Digital transformation in zoology education: A methodology for training future biology teachers
Keywords:
Biology Teacher Education, TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge), Digital Didactics, virtual dissection, Geographical Information Systems (GIS)Abstract
The digital transformation of higher education has outpaced the methodological readiness of biology teacher training, where generic ICT courses rarely translate into discipline-specific teaching skills. This study develops and evaluates a 16-week “Digital Didactics of Zoology” module. It examined whether embedding digital tools within zoology pedagogy is associated with better outcomes than conventional instruction paired with separate ICT training. A mixed-methods quasi-experiment followed 84 pre-service biology teachers in two intact academic groups, an experimental group receiving the modüle (n = 42) and a control group receiving conventional teaching with a generic ICT course (n = 42). Data were derived from pre- and post-tests of subject knowledge, a 35-item competence questionnaire, case-based lesson design and micro-teaching tasks, blinded expert ratings, and coded lesson plans and interaction logs. Because (ANCOVA), allocation was not random, post-test scores were compared using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for the pre-test. The experimental condition scored significantly higher in zoology knowledge (adjusted difference 9.22 points, 95% CI [7.10, 11.33], d = 1.89) and in digital didactic competence (20.53 points, 95% CI [17.89, 23.17], d = 3.38) and higher on lesson quality (g = 1.54) and expert evaluations (g = 2.48). An exploratory structural equation model (SEM) fitted to the full sample (CFI = .994, RMSEA = .060, SRMR = .027) associated digital proficiency with pedagogical reasoning (β = .71, bootstrap 95% CI [.55, .83]); this association appeared in both conditions, and the two estimates were not compared formally. The module provides teacher-education programs with a transferable design for technology-integrated zoology instruction, pending replication across institutions.
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