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Long Term Ecological Research as a Learning Environment: Evaluating Its Impact in Developing the Understanding of Ecological Systems Thinking – A Case Study

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Fostering Understanding of Complex Systems in Biology Education

Part of the book series: Contributions from Biology Education Research ((CBER))

Abstract

The Long-Term Ecosystem Research (LTER) project was established in order to investigate ecological processes over long temporal and broad spatial scales, with the involvement of scientists from multiple disciplines, in many sites around the world.

The study presented in this chapter followed an 8th grade science education program that was designed around the educational activities at an LTER site and school surrounding. The program’s goal was to develop the students’ in-depth understanding of complex ecological systems and of the scientific practices associated with advanced ecological research.

Mixed method approach enabled us to assess students’ development of their system thinking. Data analysis referred to three sequential levels of the System Thinking Hierarchy (STH) model: analyses, synthesis, and implementation. The students presented complexity understanding of ecological system that was developed within each of the major STH categories. They recognized processes, cycles and dynamic in the system as well as the spatiotemporal LTER components. Nevertheless, most of them struggle to demonstrate the carbon cycle, biological mechanisms and the cyclic nature of its processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Shayli Dor-Haim & Orit Ben Zvi Assaraf

Authors
  1. Shayli Dor-Haim
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  2. Orit Ben Zvi Assaraf
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Correspondence to Shayli Dor-Haim .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program for Science and Technology Education, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel

    Orit Ben Zvi Assaraf

  2. Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Marie-Christine P. J. Knippels

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Dor-Haim, S., Ben Zvi Assaraf, O. (2022). Long Term Ecological Research as a Learning Environment: Evaluating Its Impact in Developing the Understanding of Ecological Systems Thinking – A Case Study. In: Ben Zvi Assaraf, O., Knippels, MC.P.J. (eds) Fostering Understanding of Complex Systems in Biology Education. Contributions from Biology Education Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98144-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98144-0_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-98143-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-98144-0

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