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Turkish pre-service science teachers' knowledge and attitude towards application areas of biotechnology
Abstract
Some research supposes that biotechnology knowledge is an important precursor of attitude formation. The purpose of this study was to determine Turkish pre-service science teachers' knowledge level and attitude towards application areas of biotechnology. Two questionnaires were administered among 117 Department of Science Education students of Gazi University in Turkey. First questionnaire, which includes 10 items, was used to investigate the knowledge level of pre-service science teachers about application areas of biotechnology. Second questionnaire, which consists of 18 items, was used to examine their attitude towards application areas of biotechnology. Most of the participants had adequate knowledge and positive attitude about biotechnology. It was shown that some science teacher candidates who had negative or neutral attitude, considered application of biotechnology as dangerous and horrible or non-essential. There was found no gender differences in attitudes toward biotechnology. The statistically significant correlation was not observed between knowledge level and attitude. The result of this study can be used for improving the pre-service science teachers' biotechnology education.
... Most studies to date have only investigated public understanding of biotechnology, e.g., Carver et al. (2017). Only a few studies appear to have investigated primary school teachers' attitudes and knowledge in biotechnology, in five different countries: Slovakia (Prokop et al., 2007), Lithuania (Lamanauskas & Makarskaite-Petkeviciene, 2008), Slovenia and Turkey (Šorgo et al., 2011), Turkey (Darçin, 2011), USA (Chabalengula et al., 2011), and Spain (Casanoves et al., 2015). The study from Slovakia found that student teachers held numerous misunderstandings about biotechnologies, but with a significant correlation between positive attitudes and increased level of knowledge (Prokop et al., 2007). ...
... In another study of Turkish teachers, no correlations could be seen between knowledge level and attitudes (Darçin, 2011). A study from the USA showed that most pre-service primary school teachers had positive attitudes to the use of biotechnological applications and the genetic modification of food and plants. ...
... Students with higher scores in the knowledge section of the questionnaire also expressed more positive attitudes towards biotechnology related to health applications and a higher interest in biotechnology. There is therefore some evidence that gaining knowledge can lead to more positive attitudes, as has also been found in studies from the UK (Costa-Font & Mossialos, 2006), and Slovenia and Turkey (Šorgo et al., 2011), but in contrast to studies from the USA (Chabalengula et al., 2011) and Turkey (Darçin, 2011). This issue requires more research before generalizations can be made, but our study suggests that improving student teachers' knowledge of biotechnological issues could lead to more positive attitudes towards biotechnology. ...
The speed of development of biotechnology within agriculture, industry, and medicine has changed our lives, and we need a biotechnological literacy to understand it. This implies that teachers in primary schools need to be biotechnologically literate in order to educate future generations. The aim of this study was to investigate Swedish pre-service primary school teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards biotechnology and contextualize the results by comparing them with a corresponding group of Spanish teachers. Data was collected using the established questionnaire instrument Biotech XXI and analyzed statistically. The findings demonstrate that Swedish pre-service primary school teachers have knowledge gaps relating to the basic genetic concepts that underpin biotechnology, although they are aware of biotechnological applications. Their attitudes are quite positive towards biotechnological applications in health, but less so to buying and using genetically modified products. Higher levels of knowledge were correlated with more positive attitudes, indicating an attitudinal basis for expanding the knowledge of and teaching practices for biotechnology among primary teachers. The level of knowledge and attitudes in the Swedish sample were similar to those of the Spanish teachers, suggesting a similar situation may be prevalent in many countries. The results indicate a need to reconsider the science curricula within pre-service primary school teacher training programs in order to better prepare primary teachers for teaching biotechnological literacy.
... Ülkemizde ise bu konudaki çalışmalar çoğunlukla ilköğretim, ortaöğretim ve lisans öğrencilerinin tutum ve bilgi düzeylerini belirleyen çalışmalarla sınırlıdır (Balemen, 2009;Darçın, 2011;Darçın, 2007;Yüce ve Yalçın, 2012). Bu çalışmalara göre, biyoteknoloji derslerinin laboratuvar destekli yürütülmesi başarı ve tutumun olumlu yönde değişmesine yol açmaktadır (Darçın, 2007). ...
... Bu çalışmalara göre, biyoteknoloji derslerinin laboratuvar destekli yürütülmesi başarı ve tutumun olumlu yönde değişmesine yol açmaktadır (Darçın, 2007). Öğrencilerin biyoteknolojiye karşı tutumları, bilgi düzeyi, cinsiyet ve sınıf düzeyi gibi değişkenlere bağlı olarak farklılaşabilmektedir (Balemen, 2009;Darçın, 2011;Türkmen & Darçın, 2007). Öğretmen adaylarının üniversiteye gelmeden önce ve lisans eğitimleri boyunca biyoteknoloji konusunda ders görmüş olmaları bilgi ve tutumları üzerine olumlu etki yaratmaktadır (Yüce ve Yalçın, 2012). ...
Amaç: Bu çalışmada, fen bilimleri öğretmenlerinin, biyoteknoloji ve genetik mühendisliği konusundaki bilgi düzeyleri ile cinsiyetleri, mezun oldukları fakülte, mesleki kıdemleri ve biyoteknoloji dersi alma durumları arasında bir ilişki olup olmadığı araştırılmıştır. Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı ve kesitsel olarak tasarlanan çalışmanın örneklemini Malatya il Merkezinde görev yapmakta olan 58 fen bilimleri öğretmeni oluşturmaktadır. Öğretmenlerin, bilgi düzeylerini ölçmek için, tarafımızdan güvenirlik ve kapsam geçerliliği analizi yapılmış bilgi testi ve bazı demografik özellikleri belirlemeye yönelik bir ölçek kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Sonuçlarımıza göre; fen bilimleri öğretmenlerinin biyoteknoloji/genetik mühendisliği konusundaki bilgi düzeyleri ile cinsiyetleri, mezun oldukları fakülte, mesleki deneyimleri ve biyoteknoloji dersi alma durumları arasında anlamlı bir farklılık bulunmamıştır. Ancak, öğretmenlerin yarısından fazlası bilgi testinde bulunan genetik mühendisliği, genetiği değiştirilmiş organizmalar, klonlama ve insan genom projesi konularına ilişkin 8 soruyu doğru cevaplayamamıştır. Sonuçlar ve Öneriler: Sonuçlarımıza göre, fen bilimleri öğretmenleri biyoteknoloji alanındaki güncel gelişmeleri takip etmiyorlar ve bu problemi çözmek için alan uzmanları tarafından bir hizmet-içi eğitime tabi tutulmaları önerilebilir.
... Ancak genetik uygulamalara yönelik bilgi ve tutumların incelendiği çalışmaların bulgularında bilgi seviyesi ile tutum arasındaki ilişkinin değişkenlik gösterdiğine yönelik sonuçların rapor edildiği görülmektedir. Bireylerin bilgi seviyesinin artarken tutumlarının olumlu yönde geliştiğine yönelik çalışmalar olduğu gibi (Darçın, 2011), bilgi seviyesi azaldıkça olumsuz tutumların arttığına yönelik çalışmalara (Demirci, 2008) ya da iki kavramın birbiri ile ilişkisinin olmadığı (Mowen, Roberts, Wingenbach ve Harlin, 2007;Šorgo ve Ambrožič-Dolinšek, 2009) çalışmalara da rastlanmaktadır. Birçok çalışmada ise bireylerin genetik uygulamalar hakkındaki bilgi düzeyleri arttıkça bu uygulamalara yönelik daha negatif tutumlara sahip oldukları görülmektedir (Darçın, 2011;Frewer, Howard ve Shepherd, 1998;Hampel, Pfenning ve Peters, 2000). ...
... Bireylerin bilgi seviyesinin artarken tutumlarının olumlu yönde geliştiğine yönelik çalışmalar olduğu gibi (Darçın, 2011), bilgi seviyesi azaldıkça olumsuz tutumların arttığına yönelik çalışmalara (Demirci, 2008) ya da iki kavramın birbiri ile ilişkisinin olmadığı (Mowen, Roberts, Wingenbach ve Harlin, 2007;Šorgo ve Ambrožič-Dolinšek, 2009) çalışmalara da rastlanmaktadır. Birçok çalışmada ise bireylerin genetik uygulamalar hakkındaki bilgi düzeyleri arttıkça bu uygulamalara yönelik daha negatif tutumlara sahip oldukları görülmektedir (Darçın, 2011;Frewer, Howard ve Shepherd, 1998;Hampel, Pfenning ve Peters, 2000). Ölçek; genetik bilgi, genetik determinizmve modern genetik uygulamalarına yönelik tutum olmak üzere üç temel kavram üzerine geliştirilmiştir. ...
Bu çalışmanın amacı Bruu-Carver, Castera, Gericke,Menezes-Evangelista ve El-Hani(2017) tarafından geliştirilen Genetik ve Genetik Uygulamalarına Yönelik Tutum ve Anlayış Ölçeği’nin (GGUYTAÖ) Türkçe uyarlaması geçerlik ve güvenirlik araştırmasını yapmaktır. Ölçek, fen eğitimi ve bilim okuryazarlığı üzerine yapılan araştırmalarda kullanılmak üzere genç yetişkinlerin genetik determinizm düzeylerini, gen-çevre etkileşimi ve modern genetik uygulamalarına yönelik bilgi düzeylerini, aynı zamanda modern genetik uygulamalarına yönelik tutumlarını belirlemek ve bilgi düzeyleri ile tutumları arasındaki ilişkileri incelemek için
geliştirilmiştir. Ölçeğin Türkçe uyarlaması iki devlet üniversitesinin eğitim fakültelerinin farklı bölümlerinde öğrenim görmekte olan 682 birinci sınıf öğrencisine uygulanmıştır. Veriler üzerinde doğrulayıcı faktör analizi (DFA) yapılmıştır. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi
sonuçları GGUYTAÖ’nin ilk 3 bölümü için (genetik determinizm, gen-çevre etkileşimi ve modern uygulamalar hakkında genel bilgi) boyutları için 4 boyutlu bir yapıyı desteklediği ve GGUYTAÖ’nün son bölümü olan modern genetik uygulamalara yönelik tutumlar
bölümünde ise 4 boyutlu bir yapıyı desteklediğini gösterdi. Ölçeğin bölümlerinin Cronbach alpha değerlerinin sırasıyla 0.71, 0.71, 0.68 ve 0.76 olduğu hesaplanırken tekrar test güvenilirliğinin 0.95 olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bu bulgulara dayanılarak bu çalışma, ilgili
alan yazına Genetik ve Genetik Uygulamalarına Yönelik Tutum ve Anlayış Ölçeğinin geçerli ve güvenilir bir uyarlama örneğini sunmaktadır.
... Biyoteknolojinin bilgi yanında duyuşsal bileşeninin de fen eğitimi müfredatına dahil edilmesinin önemli olduğu belirtilmiştir (Klop & Severiens, 2007). Tutumların öğretimde oynadığı merkezi role rağmen, bugüne kadar biyoteknoloji okuryazarlığı ile ilgili çalışmaların çoğu lise ve üniversite öğrencileri ile yapıldığı görülmektedir (Prokop vd., Diran, 2007;Lamanauskas & Makarskaite-Petkeviciene, 2008;Darçin, 2011;Chabalengula vd., 2011). İlkokul öğretmenleri, sınıflarında kompleks biyoteknoloji konularını öğretmek zorunda olmayabilir. ...
The rapid development of biotechnology in many fields from agriculture to industry and medicine has also changed life rapidly. While this change makes important contributions to the development of societies, it sometimes carries risks. In order to involve society in scientific policy, well-informed citizens who can make scientific ethical and moral decisions are needed. In this context, it is important to include biotechnology education in science education programs. This study was conducted to contribute to this aim. The problem statement of the study is whether context-based learning and cooperative learning approaches have an effect on the attitudes of 8th grade students towards biotechnology subjects or not. The study was designed as a quasi-experimental design without a pre-test post-test control group, which is one of the quantitative research methods. Context-based learning approaches were used in the experimental group 1 and cooperative learning approaches were used in the experimental group 2. The study group of the research consisted of 44 eighth grade students, 22 of which were in the experimental Group 1 and 22 in the experimental Group 2. Data in the study were collected with the
Biotechnology Attitude Scale. As a result of the research, there was an increase in the attitudes of the students in both groups towards biotechnology.
... Biyoteknolojinin bilgi yanında duyuşsal bileşeninin de fen eğitimi müfredatına dahil edilmesinin önemli olduğu belirtilmiştir (Klop & Severiens, 2007). Tutumların öğretimde oynadığı merkezi role rağmen, bugüne kadar biyoteknoloji okuryazarlığı ile ilgili çalışmaların çoğu lise ve üniversite öğrencileri ile yapıldığı görülmektedir (Prokop vd., Diran, 2007;Lamanauskas & Makarskaite-Petkeviciene, 2008;Darçin, 2011;Chabalengula vd., 2011). İlkokul öğretmenleri, sınıflarında kompleks biyoteknoloji konularını öğretmek zorunda olmayabilir. ...
Biyoteknolojinin tarımdan, endüstriye ve tıbba kadar birçok alanlarındaki hızlı gelişmesi yaşamı da hızlıca değiştirmiştir. Bu değişim toplumların gelişimine önemli katkılar sağlarken bazen de riskler taşımaktadır. Toplumu bilimsel politikaya dahil etmek, hem bilimsel hem de etik ve ahlaki açıdan dikkatli kararlar verebilen, iyi bilgilendirilmiş vatandaşlara ihtiyaç vardır. Bu bağlamda fen eğitimi programlarında biyoteknoloji eğitimi kazanımlarına yer verilmesi büyük bir önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışma da bu amaca katkı sağlamak için yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın problem cümlesini, yaşam temelli öğrenme ve işbirlikli öğrenme yaklaşımlarının 8. Sınıf öğrencilerinin biyoteknoloji konularına karşı tutumları üzerine etkisi var mıdır? sorusu oluşturmaktadır. Çalışma nicel araştırma yöntemlerden olan ön test son test kontrol grupsuz yarı deneysel desen olarak tasarlanmıştır. Deney 1 grubunda yaşam temelli, deney 2 grubunda ise işbirliğiyle öğrenme yaklaşımları kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 22 deney1 ve 22 deney 2 grubu olmak üzere toplam 44 sekizinci sınıf öğrencisi oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada veriler Biyoteknoloji Tutum Ölçeği ile toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda her iki gruptaki öğrencilerin de biyoteknolojiye karşı tutumlarında artış olmuştur.
... Qualitative research studies are more common than mixed studies. In quantitative studies, the relationship between the factors is revealed, but the underlying causes of the relationship are not elaborated (Darcin, 2011;Sicaker & Aydin, 2015). Mixed studies are the studies in which qualitative and quantitative study data are handled in a single study and different data sources are validated (Dogru, 2010). ...
This thematic content analysis done about teaching biotechnology which is researched in Turkey is conducted with 64 articles, from a total of 45 magazines published in Turkey from 2003 to 2018. An analysis of the research trends of Turkish researchers based on teaching biotechnology. In this research, it has been tried to guide the researchers by determining the trends in the field and research methods frequently used(changes according to publication years and languages, what kind of research problems on qualitative research subjects are emphasised, what research methods are used, data collection tools, sample or working group, data analysis methods). In studies conducted to investigate the biotechnology education in Turkey, it shows that there is not adequate studies to address the issue of biotechnology education. Biotechnology and its sub-rules, cloning, genetically modified organisms, biotechnological vaccines, genetic engineering and microbiology may require more space in curricula at early learning levels.
... Bu çalışmalara göre, biyoteknoloji derslerinin laboratuvar destekli yürütülmesi başarı ve tutumun olumlu yönde değişmesine yol açmaktadır (Darçın, 2007). Öğrencilerin biyoteknolojiye karşı tutumları, bilgi düzeyi, cinsiyet ve sınıf düzeyi gibi değişkenlere bağlı olarak farklılaşabilmektedir (Darçın, 2011;Balemen, 2009;Türkmen ve Darçın, 2007). Öğretmen adaylarının üniversiteye gelmeden önce ve lisans eğitimleri boyunca biyoteknoloji konusunda ders görmüş olmaları bilgi ve tutumları üzerine olumlu etki yaratmaktadır (Yüce ve Yalçın, 2012). ...
No doubt one of the most important scientific and technological developments of the 21st century is developments in biotechnology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the preservice science teachers’ level of knowledge toward biotechnology and genetic engineering applications. Under this caption the research was made to find out whether there is significant difference between the knowledge level of preservice science teachers on biotechnology and genetic engineering applications their gender, class level, educational status, graduated high school, parental education background and monthly income. In order to find out the knowledge level of the teachers, a knowledge test reliability and scope validity was developed and a survey to determine some demographic characteristics was prepared. The survey was applied to 291preservice science teachers in Inonu University. According to the analysis, there is no significant difference between the knowledge level on biotechnology/genetic engineering and the gender, the educational status, graduated high school, parental education status and monthly income was found. But, there is significant difference between the knowledge level on biotechnology/genetic engineering and class level was found. Our results showed that knowledge levels of 4th grade preservice science teachers were significantly different from 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students. In addition, more than half of the preservice science teachers participating in this study did not correctly answer 8 questions of the knowledge test. These questions that were answered incorrectly were mostly related to genetic engineering, genetic modified organisms, cloning and human genome project. The results show that preservice teachers do not follow current developments.
... In spite of the central role that teachers' attitudes play in teaching, most studies to date about biotechnology literacy have only investigated high school and university students. Indeed, only four studies have been focused on elementary education preservice teachers, in four different countries: Slovakia (Prokop, Leskova, Kubiatko, & Diran, 2007), Lithuania (Lamanauskas & Makarskaite-Petkeviciene, 2008), Turkey (Darçin, 2011) and the USA (Chabalengula et al., 2011). In counterpoint, data related to Spaniards' attitudes toward biotechnology come from socioeconomic studies (European Commission, 2010b; Lujan & Todt, 2000; Pardo et al., 2002), economic surveys on genetically modified (GM) food products (Angulo & Gil, 2007), while only one study focused on high school students (Saez, Niño, & Carretero, 2008). ...
Due to the important impact that biotechnology has on current Western societies, well-informed critical citizens are needed. People prepared to make conscious decisions about aspects of biotechnology that relate to their own lives. Teachers play a central role in all education systems. Thus, the biotechnological literacy of preservice teachers is an important consideration as they will become an influential collective as future teachers of the next generation of children. The attitudes toward science (and biotechnology) that teachers have affect their behavior and influence the way they implement their daily practice of science teaching in school. This study analyzes the attitudes and knowledge of Spanish preservice teachers toward biotechnology. We designed a new survey instrument that was completed by 407 university students who were taking official degree programs in preschool and primary education. Our results point out that although they are aware of biotechnology applications, topics concerning the structure of DNA, management of genetic information inside the cell, genetically modified organism technology and the use of microorganisms as biotechnological tools were not correctly answered. According to our attitude analysis, Spanish preservice teachers could be defined as opponents of genetically modified product acquisition, supporters of biotechnology for medical purposes and highly interested in increasing their knowledge about biotechnology and other scientific advances. Our results show a positive correlation between better knowledge and more positive attitudes toward biotechnology. A Spanish preservice teacher with positive attitudes toward biotechnology tends to be a student with a strong biology background who scored good marks in our knowledge test.
... These results confirm those of other researches [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] carried out in the USA, Turkey, Slovenia and in several European countries concerning the attitudes of teachers or students. On the opposite, Kidman [12] showed that Australian teachers have a negative attitude towards the teaching of biotechnology, while their students have a positive attitude towards learning biotechnology and biotechnological applications. ...
Modern biotechnology has a large impact on society and requires informed decision-making and critical attitudes among the public. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of Lebanese secondary school students and their biology teachers towards biotechnology and its teaching. Two questionnaires were administered to 400 students and 53 biology teachers. Results showed that teachers have more positive attitudes than students. Both had negative opinion towards consumption of genetically modified food. A mismatch between the teachers and their students was revealed concerning the socioconstructivist environment in biotechnology classes. The three components of attitudes (cognitive, affective and behavioral) were correlated in the case of students, while there was no correlation in the case of teachers.
... Therefore, many studies have been carried out to probe public understanding, awareness or attitudes toward emerging technologies such as nanotechnology (Burri and Bellucci, 2008;Farshchi et al., 2011;Lee et al., 2005;Retzbach et al., 2011;Scheufele and Lewenstein, 2005;Waldron et al., 2006). While some of these studies aimed to reveal only public ideas about cutting-edge technologies (Bainbridge, 2002;Cobb and Macoubrie, 2004;Darcin, 2011;Waldron et al., 2006), others aimed to develop educational programs to inform the public about such technologies (Duncan et al., 2010;Margel et al., 2004;Tomasik et al., 2009). ...
There is considerable interest in public understanding of emerging technologies because public understanding can have an important effect on the implementation of these technologies. Although there are many studies that have focused on public understanding of nanotechnology, no studies on this topic have been conducted in the Turkish public. Therefore, this study was conducted to reveal the status of the Turkish public's perception of nanotechnology. A survey, including several items that assessed Turkish public opinion about nanotechnology and identified participant demographics, was used to collect data. The sample comprised 513 participants. The results of the dataset indicate that the Turkish public is unfamiliar with nanotechnology. In fact, most of the sample had heard little or nothing about nanotechnology. However, the respondents displayed positive emotions toward nanotechnology. The results of this study provide initial insights into the Turkish public's perception of nanotechnology.
This study presents a descriptive content analysis of the research trends of postgraduate theses conducted in the field of science
education on biotechnological concepts in Turkey between 2000-2020. In line with the aim of the study, 65 postgraduate theses in total
were examined by searching the database of the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) National Thesis Center. In this study using document
analysis, one of the qualitative research designs, theses were analyzed according to years, universities, study subjects, concepts, methods, data collection tools, sampling, and sample size. The results showed that theses were predominantly master's theses, postgraduate theses conducted in the field of science education on biotechnological concepts were carried out in a total of 27 universities, and theses were mainly conducted at Gazi University, Inonu University, and Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University. Regarding the subject distribution, it was seen that theses were mainly written on the attitudes, perceptions, and interests of middle school, high school, and university students and
teachers concerning biotechnology and were teaching- and learning-oriented. Furthermore, it was concluded that quantitative approaches were mostly used in the examined theses, and experimental designs among quantitative research methods were preferred more than non-experimental designs. As data collection tools, mostly skill, attitude, perception, personality, etc. tests, achievement tests, Likert-type
questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews were used, and it was observed that the most preferred sample group was university and
high school students and the sample size was mostly between 101-300 and 31-100. Based on the study results, it can be suggested that researchers conduct more studies on biotechnology-related subjects using different samples and scales.
Çalışmanın amacı, fen bilgisi öğretmen adaylarının genetik okuryazarlık konularına ve biyoteknolojiye yönelik tutumlarının belirlenmesidir. Çalışmada tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırma örneklemini 2018-2019 akademik yılında Ege Bölgesinde bulunan 4 devlet üniversitesinin fen bilgisi eğitimi anabilim dalı 1., 2., 3. ve 4. sınıflarında öğrenim görmekte olan 703 (567 kadın, 136 erkek) öğretmen adayı oluşturmuştur. Araştırmada iki farklı veri toplama aracı kullanılmış olup bunlar Öcal (2012) tarafından geliştirilen Biyoteknoloji Tutum Ölçeği ve British Social Attitude Survey (2000) ve Wellcome Trust Consultive Panel on Gene Therapy (1999) ölçeklerinde kullanılan maddelerden oluşan (Sturgis vd, 2005), Cebesoy (2014) tarafından Türkçeye uyarlanan Genetik Okuryazarlık Konularına Yönelik Tutum Ölçeğidir. Öğretmen adaylarının biyoteknolojiye ve genetik okuryazarlık konularına yönelik tutumları PASW 20 paket programı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Öğretmen adaylarının biyoteknolojiye yönelik tutumlarının cinsiyete ve sınıf seviyesine göre değiştiği; ancak genetik okuryazarlık konularına göre tutumlarının cinsiyet ve sınıf seviyesine göre değişmediği tespit edilmiştir.
Este artículo hace una aproximación a la naturaleza, definiciones, circunstancias y significados del concepto biotecnología, y a sus implicaciones para la enseñanza. La aproximación al surgimiento de este concepto indica la pluralidad de significados y de disciplinas que abarca, así como su complejidad. Las conclusiones hacen evidente la importancia de su investigación en la didáctica de las ciencias y la relevancia de incluir en la formación inicial de profesores de ciencias naturales aspectos filosóficos, históricos y epistemológicos de la biotecnología.
Debido a los avances de la biotecnología (principalmente, desde la segunda mitad del siglo XX), se ha ido haciendo una incursión cada vez más notoria de esta en la educación. McInerney (1990) ya declaraba desde la Unesco la necesidad de que fuera incluida en las escuelas. En tal sentido, revisar los artículos investigativos sobre educación en biotecnología, según los aspectos que se presentan a continuación, contribuye al conocimiento de la producción de artículos durante el periodo 1987-2013, y abre la posibilidad de profundizar en el conocimiento de estos contenidos. Este escrito presenta parte de los resultados obtenidos al revisar artículos sobre educación en biotecnología en general, y, en particular, los que hacen alusión específica al profesor. La búsqueda de la bibliografía (descriptores: biotecnología, educación, escuela, didáctica, profesor), se realizó en varias bases de datos; se seleccionaron 181 artículos comprendidos entre 1987 y 2013. Se sistematizaron datos de los artículos teniendo en cuenta aspectos tales como: año de publicación, países que participan, nombre de la revista y autores. Se analizaron la selección general (181 artículos) y las específicas de los artículos (48 artículos), con el fin de construir una base de datos con el porcentaje de publicaciones por décadas; los países y los autores que más han publicado tanto individualmente como en colaboración con autores de otros países, la distribución de los artículos en memorias y revistas, y las revistas que más han hecho publicaciones sobre educación en biotecnología. A partir de los datos encontrados en la presente revisión, se encuentra que las publicaciones sobre educación en biotecnología empezaron durante la década de 1980 —las que enfatizan en datos sobre los profesores lo hacen en la década de 1990— en varios países y revistas que representan diversos campos de investigación; así mismo, puede verse que el ritmo de producción de estas publicaciones va en aumento. Estados Unidos, Turquía, Australia y Argentina son los países que más artículos han publicado sobre educación en biotecnología, en tanto que Turquía es el país en el cual más autores —con más de una publicación— han investigado sobre la educación en biotecnología con énfasis en el profesor; le siguen Australia, Eslovenia y España.
Th e purpose of this study was to investigate high school students’ knowledge and attitudes
regarding biotechnology and its various applications. In addition, whether students’ know-
ledge and attitudes diff ered according to age and gender were also explored. Th e Biotech-
nology Knowledge Questionnaire (BKQ) with 16 items and the Biotechnology Attitude
Questionnaire (BAQ) with 37 items which were adapted into Turkish were administrated
to 352 high school students. Th e data were analyzed by making use of both inferential and
descriptive statistics. Th e results showed that students attained poor knowledge regarding
biotechnology and its various applications. We found no statistically significant diff erence
between male and female high school students with regard to biotechnology knowledge.
On the other hand, we found significant impact of age on biotechnology knowledge. Th e
eff ects of gender and age were found significant on attitudes. Furthermore, a significant
diff erence was observed between male and female students with regard to attitudes to-
ward biotechnology and its applications in favor of males. Th e older the students were the
more positive attitudes they had.
The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge about, opinions on and attitudes toward and finally readiness to accept genetically modified organisms (GMO) among Slovenian teachers. On average, they have higher levels of knowledge in classical genetics, and poor levels of knowledge about modern issues in biotechnology, and their attitudes toward GMOs are not extreme. They make decisions based on the acceptability of a particular GMO and not on GMOs in general, following two patterns: genetic modifications (GM) microorganisms and plants are more acceptable than animals, and GMOs are more acceptable if they can not be used directly for consumption and produce something recognized as useful. The relationship among knowledge of, attitudes towards and readiness to accept GMO showed that there is no correlation between knowledge and attitudes, only a weak correlation between knowledge and acceptance, and a solid correlation between attitudes and readiness to accept GMO. The practical implication of our findings is that acceptance of GMOs will not be changed by providing new technical or scientific information to teachers but by changing attitudes. The appropriate strategies and actions for improving university courses in biotechnology and the implication for classroom science activities and future research are discussed.
If our students are to become well-informed decision makers then they need to be aware of the practical applications of current developments in biotechnology, and appreciate the social and bioethical implications of this relatively new and controversial science. In this study, Year 10 (14 – 15 year old) science students in two schools were taught biotechnology courses that introduced them to bioethics. At the conclusion of the course, students completed a survey in which they made a decision about three bioethical dilemmas, and gave reasons to support their decision. The students' responses and reasons were compared with those of three experts. Although there was variation amongst students, the results of the survey suggested that the majority of students tended to resolve and justify their decisions in a way that was naive, idealistic, and rights based. Compared to the experts, the students seemed to give undue emphasis to the bioethical principle of autonomy. In addition, the reasons supplied by many of the students to support their decisions suggested that they did not consider long term consequences. These findings have ramifications for teachers who wish to include bioethical dilemmas in their teaching.
This study examined university students’ knowledge of and attitudes (n = 378) toward biotechnology
in Slovakia, a conservative country where the distribution of genetically engineered products
are banned by law. We found a significant positive correlation between attitudes and the level of
knowledge; however, although students enrolled in biology courses have better knowledge of
biotechnology, their attitudes toward genetic engineering were similar than those of students who
do not study biology. Females showed poorer knowledge and lower acceptance of genetically engineered
products than did males. Overall, Slovakian students have poor knowledge and numerous
misunderstandings about what genetic engineering means, which suggests that science curriculum
with respect to this topic should be greatly re-evaluated and teaching strategies should be improved
accordingly.
The impact of genetic engineering on peoples' everyday life has become present reality. In order to establish the level of the available schoolchildren and university students' knowledge of biotechnology, various investigations have been conducted. However, the current situation in Lithuania remains unclear. A total of 287 students -pre-service teachers from Lithuanian universities participated in the survey focused on attitudes to and knowledge of biotechnology. Our results confirmed the conclusions reached in other countries: students' knowledge of biotechnology is very miserable and attitudes frequently contradict one another. Research results clearly show the necessity for the increase and development of teacher training in the field of biotechnology and point to the ability to obtain and apply knowledge at international level in work practice. Research confirmed the opinion that the history and principles of developing biotechnologies as well as a legal and institutional system of using biotechnologies in Lithuania and the European Union needed to be more exhaustively introduced to all students.
Application of modern technologies may be problematic especially if they possess health risks to humans and/or when humans are not aware about these technologies. In this study we investigated non-major student teachers' attitudes to and knowledge of the chemical hormone usage, a controversial topic in the field of modern biotechnology. Although students' knowledge was considered to be limited (8 of 14 items were correctly responded by more than half of participants), we failed to find any differences in mean scores with respect to age or gender. In contrast, females showed less favourable attitudes toward chemical hormones than males. These gender differences were found in topics that represented relatively higher risk to human health which supports the "gender paradox hypothesis" which proposes that females have more tentative attitudes towards new products than males because they buy food for children.
The correlation between knowledge and attitudes has been the source of controversy in research on the public understanding of science (PUS). Although many studies, both quantitative and qualitative, have examined this issue, the results are at best diverse and at worst contradictory. In this paper, we review the evidence on the relationship between public attitudes and public knowledge about science across 40 countries using a meta-analytic approach. We fit multilevel models to data from 193 nationally representative surveys on PUS carried out since 1989. We find a small positive correlation between general attitudes towards science and general knowledge of scientific facts, after controlling for a range of possible confounding variables. This general relationship varies little across cultures but more substantially between different domains of science and technology. Our results suggest that PUS research needs to focus on understanding the mechanisms that underlie the clear association that exists between knowledge and attitudes about science.
This study reports the perceptions and attitudes of geography teachers towards biotechnology and genetically-modified (GM) foods in Turkey. A survey was conducted with secondary school geography teachers attending teacher workshops in various parts of the country in 2008 and was responded to by 78 teachers from 31 different provinces. The study not only revealed important results about the perceptions of geography teachers towards biotechnology and GM foods but also provided an understanding of the current perceptions of the public towards these two fields in the country. The study revealed that teachers did not have enough information about biotechnology and GM foods. This lack of knowledge played an important role in determining teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards these two fields. The majority of teachers supported the use of biotechnology for disease treatment and medicine production. However, their support declined very sharply with regard to cloning human cells, producing GM foods, and cloning animals. General attitudes of teachers to GM foods were mainly negative. The majority of teachers thought that GM foods were risky for human health and the environment. This negative attitude of teachers towards GM foods is likely to continue until the public becomes better informed about biotechnological applications and the positive outcomes of producing GM foods.
Quantitative and qualitative studies among 469 high school students of aver-age age 17 years were conducted. The students' attitudes to four practical applications of biotechnology were examined: genetically modified plants (Bt corn), genetically modified animals (salmon), and hemophilia germ line and somatic gene therapy. Each of the four applications was examined from three different viewpoints: usefulness, moral acceptability and risk perception. Bt corn production proved to be the most acceptable in terms of both usefulness and risk perception. Values for genetically modified salmon and germ line gene therapy were comparable, but much lower than those for the other two applications; this was true for both usefulness and moral acceptability. In addi-tion, students found genetically modified salmon to be ethically much less acceptable than Bt corn. Significant gender differences were observed in the case of germ line gene therapy and genetically modified salmon.
This study reports on the attitudes towards biotechnology of 905, 15–16 year-old students from 11 Western Australian schools. Students were asked to read 15 statements about biotechnology processes and to draw a line to separate what they considered ‘acceptable’ statements from those they considered ‘unacceptable’. Overall, the students hold a wide range of beliefs about what is an acceptable use of biotechnology. Their attitudes range from those of the 55 (6.0%) students who do not agree with the use of any living organisms in biotechnology to the 125 (14%) students who approve of all the stated uses of biotechnology, with a wide spread in between. Acceptance of the use of organisms in biotechnology decreases as we move from microorganisms (>90%approval) to plants (71–82%) to humans (42–45%) and animals (34–40%). The attitudes of 99 students who recently studied biotechnology and have a good understanding of the processes and issues were similar in percentage and spread to those who were less informed.
The purpose of this article is to discuss small-group apprenticeships (SGAs) as a method to instruct cell culture techniques to high school participants. The study aimed to teach cell culture practices and to introduce advanced imaging techniques to solve various biomedical engineering problems. Participants designed and completed experiments using both flow cytometry and laser scanning cytometry during the 1-month summer apprenticeship. In addition to effectively and efficiently teaching cell biology laboratory techniques, this course design provided an opportunity for research training, career exploration, and mentoring. Students participated in active research projects, working with a skilled interdisciplinary team of researchers in a large research institution with access to state-of-the-art instrumentation. The instructors, composed of graduate students, laboratory managers, and principal investigators, worked well together to present a real and worthwhile research experience. The students enjoyed learning cell culture techniques while contributing to active research projects. The institution's researchers were equally enthusiastic to instruct and serve as mentors. In this article, we clarify and illuminate the value of small-group laboratory apprenticeships to the institution and the students by presenting the results and experiences of seven middle and high school participants and their instructors.
The present paper refers to a study in which biotechnologies were used as a channel to teach 9th grade pupils (15 years of age) about intra-cellular biological processes, by means of ‘ostension’ or, literally, by ‘showing’. This teaching method, instead of dealing with proofs for the existence of any abstract theory based on the molecular (micro) level, shows the ‘theory in action’. Three modules were developed for the study, all of them designed along the same pattern. After studying the modules, the students were requested to ask questions about specific biotechnologies, then to permit or to prohibit their use. The students were able to foresee various types of arguments for and against the use of a given biotechnology. Most of the students displayed moderate attitudes towards biotechnologies, and established clear priorities in situations of moral dilemma.
The potential for stigmatisation of food is enormous. Well-publicised outbreaks of foodborne pathogens and the furore over agricultural biotechnology are but two current examples of the interactions between science, policy and public perception. Current risk management research indicates that it is essential for risk managers to show that they are reducing, mitigating or minimising a particular risk. Those responsible must be able to effectively communicate their efforts and must be able to prove they are actually reducing levels of risk. The components for managing the stigma associated with any food safety issue involve the following factors: • effective and rapid surveillance systems; • effective communication about the nature of risk; • a credible, open and responsive regulatory system; • demonstrable efforts to reduce levels of uncertainty and risk; and, • evidence that actions match words. Appropriate risk management strategies, such as on-farm food safely programs, are essential to demonstrate to consumers and others in the farm-to-fork supply chain that producers and regulators are cognisant of their concerns about food safety.
This article reports on some of the findings of a three‐year project on the public understanding of science. It examined how 17‐year‐old students, attending Science Technology and Society courses at a number of British schools, discussed science‐based social issues in small groups after watching a relevant stimulus programme. The research showed that only simple familiarity with the scientific terms used was a necessary condition to enable a discussion which was valuable in terms of the construction and exchange of moral and civic views.The same students’ responses to a questionnaire proved not to be a reliable guide either to their behaviour during discussion, or to their apparent reliance on particular knowledge sources. A comparison between pre‐ and post‐course data on students’ opinions about social issues showed considerable changes, but in somewhat random directions. Effects attributable to the discussion work were more evident in later examples of free writing by the students.
When students deal with Biotechnology in Science or Biology courses at school they get to know a technology that is on the one hand very old – if we think of techniques of making bread or wine – but that on the other hand - when we think of genetic engineering for example - comprises very new aspects. This “modern” part of biotechnology shows a high potential for solving various problems of our modern world but at the same time it is accompanied by new and especially ethical questions and problems. From the high relevance as well as from the ambivalence of the topic biotechnology a particular responsibility of the science subjects at school concludes. This is the responsibility to – on the one hand - inform the students in a sound way of the scientific and technical aspects of biotechnology and – on the other hand - to qualify them as the decision makers of the future to cope in a reasoned way with the chances and the risks of biotechnology. From a pedagogical and from a didactical point of view school education must deal with the basic knowledge as well as with the effects of Biotechnology. In addition its aim should be to improve the students ability of reasoned decision making in respect to this technological field. Education should lead the students to a basic understanding of the methods, the achievements and the effects of biotechnology on the one hand. On the other hand on the basis of this knowledge it should help the students to find own, justified decisions in respect to this topic and to act in a corresponding way. As the knowledge in the life - sciences has exploded during the last two decades, for science teachers it is necessary to restrict to the main fields of biotechnology for teaching. However, the central application fields of biotechnology (pharmaceutical industry, medicine, farming, nutrition and environmental technology) as well as the procedures (
A survey investigating the knowledge and perception of biotechnology by high school students living in the rural Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, was undertaken. Data relating to the student' preferred and trusted information sources was also gathered. This study has demonstrated that at least two-thirds of students had a good knowledge of medical biotechnology issues, however, a significant proportion of the students did have concerns about the use and/or safety of biotechnology. Nearly 90% of the respondents would like further information on biotechnology. In agreement with other surveys, the students reported an apparent lack of trust in articles from the lay press (newspapers, television, radio) and yet still report that these media as the preferred information source. Interestingly, the high school students demonstrated a higher than national average acceptance of biotechnology.
This paper presents results from a study with the following research questions: (a) are pupils' opinions on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) influenced by biology teaching; and (b) what is important for the opinion pupils hold and how does knowledge work together with other parameters such as values? 64 pupils in an upper secondary school answered questionnaires, in which they expressed opinions and gave arguments on applications of GMOs, before and after biology courses. The pupils' knowledge of genetics and GMOs was also investigated. Eleven pupils were then in-terviewed to examine their reasoning in more depth. More pupils were positive about genetically modified tomatoes after the courses. Males were more positive than females. No correlation was found between knowledge of basic genetics and opinion. Most of the pupils could express arguments for and against the applications but they built their personal opinion on different arguments. An important concern was potential risks. Depending on risk judgement and/or how they trusted scientists, the pupils came to different conclusions. Few had any idea of how the different applications are risk assessed or how scientists work. Other important factors for decision-making were the purpose of the application, the time perspective and feelings.
In the past, different items for measuring acceptance of gene technology were used, making comparison of results from different opinion polls rather difficult. A scale consisting of five items for assessing belief in gene technology was developed. Analysis yielded that the items form a strong Mokken scale. Results indicated that environmental attitudes and gender predict acceptance of gene technology. Participants who value nature for its own sake had negative attitudes and participants valuing nature because of its usefulness and benefits to humans had positive attitudes toward gene technology. Participants were randomly selected students from a Swiss University (N = 891).
Biotechnology has a considerable importance in Turkish biology curriculum. This study was designed to explore or indicate Turkish high school and university students' knowledge and attitudes toward biotechnology. A total number of 352 high school and 276 university students were invited to the study. The Biotechnology Knowledge Questionnaire (BKQ) with 16 items and Biotechnology Attitude Questionnaire (BAQ) with 37 items were used as data collection instruments. The statistically significant correlation was observed between the level of biotechnology knowledge and the subdimensions of attitudes toward biotechnology. We found no statistically significant difference between high school and university students' knowledge of biotechnology. In contrast, university students showed more positive attitudes toward biotechnology than did high school students. However, the effect of gender was equivocal; therefore, it did not support a "gender paradox" hypothesis. Our results suggest that although students' appreciation of (agricultural) biotechnology is relatively positive, the understanding of biotechnology processes is superficial and attitudes toward shopping genetically modified products are therefore negative. The possible impact of current science and biology curriculum, and also biotechnology news given in media on Turkish students' views of biotechnology is discussed.
Modern biotechnology will have a large impact on society and requires informed decision-making and critical attitudes toward biotechnology among the public. This study aims to explore these attitudes in secondary education. For this purpose, a questionnaire was constructed according to the general tripartite theory of attitudes. 574 Dutch secondary school students completed the questionnaire. Based on principal component analyses, several distinct and independent cognitive, affective, and behavioural factors were found, demonstrating that attitudes towards biotechnology are a multi-component concept. In a cluster analysis on these factors, we found four interpretable clusters representing different groups of students. The four groups are labelled as 'confident supporter' (22%), 'not sure' (42%), 'concerned sceptic' (18%) and 'not for me' (17%). These results indicate that there is a diverse appraisal of modern biotechnology amongst secondary school students. Suggestions for educational interventions are made.
The latest European sample survey of public perceptions of biotechnology shows that Europeans continue to support medical applications of biotechnology but have become increasingly opposed to genetically modified (GM) foods. Furthermore, while the cloning of human cells and tissues is supported, the cloning of animals is not. The survey shows considerable differences in public opinion on applications of biotechnology across the European Union (EU) member states, highlighting the difficulties for European level policy making, and provides some indications as to the bases of resistance to GM foods and animal cloning.
The aim of this study was to develop valid and reliable measures for the attitudes of pre-service sciences teachers towards biotechnology. The sample used in this study consisted of 384 science students. This study was conducted at four stages including determining the measure controls, expert opinion evaluations, pre-trials, and validity-reliability. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS 13.00 and results were evaluated by factor analysis. The final measure developed according to these stages includes a total of 40 items where 14 of them were negative and 26 were positive. It was found that the measure fits to the sample group with 0.000 level, the KMO (Kasier-Meyer-Olkin) value was 0.827, and the Barlett test value was 4186.420. The Cronbach Alpha reliability constant of the measure was calculated as 0.75. The findings showed that the validity and reliability of the measure were acceptable.
The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge level of popular biotechnological issues of prospective Turkish science teachers. A questionnaire was administered during 2005-2006 academic year to 194 students in the Department of Science Education of a university in Turkey. The questionnaire covered six biotechnological issues such as biotechnology, agrobiotechnology, human health and pharmacy, environment and biotechnology, and food production with biotechnology. Results showed that whereas department of science education students had an approximate consistent knowledge of describing biotechnology and human health/pharmacy that almost all students had an inadequate knowledge about other biotechnological issues. Finally, the results were compared with other studies in the world.
Public attitudes toward biotechnology in the European Union have been characterized as negative using Eurobarometer data, but so far little attention has been paid to building a robust metric appropriate for emerging public opinion issues which combine high salience with very limited knowledge by the public. On the basis of the general literature about the formation and structure of attitudes and about public perceptions of science, this article presents a new metric and analysis: first, for estimating the level of awareness and knowledge of biotechnology in Europe; second, for assessing the stability and depth of these evaluative perceptions; and third, for exploring the roles of canonical socio-demographic variables, the knowledge variable and general attitudinal schemas for understanding the perceptions of both benefits and risks of biotech applications. The results show the importance of general value orientations or "worldviews" in shaping positive attitudes, and more of these general cognitive schemas should be measured in future research. The same multivariate model was unable to account for a significant percentage of the total variance in the perception of risks, suggesting that new measures are needed to tap this critical area in the acceptance of biotech in Europe.
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Our situation in biotechnology world
- Darçın
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