These proceedings contain papers of the 5th International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education (BalticSTE2023) held in Šiauliai, Lithuania, June 12-15, 2023. This collection of BalticSTE23 articles presents 21 research papers and two introductory articles on the topic of natural science and technological education. Their thematic…

One of the main goals of the work of teachers is to increase and maintain the motivation of pupils to learn. However, many studies have confirmed that traditional teaching, without problems that activate students and with the use of only the teacher's interpretation of the topic, does not increase, or even reduce motivation. Pupils behave…

In our rapidly developing modern world, where there are trends of high growth in science and technology, there is an acute need for professionally motivated and highly qualified specialists. This article discusses the features of professional motivation of students of pedagogical specialties. To determine the specifics of the formation of…

The teaching of natural sciences and technology in primary schools presents an opportunity to use innovative approaches to teach STEM-based activities. The subject presents opportunities for learners to experience STEM-based instructional approaches in their early school years; therefore, it is essential that preservice primary school teachers are…

Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) has emerged as a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) tool with an aptitude to transform course design in higher education significantly. While ChatGPT's applications in education are substantially growing, its role in natural sciences, particularly in course planning and content generation among…

Background: Today's complex information environment requires effective navigation and analysis of multiple sources to make reliable decisions about complex topics. Learners must enact thinking that reliably leads to well-justified decisions, adapt thinking to specific problems and contexts, and recognize the limits of their existing knowledge…

Failure seems to have various meanings and manifestations in diverse contexts. Students hope to avoid failure because of the potential consequences towards their aspirations, yet scientists speak of failure as a typical part of the scientific experience. Because of its consequential impact for students, particularly for undergraduate STEM…

Purpose Although natural science disciplines significantly contribute to sustainable development goals (SDGs), little research attends to how higher education institutions (HEIs) influence the development of leadership skills needed among sustainability leaders. This paper aims to examine the leadership development experiences of natural…

In the last 30 years, 4 distinct theoretical approaches have been described for early childhood science education. The approaches are, empiricist, Piagetian, socio-cognitive and socio-cultural. Drawing on the differences among these approaches regarding the theoretical framework adopted in teaching, the role that is assigned to the teacher during…

The purpose of this study was to explore Swedish natural science sexuality education as a material-discursive practice. More specifically, we sought to investigate ways in which the phenomenon of "oskuld," which in Swedish means sexual innocence or to be without guilt, comes into being among 17-18-year-old students. The study, conducted…

Controversial scientific issues, or socioscientific issues (SSIs), demand the consideration of more than scientific content when constructing decisions. The Justification for Knowing framework (JFK) was developed to categorize the information sources drawn upon when making SSI decisions within the academic domain of natural sciences. These…

In the teaching of natural science, field trips are a means of bringing students directly into contact with the biological and geological aspects of the environment. The present study explored French students' views of fieldwork and the relationships they establish with the natural environment as a result. We analyzed the responses of 293 primary…

Natural History has been part of our curriculum since 1858. Not as a single, continuous subject but embedded in many different subjects and qualifications. As OCR prepares to launch a GCSE in Natural History, this article draws on the historical resources of OCR and its predecessor the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate to show…

Despite the increasing focus on incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into education through curriculum mainstreaming, related research remains lacking. This study explored the representation of SDGs in Taiwan's national curriculum in terms of selection and organization. Through a content analysis of the social studies and natural…

Informed scientific thinking is a vital component of engaging all socioscientific issues (SSI) such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, socioscientific engagement may be influenced by sociocultural factors and mis/disinformation efforts to the widespread detriment of human and environmental well-being. The purpose of this…