Document is current

Article History

Received: 15 April 2025

Accepted: 18 March 2026

First Online: 25 March 2026

Declarations

:

: The study was conducted in accordance with institutional and school ethical guidelines. Prior permission was obtained from the school administration before conducting the study. Written informed consent was obtained from parents/legal guardians of all participating students below 16 years of age. Participation was voluntary, and confidentiality of responses was strictly maintained. The requirement for formal ethical approval was waived by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar (RIE Bhubaneswar), NCERT, India, as the study was conducted as part of a training-based curricular activity under the Diploma in Science Education programme and involved no personal identifiers or foreseeable risk to participants. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the participating school administration. Written informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all participating students below 16 years of age prior to data collection. Participation was voluntary, and the confidentiality of responses was strictly maintained.

: All procedures involving human participants were conducted in accordance with relevant institutional and national ethical guidelines and regulations and adhered to the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

: Not applicable. The manuscript does not contain any individual person’s data, images, or identifiable information.

: This manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

: Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their inclusion in the study. As the participants were minors (under 16 years of age), informed consent was obtained from their parents/legal guardians, and necessary permission was obtained from the school authorities in accordance with institutional and school norms. Participants were informed about the purpose of the study, procedures involved, and their right to withdraw at any time without any consequences.

: The authors declare no competing interests.