Research indicates a decline in plant attention and interest in high-income countries, including among student teachers, even after training. The decline has proven to limit biodiversity awareness and hinder restoration efforts. This study examines the affordances of a mobile augmented reality (mAR) app, Seek, in supporting student teachers’ plant identification and awareness. Twelve primary school student teachers, enrolled in a science and technology course, participated in the study. During the excursion, Seek was used alongside traditional field guides to identify and learn about plants. Semi-structured interviews were thematically analysed. Findings suggest that Seek affords (1) accessibility and direct feedback that enhance interest, (2) noticing biodiversity and recognising similarities and differences, (3) revisiting species collections in relation to habitats, (4) taxonomy-based kinship discernment, (5) spontaneous plant identification beyond the curriculum, and (6) opportunities for critical reflection despite identification limitations. However, insufficient identification required prior taxonomic knowledge, and students lacking this background needed additional teacher support. This study highlights the potential of mAR in teacher education to enhance plant identification, address declining plant awareness, and how such experiences can influence student teachers’ intentions to integrate mAR into their future practice. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

High-quality teacher education plays a crucial role in the develop-ment of successful educational systems around the world. However,educational systems face challenges in relation to attracting andretaining excellent teachers. To meet teacher shortage, the Swedishgovernment introduced alternative programmes that are moreflexible than traditional teacher education. This paper aims to ana-lyse a one-year governmental teacher education initiative and pro-vide deeper insight into career changing student teachers´ as wellas newly graduated teachers´ transition into the teacher profession.Research questions asked were which students choose to becometeachers, why individuals from other professional backgroundschoose to change career and become a teacher, and what aspectsstudent teachers emphasise as crucial for developing their profes-sional identity as teachers of their particular subject content. Assuch, the results might give implications for the way student tea-chers are recruited to teacher education programmes and hownewly graduated teachers can develop professionally. © 2024 The Author(s). 

Sweden has a long-standing tradition of incorporating Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into its school curriculum, which might suggest high pro-environmental behavior among higher education students. In this study, we have investigated the extent to which higher education students at a Swedish university express environmental citizenship behavior and, in relation to this, how environmental citizenship factors interact with demographic variables such as age and gender. The sample used in this study is composed of 371 students who responded to an online survey. The results indicate that the Swedish students in this study demonstrate relatively high eco-citizenship competences in all ages across several areas. However, the results also indicate a generational effect where the students older than 30 scored higher on values concerning respecting nature and protecting the environment, and they also seemed more willing to act as agents of change. The generational differences reflected in the results may be a consequence of the educational shift in Sweden over the years. From the late twentieth century, the discourse shifted from EE, which focused on ecological awareness and conservation, to ESD, which takes a broader view and integrates environmental, social, and economic sustainability. The results have implications for higher education institutions when designing education to promote pro-environmental behavior across different age groups, as there may be generational differences in perspectives on sustainability and environmental awareness. © The Author(s) 2025.

The rapid advances in AI technologies showed a disruptive potential in educational practices, presenting new challenges and generating new opportunities. This phenomenon has been exacerbated since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, which has permanently transformed various educational activities and sparked widespread scientific interest. Research suggests that ChatGPT can help students navigate the complexities of STEM subjects. However, only a few studies have directed attention to the use of ChatGPT in STEM subjects in upper secondary education. With the purpose of addressing this gap, the aim of this study is to explore how students experience ChatGPT for their STEM studies, encompassing their usage, perceptions, and general knowledge about this technology. Using a mixed methods approach, the data collected included a survey and semi-structured interviews involving upper secondary students. The results show widespread adoption of ChatGPT across STEM subjects among participants, particularly in biology and especially as a tool to support the understanding of concepts. Although students exhibited limited knowledge of AI, they demonstrated some effective prompting strategies to generate relevant content and tackle potential inaccuracies and hallucinations. The findings in this paper provide insights to support the exploration of students’ experiences of ChatGPT, presenting relevant topics to further research the applications of these AI technologies within STEM subjects, given their importance for future societal development. © 2025 The Authors

Research shows that species knowledge is declining, limiting awareness of plants and biodiversity loss and hindering restoration efforts. In this workshop, we take departure in a study that explores how species identification skills and plant awareness can be fostered among student teachers using a mobile augmented reality (mAR) application for plant identification. The study involved 12 primary school student teachers enrolled in a species and outdoor education course. During the course, the mAR app Seek was used as a complementary tool to traditional flora on a field excursion to identify and learn about plants. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted. The theory of affordances is used as a theoretical lens to identify action opportunities and constraints of using the Seek app to develop species identification skills. The findings indicate that the mAR app Seek enabled students to 1) notice previously overlooked plants, 2) observe biodiversity, 3) detect taxonomic patterns, 4) associate species with habitats, 5) receive direct feedback on species identification, and 6) identify species informally during leisure activities. However, constraints arose when the app provided no feedback or incorrect identification, requiring prior knowledge of taxonomy and common species. Student teachers without this background struggled to progress. The aim of this workshop is to allow participants to experience the Seek app by using it in an outdoor activity, to discuss implications and ways of using the app in teacher training to enhance the development of identification skills and knowledge about plants and to address the decline in plant awareness. 

The historical development and cultural significance of technology heritage is not just of retrospective interest; it also holds substantial educational value, giving learners a contextualised understanding of how and why technologies emerge, evolve, and influence societies. Understanding technology as a historical and cultural phenomenon is crucial in education today, and this perspective highlights that technological heritage is not limited to preserved objects; it also encompasses the societal impacts that accompany technological change. In educational settings, exploring technology heritage enables students to trace the emergence of innovations in specific historical contexts, to examine their influence on culture and society, and to understand the variety of technological innovations and the values embedded in technological development. In this proposal, we suggest making technology heritage accessible to students in a museum-based learning environment. Based on this perspective, the aim is to establish a long-term collaboration between upper secondary schools with a technology-education focus, lower secondary schools (grades 7–9), Halmstad University, and regional technological history museums, such as Landeryd Railway Museum, World Heritage Grimeton, and the Military History Museum. In the project, students will have the opportunity to engage hands-on with technology heritage, for example, by restoring historical technological artefacts, digitising museum materials, developing modern versions of old technologies, or serving as guides at the museums. Furthermore, the project will include a variety of activities, ranging from guided museum visits to longer internship-like collaborations and upper-secondary diploma projects in cooperation with museums. Student teachers will be involved in developing educational materials and leading guided visits for pupils. Integrating technology heritage into education enables students to develop practical and theoretical knowledge of technology: by learning about early technologies such as the steam engine, the telegraph, and pioneering military technology, students are given opportunities to understand technology from a historical perspective and the cumulative nature of human innovation, which lays the groundwork for future technological development. We suggest that teaching technology from a historical perspective in a museum context may also establish links between STEM and the humanities, challenging students to contextualise their technological knowledge within broader historical and social perspectives. The growing demand for cultural heritage professionals who possess a profound grasp of heritage values alongside robust theoretical and practical knowledge of technology calls for pedagogical approaches that promote younger generations’ interest in, and knowledge of, technology heritage from primary to higher education. In conclusion, in today’s fast-paced technological development, technology heritage forms a foundation for current technological understanding: it enables students to identify patterns, prepare for challenges, and adopt a more analytical approach to innovation. That is, technology heritage is not a nostalgic diversion – it is a vital component of contemporary education. By learning from the past, students can become more informed, critical, and insightful when it comes to technological development in the future.

This paper investigates how the coherent integration of three different tools for reflection during a science methods course can contribute to student teachers' planning and enactment of science teaching, that is, their development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The Refined Consensus Model (RCM) is used as a theoretical lens for conceptualizing links between teaching practice and the development of PCK. The results show how the student teachers' initial PCK (pPCKinput) was manifested into ePCK during planning and teaching, and further, through reflection, developed into a new and richer PCK (pPCKoutput). The three tools encouraged collaborative discussion and reflection about teaching certain big ideas linked to a topic. The case presented in this paper proved to be a coherent way to encourage student teachers to collaborate, reflect, and discuss ideas about their teaching practice and their professional development. © 2025 The Author(s).

Background: Research emphasises preschool teachers’ work with multimodal representations to assist children in developing their understanding of science content. However, this can be time-consuming and challenging in terms of preparation and materials. Slowmation is a multimodal representation where children represent and visualise science content through narrated digital animations. More research is needed on preschool teachers’ experiences of using slowmation to teach science. Purpose: This study aimed to explore preschool teachers’ experiences of implementing slowmation to teach science content in a preschool context. Sample: The study involved five teachers and 17 children (4–5 years) at two preschool departments. Design and methods: To reflect on what science content to include in the slowmation as well as to articulate their pedagogical considerations for using slowmations, the reflective tool Content Representation (CoRe) was used. Based on the CoRe, the teachers constructed slowmations with the children. Video-stimulated recall interviews (n = 2) were conducted, allowing teachers to express their experiences. The interview data were then analysed thematically. Results: The teachers’ experiences of implementing slowmation are summarised in terms of (re)framing the content, children’s engagement, repeated opportunities to engage with the content, and preparation and support needs. For instance, the slowmation due to its design, provides repetitive learning opportunities for children and addresses children’s interests and engagement. The results have implications for teaching science with slowmation in preschool settings. Further, the results indicate the importance of using a reflective tool such as the CoRe for teachers to reflect on what particular content to include in the slowmations as well as, why and how to use slowmations in preschool. Conclusion: Slowmation enhances children’s engagement and understanding of science, offering teachers valuable insights into children’s learning. Despite some challenges, its repetitive structure contributes to visualising and learning science content. Further research from a teacher’s perspective provides additional insights into the conscious use of slowmations in preschool science activities. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.