Škrabánková Jana Interview
In this interview with The Worlds Times, Škrabánková Jana, head of the Center for Research in Natural Science Education and Talent Management (CVVPT), discusses her mission to support gifted students through mentorship, interdisciplinary STEM programs, and innovative tools like eye tracking. She reflects on successful national projects, highlights the importance of teacher development, and shares her vision for a more personalized, research-driven approach to science education.
Leading with Vision
The Worlds Times: You lead the Center for Research in Natural Science Education and Talent Management (CVVPT). Could you describe its mission and your key priorities as its head?
Škrabánková Jana replied, “The Center (CVVPT) is devoted to advancing research and application of educational methods in natural science disciplines, especially focused on identifying, nurturing, and supporting gifted students. I prioritize projects that develop individualized mentoring of gifted students, teacher competencies in physics education, and the use of technology-enhanced methods like eye tracking to gain deeper insights into student learning strategies of all age categories.”
Eye-Tracking Reveals Student Learning Strategies
The Worlds Times: Your body of research frequently uses eye-tracking to study student strategies in science. Could you explain what findings have emerged from such research?
Škrabánková Jana replied, “We utilize eye-tracking to visualize how students engage with natural science tasks solving, revealing their visual patterns and solution strategies. Our studies uncovered significant differences between gifted and standard students in task-solving behaviours, providing actionable insights into how to tailor challenge tasks effectively to different types of students. We also found that students often struggle with interpreting physical graphs, and our eye-tracker data helped solving some teachers and students this situation.”
Mentoring Future Scientists
The Worlds Times: You’ve been principal investigator on many projects funded by the Czech Ministry of Education, such as “Fyzika v hlavní roli” and “Budoucím vědcem ve světě nových technologií a přírodních věd”. What were the objectives and outcomes of these programs?
Škrabánková Jana replied, “In “Fyzika v hlavní roli”, we developed and implemented a mentoring module aimed at supporting secondary-school students with strong interests in physics through focused, one-on-one mentorship. This program yielded tangible successes such as a student whose project on molybdenum carbide received the Learned Society of the Czech Republic’s Student Award in 2023. Similarly, the “Budoucím vědcem…” initiative inspired young students’ engagement in STEM by combining mentoring and laboratory works of students with hands-on educational experience in emerging technologies and interdisciplinary natural science.”
From Theory to Practice
The Worlds Times: How has your academic and professional journey from studying pedagogy and physics didactics to habilitating in education shaped your current approach to science education research?
Škrabánková Jana replied, “My academic path includes a degrees in general subject teaching with a focus on Teaching of Physics and Chemistry and physics didactics, a Ph.D. in Pedagogy, and a habilitation in Pedagogy against the background of physics education. I was a lecturer and an associate professor of the Department of Pedagogy at the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University in Brno. Currently I has returned to her alma mater to Ostrava, Faculty of Science. Here I work as an associate professor at the Department of Physics. These experiences anchored my belief in combining strong theoretical physics foundations with practical classroom insights. They influenced how I integrate sophisticated tools like eye tracking, interdisciplinary methods, and targeted teacher development to make physics teaching more evidence-based and personalized.”
Building Interdisciplinary Bridges
The Worlds Times: Interdisciplinary approaches often appear in your work. How do you integrate disciplines like physics, mathematics, and technology in your educational research?
Škrabánková Jana replied, “Interdisciplinarity is central to understanding natural phenomena in real-world contexts. In collaborations at projects, we currently connect physics, mathematics, biology, and chemistry through STEM attitudes that use sharing general issues in science across disciplines. These collaborations help us develop cross-curricular strategies that align scientific inquiry with meaningful, data-informed learning experiences.”
Empowering Educators
The Worlds Times: What role does teacher professional development play in supporting gifted science learners, and how do you work to enhance it?
Škrabánková Jana replied, “Professional development ensures teachers are equipped to understand and address the unique needs of gifted students. My work in this area includes authoring specialist books, articles, and chapters on teacher competencies with work with gifted students. Through CVVPT initiatives, we create modules that support teacher awareness of both pedagogical strategies and the cognitive diversity of gifted students in the classroom, ensuring gifted learners are provided with right challenges and scaffolding.”
Personalized Mentorship and Data-Driven Discovery
The Worlds Times: Looking ahead, what emerging directions do you see for nurturing gifted learners in natural sciences, particularly with regard to research tools or educational practices?
Škrabánková Jana replied, “Going forward, I am excited about expanding individualized, mentorship-driven frameworks that transcend standard school curricula, merging data-rich tools like real-time eye tracking with mentorship that encourages deep inquiry. Support of teachers, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and active learning through STEM workshops and integrated labs will be vital. These approaches can foster curiosity, resilience, and scientific thinking in gifted students in ways that are both rigorous and engaging.”
For more information please visit: https://www.osu.cz/
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