The present study aims to investigate questions related, on one hand, to the degree of familiarity that SecondaryScience Education teachers show with the Nature of Science and, on the other hand, to their understanding ofthe Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection. To what extent, e.g. better Epistemological Adequacy(knowledge of the Nature of Science) can influence the understanding and acceptance of the Evolution Theorythrough Natural Selection. Employing a closed-ended electronic questionnaire, the epistemologicalperceptions, understanding, and knowledge of the Evolution Theory via natural selection were assessed amonga cohort of 200 secondary education educators who teach or have taught biology-related subjects. The analysisreveals a positive correlation between epistemological adequacy and the acceptance and understanding ofevolutionary theory via natural selection. (12) (PDF) Μελετώντας τη Σχέση Αποδοχής και Κατανόησης της Θεωρίας της Εξέλιξης μέσω Φυσικής Επιλογής σε σχέση με τη Γνώση της Φύσης της Επιστήμης: Η Περίπτωση των Ελλήνων εκπαιδευτικών. Περίληψη. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381341712_Meletontas_te_Schese_Apodoches_kai_Katanoeses_tes_Theorias_tes_Exelixes_meso_Physikes_Epiloges_se_schese_me_te_Gnose_tes_Physes_tes_Epistemes_E_Periptose_ton_Ellenon_ekpaideutikon_Perilepse?channel=doi&linkId=6669d54185a4ee7261bf2034&showFulltext=true#fullTextFileContent [accessed Jun 12 2024].

The work is part of a larger project of teaching interdisciplinary teaching of physics concepts in biology within the science education class. It concerns the application of a thought experiment (ThE) about the movement of water in tracheophytes under different gravity conditions, i.e., the behavior of plants on another planet, forexample the Moon or Mars. The ThE was designed and implemented in a science class of 25 students who were instructed to perform it in a simulation environment using a software file that we created with the help of Interactive Physics software. The evaluation of the ThE carried out with a written questionnaire showed that theuse of such educational procedures can significantly help students to better understand the concepts related to capillary phenomena, the way water is transported to plants from roots to leaves and, generally, to contribute tothe interdisciplinary teaching of physics concepts in modules related to the teaching of biological phenomena and functions.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether an epistemological adequacy (knowledge of the Nature of Science, NOS) contributes to a better understanding and the acceptance of the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection (ThENS). It was performed in two parts with the help of two questionnaires: 1. with students of Education, with a minimum familiarity to ThENS and NOS, before and after the application of a general biology course, and 2. with 200 Science Education teachers of various specialties who teach or have taught biology-related subjects. The education students showed some moderate levels of profi ciency regarding NOS that was improved statistically signifi cantly, even after a limited teaching intervention. An interesting founding was that, while their understanding of the ThENS was not very much improved by the course, it was found a positive correlation between their NOS familiarity and acceptance of evolution. As for the Science teachers, besides the above queries, some other variables were additionally investigated: E.g. to what extent, a better Epistemological Adequacy (knowledge of the Nature of Science) can infl uence their understanding and acceptance of the ThENS, or whether this affi liation could have been affected by their college or university instruction. The results showed a positive correlation between their epistemological adequacy and the acceptance and understanding of ThENS.

Darwin and Newton: Lives (Non) Parallels. On the 20th of March, we are to honor the death of Isaac Newton as we celebrated previously, Darwin's Day in middle February. Much has been written about their work, but I just want to remind that in 1859 Darwin published his findings in the book "The Origin of Species", arguing that the species of living organisms do not remain unchanged, as Aristotle and the book of Genesis argued, but have a common origin and through natural selection evolve over millennia. This position generated strong reactions from the first moment, mainly from the Church, who believes that the creation of the world is the result of Divine Grace. Darwin was labeled an atheist and mocked as a descendant of monkeys, while some of his supporters were dragged to court (Trial of the Apes). Today, more than a century after his death, the scientific community has accepted his theory, which has since been verified through numerous observations and newer discoveries. A recent visit to the Mausoleum at Westminster in London made me think and led me to write this text

Darwin and Newton: Lives (Non) Parallels. On the 20th of March, we are to honor the death of Isaac Newton as we celebrated previously, Darwin's Day in middle February. Much has been written about their work, but I just want to remind that in 1859 Darwin published his findings in the book "The Origin of Species", arguing that the species of living organisms do not remain unchanged, as Aristotle and the book of Genesis argued, but have a common origin and through natural selection evolve over millennia. This position generated strong reactions from the first moment, mainly from the Church, who believes that the creation of the world is the result of Divine Grace. Darwin was labeled an atheist and mocked as a descendant of monkeys, while some of his supporters were dragged to court (Trial of the Apes). Today, more than a century after his death, the scientific community has accepted his theory, which has since been verified through numerous observations and newer discoveries. A recent visit to the Mausoleum at Westminster in London made me think and led me to write this text

The present work is an attempt at a bibliographic overview in the field of paleontology and specifically in the field of fossils regarding their value and connection with history and mythology, and how it has been used to teach theory of evolution through natural selection (TENS) in a university course. To make our case, we use as our paradigm two well-known historical locations of Greece, namely Thermopiles and Marathon. The area of Marathon includes the location of Pikermi, which is very well known for its fossils that historically have been one of the first locations rich in fossils that have been studied so extensively. Before we make a short tour of other similar locations of the Greek peninsula that are good cases for teaching evolution using paleontology, we present an example of how fossils can be formed via sedimentation. For that, we are using the case of Thermopile, while in antiquity was chosen as the field of the famous battle as it was a very narrow strip of land between the mountain and the sea, nowadays, due to sedimentary alluvial deposits, has become a rather large field. To make the reader familiar with the fossils found around Greece and their topology, we present a short tour and some history about the fossils found throughout its territory. And finally, we argue about how the fossils and the museum education could be used to prepare the pupils for first contact with TENS.

ABSTRACT: The aim of the presentation is to discuss the findings of a series of research projects that we have been carried out with various groups of students in the University of Athens and concern the teaching of biology by means of evolution through natural selection (THES). In the article it is discussed the conclusions after teaching a biology course based on evolution as the unifying theory, while at the same time more general issues are raised: Is it, for example, a realistic goal to teach biology by means of this kind of teaching? Secondly, what is the usefulness of such a perspective. Which was studied by quantitative and qualitative studies on the conceptual ecology (CE) of the evolution of Greek students. The latter showed the value of this kind of approach in the acceptance and understanding of the THES, as part of students’ CI. Thirdly, ccomparative studies with beginners and advanced students in terms of evolution education showed, that, merely teaching evolution within a course, even if the latter is based on the THES, it is not enough to make someone in-depth connoisseur. It seems that to be acquainted with it to more depth the learners need to go through two stages: in the first, they may move from the stage of owing Aristotelian views of the issue, i.e., from typology, to the early “Darwinian” ones. And they need to go through a second one, where via, in-depth educational training, they might move to the next, namely, the population view of thinking.

The aim of this paper is to highlight issues of scientific literacy that characterize the Greek society in environmental and health issues, and the need to integrate the Teaching of Science and Biology with Health and Environmental Education. This is accomplished by the means of presentation of previous examples from the literature and through the presentation of studies of my own, as well. Thus, it is indicated that this and of course, other societies are characterized by a significant deficit in the familiarity with these matters. Next, I make a historical and personal appraisal on the evolution of the field of environmental health and genetics and try to make some review on its history, due to having the privilege of experiencing close correlation with it almost on its birth. Lastly, it is presented, a proposal for a university course adapted to the needs of present and future teachers combined to its evaluation. The latter was made through a questionnaire and the response of 153 students of education that highly rated the course as it was shown on the Likert scale. All this reveals emphatically the need for integrating the field of Environmental Health Education to Science and Biology teaching. Keywords: course, environmental health, health education, scientific literacy

ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΡΩΜΙΟΣΥΝΗ ΣΤΑ ΛΙΑΝΟΤΡΑΓΟΥΔΑ                                   Μία βιωματική αναδρομή στην πορεία των ανθρώπων της μετεμφυλιακής γενιάς με αφορμή τραγούδια του Μ. Θεοδωράκη   Το βιβλίο φιλοδοξεί να αποτελέσει μία συνέχεια του προηγούμενου βιβλίου του συγγραφέα με τίτλο «Υιός Συμμορίτου», το οποίο θεωρείται πλέον βιβλίο αναφοράς σε ότι αφορά στα βιώματα της γενιάς των επιγόνων του Ελληνικού Εμφυλίου. Με πρόσχημα 20 τραγούδια του Μίκη Θεοδωράκη που χρησιμεύουν ως σημεία αναφοράς ή αναδρομής, περιγράφονται 20 διαφορετικά περιστατικά, από τη ζωή του συγγραφέα. Τα περιστατικά αυτά, καλύπτουν πέντε σημαντικές περιόδους που βίωσε η γενιά αυτή, ξεκινώντας από τα πρώτα μετεμφυλιακά χρόνια: Παιδικά και χρόνια της εφηβείας. Φοιτητικά χρόνια. Δικτατορία και χρόνια του στρατού. Περίοδος της μετανάστευσης. Επιστροφή στην Ελλάδα- πρώτα χρόνια της Μεταπολίτευσης.

Darwin's Day has been celebrated, worldwide, a few weeks ago. This communication does not intend to address Darwin's scientific views, but aims to focus on his religious beliefs and, above all, on the reasons why Darwin was led to reject religion. Which, in the opinion of the writer, it is not related to his scientific views, i.e. the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection but, mainly, with reasons that go back to the field of Ethics in the broad sense, and to logical considerations, as well.

 Darwin's Day has been celebrated, worldwide, a few weeks ago. Indeed, Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 and died on April 19, 1882. Darwin's work and contribution to world thinking have been written and will continue to be written, since his contribution to global way of thinking and culture is incalculable. As he has changed the human perspective on the nature of creation and the driving force behind it. This article does not intend to address Darwin's scientific views, but aims to focus on his religious beliefs and, above all, on the reasons why Darwin was led to reject religion. Which, in the opinion of the writer, it is not related to his scientific views, i.e. the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection but, mainly, with reasons that go back to the field of Ethics in the broad sense, and to logical considerations, as well. 

This paper examines the significance of 'geological argument' (age of earth, geological changes, stromatography, fossils) in the process of accepting the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection (TENS), by Greek teachers that teach biology. It is a part of a wider research process, examining the conceptual ecology of evolution. That would be the most relevant terminology relating to the TENS (acceptance, understanding, opinions on the nature of science, way of thinking, religiosity) and their interconnectedness. The research was mainly quantitative, and it has been performed by the use of a closed-ended questionnaire. In addition, we used a qualitative methodology through semi-structured interviews, in order to deepen and interpret the findings of the quantitative method. The results show that there appears to occur an especially high acceptance of the TENS amongst geologists that teach biology in secondary education, compare to similar teachers of science. A finding that may lead to the conclusion that the "geological arguments" are especially strong in the process of accepting the TENS and suggest that they might, therefore, be used more often in the teaching of evolution.

Background The work is part of a wider research project wherein we are trying to further explore the conceptual ecology of evolutionary theory of present and prospective teachers in Greece. Methods Quantitative and qualitative research was applied. In the former a questionnaire was answered by 318 secondary school teachers who teach biology. We further interviewed eight of the teachers by means of semi structured interviews and analyzed the interviews using the QSR nVivo program. Results Acceptance of evolution levels was found moderate both in the total cohort and among science teachers; on the one hand, this was correlated with the prevalence of low level of knowledge and understanding due to lack of previous instruction; on the other hand, their type of religiosity was not a serious obstacle to accepting evolution, since it was correlated with a high degree of thinking dispositions. Conclusions The results are in agreement with our previous findings that the type of religiosity is crucial for the acceptance or rejection of evolution, particularly when it does not prevent someone from being “open-minded”. At the same time, the fact that geologists who teach science showed the highest level of acceptance of evolution, indicates, when paired with other evidence, that the geological data are the most convincing evidence to help students and teachers to make a first step in their multistep route towards accepting and understanding the theory of evolution.

Κεφάλαιο 1.1. Για την επιστηµονική µέθοδο: ιστορική διαδροµή. Από τον επιστηµονικό θετικισµό στον µεταθετικισµό. 1.1.1. Λογικός Θετικισµός. Στις αρχές του 20ού αιώνα κάνει την εµφάνισή του στη Βιέννη, το ρεύµα του Λογικού Θετικισµού, που ταυτίζεται µε µια οµάδα φιλοσόφων και διανοητών που είναι γνωστή ως ο «Κύκλος της Βιέννης». Το 1929 ο κύκλος της Βιέννης δηµοσίευσε τη διακήρυξή του µε τίτλο «Η επιστηµονική αντίληψη του κόσµου» γνωστοποιώντας στο κοινό τις φιλοσοφικές απόψεις του. Οι λογικοί θετικιστές απορρίπτουν τη µεταφυσική και προσπαθούν να αναγάγουν όλες τις δηλώσεις και τις προτάσεις στην καθαρή λογική. Ιδρυτές του θεωρούνται οι Hahn, Frank και Neurath. Η προσθήκη των Carnap, Feigl, Schlick κ.ά. οδήγησε στη συγκρότηση του «Κύκλου της Βιέννης», που αποτέλεσε την οµάδα που ταυτίστηκε και προώθησε τον Λογικό Θετικισµό.

Evolution Teaching (ET) among In-Service teachers in Greece was examined in an attempt to evaluate their Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Evolution teaching is a problematic issue. For this purpose, we constructed a questionnaire that was distributed to the target population and to which 181 teachers responded. We used quantitative method to determine factors that may characterize the ET milieu and which of the factors of PCK apply or not to ET. Our research finds that Biology teachers although strive to teach evolution, face specific difficulties due to lack of PCK. The research results may be useful when organizing and implementing professional development programs of teachers on ET.

Abstract – The study described in this paper is a part of a cross-sectional study which focuses on Greek children in preschool and middle school age and to primary school teachers' concepts and classifications regarding animals and the associated values attached in concepts and classifications; i.e. which entities categorize as animals and which are the categorization criteria they use and if they differ with the course of age. The research was conducted with group and individual interviews and proper modifications of Interview about Instances (IaI) technique. Various groups of children and primary school teachers as a representative group of adults were interviewed for the meaning of the concept "animal", and the constant comparative method was employed to analyze data. Key findings in children ideas are the recording of a limited range of entities, which are categorized as animals, the use of sensory criteria mainly for deciding about the categorization, and especially the humanoriented course of perceptions. Findings indicate that the meaning of the concept of "animal" that both, children and teachers possess is restricted and anthropocentric, as it appears a universal denial of human categorization in animal kingdom. Nonetheless, it seems that the anthropocentric ideas of school children and adults differs qualitatively, as school children, besides taking more anthropocentric stands compared to adults, they are not led so much by ideological and ethical motives in their decisions, a fact that seems to be developed in lateral stages of life. Keywords – Preschool Children, Primary School Pupils, Primary School Teachers, Ideas, Conceptions, Animal.

Abstract In this study, we aimed to explore the factors related to the acceptance of evolutionary theory among biology education teachers using conceptual ecology for biological evolution as a theoretical frame. This paper explores, by the use of qualitative analysis, some of the factors that constitute the conceptual ecology of evolutionary theory of Greek secondary school teachers and the relationships between the findings of quantitative and qualitative research. In this study eight interviews have been performed with teachers of different academic backgrounds (biologists, geologists, physicists, chemists) who teach biology in secondary education. These interviews were analyzed by using NVivo 8.0 qualitative analysis software. The basic actions performed were the categorization of interviews content into thematic categories (nodes) and the subsequent exploration for common patterns and relationships among categories. This qualitative analysis revealed the views and the attitudes of the teachers on the examined factors of conceptual ecology. Also explained and documented in some degree the results of the previous quantitative research in a large sample of biology teachers. The results support the initial research hypothesis that the factors related with evolution theory acceptance, their mix and their weight, differ in correspondence with local conditions and singularities and the total socio-cultural environment. This is a very strong argument in favor of the approach of conceptual ecology. Keywords: Evolution, teachers, qualitative, NVivo analysis, conceptual ecology, secondary- education.

Our present contribution is a resume of a series of our studies by which we make an effort to explore the factors that are related to the acceptance of evolutionary theory among Greek and other variouscountries perspective and active educators using the conceptual ecology for biological evolution as a theoretical lens. Our central question refers to the role of the type of religiosity of a certain population in making their willingness for acceptance or rejection of evolution in the school environment. The Theory of Evolution (ET) is considered as concept - threshold that needs to be passed before someone can develop his/her understanding (Kinchin 2010) of a broader perspective of natural phenomena and of the nature of science. Most educational research has shown that the result of the teaching of ET is not positive in different parts of the world. Moreover research shows that the acceptance of the ET is restricted and the knowledge is limited and controversial among school science students and teachers. Large percentages of science teachers—close to a majority in many samples—reject ET and support the teaching of antievolutionary ideas in schools (Nehm & Schonfeld, 2007). Thus evolution remains a problematic subject for many science teachers. We make the hypothesis that the type of qualitative characteristics of the religion a nation or population group holds, is an essential factor in determining the level of acceptance of evolution, and their readiness to make changes in their believes, as well. More specifically, we advocate that the student and teacher populations that come from countries with a Greek-Orthodox background are m​

In this study, we explored the factors related to acceptance of evolutionary theory among students/preservice preschool education teachers using conceptual ecology for biological evolution as a theoretical frame. We aimed to examine the acceptance and understanding of evolutionary theory and also the relationship of acceptance and understanding of the nature of science, thinking dispositions and religiosity as independent variables. We also studied the influence of teaching on the conceptual ecology of evolution acceptance. A class of 320 future teachers was surveyed using two questionnaires. According to our findings, students' understanding of evolutionary theory is positively correlated with a moderate acceptance of evolutionary theory. We found a weak positive correlation between the understanding of the nature of science and acceptance of evolution theory, and a positive correlation between open-minded thinking dispositions and evolution theory acceptance. The strength and the patterns of these correlations are miscellaneous and are examined carefully in this paper. We also found that systematic teaching may have a significant influence on evolution theory acceptance. Our findings stress the differences that exist between societies and how socio-cultural factors such as type of religion influence acceptance of evolution and have a strong influence on evolution education.

Our present contribution is a resume of a series of our studies by which we make an effort to explore the factors that are related to the acceptance of evolutionary theory among Greek and other variouscountries perspective and active educators using the conceptual ecology for biological evolution as a theoretical lens. Our central question refers to the role of the type of religiosity of a certain population in making their willingness for acceptance or rejection of evolution in the school environment. The Theory of Evolution (ET) is considered as concept - threshold that needs to be passed before someone can develop his/her understanding (Kinchin 2010) of a broader perspective of natural phenomena and of the nature of science. Most educational research has shown that the result of the teaching of ET is not positive in different parts of the world. Moreover research shows that the acceptance of the ET is restricted and the knowledge is limited and controversial among school science students and teachers. Large percentages of science teachers—close to a majority in many samples—reject ET and support the teaching of antievolutionary ideas in schools (Nehm & Schonfeld, 2007). Thus evolution remains a problematic subject for many science teachers. We make the hypothesis that the type of qualitative characteristics of the religion a nation or population group holds, is an essential factor in determining the level of acceptance of evolution, and their readiness to make changes in their believes, as well. More specifically, we advocate that the student and teacher populations that come from countries with a Greek-Orthodox background are m​

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of health-related needs on a policy design and curriculum enactment basis in terms of the national school health education curriculum in Greek secondary education. Design/methodology/approach – A single case study, using an ethnographic approach, was conducted in Greece, seeking to understand the continuum from policy design to curriculum enactment in respect of health-related needs. Three sources of data were used to meet this goal: policy texts, observation, and interviews. Multilevel sampling was employed to select one secondary school as a site for “good practice”. Grounded theory coding, thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis identified themes associated with the idea of health-related through the corpus of data. Findings – On a policy plan level the concept of health-related needs was coupled with and reduced to a predetermined list of health-related subjects; and the list of health-related topics had not been updated for long and was characterised by a rather biomedical orientation. On a school practice level the stage of needs assessment was not applied, the list of health-related subjects advocated in the policy plan was used on a proactive, normative and top down basis, and the students' felt needs tended to be disregarded. Originality/value – This study followed up the continuum from policy design to school practice regarding the concept and practice of health needs, highlighting the possibilities and the problems from both perspectives.

In this study, we aimed to explore the factors related to acceptance of evolutionary theory among students/preservice preschool education teachers using conceptual ecology for biological evolution as a theoretical frame. We aimed to look into the acceptance and the understanding of evolutionary theory, and also to look into the relationship of the acceptance with understanding of evolutionary theory, parents’ educational level and frequency of church attendance as independent variables. Students’ restricted understanding of evolutionary theory is positively correlated with moderate acceptance of evolutionary theory but we did not find any significant positive correlation between parents’ educational level, religiosity and acceptance of evolution. Our findings indicate that studying a controversial issue such as the acceptance of evolutionary theory in a multivariate fashion, using conceptual ecology as a theoretical lens to interpret the findings, is informative. They also, indicate the differences that exist from society to society and how sociological factors as part of the conceptual ecology influence acceptance of evolution and have strong influence on Evolution education. And how useful is the enrichment of the Conceptual Ecology with other factors, i.e. thinking dispositions or making students familiar with the scientific method.

Social Representations of School-Age Children on Drugs Eleni Zymvrakaki, Kyriakos Athanasiou Summary The origins of this work go back to a series of epidemiological surveys conducted over the last twenty years and prove the ever-increasing use of illegal substances among the entire population of Greece (Kokkevi K.a., 1983, Marselos and Frangidis, 1985, Madianou et al., 1987, Dardavesis, 1993, Kokkevi and Stefanis, 1994, Madiano; et al., 1995, Gougouskidis, 2001, Charila and Kalantzi-Azizi, 2001, EKTEPN, 2002a, EKTEPN, 2002b). It is common knowledge that the use of illegal substances is reduced to one of the most important social problems. In Greece too, the problem is exacerbated, as there is an increase in the frequency of deaths from heroin use in the mainly young population, while at the same time observing... Οι απαρχές της εργασίας αυτής ανάγονται σε μια σειρά επιδημιολογικών ερευνών που διεξήχθησαν την τελευταία εικοσαετία και αποδεικνύουν την ολοένα αυξανόμενη χρήση παράνομων ουσιών στο σύνολο του πληθυσμού της Ελλάδας(Κοκκέβη Κ.α., 1983, Μαρσέλος και Φραγκίδης, 1985, Μαδιανού κ.α., 1987, Δαρδαβέσης, 1993, Κοκκέβη και Στεφανής, 1994, Μαδιανό; Κ.α., 1995, Γκουγκουσκίδης, 2001, Χαρίλα και Καλαντζή-Αζίζι, 2001, ΕΚΤΕΠΝ, 2002α, ΕΚΤΕΠΝ, 2002β).Είναι κοινός τόπος ότι η χρήση παράνομων ουσιών ανάγεται σε ένα σε ένα από σημαντικότερα κοινωνικά προβλήματα. Και στην Ελλάδα το πρόβλημα οξύνεται, καθώς παρατηρείται αύξηση της συχνότητας θανάτων από τη χρήση ηρωίνης στο νεανικό κυρίως πληθυσμό, ενώ ταυτόχρονα παρατηρεί τω...

Abstract - The study described in this paper investigates the knowledge andpreferences of 176 Greek children, aged between nine and eleven, with regard tofats and oils. The results show that the majority of children cannot classify oils.butter, and margarine in the correct nutritional category. The great majority wereof the opinion that it is healthier to use olive oil, rather than than seed oils, forsalads and cooked meals. However, they also answered that seed oils are healthierthan olive oil for fried meals. No statistically significant differences between thesexes was found in the answers, except for their preferences regarding the use ofolive oil in cooked meals and salads. The results indicate that Greek children lackthe information they need to make healthy food choices. In addition, there is aneed to develop teaching strategies thatfocus on lipids and their impact on health.

This paper repotts on the first phase of a comparative study in Greece and the United Kingdom which is investigating the knowledge and understand ing of children aged 10 and 11 years about dietary fat and health. It is intended to use the study to develop in-service programmes for teachers based on research. The findings indicate that perceptions about fat and health held by children in the two countries are very similar. The majority of the children were able to describe the relationship between fat and health in general terms, but had limited understanding about the function of fat in the body.