Bridging homes and classrooms: advancing students’ capabilities

This paper investigates the capabilities of remote rural teachers in Indonesia’s Probolinggo Regency to make meaningful pedagogic connections between students’ homes and their classrooms. The term capabilities is derived from Sen’s to Nussbaum’s capabilities approach, which refers to substantive freedom or opportunities that a person holds to do and to be a certain thing that he or she considers valuable. Informed by the capabilities approach (CA), the study involved classroom observations, teacher interviews and examination of Indonesian curriculum documents (teachers’ syllabi and lesson plans). Making connections between homes and classrooms enables students to critically engage in their learning and makes knowledge more meaningful in terms of solving real-life issues or problems. Teachers need to accommodate ‘local’ knowledge that exists in homes and communities thereby strengthening relationships between communities and schools; something synonymous with social justice aspects of the CA. Data generated for the study indicate that teachers encounter significant impediments in making connections between homes (communities) and classrooms (schools). In addition, while participants demonstrate that they are in part committed to the notions of ‘connections’ and ‘inclusivity’, their classroom practices still need strengthening in their adherence to the general substance of the CA.     

Using citizen science beyond teaching science content: a strategy for making science relevant to students’ lives

I respond to Pike and Dunne by exploring the utilization of citizen science in science education. Their results indicate that students fail to pursue science beyond the secondary level, in part, because of prior educational experiences with science education. Students lack motivation to pursue degrees and careers in science because they feel science is not relevant to their lives or they are simply not good at science. With this understanding, the science education community now needs to move beyond a discussion of the problem and move forward with continued discourse on possible solutions. Science educators need to focus on developing connections between students’ everyday lives and science so that they will have tangible reasons for continuing with the lifelong learning of science. In this response, I will show that citizen science as an educational context holds much promise, respectively. Participation in citizen science projects moves scientific content from the abstract to the tangible involving students in hands-on, active learning. In addition, if civic projects are centered within their own communities, then the science becomes relevant to their lives because it is focused on topics in their own backyards.     

Kindergarten students’ and parents’ perceptions of science classroom environments: Achievement and attitudes

This study, involving the modification, validation and use of a learning environment questionnaire for both kindergarten students and their parents, is significant because prior learning environment research has normally involved neither parents nor such young students. A questionnaire, which was based on the What Is Happening In this Class? and assessed actual and preferred teacher support, involvement, cooperation and equity, exhibited sound factorial validity, internal consistency reliability and the ability to differentiate between classrooms. Parents perceived a more favourable actual classroom environment than students, but students preferred a more favourable environment than parents. Associations were found between kindergarten students’ achievement and attitudes and the nature of the learning environment.     

Taiwanese students’ science learning self-efficacy and teacher and student science hardiness: a multilevel model approach

This study aimed to investigate the factors accounting for science learning self-efficacy (the specific beliefs that people have in their ability to complete tasks in science learning) from both the teacher and the student levels. We thus propose a multilevel model to delineate its relationships with teacher and student science hardiness (i.e., the courage that is needed to turn stressful changes from burdens into advantageous growth in science education settings). The current research was conducted through collecting survey responses from both teachers (i.e., using the self-report teacher science hardiness questionnaire) and students (i.e., using the self-report student science hardiness and the self-report science learning self-efficacy questionnaires). A total of 45 Taiwanese science teachers were solicited from junior high schools. Also, we recruited students who were taught by these 45 teachers. In total, 1145 junior high school students whose ages ranged from 12 to 16, with a mean of 13.68 (SD?=?0.90), were invited to take part in the study. Of these students, 268 were in the seventh grade, 430 were in the eighth grade, and 447 were in the ninth grade. The results of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) confirmed our hypothesis that teacher science hardiness fostered student science hardiness, which in turn contributed to the students’ science learning self-efficacy. The findings revealed that both teacher and student science hardiness play important roles in explaining the structure of science learning self-efficacy. To enhance science learning self-efficacy, educators should develop programs for teachers and students to increase their science hardiness.     

Conceptual continuity and the science of baseball: using informal science literacy to promote students’ science learning

This project explores conceptual continuity as a framework for understanding students’ native ways of understanding and describing. Conceptual continuity suggests that the relationship between the use of words in one genre and the scientific genre can exist at varying levels of association. This perspective can reveal the varied relationships between ideas explained in everyday or vernacular genres and their association to scientific explanations. We conducted a 2-year study involving 15 high school baseball players’ understanding of the physics involved in baseball. First, we conducted a quantitative assessment of their science understanding by administering a test prior to season one (2006) and season two (2007). Second, we examined the types of linguistic resources students used to explain their understanding. Third, we revisited our data by using conceptual continuity to identify similarities between students’ conceptual understanding in the informal contexts and their similarities to canonical scientific ideas. The results indicated students’ performance on the multiple-choice questions suggested no significant improvement. The qualitative analyses revealed that students were able to accurately explain different components of the idea by using a diversity of scientific and non-scientific genres. These results call attention to the need to reconstruct our vision of science learning to include a more language sensitive approach to teaching and learning.     

Enhancing students’ self-regulation and mathematics performance: the influence of feedback and self-evaluative standards

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of self-evaluative standards and graphed feedback on calibration accuracy and performance in mathematics. Specifically, we explored the influence of mastery learning standards as opposed to social comparison standards as well as of individual feedback as opposed to social comparison feedback. 90 fifth grade students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. We conducted analyses for both the complete sample and an at-risk group of low performing students who overestimate their skills. Self-evaluative standards had no effect on calibration accuracy and performance. Students who received feedback were more accurate in their self-evaluative judgements than students who received neither type of feedback. In overconfident students, feedback additionally increased prediction accuracy and, albeit marginally, performance. We discuss the educational implications of our findings with respect to the relevance of standards and feedback for promoting self-regulated learning within regular classroom settings.     

Computers and Traditional Teaching Practices: Factors influencing middle level students’ science achievement and attitudes about science

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of middle school student science achievement and attitudes toward science with student-reported frequency of using computers to learn science and other classroom practices. Baseline comparison data were collected on the frequency of student-centred teaching practices (e.g. the use of group experiments during science class) and traditional teaching practices (e.g. having students copy notes during science class) to learn science. The student sample was composed of 294 seventh-grade students enrolled in middle school science. Multiple regression was used to investigate the association of attitudes toward science, student-centred teaching practices, computer usage, and traditional teaching practices with science achievement. Both attitudes toward science and student-centred teaching practices were positively associated with science achievement, and student-centred teaching practice was positively associated with attitude toward science. Computer usage was found to have a negative association with student achievement, which was moderated by traditional teaching practices.     

Finding science in students’ talk

What does it mean to understand science? This commentary extends Brown and Kloser’s argument on the role of native language for science learning by exploring the meaning of understanding in school science and discusses the extent that science educators could tolerate adulterated forms of scientific knowledge. Taking the perspective of social semiotics, this commentary looks at the extent that school science can be represented with other discourse practices. It also offers an example to illustrate how everyday language can present potential hindrance to school science learning.     

Stories of self and science: preservice elementary teachers’ identity work through time and across contexts

Grounded in theoretical and empirical underpinnings related to identity work and figured worlds, this case study explores the nature of two preservice elementary teachers’ identities for science teaching and the experiences that impacted their development through time and across contexts. The participants in this study portray a range of competencies, interests and orientations to science and science teaching, and hence provide two different kinds of, almost contradicting, identity works. Various data were collected in a period of 3 years with the use of life history methods in order to trace the participants’ identity work over time and across contexts. The analysis of the data showed prevalent differences between the participants’ identity works and identified critical events and experiences in the context of various figured worlds: (a) figured world of family; (b) figured world of childhood; (c) figured world of schooling; (d) outside of school figured worlds; (e) figured world of university and (f) figured world of science. These findings are offered alongside implications for future research and teacher preparation.     

Jordanian twelfth-grade science teachers’ self-reported usage of science and engineering practices in the next generation science standards

This study investigated the degree that Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) criteria from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were included in self-reported teaching practices of twelfth-grade science teachers in Jordan. This study sampled (n?=?315) science teachers recruited from eight different public school directorates. The sample was surveyed using an instrument adapted from Kawasaki (2015). Results found that Jordanian science teachers incorporate (SEPs) in their classroom teaching at only a moderate level. SEPs applied most frequently included ‘using the diagram, table or graphic through instructions to clarify the subject of a new science,’ and to ‘discuss with the students how to interpret the quantitative data from the experiment or investigation’. The practice with the lowest frequency was ‘teach a lesson on interpreting statistics or quantitative data,’ which was moderately applied. No statistically significant differences at (α?=?0.05) were found among these Jordanian science teachers’ self-estimations of (SEP) application into their own teaching according to the study’s demographic variables (specialisation, educational qualification, teaching experience). However, a statistically significant difference at (α?=?0.05) was found among Jordanian high school science teachers’ practice means based on gender, with female teachers using SEPs at a higher rate than male teachers.     

Dimensions of science capital: exploring its potential for understanding students’ science participation

As concerns about participation rates in post-compulsory science continue unabated, considerable research efforts have been focused on understanding and addressing the issue, bringing various theoretical lenses to bear on the problem. One such conceptual lens is that of ‘science capital’ (science-related forms of social and cultural capital), which has begun to be explored as a tool for examining differential patterns of aspiration and participation in science. This paper continues this line of work, attempting to further refine our conceptualisation of science capital and to consider potential insights it might offer beyond existing, related constructs. We utilise data from two surveys conducted in England as part of the wider Enterprising Science project, a broader national survey and a more targeted survey, completed by students from schools generally serving more disadvantaged populations. Logistic regression analyses indicated that science capital was more closely related than cultural capital to science aspirations-related outcome variables. In addition, further analyses reflected that particular dimensions of science capital (science literacy, perceived transferability and utility of science, family influences) seem to be more closely related to anticipated future participation and identity in science than others. These patterns held for both data sets. While these findings are generally in alignment with previous research, we suggest that they highlight the potential value of science capital as a distinct conceptual lens, which also carries particular implications for the types of interventions that may prove valuable in considering ways to address disparities in science engagement and participation.     

Social science doctoral students’ needs and preferences for written feedback

The purpose of this study was to investigate social science doctoral students’ preferences and needs with regard to written feedback on academic writing and to develop a written feedback categorization. In an exploratory mixed methods approach, qualitative data collected during interviews were used to form a questionnaire to collect quantitative data in two research-intensive universities. The results based on 276 doctoral students’ responses provided a clear list of feedback types needed by doctoral students, including comments addressing their main idea, argumentation, clarity, and information coverage. Their preferences varied on issues of autonomy, criticism, and ambiguity, all critical factors in the transition to independence expected during their doctoral education. The resulting written feedback categorization encompasses three aspects: function, focus, and presentation. The findings of this study have the potential to guide supervisors, feedback providers, and doctoral students as well as inform further research, including instrument development and written feedback content analyses.     

The Stories They’d Tell: Pre-Service Elementary Teachers Writing Stories to Demonstrate Physical Science Concepts

Preservice teachers enrolled in a science content-based course wrote stories that could help their future students understand a science concept. First, participants chose their topic and wrote the story with few guidelines to establish a baseline. In the next part, a different set of students were given a choice of three topics (based on force, electricity, and heat misconceptions), and collaborated to write stories with guidance from the instructor. Stories were analyzed for narrative and science units, and test scores examined. Without guidance, many students struggled to find ways to integrate science within a story. With guidance, participants wrote stories that included more narrative elements overall, and participants felt the stories helped them understand the concepts.     

“I'm just not that great at science”: Science self-efficacy in arts and communication students

Research in science education confirms the importance of self-efficacy in students' persistence and success in the sciences. The current study examined the role of science self-efficacy in nonspecialist, arts and communication-oriented students encountering science in a general education context. Participants (N = 275) completed a beginning- and end-of-semester survey including a Science Self-Efficacy Scale, a “connection to science” measure—the Inclusion of Science in Self Scale—and a Science Anxiety Scale. Participants also responded to two open-ended “sources of science efficacy” questions, and provided background/demographic information and access to their academic records. Results showed a significant increase in science self-efficacy and connection to science—although no change in science anxiety—over the course of the semester. The observed shift in self-efficacy for minority and international students was of particular note. These students started the course with lower confidence but, by the end of the semester, reported comparable science self-efficacy, and achieved similar grades to their White/Non-Hispanic and US resident classmates. Contrary to expectations, science self-efficacy did not predict performance in the class. However, students' self-reported sources of efficacy indicated increased confidence in using science in daily life, and confirmed the value of mastery experiences and of personally meaningful, student-centered course design in scaffolding student confidence. Results are discussed in terms of the individual and instructional factors that support science self-efficacy and student success in this unique, general education science environment.     

Design of inquiry-oriented science labs: impacts on students’ attitudes

Background: Changes in lab style can lead to differences in learning. Two inquiry-oriented lab styles are guided inquiry (GI) and problem-based (PB). Students’ attitudes towards lab are important to consider when choosing between GI and PB styles during curriculum design.

Purpose: We examined the degree to which lab experiences are explained by a GI or a PB lab style vs. students’ attitudes towards specific aspects of the experience, reflected by perceived excitement (exc), difficulty (dif), time efficiency (eff) and association between lab and lecture material (help).

Sample: Approximately 1000 students attending first-semester, college biology lab for science majors at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA, participated in the study.

Design and method: In 2007, two labs were run as GI and one as PB. Formats were switched in 2008. Attitudes were assessed with a post-semester survey.

Results: Only the four attitude variables (not lab style) had a strong relationship with overall lab rating which was most strongly related to exc, followed by dif and help/eff. Dif and eff had the greatest influence on attitudes for or against GI vs. PB labs, and help and exc had little influence on a GI vs. a PB lab. Also, when dif was low, students’ attitudes were not significantly different between PB and GI labs, but when dif was high, students’ significantly rated GI labs higher than PB labs.

Conclusions: Students’ attitudes towards lab are more dependent on specific aspects of the experience than on lab style. Changes in GI vs. PB lab styles primarily influence dif and eff rather than exc and help. Dif may be an important factor to consider when implementing a lab in the PB vs. the GI format. It might be good to go with a GI when dif is high and a PB when dif is low.     

Identity: a complex structure for researching students’ academic behavior in science and mathematics

This article is a response to Pike and Dunne’s research. The focus of their analysis is on reflections of studying science post-16. Pike and Dunne draw attention to under enrollments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, in particular, in the field of physics, chemistry and biology in the United Kingdom. We provide an analysis of how the authors conceptualize the problem of scientific career choices, the theoretical framework through which they study the problem, and the methodology they use to collect and analyze data. In addition, we examine the perspective they provide in light of new developments in the field of students’ attitudes towards science and mathematics. More precisely, we draw attention to and explicate the authors’ use of identity from the perspective of emerging theories that explore the relationships between the learner and culture in the context of science and mathematics.     

The nature of students’ informal science conceptions

Case studies have been constructed of primary school children's developing explanations of a range of air pressure phenomena. A range of conceptions relating to air pressure have been identified, and insights gained concerning the way these interrelate over time and over context. It was found that children are naturally generative in their construction of explanations, but that they use conceptions in quite complex and fluid ways. It is argued that naive conceptions maintain a valuable function as intuitive recognition elements that feed more sophisticated conceptions, and that generating a satisfying explanation for a phenomenon can involve having access to a range of interrelated conceptions. A range of contextual factors were identified, which influence the construction of explanations, and can act as barriers to the application of scientific conceptions.     

Correction to: Saudi science teachers’ perceptions of the cultural factors influencing elementary students’ science learning

Cultural Studies of Science Education - In the Original Publication of the article, second author’s name was misspelt.