The COVID–19 pandemic had an immense impact on societies globally, emphasising the pivotal importance of understanding infectious diseases. This study was conducted to delineate the possible influence of the pandemic, by comparing how infectious diseases are portrayed in biology textbooks (school years 4–6 and 7–9) published before and after the COVID–19 pandemic outbreak. Data was subjected to content and thematic analysis, employing contagion literacy as an analytical framework. The contagion literacy framework identifies six content themes important to teach: contagions, transmission routes, hygiene, vaccinations, antibiotics and antibiotic resistance and sexually transmitted diseases that can be divided into three health literacy levels; functional, which focuses on factual knowledge, interactive, an invitation to what one should do and critical, which requires a higher awareness with critical reflection. The main conclusion from the comparative analysis was that very few changes were made in the textbooks as a consequence of the pandemic and an overall dominance of functional health literacy. However, critical health literacy descriptions of vaccinations increased in the aftermath of COVID–19 in lower secondary textbooks (7–9), while simultaneously content descriptions about antibiotic and antibiotic resistance were reduced. Critical health literacy aspects of vaccination were included in biology textbooks published only after the pandemic. Concomitantly, the inclusion of descriptions of linkage between contagions and infectious diseases and incubation periods was also found in textbooks published after the pandemic. Implications for curriculum development and the impact on teaching and learning are discussed. 

This study investigates and compares knowledge types in national curricula embedded in the curriculum tradition (England) and the didactic tradition (Finland and Sweden). In the study, we develop and operationalize a theoretical framework based on educational purposes (academic, citizenship and humanistic purposes) and knowledge categories (substantive, disciplinary, sociocultural applications, pedagogical considerations and student-psychological considerations). The framework is thus embedded in a didactical perspective on powerful knowledge and is used as an analytical lens in a quantitative content analysis, and a consecutive qualitative analysis providing 'thick' descriptions of the biology curricula for each country providing a contextual interpretation of the results. From the analysis, we can conclude that the curricula are different and identify different aspects of knowledge. The English curriculum mainly identifies the products and processes of biology to teach. The Finnish curriculum has a holistic approach connecting the products and processes of biology, with the teaching and learning process and how students should apply the knowledge in society. The Swedish curriculum could be described as a hybrid of the English and Finnish ones focusing on the products and processes of biology and how this knowledge can be applied in society. Implications for teaching and learning are discussed.

The Anthropocene, characterized by human behavior acting as a formidable force of nature, casts the question what it means to be human in new light. Consequently, discussions on quality education need revisiting. Drawing from the literature on quality education for sustainability (EfS) and decolonization of education, we investigate consequences for teaching and learning. We then zoom in on teaching approaches aimed at equipping current and future generations with what they need to contribute to a sustainable world in an equitable manner that embraces perspectives from both the Global North and South. Although much has been written about EfS, a comprehensive teaching framework is lacking to date. With the development of the Quality Education for Sustainability Teaching (QUEST) Framework, we initiate the quest for answers to what quality education should entail in the Anthropocene. 

Analogies are common explanatory tools in science teaching and have long been appreciated for their function to facilitate students' learning of abstract scientific concepts, to stimulate engagement and motivation and to let students practice scientific language. At the same time, there is a risk that analogies may cause misconceptions. Therefore, teachers must have competence in how to use analogies in science teaching. Based on the question 'What do science teachers need to know, consider and master for fruitful teaching with analogies' we reviewed the research literature about teaching science with analogies. Applying a systematic integrative review approach, we identified key aspects of teaching with analogies that, based on a competence model, were constructed into the new Analogy Competence for Science Teachers (ACT) framework. The framework is aimed to guide and support teachers in planning and performing fruitful science teaching with analogies. Compared to previous teaching models, the ACT framework to a greater extent accentuates factors related to teachers' expertise and knowledge about the educational functions of analogies relating to the planning, selection, and instruction aspects of the teaching process, in addition to the conceptual considerations of analogies. The ACT framework has implications for science education and science education research.

Introducing climate change education into the science curricula and the classroom requires science teacher education to prepare preservice science teachers to navigate political, ethical, and emotional dimensions. This study investigates Swedish preservice science teachers’ beliefs about teaching climate change, revealing tensions between traditional science teaching and climate change education. Using semi-structured interviews with six preservice science teachers from a Swedish university, we identified beliefs about teaching approaches, content, students, self, teaching strategies, and context relating to teaching climate change. Three tensions emerged between the preservice teachers’ held beliefs: (1) dealing with values in balancing teacher neutrality and passion for the topic, (2) dealing with emotions in giving students an understanding of the severity of climate change while managing negative impacts on students’ emotional wellbeing, and (3) aligning a view of climate change as an anthropocentric issue and a traditional focus on scientific concepts in science education. These findings indicate the need to develop science teacher education to address these tensions, as introducing climate change education into the science curricula requires navigating political, ethical, and emotional dimensions, diverging from traditional science teaching focused on facts and concepts. Finally, we offer recommendations for teacher education programmes. 

Climate change is the most significant global challenge of our time, with widespread impacts on the environment, economy, public health, and social stability (IPCC, 2023). Recognizing this, the USGCRP (2009) highlights the importance of prioritizing climate literacy in education—a multifaceted concept that extends beyond factual knowledge to include scientific skills, personal attitudes, and values that empower individuals to address climate-related issues and adopt climate-conscious behaviors (Dupigny-Giroux, 2010).This presentation reports from an international research project exploring the role of climate education and risk perception in fostering climate-friendly intentions to act. Empirical findings from a large-scale survey of the public (N= 2000) and upper secondary students (N= 582) indicate that incorporating global risk perception significantly improves predictive models of climate-friendly intentions to act. Thus, risk perception plays a crucial role in shaping climate-friendly behavior, with global risk perception having a stronger impact than personal, local, risk perception. However, in depth interviews with young people (N=15) already engaged in climate action suggest that excessive risk perception can lead to anxiety and disengagement, underscoring the need for balanced educational approaches. Furthermore, an action research study, conducted in collaboration with researchers and science and social science teachers at three lower secondary schools, focused on integrating interdisciplinary teaching of climate change with an emphasis on local flooding risks. Findings revealed tensions between pedagogical priorities. Science teachers often emphasize climate change as a physical phenomenon, whereas social science teachers highlight emotional engagement and behavioral motivation. While students generally appreciate climate-focused learning experiences and express climate-friendly aspirations, their emotional engagement and corresponding actions often remain limited. In conclusion, the project’s findings emphasize the need for interdisciplinary and balanced educational approaches that enhance climate literacy while ensuring that young people are both motivated and equipped to take meaningful climate action.

Sustaining a broad diversity of plants is key for a sustainable future. For instance, providing a variety of flowering plants in urban and agricultural landscapes mitigates the current decline of pollinators and biodiversity in general. Therefore, educating about the diversity of flowering plants has high current relevance for biology and environmental education. Unfortunately, students have little knowledge about plant diversity and find botanical topics often uninteresting. Therefore, this paper presents and discusses an engaging teaching approach, where students engage in a role-play with 3D-printed flower models to learn how the morphology of plants affects different insect pollinator groups. To gain insights into students’ experiences with the flower models, guided interviews were conducted one week after this role-play. The interview results show that the students were not only motivated to engage in the role-play, but also gained content knowledge on how the diversity of flowers affects insect pollinators. Hence, the approach highlights how 3D printing can contribute to design teaching approaches that engage students in hands-on activities in order to foster their understanding of flower diversity. 

Education for Sustainability (EfS) has been included in preschool teaching in several countries. Yet few studies investigate EfS in practice or the way learning environments affect teaching. This study investigates which learning environments and teaching strategies facilitate or, indeed, hinder EfS. An observational study was conducted at two preschools where the teaching and EfS practices of two teachers were observed both indoors, in the outdoor play area, and in the forest. Observations were analysed using qualitative content analysis and coded based on the teaching strategies and EfS practices in these three learning environments. An inductive analysis was then conducted to identify enablers and barriers for implementing EfS. Results show that planned teaching is the dominant teaching strategy indoors and in the forest but was absent in the outdoor play. Semi-spontaneous teaching was common in those learning environments that had been adapted to stimulate teaching. An enabler in the forest was movement in the place. In the outdoor play area, an adapted learning environment was an enabler just as it was indoors, where available teaching material was also an enabler for EfS. Barriers indoors were low expectations of children and the teacher's supervisory role in the outdoor play area. In the forest, a strict teaching structure was a barrier for EfS. This study shows that it is useful for a variety of EfS practices to use different learning environments, indoors and outdoors, as well as different teaching strategies and that preschool teachers might need in-service training to overcome the identified barriers.

Although epigenetics represents an emerging field of biological research with a potentially large influence on society as well as conceptual implications on how genetics is understood, it is often not a part of the biology education provided at secondary schools. Therefore, this educational research design study describes the development of a teaching design about epigenetics, created in collaboration with researchers and practicing teachers, and included the aim of updating genetics education to appropriately mirror contemporary biology research frontiers. The study was conducted in 11 upper secondary school classes. The resulting teaching design consists of a set of “Big Ideas” and teaching and learning activities that can be used with different groups of students and integrated into regular genetics education. Despite the complex content, the students appreciated the topic and found it not only to be highly relevant, but also understandable. The teaching design, which centered on human biology and the interplay between genetics and the environment, resulted in participants articulating a nuanced understanding of these two topics, which indicates a potential shift in perspective away from genetic determinism. The design also provided better explanatory models for various biological phenomena that had already been included in the curriculum, such as cell differentiation. Teaching epigenetics based on contemporary research was reported to be inspiring by the teachers, and students felt that it was exciting to learn about concepts at the frontline of scientific research. Thus, epigenetics is also relevant as a context for teaching the nature of science. A challenge identified in the study was how to avoid conflicts between old and modern explanatory models in genetics, an issue that needs to be explored further. 

This paper presents an empirical study on leadership actions related to education for sustainable development, i.e. education that embraces ecological and socio-economic perspectives to foster students’ awareness of the importance of long-term sustainable development. The aim is to identify leadership actions that enable or constrain permanent implementation of such educational perspectives. Empirically, the study is based on data acquired in a school improvement project on sustainability, involving five schools in a Swedish municipality during the years 2016 to 2021. Data were collected in two rounds, in 2018 and 2020, through interviews with school leaders. A theoretical framework including the coupling mechanisms concept and previously identified organizational routines is applied in analysis of the rich data acquired to explore the school leaders’ reported actions, associated routines and their outcomes. The results reveal leadership actions that enable, and others that constrain, long-term establishment of education for sustainable development. The study confirms the importance of early establishment of a holistic educational idea embracing education for sustainable development, and both communication and feedback systems for leaders on its compliance. The study also shows the value of collegial structures and transformational leadership actions that prevent the fading or failure of intended implementation.