Effects of Teacher Training in Systems Thinking on Biology Students—An Intervention Study

Stefan Streiling, Christian Hörsch and Werner Rieß
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Stefan Streiling: Department of Biology and Pedagogy of Biology, University of Education Freiburg, Kunzenweg 21, 79117 Freiburg, Germany
Christian Hörsch: Department of Biology and Pedagogy of Biology, University of Education Freiburg, Kunzenweg 21, 79117 Freiburg, Germany
Werner Rieß: Department of Biology and Pedagogy of Biology, University of Education Freiburg, Kunzenweg 21, 79117 Freiburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: Systems thinking provides many advantages in solving complex scientific, economic and sociocultural problems in the field of education for sustainable development. Various studies have shown that systems thinking can be promoted in students at all levels of school education. Previous studies have mainly focused on how to directly develop and support systems thinking in students. The present study focused on biology teachers by investigating the extent that their content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) augments systems thinking in students attending biology classes. On the basis of the finding that content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) are an essential aspect of any type of training, we investigated in a teacher training program the effects of varying amounts of CK and PCK to the ability of biology teachers to foster systems thinking in students. Therefore, a quasi-experimental intervention study was implemented in a pre- and posttest control group design. The results revealed that biology teacher training can sufficiently improve systems thinking in biology students and that PCK plays an at least equally important role as CK in promoting systems thinking.

Keywords: systems thinking; teacher training; education for sustainable development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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