Taiwanese science and life technology curriculum standards and earth systems education

This research examines whether UK primary teachers are aware of the potential of highly able young 'scientists' and whether they differentiate their teaching accordingly. The support that the National Curriculum gives to highly able children is also examined. A questionnaire was chosen for initial data collection, followed by a semi-structured interview with teachers who sent children to master classes. Analysis would indicate that teachers recognize that children who are scientifically highly able have the capacity to use higher order thinking to perform all aspects of science investigations. There does, however, seem to be a mismatch between theory and practice. The data from the questionnaires suggest that teachers do use a variety of methods to differentiate their science teaching. There was, however, no correlation between teachers' opinions related to scientifically able children's investigative skills and the associated methods of differentiating their teaching. The interview data reinforced this further as many able children had been given limited experience of science investigations in mixed ability groups.     

Falling in love and staying in love with science: ongoing informal science experiences support fascination for all children

ABSTRACT

Ages 10–14 mark a period in which children develop a strong sense of whether science is ‘for them,’ a time that typically coincides with the start of middle school in the United States and their first exposure to more rigorous science classes and testing. Experiences with science in and out of school can shape children's motivation to choose science careers or participate in voluntary science classes later on, for better or worse. We explore the hypothesis that children who engage in more informal educational science experiences at the start of this period are more likely than their peers to obtain and maintain interest, curiosity, and mastery goals in science (together forming a construct called fascination). We measured 983 children's fascination with science at the beginning and middle of sixth grade. We found that the children who participated in informal science during this time were more likely to maintain or have greater fascination than at the start. These findings held while also controlling for many potentially confounding covariates and are robust across subgroups by gender and race/ethnicity. Further, the effects are largest for those children whose family generally supports their learning.     

Active science as a contribution to the trauma recovery process: Preliminary indications with orphans from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda

Constructivist, hands-on, inquiry-based, science activities may have a curative potential that could be valuable in a psychological assistance programme for child victims of violence and war. To investigate this idea, pilot sessions were performed in an orphanage located in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, with seven young adults and two groups of 11 children aged from 9 to 16 years. Despite a number of imperfections in this attempt, significant observations have been made. First, a sound communication was established with all, even with the young adults who at the beginning were not as enthusiastic as the children. Furthermore, some children, originally isolated, silent and sad, displayed a high degree of happiness during the activities, and an overall increasing positive change of attitude. In addition, they appropriated well some principles of experimental science. This suggests that a joint development of science literacy and joy may be an interesting approach, both in education and therapy.     

Education of Teachers in the Field of Teaching Natural Science Is Lagging behind the Requirements of the Inclusion of Pupils with Special Needs

ABSTRACT

In this theoretical study, we combined two approaches regarding the education of teachers in the field of teaching pupils with special needs with focus on teaching natural science topics, in Slovenia and in the Part of Northern Cyprus, respectively. We analysed syllabuses for different study programmes for teachers in primary schools in selected faculties in Slovenia. We focused on the specific content in those subjects, which are developing competences of students to be able to teach natural science topics, in particular physics topics, in primary schools in the adequate way, so the pupils with special needs can achieve the same goals as the other pupils. In addition, we included some accents regarding the children with special needs from approach to this topic at Near East University. We find out that the integrated content in the study programmes for the requirements of the inclusion of pupils with special needs in primary school is not sufficient or the inclusion in primary schools is planned too broad, if we take into account the current state of knowledge of the students in this specific field.     

The Attitude of Universities and Colleges Toward the Problems of Childhood

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to assess the extent to which the college instructor is able to influence the opinions of his students in evaluating a familiar task. The Ss were enrolled in seven college classes of a standard course in science methods and materials. The “familiar task” to be evaluated was a television lesson in science. By introducing the lesson with positive or negative comments, the instructor was able to exert a significant influence on the students’ evaluations of the lesson. The instructor’s influence, positively and negatively, was enhanced through the support of a student confidant. The findings of this study point to the relative ease with which a college instructor can manipulate the judgments of his students.     

Impacts of an Early Childhood Mathematics and Science Intervention on Teaching Practices and Child Outcomes

abstract

This randomized controlled trial examined effects of the MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science intervention on the quality and quantity of teachers’ mathematics and science instruction, and children’s mathematics and science outcomes in 140 pre-kindergarten classrooms. Teachers participated in the intervention for two years with consecutive cohorts of children. Results from Year 1 are considered experimental, however due to high levels of attrition, results from Year 2 are considered quasi-experimental. Across both years, intervention teachers exhibited higher quality and quantity of instruction. In Year 1, there were no significant effects of the intervention on children’s outcomes. In Year 2, children in intervention classrooms made greater gains in teachers’ ratings of mathematics and science skills and performed better on a spring assessment of science skills. These results have implications for designing and evaluating professional development aimed at supporting children’s mathematics and science knowledge and skills.     

Developing young children's multidigit number sense

Enrichment for mathematically gifted students in the elementary school needs to extend beyond puzzles or busywork and support the development of mathematical power through a differentiated curriculum. This article describes a series of enrichment experiences that were designed to develop young gifted children's understanding of large numbers, which was central to their investigation of space travel. Although large numbers are not traditionally included in the mathematics curriculum for young children, the children in this group responded enthusiastically to the enrichment experiences. These experiences provided the children with an opportunity to understand the large numbers they encountered in science resource material and to develop their mathematical power.     

Classifying children: a historical perspective on testing and measurement*

ABSTRACT

At the end of the 19th century, children were increasingly seen as measurable and classifiable objects of study on which a scientific approach to education could be based. Two factors fed into the development of this approach: confidence in scientific methods and the expansion of national education systems. Thus, there emerged a confluence of power and science that led to the measurement and classification of children in the name of an efficiently organized social system. This merging of reason, science and efficiency in the goal of classifying children came at a time when the old unitary school system was being declared outdated and coherent teaching units through which scientific methods of learning could be applied were being developed.     

Creating matched National Curriculum assessments in English and Welsh: test translation and parallel development 1

ABSTRACT

This article considers the emphasis on scientific evidence in the practical science curriculum in England and Wales, paying particular attention to some recent research findings concerning children's understanding in this area. The findings suggest that children's ability to conduct investigations in science appears to decline in the early years of secondary school. The authors discuss possible explanations for this decline which, it is suggested, contributes to a general failure among school children to make progress to higher levels of investigative work and in the acquisition of a real understanding of the nature of science itself.     

A case for culturally relevant science education in the summer for African American youth

Abstract

This article focuses on the impact of culturally relevant teaching and learning during a summer enrichment program for high school students. Culturally relevant science instruction and curriculum helped students to foster a more positive interest in science and STEM careers as it provided students the opportunity to do science in meaningful and relevant ways. Students were able to see themselves represented in the curriculum and recognized their own strengths; as a result, they were more validated and affirmed in and transformed by, their learning. We use this case to warrant increased support for summer learning programs focused on providing African American youth with access to high quality, culturally relevant/responsive science education.     

Classroom groups in theory and practice

Summary

Children hold a wide range of ideas about what science is, but boys tend to have very stereotyped ideas about scientists, exclusively depicting them as male and often seeing in science something weird or magical — this is the antithesis of what science claims to be, and yet it is easy to see how the ideas can become fused or confused. Girls in this study did not see science as an exclusively male preserve and are more likely to view science in a ‘realistic’ way than are boys. In interviews with the teachers of these children (all women) awareness of the need to avoid gender stereotyping was expressed. This study shows that among their girl pupils at least, their attempts are beginning to bear fruit.     

Preservice Teachers' School Stories and How They Matter

Abstract

In order to address national standards for educational technology, science teaching and science teacher preparation (including diversity standards), preservice teachers instruct children from around the world via the Internet in the MOON (More Observations of Nature) Project. First, children in the fourth to eighth grade and preservice teachers independently observe the moon for 10 weeks. Then for 6 weeks in Blackboard CourseInfo, discussion groups composed of one preservice teacher plus 8–10 children report observations and seek patterns in their data. This article describes how the MOON Project has been carried out for five semesters and how modifications have been made in response to each semester's experience.     

Developing and Applying Level Descriptors

Abstract

This paper is a summary of work undertaken with Year 2 children, over a period of six weeks in a Kent County Infant School. The study focuses on the notion of spiritual development in young children and gives consideration to how science may assist the teacher in enhancing this area of a child's development. Some attention is given to Government documentation related to these areas. Young children's explanations of their world are a mixture of religion, God/gods, science, fantasy and magic. We suggest that science allows, in both a physical and spiritual sense, all of these areas to be explored. We have identified this as the ‘WOW’ factor ('Wonder Of the World') through which children may develop conceptual skills that will not only enhance their learning, but also their awareness of self, relationship with others, and their place in the world.     

Opportunities for and obstacles to science in preschools: views from a community perspective

ABSTRACT

In this study, Activity Theory (AT) is used to analyse general patterns for how cultural and historical factors interact with the shaping of science activities in preschools. Data was produced from field notes, video observations, video stimulated recall group discussions and individual interviews with preschool teachers at fourteen preschool units, where science activities were described as a common feature of the practice. Two factors were found to be particularly important for how and whether science learning opportunities were afforded the children: the structure of the preschool community and the type of educational culture within it. In communities characterised by weak mutual commitment and without joint understanding of the purpose of the activities, the science learning objects of the activity often became fragmented and thereby elusive. This was also true for strong communities, with a shared approach and a joint understanding of the purpose of the science activities, but with educational cultures where science learning was not actively supported. In contrast, a strong community combined with an educational culture that allowed teachers to lead and intentionally frame the science content, offered child-centred science activities with clear science learning objects.     

Extraction of scientific semantic networks from science textbooks and comparison with science teachers’ spoken language by text network analysis

ABSTRACT

Just as language reflects one’s thoughts, the text of science textbooks reflects the structure of scientific knowledge and thought. Therefore, students’ learning of scientific language leads to their acquisition of the structure of scientific knowledge and thought. The purposes of this study were to extract scientific semantic network from science textbooks as the ideal model of using scientific language, and to examine how well science teachers are implementing scientific semantic networks in science classes by comparing and analysing their spoken language. Through a recursive method, science textbooks were searched for keywords and their relationships, and consequently a scientific semantic network was presented. As a result of the comparison with science teachers’ spoken language, it was found that the teachers were not able to implement the scientific semantic network exactly and efficiently in class, and the focus of the contents of their instruction was also different from the textbook. Science textbook was focused on qualitative aspects of the concept such as meaning, element, characteristic etc, on the other hand science teachers’ language was focused on quantitative aspect of the concept such as calculation, graph etc.     

The Attitudes of Japanese Children and the Effects of Parental Behaviour

Abstract

This study considers the characteristic isolation of Japanese children today and examines the effect that parents are ‘able to be respected’ (erai) or ‘not able to be respected’ (erakunai) has upon their children.     

An analysis of student teachers' understanding of integration of science and technology activities

Abstract

The research reported on in this article was conducted to determine if student teachers enrolled in a Bachelor of Education programme at a South African University are able to integrate science and technology in their teaching. The participants were a cohort of students registered for a course aimed at preparing them to teach grades 4 to 6 in the primary school. The theoretical framework applied in the study is Rogan's Zone of feasible Innovation (ZFI) which uses the analogy that curriculum strategies are good when they proceed just ahead of current practice. Students' understanding of integration of two learning areas was compared to their knowledge base. The findings suggest that students who have very little knowledge of science and/or technology have difficulty in understanding what the scientific and technological processes mean and without this understanding are unable to integrate science and technology effectively in their teaching. It is recommended that the B.Ed programme at this university focuses more on providing opportunities for students to acquire sound knowledge of the two disciplines before attempting any form of integration.     

Does interest have an expiration date? An analysis of students’ questions as resources for context-based learning

ABSTRACT

Context-based approaches can bridge the gap between abstract, difficult science concepts and the world students live in. However, the relevance of specific contexts to different groups of learners, and its stability over time, have not been extensively explored. This study used four datasets, collected in different formal and informal settings, to examine which types of contexts could capture the interest of many students and remain so for many years. In the formal setting, responses to closed-ended questionnaires in which 4–12th graders indicated their interest in studying the answers to science questions were compared. Over 700 questionnaires collected in 2007 were compared to over 1600 questionnaires collected in 2016. To document the stability of children’s interest in informal science learning settings we compared over 1600 science questions sent to a TV science show in 2004 with over 7000 science questions submitted to a commercial exhibition in 2014. Although there were some differences across ages, students’ interest in science remained relatively stable over the 10 years. In the formal setting, this similarity was reflected in the significant linear relationship between the two databases (r?=?0.917) with regard to the questions students found interesting. In the informal setting, there was a striking similarity in the proportions of spontaneous questions in biology, astrophysics, Earth Science and chemistry. Based on the findings of this study and the literature we recommended, frequently asked questions are a valuable resource for context-based teaching which can serve to identify contexts that enhance the relevance of science in students’ lives.     

An analysis of teacher questioning behaviour in constructivist primary science education using a modification of a descriptive system designed by Barnes and Todd (1977)

An analytical framework was developed (after Barnes and Todd 1977) to enable both the cognitive and social aspects of teacher questioning in constructivist primary science education to be explored. The data categorized within this framework were collected both before and after a period of questioning INSET in the forms of audio‐taped discussions between teacher and children; audio‐taped, focused interviews between teacher and researcher; and reflective written assignments. The categories used within the framework enabled distinctive individual profiles to be identified for the participating teachers, and the manner in which these profiles changed over time could be charted. The potential for developing the usefulness of this framework for future work is considered in terms of refining some categories and improving the research design. It is suggested that the framework could be a useful diagnostic tool to help teachers develop their use of a child‐centred, constructivist teaching philosophy in primary science education.