Observation and recording observations as a basis for biology teaching

Promatranje i opisivanje odnosa između prirodnih pojava i organizama temelji su istraživačke nastave u vertikali biološkog obrazovanja. Cilj ovog diplomskog rada jest procijeniti i usporediti sposobnost promatranja i bilježenja opažanja među studentima druge godine preddiplomskog studija biologije (N = 96), studentima učiteljskog fakulteta (N = 64) te među učiteljima i nastavnicima prirode i biologije (N = 68), na primjeru promatranja papučice, Paramecium sp. Od ispitanika se zahtijevalo da tijekom 90 minuta promatraju različite mikroskopske preparate papučica te bilježe i ilustriraju rezultate promatranja pomoću strukturiranog protokola za rad. Ukupno je analizirano 2 672 zadatka koji su podvrgnuti analizama točnosti, razine točnosti i razine razumijevanja te su svi crteži i odgovori ispitanika specifično kodirani. Na taj način su se odgovori svih sudionika kategorizirali prema sadržaju te razinama točnosti, naprednog razmišljanja i konceptualnog razumijevanja promatranih bioloških sadržaja. Istraživanjem je utvrđeno kako od svih ispitanih skupina, studenti biologije imaju najdetaljnije zabilježena opažanja te su u najvećem postotku donosili valjane (biološki točne) zaključke o promatranim biološkim sadržajima (staničnoj građi i načinu života papučice). Studenti učiteljskog fakulteta te učitelji i nastavnici biologije pokazali su djelomično konceptualno razumijevanje promatranih bioloških sadržaja te je bilježenje i opisivanje njihovih opažanja i zaključaka u vidu crteža bilo manje detaljno. Smatra se da je to posljedica svakodnevne izloženosti studenata biologije aktualnim biološkim sadržajima i istraživačkom pristupu tijekom fakultetske nastave, koja je u redovnoj fakultetskoj nastavi prirodoslovlja studenata učiteljskog fakulteta i u redovnom radu mnogih nastavnika i učitelja prirode i biologije zastupljena u manjoj mjeri. Izgledno je da je na rezultate ovog istraživanja utjecala i kvaliteta zadataka u protokolu za rad. Kako bi i studenti i učenici i nastavnici prirode i biologije razvijali vještine promatranja i bilježenja opažanja bioloških sadržaja, te aktivnosti trebaju biti kontinuirano primjenjivane tijekom poučavanja biologije i na diplomskoj razini obrazovanja, posebno nastavničkih usmjerenja.Observing and describing relationships between natural phenomena and organisms are the foundations of the research-oriented biology teaching across all levels of biology education. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate and compare observation and observation noting skills among undergraduate biology students (N = 96), students of the faculty of teacher education (N = 64), and biology/natural sciences teachers (N = 68), by conducting the activity of observing a ciliate, Paramecium sp. The participants were asked to observe various microscopic preparations for 90 minutes, and record and illustrate the results of observations using a structured worksheet. A total of 2 672 worksheet questions were analyzed and subjected to analyzes of accuracy, level of accuracy and level of understanding, and all the participants’ drawings and answers were specifically coded. Through these analyzes, the responses of all participants were categorized by their content and levels of accuracy, advanced thinking and conceptual understanding of the observed biological contents. The results showed that among all three groups examined, biology students made the most detailed observations and the highest proportion of correct (biologically accurate) conclusions about the observed biological contents (cellular structure and lifestyle of the ciliate). Students of the faculty of teacher education, and biology/natural sciences teachers showed partial conceptual understanding of the observed biological contents. In addition, these participants drew, recorded and described their observations and conclusions in less detail. The differences among the three groups are likely due to the daily exposure of biology students to the actual biological content and research approach during their faculty lessons, which is less frequent in the faculty lessons at the faculty of teacher education, and in the regular work of many biology/natural sciences teachers. The results of this study also appeared to be influenced by the quality of the worksheet questions. In order to develop biological observation and observation noting skills among students and biology/natural sciences teachers, observation and noting observations have to be continuously applied throughout biology teaching process – also at the graduate level of education, especially in educating future teacher educators