Teaching future teachers basic astronomy concepts—seasonal changes—at a time of reform in science education

Bearing in mind students' misconceptions about basic concepts in astronomy, the present study conducted a series of constructivist activities aimed at changing future elementary and junior high school teachers' conceptions about the cause of seasonal changes, and several characteristics of the Sun–Earth–Moon relative movements like Moon phases, Sun and Moon eclipses, and others. The activities and results concerning the cause of seasonal changes are reported. Both the experimental class and the control groups improved their grasp of basic astronomy concepts statistically significantly, although the experimental class made the most impressive progress of all. Regarding subjects relevant to this study (seasonal changes), only the experimental class showed a statistically significant improvement, which justifies the constructivist approach. We conclude that in implementing a reform in the science curriculum, the change has to include the subjects taught and also the way they are taught. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 879–906, 2006     

Girls and Occupational Choice: anti‐sexism in action in a curriculum development project

This paper is an interim report on the Girls and Occupational Choice Project at the Institute of Education, London. The research design and methods used are briefly described but the paper focuses on the action research component of this project, and discusses anti‐sexist curriculum development and implementation in a number of schools. The emphasis is on methodological and political issues which arise in doing anti‐sexist action research in the educational setting.     

A study of curriculum development in a new special school

Anne Maddison is deputy headteacher, with responsibility for curriculum, at the Milestone School, a special school created recently after the amalgamation of three smaller schools. In this article, she describes the development of an outcomes-based curriculum for pupils with a range of learning difficulties aged from two to 16 years. Anne Maddison sets out the rationale for her work in the context of a need to promote shared approaches to teaching and learning at this newly formed school.
The curriculum development project described here was evaluated using questionnaires, interviews and the analysis of documents and practice as part of a case study in school-based enquiry. Anne Maddison used the outcomes of these processes as part of her Doctor of Education (EdD): Educational Leadership course at Lincoln University.
Since this article was written, the Milestone School has undergone its first Ofsted inspection. The report noted that teaching at the school is 'of very high quality' and the curriculum 'is very good'. Inspectors noted that 'the planning of schemes of work, which are being developed with different subjects being focused on each year, is exemplary, with clear outcomes for pupils of different abilities'. While Anne Maddison's article details the experience of one school, her analysis may be of interest to other school managers, teachers, governors or advisers who are seeking to promote the development of a more inclusive curriculum.     

Simplified language materials—Their usage and value to teachers and support staff in mainstream settings

This paper examines the current use of simplified language materials (SLMs) by teachers and support staff across England. Drawing on a survey of Primary and Secondary schools it identifies the degree to which teachers and support staff use and produce SLMs. It explores both the contradictions and similarities between practitioners’ perceptions of the value of SLMs and the existing research base and policy and professional guidance. It focuses, in particular, on the significance of the perception that SLMs increase comprehension and improves access. It highlights the need to further examine SLM production so as to assess their value as an inclusive education tool.     

The development and validation of a primary science curriculum delivery evaluation questionnaire

This study describes the processes involved in the development and statistical validation of a primary science curriculum delivery evaluation instrument, the Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire (SCIQ), used to identify factors influencing science programme delivery at the classroom and school level. The study begins by exploring the themes generated from several qualitative studies in the New Zealand context pertaining to the phenomenon of primary science delivery. Building on the findings from the qualitative studies, quantitative procedures used to develop and validate both a five‐scale, 35‐item SCIQ and a seven‐scale, 49‐item SCIQ are presented. Finally, current applications of the seven‐scale, 49‐item SCIQ as a foundation for data collection, staff discussion and collaborative decision‐making for the purpose of primary science delivery are briefly discussed.     

An in-depth study of a teacher engaged in an innovative primary science trial professional development project

The implementation of effective science programmes in primary schools is of continuing interest and concern for professional developers. As part of the Australian Academy of science's approach to creating an awareness ofPrimary Investigations, a project team trialed a series of satellite television broadcasts of lessons related to two units of the curriculum for Year 3 and 4 children in 48 participating schools. The professional development project entitledSimply Science, included a focused component for the respective classroom teachers, which was also conducted by satellite. This paper reports the involvement of a Year 4 teacher in the project and describes her professional growth. Already an experienced and confident teacher, no quantitative changes in science teaching self efficacy were detected. However, her pedagogical content knowledge and confidence to teach science in the concept areas of matter and energy were enhanced. Changes in the teacher's views about the co-operative learning strategies espoused byPrimary Investigations were also evident. Implications for the design of professional development programmes for primary science teachers are discussed.     

Reducing School Exclusions: An evaluation of a multi-site development project

The article reports the findings of an evaluation of a 1996-1999 British Home Office funded project which placed social work trained home-school support workers in comprehensive schools with the aim of reducing school exclusions. Set in the context of a review of the research evidence for the reasons for rapidly rising school exclusions in England during the 1990s, quantitative and qualitative data are analysed in relation to the impact of the project on rates of fixed-term and permanent exclusions. Exclusions were considerably reduced by a variety of strategies adopted by the support workers and over the three-year project duration permanent exclusions were cut by 25%. It is argued that teacher social workers are helpful in alleviating the conflict between the New Labour government's Standards agenda and its Inclusion agenda.     

Fashioning curriculum reform as identity politics—Taiwan's dilemma of curriculum reform in new millennium

This paper explores indigenization and globalization, the double issue of curriculum and identity as a dialectical contradiction that characterizes the ambivalence of “Taiwanese identity.” “Taiwanese identity” is treated as a social, political, and cultural construct rather than a fixed term in an essentialist sense. Curriculum, as culture's medium of social identity construction, represents a struggle over who constructs whose identity and what is constructed. Therefore, when curriculum reform is called for, it is also a time when a society transitioning and redrawing its socio-political and cultural boundaries to resolve internal social conflicts and identity anxiety. Curriculum reform, in this paper, is analyzed not only as a question of shifting explicit ideas of educational practice but also a question of shifting configurations in power relations that signify a politics of identity.The historical context that brought about the question of identity in Taiwan is introduced first. The second section discusses how emerging curricula were politically, socially, and culturally implicated in the process of constructing a Taiwan-centric identity. The third section analyzes the political, social, cultural, and educational implications of new curricula on the formation of a Taiwan-centric identity. Finally, the paper discusses the effect of globalization on the practice of new curricula and points out an ambivalence of local–global identity construction and the conflicting roles of education, especially curriculum, in this ambivalence.     

Classroom environment in the implementation of an innovative curriculum project in science education

A curriculum project can be positively or negatively influenced by the environment of the classroom in which it is implemented. Analysis of the perceptions of students, teachers, and external observers has allowed us to study the influence of classroom environment in the implementation of an innovative project in science education. The main conclusions indicate that even though the global evaluation is positive, more so among teachers than among students, there are differences between the perceptions of the participants, probably due to differences in interests and needs. Moreover, in the classroom environment, the teacher and the actual dynamic and spatial organization are of great importance, and it can be difficult to maintain interest or to achieve a satisfactory evaluation on the part of those students whose academic performance is lowest. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 35: 655–671, 1998.     

Childhood sexuality: a decade of study. Part I--research and curriculum development

OBJECTIVE: One goal of the Kempe Center's Perpetration Prevention Program has been to increase the awareness and competence of professionals and parents in understanding and responding to the sexual behaviors of children in order to reduce the risk of children developing sexually abusive patterns of behavior. A decade of exploration and the development of curricula is reviewed in this paper. METHOD: The evolving body of literature relevant to childhood sexuality and sexually abusive behaviors in childhood was reviewed. Several new sources of information and development of a teaching model for adults are described. RESULTS: Children engage in a wide range of sexual behaviors, some of which may be observed by or reported to adults. Research encompassing diverse samples and methods converges to describe what is developmentally expected and what might be problematic. Professionals need to be trained to evaluate and respond to these behaviors objectively, without relying on the personal beliefs or values of individuals. CONCLUSION: Children have a legitimate need for validation and correction of sexual learning. Adults often have not been trained to respond consistently to children's behaviors, but are eager to obtain more information.     

A case study of autonomy and motivation in a student-led game development project

This paper presents the findings of an exploratory case study into the relationship between student autonomy and motivation in project based learning, using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to frame the investigation. The case study explores how different forms of motivation affect the students’ response to challenges and their intention to complete the project. Earlier studies have made little explicit use of theoretical perspectives on student autonomy and motivation, a weakness this study attempts to address. As an exploratory case study seeking to evaluate the suitability of a particular theoretical framework, we chose a small case: three students on a one-term computer games development project. Given the small scale, the approach is necessarily qualitative, drawing on project documentation and one-to-one interviews with the students. Our conclusion is that the concepts of SDT provide a useful framework for analysing students’ motivations to undertake project work, and its predictions can offer useful guidance on how to initiate and supervise such projects.     

Development and evaluation of a context-aware ubiquitous learning environment for astronomy education

In recent years information technology has been integrated into education to produce a series of trends, beginning with “electronic learning” (e-learning), through “mobile learning” (m-learning) and finally to “ubiquitous learning” (u-learning), which aims to improve learner motivation through overcoming the conventional limitations of time and location. U-learning practices are still being developed, and learners frequently experience difficulty focusing on learning objectives, and effective learning strategy tools are still lacking. This study reports the design of a context-aware astronomy learning system. The system integrates several technologies, including radio frequency identification, wireless communication networks, handheld mobile devices, and databases to help students learn astronomical concepts. Two content modules were developed in the context of natural science education for fifth-grade elementary school students in Taiwan. Indicators of user experience with the system were collected for further phenomenographic analysis, based on four perspectives of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model to assess learner willingness to use this novel u-learning approach. Results show that ease-of-use and the availability of immediate operational or technical support are key factors in increasing learning motivation and performance.     

Implementing curriculum evaluation: case study of a generic undergraduate degree in health sciences

This case study presents a longitudinal, evidence‐based approach to health science curriculum reform and evaluation. Curriculum in higher education must meet the needs of diverse stakeholders and must respond to dynamic local, national and international contexts, and this creates challenges for evaluation. The long lead time prior to the introduction of new or revised university curriculum (at least two years), the length of degree programmes (three to five years) and the lag time in the availability of objective indicators of degree outcomes (at least one year post‐graduation) mean that findings may be obsolete before an evaluation can be completed. Few would argue that evaluation is important and methods and approaches for conducting curriculum evaluation are proposed in the literature, although few published reports of the outcomes of comprehensive evaluations are evident. This paper discusses potential for evaluation to establish responsive communication between students, teaching staff and programme administrators, ensuring a match between the intended, implemented and attained curriculum.