SOUTH KOREAN AND THE US SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS OF CREATIVITY AND TEACHING FOR CREATIVITY

This study examined science teachers’ conceptions of creativity in science education, pedagogical ideas, and contextual factors perceived as constraints on teaching for creativity and any differences in the conceptions of teachers from South Korea and the United States. Participants in the study consisted of 44 South Korean and 21 US secondary science teachers. Data was collected from open-ended and Likert-type questionnaires. Results indicated that each individual teacher’s conception was considerably limited, but the teachers’ conceptions of creativity as a whole group were consistent with the literature. In terms of teaching methods for creativity, the teachers commonly emphasized problem-based or project-based inquiry which was consistent with the literature. The South Korean teachers tended to consider ethics as a more important criterion for judging creativity than the US teachers and emphasized providing thinking opportunity for fostering creativity, while the US teachers emphasized environmental or emotional support. Possible sources of these differences were discussed. The commonly mentioned constraints included pressure of content coverage for high-stakes tests, difficulties in assessing creativity, and class size. Suggestions for professional development of teachers and further research questions were made based on the findings.     

TECHNOLOGY KNOWLEDGE: HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS OF THE NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY

In-depth interviews guided by video elicitations examined 30 high school science teachers’ conceptions of technology and by extension how these conceptions reflected dimensions of nature of technology. Altogether, 64 % of the teachers characterized their schools and departments as aggressive–moderate adopters with generous access and support for technological tools. In comparison, 30 % noted that their school lagged behind due to funding and lack of infrastructure. Definitions of technology revealed emphasis on technology as artifact, overwhelming optimism on the purpose and function of technology to improve and make life easier and as representation of advancement in civilization. In tandem, teachers were most drawn to two video scenarios—medical and everyday tool videos because it reflected notions of progression and expectations of future changes; heightened awareness of the multitude of available technologies; and perceived relevance with classroom content. Perhaps most telling in these findings was that few teachers were drawn to the classroom video scenario, and only three teachers highlighted the technology–science–school science connection. These findings have implications for holistic understandings of technologies, which may inform how science teachers perceive and enact technologies in their science classrooms.     

THE EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE STYLES ON NAÏVE IMPETUS THEORY APPLICATION DEGREES OF PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between pre-service science teachers’ Field Dependent or Field Independent (FD/FI) cognitive styles and the application of degrees of naive impetus theory. The sample consisted of 122 pre-service science teachers (97 females and 25 males) who were enrolled in the Introductory Physics course required by the Science Education program. Data were collected in two successive years, after the completion of the required Introductory Physics undergraduate courses, in 2008 and 2009. The Group Embedded Figure Test and Impetus Theory Application Test (a two-tier-type test) were administered to assess the FD/FI tendency of students and to determine the degree students applied the naïve impetus theory, respectively. Initial results showed that a majority of students had made use of the native impetus theory repeatedly. The results also indicated that the degree to which students applied the naïve impetus theory was statistically related to their FD/FI cognitive styles. The findings of this research showed that there existed a statistically significant difference between the FI and FD students’ degree of applying the naïve impetus theory in favor of FI students. However, the test score gap between FI and FD students remained almost constant regardless of the testing instruments utilized in this study.     

PRE-SERVICE PHYSICS TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONAL STRUCTURE OF PHYSICS CONCEPTS: ORGANISING SUBJECT CONTENTS FOR PURPOSES OF TEACHING

Good conceptual understanding of physics is based on understanding what the key concepts are and how they are related. This kind of understanding is especially important for physics teachers in planning how and in what order to introduce concepts in teaching; connections which tie concepts to each other give direction of progress—there is “flux of information” so that what was learned before provides the basis for learning new ideas. In this study, we discuss how such ordering of concepts can be made visible by using concept maps and how they can be used in analysing the students’ views and ideas about the inherent logic of the teaching plans. The approach discussed here is informed by the recent cognitively oriented ideas of knowledge organisation concentrating on simple knowledge organisation patterns and how they form the basis of more complex concept networks. The analysis of such concept networks is then very naturally based on the use of network theory on analysing the concept maps. The results show that even in well-connected maps, there can be abrupt changes in the information flux in the way knowledge is passed from the initial levels to the final levels. This suggests that handling the information content is very demanding and perhaps a very difficult skill for a pre-service teacher to master.     

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE MEAN AND MEDIAN

This study provides a snapshot of elementary school teachers’ understanding of the mean and median. The research is presented in light of recent work regarding preservice teachers’ understanding of the mean. Common misconceptions are identified which lead to potential implications for teacher preparation programs. One of the primary concerns regarding increasing the standards expected of students to learn statistics is teachers’ preparation to address those standards. Exploring issues with teachers’ understanding of two of the most prominent concepts in the enacted curriculum provides a glimpse into the need to adequately prepare teachers to teach statistics.     

FACTORS INFLUENCING PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ IMAGINATION AT THE MICROSCOPIC LEVEL IN CHEMISTRY

This study explores the mental images at the microscopic level of matter created by 22 preservice science teachers in Oman. Participants were encouraged during a guided imagery session to construct mental images for a scenario written about the explanation of the reaction of sodium in water. They were then asked to describe what they envisioned in their own imagination. Participants had images that were based on textbook illustrations, modeling kits, a solar-system model, physical properties, and humanized animations. 3D mental images represented 33.36% of participants’ mental images at the microscopic level, while images in 2D format formed 39.15% of the overall created mental images. Several factors shaped the participants’ mental images, such as their imaginative ability, attention mode, and the nature of their old images stored in their long-term memory. Most of the participants experienced image transformation from one form to another as they were progressing in the GI session. This unstable reliance on different models might indicate unorganized conceptual networks in learners’ LTM: a feature that characterizes novices’ mental networking. On the contrary, past research has revealed that experts have more organized and sophisticated conceptual networking. This study argued that participants lacked the homogeneous and reliable mental model of the atom that is required to carry out advanced cognitive processes for mental exploration of chemical phenomena. The absence of this mental model might explain the overwhelming finding in literature that many learners fail to explain and predict chemical phenomena.     

TEACHERS’ MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF ADDITION OF MORE REACTANTS OR PRODUCTS ON CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM

The importance of research on misconceptions about chemical equilibrium is well recognized by educators, but in the past, researchers’ interest has centered on student misconceptions and has neglected teacher misconceptions. Focusing on the effects of adding more reactants or products on chemical equilibrium, this article discusses the various misconceptions held by high school teachers. A misconception test was administered to two samples of chemistry teachers in Nanjing, China. Of the 109 teachers who participated in the test, only one understood that adding more CS₂ gas to the equilibrium system CS₂(g) + 4H₂(g) ⇌ CH₄(g) + 2H₂S(g) at constant pressure and temperature can shift the equilibrium to the reactant or product side, depending upon the amount of CS₂ in the initial equilibrium system. Most of the teachers relied on Le Chatelier’s principle and thus made erroneous predictions. The misconception test also revealed that those teachers who managed to compute equilibrium constants had a limited conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium. Implications of these findings for teacher education and chemistry curriculum development are discussed.     

SCIENTISTS’ PARTICIPATION IN TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE IMPACT ON FOURTH TO EIGHTH GRADE TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INQUIRY SCIENCE

The impact of a professional development experience involving scientists and fourth to eighth grade teachers of science was explored. Teachers attended a summer program at a research facility where they had various experiences such as job shadowing and interviewing scientists. They also participated in authentic inquiry investigations and planned inquiry units for their classrooms. Data on teachers’ understanding and implementation of inquiry were collected through surveys, questionnaires, and classroom observations. Findings show that the teachers’ understanding of inquiry improved and most participants were able to successfully implement inquiry science in their classrooms. Barriers to the implementation of inquiry practices and the impact of specific experiences with the scientists were explored.     

STUDENTS’ CONCEPTIONS OF THE PARTICULATE NATURE OF MATTER AT SECONDARY AND TERTIARY LEVEL

The aim of the present study is to elicit students’ understanding of the particulate nature of matter via a cross-age study ranging from secondary to tertiary educational levels. A questionnaire with five-item open-ended questions was administered to 166 students from the secondary to tertiary levels of education. In light of the findings, it can be deduced that the number of students’ responses categorized under the “sound understanding” category for each item increased with educational level, except for U1. Also, it can be concluded that students’ specific misconceptions decreased steadily from SHS1 to SHS3, except for item 4, but there is surprisingly a clear increase at U1.     

LEBANESE STUDENTS’ CONCEPTIONS OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS SCIENCE AND RELATED CAREERS BASED ON THEIR GENDER AND RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS

Students’ attitudes and conceptions seem to be influenced by social/cultural contexts and interactions with other students from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, educators need to study attitudes, conceptions, and career choices in relation to diversity indicators. Such was one focus of the Science Education for Diversity project, which involved collaboration among UK, The Netherlands, Turkey, Lebanon, India, and Malaysia. The purpose of this component of the project was to investigate Lebanese students’ attitudes, conceptions, and career choices in relation to gender and religion. The 1,260 Grade 4 to 8 participants, who came from co-educational private and public schools, purposefully selected to include different religions, filled out a questionnaire designed specifically for the Project. Results from the Lebanon data showed that students generally had positive attitudes towards science. They seemed to identify only things they study about in school as “science” with some gender differences but no differences based on religion. Students seemed to be worried about environmental socioscientific issues. About 40 % of students believed that God created all life and that their families believed that too, with significant differences by gender and religion. Finally, the greater majority stated that they would like a job that ensures recognition and respect. Implications related to maintaining students’ interest in science and science-related careers were discussed.     

THE IMPACT OF PEER INSTRUCTION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ BELIEFS ABOUT PHYSICS AND CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

The purpose of this study is to assess students’ conceptual learning of electricity and magnetism and examine how these conceptions, beliefs about physics, and quantitative problem-solving skills would change after peer instruction (PI). The Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), multiple-choice test was administered as a pre- and posttest with Solomon 4 group design to students (N  =  138) enrolled on freshman level physics course. The number of chapter taught to the students was 14. Problem-solving strategy steps were asked to students in the exam. The analyses of CSEM showed that the treatment group (g  =  0.62) obtained significantly higher conceptual learning gain than the control group (g  =  0.36). The conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills of the students on magnetism considerably enhanced when PI was conducted (37% and 20%, respectively). CLASS results for 5 subscales (conceptual understanding, applied conceptual understanding, problem solving general, problem solving confidence, and problem solving sophistication) supported the findings of CSEM.     

LEARNERS’ AND TEACHERS’ CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF SCIENCE PROCESSES: THE CASE OF BOTSWANA

The conceptual knowledge of science processes possessed by University of Botswana science students and senior secondary school science teachers was sought through a three-part questionnaire. One part requested demographic data of subjects, the second part asked them to select their level of familiarity with the processes, and the third part probed their conceptual definitions of the science processes. The definitions were scored as incorrect, partially correct and correct on an ordinal scale. Statistical analysis was done using Spearman rho correlation and one sample t test. The findings revealed that the science teachers did not have sufficient conceptual knowledge of science processes to help their students to understand in a meaningful way; both students’ and teachers’ views of their familiarity of science processes did not corroborate their demonstrated ability to provide acceptable conceptual definitions of the processes; there was no association between students’ and teachers’ conceptions of the science processes; and if conceptual knowledge of science processes was demanded, the entering students, who were the immediate graduates of the senior secondary schools, might not have enough to pursue tertiary level science courses. It is suggested that both conceptual and operational knowledge of science processes be required at secondary and tertiary levels of science education.     

LEBANESE STUDENTS’ CONCEPTIONS OF AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS SCIENCE AND RELATED CAREERS BASED ON THEIR GENDER AND RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS

The pedagogical practices of mathematics education for young children in English and Korean pre-schools were compared through analyses of interviews with practitioners, observations of classroom activities and an examination of documents related to the planning and implementation of mathematics education. Practitioners in both countries used integrated activities to teach mathematics, although they used such activities more frequently in nurseries than in reception classes in England and more frequently in state settings than in independent settings in Korea. Furthermore, mathematics education was more structured, more likely to be led by an adult and less holistic in reception classes than in nurseries in England, whereas it was more structured and didactic in independent than in state settings in Korea. However, mathematics education in England was more systematic, used a more individualised approach and incorporated a variety of hands-on materials and rigorous outdoor activities, whereas it was more group-oriented and utilised limited materials and fewer outdoor activities in Korea.     

SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING OF MATHEMATICAL INDUCTION: STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS AND THE PROCESS OF PROOF CONSTRUCTION

In this study, we investigate the meaning students attribute to the structure of mathematical induction (MI) and the process of proof construction using mathematical induction in the context of a geometric recursion problem. Two hundred and thirteen 17-year-old students of an upper secondary school in Greece participated in the study. Students’ responses in 3 written tasks and the interviews with 18 of them are analyzed. Though MI is treated operationally in school, the students, when challenged, started to recognize the structural characteristics of MI. In the case of proof construction, we identified 2 types of transition from argumentation to proof, interwoven in the structure of the geometrical pattern. In the first type, MI was applied to the algebraic statement that derived from the direct translation of the geometrical situation. In the second type, MI was embedded functionally in the geometrical structure of the pattern.     

FORM AND STRUCTURE OF CHINESE CHARACTERS AND CHILDREN��S UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE

The written representation in Chinese can be considered as a pictorial or a symbolic representation which is very different from English where the pronunciation is related to how the word is spelt. Students face challenges of a very different nature when science is learnt in Chinese compared with English. In Hong Kong, students are making translations between the language they use in their daily lives, the science concepts and the scientific terms. The research team designed an interview protocol for primary school pupils in order to identify the pupils’ alternative concepts of science and if these alternative concepts are related to the structure of the Chinese language. The findings suggest that there are alternative conceptions related to (a) the form of the Chinese character—for example, the Chinese character for crocodile includes a radical meaning fish, and so pupils may take it that a crocodile is a fish; (b) the meaning of the Chinese character—for example, an electronic buzzer is a device used to attract bees as in Chinese, the character contains the word meaning “bees producing sound”. The findings provide important data for future endeavours aiming to compare the learning of science using different languages and on ways in which primary teachers may better facilitate their pupils in learning science.