General education of visually impaired individuals is a significant challenge for educators, policymakers, and researchers. This study investigates the specificity with which people with blindness or ultra-low vision (acronym PU is used for the purpose of this paper) perceive the characteristics of reproductive plant parts (spore-bearing parts of…

Visual data--or visual sources of information--are a crucial part of helping students understand STEM concepts, improve their reading skills, and engage in science and engineering practices (Finson and Pedersen 2011). Indeed, many science and engineering practices require students to make meaning from visual data. When students are developing and…

Species literacy is an important aspect of biodiversity education. This study assesses the ability of secondary students (12/13 years old; n = 944) to list wild animals and plants and aims to determine whether this is linked with their interest in nature, their preferences towards animals and plants and different groups therein, the school type…

Soft rot diseases cause crop losses all over the world. These losses can have large economic impacts and threaten international food security. Soft rot bacterial pathogens produce pectolytic enzymes that attack the pectin around plant cells resulting in smelly, wet, and mushy tissue maceration. Once symptoms are visible, the crop cannot be used or…

This paper highlights the design process and implementation for an "all majors" undergraduate course that allows students a chance to reconnect with the natural world. During this course students explore a wide range of biological and physical science based topics that seek to highlight human intervention and our impacts on the planet.…

Pteridophyte classification has undergone many changes both from morphology as well as phylogeny aspects. Thus, a variety of learning experiences are required to promote understanding on concepts and managing learning activities--this study aimed at determining the impact of CIRGI and CirGi Unification on students' metacognitive skills. A…

Universities play an important role in society and in providing solutions for its problems. Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems facing the world today. Thus, universities are increasingly including subjects related to the environment and its conservation both in their educational and research programmes. Generally,…

When museums commission green buildings, those buildings are often covered in the press. To understand the educational potential of green building press coverage, we qualitatively analyzed 96 articles about eight U.S. green science museums. We found that journalists who cover green buildings highlight green roofs, material choices,…

The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding about undergraduate life science students' conceptions concerning the role of photosynthesizing plants in the ecosystem, utilizing a network analysis method. Science learning requires the integration and linking of abstract and often counterintuitive concepts successfully into multifaceted…

Colonial education worldwide has relied on various concepts, from trying to mirror the content of the sovereign country to developing unique content pertaining to the colonies themselves. In this paper, we examined the nature of colonial education for the Japanese in northeast China ("Manchuria") during the colonial period from the…

Humans have long sought to understand the forces that shape the diversity of living creatures on our planet. This work is primarily concerned with examining one such force--the historical action of natural selection--from practical, philosophical, and pedagogical perspectives. The first half is concerned with a suite of genetic mechanisms in…

Recently, the research about innovative approaches in the education of blind (non-visual--NV) students has intensified; however the use of dichotomous keys (DK) in their botanical education has not yet been examined. This research explored the contribution of two self-generated dichotomous keys (DK) for plant identification (a digital version--DDK…

This research aimed to assess the knowledge of photosynthesis among students in agricultural education and understand the influence of the contextual factors on it. In photosynthesis, biomass is produced, so understanding these processes is essential for successful agriculture. The research sample consisted of 330 students in agricultural…

Rhizobacteria that colonize plant roots and promote plant growth are referred to as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, and this can stimulate plant growth either indirectly or directly. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by rhizobacteria have the capacity to promote plant growth as well as perform biocontrol of fungal pathogens. The…

For most people, coffee roasting is a mysterious process. Chemically, it's equally mysterious; the roasting process gives rise to over 800 compounds. The science of coffee, from seed to bean to cup of aromatic brew, includes multiple areas of science content for students, and actively engages them in many science and engineering practices. Ask…