Digitalization is a keyword in the discourse of educational science, but it is often linked to technological challenges, although digital changes occur throughout society. Therefore, STEM teachers are required to cope with technological changes in the subject, the increasing and diverse education and training technologies, and the ever-changing paths of information and communication of adolescents in their role as members of a changing society and culture. The TPACK-model focuses educators’ professional knowledge based on teachers’ expertise concerning technological knowledge per se and the pedagogy and content of their subjects. In contrast, knowledge relevant to daily life and social and cultural interaction beyond this is not clearly included in the TPACK-model at present. This article proposes supplementing the TPACK-model with the knowledge components of digital cultural transformations (digitality) and, therefore, extending the TPACK-model to a DPACK-model, where D stands for digitality. Therefore, digital transformation in STEM teaching requires additional professional knowledge considering the transformation of communication, mediatization and society. Through this expansion, the focus should also be directed on the necessity that children and young people in the digitally shaped world must also be able to critically reflect on the processes of change and shape them in an ethically responsible manner. For this reason, teachers require professional knowledge to reflect, analyze, use and shape the digital transformation, which is regularly demanded of them by national and international educational standards. As a foundation of STEM teachers’ education and training, an integrated model combining these facets of knowledge and skills is provided for discussion, and, as a result, quickly found its way into the educational policy guidelines and educational science discourses in Germany. In order to integrate the sociocultural consequences of digitalization into TPACK, this paper proposes a new hemisphere, sociocultural knowledge, which extends the existing TPACK components.

Mobile electronic devices (MED) with integrated GPS receivers are increasingly popular in environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD). This paper aims at identifying the possible applications of these devices, as well as identifying obstacles to such utilities. Therefore, a two-part study was conducted: An expert Delphi study and a nationwide online survey in Germany and Austria. In this paper, the results of the online survey are reported and compared to the findings of the Delphi study. The questionnaire of the online survey was based on a theoretical framework comprising different dimensions for the use of MED. Overall, 120 projects were included in the study. The most common target groups were school classes and the devices most frequently used were GPS receivers. The projects addressed the criteria of ESD, such as elaboration of local/global perspectives of sustainability and competencies of EE like pro-environmental behavior or attitudes. All projects were classified according to their educational design in a 2 × 2-scheme. The most common activities were predefined routes within a narrow instructional setting. Divergences between expert views and practical realization are identified and discussed.

Molecular biology is becoming increasingly important in everyday life. Virtual and authentic hands-on out-of-school labs have proven effective in teaching it, especially for high-achieving older learners. We developed a blended learning approach integrating the advantages of both methods for lower secondary education students. In a quasi-experimental-control group study we accessed its impact on declarative knowledge in laboratory safety and molecular biology methods, along with perceived authenticity, in comparison to teaching through a virtual desktop simulation, a hands-on wet lab, or regular teaching with a worksheet. N = 229 students took part in the pre–post-follow-up data collection. The results showed a significant difference in laboratory safety knowledge between the blended learning and the other intervention groups. The wet lab group differed significantly in molecular biology knowledge and perceived authenticity from the other intervention groups. Learning success was positively correlated with the authenticity in the overall sample. The blended learning group’s reduced authenticity may contribute to lower learning success in molecular biology.

Introduction: The integration of advanced digital applications within the educational sector remains a significant challenge. It has been determined that extracurricular educational settings possess a considerable capacity to enhance and differentiate digital instruction. However, educators frequently require assistance to transition from the use of existing digital resources to the creation of their own, personalized, customized learning materials. Professional learning communities (PLCs) have been identified as a promising framework in which teachers can collaborate to develop innovative and practical concepts. While the potential of PLCs is widely recognized, research on this topic is fragmented. A multitude of definitions and operationalizations have been proposed regarding the structure and functioning of PLCs. This complicates a systematic investigation of their effectiveness and makes it difficult to distinguish empirically based findings from purely anecdotal reports. Consequently, a definitive evidence base for the design of effective PLCs remains elusive. Methods: The present study posits that the afore mentioned gap is addressed by means of a scoping review. Utilizing the PRISMA-ScR framework, a systematic analysis of German and English-language literature is conducted with the objective of mapping and synthesizing research on the composition, collaboration, and effectiveness of PLCs in the STEM field or in relation to digitalization. Results: The results of the study provide a structured overview of the key characteristics, structure, and success factors of PLCs. The present article elucidates the findings that emerged from a comparative and harmonising analysis of diverging PLCs. Discussion: The ensuing discussion pertains to the configuration, efficacious design, and execution of professional learning communities, in conjunction with their operational methodologies and investigative endeavours. This synthesis provides a foundation for the conceptualisation of future cooperative initiatives aimed at the development of STEM- or digital educational resources.

Teachers in lower secondary education often lack content knowledge and self-efficacy to teach molecular biology. The focus of this study was to develop and evaluate an innovative educational approach to prepare pre-service teachers for teaching molecular biology. Therefore, an educational double-decker, with two master courses in a teaching-learning laboratory, has been developed. First, teacher students acquire virtual and authentic lab experiences in a blended-learning course. Later they gain reflective teaching experience by instructing peers or secondary school students. Using a mixed-methods approach in a one-shot-case study design, we examined the effects of the two courses on content knowledge of molecular biology and self-efficacy to teach it, the relationship between knowledge and self-efficacy, and the influence of teaching secondary students compared to peer teaching on self-efficacy. Questionnaires (N = 92 and N = 20) measured knowledge and self-efficacy before and after both courses; differences were analyzed statistically. In addition, guided interviews were conducted with teacher students after the educational double-decker (N = 14) and analyzed qualitatively using content analysis. The results demonstrate that blended-learning formats are efficacious in developing molecular biology knowledge. Content knowledge is positively correlated with teaching self-efficacy, but this effect diminishes after having a reflective teaching experience. These experiences are pivotal factors in self-efficacy development. Teaching real secondary school students is valuable in fostering self-efficacy, as such authentic experiences can be readily applied in everyday school life.