Exploration of Bioinformatics Skills in Pre-service Biology Teachers

Abstract

This study analyzes the bioinformatics skills and a selection of related experiences of student biology teachers who had varying amounts of formal training in courses on bioinformatics. Data were collected using a qualitative approach from 26 students who did and 23 students who did not take the bioinformatics course. The data collection instrument consisted of three opinion-based items and three items that tested cognitive performance. Qualitative data analyses made use of thematic analysis supported by diagramming; cognitive performances were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The results indicated descriptive differences in the skill profiles of the two groups, including tool use, reflective learning practices, perceived task difficulty, and biology knowledge scores-70.29% for students with course exposure and 63.63% for those without course exposure. As an exploratory study, these findings provide empirical insight into the distribution of bioinformatics-related competencies and learning experiences among prospective biology teachers. Therefore, future studies should consider longitudinal or experimental designs to better understand how bioinformatics learning can be optimally integrated into biology teacher education.