Research Article

Biology and Health Education: Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Course on Environmental Health Education aiming at the Scientific Literacy of Future Teachers

Kyriacos Athanasiou 1 *
More Detail
1 National and Kapodestrian University of Athens, GREECE* Corresponding Author
Eurasian Journal of Science and Environmental Education, 1(1), December 2021, 51-61, https://doi.org/10.30935/ejsee/11871
Published: 15 December 2021
OPEN ACCESS   709 Views   591 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

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.

CITATION (APA)

Athanasiou, K. (2021). Biology and Health Education: Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Course on Environmental Health Education aiming at the Scientific Literacy of Future Teachers. Eurasian Journal of Science and Environmental Education, 1(1), 51-61. https://doi.org/10.30935/ejsee/11871

REFERENCES

  1. American Cancer Society. (2008). Cancer facts & figures 2008. https://bit.ly/3qBZEmY
  2. Ames, B. N. (1983). Dietary carcinogens and anticarcinogens. Science, 221, 1256-64. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6351251
  3. Athanasiou, Κ. (1983). The scientific basis for the screening of environmental carcinogens. Epitheorese Klinikes Farmakologias Farmakokinetikes, 3, 207-218. https://pharmakonpress.gr/?p=11365 (In Greek)
  4. Athanasiou, Κ. (1995). Health education (1st ed.). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
  5. Athanasiou, K. (2000). Speculations on cigarette smoking among youngsters in Greece. In Lu R., Mackay J., Niu S., Peto R. (Eds.), Tobacco: The Growing Epidemic (pp. 295-297). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0769-9_126
  6. Athanasiou, Κ. (2007). Health education (2nd ed.). Grigoris Books.
  7. Athanasiou, Κ. (2020). An introduction to biological sciences and their didactics. Grigoris Books.
  8. Athanasiou, K., Arzimanoglou, I., Piccoli, C., & Yamasaki, H. (1987). Mutagenicity, clastogenicity and in-vitro transforming ability of particulates from Athens air. Cell Biology and Toxicology, 3, 301-307. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00117863
  9. Athanasiou, K., & Kyrtopoulos, S. A. (1983). Mutagenic and clastogenic effects of organic extracts from the Athenian drinking water. The Science of the Total Environment, 27, 113-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(83)90150-X
  10. Athanasiou, K., & Macris, G. (2000). Smoking and cancer. In K. Slama (Ed.), Tobacco and health (pp. 623-625). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1907-2_134
  11. Athanasiou, K., & Papadopoulou, P. (2011). Conceptual Ecology of the Evolution acceptance among Greek education students: Knowledge, religious practices and social influences. International Journal of Science Education, 34(6), 903-924. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.586072
  12. Charalabopoulos, K., Makris, G., Charalabopoulos, A., Golias, C., & Athanasiou, K. (2011). Public knowledge, beliefs and practices in Greece about cancer etiology and prevention. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. 17(5), 392-7. https://doi.org/10.26719/2011.17.5.392
  13. Currie, C., Zanotti, C., Morgan, A., Currie, D., deLooze, M., Roberts, C., Samdal, O., Smith, O., & Barnekow, V. (2012). Social determinants of health and well-being among young people. Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: International report from the 2009/2010 survey. Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe. https://bit.ly/3EEGiRO
  14. Doll, R. (1998). Epidemiological evidence of the effects of behavior and the environment on the risk of human cancer. In M. Schwab, H. M. Rabes, K. Munk & H. P. Hofschneider (Eds.), Genes and environment in cancer: Recent Results in Cancer Research (Vol. 154, pp. 3–21). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-46870-4_1
  15. Doll, R., & Peto, R. (1981). The causes of cancer. Oxford University Press.
  16. European Communities Biologists Association. (1984). Health education and school biology. https://bit.ly/3A81vmv
  17. Gough, A., Marshall, A., Matthews, R., Milne, G., Tytler, R., & White, G. (1998). Science baseline survey. Deakin University.
  18. Heddle, J. A., & Athanasiou, K. (1975). Mutation rates, genome size and their relation to the "rec" concept. Nature, 258, 359-361.
  19. Katakos, S., & Athanasiou, K. (2020). The ‘geological argument’ as an instrument for the acceptance of the theory of evolution among Greek science teachers. Journal of Genetics and Cell Biology, 3(3), 183-186.
  20. Kourmousi, N., & Koutras, V. (2011). Steps for life. Papazisis.
  21. Lifo. (2017). One out of four Greeks believe that we are sprayed. https://www.lifo.gr/now/greece/135752
  22. Makris, G., Charalampopoulos, K. A., & Athanasiou, K. (1994). Estimating the level of knowledge of Greek students on cancer etiology and ways of prevention. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 3(5), 443-450. https://doi.org/10.1097/00008469-199409000-00009
  23. McCann, J., Choi, E., Yamasaki, E., & Ames, B. N. (1975). Detection of carcinogens as mutagens in the Salmonella/microsome test: Assay of 300 chemicals. PNAS, 72(12) 5135-5139. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.72.12.5135
  24. McComas, W. F. (2008). Seeking historical examples to illustrate key aspects of the nature of science. Science & Education, 17(2), 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-007-9081-y
  25. Mortelmans, K., & Zeiger, E. (2000). The Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay. Mutation Research, 455, 29-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0027-5107(00)00064-6
  26. National and Kapodestrian University of Athens. (2021, February 18). Service of electronic questionnaires. https://survey.uoa.gr/portal/mainMenu
  27. Peto, R. (2001). Cancer epidemiology in the last century and the next decade. Nature, 411, 390–395. https://doi.org/10.1038/35077256
  28. Peto, R., Darby, S., Deo, H., Silcocks, P., Whitley, E., & Doll, R. (2000). Smoking, cessation, and lung cancer in the UK since 1950: Combination of national statistics with two case-control studies. British Medical Journal, 321, 323-328. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7257.323
  29. Peto, R., Parish, S. E., & Gray, R. G. (1985). There is no such thing as aging and cancer is not related to it. In A. Likhachev, V. Anisimov & R. Montesano (Eds.), Age-related factors in carcinogenesis (pp. 43-53). International Agency for Research on Cancer.
  30. Rowland, R. E., Edwards, L. A., & Podd, J. V. (2007). Elevated sister chromatid exchange frequencies in New Zealand Vietnam War veterans. Cytogenetic and Genome Research, 116, 248–251. https://bit.ly/3HjNiVM
  31. Tytler, R. (2001). Describing and supporting effective science teaching and learning in Australian schools - validation issues. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 2(2), Article 2.
  32. Von Glasersfeld, E. (1998). Cognition, construction of knowledge, and teaching. In M. R. Matthews (Ed.), Constructivism in science education (pp. 11–30). Springer.