Influence of two educational Escape Room- Breakout tools in PSTs' affective and cognitive domain in STEM (science and mathematics) courses.

During the last decade, there has been a strong emphasis on developing new instruction methodologies for the effective teaching of different contents. Here, it is important to teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, specially, in scientific and mathematical concepts. In the context of active learning and gamification, educational Escape Room - Breakout (ERB) could be a useful strategy to improve students' affective and cognitive domain towards STEM (science and mathematics). Thus, two didactic tools, based on an ERB, have been designed to teach science and mathematics contents. This research compares the influence of two ERBs (Science ERB and Mathematics ERB) in Pre-Service Teachers' (PSTs) affective domain (emotions, attitudes, and self-efficacy towards STEM) and cognitive domain (performance). Non-parametric statistical tests were used, the Mann-Whitney U test was applied to measure significant differences between the variables in the two ERBs. Spearman correlation coefficient was implemented to measure the correlations between the study variables. The results show that there is a significant increase in positive emotions in both ERBs. The emotions "joy", "fun", and "nervousness" are significantly higher after the Science ERB, and the emotion "fear" is lower with respect to the Mathematics ERB. In the self-efficacy and attitudes analysis, a significant increase of 8 items of the questionnaire is observed in the Mathematics ERB with respect to the Science ERB. According to performance analysis, PST grades have been increased after each ERB. Finally, the correlation analysis between variables indicates that positive emotions, high self-efficacy, and positive attitudes increase the PSTs' performance. Here, high values of these variables are related to high values on the theoretical content test after both ERBs. According to these results, the two ERBs used could have several advantages in the PSTs' affective and cognitive domain.

Mathematics self-belief comparison and examination of pre-service teacher (PST) through a flipped-open calculation based on numbers (ABN) learning method.

Teaching mathematics in higher education has been followed traditionally by teacher-centered methodology. With this methodology, there are always certain difficulties in mathematics learning, revealing students are not capable of dealing properly with calculations and/or problems. This research presents the comparison and examination of two different instruction methodologies, traditional-classroom methodology (TCM) and flipped-classroom methodology (FCM) about self-belief of pre-service teacher (PST) in a mathematics course. Here, an open calculation based on numbers (ABN) method originally from the Spanish teaching methodology (abierto basado en números) was used in both teaching methodologies. The 274 PSTs participated in the course: 131 students to T-ABN and 143 students to F-ABN. The results after applying the questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.897) showed F-ABN had significant influences in PSTs' self-belief toward the course and made classes more interactive based on parametric-statistical tests. PSTs' self-belief for four studied groups (pre- and post-test in control and experimental group) indicated significant differences found by ANOVA test. Additionally, significant differences were only observed in educational background not in gender of PSTs' self-belief according to factorial ANVOA. In all cases, when significant differences were found, effect size and post-hoc tests were conducted. Therefore, more student-centered methodology allowed to build positive teaching/learning environment for PSTs as future teachers, which consequently expects better learning outputs for children as their future students.

A STEM Course Analysis During COVID-19: A Comparison Study in Performance and Affective Domain of PSTs Between F2F and F2S Flipped Classroom.

Due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, university education has faced a significant challenge that requires adaptation to virtual and online education. Here, a fruitful flipped methodology with increased popularity can support adaption to and improvement of the current pandemic situation. This research presents a comparison of two different instruction situations with an identical teaching methodology, face-to-face (F2F) and face-to-screen (F2S) flipped methodology, in terms of students' performance and affective domain in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) course. It was considered and designed as an examination of 132 pre-service teachers (PSTs), with 68 and 64 PSTs respectively for each group. The first group before the pandemic was applied by F2F flipped classroom and the second group after the pandemic was applied by F2S flipped classroom. The results after pertaining various data analyses of class activities and questionaries showed that performance had been improved for both groups toward the course. In addition, F2F had a significant difference in PSTs' emotion and perception toward the course and made classes more interactive. The mean score values of students' emotion and perception between two groups showed that the difference between these mean values were significant, suggesting a very large effect. Particularly, the effect size (ES) showed that positive emotions were more significant with different variables and the items Q7-Q9 of questionnaires indicated more significant different perceptions for both F2F and F2S after completing the course. Finally, the principal component analysis (PCA) test described that F2F answers were located mainly in the positive emotion, while F2S answers were grouped in the negative emotion, while no differences were observed for PSTs perceptions to the flipped methodology. Consequently, although F2F-F2S transition was an effective process, instructors and PSTs faced difficulties in the platform usage for online lectures reflecting emotions' results in F2S group. Thus, by solving the problems raised, it will allow PSTs to be more interactive in a virtual and online context for their future implementation by giving them active instruction methodology and educating future students to teach STEM contents.

Assessment of sustainability science education criteria in online-learning through fuzzy-operational and multi-decision analysis and professional survey.

Sustainable development in education is growing a public awareness and is gaining an increasing importance to improve a long-term learning program. However, a higher sustainability education is an initial phase as ever in many universities. E-learning systems in science education based on innovative information and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have close relationship in effective long-standing learnings of sustainability and numerous criteria. Also, the technological challenge integrated to sustainability science education has been focused on e-learning programs, which can fill current educational niche. This paper presents a combined application, Fuzzy-DEcision-MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory/Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (F-DEMATEL/MCDA) technique, identifying and analyzing e-learning systems' the most essential criteria for sustainability science education. The main criteria to accomplish this goal proposed are delineated, weighted, appraised and assigned into four groups such as sustainability, science education, e-learning and technology criteria. Sixteen sub-criteria were analyzed by the participatory F-DEMATEL technique on the basis of coefficients' value and computation in the context of impact and examination. For the final decision problem, the most important criteria are acquired with the help of Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) assessed by six implementation strategies' sensitivity analysis (A to F) and the sub-criteria by a professional online survey. Analysis on F-DEMATEL/MCDA shows sustainability criteria (Strategy A, 0.54 with 84% most likely and likely professional perception survey) that is the most essential criteria in sustainability and e-learning systems science education. Also, it indicates information environmental (0.57 with 77% most likely and likely professional perception survey) is the most essential variable among sub-criteria. Strategy F considering the most important criteria as equal (0.25) got 19% positively perception professional assessment. Consequently, fuzzy-operational and multi-decision analysis and professional survey could be utilized to find out the most essential sustainability science e-learning criteria that also could be engaged to make pliable and pertinent decision features.

Photobiomodulation on human annulus fibrosus cells during the intervertebral disk degeneration: extracellular matrix-modifying enzymes.

Destruction of extracellular matrix (ECM) leads to degeneration of the intervertebral disk (IVD), which is a major contributor to many spine disorders. IVD degeneration is induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), which are secreted by immune cells, including macrophages and neutrophils. The cytokines modulate ECM-modifying enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in human annulus fibrosus (AF) cells. The resulting imbalance in catabolic and anabolic enzymes can cause generalized back, neck, and low back pain (LBP). Photobiomodulation (PBM) is known to regulate inflammatory responses and wound healing. The aim of this study was to mimic the degenerative IVD microenvironment, and to investigate the effect of a variety of PBM conditions (wavelength: 635, 525, and 470 nm; energy density: 16, 32, and 64 J/cm(2)) on the production of ECM-modifying-enzymes by AF cells under degenerative conditions induced by macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM), which contains pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-ß secreted by macrophage during the development of intervertebral disk inflammation. We showed that the MCM-stimulated AF cells express imbalanced ratios of TIMPs (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2) and MMPs (MMP-1 and MMP-3). PBM selectively modulated the production of ECM-modifying enzymes in AF cells. These results suggest that PBM can be a therapeutic tool for degenerative IVD disorders.

Changes in brain activation induced by the training of hypothesis generation skills: an fMRI study.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the learning-related changes in brain activation induced by the training of hypothesis generation skills regarding biological phenomena. Eighteen undergraduate participants were scanned twice with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before and after training over a period of 2 months. The experimental group underwent eight biological hypothesis generation training programs, but the control group was not given any during the 2-month period. The results showed that the left frontal gyri, the cingulate gyrus, and the cuneus were activated during hypothesis generation. In addition, the brain activation of the trained group increased in the left inferior and the superior frontal gyri, which are related to working memory load and higher-order inferential processes. However, the activation after training decreased in the occipito-parietal route, which is associated with the perception and the analysis processes of visual information. Furthermore, the results have suggested that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) region is the critical area in the training of hypothesis generation skills.

Increased information transmission during scientific hypothesis generation: mutual information analysis of multichannel EEG.

Hypothesis generation has been regarded as one of the core reasoning processes in creative thinking and scientific discovery. To investigate changes in the amount of information transmission during scientific hypothesis generation, the averaged cross-mutual-information (A-CMI) of EEGs was estimated. Twenty-five 5th grade students were sampled in this study. EEG signals from 16 electrodes on each subject's scalp were recorded using a 32-channel EEG system. In order to generate hypotheses, the students were asked to observe 20 quail eggs that gave rise to questions such as: Why do different sizes and shapes of patterns appear on the surface of the eggs? After the observation, they were asked to generate a scientific hypothesis-a tentative causal explanation for the evoked question. The results of experimentation indicated several distinct brain activities during hypothesis generation interacting between different local brain regions. In addition, it was observed that the amount of information transmission during hypothesis generation increased in a large part of the brain region encompassing the temporal, parietal, and occipital cortexes, which implies the use of declarative and procedural memory systems. Furthermore, this study suggested the possibility that neuropsychological approaches may be potential tools to investigate the neuronal activity of EEGs during hypothesis generation.

Differences in brain information transmission between gifted and normal children during scientific hypothesis generation.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in neural information transmission between gifted and normal children involved in scientific hypothesis generation. To investigate changes in the amount of information transmission, the children's averaged-cross mutual information (A-CMI) of EEGs was estimated during their generation of scientific hypotheses. We recorded EEG from 25 gifted and 25 age-matched normal children using 16 electrodes on each subject's scalp. To generate hypotheses, the children were asked to observe 20 "quail eggs" that gave rise to questions. After observation, they were asked to generate a scientific hypothesis--a tentative causal explanation for the questions evoked. The results of this study revealed several distinguishing brain activities between gifted and normal children during hypothesis generation. In contrast to normal children, gifted children showed increased A-CMI values between the left temporal and central, between the left temporal and parietal, and between the left central and parietal locations while generating a hypothesis. These results suggested that gifted children more efficiently distribute the cognitive resources essential to cope with hypothesis generation.