Georgios Ampatzidis

Introduction: Brain health is a multidimensional construct encompassing cognitive, mental, motor, and sensory functioning, influenced by multiple determinants across the lifespan. Evidence of children’s perceptions of brain health remain limited, particularly in the Greek context. Objective(s): This study aimed to explore primary school students’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding brain health and its determinants. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 346 fifth-grade students from 22 public primary schools in Patras, Greece. Data were collected using a Greek-translated and age-adapted version of the Global Brain Health Questionnaire (GBHSQ-C). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, while group comparisons were conducted using Mann–Whitney and Independent Median tests (p < 0.05). Results: Most participants (96.2%) reported general knowledge about the brain, and 21.4% indicated having a family member with a brain disease. The scale assessing determinants of brain health demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.693); education and sleeping habits were rated as the most influential factors, whereas smoking was considered the least. Childhood and adolescence were perceived as the most critical stages for maintaining brain health (Cronbach’s α = 0.680). Knowledge of brain diseases was limited and demonstrated poor internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.580). No significant differences were observed across most demographic variables (all p > 0.05); however, family status was significantly associated with knowledge of brain diseases (p = 0.044), with differences identified between one-parent and separated-parent families (p = 0.041). Discussion: These findings highlight critical gaps in foundational brain health literacy among primary school students. Enhancing awareness of modifiable determinants of brain health may promote lifelong healthy behaviors and improve brain health outcomes across the lifespan.

Background/objectives: Considering the significance of health education in tackling non-communicable diseases, the fact that research shows that students express an inadequate understanding of diabetes and ways to prevent it, and the fact that the proportional mortality of diabetes in Greece is 1%, we decided to investigate how diabetes is portrayed in secondary education biology textbooks in Greece. Methods: Six biology textbooks currently used in Greek secondary education were examined. All paragraphs mentioning diabetes were coded by the first two authors in non-mutually exclusive, data-driven categories derived through open coding. The coding scheme consisted of seven categories: diseases induced by diabetes, epidemiology, insulin production, physiology, prevention, symptoms, and treatment. Results: The results showed that in most cases, diabetes is mentioned for discussing the production of insulin either by extracting it from the pancreas of animals such as pigs or by means of biotechnology. The symptoms of diabetes along with the physiology and treatment of diabetes are mentioned a few times. On the other hand, the diseases and health conditions induced by diabetes along with the epidemiology and prevention of diabetes are mentioned only once. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that Greek secondary education biology textbooks primarily present diabetes as a case study to highlight laboratory achievements in insulin production and the applications of biotechnology, while coverage of epidemiology, long-term complications, and prevention remains limited. We argue that textbooks should focus on socio-scientific dimensions of diabetes in order to better support students to make informed decisions about managing their own health in daily life.

The term “plant awareness disparity”, also referred to as “lack of plant awareness”, describes a tendency for individuals to overlook and underestimate plants, especially compared to animals. This phenomenon is still referred to in parts of the literature as “plant blindness”, a term increasingly replaced due to its ableist connotations, which was introduced to capture the idea that people often fail to notice plants in their surroundings or recognize their significance for environmental sustainability and human well-being. Research has shown that this lack of awareness manifests in several interconnected ways, including: (a) failure to notice plants in everyday environments, (b) limited understanding of fundamental concepts in plant biology and ecology, (c) a tendency to undervalue or misunderstand the unique biological features of plants—such as their growth patterns, physiological processes, and adaptive strategies—and (d) the perception of plants as less complex than or inferior to animals. Plant awareness disparity has been linked to multiple contributing factors, including evolutionary, biological and educational factors. These influences reinforce anthropocentric and zoocentric views of nature, shaping how individuals conceptualize living organisms and their relative importance. In this entry, we trace the historical evolution of the concept from plant blindness to lack of plant awareness, examine the cognitive, evolutionary, and educational factors that contribute to its persistence, and discuss its broader implications for education and sustainability.

Although several studies investigate the ideas of students and teachers about Nature of Science (NOS) in elementary and secondary education, research on NOS understanding of young children and early years teachers (in- and pre-service) is rather limited. However, an insufficient NOS understanding of the latter may affect their instructional choices and their students’ NOS understanding. Moreover, including NOS in early years education may contribute to forming the basis for comprehending scientific concepts, acquiring scientific skills, and shaping positive attitudes towards science. Considering the above, we investigated the understanding of pre-service early years teachers about specific aspects of NOS. We administered a questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended items to 97 pre-service early years teachers in order to trace their understanding of specific NOS aspects such as the role of creativity and imagination in science, the provisional nature of scientific knowledge, the integration of science within socio-cultural contexts, and the distinction between observation and inference in science. According to our findings, the participants expressed a rather insufficient understanding of NOS, giving few informed answers. Concerning different aspects, the aspect of creativity in science was found to be the most challenging for them. On the contrary, the aspect of the provisional nature of scientific knowledge was found to be the most comprehensible. Relevant implications for research, policy and practice are discussed.

A thorough understanding of microorganisms is considered essential in order for students to understand their importance in biological systems and increasing use in industry and technology. However, research shows that the majority of students conceptualize them solely as dangerous and harmful. It has been argued that education should emphasize the importance that microorganisms have in human lives; a conceptual change to the representation of microorganisms that integrates their diversity and beneficial contributions seems an essential goal for science education. Considering the fact that science textbooks determine largely what is learned about science in the classroom, we explored Greek science textbooks in regard to the representation of microorganisms. Eight textbooks currently in use were investigated. Paragraphs mentioning microbes or microorganisms (187) were coded by both authors in mutually exclusive categories with satisfactory inter-rater agreement. Analysis of results shows that (a) in most cases microorganisms are mentioned in relation to health, and (b) the instances where microorganisms are presented in negative ways (i.e. as pathogens for humans and other organisms) are more than the instances where microorganisms are presented in positive ways (i.e. as part of the human microbiome or having a role in beneficial applications and procedures). Relevant literature and possible implications are discussed.

It has been argued that, as evidence-based medicine emerged in the 1990s, healthcare practitioners are required to partake in more intricate and elaborate cognitive processes. As a result, knowing the characteristics and constraints of scientific knowledge — i.e., an advanced understanding of the Nature of Scientific Knowledge (NOSK) — has become progressively imperative. In this paper, we discuss snapshots of the research on SARS-CoV-2 that may be used in order to illustrate aspects of NOSK to medical students and how they may be introduced within teaching interventions.