть бути використані викладачами закладів вищої освіти для подальшого формування екологічної культури майбутнього фахівця, у науково-дослідницькій роботі студентів, магістрів, аспірантів та у системі підвищення кваліфікації педагогічних працівників.
The thesis deals with the problem of forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers in higher education institutions.The conducted analysis of research findings shows that the problem of forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers during professional training has not been sufficiently covered in pedagogical literature. Therefore, it should be studied in more detail and pedagogical conditions enhancing the efficiency of this process should be scientifically justified. The thesis specifies and clarifies the essence of such basic concepts as “ecology education”, “ecological culture”, “ecological literacy”, “ecological awareness”, “ecological outlook”, “eco-thinking”, “ecological activity”, “ecological ethics”, “education ecologization” in the context of professional training of future natural sciences teachers. Ecological culture of a future natural sciences teacher is interpreted as an integral individual entity, which is formed during professional training in higher education institutions and is based on ecological knowledge and skills, ecological awareness, ecological thinking and behaviour reflected on his/her professional activity. The process of forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers is viewed as a targeted education process, which takes into account universal pedagogical patterns and didactic principles, justified pedagogical actions and measures (conditions), whose effective implementation can lead to some quality changes in the components of ecological culture of future natural sciences teachers aimed at achieving ecological pedagogical productivity of professional activity. The generalization of results obtained from relevant studies, legal documents and certain aspects of the education process in higher education institutions made it possible to specify the characterstics of professional training of future natural sciences teachers and their level of ecological culture formation in the context of the realization of ecology education objectives. The characteristics of foreign experience in organizing professional ecological training for natural sciences teachers were analyzed and certain common trends were outlined. The thesis defines the components, criteria, indicators and levels of ecological culture formation in future natural sciences teachers during professional training. The analysis of scientific literature and practical experience made it possible to determine and justify pedagogical conditions, which contribute to forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers. They include designing the informational and ecological educational space in higher education institutions; cultivating in future natural sciences teachers a motivational and appreciative attitude towards professional activity aimed at ecology education in schools; assuring education ecologization based on the principles of intersubject integration; using innovative teaching forms, methods and technologies with the aim to enhance learning and cognitive activity; establishing the “lecturers-students-teachers-pupils-nature” interaction with the aim to improve practical skills of students. A model for forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers during professional training was designed. It consists of the following four interconnected blocks: the target block; the theory and methodology block; the organization block; the results block. The thesis reveals the organization and the dynamics of experimental work and contains conclusions on the efficiency of the proposed pedagogical conditions for forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers and its formation level. Scientific novelty and theoretical significance of research findings consist in the following: for the first time, pedagogical conditions for forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers during professional training (designing the informational and ecological educational space in higher education institutions; cultivating in future natural sciences teachers a motivational and appreciative attitude towards professional activity aimed at ecology education in schools; assuring education ecologization based on the principles of intersubject integration; using innovative teaching forms, methods and technologies with the aim to enhance learning and cognitive activity; establishing the “lecturers-students-teachers-pupils-nature” interaction with the aim to improve practical skills of students) were determined and justified; the model for forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers during professional training, which includes the target block, the theory and methodology block, the organization block and the results block, was designed; the components, criteria, indicators and levels of ecological culture formation in future natural sciences teachers during professional training were defined; the essence of such concepts as “ecological culture”, “ecological culture of future natural sciences teachers” and “forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers” were specified; the process of forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers during professional training was better supportedorganizationally and pedagogically; the views on school education ecologization and the capacity of open learning environment were further developed. Practical value of research findings consists in introducing theoretical principles and formulated conclusions into the organization of ecology-oriented training of future specialists; implementing the model for forming ecological culture in future natural sciences teachers during professional training; developing teaching methodical support of professional training in higher education institutions, namely syllabi for a course on Basic Ecology and a specialized course on Forming Ecological Culture in Future Natural Sciences Teachers; a Short Glossary of Ecological Terms; teaching methodical toolkit for a course on Basic Ecology. Theoretical and methodical material of the thesis is designed for lecturers, who aim to further form ecological culture of future specialists; students and postgraduate students interested in this area; educators, who require advanced training.

The 2040 governmental goal of 100 % renewable electricity in Sweden means that there will be a shift in electricity production and a phasing out of nuclear power. This nuclear power has to be replaced by some other source. Wind power is a viable alternative, thanks to its reliability and the abundance of wind in Sweden. However, wind power production requires a large amount of land and carries the risk of disrupting the landscape. Wind energy is therefore often difficult to develop, and when developed it is often in rural areas where it disturbs as few people as possible. This study presents an alternative to rural exploitation, it investigates whether it is possible to produce sufficient wind power to satisfy urban demand within 20 000 meters of the 20 largest cities in Sweden. Firstly, the criteria for areas where wind power can be developed were synthesised. Secondly a numerical model was used to simulate energy demand in TWh considering the future growth in demand and the phasing out of nuclear power. The demand for wind power was then translated into correlating area in km2. Finally, a GIS analysis was conducted to estimate the extent of area suitable for wind power development based on the criteria above and within a 20 000m perimeter from the 20 largest cities in Sweden. The analysis showed that only 35 % of the required area for wind power development fulfilled the criteria within the given perimeter. From the GIS analysis only 940.73 km2 was found to be suitable. From the numerical model, the results showed that for it to be sufficient, there would have to be at least 2687.1 km2 suitable land. The conclusion from this study is that in order to phase out the nuclear power, the majority of the wind power has to be located in the rural areas.

The aim of our study is to investigate what possibilities and challenges Ghanaian teacher students express regarding outdoor pedagogy, in order to find out their view on using it as a method when teaching natural science in primary school. The teacher education in Ghana has not yet a course in outdoor pedagogy to offer their students. The view of outdoor pedagogy that is presented in this paper shows a learning situation where the learning context is moved to the natural landscape, which opens up for practical learning and the interaction between the senses of the pupils and the environment. Furthermore, reflection and concrete experiences in authentic situations are highlighted. The research took place at the University of Education, Winneba and the method consisted of qualitative interviews and a workshop with 20 teacher students of the department of basic education. We gathered our data before, during and after the workshop, therefore our result is divided as such. The results of the analysis show three main themes of the teacher students’ view on outdoor pedagogy; the learning context, teacher’s and student’s role. In the results section, each of these themes are categorized in possibilities and challenges expressed by the teacher students.Possibilities that can be found in the results is the fact that the learning will become practical and hands-on, it will involve the senses and therefore lead to deeper memories. Furthermore, the teacher students express a possibility for the pupils as they get an opportunity to take control of their own learning when sharing their knowledge with their peers. This affects the teacher's role which becomes more guiding than authoritarian.Difficulties the students expressed includes issues on behalf of the teacher in keeping control of the class due to the great number of pupils in the classes and the safety aspect with dangerous animals. Another category that recurred was the challenge with placebound prerequisites; to find a safe place suitable for the topic to teach. A difficulty on behalf of the students might be a fear of contributing to the teaching due to the lack of experience in sharing and talking in the classroom environment.

This is a study of urban mobility, where urban areas are defined as diverse and complex locations with a metabolism composed of multiple components and subsystems. Currently, more than 60% of the world’s population live in urban areas, a number expected to grow significantly. Most cities are unsustainable and often in ecological deficit; cities over- consume or pollute their natural resources, while unequal distribution of resources also occur. Thus, leading to serious economic and social imbalances, something that is possible to appreciate in developing nation-states. With population growth and economic concentration in urban areas, transport policies are forcing governments to seek innovative solutions for shaping and re-shaping existing and future transportation systems. Transport infrastructure related to congestion, accidents, local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) is a challenge for many major cities in the world. This study covers the political and socio-economical processes with regards to the environmental challenges in the Peruvian transport system. It includes an analysis of the strategies and indicators of good governance by the central, metropolitan and local governments, with the aim of identifying the main drivers and barriers to improving the current transport system in Lima. It is important to highlight that urban mobility is an important component of urban planning and is constituted by the urban transport system, land use, traffic management, inter-modality, accessibility and public space management, among other things. The appropriate approach to urban mobility joins the vision of a city with citizenship (Ministerio de Vivienda 2016). From an Urban Political Ecology (UPE) perspective, one can appreciate that the transport system in Lima seems directly derived from complex social, economic and political relations and where environmental challenges are less vocal (Robbins 2012). And seen from the Entrepreneurial or innovative state and as described by Schumpeter, the role that a state or governments hold is crucial in a well-functioning society in the context of a capitalism society. An efficient government is vital in providing goods and services, rules and institutions for ensuring that the market grows, as well as directing citizens to a more prosperous life. Without such a government, sustainable development in social and economical aspects is impossible. However, the results of this study not only presents several challenges to the structure of the national, regional and local governments in Lima, but also the various dimensions to these challenges that exist. These insights are important to highlight and address, as moving towards an urban transformation that is sustainable and durable will require considerable intervention from governments to achieve substantial reductions in GHG emissions.

This is a study about how to convert a survey to a chatbot and distribute it to various communication channels to collect feedback to improve themselves. What would be the most convenient way to gather feedback? Our daily lives are becoming more and more dependent on digital devices every day. The rise in digital devices leads to a wider range of communication channels. Is it not a good opportunity to use these channels for several purposes. This study focuses on chatbots, survey systems, communication channels, and their ability to gather feedback from respondents and use it to increase the quality of goods, services, and perhaps life. By using chatbot language knowledge, people can engage with the bot in a conversation and answer survey questions in a different way. By using Restful API, the chatbot can extract quantitative information to be analyzed for development. Although the chatbot is not well-made and still requires a lot of adjustments, the work has proven to have many opportunities in surveys, gathering feedback, and analyzing it. This could be an improvement for research regarding chatbots in the future or a new way to make surveys better.
Detta är en studie om hur man konvertera en undersökning till en chattbot och sprida den till olika kommunikationskanaler för att samla återkoppling for att förbättra sig själv. Vad skulle vara det bekvämaste sättet att samla återkoppling? Våra dagliga liv blir mer och mer beroende av digitala enheter var dag. Ökningen av digitala enheter leder till ett större utbud av kommunikationskanaler. Är det inte då en bra möjlighet att utnyttja dessa kanaler för flera ändamål. Det här arbetet focuserar på chattbotar, undersökningssystem och deras förmåga att samla återkoppling från respondenter och använda den för att öka kvaliteten av varor, tjänster och kanske livet. Genom att använda chattbottens språkkunskap kan människor engagera sig med botten i en konversation och svara på undersökningsfrågor på ett annorlunda sätt. Genom att använda sig av något kallat Restful API kan man ta ut kvantitativ information för att analysera den för förbättringssyfte gällande produkter och tjänster. Trots att chattbotten inte är välgjord och fortfarande kräver mycket justeringar så har arbetet visat sig ha många möjligheter inom undersökningar, samla återkoppling och att analysera det. Detta kan vara en förbättring för forskning om chattbottar i framtiden eller ett nytt sätt att förbättra undersökningar.

Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source which has not yet had the same breakthrough as other renewables, e.g. solar PV and wind. There may still be some technical issues to be solved before geothermal can reach its full potential.One of these technical challenges concerns reinjection, i.e. the return of geothermal fluids back into the ground after surface energy extraction. In traditional geothermal energy utilization, hot geothermal fluid is brought up from underground reservoirs to the surface. Depending on the design of the power plant, the fluid can either be kept one-phased or get separated into two phases, i.e. hot steam and water. Hot steam, or vapor of another working fluid, is used to drive electricity generating turbines. Whether the condensate is returned back into to the ground after energy extraction, i.e. reinjected, is nowadays usually a matter of how rather than if. However, the magnitude and strategy varies in countries as well as for specific power plant operators.From a sustainable management perspective, the majority of operators as well as scientist agree that reinjection is the best way practice in order to take care of a resource and leave the smallest possible environmental footprint. However, it is a quite complicated and not always problem free operation. There are numerous examples where reinjection has led to complications such as scaling, induced seismicity and cooling of the reservoir. The purpose of this study was to describe the current status of geothermal reinjection from a neutral third-party perspective, e.g. by describing current obstacles and negative as well as positive outcomes. The aim is to conclude whether current technology is enough to successfully reinject, or if there are still some gaps of knowledge to fill. The method consists partly of a literature study of previously written technical reports but also of interviews with experts in the area. In addition, the study summarizes the legal framework regarding reinjection in some geothermal active countries, e.g. if it is required by law or not. Although currently technology is enough to do a fairly good job at reinjecting geothermal fluids, the result of the study also shows that there are still some technical barriers to overcome in order to fully optimize it. However, it remains the best currently known way to keep geothermal energy sustainable. Better technologies will be needed in order for geothermal to reach its fully green potential.

Urban nature provides local ecosystem services such as absorption of air pollutants, reduction of noise, and provision of places for recreation, and is therefore crucial to urban sustainable development. Nature conservation in cities is also part of the global effort to halt biodiversity decline. Urban landscapes, however, display     distinguishing social and ecological characteristics and therefore the implementation of nature conservation frameworks into cities, requires reconsideration of what nature to preserve, for whom and where. The aim of this thesis was to examine the current urban nature conservation with special focus on formally protected areas, and discuss their future role in the urban landscape. A social-ecological systems approach was used as framework and both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied. The studies were performed at local to regional scales in the southern part of Sweden. Four key questions were addressed: i) What are the characteristics of nature conservation in urban landscapes? ii) How does establishment of nature conservation areas affect the surrounding urban landscape? iii) In what ways are spatial and temporal scales recognized in practical management of nature conservation areas? and iv) How can the dichotomy of built up and nature conservation areas be overcome in urban planning? Nature reserves in urban, compared to rural landscapes were in general fewer, but larger and included a higher diversity of land covers. They were also based on a higher number and different kinds of objectives than rural nature reserves. Urbanisation adjacent to nature reserves followed the general urbanisation patterns in the cities and no additional increase in urban settlements could be detected. In general, there was a lack of social and ecological linkages between the nature conservation areas and the urban landscape and practical management showed a limited recognition of cross-scale interactions and meso-scales. Such conceptual and physical isolation risks decreasing the public support for nature conservation, cause biodiversity decline, and hence impact the generation of ecosystem services. A major future challenge is therefore to transform current conservation strategies to become a tool where urban nature is perceived, planned and managed as valuable and integrated parts of the city. To enable social-ecological synergies, future urban planning should address proactive approaches together with key components like active enhancement of multifunctional landscapes, cross-scale strategies and border zone management.
At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 5: Manuscript.

From the point of view of the new science of globalism, the problems of the ecological, socio-economic state of the world and countries are considered through the prism of the interaction of the human psyche and society and the inhabited world. The criteria of ecological civilization of countries and peoples are justified. Optimizing the consumption of natural bio-and energy resources is becoming a fundamental environmental factor for sustainable development. The "Law of the maximum for humanity" as the law of the biosphere can be the arbitration court, the neutral force that will explain the historical need for mutual understanding, taking into account the interests of ecology and economy for the survival of man as a biovid on Earth; a new reality will begin to form — the phenomenon of co-residence of the world society with the biosphere. The world's population, its energy and bio-consumption, as well as all living matter on the planet, must correspond to the biological capacity of the Earth and not go beyond its boundaries. The task of the society is to implement a worldview breakthrough at the current stage of development, its own cultural mutation, which in the future will create the basis for adaptive technological and socio-cultural development. The task is to classify the entire Earth as a "Green Book" and to solve systemic environmental problems of a global nature. An integral part of sustainable development should be the principle of "vital consumption" at both the personal and social level, instead of the dominant principle of"expanded production and consumption". The indicator of the" culture of consumption "of natural resources, both at the individual level and at the level of society, should be included as an integral part of the integral indicator in the "True Indicator of Progress" and the "Human Development Index". The book is interdisciplinary in nature; it is a kind of scientific and philosophical poetic essay intended for teachers and students of universities in the field of sociology, ecology, biology and related fields, as well as for everyone who cares about the future of society.

AbstractThe natural sciences include the life and physical sciences and study nature through observing and understanding phenomena, testing hypotheses, and performing experiments. Key principles such as reliability, validity, objectivity, and predictability are achieved through transparent assumptions, methods, data, and interpretations as well as multidisciplinarity.In this chapter we present insights into the genesis of citizen science in the natural sciences and reflect on the intellectual history of the natural sciences in relation to citizen science today. Further, we consider the current scientific approaches and achievements of natural science projects, which are applying citizen science to address empirical and/or theoretical research, focusing on monitoring programmes. Presenting examples and case studies, we focus on the key characteristics of the scientific inquiries being investigated in the natural sciences through citizen science. Finally, we discuss the consequences of engagement in scientific processes in relation to the future of natural scientists in a complex world.

The contribution presents the offer of courses with chemical themes at Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, which are intended for future teachers and not only for students of teacher training in chemistry. Attention is focused mainly on the course Chemistry by Play and on our experience with non-contact teaching in the academic year 2020/2021. The studentsʼ experience with experimental chemistry teaching forms in the previous study at high school are discussed here. Other possibilities to increase future teachersʼ competences in the field of natural sciences are mentioned in the paper.

In Kenya, student performance in sciences and Mathematics is still low compared to artoriented disciplines. The poor performance has affected not only the Girl child’s interest in these disciplines but also the number of girls that take STEM-oriented programs at tertiary levels. Several mitigating measures have been enacted although the situation has not changed much. This paper reports a study that explored contextual enablers and hindrances of Girl Child participation in STEM education in a Western Kenyan county. The study employed a case study approach by administering structured questionnaires, interview schedule and focused group discussion guide for data collection. The data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods and revealed that: 1) lesson development that connected science concepts to activities in the local context motivated and improved girl child’s participation and performance in contextualized learning activities and 2), familiarity with the materials and tools used in planning and implementing contextualized learning activities evoked the girl child’s enthusiasm and courage to exchange knowledge and ask more curiosity focused questions. Also revealed were hindrances including: 1) teachers’ initial training that did not prepare them for this way of teaching and it was not and has not been modeled for them during their preservice education or the ongoing professional development workshops; and 2) the exam driven nature of the curriculum serving as a hindrance to teacher innovation and creativity in instructional techniques. The study recommends a more creative and innovative teacher training system and focused research to monitor girl child participation and performance in STEM education. Keywords: Contextualized learning; Girl Child, STEM education; performance

Equally effective and demanding for all students, the traditional paradigm prevents independent acquisition of knowledge in a changed social context. Students should be able to independently research and analyze natural and social phenomena and processes. The role of the teacher is to create a complete picture, and not to interpret the content knowledge as biological, geographical, or historical. To avoid the passivity of students in the teaching process, it is necessary to choose an informal context and adapt it to the content being learned. In this paper, we have tried to point out the importance of an integrative approach in the non-formal educational context within the content of the subject Science and Social studies. We have presented the practical implication regarding natural and social contents. Lack of resources, time and interest of teachers are cited as obstacles to this way of working. In addition to pointing out the effective application of the informal context in a changed social context, we also provided suggestions for future research to improve teaching practice.

National contest “Lithuanian naturalist” 1st -2nd form students’ team (15) performed task (from animate nature and people’s living environment sphere) analysis was carried out. The attention was paid to students’ natural science knowledge and understanding. The research was grounded on the attitude that this contest as a non-formal education form is an effective device because it contributes to natural science education quality in primary school: 1) develops primary school students’ natural science literacy; 2) makes possibilities for teachers to reflect on their experience and proposes ideas for the education process improvement; 3) for students – future primary school teachers – provides a possibility to acquire new experience (task creation, conducting theoretical and practical parts of the contest, preparation of evaluation instructions, students’ work evaluation). Keywords: natural science knowledge, natural science contest, primary school students, pre-service teachers.

Aim/Purpose: Science is becoming a computational endeavor therefore Computational Thinking (CT) is gradually being accepted as a required skill for the 21st century science student. Students deserve relevant conceptual learning accessible through practical, constructionist approaches in cross-curricular applications therefore it is required for educators to define, practice and assess practical ways of introducing CT to science education starting from elementary school. Background: Computational Thinking is a set of problem-solving skills evolving from the computer science field. This work-in-progress research assesses the CT skills, along with science concepts, of students participating in a science program in school. The program pertains learning science by modeling and simulating real world phenomenon using an agent-based modeling practice. Methodology: This is an intervention research of a science program. It takes place as part of structured learning activities of 4th and 5th grade classes which are teacher-guided and are conducted in school. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations are parts of the mixed methods research methodology using a variety of evaluation technique, including pretests and posttests, surveys, artifact-based interviews, in class observations and project evaluations. Contribution: CT is an emerging skill in learning science. It is requiring school systems to give increased attention for promoting students with the opportunity to engage in CT activities alongside with ways to promote a deeper understanding of science. Currently there is a lack of practical ways to do so and lack of methods to assess the results therefore it is an educational challenge. This paper presents a response to this challenge by proposing a practical program for school science courses and an assessment method. Findings: This is a research in progress which finding are based on a pilot study. The researches believe that findings may indicate improved degree of students' science understanding and problem-solving skills. Recommendations for Practitioners: Formulating computer simulations by students can have great potential on learning science with embedded CT skills. This approach could enable learners to see and interact with visualized representations of natural phenomena they create. Although most teachers do not learn about CT in their initial education, it is of paramount importance that such programs, as the one described in this research, will assist teachers with the opportunity to introduce CT into science studies. Recommendation for Researchers: Scientific simulation design in primary school is at its dawn. Future research investment and investigation should focus on assessment of aspects of the full Computational Thinking for Science taxonomy. In addition, to help teachers assess CT skills, new tools and criteria are required. Impact on Society: STEM related professions are lacking the man power required therefore the full potential of the economy of developed countries is not fulfilled. Having students acquire computational thinking skills through formal education may prepare the next generation of world class scientists and attract larger populations to these fields. Future Research: The inclusion of computational thinking as a core scientific practice in the Next Generation Science Standards is an important milestone, but there is still much work to do toward addressing the challenge of CT-Science education to grow a generation of technologically and scientifically savvy individuals. New comprehensive approaches are needed to cope with the complexity of cognitive processes related to CT.

Abstract In this case study we report on the use of a Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned form of Structure-Behavior-Function, called Structure-Function-Mechanism (SFM), to teach four high school engineering teachers an approach for Biologically Inspired Design (BID). Functional theories of design describe a natural way in which designers solve design problems. They provide support for case-based and analogical-based reasoning systems and have been used successfully to teach BID to undergraduate students. We found that teachers instructed on BID practice and pedagogy using our modified theory were able to grasp the structural concepts and looked for clear markers separating mechanism (behavior) and function. Because of the systems-of-systems nature of most biological entities, these boundaries were often subjective, presenting unique challenge to teachers. As high school engineering teachers look for methods to enhance their pedagogy and to understand multidisciplinary content, these findings will inform future curriculum development and professional learning approaches for engineering education.

Swift changes in society, related to sciences technicians’ development, technologies, by the increase of general volume of information, pull out new requirements for maintenance, structure, and quality of education. It requires teachers to diversify a tool in the direction of the increase in possibilities of the use of mobile technologies and computer systems. Lately in the world, more attention spared to the use of mobile learning, which in obedience to «Recommendations of UNESCO on the questions of a policy in the area of mobile learning» foresees the use of mobile technology, both separate and together with other by informational computer technologies. [1]. Mobile learning allows using the open informational systems, global educational networks, unique digital resources which belong to different educational establishments and co-operate with each other. The use of existent educational resources and creation of own, based on the academic resources from informative space, allows to promote the interest of students to the study of physics, to take into account the individual features, and also features of region and framework of society of the country. During the last years in Ukraine competency-based approach to the organization of studies certainly one of basic. The new Education Act addresses the key competencies that every modern person needs for a successful life, including mathematical competence; competence in natural sciences, engineering, and technology; innovation; information and communication competence [2]. This further emphasizes the importance of providing students with quality physical education and the problems associated with it. Using mobile technology in professional teaching work, the teacher has the opportunity to implement the basic principles of the competence approach in teaching physics. An analysis of the data provided in the official reports of the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment showed that the number of students making an external independent assessment in physics and choosing a future profession related to physics has decreased significantly. This is due to the loss of students' interest in physics and the complexity of the content of the subject, as well as the increase in the amount of information that students need to absorb. In this article, we explore the possibilities of mobile technology as a means of teaching physics students and give our own experience of using mobile technology in the process of teaching physics (for example, the optics section in primary school).