ABSTRACT

Using living organisms in biology education is a common practice that provides students with direct contact with living beings in the classroom. Several benefits and barriers of using organisms in classrooms have been proposed in the literature. Hence, biology teachers should carefully consider the pros and cons of using living organisms, and decide whether the use of living organisms for the learning goal at hand is appropriate. This mainly quantitative study focused on biology teachers’ views towards the following questions: (1) to what extent do biology teachers use specific kinds of organisms in their classrooms? (2) to what extent do biology teachers encounter administrative issues, which are potentially complicating the use of living organisms at their schools? (3) to what extent do biology teachers view specific benefits and barriers of using living organisms in their classrooms? A sample of 86 in-service biology teachers answered a questionnaire that was developed specifically for this study. The study provides some relevant findings for biology education. For example, plants seem to be used relatively often in classrooms, the teachers rated the benefits of working with living organisms significantly higher than the barriers, and supportive conditions at schools might enhance the use of organisms in classrooms.

摘要

在生物教育中使用生物体是一种常见的做法，它使学生能够在课堂上与生物直接接触。文献中提出了在课堂上使用有机体的几个好处和障碍。因此，生物教师应该仔细考虑使用生物体的利弊，并决定使用生物体来达到手头的学习目标是否合适。这项主要是定量研究的重点是生物教师对以下问题的看法：（1）生物教师在课堂上使用特定种类的生物的程度如何？（2）生物教师在多大程度上遇到了行政问题，哪些可能会使他们学校的生物体使用复杂化？(3) 生物教师在多大程度上看待在课堂上使用生物体的具体好处和障碍？由 86 名在职生物教师组成的样本回答了专门为本研究设计的问卷。该研究为生物学教育提供了一些相关的发现。例如，植物似乎在课堂上相对经常使用，教师对与生物体合作的好处的评价明显高于障碍，学校的支持性条件可能会促进生物体在课堂上的使用。该研究为生物学教育提供了一些相关的发现。例如，植物似乎在课堂上相对经常使用，教师对与生物体合作的好处的评价明显高于障碍，学校的支持性条件可能会促进生物体在课堂上的使用。该研究为生物学教育提供了一些相关的发现。例如，植物似乎在课堂上相对经常使用，教师对与生物体合作的好处的评价明显高于障碍，学校的支持性条件可能会促进生物体在课堂上的使用。