Opinions of Pre-Service Teachers on The Use of Educational Digital Games in Science Lessons

In this study, the opinions of pre-service teachers on the use of educational digital games in science lessons were examined. The research model of the study is qualitative model. The criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposive sampling methods, was used in the selection of the study group. The study group consists of 12 undergraduate 4th grade teacher candidates who study at a state university and choose the elective course called “Science Education with Games”. In the study, 12 pre-service teachers developed educational digital games in an elective undergraduate course for one semester and presented the games they developed to other pre-service teachers. All processes were carried out online. The data in the study were obtained in the 2020-2021 academic year. Semi-structured interview was used as data collection tool. For semi-structured interviews, semi-structured interview form was implemented to pre-service teachers before and after the implementation. In data analysis, qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted. As a result of the study, it was seen that the opinions of the pre-service teachers about the use of educational digital games in the science lesson were positive. In addition, pre-service teachers stated that the use of educational digital games provides learning with fun.

Learning how to plan a science lesson: An exploration of pre-service science teacher reflection in online microteaching

As a compulsory approach in shaping pre-service teachers for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), microteaching is either essential and challenging. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift from offline to the online microteaching course had occurred. This major shift drives the change of planning science lessons. Our research examined how pre-service science teachers designed and reflected their planning on a 30-minute microteaching unit. The participants of our study were four groups of pre-service science teachers that consisted of five students. The participants were pre-service science teachers from two national universities in Indonesia that were chosen by purposive sampling. The data was collected through the lesson plan, self-reflection to the lesson plan, and group discussion. We conducted both qualitative and quantitative analysis on research data for content analysis. The qualitative analysis dealt with the themes and patterns of the theme, while quantitative analysis dealt with the duration and frequency of the theme. Based on the analysis, the single domains such as CK, PK, TK were shown in the lesson plan. However, the complex domain of TPACK was rarely seen. The group discussions revealed that teacher educators need to become specific and explicit about which technology is being infused to support learning. It is significant to enhance the TPACK during planning in online microteaching classes and conduct further study of the implementation of this planning in the lesson.

РОЗВИТОК SOFT SKILLS НА УРОКАХ ІНФОРМАТИКИ В ОСНОВНІЙ ШКОЛІ

The paper describes the complex of computer science lessons for secondary school students, aimed at forming soft skills, among which are communication skills (in particular, the ability to dialogue and discussion), teamwork (cooperation), leadership, logical thinking, creativity, time management. The relevance of the study is due to the need to understand the possibilities of computer science lessons in terms of development of modern schoolchildren soft skills, which are the key to successful further study and future professional realization. The research methodology contains general theoretical and special methods. The aim of the study is to describe and characterize the author's set of non-standard computer science lessons for secondary school students, which promotes the development of soft skills. The complex consists of three consecutive lessons and involves students working on their own projects in microgroups, a competition for these projects and a press conference of the jury, during which the results of the competition are discussed. The project method stimulates creativity, elements of competition contribute to the formation of teamwork and leadership skills. Independent elaboration of the topic with the subsequent acquaintance with several variants of its presentation consolidates knowledge. An additional factor in strengthening knowledge is the visualization of educational material, implemented in presentations. The paper examines the correlation between the type of lesson and the development of specific soft skills. The main educational tasks that should be used in computer science lessons for the development of soft skills include problem (identify the most interesting topics) and creative (create your own project-presentation) ones. Involvement of the element of competition (project competition) contributes to the intensification of learning, helps to form teamwork, and increases student motivation. Prospects for further research are seen in the implementation of the proposed complex into the teaching of computer science in Kremenchuk secondary schools in order to prove its effectiveness. Key words: primary school, computer science lesson, soft skills, non-standard lesson, project work, lesson-competition, lesson-press conference.

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

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.

THE USE OF EDUCATIONAL SONGS IN SCIENCE: THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND ECLIPSES

Nowadays, the interdisciplinary position of science is at the forefront. For this reason, attention is drawn to the use of different disciplines in the teaching of science. The aim of this study is to get the opinions of secondary school students about the science lesson taught with educational songs and to examine the effect of the implementation on the attitudes of the students. The research model of the study is a mixed method in which qualitative and quantitative patterns are combined. The study was conducted with 12 middle school 6th grade students (6 girls, 6 boys) studying in a public school in the 2020-2021 academic year. In the study, educational songs were used in the teaching of the science course "Solar system and eclipses" unit. The implementation was carried out for a total of five hours in four weeks. The qualitative data collection tools of the study were semi-structured interviews and student diaries; the quantitative data collection tool is the attitude scale developed by Biçer (2011) with a reliability of 0.89. Semi-structured interview and attitude scale were applied to the students before and after the implementation. Student diaries were filled in by the students during the implementation. In data analysis, qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test in the SPSS program. The collected data were analyzed and interpreted. As a result of the study, the students found the science lesson, accompanied by educational songs, enjoyable and stated that it provided the opportunity to repeat the subject. In addition, it was determined that the science lesson, which was taught with educational songs, caused a positive change in the attitudes of secondary school students towards the science lesson. Keywords: Music, science, educational songs, solar system

GeoForge: investigating integrated virtual reality and personalized websites for collaboration in middle school science

Purpose This paper aims to describe the design and user testing of GeoForge, a multiple-player digital learning experience for middle school that leverages virtual reality (VR) and individualized websites for learning concepts in planetary science. This paper investigates how specific instructional design choices and features of the technology fostered collaborative behaviors. Design/methodology/approach GeoForge was implemented in 3 middle school classrooms with a total of 220 students. Learners used GeoForge in class in groups of 3–4 to learn about planetary science. A mixed-methods approach examined collaboration using classroom observations, teacher interviews, student surveys and student artifacts. Using Jeong and Hmelo-Silver’s (2016) seven affordances of technology for collaborative learning, this paper identifies ways in which features of GeoForge supported collaborative behaviors. Findings Instructional design which combined VR and the digital science journal (DSJ) helped foster collaboration. Some collaborative behaviors were especially notable in classrooms that did not regularly practice these skills. Segmenting tasks in the DSJ, clarifying instructions to articulate ideas, showing other group members’ responses onscreen and enabling multiuser VR environments contributed to collaborative behaviors and a satisfying learning experience as observed and documented through multiple methods. Originality/value GeoForge successfully integrated VR and personalized websites in a classroom planetary science lesson, an approach which balanced instructional design and logistical challenges while creating opportunities for collaboration.