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bioRxiv2024

Anticipatory Emotions and Academic Performance: The Role of Boredom in a Preservice Teachers' Lab Experience

Affective experiences within academic contexts significantly influence educational outcomes. Despite this, the literature reveals a gap in generalising these effects to specific classroom activities, partly arising from the absence of suitable instruments to measure emotions in situational educational scenarios. Our study introduces an experience sampling method to measure sixteen discrete emotional states, deriving two scales for positive and negative activating emotions. Grounded in psychological and neuroscientific theories that integrate emotion with cognition, our research explores the interplay between prior knowledge, preservice teachers anticipatory situational emotions, and subsequent learning in an experimental science education context. Analysing data from 269 preservice teachers from diverse backgrounds (STEM and non-STEM) at the upper-secondary level, we found that negative activating emotions are often rooted in non-STEM backgrounds and exacerbated by limited prior science knowledge. These negative emotions impact achievement and learning primarily through the mediating role of boredom. Furthermore, our results indicate that the detrimental impact of boredom on achievement is significantly influenced by prior knowledge, with a more pronounced effect on students with lower levels. Given that emotions are amenable to intervention, our findings propose that specifically addressing boredom in students with low prior knowledge could amplify the benefits of educational strategies.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2022

If Research is Not the Evidence, What is it? Explanations of the Lack of Research Citations in their Health Vlogs

Doctor-influencers have the knowledge needed to understand scientific research, and they have the social media popularity to share it with large audiences. In this article, I explore the treatment of evidence in vlogs by Egyptian doctor-influencers: how they present it and what they use instead of it. I answer the following questions: 1) How do doctor-influencers present evidence on social media? 2) If evidence is not the research, then what is it? The data was collected through in-depth interviews with 12 Egyptian doctor-influencers from different specializations; two focus groups; and a critical discourse analysis of 48 of the influencers most popular and most engaging videos. I found that the doctor-influencers cited academic research only in the videos about medical controversies, new treatments, misinformation, or common medical mistakes. In most of their videos, the Egyptian doctor-influencers scarcely referred to medical research. This is because they believe that their audiences would not understand evidence due to their low educational attainment, weak research skills, and the language barrier (as most medical research is published in English rather than Arabic). These findings highlight the challenges of communicating science in societies with a low level of education. In these settings, communicators may need to move beyond mediating research studies on social media and instead focus on simplifying, translating, and connecting evidence-based information to the cultural context.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2021

The Mismatch Between Neuroscience Graduate Training and Professional Skill Sets

Understanding the skill sets required for career paths is a prerequisite for preparing students for those careers. Neuroscience career paths are rapidly changing as the field expands and increasingly overlaps with computational and data-heavy job sectors. With the steady growth in neuroscience trainees and the diversification of jobs for those trainees, it is important to assess whether or not our training is matching the skill sets required in the workforce. Here, we surveyed hundreds of neuroscience professionals and graduate students to assess their use and valuation of a range of skills, from bench skills to communication and management. We find that professionals with neuroscience degrees can be clustered into three main groups based on their skill sets: academic research, industry research and technical work, and non-research. Further, we find that while graduate students do not use or highly value management and communication skills, almost all neuroscience professionals report strongly needing those skills. Finally, coding and data analysis skills are widely used in academic and industry research and predict higher salaries. Our findings can help trainees assess their own skill sets as well as encourage educational leaders to offer training in management and communication-skills which may help catapult trainees into the next stages of their careers.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2020

Development and validation of the Irish Science Self-Efficacy Children's Questionnaire to assess the short-term influence of scientists facilitating outreach

Despite the positive relationship between science self-efficacy and science motivation, and the prevalence of scientist-led outreach programs, there is limited research on the effect of scientists on childrens science self-efficacy beliefs. Furthermore, there is no extant science self-efficacy research on primary pupils in Ireland, possibly due to the absence of a suitable and valid assessment instrument. This multi-study research aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire suitable for investigating the effect of scientist-facilitated science outreach on the science self-efficacy of children aged 11-12 years old. In Study 1 the first version of the Irish Science Self-Efficacy Childrens Questionnaire (IS-SEC-Q) was developed and tested with 92 primary school students. In Study 2, the revised questionnaire was re-tested with 282 students. For both studies, construct validity was examined through factor analysis. Questionnaire interpretation and comprehension were investigated via interviews (N=4 and 25 respectively). In Study 2, convergent and criterion validity of the scales was also examined. The final IS-SEC-Q contained 5 scales (63 items), including an adaptation of Usher and Pajares Sources of Self-Efficacy in Mathematics scale. Study 2 interviews indicated possible misinterpretations of the Emotional State subscale. The questionnaire demonstrated good psychometric properties and should serve well for informal science education practitioners endeavouring to assess their impact on primary childrens science self-efficacy.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2025

Enhancing Secondary School Students' Attitudes towards Biology through Guided Inquiry-Based Lab Instructions

Attitude plays a vital role in achieving modern science education goals by enhancing students conceptual understanding, motivation, academic performance, interest, and engagement in scientific inquiry. However, in many Ethiopian schools, attitudes toward science are often overlooked, and traditional teacher-centered instruction combined with limited resources hampers their development. To address these issues this study examined the effect of guided inquiry-based laboratory experiments enriched instruction (GIBLEI) on secondary school students attitudes toward biology, using a quasi-experimental design with pretest-treatment-posttest phases. Two classes from selected schools were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG, N=46) and a control group (CG, N=29). Over eight weeks, the EG received GIBLEI, while the CG experienced traditional laboratory experiments enriched instruction (TLEI). Attitudes were measured using a 5-point Likert scale. The results showed that GIBLEI significantly improved students overall attitude towards biology, enthusiasm for biology, perception of biology as a course, and understanding of biology as a process, compared to TLEI. However, it did not affect their views of biology as a career. GIBLEI also promoted gender inclusivity by reducing attitude differences between male and female students. These findings highlight the benefits of GIBLEI in fostering positive attitudes, engagement, and inclusivity in biology education, enhancing both student outcomes and equity in science learning.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2025

Quantifying Misuse of Color in Biological Research

Colors are widely used to report biological research data. Effective interpretation of colors relies on accurate, intuitive, and accessible colormaps that are properly labeled. Misuse of colormaps, such as using rainbow, mismatched, and other inaccessible colormaps, hinders reader interpretation. Despite their ubiquitous use to represent biological data, the prevalence of colormap misuse has not been quantified. Using established guidelines, we analyzed over 6,000 articles in 10 high-impact biological journals spanning 2020-2024 to quantify the prevalence of colormap use and misuse. Over 67% of articles contain at least one colormap, of which 81% contain some form of misuse. Among the over 11,000 acquired colormap-associated figures, 60% contain some form of misuse. Heatmaps, scatter plots, images, and image overlays are the most commonly used figures with colormaps. These statistics vary by journal but remain constant over time, demonstrating the urgent need to increase awareness and education about color-based data reporting guidelines.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2018

Spikeling: a low-cost hardware implementation of a spiking neuron for neuroscience teaching and outreach.

Understanding of how neurons encode and compute information is fundamental to our study of the brain, but opportunities for hands-on experience with neurophysiological techniques on live neurons are scarce in science education. Here, we present Spikeling, an open source {pound}25 in silico implementation of a spiking neuron that mimics a wide range of neuronal behaviours for classroom education and public neuroscience outreach. Spikeling is based on an Arduino microcontroller running the computationally efficient Izhikevich model of a spiking neuron. The microcontroller is connected to input ports that simulate synaptic excitation or inhibition, dials controlling current injection and noise levels, a photodiode that makes Spikeling light-sensitive and an LED and speaker that allows spikes to be seen and heard. Output ports provide access to variables such as membrane potential for recording in experiments or digital signals that can be used to excite other connected Spikelings. These features allow for the intuitive exploration of the function of neurons and networks. We also report our experience of using Spikeling as a teaching tool for undergraduate and graduate neuroscience education in Nigeria and the UK.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2020

A targeted e-learning approach to reduce student mixing during a pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread closure of schools and universities. These institutions have turned to distance learning to provide educational continuity. Schools now face the challenge of how to reopen safely and resume in-class learning. However, there is little empirical evidence to guide decision-makers on how this can be achieved. Here, we show that selectively deploying e-learning for larger classes is highly effective at decreasing campus-wide opportunities for student-to-student contact, while allowing most in-class learning to continue uninterrupted. We conducted a natural experiment at a large university that implemented a series of e-learning interventions during the COVID-19 outbreak. Analyses of >24 million student connections to the university Wi-Fi network revealed that population size can be manipulated by e-learning in a targeted manner according to class size characteristics. Student mixing showed accelerated growth with population size according to a power law distribution. Therefore, a small e-learning dependent decrease in population size resulted in a large reduction in student clustering behaviour. Our results show that e-learning interventions can decrease potential for disease transmission while minimizing disruption to university operations. Universities should consider targeted e-learning a viable strategy for providing educational continuity during early or late stages of a disease outbreak.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2021

Are flexible school start times associated with higher academic grades? A 4-year longitudinal study.

The mismatch between teenagers late sleep phase and early school start time results in acute and chronic sleep reductions. This is not only harmful for students learning in the short-term but may impact on students career prospects and widen social inequalities. Delaying school start times has been shown to improve sleep but whether this translates to better achievement is unresolved. The current evidence is limited due to a plethora of outcome measures and the many factors influencing sleep and grade/score trajectories. Here, we studied whether 0.5-1.5 years of exposure to a flexible school start system, with the daily choice of an 8AM or 8:50AM-start (intervention), allowed secondary school students (n=63-157, 14-19 years) to improve their quarterly school grades in a 4-year longitudinal pre-post design. We investigated whether sleep, changes in sleep or frequency of later starts predicted grade improvements in the flexible system. Our mixed model regressions with 5,111-16,724 official grades as outcomes did not indicate meaningful grade improvements in the flexible system per se or with previously observed sleep variables (nor their changes) - the covariates academic quarter, discipline and grade level had a greater, more systematic effect in our sample. Importantly, this finding does not preclude improvements in learning and cognition in our sample. However, at the dose received here, intermittent sleep benefits did not obviously translate into detectable grade changes, which is in line with several other studies and highlights that grades are suboptimal to evaluate timetabling interventions despite their importance for future success. Significance statementEarly school start times worldwide clash with teenagers delayed sleep-wake rhythms. This mismatch results in sleep restrictions below healthy amounts, which compromises health and performance and further aggravates social disparities. Since adequate sleep is important for learning and concentration, there is the strong expectation that counteracting sleep deprivation with delayed school starts results in better academic achievement. We add important high-resolution, longitudinal data to this unresolved scientific debate. When controlling for confounders, our results do not support that improved sleep leads to grade changes within 1.5 years in a flexible start system. While grades are suboptimal to measure later school start effects on performance, they nevertheless open doors to higher education worldwide and thus determine future trajectories.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2025

The Promotive Effect of Ocean Literacy on Marine Conservation Behavior: A Qualitative Study Based on Chinese University Students

IntroductionOcean literacy is crucial in shaping marine conservation behaviors among Chinese university students. This study explores the intricate relationship between ocean literacy and pro-environmental behaviors, emphasizing the roles of emotional connections, cultural significance, and educational experiences. By examining the multidimensional aspects of ocean literacy, the research seeks to identify key factors that influence conservation actions and the practical application of marine knowledge. MethodsUtilizing qualitative methodologies, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 Chinese university students to delve into their perceptions and interactions with the marine environment. The interviews explored various dimensions such as oceanic knowledge, environmental beliefs, value orientations, and actions related to marine conservation. NVivo software was used for data analysis, allowing for the identification of key themes through a rigorous coding process. The studys analysis also included a moderated mediation model to examine how educational experiences influence the relationship between ocean literacy and conservation behaviors. ResultsThe findings reveal that ocean literacy among university students comprises key components such as scientific knowledge, environmental ethics, conservation action, policy understanding, and critical thinking. Significant gaps in marine knowledge were observed, alongside strong emotional and cultural connections to the ocean, which significantly mediate the relationship between ocean literacy and conservation behaviors. Educational experiences further moderated these effects, highlighting the need for enhanced marine education. ConclusionThis study underscores the necessity of integrating comprehensive educational strategies with emotional and cultural engagement to effectively promote marine conservation behaviors. The results advocate for educational reforms that incorporate practical and interactive learning approaches, aimed at deepening students understanding and involvement in marine conservation. Strengthening these educational frameworks can significantly enhance ocean literacy and foster proactive environmental stewardship among university students.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2026

Technology-enhanced learning in undergraduate neuroscience education: tractography-based virtual dissection in psychology

Background: Neuroanatomy poses a significant challenge for Psychology students due to its spatial and conceptual complexity. Educational approaches that enhance the relevance and visualization of neuroanatomical content may improve students learning experiences. This study implemented a tractography-based activity focused on the virtual dissection of the arcuate fasciculus, a major white matter pathway, in undergraduate Psychology students and examined the relationships between perceived learning and students perceptions of utility, difficulty and handling, and organizational aspects of the activity. Methods: First-year undergraduate Psychology students participated in a two-session tractography-based activity combining instruction on white matter anatomy and diffusion tractography with a hands-on virtual dissection of the arcuate fasciculus using research-grade software routinely employed in neuroscience research. Following the activity, students completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing perceived learning, utility, difficulty and handling, and organizational aspects of the activity. Pearson correlations, multiple regression analyses, and relative importance analyses were performed. Results: Sixty-eight students completed the questionnaire. Students reported generally positive perceptions of the activity across the evaluated dimensions, with perceived learning receiving the highest mean score (M = 3.44, SD = .85). Perceived utility showed the strongest association with perceived learning (r = .64, p < .001). The regression model explained 41% of the variance in perceived learning (R2 = .41, adjusted R2 = .38, p < .001). Perceived utility was the only significant predictor in the model ({beta} = .59, p = .001), accounting for 67.9% of the explained variance. Conclusions: The findings support the feasibility of integrating authentic neuroimaging tools into undergraduate neuroanatomy teaching. Students who perceived the activity as more useful also reported higher perceived learning outcomes, with perceived utility emerging as the strongest predictor of perceived learning. In contrast, perceived difficulty and handling, and organizational aspects did not make significant independent contributions. These results suggest that students perceptions of educational relevance may play an important role in technology-enhanced STEM learning experiences.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2018

Information and communication technology, mobile devices, and medical education

IntroductionInformation and communication technologies (ICT) are practical and highly available tools. In medical education, ICTs allow physicians to update their knowledge and remember the necessary information within reach of current mobile devices. ICTs as preparation tools for medical education have not been reported for medical students in Mexico. MethodologyTo assess the use of mobile devices as ICTs with medical education purposes, we distributed a questionnaire through an online survey management system to all the medical students (n=180) from a private university in Mexico City, 100% agreed to participate. We developed a questionnaire based on previous surveys and adapted it to our university. ResultsAll participants reported possession of an electronic mobile device, and 95% used it regularly for learning purposes. Regardless of the school year, the most frequent usage given to these devices was the search and reading of medical articles, the use of medical calculators, and taking notes. As the levels in career advances, there was a reduction in the use of electronic devices. According to the students, the main barriers towards using mobile devices for learning purposes were both the lack of access to the Internet and permission from the professor to use them. ConclusionMost medical students use mobile devices for learning purposes, but usage changes during their education. It is convenient to encourage the use of mobile devices and the development of ICT skills as tools for educational purposes rather than banning their use in schools and hospitals.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2023

Graduate student mentorship as a target for diversifying the biological sciences

Despite the importance of a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives in biological research, women, racial and ethnic minorities, and students from non-traditional academic backgrounds remain underrepresented in the composition of university faculty. Through a study on doctoral students at a research-intensive university, we pinpoint advising from faculty as a critical component of graduate student experiences and productivity. Graduate students from minority backgrounds reported lower levels of support from their advisors and research groups. However, working with an advisor from a similar demographic background substantially improved productivity and well-being of these students. Several other aspects of mentoring practices positively predicted student success and belonging, including frequent one-on-one meetings, empathetic and constructive feedback, and relationships with other peer or faculty mentors. Our study highlights the need to renovate graduate education with a focus on retention - not just recruitment - to best prepare students for success in scientific careers.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2023

Impacts of Virtual Reality Experiences: Enhanced Undergraduate Student Performance and Engagement with use of 360-degree video.

Virtual reality has been used for a variety of training and gaming purposes. Recent studies have demonstrated their use in higher education enhances student engagement and positively impacts student performance. In this study, we implemented 360-degree video in an introductory biology lab and assessed student attitudes, engagement, and performance on various assessments as well as the overall course performance. Students were extremely positive about virtual reality, had minimal issues handling the technology, and indicated that engagement with the topic was better with virtual reality. Student performance increased on 2 of the 3 formative assessments analyzed, 1 of 1 summative assessment analyzed, and overall course grades in semesters with virtual reality were higher than in semesters without virtual reality. These results suggest virtual reality in higher education may enhance not only student engagement and performance, but also enhance student attitude about the topic.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2025

Study buddy learning is associated with academic success in undergraduate science courses

This study reports on the outcomes of a formal peer-learning program for undergraduate science students. We implemented a cohort-based study buddy program in which high-scoring students (mentors) and lower-scoring peers (proteges) were invited to form study groups based on their first assessment scores in a given course. We then compared the performance of participants versus non-participants on subsequent assessments, while examining separately the effects for mentors and proteges. Results showed similar participation benefits for students in both mentor and protege roles. These findings emphasize the value of reducing barriers to collaborative learning in higher education and highlight the study buddy program as a cost-effective and scalable approach to enhance students educational experiences.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2026

Careers in Scientific Editing: Results from the 2024 Scientific Editors Network (ScENe) Survey

Funding and publishing scientific research has become increasingly competitive, highlighting a growing need for clear and accurate scientific communication. Scientific editors are professionals who help ensure that grant proposals and research manuscripts meet the standards of funding agencies and peer-reviewed journals while effectively communicating research significance to diverse audiences. However, detailed information characterizing the scientific editing profession is scarce. While some organizations have conducted salary surveys, to our knowledge, no comprehensive survey of the scientific editing field has been conducted. Here, we report findings from a 2024 comprehensive survey of 132 scientific editors. We collected data on demographics and education, career experience and current employment, skills and types of editing, and outcomes and satisfaction. Our data reveal that scientific editors have homogenous demographic characteristics but considerable variability in job titles, employment mechanisms, and career pathways. As the responsibilities of many scientific editors, including supporting proposal development, applying best practices in grantsmanship, and identifying strategies to enhance competitiveness for research funding, overlap with those of research development professionals, our findings provide considerations for further incorporating or defining the role of scientific editors within research development offices. Our results also suggest avenues for scientific editors to start or advance their careers. We anticipate that our results will serve as a foundation for discussions on the future directions of the scientific editing profession as well as areas for future research and professional development.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2023

Systematic literature review about educational interventions evaluated through entomological indices or practices to prevent the presence of or eliminate breeding sites of Aedes

BackgroundCommunity participation is a critical element in the management of Aedes breeding sites. Many educational interventions have been conducted to encourage prevention and elimination of breeding sites among different community actors, such as government-run programs for vector surveillance aimed at preventing and eliminating breeding sites at the household level within a community. Getting people involved in prevention and elimination of vector breeding sites in their communities requires communication and social mobilization strategies to promote and reinforce those prevention actions that, in turn, should be effective from the entomological standpoint. Methodology/Principal FindingsArticles published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, were reviewed to assess whether educational interventions targeting Aedes were effective in reducing entomological indicators or in improving practices to prevent the presence of or eliminate breeding sites. The most widely used indicators were the larval indices, and the practices to reduce/eliminate breeding sites. We found that using a community-based approach adapted to the eco-epidemiological and sociocultural scenarios explain the reduction of entomological indicators by educational interventions. Conclusions/SignificanceThose who design or implement educational interventions should strengthen the evaluation of those interventions using qualitative approaches that provide a more complete picture of the social context and barriers/facilitators to implementing vector control. Engaging school children in cross-sectorial collaboration involving the health and education spheres promotes the participation of the community in vector surveillance and reduces the risk of arboviral disease transmission. Author summaryDengue, Zika, and chikungunya are mosquito-borne diseases that represent a major global public health problem. These diseases are transmitted mainly through the bite of the Aedes aegypti vector mosquito and, to a lesser extent, Ae. albopictus. Getting people involved in prevention and elimination of mosquitos in their communities requires communication and social mobilization strategies to promote and reinforce those prevention actions that, in turn, should be effective from the entomological standpoint. The success of vector control programs has been demonstrated to lie in a comprehensive effort involving key community participation and intersectoral alliances. In addition, the participation of schoolchildren to mobilize their families in the prevention of breeding sites and the management of mosquito populations is recommended. In this article, we proposed to conduct a systematic review of scientific publications that evaluate the effects of educational interventions on Aedes through entomological indicators. As a result, we obtained only 26 articles that evaluated the efficacy of educational interventions in reducing vector populations out of 732 articles reviewed. The selected articles were published in both English and Spanish, and to a lesser extent in Portuguese, which highlights the importance of avoiding language bias in systematic reviews. As a conclusion of our work, we can mention that the interventions that incorporated the social context and the barriers/facilitators for the implementation of vector control were the most successful. In addition, we emphasize the importance of involving schoolchildren to promote community participation in vector surveillance.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2024

Empowering Student Authorship in Synthetic Biology

Women and racial minorities are underrepresented in the synthetic biology community. Developing a scholarly identity by engaging in a scientific community through writing and communication is an important component for STEM retention, particularly for underrepresented individuals. Several excellent pedagogical tools have been developed to teach scientific literacy and to measure competency in reading and interpreting scientific literature. However, fewer tools exist to measure learning gains with respect to writing, or that teach the more abstract processes of peer review and scientific publishing, which are essential for developing scholarly identity and publication currency. Here we describe our approach to teaching scientific writing and publishing to undergraduate students within a synthetic biology course. Using gold standard practices in project-based learning, we created a writing project in which students became experts in a specific application area of synthetic biology with relevance to an important global problem or challenge. To measure learning gains associated with our learning outcomes, we adapted and expanded the Student Attitudes, Abilities, and Beliefs (SAAB) concept inventory to include additional questions about the process of scientific writing, authorship, and peer review. Our results suggest the project-based approach was effective in achieving the learning objectives with respect to writing and peer reviewed publication, and resulted in high student satisfaction and student self-reported learning gains. We propose that these educational practices will contribute directly to the development of scientific identity of undergraduate students as synthetic biologists, and will be useful in creating a more diverse synthetic biology research enterprise.

scientific communication and education↗