Sirpa Kärkkäinen

This study explores the development and implementation of a teacher-controlled pedagogical chatbot for a teacher education course to support inquiry-based science learning. The chatbot was designed to support pre-service teachers in bird species identification without providing direct answers. Instead, it encouraged observation, questioning, and reflective thinking. The development process involved iterative development of prompts and the use of teacher-created materials to guide the chatbot's responses. This article focuses on the experiences of the development team who designed the chatbot. The team consisted of an AI expert and two lecturers who were responsible for conducting the course. The data was collected using a group interview after the course where the chatbot was used. The actual course involved 210 pre-service teachers. Interview data showed both potential and challenges related to the use of chatbots in education. The experiment highlighted the importance of teachers' roles in shaping AI tools to align with their pedagogical goals and provided interesting perspectives about the possibilities of using chatbots in fostering pre-service teachers' learning.

Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan 5.-luokkalaisten oppilaiden vanhempien näkemyksiä kodin ja koulun vastuista 20 terveysoppimisen aihealueen opettamisessa vuosina 2015 (n=435) ja 2023 (n=135). Sähköisellä kyselylomakkeella samoilta kouluilta kahdessa aikapisteessä kerätty aineisto analysoitiin riippumattomien otosten t-testillä sekä yksi- ja kaksisuuntaisella varianssianalyysillä. Vanhemmat pitivät molempina vuosina valtaosaa terveysoppimisen aihealueista kodin ja koulun yhteisenä opetusvastuuna. Aihealueet tunteiden ilmaisu ja niiden säätely, oman kehon arvostus ja suojelu, riittävä ja hyvä uni ja lepo, liikunnan merkitys terveydelle sekä kiusaaminen ja väkivalta koettiin vahvemmin yhteisenä vastuuna vuonna 2023 kuin 2015. Aihealueet riittävä ja hyvä uni ja lepo, peseytyminen ja hygienian hoito sekä suun terveys ja hampaiden hoito painottuivat kodin vastuulle molempina vuosina. Mitään aihealuetta ei pidetty yksin koulun vastuuna. Vanhempien näkemyksissä havaittiin eroja erityisesti vanhemman sukupuolen suhteen äitien pitäessä isiä enemmän valtaosaa aihealueista kodin vastuulla vuonna 2015. Vanhempien näkemykset ovat arvokkaita lasten terveysoppimisen tukemisessa sekä kodin ja koulun yhteistyön kehittämisessä.

Inquiry-based science fieldwork (IBSF) is a widely recognised educational approach that fosters active student engagement and deeper conceptual understanding. However, implementing IBSF in primary science education can present challenges, particularly related to complex learning content and the need for teacher and peer support. These challenges also offer opportunities for pedagogical innovation. This study employed a qualitative case study design to explore which science learning contents primary students found most challenging during IBSF and to examine their experiences of teacher and peer support throughout the process. Twenty students, aged 12 to 14, from two primary schools in Namibia were purposefully selected to participate in a four-week intervention based on the Namibian INSHE curriculum. The intervention comprised 2,400 minutes of instruction across three science topics: plants, animal variation, and ecosystems. Semi-structured post-interviews were conducted, and the data were analysed using thematic and data-driven content analysis. Findings indicate that students encountered the most difficulty with the ecosystem topic due to its complexity. Some also struggled with plant-related content, especially identifying plant names and features, which was linked to gaps in prior knowledge and misconceptions. In contrast, the animal content was not seen as challenging, as students found it more familiar and relatable. Students highlighted the importance of teacher support in group management, maintaining a positive learning environment, and promoting cognitive engagement. Peer support—through emotional encouragement, informational assistance, and feedback—played a key role in fostering collaboration and facilitating meaningful exploration during IBSF. This study contributes to ongoing discussions about integrating IBSF in primary education and underscores the importance of structured support in enhancing science learning outcomes.

This article explores how global citizenship can be seen in the practices of science education in the context of international education policy and Finnish school and teacher education, with a focus on scientific literacy and sustainability education for promoting a sustainable future. Possibilities of science education to promote sustainability are discussed through teaching examples based on socio-scientific approaches. In addition, transformative science education for sustainability is regarded through competence development taking into account different knowledge dimensions. Solving problems however requires not only knowledge but also communicative and strategic and speculative activity. Thus, education must emphasize the main visions of scientific literacy and transdisciplinary perspectives proposed in the literature, supporting students to understand society and everyday socio-scientific challenges from the local to global level and to deal with differing scientific results and uncertain information. Our article presents findings and conclusions that provide opportunities for further work and provide insights into science and educational sustainability practice.

Previous studies have shown that making informed decisions about water issues requires socio-scientific reasoning (SSR), which is challenging for primary school students. This study focuses on third and fourth graders’ (n=101) perceptions regarding water systems, water sources and usage patterns both at home and within society. The primary school students participated in a water project that lasted for eight lessons. The study was a case study and the data consisted of audio recordings of group conversations on tasks given in the lessons. The students’ perceptions were analyzed using inductive content analysis and structure of observed learning outcome-taxonomy. Students discussed the significance of using water for drinking, food preparation, and maintaining personal hygiene. Students highlighted conservation, health, environmental and household aspects when discussing water conservation and water purification. There is a need to empower primary school students through building scientific literacy and SSR to inform evidence-based decisions related to water issues.

In recent years, educational reforms have made scientific literacy a major priority because of its increasing importance in today’s dynamic world. Program for international student assessment 2015 evaluated scientific literacy from 72 countries, and Lebanon ranked 65th. Scientific literacy levels among Lebanese secondary school students and gender differences are unknown. This study fills this research gap. A total of 130 students from Lebanon’s private secondary schools were involved in this research. Scientific literacy levels were assessed using an instrument developed by Gormally et al. (2012), who conceptualized nine science competencies contributing to scientific literacy including understanding research designs, creating and interpreting graphs, and solving quantitative problems. Welch’s ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data. Lebanese secondary school students have very low scientific literacy levels, and no significant difference was observed between genders. We present recommendations for adding desired skills to the curriculum based on a review of the underlying factors.

This paper describes and compares primary school students' perceptions of science learning skills in a teacher-centered approach (TCA) and in inquiry-based science fieldwork (IBSF). This comparison was prompted by primary school students' perceptions of science learning skills, which has recently gained momentum, and the Namibian primary schools' recent curriculum shift from TCA to IBSF. The study utilized quantitative cross-sectional data (n = 237) collected from two primary schools in the Oshana region of Namibia. The data were gathered via an online survey and were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the TCA and IBSF groups. The results revealed that the students had positive to fairly positive perceptions of science learning skills in IBSF and very negative to negative perceptions of science learning skills in TCA, with the difference between the two perceptions being statistically significant. This may indicate that Namibian primary school students find it hard to develop science learning skills under TCA. Therefore, the current study provided evidence for the need to focus more on supporting students' science learning skills, particularly problem-solving, communication and teamwork skills. This implies that the IBSF teaching approach, which allows students to become aware of the importance of science learning skills, must be adopted in Namibian primary schools. The paper also discusses the benefits of IBSF of science learning skills in students.