The purpose of this study was a qualitative analysis of high school students' ideas about life cycle and life forms of the butterfly. For this purpose, open-ended questions and drawing methods were applied to 194 high school students from the ninth to eleventh grades and 14 to 16 years of age in Erzurum, Turkey. Students' drawings were categorised…

The study examines the effectiveness of eco-schools concerning their students' environmental values and environmental behaviour, and includes 1287 children from fifty-nine schools (thirty-eight eco-schools and twenty-one control schools) in Flanders. Controlling for effects of gender and socio-economic status, analyses show that eco-schools have…

Guided instruction is an approach that fully explains the concepts and procedures that students are required to learn. It seems intuitive that this approach should increase student learning; however, there is evidence in the literature that this may not always be the case. We wanted to assess the effectiveness of our own repeated…

One of the most serious problems facing our planet is the biodiversity crisis. As a solution to this problem, both scientists and educators have emphasised the need for educating people about how to conserve the Earth's biodiversity. As a small contribution to this effort, we have designed a learning unit about biodiversity, "Nature in a…

First-year students often feel discouraged, especially with courses that require complex thinking and involve establishing relations between different subjects such as biochemistry. It has been proposed that student-centred pedagogy can achieve motivation and improve learning. In this context, this case study reports the use of art as a strategy…

The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of models of programmed instruction and conventional (informative-illustrative) expository teaching in terms of fulfilling the aims of the course "Human anatomy and physiology" which is included in the physiology programme and designed for undergraduate students majoring in biology…

This paper is based upon experiments developed as part of a Directed Research course designed to provide undergraduate biology students experience in the principles and processes of the scientific method used in biological research. The project involved the evaluation of herbal remedies used in many parts of the world in the treatment of diseases…

The "Green Classroom" in Ulm is an experiential learning forum outside school. Its educational concept is based on experimental learning and is geared towards expanding biological knowledge and developing environmental attitudes regarding preservation and utilisation of nature. We assessed the environmental attitude of 92 students before…

A method of analyzing the content of biology/curricula, courses, and texts on the basis of the relative emphasis on different levels of biological organization, is discussed. It is suggested that this method may have led to unwarranted contrasts between traditional and modern curricula. A simple modification is proposed. (Author/BB)

Suggests need for in depth study of formal practical examinations generally conducted towards the end of the term. Suggested is a comparison of merits and demerits of this system with continuous assessment. (PS)

Describes the Oxford Certificate of Educational Achievement (OCEA) and the principles on which it is based. Discusses ways in which biology teachers can develop their confidence and proficiency in making assessments of process-based work. Stresses the advantages that a scheme such as OCEA can bring to a biology department. (Author/CW)

Reports the findings of evaluations of the trial versions of the course, concentrating on the aspects that appear to have significance for biology teaching in a wider context." (AL)

Describes the examination of a new course-unit degree program in science at the University of London. Terminal examination at the end of the year is replaced by several small examinations within the college and an external examination conducted by a board comprised of intercollegiate examiners and specialists from other universities. The system is…