Active learning, represented by inquiry-based science education (IBSE) strategies, is considered essential for students to develop skills and knowledge to prepare for the challenges of the 21st century world. The success of IBSE, and the resulting development of inquiry skills in particular, can be enhanced by various factors. This study is focused on the synergetic effect of the implementation of IBSE through well-designed inquiry activities across STEM-related disciplines, enhanced by digital technologies and formative assessment tools, delivered by teachers educated in this field. The corresponding research based on a quasi-experimental design evaluated the effect on the development of inquiry skills that were identified before and after a period of consistent implementation of IBSE, using a written test of inquiry skills as the main research instrument. The research findings on the sample of 2307 upper secondary school students confirmed a low initial level of inquiry skills, however a statistically significant improvement in students’ inquiry skills with medium size effect was identified. The detailed analysis shows the largest impact in the skill of determination of accuracy and statistically significant differences between genders without practical importance, however no difference was identified with regard to the number of inquiry activities undertaken.

Data analytics plays a significant role within the context of the digital business landscape, particularly concerning online sales, aiming to enhance understanding of customer behaviors in the online realm. We review the recent perspectives and empirical findings from several years of scholarly investigation. Furthermore, we propose combining computational methods to scrutinize online customer behavior. We apply the decision tree construction, GUHA (General Unary Hypotheses Automaton) association rules, and Formal concept analysis for the input dataset of 9123 orders (transactions) of sports nutrition, healthy foods, fitness clothing, and accessories. Data from 2014 to 2021, covering eight years, are employed. We present the empirical discoveries, engage in a critical discourse concerning these findings, and delineate the constraints inherent in the research process. The decision tree for classification of the year’s fourth quarter implies that the most important attributes are country, gross profit category, and delivery. The classification of the morning time implies that the most important attributes are gender and country. Thus, the potential marketing strategies can include heterogeneous conditions for men and women based on these findings. Analyzing the identified groups of customers by concept lattices and GUHA association rules can be valuable for targeted marketing, personalized recommendations, or understanding customer preferences.

Bádateľsky orientované vzdelávanie (BOV) patrí v poslednom období k najčastejšie skloňovaným pojmom v súvislosti s inováciou prírodovedného vzdelávania. Cieľom BOV je okrem konceptuálneho porozumenia aj rozvoj žiackych zručností realizovať bádanie a vyhodnocovať jeho výsledky. Prezentovaný výskum je zameraný na diagnostikovanie aktuálnej úrovne rozvoja vybraných bádateľských zručností žiakov gymnázia. Vychádzajúc z dostupných testov bol na základe klasifikácie bádateľských zručností vytvorený test bádateľských zručností. Testové úlohy určené na posúdenie úrovne zručnosti plánovať postup experimentu (identifikovať premenné a ich vzťah), transformovať výsledky do grafu, určovať vzťahy medzi premennými, identifikovať možné zdroje chýb a obhajovať výsledky a argumentovať, sú vsadené do matematického, fyzikálneho alebo informatického kontextu. Test bol zodpovedaný vzorkou 751 žiakov 1. a 2. ročníka niekoľkých gymnázií na Slovensku. Kvantitatívna analýza výsledkov testovania ukázala nízku priemernú úspešnosť žiakov v celom teste (32,5 %) ako aj v jednotlivých testových úlohách pohybujúcu sa približne v rozmedzí 8–50 %. Zo štatistického testovania vyplynulo, že medzi výsledkami žiakov 1. a 2. ročníka nebol významný rozdiel, zatiaľ čo výsledky chlapcov boli lepšie ako výsledky dievčat. Podrobná kvalitatívna analýza odhalila mnohé nedostatky, ktoré sa najvýraznejšie prejavili v oblasti analýzy a interpretácie výsledkov a žiackych argumentačných zručností.

In the article we describe the proposal of two unplugged activities verified in practice together with methodological commentaries on how to use them in computer science education. The first activity is oriented on discovering and understanding the basic principles and rules of computer communication carried out by pupils themselves. We encourage pupils to simulate communication in a computer network and solve raised problems. The aim is to lead pupils to discover the encoded message within transmitted information (the structure of TCP/IP packet) and to realize the significance and importance of communication protocols. The second activity is oriented on discovering and devising the principles of information encoding; the code length dependence on the quantity of states, unambiguous encoding, the use of n-ary trees in encoding, etc.