scholarly journals Children's perceptions of scientists, and of themselves as scientists

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Dickson ◽  
Melissa McMinn ◽  
Dean Cairns ◽  
Sharon Osei-Tutu
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Science Lesson ◽  
Science Careers ◽  
Stem Fields ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science Classrooms ◽  
Science Career ◽  
Classroom Science ◽  
National Economies

In rapidly developing countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where this study took place, having a body of competent, dedicated key workers in STEM fields is critical to growing national economies. This, in turn, requires motivated, well-qualified graduates of STEM degrees. School students' perceptions of science, scientists and science careers have been shown in some research to affect uptake of science degrees later on. How much of their science classwork students experience as authentically 'feeling like scientists' is less understood, yet important. This study took place in upper primary science classrooms in the UAE. Immediately following a science lesson, children were interviewed in focus groups (n=66, with an approximately even gender split).  Broad questions were explored, such as whether they felt like 'real scientists' when they 'performed' science in the classroom, whether they enjoyed science, and their science career aspirations. 83% of students stated enjoying science, while 61% would like to have a career involving science in the future. The interview data revealed that, overall, children mostly disagreed that their classroom science was reflective of work a 'real scientist' would do, chiefly due to perceptions of a lack of discovery element in their work, which suggested to them a lack of authentic science exploration, and  of the work not being dangerous enough. Students frequently reported feeling that they were 'following steps' because the teacher 'already knew the answers', which was different from the work of a scientist. The implications of these findings to classroom practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Effect of Embedded Careers Education in Science Lessons on Students’ Interest, Awareness, and Aspirations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingoo Kang ◽  
Anssi Salonen ◽  
Sakari Tolppanen ◽  
Annette Scheersoi ◽  
Jonathan Hense ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Science Studies ◽  
Science Careers ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science Career ◽  
Interest In Science ◽  
Career Interventions ◽  
School Curricula ◽  
Careers Education

AbstractIn the last decades, secondary school students have indicated a low interest in science and a lack of awareness of authentic science careers that may impede their aspiration to work in science-related fields in future. To raise students’ aspirations, several studies used context-based approaches, but few integrated career aspects into the school curricula. Accordingly, this study aimed to promote lower secondary school students’ interest in and awareness of science careers by introducing science career-related scenarios reflected in a real-world context as embedded careers education in science lessons. In this study, we explored the effect of the interventions on students’ interest, awareness, and aspirations towards science careers using Estonian, Finnish, and German datasets. According to the results, the students participating in the project indicated a higher interest in science, aspiration towards science careers, and awareness of future careers than those who did not experience the embedded science career interventions. Also, the results showed that when students got more information about science careers at school, their interest in science was more easily transferred to their aspirations in science studies and careers. Thus, this result emphasizes the importance of fostering awareness of science careers at lower secondary schools in order to inspire young learners to engage in science studies and works in future.

scholarly journals Exploring Middle School Students' Reflections on the Infusion of CS into Science Classrooms

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Celepkolu ◽  
David Austin Fussell ◽  
Aisha Chung Galdo ◽  
Kristy Elizabeth Boyer ◽  
Eric N. Wiebe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
Science Classrooms

After the Blackbird Whistles: Listening to Silence in Classrooms

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 2833-2849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Schultz
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
School Students ◽  
Student Talk ◽  
The Individual

Background/Context Students spend a large part of their time in schools in silence. However, teachers tend to spend most of their time attending to student talk. Anthropological and linguistic research has contributed to an understanding of silence in particular communities, offering explanations for students’ silence in school. This research raised questions about the silence of marginalized groups of students in classrooms, highlighting teachers’ role in this silencing and drawing on limited meanings of silence. More recently, research on silence has conceptualized silence as a part of a continuum. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose of this project was to review existing literature and draw on two longitudinal research studies to understand the functions and uses of silence in everyday classroom practice. I explore the question, How might paying attention to the productivity of student silence and the possibilities it contains add to our understanding of student silence in educational settings? Silence holds multiple meanings for individuals within and across racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. However, in schools, silence is often assigned a limited number of meanings. This article seeks to add to educators’ and researchers’ tools for interpreting classroom silence. Research Design The article is based on two longitudinal qualitative studies. The first was an ethnographic study of the literacy practices of high school students in a multiracial high school on the West Coast. This study was designed with the goal of learning about adolescents’ literacy practices in and out of school during their final year of high school and in their first few years as high school graduates. The second study documents discourses of race and race relations in a postdesegregated middle school. The goal of this 3-year study was to gather the missing student perspectives on their racialized experiences in school during the desegregation time period. Conclusions/Recommendations Understanding the role of silence for the individual and the class as a whole is a complex process that may require new ways of conceptualizing listening. I conclude that an understanding of the meanings of silence through the practice of careful listening and inquiry shifts a teacher's practice and changes a teacher's understanding of students’ participation. I suggest that teachers redefine participation in classrooms to include silence.

scholarly journals IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF STUDENT QUESTIONS IN PRIMARY SCIENCE CLASSROOMS

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 800-811
Author(s):  
Sibel Kaya ◽  
Mustafa Temiz
Keyword(s):  
Primary Students ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Science Lesson ◽  
Primary Science ◽  
Science Classrooms ◽  
Student Questioning ◽  
High Level ◽  
Student Questions ◽  
Experimental Group

Even though student questioning is the key aspect of inquiry learning, students ask very few questions in Science classrooms. This research aimed to increase the number of high-level questions posed by primary students during science lessons. An experiment was designed in which the experimental group was taught about the taxonomy of questions that can be asked by students during a science lesson. The quality of selected student questions was discussed as a whole class throughout the implementation. In addition, the experimental group completed the textbook activities at the end of each section in groups, whereas, the control group finished these activities individually. The experiment lasted for 4 weeks (12 lessons), during the ‘Microscopic Organisms and Environment’ unit in two 4th-grade classrooms. After completing each section of the unit, student questions were collected. The questions were classified as either low-level or high-level questions. The findings showed that in the experimental group, there were significantly more high-level questions compared to the control group. The questions were longer and more comprehensive in the experimental group. In both groups, as students’ achievement increased, so did the number of questions they asked. Keywords: student questions, high-level questions, question taxonomy, primary science.

scholarly journals The Impact of a Short-Term Pharmacology Enrichment Program on Knowledge and Science Attitudes in Precollege Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly N Downing ◽  
Katherine E Rooney ◽  
Abigail Norris Turner ◽  
Nicole Kwiek
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Attitudes Toward Science ◽  
Science Attitudes ◽  
Science Careers ◽  
Science Knowledge ◽  
Short Term ◽  
School Students ◽  
Enrichment Program ◽  
The Impact

As our nation and the global economy place an increased demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs, science educators must implement innovative approaches to pique precollege student’s interests in these careers. Pharmacology remains a relevant and engaging platform to teach biology and chemistry concepts, and this strategy applied over several months in the formal classroom increases science literacy in high school students. In order to improve the affordability and accessibility of this educational approach, we developed and assessed the impact of a short-term pharmacology day camp, ‘Pills, Potions, and Poisons’ (PPP), on high school students’ science knowledge and attitudes toward science careers. The PPP program was offered annually from 2009 through 2012, and participants spent 6 days learning about pharmacology and careers in the biomedical sciences. All PPP student participants (n=134) completed surveys assessing their basic science knowledge and science attitudes before and after the program. Students achieved significant gains in their science knowledge by the end (Day 6) of the PPP program (from 41% mean test score to 65%; p<0.001). In addition, the majority of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the PPP program positively impacted their attitudes toward science (p<0.001). This study provides evidence that a short-term pharmacology-centered science enrichment program can achieve significant gains in participant’s science knowledge as well as motivation and confidence towards science careers. Moreover, we report benefits experienced by the undergraduate, graduate, and professional pharmacy student teaching assistants (TAs, n=10) who reported improved communication skills and an increased interest in future educational work.   Type: Original Research

scholarly journals Phonemic Awareness in English as a Foreign Language

EL LE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Gronchi
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Phonemic Awareness ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
School Students ◽  
Early Deprivation

The present paper discusses the results of an action-research study involving a 15-year-old student who was diagnosed with severe dyslexia after coming to Italy through international adoption. The study investigates the literature on language acquisition in cases of early deprivation and the implications of the phonological deficit in students with dyslexia in a foreign language learning environment. The essay also reports the results of a learning program concerning phonological awareness that has been delivered in a two-month period to the student. The program outlines a possible methodological and practical framework for raising phonemic awareness in secondary school students with dyslexia and offers suggestions for classroom practice.

scholarly journals Writing Equations in Algebra: Investigation of Students’ Misconceptions

sjesr ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 22-28
Author(s):  
Dr. Zarina Akhtar ◽  
Abdur Rashid ◽  
Dr. Sajjad Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Choice Test ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Multiple Choice Test ◽  
School Students ◽  
Model Schools ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Analyze Data

Algebra is blamed as an abstract way of thinking in mathematics learning. Writing equations from given text is a skill. Logical and step by step noting information help to write the correct equation. It is transferring text to symbols. This study aimed to investigate secondary school student's misconceptions in writing equations in algebra. 414 secondary school students enrolled at 4 Islamabad Model Schools of sector Islamabad was the sample of the study. A multiple-choice test based on 4 items was used as an instrument. The test has 4 statements and 4 options from which one is the correct answer and others are related to some misconceptions of students. Test was administered during their class. Student's response patterns were observed. Frequency percentages and ratios were used to analyze data. Two types of misconceptions "arithmetic process" and "missing reference" were identified in student's responses whereas the other three misconceptions "pro-numeral as unit", "addictive nature" and "changes" were not reported by students' responses. It is concluded that the main reason behind these misconceptions seems related to classroom practice. Students try to translate words into the arithmetic process to write an equation by given text. Further, they do not focus on reference terms given in text and they ignore/miss it while writing equations. It is recommended to the teachers they need to clear the concept given in word problems and give teach them with logic what is meant by which word in the problem. There is a need for focused classroom activities to overcome these misconceptions.

The Development and Validation of a Teacher Belief Survey for the Constructivist Classroom

2020 ◽  
pp. 105678792093989
Author(s):  
Monika A. von Oppell ◽  
Jill M. Aldridge
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Face Validity ◽  
Teacher Belief ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Teacher Belief Survey ◽  
Development And Validation

The research reported in this article was part of a larger study which took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The large-scale education reform, being carried out at the time of the study, required paradigm shifts in practice; from a traditional to a constructivist approach. The education reform posed on-going challenges and posed questions regarding the future impact for teachers, particularly with respect to their beliefs with respect to classroom practice. This article describes the development and validation of a survey to assess teachers’ beliefs in this new context. The survey assesses teachers’ beliefs about their role in the classroom and philosophy of teaching and learning and their classroom practice. The translation validity of the survey was supported by examining the content and face validity. Further, analysis of the data collected 182 Arab teachers was used to provide support for the reliability and validity of the newly developed Teacher Belief Survey in terms of factor structure, internal consistency reliability, discriminant and concurrent validity. This instrument has the potential to be useful for ascertaining teachers’ professional development needs and for understanding the beliefs of student teachers. In regions of cross-cultural diversity the findings may assist in creating understanding and sensitivity of the cultural differences between people, their knowledge, perspectives and practices.

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