Case studies of student research projects in school science

Conclusion These case studies offer strong support for the notion that learning occurs naturally and inevitably when it flows out of a student's desire to extend her own interests and experiences. This view was expressed strongly by the progressives (Dewey [1963], and Kilpatrick [1928, 1952:315]) and more recently by Wilson (1971). They also represent “instances of autonomy” that challenge our normal assumptions of student behaviour. There are, of course, matters of the transmission of those “storehouses of knowledge” that represent the disciplines, and matters of practicality in motivating and managing a class of students pursuing their own interests (Tytler 1983), that would make it impractical to centre all teaching around the IRP or its equivalent. The need to include IRP's at a significant place within the curriculum, however, is indicated not only by the student outcomes that have emerged in this study, but from the fact that an increasing number of teachers have found it to be a satisfying method, involving a more powerful and natural view of the student in relation to the educational process (Tytler, ibid). The case studies have something to say about all such activities (other possibilities are described in Boomer [1983]) that invite students to take responsibility for the serious development of their interests. They stand as examples of the way students work outside the classroom, but also as celebrations of student independence and autonomy. Too often the schooling practices we subscribe to tend to invalidate students' own life experiences. These case studies provide a challenge to us to find educative ways that can match the range of abilities and dispositions that students bring with then to school.     

Practical independent research projects in science: a synthesis and evaluation of the evidence of impact on high school students

Practical independent research projects (IRPs) are a feature of school science in a number of countries. To assess the impact of IRPs on students, a systematic review of the literature was undertaken. Thirty-nine papers met the review inclusion criteria, reporting on work from twelve countries. The review indicates that IRPs are often associated with wider initiatives such as authentic science, problem-based learning, and project-based learning. There is considerable variability in the nature of IRP work in relation to focus, models of provision, assessment, the involvement of external partners such as universities and employers, and funding, and this diversity affects judgements on the quality of the evidence base on impact. The majority of the research reviewed explored areas such as conceptual understanding, motivation to study science once it is no longer compulsory and attitudes to science, and the development of practical skills. Benefits were identified in relation to the learning of science ideas, affective responses to science, views of pursuing careers involving science, and development of a range of skills. Studies focusing on traditionally under-represented groups indicated that such students felt more positive about science as a result of undertaking IRPs. The review findings indicate that further work is needed to enhance the quality of the available evidence, to consider the ways in which IRPs can be validly assessed, to explore more fully the potential benefits for traditionally under-represented groups, and to explore more fully the potential longer-term benefits of participation in IRPs at high school level.     

Format-free databases and the construction of knowledge in primary school science projects

Most current science education reform documents are placing much emphasis on having students become competent in identifying, accessing and operating upon relevant information sources and in using the information to construct new knowledge. One of the means they suggest for achieving these aims is science project work. However, a review of the research literature indicates that little knowledge construction occurs during science projects. This article reports on a study in which a teacher used the collaborative development of a format-free computer database to facilitate the construction of knowledge by a group of three Year 6 students during a science project.     

The role of classroom research projects in the preparation of science teachers

Research undertaken by educational researchers based in universities has not had the desired impact on the practices of classroom science teachers. Yet Goodlad (1990) has argued that if teaching is to be recognised as a profession there is a great need for the marrying of the knowledge of the practitioner with that of the researcher. Student teachers might learn to respect the potential for such a union by undertaking minor classroom research projects during their teacher preparation programs. This paper discusses the role of research projects in pre-service teacher preparation with reference to an inquiry conducted with teacher education students. Specializations: science education, teacher learning and preparation, teaching thinking.     

中学科学课程与生物课程之比较

科学课程与生物课程在学校的整体课程中的地位是相等的,两者间没有孰优孰劣的区别,在生命科学内容选择、课程设计、学习方式和科学素养的培养方面等各有不同。     

初中综合理科探究--解决模式的实践研究

1前言 从20世纪60年代初到现在,许多国家考虑到为了适应形势发展对人才的要求,对课程改革进行了极其有益的探索,其中较大的改革是把物理、化学、生物、地学理科内容进行拓宽,相互渗透,改为综合理科.     

British school improvement research: the contribution of qualitative studies

Abstract

This article recounts the development of a relationship between a university researcher and a public school practitioner, and describes how changes in this relationship affected the research process itself. The article addresses three issues central to qualitative studies in education: the attempt to have research benefit practice; the formation of reciprocal relationships between researchers and those researched; and the writing of ethnographic accounts. The story is told in separate voices, alternating between the person researched and the researcher. Each voice describes how the relationship moved through six distinct, yet related, phases. Beginning with caution and skepticism, moving toward trust and self‐disclosure, each of these phases affected the conduct of the research study and its findings.     

Towards the reform of science teaching in Spain: the social and personal relevance of junior secondary school science projects for a socially responsible understanding of science

This article describes aspects of more than a decade of research and implementation of cross-curriculum themes as part of the curriculum for secondary school students in Spain. The educational reform described is an attempt to develop a more socially responsible education, using what, for Spain, has been a highly novel breaking down of subject barriers as a way of preparing young adults for life as citizens. It provides other investigators in the field with a commentary on some of the theoretical and practical issues encountered in developing similar projects.     

Inclusive practice within the lived cultures of school communities: research case studies in teaching,learning and inclusion

This paper provides an account of a teacher's use of theory as a tool to develop inclusive practice through a social studies programme in a new entrant class. The account illustrates the ways in which the teacher drew on research to assist in the facilitation of an inclusive educational environment. Presented are research case studies the teacher encountered in an in-service teacher education programme, and the ‘social constructionist’ and ‘personal tragedy’ models that were used as theoretical tools to assist the teacher's planning and teaching practice. Mounted cameras, broadcast microphones and pre- and post-unit interviews with the teacher and students were used to explore the lived culture of the classroom, and the nature and effectiveness of the strategies the teacher used. An ‘interrupted narrative’ methodology engages the reader in the interplay between research and theory in the research case studies. Four major strategies used by the teacher have been identified and these are presented as theoretical tools for other teachers and teacher educators to use, critique and develop to support inclusive practice in their own contexts.     

Mixed methods,mixed outcomes? Combining an RCT and case studies to research the impact of a training programme for primary school science teachers

A randomised controlled trial (RCT) and a series of case studies were used to determine the impact of two variants of an intervention (a professional development programme) aimed at improving primary school science teachers’ subject and pedagogic content knowledge, and enhancing their subject leadership ability. Ninety-six schools were randomly assigned to full or partial treatment groups or a ‘business-as-usual’ control group. Quantitative data were collected from teachers and pupils through an assessment of scientific knowledge based on standardised assessment items. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and lesson observation initially in thirty case study schools. There were three data collection points: pre- and post-intervention, and one year later.

[Guskey, T. (1986). Staff development and the process of teacher change. Educational Researcher, 15(5), 5–12.] Levels of Professional Development Evaluation model was used as the analysis framework. The quantitative data from the teachers’ subject knowledge assessment indicated neither the full nor the partial training programmes had a statistically significant impact on teachers’ performance. In contrast, the qualitative data suggested that many teachers in the full treatment group believed that their subject knowledge had improved and reported increased confidence in their teaching of science. Lesson observations provided corroborating evidence of change in teachers’ practice, and some modest evidence of wider change in schools. There was no statistically significant improvement in pupil performance in subject knowledge assessments when teachers had participated in the intervention. In the context of research methods, the study suggests that a mixed-methods approach to evaluation is likely to yield a more rounded and nuanced picture of the overall impact of an intervention.