Article

Bringing science to life: A synthesis of the research evidence on the effects of context-based and STS approaches to science teaching

Authors:
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

Abstract

Context-based and science–technology–society (STS) approaches to teaching science in high school have become widely used over the past two decades. They aspire to foster more positive attitudes to science while, at the same time, provide a sound basis of scientific understanding for further study. This paper reviews the detailed research evidence from 17 experimental studies undertaken in eight different countries on the effects of context-based and STS approaches, drawing on the findings of two systematic reviews of the research literature. The review findings indicate that context-based/STS approaches result in improvement in attitudes to science and that the understanding of scientific ideas developed is comparable to that of conventional approaches. The approaches also result in more positive attitudes to science in both girls and boys and reduce the gender differences in attitudes. The paper also considers issues emerging from work in the area in relation to study design and the constraints which may militate against the use of experimental research designs when gathering evidence of impact of interventions. A fundamental constraint is the extent to which it is possible to make comparisons between existing methods and interventions when the aims are overlapping but also differ in significant ways. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed91:347–370, 2007

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.

... Portanto, o ensino CTSA tem sido visto como uma das grandes tendências das últimas décadas para o desenvolvimento e reforma do currículo na educação científica, despertando em muitos envolvidos a confiança de que existam benefícios consideráveis com sua implementação. Muitos estudos na literatura, inclusive, já revelaram que esse método de ensino pode favorecer o conhecimento dos alunos e o olhar sobre a ciência (BENNETT; LUBBEN; HOGARTH, 2007& TSAI, 2002. ...
... O gráfico abaixo (Figura 3) demonstra os autores com maior número global de citações. As quatro fontes de destaque são: Bennett J, 2007, com 312 citações, Rye Ja, 1997, com 111 citações, Roth Wm, 1997, J., com 95 citações, e Ebenezer Jv, 1993, com 80 citações. A análise desses dados é importante pois fornece uma visão abrangente dos autores globais que mais investem e promovem a evolução da metodologia CTS/CTSA na educação básica. ...
... A análise bibliométrica realizada neste trabalho confirma a crescente adesão da comunidade científica à abordagem CTS/CTSA, especialmente no contexto da educação básica ao longo das últimas quatro décadas e meia. No mapeamento dos documentos mais citados na literatura abordando CTS/CTSA em diferentes perspectivas são destaque os autores Bennett J (2007), com 312 citações, Rye JA (1997), com 111 citações, Roth WM (1997), com 95 citações, e Ebenezer JV (1993), com 80 citações. ...
Article
Full-text available
Desde a década de 1970, o enfoque CTSA (Ciência, Tecnologia, Sociedade e Ambiente) vem ganhado destaque no cenário educacional, promovendo a integração das áreas científica, tecnológica, social e ambiental. Por meio de análise bibliométrica, este estudo investiga a integração da abordagem CTSA nas séries finais do ensino fundamental II e ensino médio, destacando a evolução das publicações, as fontes mais influentes, os termos mais frequentes, os autores mais citados e os países que contribuíram para o desenvolvimento dessa abordagem. A análise revelou que a abordagem CTSA tem tido um impacto positivo e está constante evolução na pesquisa científica, sendo implementada em diversas práticas educativas, contribuindo para o currículo da educação básica. O declínio nas publicações observado entre 2020 e 2022, possivelmente está relacionado à crise pandêmica de COVID-19. As tendências nas aplicações CTSA demonstram a relevância desta abordagem e sua abrangência no sistema educativo.
... Contextualization in curriculum and instruction facilitates connections between scientific content and students' lived experiences or authentic scientific contexts. Context-based learning environments are characterized by the use of contexts as the "pivoting characteristic" (Taconis, den Brok, and Pilot 2016, p. 6), allowing contexts to serve as starting points for developing scientific ideas, and thereby challenging traditional models that prioritize content transmission first and then application (Bennett, Lubben, and Hogarth 2007). Contextualized approaches prioritize situated ways of knowing, coherent with lived experience (Gilbert, Bulte, and Pilot 2011;Taconis, den Brok, and Pilot 2016) and driven by students' need-to-know (King 2012). ...
... The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 1(1), 9Physical science in real lifeGilbert, J. K. (2006). On the nature of "context" in chemical education.International Journal of Science Education, 28(9), 957-976Bennett, J., Lubben, F., & Hogarth, S. (2007). Bringing science to life: A synthesis of the research evidence on the effects of context-based and STS approaches to science teaching. ...
Article
Full-text available
The vast and rapidly growing amount of science education research makes it challenging for researchers to navigate and synthesize developments across the field, particularly concerning broad concepts evolving along divergent paths. To address this issue, a novel review methodology employing bibliometrics and network analysis was tested to identify and characterize clusters of research focused on the relationship between school‐based science learning and contexts where that science is applied, experienced, observable, or otherwise relevant (e.g., socio‐scientific inquiry, place‐based learning, culturally‐responsive pedagogy). Using a sample of 935 academic papers, the bibliometric network analysis revealed the landscape of contextualized science learning research, identifying 13 distinct clusters of scholarship. Bibliometric and qualitative data were used to describe the research trends within clusters and confirm they were conceptually meaningful and distinct. This methodology facilitated greater understanding of how research can become clustered into “invisible colleges” over time, offering a synthesis approach to grasp interrelated lines of research within an evolving landscape. The methodology has potential to identify other schools of thought or overarching themes in science education, enhancing researchers’ ability to perceive the field as a coherent landscape of interconnected ideas or to identify specific research trajectories within a broad concept.
... Context-based learning can facilitate conceptual change and improve the transferability of knowledge to new contexts [1]. When applied to weather in physics, it involves connecting physics concepts with observable aspects of meteorological phenomena. ...
... By integrating physics principles with realworld weather phenomena, students gain a more tangible understanding of the subject's relevance, enhancing engagement and comprehension [1,3]. As such, context-based learning fosters deeper interactions with the material, transforming abstract concepts into relatable experiences. ...
Article
Full-text available
Teachers commonly use examples that omit friction to teach Newton’s first and second law. Beyond the motion of planets, the flow of horizontal high-altitude winds along the isobars presents a real-world motion scenario with negligible friction. This natural phenomenon serves as an applicable context for the exploration of Newton’s first and second axioms and the vector addition of forces. This paper explores wind dynamics as a context that addresses force concepts, a relevant topic in high school physics. Here, we focus on forces affecting air parcels at high altitudes. For comparison, we also explain the wind at ground level (called surface wind), where friction plays an important role. We aim to elucidate the complexities of wind forces, offering a comprehensive understanding of how these forces interplay in real-world scenarios. Furthermore, we provide detailed examples of tasks for high school students to acquire an understanding of wind and aligning forces.
... Es stellt sich die Frage, wie stark Inhalte im Unterricht kontextualisiert oder bewusst abstrahiert erlernt werden sollen. Kontextorientiertes Lernen kann das Interesse an einem Thema fördern (Bennett et al. 2007), gleichzeitig aber auch zu trägem Wissen Renkl 1996) führen, das nur beschränkt auf neue Situationen, im Sinne einer Analogiebildung (Gick und Holyoak 1983), übertragen werden kann. In diesem Spannungsfeld bewegt sich die im Folgenden dargelegte Studie über die Nutzung von metakognitiven Strategien beim Transfer von physikalischen Konzepten. ...
... Bennett (2016) und Bennett et al. (2007) fassen mehrere Studien aus den vorangegangenen Jahrzehnten zum Einfluss von kontextorientiertem Unterricht auf das Interesse (und andere affektive Variablen) zusammen und kommen zum Schluss, dass die allermeisten Studien einen positiven, starken Effekt nachweisen konnten. Gleichzeitig wird das Verständnis der Fachinhalte durch kontextorientierten Unterricht nicht negativ beeinflusst, jedoch auch nicht positiv (Bennett 2016). ...
Article
Full-text available
Zusammenfassung Die Fähigkeit der Anwendung von im Unterricht gelernten Konzepten ist ein grundlegendes Ziel des Physikunterrichts. Beim Transfer ihres Wissens wenden Schüler*innen Strategien an. Die vorgestellte Studie hat zum Ziel, affektive Faktoren wie das situationale Interesse und die Kontextorientierung im vorangegangenen Unterricht in Zusammenhang mit der Anwendung von Transferstrategien beim Transfer von physikalischen Konzepten aus dem Themenbereich der Energie zu untersuchen. Weiter wird der Einsatz von Transferstrategien beim Lösen einer physikalischen Transferaufgabe von Lernenden in unterschiedlichen Schulstufen und Schulniveaus verglichen. Es zeigt sich, dass sich beim Vergleich zwischen den Schulniveaus keine nennenswerten Unterschiede bei der Anwendung von Transferstrategien ergeben. Hinsichtlich der Schulstufen sind lediglich vereinzelte Unterschiede bei zwei der fünf Transferstrategien signifikant. Ein Strukturgleichungsmodell zur Modellierung der Zusammenhänge des Interesses, der Kontextorientierung und der Nutzung von Transferstrategien macht darüber hinaus jedoch sichtbar, dass die wahrgenommene Kontextorientierung im Unterricht in vier von fünf Fällen einen positiven Effekt auf die Nutzung von Transferstrategien aufweist (namentlich auf die Strategien Einnehmen einer Subjektperspektive, Analogien Schule, Analogien Freizeit und Schlüsse ziehen ). Weiter konnte der aus der Literatur bekannte positive Effekt der Kontextorientierung auf das (situationale) Interesse repliziert werden. Das situationale Interesse wiederum hat keinen direkten Zusammenhang mit vier der fünf Transferstrategien und weist sogar eine negative Korrelation (Kovarianz) mit der Strategie Nachdenken über den Lösungsprozess auf.
... This study's intervention for teaching this explanatory model is oriented to context-based learning and the idea of semantic waves [60]. Context-based learning is well-established in science education [7,34], but also used in computing education, such as implemented in problem-based learning [39,69]. Accordingly, we use an authentic and meaningful real-life context to support students in relating and applying the concepts to everyday life [34]. ...
... The motivation and intention items were mostly adapted from existing validated scales. The motivation items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" (1) to "strongly agree" (7). We incorporated self-efficacy, intrinsic value, importance, and cost based on the expectancy-value theory of motivation. ...
... Perceived authenticity Authentic assessment Motivational e ects (e.g., engagement and interest) Fig. 4 Model of the effects of authentic learning the 16 studies that showed small or no cognitive effects were also characterized by the use of authentic materials and tools and the goal of providing real-life experiences . Similar findings suggesting differential effects of authenticity, or related concepts, such as contextualization, immersion, or fidelity, on motivational and cognitive learning outcomes can be detected in studies on context-based learning (Choi & Cho, 2002;Kölbach & Sumfleth, 2013;Podschuweit & Bernholt, 2018; for a review, see Bennett et al., 2007), immersive learning (Parong & Mayer, 2018Makransky et al., 2021; for reviews, see Rosendahl & Wagner, 2023;Jensen & Konradsen, 2018), simulation-based learning (Dankbaar et al., 2016), and learning in out-of-school labs (Itzek-Greulich et al., 2017). To briefly summarize: So far, we have argued that non-authentic learning activities which are of little meaning to students, likely lead to neither cognitive nor motivational learning outcomes. ...
... Regarding context-based learning, the literature review of 17 studies conducted by Bennett et al. (2007) as well as the studies by Choi and Cho (2002) or Kölbach and Sumfleth (2013) shows no effects of context-based learning on learners' achievement in or understanding of science but positive effects on their attitudes toward and interest in science. Consequently, Podschuweit and Bernholt (2018) conclude that the positive effects of context-based learning approaches on motivational outcomes have been empirically well-established, while clear evidence on the cognitive effects is lacking. ...
Article
Full-text available
A highly authentic learning setting is likely to trigger positive motivational and emotional reactions due to its emphasis on promoting the acquisition of knowledge that is connected and transferable to real-world phenomena outside the learning environment. However, a high level of authenticity is usually accompanied by a high level of complexity due to the complexity inherent in the real world. This complexity can be overwhelming for learners and can hamper or even prevent cognitive learning outcomes. Consequently, to help learners cope with this complexity, they need some kind of instructional support. By building a high level of support into the learning setting in order to promote cognitive learning outcomes, the level of authenticity and thereby the effects of authenticity on motivational outcomes may, however, in turn be reduced. In the present conceptual paper, we refer to this tension between authenticity and complexity, on the one hand, and instructional support, on the other hand, as the “authenticity dilemma”. Based on existing empirical evidence from previous studies, we (1) outline this dilemma, (2) discuss ways to reconceptualize it, and (3) derive implications regarding the conditions and effects of authentic learning. Finally, we discuss the findings of the studies included in the special issue “Perspectives on Authentic Learning” through the lens of the authenticity dilemma.
... · Fen eğitiminin temel amacı fen okur~yazarı olan bireyler yetiştirmektir. Temel fen kavram ve kuramlarını bilen fen kavramlarını neden sonuç ilişkisine göre analiz eden, sentezleyen, kavramlar hakkında değerlendirmeler yapabilen bireylerin fen okur-yazarı olabileceği düşünülmektedir (DeBoer, 2000), Fen okur-yazarı bireyler yetiştirmek ve fen eğitimii:ıin kalitesini artırmak için ortaya çıkan yaklaşımlardan "yaşam temelli öğrenme'' (context-based learning) fen kavramlarının güncel yaşamla olan ilişkisinden yola çıkılarak öğrencilere sunulmasıdır (Begley, 2004;Bennett & Lubben, 2006;Bennett, Lubben, & Hogarth, 2007;DeBoer, 2000;Gilbert, 2006). ...
... Alan yazın incelendiğinde yaşam temelli öğrenme yaklaşımının öğrenme ortamlarında öğrencilerin dersteki başarısını ve tutumlarını değiştirmede olumlu sonuçlar verdiği görülmüştür (Ayvacı & Şenel-Çoruhlu, 2009;Bennett, Lubben & Hogarth, 2007;Kutu, 2011;Tekbıyık, 2010;Sadi Yılmaz, 2013;Sari, 2010). Sadi Yılmaz ·(2013) yaptığı çalışmada öğrenciler yaşam·temelli öğrenme yaklaşımı ile mevcut programın ve üniversite yerleştirme sınavı içeriğinin paralel olmadığını belirtmişlerdir. ...
... · Fen eğitiminin temel amacı fen okur~yazarı olan bireyler yetiştirmektir. Temel fen kavram ve kuramlarını bilen fen kavramlarını neden sonuç ilişkisine göre analiz eden, sentezleyen, kavramlar hakkında değerlendirmeler yapabilen bireylerin fen okur-yazarı olabileceği düşünülmektedir (DeBoer, 2000), Fen okur-yazarı bireyler yetiştirmek ve fen eğitimii:ıin kalitesini artırmak için ortaya çıkan yaklaşımlardan "yaşam temelli öğrenme'' (context-based learning) fen kavramlarının güncel yaşamla olan ilişkisinden yola çıkılarak öğrencilere sunulmasıdır (Begley, 2004;Bennett & Lubben, 2006;Bennett, Lubben, & Hogarth, 2007;DeBoer, 2000;Gilbert, 2006). ...
... Alan yazın incelendiğinde yaşam temelli öğrenme yaklaşımının öğrenme ortamlarında öğrencilerin dersteki başarısını ve tutumlarını değiştirmede olumlu sonuçlar verdiği görülmüştür (Ayvacı & Şenel-Çoruhlu, 2009;Bennett, Lubben & Hogarth, 2007;Kutu, 2011;Tekbıyık, 2010;Sadi Yılmaz, 2013;Sari, 2010). Sadi Yılmaz ·(2013) yaptığı çalışmada öğrenciler yaşam·temelli öğrenme yaklaşımı ile mevcut programın ve üniversite yerleştirme sınavı içeriğinin paralel olmadığını belirtmişlerdir. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
... · Fen eğitiminin temel amacı fen okur~yazarı olan bireyler yetiştirmektir. Temel fen kavram ve kuramlarını bilen fen kavramlarını neden sonuç ilişkisine göre analiz eden, sentezleyen, kavramlar hakkında değerlendirmeler yapabilen bireylerin fen okur-yazarı olabileceği düşünülmektedir (DeBoer, 2000), Fen okur-yazarı bireyler yetiştirmek ve fen eğitimii:ıin kalitesini artırmak için ortaya çıkan yaklaşımlardan "yaşam temelli öğrenme'' (context-based learning) fen kavramlarının güncel yaşamla olan ilişkisinden yola çıkılarak öğrencilere sunulmasıdır (Begley, 2004;Bennett & Lubben, 2006;Bennett, Lubben, & Hogarth, 2007;DeBoer, 2000;Gilbert, 2006). ...
... Alan yazın incelendiğinde yaşam temelli öğrenme yaklaşımının öğrenme ortamlarında öğrencilerin dersteki başarısını ve tutumlarını değiştirmede olumlu sonuçlar verdiği görülmüştür (Ayvacı & Şenel-Çoruhlu, 2009;Bennett, Lubben & Hogarth, 2007;Kutu, 2011;Tekbıyık, 2010;Sadi Yılmaz, 2013;Sari, 2010). Sadi Yılmaz ·(2013) yaptığı çalışmada öğrenciler yaşam·temelli öğrenme yaklaşımı ile mevcut programın ve üniversite yerleştirme sınavı içeriğinin paralel olmadığını belirtmişlerdir. ...
... · Fen eğitiminin temel amacı fen okur~yazarı olan bireyler yetiştirmektir. Temel fen kavram ve kuramlarını bilen fen kavramlarını neden sonuç ilişkisine göre analiz eden, sentezleyen, kavramlar hakkında değerlendirmeler yapabilen bireylerin fen okur-yazarı olabileceği düşünülmektedir (DeBoer, 2000), Fen okur-yazarı bireyler yetiştirmek ve fen eğitimii:ıin kalitesini artırmak için ortaya çıkan yaklaşımlardan "yaşam temelli öğrenme'' (context-based learning) fen kavramlarının güncel yaşamla olan ilişkisinden yola çıkılarak öğrencilere sunulmasıdır (Begley, 2004;Bennett & Lubben, 2006;Bennett, Lubben, & Hogarth, 2007;DeBoer, 2000;Gilbert, 2006). ...
... Alan yazın incelendiğinde yaşam temelli öğrenme yaklaşımının öğrenme ortamlarında öğrencilerin dersteki başarısını ve tutumlarını değiştirmede olumlu sonuçlar verdiği görülmüştür (Ayvacı & Şenel-Çoruhlu, 2009;Bennett, Lubben & Hogarth, 2007;Kutu, 2011;Tekbıyık, 2010;Sadi Yılmaz, 2013;Sari, 2010). Sadi Yılmaz ·(2013) yaptığı çalışmada öğrenciler yaşam·temelli öğrenme yaklaşımı ile mevcut programın ve üniversite yerleştirme sınavı içeriğinin paralel olmadığını belirtmişlerdir. ...
... Contextualisation can facilitate the democratisation of science knowledge and enhance economic benefits for individuals and societies (Duschl, 2008). Contextualisation is also useful in addressing students' lack of interest and perceived difficulty in learning, which are common challenges in science education (Bennett et al., 2007;Finkelstein, 2005;Gilbert, 2006). Designing learning environments in a way that engages students in productive disciplinary activities is not easy in science education (Engle & Conant, 2002;Sinatra et al., 2015) partly owing to the disconnect between the kinds of discourse in science classrooms and discourse in family or everyday life settings. ...
... The importance of contextualising learning experiences and using context-based approaches has gained traction in science education research and practices since the early 2000s (Finkelstein, 2005;Silseth, 2018;Ummels et al., 2015). Purposes of contextualisation include reducing information overload for students (Gilbert, 2006), improving students' interest and motivation in science (Bennett et al., 2007;Sevian et al., 2018) and facilitating learning transfer (Beach, 1999;Nasir et al., 2020). Among the early publications on context-based science education are the 2006 special issue on 'Context-based Chemistry Education' in the International Journal of Science Education (volume 28, number 9) and Finkelstein (2005) on 'Learning Physics in Context'. ...
... In this way, the process can be carried out in a way to develop life skills in the integration of analytical thinking, decision-making, creative thinking, entrepreneurship, communication, and teamwork. As a result of constructivist practices, materials and tools prepared based on life-based learning can improve students' academic achievement (Rusçuklu & Özer, 2018;Ulusoy & Onen, 2014), attitudes towards the course (Assi & Cohen, 2023), literacy levels (Bennett et al, 2007;Keskin & Çam, 2019), increase their motivation (Kuhn & Müller, 2014) and improve their conceptual understanding Karslı & Saka, 2017;King & Henderson, 2018;Swirski et al., 2018). In the studies conducted, it was observed that academic achievement was focused on the most among these learning outcomes, followed by attitude toward the course (Kabuklu & Kurnaz, 2019). ...
Article
Associating the information intended to be learned in line with the achievements of the science course with daily life, following current situations, and developing solutions to possible problems are among the important skills that students should acquire. This study aims to determine the level of science teachers' ability to establish a real life relationship with the subjects in which students have difficulty in their lessons. The research was conducted with a case study, one of the qualitative research methods. The participants consisted of 13 science teachers selected by criterion sampling method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed descriptively. The findings of the study were evaluated within the scope of the difficulties experienced in relating the lesson to daily life, current thoughts, experiences, and life-based learning approach and two important conclusions were drawn. The first one is that students experience learning difficulties in subjects that teachers characterize as unrelated to daily life. The second is that most of the teachers are aware of the life-based learning approach, but they have difficulties in implementing it and cannot adopt it sufficiently.
... The authors declare no conflicts of interest. (Bahr & Zinn, 2023;Bennett, Lubben & Hogarth, 2007;Gysin & Brovelli, 2022;Labudde, 2003Labudde, , 2014 Prozesse im Klassenraum sind komplex und multikriterial (Doyle, 1986;Seidel, 2014). Es lässt sich nicht die eine holistische psychologische Theorie als Erklärungsansatz finden (Seidel, 2014;Shulman, 1986 ...
Thesis
Full-text available
Der Bereich Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik (MINT) und darunter insbesondere die Informatik stehen vor vielfältigen Herausforderungen. Dazu gehören ein anhaltender Fachkräftemangel, der auch hochqualifizierte Fachkräfte mit einschließt, sowie der Gender Gap. Frauen sind in Deutschland im Vergleich zu Männern deutlich unterrepräsentiert. Dies betrifft sowohl die Informatik als auch die mathematisch, natur- und technikwissenschaftlichen Studiengänge. Bereits bei der Kurswahl, dem Selbstkonzept, dem Fachinteresse und der Motivation in der Schule zeigen sich bei Schüler:innen in MINT-Fächern Geschlechterunterschiede. Gleichzeitig gewinnen die Inhalte zu Data Literacy, Computational Thinking und AI Literacy, um nur ein paar Beispiele zu nennen, sowie die interdisziplinären Kompetenzen in der MINT-Bildung zunehmend an Bedeutung. Aus diesem Grund fordern mehrere Fachverbände sowie die Bildungsadministration die Einführung von Informatik als Pflichtfach. In diesem Kontext steht im Mittelpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit das Wahlpflichtfach Informatik, Mathematik, Physik (IMP). Im Jahr 2018 wurden in Baden-Württemberg sowohl das Fach Informatik verpflichtend in Klasse 7 für alle Schüler:innen als auch das Wahlpflichtfach IMP als Profilfach von Klasse 8 bis 10 an allgemeinbildenden Gymnasien eingeführt. In Bezug auf dieses interdisziplinäre Profilfach bestehen diverse Fragestellungen zur unterrichtlichen Umsetzung, den Lernendenmerkmalen (Fachinteresse, Motivation, Selbstkonzept, berufliche Orientierung) sowie dem tatsächlich erworbenen Informatik-Fachwissen der Schüler:innen. Einzelne empirische Studien zu den Lernendenmerkmalen im Kontext von Interventionsprogrammen im Informatikunterricht (u. a. zu Robotik, Data Literacy, Informatik in der Grundschule, etc.) liegen mit unterschiedlicher Qualität vor. Nach den mir vorliegenden Daten existiert bisher kein systematisch erhobenes Beschreibungswissen zur unterrichtlichen Umsetzung, sowie zu den Schüler:innen im interdisziplinären Profilfach IMP. Im Vergleich zu den etablierten Unterrichtsfächern wie Mathematik und Physik wird der empirische Forschungsstand hinsichtlich verschiedener Lernendenmerkmale (u. a. dem Fachinteresse und Fachwissen) in der Fachdidaktik Informatik im schulischen Kontext von mehreren Forscher:innen als ausbaufähig beschrieben. Die Ausgangssituation für das Forschungsanliegen dieser Arbeit ist zudem dadurch charakterisiert, dass valide Testinstrumente zur Erfassung aller Themenbereiche des Informatik-Fachwissens für die Sekundarstufe I fehlen. Validierte Testinstrumente existieren nur in einzelnen Themenbereichen, unter anderem für Kontrollstrukturen und Computational Thinking (mit einer blockbasierten Programmierumgebung), oder für die Sekundarstufe II. Die drei übergeordneten Ziele dieser Arbeit liegen erstens in der Generierung eines systematischen Beschreibungswissens zu ausgewählten Merkmalen der Lernenden, zweitens der unterrichtlichen Umsetzung des Profilfachs durch die Lehrenden und drittens zur Generierung eines systematischen Beschreibungswissen zum Informatik-Fachwissen der Schüler:innen. Der theoretische Rahmen dieser Arbeit orientiert sich an den einschlägigen Angebots-Nutzungs-Modellen zum Unterricht, sowie dem vorliegenden Forschungsstand. Die eigene Untersuchung umfasst fünf Studien. Studie 1 untersucht die Nutzungs-Ebene (u. a. Geschlechterverteilung, Motivation und Wahlverhalten) mittels einer explorativen qualitativen und quantitativen Fragebogenstudie mit IMP-Schüler:innen zu den ausgewählten Lernendenmerkmalen. Studie 2 betrachtet die Angebots-Ebene (u. a. Qualifikationsprofile der Lehrpersonen, Vernetzung der drei beteiligten Fächer) durch eine explorative qualitative Interviewstudie mit IMP-Lehrpersonen. Im Mittelpunkt der Studien 3 bis 5 steht die Ergebnis-Ebene (u. a. Fachwissen Informatik). Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde ein Informatik-Fachwissenstest entwickelt, pilotiert und für die Fachbereiche Algorithmen und Datensicherheit validiert. Abschließend werden die studienübergreifenden Aspekte zwischen den drei Ebenen (Angebot, Nutzen und Ergebnis) betrachtet. Im Überblick zeigen die Untersuchungsergebnisse, dass überwiegend Schüler (ca. 70 %) das Profilfach wählen. Es bestehen Geschlechterunterschiede im fachspezifischen Selbstkonzept von IMP, wobei Schüler im Durchschnitt höhere Werte aufweisen als Schülerinnen. Im Gegensatz dazu zeigen sich keine signifikanten Geschlechterunterschiede in Bezug auf das Fachinteresse an IMP, die Motivation in allen sechs Facetten (von amotiviert bis interessiert), das MINT-Interesse und die berufliche Orientierung im Bereich Natur- und Technikwissenschaften. Hinsichtlich der Angebotsebene variiert die unterrichtliche Umsetzung von fachisoliert über fachübergreifend bis hinzu fächerkoordinierenden Unterricht. Gleichzeitig betrachten Lehrpersonen die interdisziplinäre Umsetzung als Chance zur Vernetzung der drei Fachbereiche und Profilbildung für Schüler:innen, obwohl Geschlechterungleichheiten, Ausstattungsmängel und ein voller Stundenverlaufsplan allgemeine Herausforderungen darstellen. Im Rahmen eines iterativen Prozesses wurden mittels Klassischer Testtheorie (KTT) und Item-Response-Theorie (IRT) zwei Fachwissenstests zu den Themenbereichen Algorithmen und Datensicherheit mit IMP-Schüler:innen validiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass viele Schüler:innen Schwierigkeiten im Themenbereich Algorithmen haben. Mittels Strukturgleichungsmodell konnten 40.09 % der Varianz des Informatik-Fachwissens in den Bereichen Algorithmen, Rechner und Netze sowie Datensicherheit durch das Fachinteresse an Informatik und der kognitiven Leistungsfähigkeit (fluide Intelligenz) erklärt werden. Zusammenfassend gewährt diese Arbeit erstmals einen empirischen Einblick in das Profilfach IMP und liefert systematisch erhobene Erkenntnisse zum Angebot, der Nutzung und den Ergebnissen im Profilfach IMP. In der Arbeit wurden zudem zwei Fachwissenstests entwickelt, validiert und der Computer Science Education (CSE)-Community zur Verfügung gestellt. Die Befunde der Arbeit bieten unter Berücksichtigung ihrer Limitationen evidenzbasierte Erkenntnisse zum Profilfach IMP und weisen auf potenzielle Ansatzpunkte für die weiterführende Forschung im Bezugsfeld der Fachdidaktik Informatik hin.
... In this study, aversion to physics refers to students' persistent reluctance or unwillingness to engage with the subject, which poses a significant challenge in science education globally. Particularly within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) tracks, physics is often perceived as an abstract and mathematically demanding discipline, leading to diminished interest and engagement among students [3,4]. These perceptions are further compounded by traditional teaching practices that emphasize rote memorization and procedural problem-solving over fostering conceptual understanding and real-world applications [27]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Physics aversion is a pervasive challenge in STEM education worldwide, significantly impacting students' engagement and performance and highlighting the need to understand its root causes to develop effective interventions. This qualitative case study explored the root causes of physics aversion among Grade 12 STEM students at RPMD National Science High School in Marawi City, Philippines. Ten Grade 12 students enrolled in the 2023-2024 academic year were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through one-on-one in-depth interviews to capture participants' perceptions and experiences with physics. The audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. From the data, 15 codes emerged, which were grouped into four overarching themes: Mathematical Challenges, Teaching-Related Issues, Language and Comprehension, and Personal and Social Factors. Key findings revealed that mathematical challenges, such as difficulty with complex equations, problem-solving, and formula memorization, were the most frequently cited barriers. These issues were often exacerbated by mathematics anxiety and inadequate foundational skills. Teaching-related issues, including ineffective instructional methods, disorganized presentations, and lack of engagement, significantly hindered students' understanding and interest. Language barriers, especially in decoding technical terminology and understanding word problems, compounded these difficulties. Personal and social factors, including a lack of interest in physics, peer influence, and perceived irrelevance to future career goals, further contributed to the aversion. The study highlights the urgent need for student-centered teaching approaches, such as active learning strategies, differentiated instruction, and linguistic scaffolding, to address these challenges. Policymakers and educators are encouraged to implement holistic interventions to create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. Future research should investigate these dynamics across diverse educational contexts and assess the impact of targeted interventions on reducing physics aversion.
... For this reason, it is thought that it is necessary to diversify the questions with examples of daily life contexts that do not contain unnecessary information to comply with the currency criteria (Park & Lee, 2004). Life-based teaching, which aims to provide students with the skills to apply the knowledge they have learned daily (Bennett et al., 2007), creates the infrastructure for permanent learning and mediates the individual to come up with original ideas through experimentation practices by doing and experiencing. Creating questions from original content will help the student develop a different perspective on problem situations that the student has not encountered before. ...
Article
Full-text available
BPT Physics Questions, Physics Teachers, Life-Based, Semantic Perception This study investigates physics teachers' perceptions of life-based semantics towards the 2022 Basic Proficiency Test (BPT) physics questions. The study participants consisted of 30 physics teachers working in schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in various provinces in Turkey in the spring term of the 2022-2023 academic year. Case study was preferred as the research method. The life-based semantic perception form developed by the researchers and applied through Google Forms was used as a data collection tool. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the data from the data collection tool. Comprehensible, original, and current for the first question; comprehensible and distracting for the second question; comprehensible and reflecting learning outcomes for the third question; current, reflecting learning outcomes; and challenging for the fourth question; original, comprehensible, and current for the fifth question; comprehensible, reflecting learning outcomes, and distracting for the sixth question; comprehensible and life-based features for the seventh question of physics were determined. Suggestions were made to determine semantic perceptions in the development process of the questions and their use in other fields.
... (Osborne & Collins, 2001). Providing learning experiences that support students in connecting with daily life events while making sense of scientific concepts should be one of the main goals of teaching these concepts (Bennett et al., 2007;Magwilang, 2016). ...
Article
Full-text available
Students’ difficulties associating science topics and concepts with daily life continue from primary school to university. This study aims to develop an open-ended test to determine the level of 5th-grade students’ associating the topics related to the “Propagation of Light” unit with daily life events. The study employs a mixed-methods research model incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods for test development and validation. To examine the validity of the test, pilot application was applied to 20 students in 6th grade. Then, the test was used on 119 students in 5th grade for actual application of the test. As a result of the study, a valid and reliable “Propagation of Light” unit daily life association test (PoLDAT) consisting of 10 open-ended questions was developed. According to the findings obtained from applying the developed test, it is noteworthy that misconceptions are intense with partial understanding of the unit on the propagation of light. As a result, the PoLDAT will serve measurement and evaluation purposes and enable students to realize the relationship between science subjects and daily life events by activating their thinking processes.
... The Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council 2012) undergirding the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States 2013) emphasizes that science education is essential for students to gain knowledge and skills to become informed decision-makers for challenges facing society (e.g., environment, energy, health). Learning opportunities that are relevant and authentic as well as those that involve community-based partnerships can increase student motivation to delve into and apply scientific concepts to their own real-world problems (Bennett, Lubben, and Hogarth 2007;Klaver et al. 2023;Taylor et al. 2022). For this project, teaching environmental science in the context of a local drought and providing opportunities for consultation with a professional water conservation specialist brought students' personal lives closer to their science learning and promoted their desire to engage in problem-solving discussions. ...
... In addition, some students discovered that learning with contexts is appealing, indicating that contexts may contribute to student motivation. This learning outcome is consistent with that of previous research, which found that contexts may provide meaning to subject matter (e.g., Bennett, 2016) and are effective for motivating students (Bennett et al., 2007). In this respect, it is interesting to note one of the students' awareness of the balance between the complexity of a context and its usefulness: I have learned that there should be a good balance between how interesting the context is and how clearly you can understand what it teaches you. ...
Article
Full-text available
A context-based approach to education aims to improve students’ meaningful learning and uses authentic situations in which scientific concepts are applied. The use of contexts may contribute to the learning of abstract concepts such as algorithms. The selection of appropriate contexts, however, is challenging for teachers. It is therefore interesting to examine whether students can play an active role in the conception of such contexts and how designing contexts may contribute to student learning. As a case study, we investigated students' design of contexts for learning algorithms in upper secondary education. We developed lessons in which students collaboratively designed contexts and then reflected individually on all contexts proposed. At the end of these lessons, students completed a learner report. The students' design of contexts provided a remarkably wide range of learning outcomes. Students not only reported to have learned more about the lesson topic (algorithmic concepts and the application of these), but the learning reports also reflected learning about the process (learning with contexts, designing contexts, and collaboration). Our findings suggest that designing contexts contributes to active learning. The results of this study may serve as recommendations for future research concerning the role of students in designing contexts.
... Le processus de contextualisation s'avère important pour l'éducation scientifique, car il permet de relier les apprentissages à un contexte réel ou concret d'application. De nombreuses études tendent à montrer l'importance d'utiliser des situations de la vie hors de l'école pour contextualiser l'apprentissage notamment en sciences (Bennett et al., 2005;Bennett et al., 2007;King et Ritchie, 2012;Sanchez-Tapia, 2020). En plus de favoriser le développement d'une meilleure compréhension scientifique, la contextualisation est reconnue pour son effet positif sur la motivation et l'intérêt des personnes apprenantes pour les sciences (King et al., 2011), ainsi que sur la réussite scolaire (Rivera et al., 2014 ;Rivet et Krajcik, 2008). ...
Article
Full-text available
La contextualisation de l’enseignement et des apprentissages est principalement reconnue pour être mise de l’avant afin d’augmenter la motivation et l’intérêt des personnes apprenantes envers les sciences. Derrière ce terme, on retrouve de nombreuses approches dont l’approche basée sur le lieu, l’investigation scientifique, les pratiques authentiques, la science adaptée aux réalités culturelles, la science en plein air. Bien que ces approches soient recommandées dans plusieurs programmes à travers le mode, ces derniers définissent généralement peu comment les opérationnaliser. Il revient donc à la personne enseignante (PE) la charge de faire des liens, souvent difficiles à établir, entre les contenus scientifiques et les contextes d’apprentissages. Dans ce contexte, nous avons réalisé une étude qui vise à comprendre ce que les recherches nous apprennent sur la formation des personnes enseignantes quant à la contextualisation en enseignement scientifique. Nous avons donc réalisé une revue de littérature systématique qui a permis de faire ressortir l’importance de la formation continue et du développement professionnel, notamment grâce à de nombreuses recommandations concernant la mise en pratique des approches, l’importance de reconnaitre son système de croyances et l’ajustement des connaissances scientifiques.
... Numerous studies have shown that context-based learning (CBL) linked to cultural and social contexts significantly impacts the development of students' social responsibility (Acar & Yaman, 2011;Bennett, Lubben, & Hogarth, 2007;Peşman & Özdemir, 2012;Ültay & Çalık, 2012;Wilkinson, 1999). When acquiring scientific knowledge, students often question the relevance of the topics to real life, reflecting their tendency to view scientific knowledge as abstract and detached from daily experiences (Psillos, 2001). ...
Article
This study investigates teachers' perceptions and practices concerning the integration of cultural and social contexts into teaching in Vietnam, with the aim of enhancing students' social responsibility. A comprehensive survey was conducted involving 1,281 students and 51 Natural Science teachers from secondary schools in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The findings reveal that while teachers of natural sciences in this region are acutely aware of the significance of incorporating local cultural and social contexts into their instruction to foster students' social responsibility, its actual implementation is infrequent, primarily due to various challenges, including limited resources, time constraints, and a lack of training. Furthermore, the student survey results show no significant improvement in their social responsibility, suggesting that current teaching practices may not be effectively addressing this critical educational goal. In light of these findings, several recommendations are proposed, including the expansion of targeted training programs and ongoing support for teachers on how to effectively integrate cultural and social contexts into their teaching practices. The outcomes of this study offer valuable insights for educators in Vietnam, aiding them in designing more effective instructional activities for natural science subjects in alignment with the educational objectives outlined in the 2018 General Education Program.
... These topics, such as sustainability issues or epidemiological studies of disease, involve overarching ideas that engage students in relevant and authentic learning (Kelley & Knowles, 2016;Sanders, 2009). This context-based approach supports student engagement (Bennett et al., 2007) and aims to promote interest and participation in STEM opportunities. ...
Article
Full-text available
As science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) education continues to be a focus in many schools internationally, STEM teacher learning programs have arisen to support teachers with this integrated approach. Common to STEM teacher programs is teachers creating integrated STEM curriculum; however, missing from this research is how teachers develop the knowledge and skills needed to undertake this curriculum design. Consequently, for those designing STEM teacher programs, the literature provides limited understanding of how to support teachers’ learning of integrated curriculum design. This qualitative study investigated STEM teacher programs at ten Australian universities to identify the learning experiences that are perceived to be most valuable by teachers and teacher educators when learning how to design STEM education curriculum. Analysis of curriculum documents and the experiences of 23 individuals involved in STEM teacher programs (i.e., teacher educators, teachers) highlighted that a range of learning experiences is valuable for supporting teachers to develop the necessary knowledge and skills for STEM education curriculum design. Due to their breadth of learning potential, activities like STEM teaching resource analysis, and immersion in STEM education have a particularly important role to play in supporting teacher learning of the content, integration, and teaching required for STEM curriculum design.
... Starting in the 1980s, the STS movement (Mansour, 2009;Bennett et al., 2006) sought to incorporate social, cultural, and political aspects into science education, showing students the societal impact of science and technology on daily life. The STS movement has successfully impacted science education, encouraging students to think critically about social issues and raising awareness about ethics in science, citizen privacy through technology, and the environmental impact of science (Mansour, 2009). ...
Article
Full-text available
This article critically examines the intersection between philosophical perspectives and pedagogical practices in promoting epistemic justice within physics education. It addresses the historical context of science education movements and their impact on social equity, highlighting the persistent underrepresentation of marginalized groups in the sciences. By exploring the concepts of realism and relativism in the philosophy of science, this work discusses the challenges of integrating diverse epistemologies into physics education. It advocates for a multifaceted approach, emphasizing critical pedagogy and the inclusion of multicultural and multi-ethnic perspectives to foster a more equitable and inclusive physics curriculum. It argues that transforming physics education through ethnic-racial solidarity can enrich the discipline without falling into the relativist discourse. This document draws on the critical literature to exemplify how physics education and other physics communities can promote ethnic-racial solidarity. Through this approach, educators can create inclusive learning environments that empower students to engage critically with scientific knowledge and contribute to a more just and diverse future in physics education and practice.
... This program guarantees a relevant perspective suited to 21 st century challenges that require knowledge from several disciplines, and a coherent understanding of complex everyday phenomena. This is in addition to the development of flexible and critical thinking, which are important skills in the 21 st century and increase the students' interest in school subjects and the sciences (Bennett et al., 2007;Czerniak & Johnson, 2014;Guerrero & Reiss, 2020). In a study on interdisciplinary learning of science and art, school students demonstrated improved ability to draw scientific conclusions following an interdisciplinary teaching intervention (Lawless et al., 2018). ...
Article
Full-text available
Scientific knowledge is required to overcome epidemics, find solutions to climate change, and develop technology that improves our lives. Yet students often perceive science as a dull and challenging discipline. Over the years, many suggestions have been made as to how to teach science and how to allay students’ fears. This study presents a pedagogical model of integrative learning of literature and science, which aims to enhance students’ interest in science and to promote the development of essential skills. The model template consists of six active integrative workshops that engage the learner in the learning process by conducting experiments and building scientific models. We tested the impact of the pedagogical integrative model by measuring students’ attitudes towards science and their self-efficacy. We found that, after six integrative workshops, students expressed more positive attitudes, and a correlation was found between the increase in ability and a positive attitude towards science. This paper highlights the importance of the integrative literature and science model for effective teaching of science.
... Product-based learning suggests one possible implementation of the PjBL approach that stems from constructionist theory, emphasizing that people construct new knowledge when they are engaged in constructing meaningful physical products for themselves or for others around them (Ackermann, 1996). Context-based learning emphasizes that knowledge and skills must be learned and built up in a relevant context or domain of life, not just as a theory (Bennett et al., 2007a(Bennett et al., , 2007bHolbrook, 2014;Prins et al., 2018;Stanisavljević et al., 2016). Moreover, it centers on the belief that both the social context of the learning environment and its concrete context are pivotal to knowledge acquisition and processing (Rose, 2012). ...
Article
Computational thinking is accepted today as a collection of cognitive and social skills required for functioning in the 21st century. The paper presents a conceptual view at computational thinking that encompass concepts, problem-solving skills, application skills, and social skills. To impart those perceptions and skills the paper proposes the Four Pedagogies for Developing Computational Thinking (4P4CT) framework, which relies on active learning, project-based learning, product-based learning, and context-based learning, and advocates implementing computational thinking across all the education system in all subject matters at all ages by all teachers. The framework is presented and its implementation in an academic course for preservice K-12 teachers, taught so far in 16 classes attended by 409 preservice K-12 teachers, is described in detail. To support the effective development of the expected competences among preservice teachers, two types of empirical qualitative evidence, related to student outcomes, are presented: (a) simulations of computational processes, and (b) reflections that indicate a change in preservice teachers' perceptions and the application of computational thinking in their future teaching work.
... This feature helped teachers feel more confident in implementing differential teaching, addressing students' regular and additional needs, and even increased their ability to use kits, improve their teaching activities, and adapt them to diverse learners in the classroom (Summers and Falco, 2018). Another possible explanation for the increase in teachers' sense of self-efficacy' from a different perspective relates to the activation of personalized teaching assessments, which consist of diverse pedagogical activities involving technology, play, and active learning while individually and in groups, and in contributing to students' understanding (Bennett et al., 2007). This result, which improved students' performance and their experiences of success during assessment sessions, led to a decrease in the degree of difficulty in the classrooms, and consequently, the teachers' sense of self-efficacy increased (Avramidis et al., 2000). ...
Article
Inclusion of a diverse group of students, both regular learners and learners with special needs in chemistry classrooms is an important goal of chemistry educators. However, alternative conceptions in chemistry among high-school students can be a barrier for completing the learning process in the classroom, especially in a heterogeneous class. This study aimed to examine differentiated instruction (DI) in a chemistry classroom. We evaluated how customized pedagogical kits (CPKs) for DI, which aim to overcome alternative conceptions found during chemistry instruction, affected students and teachers. This paper presents the findings of a mixed-method study that was conducted with 9 high-school chemistry teachers, and 551 chemistry students. We used a pre-post questionnaire to investigate the impact of CPKs on teachers’ and students’ self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards chemistry and differentiated instruction, in addition to students’ achievements. The findings indicated the significantly higher averages of self-efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards DI in chemistry among teachers and high-school students, in addition to the significantly higher performance of students in chemistry tasks after implementing CPKs in classrooms. Being aware of the limitations of DI, we discussed customized pedagogical kits as a means that can support better inclusion in chemistry education.
... This does not mean that disciplinary knowledge is not important, but the persistence of such a kind of knowledge restricts learners and teachers from synthesizing ideas, integrating multiple ways of viewing reality, personalizing learning, and transferring knowledge to other contexts [2,3]. In particular, when merging text and context, it helps to shift from transmissive to constructing knowledge and to transformational teaching and learning [4][5][6]. Contextualization is, thus, a significant learning process that takes place by linking ideas and principles from other disciplines and making learning more authentic and meaningful [7,8]. However, despite increasing efforts to merge text and context (contextualization), the context has been often conceptualized as a static process mostly driven by textbooks and transmissive pedagogical processes [9], as opposed to designing for transformational learning [10]. ...
Article
Full-text available
This study focused on the development of a teacher self-efficacy measurement addressing the contextualization of information and communication technologies (ICTs) with education for sustainability (EfS) using principal component analysis. Furthermore, this study, with the participation of 1815 teachers, examined the predictive value of some hypothesized predictors of the ICTeEfS self-efficacy construct such as gender, school setting, years of teaching, knowledge of education for sustainability, knowledge of ICTs, and experience in using ICTs to support the integration of education for sustainability in teaching and school curricula using multiple regression analysis. The research results revealed that gender did not explain any statistically significant variance of teachers’ ICTeEfS self-efficacy; contrary to this, teachers possessing a high level of knowledge on issues about sustainability and ICT competence explained most of the extracted variance. However, a gap remains in utilizing these skills pedagogically. This study also discusses the varying levels of self-efficacy among teachers based on their workplace location, finding that urban teachers demonstrate higher self-efficacy compared to their rural counterparts. This could be attributed to the disparities in resources and support systems, thereby affecting their capacity to employ ICT in EfS effectively. It was also found that novice teachers exhibited higher predictive power to ICTeEfS self-efficacy, possibly due to their recent exposure to ICT training. This study assumes that a profound understanding of EfS, coupled with ICT tools, bolsters the creation of contextualized curricula and enriches the teaching and learning experience towards sustainability.
... Didactic proposals based on mystery stories can motivate, arouse interest, and facilitate the learning of various topics from different disciplines [3] [5] [11]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Sherlock Holmes, the literary character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is used in this work to illustrate the deductive skills needed in science. Holmes' own story is used to illustrate the use of analogy and to highlight the importance of stereoisomerism and the properties of enantiomers in medical practice .
... We use a context-based approach to support this relationship between learning concepts of ddA according to the explanatory model and students' everyday lives. This approach has a long tradition in science education (see for example, Gilbert, 2006;Bennett et al., 2007), but it has also been applied in computing education (e.g., Nijenhuis-Voogt et al., 2021). The idea is to use contexts or situations from students' everyday lives in which the learning of concepts is embedded. ...
Article
Full-text available
In K-12 computing education, there is a need to identify and teach concepts that are relevant to understanding machine learning technologies. Studies of teaching approaches often evaluate whether students have learned the concepts. However, scant research has examined whether such concepts support understanding digital artefacts from everyday life and developing agency in a digital world. This paper presents a qualitative study that explores students’ perspectives on the relevance of learning concepts of data-driven technologies for navigating the digital world. The underlying approach of the study is data awareness, which aims to support students in understanding and reflecting on such technologies to develop agency in a data-driven world. This approach teaches students an explanatory model encompassing several concepts of the role of data in data-driven technologies. We developed an intervention and conducted retrospective interviews with students. Findings from the analysis of the interviews indicate that students can analyse and understand data-driven technologies from their everyday lives according to the central role of data. In addition, students’ answers revealed four areas of how learning about data-driven technologies becomes relevant to them. The paper concludes with a preliminary model suggesting how computing education can make concepts of data-driven technologies meaningful for students to understand and navigate the digital world.
... So werden bei groß angelegten Leistungsstudien "Wissen zu extrapolieren [und] fächerübergreifend zu denken" (OECD, 2019) als zentrale Kompetenzen für Schüler:innen gesehen und es wird hervorgehoben, dass fächerübergreifende Lerngelegenheiten, die naturwissenschaftliches Wissen horizontal und vertikal miteinander vernetzen, geschaffen werden sollten (Schwippert et al., 2020). Hinzu kommt, dass davon ausgegangen wird, dass interdisziplinäre Fächer die Möglichkeit eröffnen, naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht durch andere Kontexte (Nachhaltigkeit, Klimaschutz und Energie, etc.) geschlechtersensitiver zu gestalten (Bahr & Zinn, 2023;Bennett, Lubben & Hogarth, 2007;Gysin & Brovelli, 2022;Labudde, 2003Labudde, , 2014. Trotz der vielfältigen Anwendungskontexte interdisziplinärer Fächer existieren mehrheitlich disziplinäre Umsetzungen von Informatik nach den Analysen der verschiedenen Bildungspläne von Boccini et al. und Vegas et al. (Bocconi et al., 2022;Vegas, Hansen & Fowler, 2021). ...
Preprint
Full-text available
In Europa wird Informatikunterricht disziplinär und interdisziplinär in der Sekundarstufe vermittelt. Seit 2018 gibt es das Profilfach Informatik, Mathematik, Physik (IMP) an Gymnasien in Baden-Württemberg. Bislang gibt es keine Evidenz zur Umsetzung des interdisziplinären Profilfaches. In einer Interviewstudie (N = 21) wurden IMP-Lehrpersonen zur ihrer Motivation, Qualifikation, Fachvernetzung und Umsetzung befragt. Die explorativen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die unterrichtliche Umsetzung von fachgetrenntem Unterricht ohne interdisziplinäre Abstimmung bis hin zu einer fächerverbindenden und fächerüberschreitenden Umsetzung reicht. Interdisziplinäre Umsetzung wird als Chance gesehen. Mangelnde Abstimmung zwischen den Lehrpersonen führt zur Disziplinarität. Geschlechterungleichheit, Mängel in der Ausstattung und der volle Stundenverteilungsplan sind Herausforderungen. Die Ergebnisse deuten begrenzten Er-folg der interdisziplinären Umsetzung an. ABSTRACT: In Europe, disciplinary as well as interdisciplinary approaches of Computer Science subjects are applied on the secondary level. To enhance the Computer Science competences of secondary students the interdisciplinary profile subject called "Informatics, Mathematics, Physics (IMP)" was introduced in secondary schools in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. To date, there is no evidence to support the implementation of the interdisciplinary profile subject. An expert survey was conducted via interviews with N = 21 IMP teachers. The teachers were asked about their motivation, profession orientated qualification profile, their integrated approach in the classroom as well as the opportunities and challenges of the interdisciplinary subject. The explorative results show that the subject IMP is taught from a subject isolated approach to an integrated interdiscipli-nary approach. Interdisciplinary implementation is seen as an opportunity. Lack of coordination among teachers leads to disciplinarity. Gender inequity, equipment deficiencies, and full schedule are challenges. Results indicate limited success of interdisciplinary implementation.
... The importance of showing science as something that impacts upon learners' daily lives has been established by various context-based science courses. Although the academic gains are commonly not large, there are marked improvements in attitudes towards science and there is evidence of a reduction in the gap between groups in this regard by enhancing the positive views of the group that had been previously less enthusiastic about science (Bennett et al., 2007). It is important, however, that the contexts and applications of science are shown in a diverse way, so that a 'male, stale and pale' image of people to whom science matters is not perpetuated. ...
Article
This paper provides evidence gathered from two suites of non-formal science activities that were intended to increase engagement in science by culturally diverse groups. Both studies involved the delivery of science activities that were designed, implemented and evaluated to show culturally contextualised science. The activities were run in two very different contexts (urban and very rural areas) and were designed to be of relevance to two distinctive cultural groups (those with links to South Asia, and those being educated through the medium of Gaelic, an indigenous minority language in Scotland), while also actively engaging with those beyond the target group. The link between language identity and culture was incorporated into the design of both sets of activities as well as the qualitative evaluation. The latter considers how the participants’ assessment of the interventions, implemented by writing or drawing on a blank postcard, was designed to provide unstructured responses and explores what the resulting data revealed about the impact of the interventions. The findings suggest that the set of activities that most strongly engaged participants on the value of diversity in the creation of scientific knowledge, as well as increasing their focus on the consequences of scientific activity, were those that facilitated a more exploratory approach to the subject matter. By contrast, activities that had to be done according to a standard scientific protocol produced growth in subject-specific knowledge. The present paper explores the principles of the inclusive pedagogies that informed the design of the activities and discusses how these were operationalised in two very contrasting cultural contexts. The key finding was that presenting science as social practice, rather than as being socially neutral, is key to promoting engagement, along with the benefits of explicitly demonstrating the relevance of science to participants’ daily lives.
... For example, [11] demonstrated that context-based learning can facilitate students to increase their understanding of the concepts of the properties of matter, heat, and temperature. A Reference [12] conducted a study on context-based learning. It concluded that students who adopted contextual learning improved their understanding of chemical ideas and gained higher scores than those who embraced the traditional way of learning. ...
Article
Full-text available
This systematic review aims to comprehensively analyze the effect of contextual-based teaching of Chemistry on students' academic achievement. The review includes an analysis of various scholarly articles that have examined the impact of integrating real-world contexts and applications into Chemistry instruction. A total of 10 study articles were selected for further analysis from databases such as ERIC, Scopus, and Google Scholar using a systematic literature review (SLR) method. These studies were thematically organized and reviewed. The interventional context-based (ICB) chemistry study articles employed a range of research designs, including Experimental research method with pre-test-posttest control group design, Experimental research with post-test only design, Quasi-experimental design, and Mixed-method research design, providing a comprehensive examination of the effect of the contextual-based teaching of Chemistry on students' academic achievement. Data analysis methods were utilized, including the independent t-test, one-way t-test, one-way ANOVA or ANOCOA, and MANOVA, to compare means between groups or against specified values. The results of the analysis indicate that context-based chemistry teaching has a positive effect on students' academic achievement. This finding has significant implications for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers, as it can inform the design of effective Chemistry instruction that enhances students' academic performance. In conclusion, this review highlights the positive impact of contextual-based teaching of Chemistry on student achievement. The findings underscore the importance of integrating real-world contexts and applications into Chemistry instruction. This has implications for educators and policymakers in designing effective teaching strategies to improve students' academic performance in Chemistry. Additionally, the review suggests avenues for future research in this area.
... Using context-based approaches in science teaching and making science learning relevant to everyday life of students has received increasing attention in recent decades (de Putter-Smits et al., 2013;Silseth, 2018). The rationale for contextualization relates to addressing a problem of information overload in science education (Gilbert, 2006), motivating students (Bennett et al, 2007) and increasing learner agency. One of the challenges and requirements in contextualizing science education is professional development of teachers. ...
Thesis
Full-text available
Bu çalışmada Yaşam Temelli Öğrenme yaklaşımının 7. sınıf öğrencilerinin, Fen ve Teknoloji dersindeki akademik başarısı, bilimin doğası hakkındaki görüşleri ve bilimsel süreç becerileri üzerine etkisinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaçla çalışma 2013-2014 eğitim-öğretim yılı birinci döneminde Kırıkkale ilinin Merkez ilçesi Hanımeller Ortaokulu’nda öğrenim gören 50, 7. sınıf öğrencisi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Öğrenciler, bu çalışmada; deney grubu ve kontrol grubu olmak üzere, iki gruba ayrılmıştır. Deney grubunda Yaşam Temelli Öğrenme yaklaşımına göre dersler işlenirken, kontrol grubunda ise aynı ünite Fen ve Teknoloji Dersi öğretim programının öğretim etkinliklerine göre işlenmiştir. Her iki gruba da derslerin işlenmesi için üç haftalık zaman ayrılmıştır. Çalışmada veri toplamak amacıyla “Yaşamımızdaki Elektrik Ünitesi Başarı Testi”, “Bilimin Doğası Ölçeği” ve “Bilimsel Süreç Becerileri Ölçeği” kontrol grubuna öntest ve sontest olarak, deney grubuna ise öntest, sontest ve kalıcılık testi olarak uygulanmıştır. Çalışmadan elde edilen nicel verilerin analizinde; SPSS paket programı kullanılmış olup verilerin analizi için de Shapiro-Wilks normallik testi, bağımsız gruplar t-testi, bağımlı gruplar t-testi ile kovaryans analizi ve frekans analizi yapılmıştır. Yaşam Temelli Öğrenme yaklaşımının uygulama sonrası deney grubu öğrencilerinin akademik başarılarını anlamlı bir düzeyde artırdığı, bilimin doğası hakkında görüşlerinin sontest ve kalıcılık testi arasında, anlamlı farkın olduğu, bilimsel süreç becerilerine ise sontest ve kalıcılık testi puanlarının birbirine yakın olması sebebi ile herhangi bir etkisinin olmadığı, cinsiyete göre başarı puanlarının ve bilimsel süreç becerilerinin farklılık göstermediği ancak bilimin doğası hakkında görüşlerinin ise erkek öğrencilerin, kız öğrencilere göre daha yüksek olduğu sonuçlarına ulaşılmıştır. Sonuçlara göre aşağıdaki öneriler verilebilir; yaşam temelli öğrenme yaklaşımının uygulamaları farklı sınıflarda, farklı disiplinlerde ve farklı öğrenme çıktılarında yapılabilir. Anahtar kelimeler: Yaşam Temelli Öğrenme Yaklaşımı, Akademik Başarı, Bilimin Doğası, Bilimsel Süreç Becerileri, 5E Öğrenme Modeli.
Book
Se corresponde con el libro de actas del V Encuentro de la Red de Universidades Cultivadas (RUC). Este fue un hito significativo que tuvo lugar del 5 al 7 de octubre de 2023 en el Campus de Álava de la Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), en la ciudad de Vitoria-Gasteiz. Bajo el lema “Huertos universitarios para la transformación ecosocial”, este evento reunió a una comunidad comprometida con la promoción y exploración de modelos de gestión de huertos universitarios, así como con el abordaje de los desafíos futuros que este ámbito presenta. Los principales objetivos del V Encuentro RUC fueron: - Comprender y analizar los diferentes modelos de gestión de huertos universitarios. - Reflexionar sobre el papel de los huertos en la formación de futuros maestros y maestras en el contexto de la transición ecosocial. - Ampliar la Red de Universidades Cultivadas mediante la incorporación de nuevas instituciones y proyectos. - Establecer estrategias conjuntas para enfrentar los desafíos y oportunidades que presenta el futuro de los huertos universitarios.
Chapter
Full-text available
El proyecto «Sembrando interés, cosechando competencia» pretende desarrollar la competencia científica en enseñanza secundaria, mediante la implementación de cuatro se-cuencias didácticas, estructuradas en tres fases y contextualizadas en el huerto educativo, cu-yos contenidos se corresponden con los del currículo oficial. Para su evaluación, se diseñaron instrumentos que permitieron obtener resultados acerca de la adquisición de competencias científicas por parte del alumnado, así como medir su mejora en cuanto al interés por la cien-cia. Palabras clave: competencia científica, enseñanza de las ciencias en contexto, huerto educativo, investigación de diseño (DBR), Secuencia de Enseñanza-Aprendizaje (SEA). 10.1. Descripción de la experiencia El proyecto «Sembrando interés, cosechando competencia» estuvo enfocado a promo-ver la competencia científica del alumnado de ESO y Bachillerato del IES Virgen del Espino (Soria). Para ello se diseñaron, implementaron y evaluaron cuatro secuencias de enseñanza-aprendizaje (SEA, en adelante) de corte constructivista, que abordaban temas de ciencias es-trechamente vinculados al currículo oficial (y situados en distintos cursos de esas etapas). Una cuestión relevante es que las SEAs se contextualizaron en el huerto educativo del centro; es decir, el huerto educativo actuó como un espacio de la vida real y cotidiana en que desarro-llar la comprensión científica sobre diferentes temas, una enseñanza de las ciencias en con-texto, tal y como se recomienda en la literatura del ámbito de la Didáctica de las Ciencias (Bennet et al., 2007; Braund y Reiss, 2006). En concreto, las SEAs se diseñaron siguiendo las pautas proporcionadas por Giné y Par-cerissa (2003) y Zabala y Arnau (2007), y estaban estructuradas en tres fases: una inicial para presentar el tema, explicitar los conocimientos previos del alumnado y motivarlo hacia el aprendizaje; otra de desarrollo para la reconstrucción de conocimiento; y una tercera para fa-vorecer la recapitulación, síntesis y evaluación de los contenidos trabajados. A nivel básico,
Chapter
Full-text available
La producción de energía de forma sostenible constituye uno de los desafíos fundamentales de nuestras sociedades, incluido en la Agenda 2030 de Naciones Unidas como el objetivo 7 “Energía asequible y no contaminante”. Los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) parten desde una concepción dinámica que engloba aspectos económicos, sociales y ambientales (Ramos, 2021), y deberán someterse a una evaluación detallada si se pretende que realmente sirvan de pauta para una transformación social justa, inclusiva y sostenible.
Chapter
Twenty years ago the worlds of science and cooking were neatly compartmentalized. There were the basic sciences, physics and chemistry and biology, delving deep into the nature of matter and life. There was food science, an applied science mainly concerned with understanding the materials and processes of industrial manufacturing. The food and beverage production techniques have totally transformed from being standard recipes to innovative and contemporary dishes, by way of 'molecular gastronomy'. For many years, these molecular transformations were neglected by the food-science field. In 1988, the scientific discipline called “molecular gastronomy” was created, and the field is now developing in many countries. The new education materials deal with following key concepts in chemistry: solubility, proteins, carbohydrates, sourness, water features and emulsions. The present analytical research aims at focusing on the concept, origin and development of Molecular Gastronomy as an innovative approach in the field of food and beverage production.
Article
The declining interest in science learning, along with students' perception that science is irrelevant to their daily lives, has been identified as a significant issue. This research aimed to help students connect abstract scientific concepts with their personal and everyday experiences. To achieve this, the research utilized the metaphysical principles implied by scientific concepts, a component of Kuhn’s paradigm. To replace the abstract term ‘metaphysical meanings’, the term ‘Meaning of Life implied by Scientific Concepts’ (MLS) was introduced to make these metaphysical principles more accessible and comprehensible for students. Using MLS, activity sheets were developed and implemented with 57 lower-secondary students. The results showed that students could effectively identify real-life examples of the presented MLS, the number of students who successfully generated MLS increased with additional class sessions, and the content of the MLS expressed by the students was thoughtful and meaningful. Post-activity interviews indicated that students found this approach interesting and helpful for understanding concepts, and teachers were impressed by the quality of the students' work, expressing a desire to implement this approach in their classes. It is concluded that using MLS to connect abstract scientific concepts with students' everyday lives is both feasible and applicable in school science. Keywords: Metaphysical Principle, Scientific Concepts, Everyday Context, Kuhn’s Paradigm
Article
Full-text available
Les enjeux socioscientifiques actuels liés à l'environnement nécessitent une compréhension approfondie de concepts scientifiques complexes. Cette complexité implique une éducation scientifique de qualité. Pour contribuer à une telle éducation, nous discutons de l’apport de la contextualisation des sciences de la nature en plein air à proximité de l’école puisque cette approche présente des avantages pour les élèves, comme une meilleure compréhension des concepts scientifiques et le développement d’une relation positive avec l'environnement. À la lumière de cet apport potentiel, nous formulons trois propositions provenant de sources scientifiques diverses qui pourraient soutenir les personnes enseignantes dans la mobilisation de cette approche : choisir un lieu extérieur en adéquation avec les objectifs scientifiques, opter pour un lieu extérieur accessible près de l'école et créer des situations d'apprentissage engageantes pour les élèves. Cette réflexion est une ouverture à la discussion sur les considérations à prendre en compte par les personnes enseignantes lorsqu’elles contextualisent des situations d’apprentissage en plein air à proximité de l’école.
Article
Full-text available
El texto presenta una revisión exhaustiva de un libro de texto de Ciencias para la Ciudadanía, enfocándose en aspectos clave, como los niveles de alfabetización científica, los planos de análisis y desarrollo, y el análisis de las ilustraciones. En cuanto a los niveles de alfabetización científica (AC), se explica la categorización detallada de las preguntas propuestas en diferentes niveles de conocimiento científico, habilidades y actitudes científicas. Se destaca una distribución equilibrada de preguntas que abordan estos diferentes niveles, lo que sugiere un enfoque integral de la AC en el texto. El análisis de los planos de análisis y desarrollo revela la importancia de considerar un enfoque más holístico que integre estos aspectos para promover un desarrollo integral de los estudiantes. En cuanto a las ilustraciones, se proporciona un desglose detallado de su función. Se observa una diversidad de enfoques en la representación gráfica de conceptos científicos, con una clara preferencia por la fotografía como modalidad visual principal. También, la presencia de las ilustraciones operativas, especialmente las sintácticas, para complementar y ampliar la información presentada en el texto. Finalmente, los resultados proporcionan una visión detallada de cómo el libro de texto aborda la relación entre ciencia, tecnología y sociedad, y permiten sugerir recomendaciones para mejorar la educación científica en Chile, promoviendo un enfoque integral que considere diferentes niveles de alfabetización científica y aspectos clave del desarrollo humano.
Article
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has been established as a significant aim of K–12 science education in the United States of America. In Japan, the newest institutions (Kosen) having existed for around six decades. Kosen has played an important role in Japanese STEM education, with roughly 10,000 graduates every year. The Kosen curriculum is based on two concepts: technical education at an early age and practical-based education. The superior features of Kosen education should be included in the construction of the new Japanese STEM education system to lead STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) as a more creative education system.
Chapter
There are a number of arguments in favour of the greater inclusion of SSI in science education. In particular, SSI can be motivating for learners, give them a deeper understanding of how science is interdisciplinary, and help them appreciate the complexities of applying the science learnt in classrooms and labs to the real world. In the UK, though, SSI are under-used in science education, whether at primary, secondary or tertiary level. We examine the reasons for this by looking at the utility of SSI from a range of perspectives—including Stoicism and neoliberal understandings of education. A crucial aspect of Stoic philosophy, particularly relevant to SSI, is the Stoic view of physics as a necessary foundation or precursor for ethics. They believed that making informed ethical decisions required a deep understanding of the world in which these ethics were applied. This is because ethical principles are anchored in value judgments about what is significant and meaningful, but confined within the realm of what is realistically achievable. Since the 1980s, neoliberalism has increasingly been the dominant ideology shaping school and higher education policy in the UK, maintaining that the education system should be managed according to the principles of a free market. We examine both Stoicism and criticisms of a neoliberal approach to school education and discuss how SSI might be used to contribute to the formation of scientific literacy, epistemic insight, and human flourishing at all three levels of formal education.
Article
This quantitative study investigates the influence of psychological and contextual factors on chemistry achievement among senior secondary school students in Sri Lanka. The research examines teachers' teaching styles, students' understanding of concepts, subject satisfaction, and attitudes toward chemistry as psychological factors, with gender and school type as contextual characteristics. Using a sample of 302 students and 114 teachers from 13 schools in the Kegalle Education Zone, data were collected using a Likert scale- based instrument and a structured chemistry test. The validity and reliability of the instruments were confirmed by pilot testing and confirmatory factor analysis. Data analysis, performed with SPSS and Amos software, used multivariate techniques and structural equation modeling. The results indicate that attitude towards chemistry and gender significantly influence student achievement. All variables except school location have a positive effect on student achievement. Recommendations include enhancing teacher training programs to promote effective, student-centered teaching styles, developing interventions aimed at improving students' conceptual understanding and attitudes towards chemistry, ensuring that curriculum and teaching practices are engaging and relevant to student's interests and experiences, and implementing gender-sensitive strategies to support both boys and girls in achieving their full potential in chemistry. This study provides valuable insights for educators and policymakers to design targeted strategies that address the identified factors, ultimately aiming to enhance educational outcomes and student performance in chemistry.
Article
Araştırmanın amacı, 2018 öğretim programı güncellenmesi ile beraber kullanılmakta olan sekizinci sınıf Fen Bilimleri ders kitabı ölçme ve değerlendirme sorularını Bağlam Temelli Öğrenme (BTÖ) yaklaşımı kapsamında incelemektir. Çalışma, araçsal durum çalışması modeline göre yürütülmüştür. Veriler doküman incelemesi yoluyla toplanmıştır. Araştırma verilerinin analizinde içerik analizi kullanılmıştır. Yapılan analiz sonucunda ders kitabında gerek bölüm sonu gerekse ünite sonunda bağlam temelli sorulara (BTS) sınırlı olarak yer verildiği, soruların çoğunluğunun öğrencilerin üst düzey düşünmelerini gerektirmeyecek türde ve günlük yaşam bağlamları içermeden kurgulandığı tespit edilmiştir. Soruların bir kısmı BTS kriterlerinin bir kısmını karşılamaktadır, ancak bir sorunun BTS olabilmesi için tüm kriterleri karşılamasının gerekliliğinden dolayı bu tür sorular BTS olarak değerlendirilememiştir. Ünite sonu sorular dikkate alındığında BTS’ler en fazla “DNA ve Genetik Kod”, en az “Enerji Dönüşümleri ve Çevre Bilimi” ünitesinde yer almaktadır. Ulaşılan sonuçlar doğrultusunda sekizinci sınıf ders kitabı sorularının öğretim programı hedef kazanımları ve BTÖ yaklaşımı hedeflerine uygun olarak düzenlenmesi önerilmiştir.
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of the study is to analyze the role of character education in class V Public Elementary School number 9 Bintoro, Demak Regency in terms of different living quarters and describe the strategy of implementing character education on learning interest in grade V students of Public Elemntary School number 9 Bintoro, Demak Regency in terms of different living quarters. Data collection techniques are observation, interview, documentation and triangulation. Data analysis used data reduction, data presentation, temporary answers, and drawing conclusions. The research subjects were grade V students who lived in orphanages, Islamic boarding schools, and at home. The results of the study are the learning interest of students who live in orphanages is still lower than the students who live in Islamic boarding schools, but for students who live with families have a high interest in learning and some ask for low learning to increase students' interest in learning, namely implementing character education, providing good examples for students from teachers and school principals, learning innovation, establishing good communication with students and student guardians, and giving rewards for students who excel and sanctions for participants students who violate school rules.
Article
Full-text available
Unlike in many other countries, physics in secondary education in Scotland is highly popular, with large numbers opting for study at the Higher Grade from which entry to higher education is possible. This paper reports a project which explored attitudes towards physics in Scotland, looking at students aged from about 10 to 20 years old. Overall, over 850 school pupils were surveyed along with 208 level 1 and 2 university physics students. The work was carried out mainly by use of questionnaires and interviewing. The approach allowed the development of 'snap shots' of attitudes held by pupils simultaneously at various stages of education. These attitudes can be compared at the different stages, although care must be taken in such comparison to allow for varying degrees of self-selection. The main factors attracting school pupils into a study of physics are described, together with the pattern of attitude changes which take place with age. From the picture obtained, it is possible to determine areas of the curriculum where there are difficulties. The enormous success of the applications-led course for Standard Grade is apparent in attracting and retaining pupils within physics, including girls. The outcomes suggest some ways by which physics curriculum planners can develop courses in physics which will prove attractive and robust.
Article
Full-text available
To help develop and improve programs and practices in U.S. schools and classrooms, current national policies strongly encourage more widespread application of rigorous research methods for evaluating what works. Although randomized experiments have been accepted and applied as the gold standard for testing and developing innovations in other fields, most notably medicine, their application to questions in education has been infre- quent. This article articulates the logic of these experiments, discusses rea- sons for their infrequent use in education, and presents several ways that evaluators may apply experiments to the special circumstances surround- ing education. If randomization is to be more widely accepted and imple- mented in education, the ethical and political dilemmas of withholding ser- vices must be addressed, experiments must be adapted to fit the messy and complex world of schools and classrooms, and an even stronger federal role is needed to foster and sustain experimentation and improvement of educa- tional practices.
Article
Full-text available
This wide-ranging 1975 review of the literature was based on the author's 1972 PhD thesis at Monash University and expanded during a year of work as a visiting scholar at the University of London's Centre for Science Education in 1973. The review is organised into nine sections under two broad headings. THE MEASUREMENT OF ATTITUDES 1. Attitudes to science: meaning and significance 2. Survey of types of instruments 3. Methodological issues RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER VARIABLES 4. Other educational variables 5. Personality 6. Sex 7. Structural variables 8. School variables 9. Curriculum and instructional variables. (The author, now aged 80, is delighted that 45 years later, this paper has been read or cited by several hundred other researchers.)
Article
Full-text available
This article offers a review of the major literature about attitudes to science and its implications over the past 20 years. It argues that the continuing decline in numbers choosing to study science at the point of choice requires a research focus on students' attitudes to science if the nature of the problem is to be understood and remediated. Starting from a consideration of what is meant by attitudes to science, it considers the problems inherent to their measurement, what is known about students' attitudes towards science and the many factors of influence such as gender, teachers, curricula, cultural and other variables. The literature itself points to the crucial importance of gender and the quality of teaching. Given the importance of the latter we argue that there is a greater need for research to identify those aspects of science teaching that make school science engaging for pupils. In particular, a growing body of research on motivation offers important pointers to the kind of classroom environment and activities that might raise pupils' interest in studying school science and a focus for future research.
Article
Full-text available
Educational research is not very influential, useful, or well funded. This article explores why and suggests ways that the situation could be improved. Our focus is on the processes that link the development of good ideas and insights, the development of tools and structures for implementation, and the enabling of robust implementation in realistic practice. We suggest that educational research and development should be restructured so as to be more useful to practitioners and to policymakers, allowing the latter to make better-informed, less-speculative decisions that will improve practice more reliably.
Article
Full-text available
We describe convenient statistical procedures that will enable research consumers (e.g., professional psychologists, graduate students, and researchers themselves) to reach beyond the published conclusions and make an independent assessment of the reported results. Appropriately conceived contrasts accompanied by effect size estimates often allow researchers to address precise predictions that the authors of the published report may have ignored or abandoned prematurely. We describe the use of t, F, and Z to compute contrasts with different raw ingredients, and we review 3 effect size indices (Cohen's d, Hedges's g, and Pearson r) and a way of displaying the magnitude of any effect size r. We also describe how to construct confidence limits for the obtained effect as well as its null–counternull interval. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Full-text available
The traditional conception of validity divides it into three separate and substitutable types: content, criterion, and construct validities. This view is fragmented and incomplete, especially because it fails to take into account both evidence of the value implications of score meaning as a basis for action and the social consequences of score use. The new unified concept of validity interrelates these issues as fundamental aspects of a more comprehensive theory of construct validity that addresses both score meaning and social values in test interpretation and test use. That is, unified validity integrates considerations of content, criteria, and consequences into a construct framework for the empirical testing of rational hypotheses about score meaning and theoretically relevant relationships, including those of an applied and a scientific nature. Six distinguishable aspects of construct validity are highlighted as a means of addressing central issues implicit in the notion of validity as a unified concept. These are content, substantive, structural, generalizability, external, and consequential aspects of construct validity. In effect, these six aspects function as general validity criteria or standards for all educational and psychological measurement, including performance assessments, which are discussed in some detail because of their increasing emphasis in educational and employment settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Article
Full-text available
How can we make complexity work as part of a programme of engaged social science? This article attempts to answer that question by arguing that one way to do this is through a reconstruction of a central tool of a distinctively social science - the comparative method - understood as a procedure for elucidating the complex and multiple systems of causation that generate particular trajectories towards a desired future from the multiple sets of available futures. The article distinguishes between simplistic complexity' and complex complexity'. Simplistic complexity' seeks to explain emergence in complex systems as the product of simple rules and defines complex science as the process of establishing such rules. It can and does serve as the basis of technocratic social engineering in the interest of the powerful. In contrast complex complexity' recognizes the significance of social structure and willed social agency and does not reduce emergence to the mere working out of a restricted set of rules. Research programmes informed by this second approach must necessarily engage with social actors in context - they must be dialogical. This opens up the possibility of complex complexity' as a frame of reference for action-research directed towards the transformation of complex social systems. Comparative methods, and in particular Ragin's qualitative comparative analysis approach, when deployed as part of such a programme, can provide meaningful information about the range of possible futures and the different configurations of causes which might generate particular desired social outcomes.
Article
Full-text available
Educators who plan science lessons, who develop science curricula, or who evaluate learning, often wonder about students' preconceptions of the material to be taught. Until now, attention has mainly focused on traditional science content (Driver, 1988; West and Pines, 1985). However, content related to the nature of science (for example, science's epistemology and its social context) is receiving increased attention because of interest in teaching science through a science-tech-nology-society (STS) approach or teaching science in concert with the history and philosophy of science (Bybee, 1987; Hodson, 1988; Posner and Strike, 1989; Gruen-der and Tobin, 1991); What are high school students' preconceptions concerning the epistemology and sociology of science? This question is addressed in two related articles that stem from the same research study. This first article describes the development of a new research instrument that monitors students' views on a broad range of STS topics,
Article
Full-text available
Incl. bibl., index.
Article
Several units of curriculum materials based on locally relevant science and using a technological approach have been developed for junior science classes in Swaziland. The learning of students studying Current Electricity through one of these units and of a control group have been documented. Students' understanding of science concepts has been determined through administering standard examination items. In addition, their ability to apply these concepts for problem-solving and to design an open-ended experiment have been tested through written probes. Comparison of the experimental and control group shows that experimental groups under-performed especially those taught by teachers who had only partly adopted the new teaching approach. Achievement of girls and boys does not show a difference in either group. The new approach improves slightly the ability to identify relevant knowledge for problem-solving and equips high achievers to design open-ended practical work.
Article
Socioscientific issues encompass social dilemmas with conceptual or technological links to science. The process of resolving these issues is best characterized by informal reasoning which describes the generation and evaluation of positions in response to complex situations. This article presents a critical review of research related to informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. The findings reviewed address (a) socioscientific argumentation; (b) relationships between nature of science conceptualizations and socioscientific decision making; (c) the evaluation of information pertaining to socioscientific issues, including student ideas about what counts as evidence; and (d) the influence of an individual's conceptual understanding on his or her informal reasoning. This synthesis of the current state of socioscientific issue research provides a comprehensive framework from which future research can be motivated and decisions about the design and implementation of socioscientific curricula can be made. The implications for future research and classroom applications are discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 41: 513–536, 2004
Book
Preface Part I. Foundations of Research 1. Science, Schooling, and Educational Research Learning About the Educational World The Educational Research Approach Educational Research Philosophies Conclusions 2. The Process and Problems of Educational Research Educational Research Questions Educational Research Basics The Role of Educational Theory Educational Research Goals Educational Research Proposals, Part I Conclusions 3. Ethics in Research Historical Background Ethical Principles Conclusions 4. Conceptualization and Measurement Concepts Measurement Operations Levels of Measurement Evaluating Measures Conclusions 5. Sampling Sample Planning Sampling Methods Sampling Distributions Conclusions Part II. Research Design and Data Collection 6. Causation and Research Design Causal Explanation Criteria for Causal Explanations Types of Research Designs True Experimental Designs Quasi-Experimental Designs Threats to Validity in Experimental Designs Nonexperiments Conclusions 7. Evaluation Research What Is Evaluation Research? What Can an Evaluation Study Focus On? How Can the Program Be Described? Creating a Program Logic Model What Are the Alternatives in Evaluation Design? Ethical Issues in Evaluation Research Conclusions 8. Survey Research Why Is Survey Research So Popular? Errors in Survey Research Questionnaire Design Writing Questions Survey Design Alternatives Combining Methods Survey Research Design in a Diverse Society Ethical Issues in Survey Research Conclusions 9. Qualitative Methods: Observing, Participating, Listening Fundamentals of Qualitative Research Participant Observation Intensive Interviewing Focus Groups Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research Conclusions 10. Single-Subject Design Foundations of Single-Subject Design Measuring Targets of Intervention Types of Single-Subject Designs Analyzing Single-Subject Designs Ethical Issues in Single-Subject Design Conclusions 11. Mixing and Comparing Methods and Studies Mixed Methods Comparing Reserch Designs Performing Meta-Analyses Conclusions 12. Teacher Research and Action Research Teacher Research: Three Case Studies Teacher Research: A Self-Planning Outline for Creating Your Own Project Action Research and How It Differs From Teacher Research Validity and Ethical Issues in Teacher Research and Action Research Conclusions Part III. Analyzing and Reporting Data 13. Quantitative Data Analysis Why We Need Statistics Preparing Data for Analysis Displaying Univariate Distributions Summarizing Univariate Distributions Relationships (Associations) Among Variables Presenting Data Ethically: How Not to Lie With Statistics Conclusions 14. Qualitative Data Analysis Features of Qualitative Data Analysis Techniques of Qualitative Data Analysis Alternatives in Qualitative Data Analysis Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Ethics in Qualitative Data Analysis Conclusions 15. Proposing and Reporting Research Educational Research Proposals, Part II Reporting Research Ethics, Politics, and Research Reports Conclusions Appendix A: Questions to Ask About a Research Article Appendix B: How to Read a Research Article Appendix C: Finding Information, by Elizabeth Schneider and Russell K. Schutt Appendix D: Table of Random Numbers Glossary References Author Index Subject Index About the Authors
Article
The present article describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a module: ‘Energy and the Human Being’, within the framework of a programme aimed at non-science oriented students in senior high schools in Israel. The objectives of this programme are to enable students to gain a broad outlook of scientific concepts and to make science seem relevant, both to each student personally and to society in general. The module tries to clarify some issues concerning abundant feelings about energy. Both children and adults confuse the notion of the quality of energy with that of the amount of energy. Thus they feel that energy is not an entity that is conserved because one has to pay for its use. The programme is built around two main ideas: (1) Energy can be converted from one form to another but each transformation is accompanied by some of it being converted to heat and thus the ability to perform work decreases. (2) Work is performed when a spontaneous process is coupled with a non-spontaneous process, thus causing it to happen. The programme was implemented and the results of the evaluation seem to indicate that it improved students' attitudes towards science in general and towards school science in particular. The results also show that a substantial proportion of the students understood the main scientificideas presented to them.
Article
This book provides an updated look at crystal field theory, one of the simplest models of chemical bonding, and its applications. After an introductory section chapters go on to describe: an outline of crystal field theory; energy level diagrams and crystal field spectra of transition metal ions; measurements of absorption spectra of minerals; crystal field spectra of transition metal ions in minerals; crystal chemistry of transition metal-bearing minerals; thermodynamic properties influenced by crystal field energies; trace element geochemistry in the crust and mantle; remote sensing compositions of planetary surfaces; and covalent bonding of transition metals. -A.W.Hall
Article
The Scope, Sequence and Coordination (SS&C) project is a major reform initiative in the United States conceived by the National Science Teachers Association with major funding by the National Science Foundation. This is a report of the Iowa Project, a broad effort of many stockholders in 20 school districts, where a science-technology-society approach was emphasized through a constructivist philosophy of learning and teaching. Results indicated the successes of SS&C in four areas: (1) SS&C teachers are more confident to teach science and they better understand the nature of science and technology than do control teachers. (2) SS&C teachers can use teaching strategies that reflect a constructivist view of learning, and conduct action research projects related to effective teaching. (3) Students achieve significantly better in SS&C courses than they do in traditional textbookoriented courses. (4) Historically disenfranchised groups of learners, such as low ability students and females, are especially well served by SS&C science.
Article
The article examines David Hargreaves's ideas about the nature of 'evidence-based practice' and the future direction for educational research. The first section explores Hargreaves's attempt to free an 'engineering model' of educational research, aimed at the production of actionable knowledge, from a naive and crude positivism. It draws on McIntyre's philosophical account of the character of generalisations in social science to question whether Hargreaves has succeeded. In doing so, the assumptions which underpin his conception of actionable knowledge, and preference for generalisations couched in the form of statistical probabilities, are discussed and critiqued. The article argues that they are embedded in the prevailing ideological climate of outcomesbased education. The rest of the article develops a different account of educational practice from the one that appears to underpin Hargreaves's ideas about 'evidencebased' practice and the role of educational research in supporting it. It does so by revisiting the work of Richard Peters, on the aims of education, and that of Lawrence Stenhouse, on curriculum design and 'research-based teaching'. Central to both Peters and Stenhouse's work is a view about the relationship between educational aims and processes, which is neglected in Hargreaves's account of the role of educational research in informing educational practice. The explanation appears to lie in Hargreaves's unquestioning commitment to an outcomes-based view of education. The article shows how Stenhouse drew on Peters's educational theory to construct a more comprehensive view of educational research as 'research-based teaching'. Although the exposition of Peters and Stenhouse's work is set against Hargreaves's conception of 'evidence-based' practice and the role of educational research, the article develops a position of 'mutual accommodation'. In comparing Hargreaves's thinking with that of Stenhouse in particular, it indicates similarities as well as differences of perspective. One major theme in the article is that the current discourse about 'evidence-based' teaching is uninformed by an articulate educational theory, and therefore excludes a thoughtful consideration of the implications of such a theory for educational research. The major aim of the article is to make a contribution towards rectifying this situation.
Article
The production of 'systematic' reviews of research findings has recently come to be treated as a priority in the field of education, and other areas too. Such reviews are believed to play an important role in making evidence from research available in a usable form to policy-makers and practitioners. This article examines the assumptions about research, and about the task of reviewing, which are built into the concept of systematic review. In addition, attention is given to the likely consequences of the priority now being given to this type of review.
Article
This paper reviews the remarkably similar experiences of school science reported by high school students in Sweden, England, and Australia. It compares student narratives from interpretive studies by Lindahl, by Osborne and Collins, and by Lyons, identifying core themes relating to critical contemporary issues in science education. These themes revolve around the transmissive pedagogy, decontextualized content, and unnecessary difficulty of school science commonly reported by students in the studies. Their collective experiences are used as a framework for examining student conceptions of, and attitudes to, school science more generally, drawing on an extensive range of international literature. The paper argues that the experiences of students in the three studies provide important insights into the widespread declines in interest and enrolments in high school and university science courses.
Article
The purpose of this paper is to consider a number of issues relating to research in the area of high school pupils’ attitudes to science. Teachers appear to consider that pupils’ attitudes to science, and to what is being studied in science lessons, exert a profound influence on levels of engagement with the subject. Yet, perhaps because of the difficulties which appear to be associated with such work, studies of attitudes to science appear far less frequently in the literature than was the case 10 or 15 years ago. This paper attempts to map out the area of interest more clearly by considering issues to do with the meanings of key terms, methodology and the purpose of research into pupils’ attitudes to science. A number of key questions emerge from the discussion, and possible answers are used to argue a case for looking again at attitudes to science and to sketch an agenda for future work.
Article
Although many theoretical arguments have been put forward for contextualizing the African science curriculum, little is known about students’ responses to science curriculum content and teaching methods designed to be locally relevant. This paper describes research in Swaziland. It presents reactions of Swazi junior secondary students to contextualized lessons on circuit electricity, air and respiratory processes using an application‐led teaching strategy. It identifies the characteristics of the lesson materials influencing (1) student motivation and interest, (2) student participation and (3) concept development. It is argued that a continuation of a teacher‐centred teaching style prevents students from gaining the maximum learning benefits from contextualized lesson materials.
Article
The beliefs and positions of Grade 11 students who were enrolled in a science/technology/society course (STS students) and those who were not (non‐STS students) as well as their respective STS and non‐STS teachers were assessed on a provincial scale in British Columbia. The STS beliefs and positions profiles (SBPP) of these target populations have been established and that of the STS students compared with that of their STS teachers and with non‐STS Grade 11 students. Similarly the SBPPS of non‐STS students and their teachers were compared.Significant differences between the SBPPS of STS students and teachers, non‐STS students and teachers, and STS and non‐STS students, were found on most of the topics/issues assessed. These results and the analysis of data suggested that: 1. STS education rather than STS ‘indoctrination’ is the norm in STS courses teaching.2. The goal of ‘STS‐literate’ students (and, apparently, teachers) has not been achieved as yet.3. The long‐term retention capability of the established and desired SBPPS in STS students is questionable.
Article
Attitude‐to‐science tests were completed by 1300 pupils, at ten schools, when they were 11 years old and again two and a half years later. During that time their interest in most branches of science decreased, but both girls and boys became more interested in learning about human biology. Their opinions about science and scientists also became generally less favourable, but pupils grew more willing to see science as suitable for girls. The attitude changes varied considerably from school to school, and were slightly better in schools which had implemented a programme of interventions to improve children's attitudes than in other schools. There was considerable stability in the attitudes of individual children over the period of the study.‡ An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Conference on Interests in Science and Technology Education, IPN, Kiel, Germany, April 1984 and appears in the proceedings: Lehrke, M., Hoffman, L. and Gardner, P. L. (eds) (1985) Interests in Science and Technology Education (IPN, Kiel).
Article
This study looks at the effects of a science-technology-society (STS) in-service programme, designed to change teachers' awareness and practice of STS/constructivist approaches, while also focusing on students' understandings and changes of perceptions of the constructivist learning environments. The STS in-service programme was developed to achieve the following features: teacher-oriented, teaching in a social context, emphasis on a 'constructivist' approach, developing STS units and their use in classrooms. A total of 20 middle and high school science teachers participated in the in-service programme in 1998; and three of the middle school teachers were selected to gain information from their implementation of a Reactions of Acids and Bases unit in their respective classrooms. The Science Education Reform Inventory was administered to all the teachers at both the opening and the end of the programme. One hundred twenty-five students of the three teachers experienced about 16 class hours of lessons comprising the new STS unit. At the beginning and the end of the unit, they completed the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey. In order to assess student understanding, teachers administered the creativity test before and after the unit; and the concept acquisition test and the application test after the unit. Students obtained at average 48% of the 35 key concepts and 6.6 additional non-key concepts after the unit was finished. Students made more relevant and creative responses on unfamiliar situations on the post-test than on the pre-test. Through several tasks including a short essay, students showed their abilities to apply various concepts related to acids and bases to daily life situation. It was found that the STS programme improved the teachers' awareness and practices of the science education reforms characterized by STS and constructivism. The middle school science teachers could develop STS units which they implemented in their own classrooms. They could work together in developing units and reflecting on their teachings through video recordings of science classes. They were willing to assess various aspects of learning such as creativity, application and concept acquisition. Students perceived that the classroom environments improved in terms of personal relevance of contents, scientific uncertainty and student participation. The results showed that the STS in-service programme was effective and could be implemented successfully with Korean science teachers.
Article
This article offers a review of the major literature about attitudes to science and its implications over the past 20 years. It argues that the continuing decline in numbers choosing to study science at the point of choice requires a research focus on students? attitudes to science if the nature of the problem is to be understood and remediated. Starting from a consideration of what is meant by attitudes to science, it considers the problems inherent to their measurement and what is known about students' attitudes towards science and the many factors of influence such as gender, teachers, curricula, cultural and other variables. The literature itself points to the crucial importance of gender and the quality of teaching. Given the importance of the latter we argue that there is a greater need for research to identify those aspects of science teaching that make school science engaging for pupils. In particular, a growing body of research on motivation offers important pointers to the kind of classroom environment and activities that might raise pupils' interest in studying school science and a focus for future research.
Article
An evaluation study of PLON, a new Dutch physics curriculum emphasizing context learning and inquiry learning, is summarized. Data from nine PLON classes (n=154) and six control classes (n=144) were used to investigate cognitive achievement, affective and attitudinal outcomes, and the classroom learning environment. (BS)
Article
One of the characteristics of curriculum development in recent years has been an increased emphasis on using contexts and applications as a means of developing scientific understanding. Yet relatively little has been done to compare the effects of learning on context‐based approaches to science teaching with more traditional approaches. This study compares the performance on a range of diagnostic questions of pupils following both a context‐based approach and a more traditional approach to high school chemistry. The study shows that there is little difference in levels of understanding, but that there appear to be some benefits associated with a context‐based approach in terms of stimulating pupils’ interest in science.
Article
The major purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of STS (Science-Technology-Society) instruction on a group of Taiwanese female tenth graders' cognitive structure outcomes. This study further examined the role of student scientific epistemological beliefs on such effects. One hundred and one female tenth graders were assigned to either a STS-oriented instruction group or a traditional teaching group and then this study conducted a eight-month research treatment. Students' interview details, analysed through a 'flow map' method, indicated that STS group students performed better in terms of the extent, richness and connection of cognitive structure outcomes than did traditional group students. Further analyses suggested that STS instruction was especially beneficial to students having epistemological views more oriented to constructivist views of science, particularly in the beginning stage of STS instruction. This implies that learners' scientific epistemological beliefs may be an important factor mediating the implementation of STS-oriented instruction.
Article
A study to determine if ChemCom, and STS-based science curriculum, could raise the chemistry achievement of students enrolled in an inner-city high school in an African-American neighborhood in a large midwestern city to a greater degree than could a traditional chemistry curriculum. Keywords (Audience): High School / Introductory Chemistry
Article
In this article I research the use of the historical perspective in the teaching and learning of science. I start from the premise that pupils' understanding of the nature of science is as important as their understanding of current curriculum content. The fact that rigorous assessment of this aspect of science is difficult should not lead science educators to undervalue its importance. The research demonstrates that it is possible to assess qualitatively the effectiveness of historical material in achieving desirable attitudes while simultaneously measuring quantitatively the degree to which this approach influences understanding of the conventional science curriculum. The concept of the atom and the periodic pattern in the atoms of the elements is the subject of a series of historical episodes in which it is clear that human creativity and the power of the imagination lead the way to giant strides in scientific knowledge. By tracing the development of atomic theory from the Greeks to the present day I show that pupils can appreciate that the nature of science itself is in flux. The research involves two parallel groups of 14-year-olds of similar abilities and scientific background. The first group studied a unit in which a substantial amount of historical material was incorporated. The second group studied a unit covering identical scientific content but without any reference to history. The results show that there is no difference in understanding of contemporary science content between the two groups despite my hope that the historical perspective would lead to a firmer grasp of concepts. However, it does allay the fears of those who suspect that the introduction of nonessential curriculum material could weaken pupils' grasp of essentials. In regard to pupils understanding the nature of science I identify several advantages resulting from the historical approach. When pupils see the challenges within their historical context it counteracts the patronizing attitude that many pupils adopt toward past scientists, viewing them, as they do, from their superior vantage point in history. I found that an appreciation of the creative role played by the great scientists of the past was an antidote to the excessive realism and determinism typical of many pupils. Their image of the certainty of scientific knowledge is challenged but they see that the uncertainty of a scientific theory does not necessarily nullify its usefulness in making further progress possible. Finally, I make a case for the historical treatment of theory as a means of demonstrating to pupils that scientific knowledge can range from the highly speculative to the universally accepted and that a critical assessment of any scientific knowledge claim can be made accordingly. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed84:5–26, 2000.
Article
The use of STS vignettes with class discussions is a popular way for science teachers to integrate STS in science courses. Two studies were conducted to test the effects of infusing short STS vignettes with periodic class discussions into the genetics unit of high school biology, on students' awareness of current STS issues, the importance students assign to current STS issues, and their achievement in the genetics unit. The nonequivalent control-group quasiexperimental design was employed in each study, with the frequency with which the vignettes and discussions were used during a six-week period differing across them. In neither study were the control groups exposed to the STS vignettes and discussions. The data did not allow the three null hypotheses to be rejected in either experiment. Recommendations are made on the use of STS vignettes by science teachers, and for further research.
Article
This article presents three interlinked studies aimed at: (1) developing a curricular frame for physics education; (2) assessing the students' interest in the contents, contexts, and activities that are suggested by that curricular frame; and (3) developing a curriculum that is in line with that frame and measuring its cognitive and emotional effects on students. The curricular frame was developed by adopting the Delphi technique and drawing on the expertise of 73 persons selected according to specified selection criteria. Interest data of some 8000 students and information of the presently taught physics curriculum were sampled longitudinally as well as cross-sectionally in various German Länder (states) by questionnaire. The third study comprised 23 experimental and 7 control classes. As a result of the comparison between the features of the curricular frame, the interest structure of students, and the current physics curriculum, there is a remarkable congruency between students' interest in physics and the kind of physics education identified in the Delphi study as being relevant. However, there is a considerable discrepancy between students' interest and the kind of physics instruction practiced in the physics classroom. Regression analysis revealed that students' interest in physics as a school subject is hardly related to their interest in physics, but mainly to the students' self-esteem of being good achievers. The data strongly suggest physics be taught so that students have a chance to develop a positive physics-related self-concept and to link physics with situations they encounter outside the classroom. A curriculum based on these principles proved superior compared to a traditional curriculum. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed84:689–705, 2000.
Article
This paper argues for more randomised controlled trials in educational research. Educational researchers have largely abandoned the methodology they helped to pioneer. This gold-standard methodology should be more widely used as it is an appropriate and robust research technique. Without subjecting curriculum innovations to a RCT then potentially harmful educational initiatives could be visited upon the nation's children.