Questioning the evidence for a claim in a socio‐scientific issue: an aspect of scientific literacy

Understanding the science in a ‘socio‐scientific issue’ is at the heart of the varied definitions of ‘scientific literacy’. Many consider that understanding evidence is necessary to participate in decision making and to challenge the science that affects people’s lives. A model is described that links practical work, argumentation and scientific literacy which is used as the basis of this research. If students are explicitly taught about evidence does this transfer to students asking questions in the context of a local socio‐scientific issue? What do they ask questions about? Sixty‐five primary teacher training students were given the pre‐test, before being taught the ‘concepts of evidence’ and applying them in an open‐ended investigation and were tested again 15 weeks later. Data were coded using Toulmin’s argument pattern (TAP) and the ‘concepts of evidence’. After the intervention it was found that, in relation to a socio‐scientific issue, they raised significantly more questions specifically about the evidence that lead to the scientists’ claims although questions explicitly targeting the quality of the data were still rare. This has implications for curricula that aim for scientific literacy.     

Constructions of mathematicians in popular culture and learners’ narratives: a study of mathematical and non‐mathematical subjectivities

In this paper, based on a project funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council considering how people position themselves in relation to popular representations of mathematics and mathematicians, we explore constructions of mathematicians in popular culture and the ways learners make meanings from these. Drawing on an analysis of popular cultural texts, we argue that popular discourses overwhelmingly construct mathematicians as white, heterosexual, middle‐class men, yet also construct them as ‘other’ through systems of binary oppositions between those doing and those not doing mathematics. Turning to the analysis of a corpus of 27 focus groups with school and university students in England and Wales, we explore how such images are deployed by learners. We argue that while learners’ views of mathematicians parallel in key ways popular discourses, they are not passively absorbing these as they are simultaneously aware of the clichéd nature of popular cultural images.     

Regular primary schoolteachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: a review of the literature

Teachers are seen as key persons to implement inclusive education. Positive attitudes are therefore argued as playing a considerable role in implementing this educational change successfully. The aim of this study is to examine what attitudes teachers hold towards inclusive education, which variables are related to their attitudes and if these affect the social participation of pupils with special needs in regular schools. A review of 26 studies revealed that the majority of teachers hold neutral or negative attitudes towards the inclusion of pupils with special needs in regular primary education. No studies reported clear positive results. Several variables are found which relate to teachers’ attitudes, such as training, experience with inclusive education and pupils’ type of disability. No conclusion could be drawn regarding the effects of teachers’ attitudes on the social participation of pupils with special needs.     

Examining change in K-3 teachers’ mathematical knowledge,attitudes, and beliefs: the case of Primarily Math

This study examines the impact of the Primarily Math Elementary Mathematics Specialist program on K-3 teachers’ mathematical content knowledge for teaching, attitudes toward learning mathematics, and beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning. Three cohorts of teachers participating in the program were compared to a similar group of non-participating teachers. Teacher outcomes were measured longitudinally across 5 years. Participating teachers showed changes in their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs in line with program goals immediately after completion of coursework. Moreover, these changes were sustained in subsequent years, following program completion. Relative to the comparison group, participants demonstrated greater gains in knowledge as well as greater improvements in attitudes and beliefs. Implications of these results for professional development design, implementation, and evaluation are discussed.     

Student Difficulties in Socio‐scientific Argumentation and Decision‐making Research Findings: Crossing the borders of two research lines

Students' poor argumentation in the context of socio‐scientific issues has become a concern in science education. Identified problems associated with student argumentation in socio‐scientific issues are misevaluation of evidence, naïve nature of science conceptualizations, and inappropriate use of value‐based reasoning. In this theoretical paper, the authors propose that incorporation of decision‐making research findings to argumentation research may help students overcome these problematic areas. For this aim, decision‐making research findings about value‐focused decision‐making framework and common heuristics have been discussed. Specifically, the authors propose that explicit teaching of argumentation research should provide students a decision‐making framework in which students can consider their values about a socio‐scientific issue and assess different alternatives as well as incorporate teaching about common heuristics. The authors believe that this incorporation is necessary for a quality student argumentation in socio‐scientific issues.     

Sixth‐Form Colleges and Incorporation: some evidence from case studies in the north of England

There are some important ambiguities in discussions about the implications of ‘evidence‐based practice’, both for educational research and for the work of teachers. In this paper we explore several of these through examining the Evidence‐based Practice in Science Education (EPSE) study—part of the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP), a major UK research initiative that is explicitly committed to improving the contribution of educational research to policymaking and practice. The field of science education is in some ways a critical case, given that the notion of evidence‐based practice treats scientific research as a privileged source of evidence. We examine the assumptions built into the EPSE study, and how these relate to the classical medical model of evidence‐based practice, and to some other approaches to educational research that are concerned with closing the gap with practice.     

Word‐art for people: Toward a future of user‐friendly poetry and interactive fiction

Throughout history, word‐art has been valued as a source of magic, wisdom, and delight. The author argues that genre fiction, advertising, popular song lyrics, and greeting card verse all fulfill these traditional social roles, and that current definitions of “serious literature”; are far too narrow. The true importance of word‐art in daily life cannot be assessed without including such “genre”; work along with “speculative”; writing. The future significance of literature for society, though dependent to some degree on developments in computers and telecommunications, would be enhanced if critics, publishers, and writers adopted a more “user‐friendly”; attitude—helping genre readers to find satisfying material more easily, and respecting speculative readers for the additional time and effort they expend in seeking out the unpredictable and unfamiliar in word‐art.     

Benchmarking the environmental values and attitudes of students in New Zealand's post‐compulsory education

How much do teachers in tertiary education know about the sustainability characteristics of their incoming students and, if this knowledge were to be available, how could their educational approaches be influenced by this knowledge? In New Zealand, Otago Polytechnic has committed itself to the goal that every graduate may think and act as a sustainable practitioner, and staff are changing their approach to teaching to achieve this. This research sought to benchmark the environmental worldview attributes of an incoming cohort of Otago Polytechnic students to support academic staff who need to know more about the sustainability interests and characteristics of their students, so that they may provide appropriate educational programmes. The research was also designed as the first stage of longer‐term research to evaluate the impact of these institutional changes on how students transform during the period of their tertiary education experience. The data and analysis presented here suggest that even before students start to study in the institution different groups have substantially different sustainability values‐sets. The authors anticipate that the research instruments and approaches used in the present study will contribute to a substantial national exploration of the sustainability value‐sets of tertiary students.     

Representing self‐in‐society: education for citizenship and the social‐subjects curriculum in Scotland

The documented social‐subjects curricula for Scottish 5–16 year olds are analysed for representations of ‘self‐in‐society’. Such representations are important in Scotland because it is expected that the new Education‐for‐Citizenship framework will in part be delivered through the social subjects. However, citizenship education is also relevant throughout the UK and beyond and our analysis of the social subjects has wider relevance.

An ideal‐type analysis was used on documents including national guidelines, examination syllabuses, examination papers, and assessor instructions. Our analysis suggests that in these documents: the self is seen as an abstract; people are understood by category; society is the sum of discrete institutions; self‐in‐society is fully defined; and this representation of society is not contested. This representation becomes increasingly exclusive with age/ability and may be linked to assumed modes of curricular division, teaching and assessment. We discuss how this overall picture might affect students’ sense of ‘agency’ in the light of citizenship education. We conclude that the social‐subjects’ curricular representation of self‐in‐society may not fully support the Scottish Education‐for‐Citizenship framework.     

Talk of a number: self‐regulated use of mathematical metalanguage by children in the foundation stage

How can I know what I think until I hear what I say? (Sir Huw Wheldon (1916–1986). (Attenborough, 2002 Attenborough, D. 2002. Life on air: memoirs of a broadcaster, London: BBC Books.  [Google Scholar])

This paper presents the findings of a study exploring the self‐regulated use of mathematical metalanguage in the early years. Young children were filmed on two occasions in the naturalistic context of their eight foundation stage settings, including both nursery and reception classes. The children were engaged in mathematical activities designed by practitioners to facilitate self‐regulated learning. ‘Events’, or vignettes of conversation were identified and the verbal interactions recorded in these were analysed for indications of metacognitive thinking. Findings were that the young children did indeed show evidence, through their talk, of emergent metacognitive processes, indicating both metacognitive knowledge and strategic awareness in relation to their mathematical tasks.     

Introducing life events in preschool education: future educators’ attitudes and perceptions

In this study, we aimed to clarify future preschool teachers’ attitudes and perceptions about introducing life events, such as chronic illness, hospitalisation, divorce and death to their pupils. We used semi-structured interviews for two different groups who had and had not attended relative to life events courses. Results indicated that future educators, who had not been trained in introducing life events to preschool children, were unable to perceive themselves as preventers. Furthermore, they underlined the importance of the periodic assistance of other professionals, while the group that had attended a relative course suggested that the course be compulsory and offered as a workshop. Neither group questioned the necessity of this kind of education, whereas both groups focused only on two life events, divorce and death.     

Rising from the Ashes: the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project and the corporatization of university‐based scientific research

A plethora of books and articles have appeared recently that announce the global triumph of corporate capitalism and its attendant ideologies. Nowhere are these articles more scathing in their critique of corporatization than in the field of education. However, few have taken a historical perspective in examining the institutional policies and practices that paved the way for private‐sector influence and the adoption of business and administrative sensibilities in higher education. This article examines the University of Michigan (U‐M) between 1945 and the early 1960s as a case study of the kinds of physical and philosophical changes that occurred to usher in the process of corporatization at a major research university. I focus predominantly on one major research effort‐‐the Phoenix Memorial Project‐‐that set in motion many of the forces that would effectively reshape the school's philosophy and practices. The article begins with a discussion of the ideological and political tensions that characterized the course of U‐M scientific research after World War II, particularly the complex intermingling of university, government and corporate interests. Next, I document the Phoenix Project itself and the emphasis on institutional restructuring for capital investment that it inspired. Despite conflicting and contradictory ideas about links between education and both military and corporate research interests, U‐M's top administrators restructured the university to attract venture capital by constructing innovative mechanisms for integrating investors’ needs into the work of academic (mostly scientific) inquiry. Finally, I want to look at some of the cultural narratives that enabled this triumph of corporate interests to infuse itself into the U‐M's institutional and social mission.     

Access,attitudes and the digital divide: children’s attitudes towards computers in a technology‐rich environment

Given that children in Germany with a lower socio‐economic status (SES) are over‐represented at general secondary schools, the present study aimed to examine the impact of children’s SES on attitudes towards computers. The results suggest that compared to average SES students, children from deprived socio‐economic backgrounds perceive the computer as important but remain generally more cautious towards computers, despite being exposed to a “technologically rich environment”, where computer‐based instruction is part of the curriculum and ensures frequent access to high quality ICT devices. The findings add further support to the notion that the mere provision of ICT access is not sufficient to close the digital divide. Rather, the extent of support that low SES children receive from their social network and prevailing stereotypes with respect to ICT proficiency, seem to be salient variables which require further investigation.

Zugang, Einstellungen und die digitale Kluft: die Einstellungen von Kindern zu Computern in einer technologie‐geprägten Umgebung

In Anbetracht dessen, dass Kinder in Deutschland mit einem niedrigeren sozioökonomischen Status (SES) bei allgemeinen Höheren Schulen überrepräsentiert sind, hatte die vorliegende Studie zum Ziel, den Einfluss des SES von Kindern auf Einstellungen zu Computern zu untersuchen. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass im Vergleich zu SES‐durchschnittlichen Studenten Kinder mit sozial benachteiligten sozioökonomischen Hintergründen den Computer als wichtig wahrnehmen, aber allgemein zurückhaltender gegenüber Computern bleiben. Trotzdem wurden sie einer “technologisch reichen Umgebung” ausgesetzt, wo Computer Instruktion stützte, ein Teil des Lehrplans ist und häufigen Zugang zu ICT Geräten hoher Qualität sicherte. Die Ergebnisse der Studie legen nahe, dass die bloße Bestimmung des ICT‐Zugangs nicht ausreichend ist, um auf eine digitale Kluft zu schließen. Eher scheinen sie das Ausmaß der Unterstützung, dass als niedrig‐SES bewertete Kinder von ihrem sozialen Netz und vorherrschenden Stereotypien in Bezug auf ICT Kenntnisse erhalten, wichtige Variablen zu sein, die weitere Untersuchungen erfordern.

Accès, attitudes et fossé numérique: les attitudes des enfants par rapport aux ordinateurs dans un environnement riche en technologie

Etant donné qu’en Allemagne les enfants venant d’un niveau socio‐économique plus bas (NSE) sont sur‐représentés dans les écoles secondaires générales,la présente étude avait pour objet d’étudier l’impact du niveau socio économique des enfants sur leur attitude par rapport aux ordinateurs. Les résultats permettent de penser que, si on les compare aux élèves NSE moyens, les enfants venant de milieux socio économiques défavorisés, perçoivent l’importance de l’ordinateur mais restent généralement plus prudents vis‐à‐vis de l’informatique bien qu’ils aient été exposés à «un environnement riche en technologie» o[ugrave] l’enseignement fondé sur l’ordinateur fait partie du cursus et assure un accès fréquent à des systèmes TIC de grande qualité. Ces résultats renforcent également la notion selon laquelle le seul fait de fournir un accès TIC ne suffit pas à lui seul pour combler la fracture numérique. A la vérité, l’ampleur du soutien que les enfants de milieux socio économiques défavorisés reçoivent de leur réseau social et les stéréotypes en vigueur par rapport aux compétences informatiques, semblent constituer des variables frappantes qui nécessitent des études plus approfondies.

Acceso, actitudes y la brecha digital: algunas actitudes de los niños acerca de los ordenadores en entornos ricos en tecnologías

Considerando que en Alemania los niños procedentes de niveles socio económicos (NSE) bajos están sobrerepresentados en en las escuelas secundarias generales, el objetivo del presente estudio era de examinar el impacto del nivel socioeconómico de esos niños sobre sus actitudes acerca de los ordenadores. Los resultados nos llevan a pensar que en comparación con el promedio de los alumnos NSE, los niños procedentes de familias desfavorecidas perciben indudablemente el ordenador como una cosa importante pero generalmente permanecen más cautelosos acerca de los ordenadores aunque están expuestos a entornos ricos en tecnologías en los cuales la enseñanza basada en los ordenadores forma parte del curriculo y garantiza un acceso frecuente a aparatos informáticos de alta calidad. Esos resultados demuestran con más fuerza que la mera provisión de un acceso a las TICs no es suficiente para compensar la brecha digital. Al contrario el grado de apoyo que los niños de NSE bajo reciben de su red social así como los estereotipos comunes acerca de la competencia informática, parecen constituír variables destacadas que necesitan investigaciones minuciosas.     

Elementary Teachers’ Mathematics Subject Knowledge: the Knowledge Quartet and the Case of Naomi

This paper draws on videotapes of mathematics lessons prepared and conducted by pre-service elementary teachers towards the end of their initial training at one university. The aim was to locate ways in which they drew on their knowledge of mathematics and mathematics pedagogy in their teaching. A grounded approach to data analysis led to the identification of a ‘knowledge quartet’, with four broad dimensions, or ‘units’, through which mathematics-related knowledge of these beginning teachers could be observed in practice. We term the four units: foundation, transformation, connection and contingency. This paper describes how each of these units is characterised and analyses one of the videotaped lessons, showing how each dimension of the quartet can be identified in the lesson. We claim that the quartet can be used as a framework for lesson observation and for mathematics teaching development.     

First‐year Pre‐service Teachers in Taiwan—Do they enter the teacher program with satisfactory scientific literacy and attitudes toward science?

Scientific literacy and attitudes toward science play an important role in human daily lives. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether first‐year pre‐service teachers in colleges in Taiwan have a satisfactory level of scientific literacy. The domains of scientific literacy selected in this study include: (1) science content; (2) the interaction between science, technology and society (STS); (3) the nature of science; and (4) attitudes toward science. In this study, the instruments used were Chinese translations of the Test of Basic Scientific Literacy (TBSL) and the Test of Science‐related Attitudes. Elementary education majors (n = 141) and science education majors (n = 138) from four teachers’ colleges responded to these instruments. The statistical results from the tests revealed that, in general, the basic scientific literacy of first‐year pre‐service teachers was at a satisfactory level. Of the six scales covered in this study, the pre‐service teachers displayed the highest literacy in health science, STS, and life science. Literacy in the areas of the nature of science and earth science was rated lowest. The results also showed that science education majors scored significantly higher in physical science, life science, nature of science, science content, and the TBSL than elementary science majors. Males performed better than females in earth science, life science, science content, and the TBSL. Next, elementary education majors responded with more “don’t know” responses than science education majors. In general, the pre‐service teachers were moderately positive in terms of attitudes toward science while science education majors had more positive attitudes toward science. There was no significant difference in attitudes between genders. Previous experience in science indicated more positive attitudes toward science. The results from stepwise regression revealed that STS, the nature of science, and attitudes toward science could explain 50.6% and 60.2% variance in science content in elementary education and science education majors, respectively. For science education majors, the first three scales—the nature of science, health science and physical science—determined basic scientific literacy. However, for elementary education majors, the top three factors were physical science, life science and the nature of science. Based on these results, several strategies for developing the professional abilities of science teachers have been recommended for inclusion in pre‐service programs.     

ICT in‐service training and school practices: in search for the impact

This study set out to measure the perceptions of pre‐primary and primary school teachers in Cyprus regarding the impact and efficiency of a particular ICT in‐service training initiative. The research was carried out through telephone interviews with two groups of trained teachers. Teachers' responses indicated a significant impact of such training on their personal attitudes and skills. However, the professional practices which developed did not outline significant gains in student learning and achievement. Teachers' views on the efficiency of the training scheme highlighted the need for a more flexible ‘pick and mix’ training structure to tailor individual needs, and for professional development activities to become more relevant, to the context of classroom practices. The study also suggested that for ICT professional development to impact school practices, there is a need for contextual factors such as access to resources, curriculum time and a change‐oriented environment to be taken into account.     

Some sources for the history of teacher‐training in England and Wales

Abstract:

Though his best‐selling novel of school life Eric, or, Little by Little: A Tale of Roslyn School has over the years been the subject of much attention, the wider educational thought and practice of Frederic William Farrar, teacher, novelist, scientist, classicist, theologian, and Dean of Canterbury, has for the most part been neglected by scholars. This paper discusses certain aspects of Farrar the educationist, including his distinctive evangelical attitude toward children; his fervent criticism of the prevailing Classical public school curriculum; his advocacy that much more science be taught; his strong antipathy to corporal and other punishment; his distaste for the increasing athleticism in the public schools; his view of the main purpose of education, namely the inculcation of morality, religious conviction, and intellectual rigor.