The COVID–19 pandemic had an immense impact on societies globally, emphasising the pivotal importance of understanding infectious diseases. This study was conducted to delineate the possible influence of the pandemic, by comparing how infectious diseases are portrayed in biology textbooks (school years 4–6 and 7–9) published before and after the COVID–19 pandemic outbreak. Data was subjected to content and thematic analysis, employing contagion literacy as an analytical framework.

The contagion literacy framework identifies six content themes important to teach: contagions, transmission routes, hygiene, vaccinations, antibiotics and antibiotic resistance and sexually transmitted diseases that can be divided into three health literacy levels; functional, which focuses on factual knowledge, interactive, an invitation to what one should do and critical, which requires a higher awareness with critical reflection.

The main conclusion from the comparative analysis was that very few changes were made in the textbooks as a consequence of the pandemic and an overall dominance of functional health literacy. However, critical health literacy descriptions of vaccinations increased in the aftermath of COVID–19 in lower secondary textbooks (7–9), while simultaneously content descriptions about antibiotic and antibiotic resistance were reduced. Critical health literacy aspects of vaccination were included in biology textbooks published only after the pandemic. Concomitantly, the inclusion of descriptions of linkage between contagions and infectious diseases and incubation periods was also found in textbooks published after the pandemic. Implications for curriculum development and the impact on teaching and learning are discussed.

Sustainable development encompasses the integration of social, environmental, and economic dimensions, making it a complex and multifaceted issue, with no single, definitive solution for its achievement (Hedenus et al., 2018). This complexity places new demands on education, especially in preparing young learners to navigate and engage with uncertain and often conflicting sustainability challenges. In Swedish primary education, teachers are tasked with incorporating education for sustainable development (ESD) into their teaching. Research underscores their pivotal role in preparing future generations to address sustainability challenges (Ideland, 2016) and in educating children about sustainable practices (Hedefalk et al., 2014). The aim of ESD is not merely to deliver predetermined content but to foster a sense of agency by encouraging pupils’ active engagement with sustainability issues (Häggström, 2022). This pedagogical emphasis on pupil participation is also underlined by Lundegård and Caiman (2019), who argue for the importance of pupil influence in ESD. Despite this emphasis, empirical research on how ESD is practically enacted in primary school classrooms remains limited, particularly in relation to pupils’ influence. Reflection can serve as a way forward for teachers to examine their pedagogical approaches (Schön, 1983; Thompson & Thompson, 2023) and navigate the complexities of integrating sustainability into education. It could o er an opportunity for teachers to develop their practices by linking reflection with action (Rolfe, 2011), thereby enabling them to respond to the evolving challenges and intricacies of ESD. Moreover, collaboration among teachers may further enrich this reflective process by fostering the exchange of insights, challenging assumptions, and facilitating mutual learning from others’ experiences. This collaborative reflection can provide opportunities to explore innovative strategies and incorporate diverse perspectives into pedagogical practice. As Korthagen and Nuijten (2022) argue, engaging with colleagues’ perspectives in reflective practices can enhance professional growth. Given this context, the aim of this study is to investigate how teachers conceptualize their teaching practices to create opportunities for pupils’ influence in ESD. This study is grounded in sociocultural theory, which emphasizes the role of social interactions and collaborative practices in learning, mediated by language and artefacts (Katsell & Wertsch, 2002; Vygotskij, 1986; Vygotsky, 1978). The empirical material consists of teachers’ reflections, conducted in pairs before and after lessons. Preliminary tendencies show that the teachers’ reflections reveal nuanced views on pupils’ influence in ESD, highlighting both opportunities and challenges in facilitating ESD in classrooms. These findings underscore the importance of continuous reflection in developing teaching practices that acknowledge both the complexities of sustainability and the role of pupils in shaping their own learning experiences in ESD.

In primary education in Sweden, sustainable development is integrated into various parts of the Swedish Curriculum for Compulsory School, Preschool Class, and School-Age Educare. It is a multifaceted and complex concept, underpinned by a clear ethical foundation. The Swedish Curriculum emphasizes the importance of grounding the education system in democratic principles. Additionally, the Education Act highlights that education for sustainable development should involve pupil influence. Previous research has largely focused on preschool education, with a central emphasis on the pupil perspective. In contrast, the ambition of this study was to shift the focus to teachers working in classrooms with pupils in grades one and four, addressing the research gap within the primary school context. Specifically, this study aims to contribute to knowledge of the ways teachers reflect on their teaching for sustainable development, with a particular focus on pupils’ influence in the classroom.The study is grounded in sociocultural theory, which emphasizes the role of social interactions in the development of cognitive processes. It posits that learning is a social activity in which knowledge is constructed through interactions with others.

The methodology for data collection draws inspiration from educational design research, which involves close collaboration between the researcher and the teachers, with both parties contributing to the research process aimed at developing didactical practices.

The empirical material consists of audio-recorded reflections of teachers discussing their teaching for sustainable development after applying certain forms of democratic participation in the classroom. The material was analyse dusing concepts from the study’s theoretical framework.

The study’s results indicate that when the teachers reflect on their teaching for sustainable development with a particular focus on pupils’ influence, they emphasize the importance of strengthening pupils’ agency and increasing their engagement as co-creators in the learning process. The teachers’ reflections also explore the approaches employed to plan for and create an educational environment that is a conducive space for sustainable development. Additionally, the study underscores the value that the teachers place on the integration of authentic materials to connect the classroom learning with real-world contexts, thereby enhancing engagement and making learning more concrete.

This study contributes to Nordic educational research by shedding light on how teachers emphasize the significance of linking classroom content to pupils’ everyday experiences. It illustrates the dual role of authentic materials in promoting pupil engagement, while also acknowledging their potential to cause distraction. Ultimately, the study reinforces the idea that education serves as a vital tool for preparing future generations to address the challenges of the Anthropocene era. It holds the potential to equip pupils with the necessary skills to navigate complex issues within the Nordic context, while simultaneously nurturing a sense of global responsibility and the ability to engage with pressing challenges in an increasingly interconnected world.

Research topic/aim: Living in the Anthropocene era gives rise to a multitude of intricate global challenges, encompassing climate change,biodiversity loss, and food scarcity. These challenges are central to the discourse on sustainability, as there is widespreadrecognition of an urgent need for the adoption of a more sustainable living, through a variety of potential pathways,objectives, and outcomes to achieve it. Consequently, it becomes essential to view sustainable development as an endeavourthat embodies democratic principles, with the educational sector assuming a critical role in guiding humanity towards a moresustainable future (Lundegård & Caiman, 2019). As Ideland (2016) notes, teachers have a significant responsibility inpreparing the next generation for their future. To meet this challenge, teachers themselves need to develop anunderstanding of their pedagogical approaches in the context of sustainable development (McNaughton, 2012). Hence, theaim of the study is to contribute with knowledge on how teachers enact their teaching when pupils get increased influence.

Theoretical framework: The theoretical framework is grounded in sociocultural theory wherein learning occurs through social interactions with others,and communication, employing language and tools, constitutes a salient dimension thereof (Vygotsky, 1978).

Methodological design:The methodology employed for the data collection draws inspiration from educational design research. The close collaboration between researchers and practitioners facilitates a collaborative enhancement of didactical practices (HenningLoeb et al., 2019).The empirical data comprises audio-visual recordings of conducted lessons and is analysed by applying concepts within thestudy’s theoretical framework.Expected conclusions/findings On an overarching level, tentative findings indicate that teachers, by way of applying democratic principles, vary their teaching in response to the increased influence of pupils within the interactive learning environment.

Relevance to Nordic educational research: The study contributes to Nordic educational research as it sheds light on teaching and teachers’ learning when adapting pedagogical approaches to prepare future generations for the challenges of the Anthropocene era. By emphasizing howsustainability issues can be integrated into educational practices, including increased pupil influence, this researchcontributes to Nordic educational research, addressing both the current pressing Nordic but also global challenges as weembark on the educational adventures of the future.

References:

Henning Loeb, I., Langelotz, L., & Rönnerman, K. (2019). Att utveckla utbildningspraktiker: Analys, förståelse och förändringgenom teorin om praktikarkitekturer (1 ed.). Studentlitteratur AB. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-21714

Ideland, M. (2016). Den KRAV-märkta människan. Celanders förlag.

Lundegård, I., & Caiman, C. (2019). Didaktik för naturvetenskap och hållbar utveckling - Fem former av demokratisktdeltagande Education for science and Sustainable Development - Four forms of Democratic Participation [article]. Nordina: Nordic Studies in Science Education, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.5617/nordina.4822

McNaughton, M. J. (2012). Implementing Education for Sustainable Development in schools: learning from teachers’reflections. Environmental Education Research, 18(6), 765-782. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.665850

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvjf9vz4

Retrieval-based learning, using tests for content review, frequently proves more effective for knowledge retention compared to alternative methods. Extensive research has explored this with older students, often in contrast to more passive techniques like rereading or note rewriting, typically focusing on vocabulary content, in non-classroom settings and assessing knowledge retention within a week. In this study we conducted a classroom experiment to compare the efficacy of retrieval-based learning to another active method of reviewing content, namely discussion, in promoting long-term knowledge retention among primary school science  students.  Additionally,  we  assessed  the  students’ perceptions of these reviewing methods. A total of eighty-one primary  school  students  participated  in  the  study,  which encompassed a lesson conducted at a zoo, followed by a review of the  lesson  content  using  either  retrieval-based  learning  or discussion. Our findings indicated no impact of the method of reviewing on knowledge retention after either one week or four weeks. Nevertheless, notable effects were observed in terms of motivation, as students who employed retrieval-based learning for reviewing reported heightened levels of interest and enjoyment, along  with  perceiving  greater  benefits  from  the  process. Additionally, boys in the discussion group reported increased curiosity, in contrast to girls who reported an inverse pattern.

Theoretical background and rationale 

Teaching infectious diseases is an integral and important part of the biology curriculum. Previously, infectious diseases were not given much attention in biology education and within biology education research (Byrne, Marston, and Grace, 2021; Jones and Rua, 2008). Considering the recent COVID-19 pandemic there is reason to believe that this topic gained priority in biology tutoring. This study investigated the way Swedish middle school teachers taught infectious diseases in the aftermath of COVID-19 by using the contagion literacy framework (CL) as the analytical tool. The CL framework was originally developed by Kilstadius and Gericke (2017) based on Nutbeam’s (1998) health literacy framework and conceptualize what knowledge pertaining to health and disease that is considered essential for a citizen to understand and hence to be included in the biology curriculum of compulsory schools. The CL framework covers six principal content themes: (i) contagions, (ii) modes of transmission, (iii) infectious diseases, (iv) hygiene practices, (v) vaccinations, and (vi) antibiotics and antibiotic resistance.

The six themes are further subdivided into three levels of health literacy, functional health literacy, encompassing fundamental concepts and knowledge. The subsequent level, interactive health literacy, represents the translation of functional health literacy into practical actions and behaviours. The third level, critical health literacy, involves the utilization of insights into infectious diseases in the everyday decision-making process and the capacity to influence one's lifestyle choices accordingly.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted immensely in schools worldwide, emphasising the pivotal importance of infectious diseases. This study aims to delineate the teaching of diseases in middle schools, investigating how content and instruction was influenced in the aftermath of the pandemic. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with teachers. The analytical method involved thematic analysis. The first analysis concerned teaching content was based on the framework of contagion literacy. The second analysis investigated the teaching approaches through an inductive analysis. The findings suggest that the pandemic had an impact on the biology teaching in relation to infectious diseases. During the pandemic, teaching largely revolved around student-initiated, question-driven discussions about current events related to societal health initiatives within schools, rather than expanding the planned biology curriculum. The main finding is that teachers focused on hygiene and to influence students’ behaviours interactively. The pandemic was not fully exploited by the participating teachers to develop more curriculum-based teaching including functional and critical health literacy perspectives. The study recommends that biology teachers collaborate with school health teams and engage in interdisciplinary work. We also suggest to amend primary science teacher education to meet the need to teach the young people in the event of future pandemics.

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted immensely on individuals and societies around the world. This study aimed at delineating Swedish middle school (10?12-year-old) pupils? understanding of bacteria and viruses, thereby illustrating the influence of the pandemic at schools and in society. Data was collected by semi-structured, individual interviews and by asking pupils to draw images. Thematic coding of interview transcripts and content analysis of pupils? annotated drawings were used. The morphology of microorganisms from the drawings was often 'corona-like', with a round shape and with protruding parts. Viruses were commonly considered larger than bacteria, but sometimes also similar in size. Interrelationships between bacteria and viruses were expressed with a superior microorganism. Pupils drew microorganisms as cell-like and never portrayed them as animals or with anthropomorphic features. Viruses were considered to cause a more severe disease than bacteria. Pupils seldomly tethered a specific virus to a specific infectious disease, and often named both (virus and disease) 'corona'. However, when they did make a connection, viruses were considered to cause flu and COVID-19, bacteria to cause cold and plague. In general, these results indicate that viruses received a more pronounced position amongst microorganisms in the minds of pupils in the aftermath of COVID-19.