No abstract

There are some trends currently being monitored in the country: interest in science studies and related professions is decreasing; unsatisfactory results of international student achievement research (PISA, TIMSS). In order to make students more interested in natural sciences and to motivate them to relate their life to STEAM activities, it is appropriate to encourage students to engage in independent research and to discover the joy of discovery. One of the ways to solve this problem is the students' practical experimental activity in the laboratories of University. In this way, students not only get to know the laws of science, new technologies, but also carry out experiments, research and projects. The research analyses the usage of STEAM program “Cognition of Energy and Thermal Processes” for students of ninth (1st Gymnasium) grades in order to deepen and broaden the knowledge of natural science education, develop practical abilities of students and their scientific researcher's competence. Students are advised to do five experimental works in this field. The program engages a basic educational method – inquiry-based learning. The results of the pedagogical experiment and the questionnaire survey are discussed. It can be stated that educational experimental activities are necessary and useful for students. By using these experimental activities, students can be provided with educational material in an attractive form, which stimulates the interest in the subject. Program participants have deepened and expanded their knowledge of energy and thermal processes in nature. Students improved their competence in natural science research. They learned how to plan and perform experiments, acquired the ability to formulate hypotheses, to make assumptions, to analyse and explain results, and to formulate reasoned conclusions. Students acquired practical skills to work properly and safely with devices and tools (computer systems Nova 5000 and Xplorer GLX, temperature, humidity sensors, caliper, scales, etc.) Students liked to be young researchers; they felt the joy of discovery by practically experimenting and independently exploring natural phenomena. Keywords: experimental skills, science learning system, inquiry-based learning, STEAM education.

With the explosion of mobile technologies, mobile teaching and learning became an important educational challenge. Since both teachers and students are increasingly using mobile devices in their everyday life, the question is why so little progress has been made in this direction. Clearly, the initiative of introducing mobile technology in class should come from teachers. Existing research shows a large diversity of factors that are influencing their perception as regards the usefulness and opportunity of mobile teaching and learning. This research aims to understand the extent to which the expectancy of increased students’ motivation and better understanding are influencing the perception of mobile teaching usefulness. A structural model has been developed and tested on two samples of science education teachers, one from Romania and the other from Lithuania. The results show that the expectancy of a better understanding of lessons by students has an important effect on the teachers’ perception of mobile teaching and learning. Keywords: educational usefulness, learning motivation, mobile teaching, mobile learning, pilot research

No abstract

The rapid expansion of social networking websites is raising several issues regarding the influence on the individual and social behavior of users. It is without doubt, that social networking websites are a phenomenon of a contemporary society, which has to be explored in various aspects. It is only because SNW are becoming more and more important for the whole society, especially for the youth, after all, they undoubtedly change the world. Their penetration is observed in various society life spheres. Education is not an exception. It can be stated, that SNW change educational processes. However, the main question is: how change? Can they harm, or maybe on the contrary – help in terms of education. Having carried out empiric research, a hierarchical and multidimensional measurement model was developed to explore the negative effects of these websites. The model has been tested on one sample and cross validated on another sample. It has been stated, that SNW negative effects is a multidimensional construct, having several facets that describe distinct aspects. Key words: measurement models, science education, social networking websites, university students.