Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education最新文献

The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of a graduate student fellowship program on middle school students’ attitude toward science and their interest in science. Using a descriptive and correlational research design, data were collected from 588 middle school students (grades 6, 7, and 8). Participants completed a pretest and a posttest questionnaire on their attitude and interest in science. Findings showed that participants overall had a positive attitude toward and a positive interest in science; neither the attitude nor the interest changed from pretest to posttest. Within grade, attitude toward science fell slightly during 6th grade but rose slightly during 8th grade. There were no differences in pretest or posttest scores by gender. Prior research suggests that during middle school, students’ attitudes toward science and interest in science drop. An implication exists that the graduate student fellowship program had a positive influence on middle school students’ attitudes and interests in science by maintaining a high interest in science and a positive attitude toward science.

Soil biogeochemistry, a discipline that explores the chemical speciation and transformations of elements in soils and the relationships between soils and global biogeochemical cycles, is becoming a popular course offering because it unites themes from a number of other courses. In this article, we present a set of case studies that have been used as the basis for student presentations and student-lead discussion. These case studies were specifically chosen because they focus on modern problems that illustrate key concepts in the course material and communicate an issue of significant concern or interest to society. The exercise helps to forge a linkage between the subjects discussed in the course and real-world issues. Presentations were used as a starting point for classroom discussion to encourage active participation on the part of the students. Instructor and student evaluations both indicated that the assignment was valuable as a learning aid to most students, and may have helped to connect course materials to more practical real-world examples.

Teaching and learning effectiveness may be enhanced in small-class settings where teachers can tailor materials and methods to individuals. Preparing students ahead of time for a week-long field trip to a new area that involves student-centered learning and a competition to promote student engagement should offer educational advantages. This article presents the results of a poll of teachers who coached students during a week-long soil judging contest field trip. The perspective on learning effectiveness is often asked of students rather than teachers. Five questions were asked and representative answers presented and discussed. The answers of the teacher–coaches were compared with previous literature on the effectiveness of outdoor field trip teaching. The poll results agree that student engagement is related to the combination of an extended field trip to a new resource area with a single subject of focus, practice of professional trade skills, new social interactions, and a contest at the end of the trip. The teacher–coaches enjoyed their opportunity to gain knowledge of subjects they teach from local experts and share social and professional interactions. The responses are important because they lend new perspectives to teaching and coaching not reported in the literature, and explain some educational advantages for outdoor field trip contest activities. Future studies to determine the long-term knowledge gain and retention from such an activity as contrasted with conventional field trips and classroom instruction alone are needed.

The topic of invasive earthworms is a timely concern that goes against many preconceived notions regarding the positive benefits of all worms. In the cold-temperate forests of North America invasive worms are threatening forest ecosystems, due to the changes they create in the soil, including decreases in C:N ratios and leaf litter, disruption of the seed bank, and changes in soil structure and nutrient cycling. These changes in turn affect the forest ecosystem by encouraging the growth of non-native plants, inhibiting undergrowth, decreasing biodiversity, and negatively affecting species that are sensitive to change. While the potential for remediation by acidifying the soil exists, the potential repercussions of such a change has not been researched. The key to minimizing the issue of invasive earthworms is prevention. Thus, policy and education targeted at individuals who are horticulturists, fishermen, bait shops owners, and vermiculturalists, who are commonly vectors of introduction, are critical to conserving cold-temperate forests in North America.

A broad-based survey using the Delphi method was conducted to garner current information from private sector stakeholders and build consensus opinions supporting key ideas for enhancing plant breeder education and training. This study asked respondents to suggest and rate topics and content they deemed most important to plant breeding graduate programs and curricula related to the areas of knowledge, experiences, skills, and specialties. Examination of private stakeholder recommendations for integration into a student's education and preparation for jobs outside academia was then performed. Knowledge of traditional plant breeding, genetics, statistics, and experimental design, along with emerging topics including database management and ethics, were rated very important. Experiences rated as very important included designing an experiment, as well as field and laboratory data analysis. Stakeholders suggested that experiences focusing on communication, teamwork, and management are key aspects of training. Scientific skills suggested by stakeholders aligned quite well with important knowledge and experience categories and also included skills a student can acquire through a variety of experiences focused on judgment and ideas, time and efficiency in completing tasks, and decision making abilities. The information detailed in this study will be useful to all educators seeking content ideas from private sector stakeholders for curriculum programs. It will also be a valuable tool for new graduate students seeking to understand the knowledge and skill sets that are recommended for a plant breeder prior to seeking a job in the private sector.

Population pressure in the Mizo Hills, a small mountainous region in northeast India, has shortened fallow periods of slash-and-burn (S&B) plots substantially, making its practice unsustainable. Conventional farming and modern technology cannot be applied in this remote tropical region due to its topography; hence, most farmers continue practicing S&B on a scale that degrades the environment and reduces biodiversity. Alley cropping is increasingly being used in other similar tropical regions as an alternative to S&B due to benefits such as positive influence on soil properties, its ability to keep nutrients in equilibrium and carbon sequestration. Such grounds make alley cropping a viable alternative to S&B in the Mizo Hills and a ray of hope for a sustainable and sedentary means of farming for Mizo farmers.

This activity discusses the basic process used in a traditional breeding program. Crossing, genetic variation, selection and elements of DNA technology are discussed within this activity. The material is aimed toward high school or introductory life science undergraduate students. There is a quiz based “breeder's notebook” feature, which gives students opportunities to apply their new knowledge in other scenarios. At the completion of this activity students should be able to:

Teachers can use the activity to supplement their teaching strategies. It is also useful for graduate students and extension audiences wanting a refresher on the basic steps of soybean breeding. It is available free of charge for educational use.

Undergraduate U.S. forestry degree programs experienced a steady decline in enrollments over a decade beginning in the mid-1990s. This decline prompted a survey of students enrolled in these programs to determine what factors led to their decisions to matriculate there and conversely, what may have made them hesitant to do so. The sample population consisted largely of upper-class forestry majors who attended the 2004 and 2007 Society of American Foresters’ (SAF) national conventions. An analysis of the content of survey responses indicated that students were attracted to majoring in forestry and subsequently pursuing a career in this field by a love of nature or the outdoors. Hesitation arose from concern over low wages, lack of jobs, and a negative public image of forestry. The latter factor may explain why natural resource degree programs perceived as more conservation/sustainability-oriented constitute an increasingly higher proportion of total enrollments in colleges of natural resources compared with forestry. More comprehensive surveys of students from a wider array of professional degree programs are needed to test our findings, and should be coupled to studies of the demand for forestry graduates.