Developing Conceptual Understanding in Primary Science

Over the past 30 years research has generated considerable insights into children's ideas related to science and the process of conceptual change. Using this knowledge to inform teaching is not straightforward. This paper outlines some general guidelines for teaching for conceptual development and then focuses on the introduction of new ideas in the primary classroom. Two pieces of teaching, about light and electricity, are used to exemplify how relevant ideas of science can be introduced and related to children's thinking and to everyday phenomena. The role of the teacher in 'talking ideas into existence' is discussed and directions for future research identified.     

Development of Pupils' Classification Skills in Science Lessons: An Intervention of Computer Use

This paper describes an investigation of 13- and 14-year-old pupils' classification skills when they analyze scientific data in science lessons. The study involved two matched experimental and control pairs of classes of pupils (n = 95) analyzing scientifically based data. The assessment instrument for investigating pupils' skills was the paper and pencil pre- and post-test. This instrument showed small differences between the pre- and post-tests, and also between the computer-using and noncomputer-using pupils. However, it revealed pupils' specific skills to classify and reclassify scientific data according to criteria of a single property, their tendency to prioritize discrete over continuous criteria, and also some differences between the more able and less able pupils of the same age. The less able pupils could only classify according to discrete criteria. The scientific context influenced pupils' classification skills.     

The Role of Metacognitive Activities in the Contextual Use of Primary Pupils' Conceptions of Science

This paper addresses the problematic nature of pupils' attempts to use their science conceptions in contexts other than the ones in which the original learning of the concept takes place. It reports research with 60 Year-5 primary school children studying current electricity, during which the researcher employed metacognitive activities alongside normal teaching procedures, in an attempt to enhance cross-contextual use of taught concepts. In order to assess the effect of different contexts on pupils' performance, a test was repeatedly administered over one school year that tested the same concepts in distinctly different contexts. Although the role of a familiar context is only partly determined, the results suggest that pupils' ability to use concepts in unfamiliar contexts is stable for a long period of time. The results also support the provision of metacognitive activities as a means of enhancing pupils' ability for cross-contextual use of their conceptions of science.     

Investigating Situational Interest in Primary Science Lessons

Pupils’ interest has been one of the major concerns in science education research because it can be seen as a gateway to more personalised forms of interest and motivation. However, methods to investigate situational interest in science teaching and learning are not broadly examined. This study compares the pupils’ observed situational interest and their expressed situational interest. One class of Finnish fourth-graders (N?=?22, age 9–10 years) participated in a heat transfer lesson. The lesson encompassed an interactive demonstration with a thermal camera, teacher-led discussions and the conduct and presentation of a collaborative inquiry task. Pupils expressed their interest levels (scale: 1?=?very boring, 5?=?very interesting) by using an electronic response system called a ‘clicker’. The measurement took place 15 times during the lesson, with 1 measurement being just a rehearsal. The lesson was video recorded, and visible aspects of interest at the measurement time points were analysed. Reported and observational data were compared. In most cases, the observations did not yield data compatible with the pupils’ own evaluations, indicating that most pupils’ expressed interest is not easily interpreted through observation of their facial expressions and behaviour. In general, the interest of the group as a whole seems to diminish during the lesson. We argue that in order to maintain and increase pupils’ interest, their evaluations should be taken into account in lesson planning. Video-based research might also be further enriched and validated by employing the participants’ own expressions. The clicker is a suitable means of collecting primary pupils’ experiences concerning their interest levels.     

小学科学教育:课程创新与实践挑战

新修订的《义务教育小学科学课程标准》表现出延展和整合两大发展特点。基于对课程标准文件的分析,依托以往的国际科学课程研究,从三个层面分别解读这两大发展特点。同时根据我国小学科学教育的现状,分析在课程实施中可能面临的挑战。     

游戏教学对小学生学习投入的影响——基于小学六年级几何游戏教学的实验

学习投入是学生学习成效的重要影响因子。采用准实验研究法,以X小学六年级两个班48位学生为研究对象,分为实验组和对照组,运用《学习投入四面向量表》进行每周一次每次40分钟的几何游戏教学实验研究。研究结果显示:在动力投入、行为投入、情绪投入和认知投入等四个维度上,实验组学生的得分均比控制组学生高。就差异性而言,前三个维度的差异显著而认知投入维度的差异不甚显著。由此可见,游戏教学对小学六年级学生的学习投入具有显著影响。建议:教师在进行教学设计时,应注重多种教学方法的灵活使用,缔造多元的具有生命意义的学习课堂;学校管理者应在教学的各个科目推动教学理念和策略的全面改革。     

县城小学生肥胖发生率及其对肺功能的影晌

目的：掌握上高县小学生的肥胖发生情况,为防控小学生原发性肥胖提供依据。方法：制定纳入排除研究对象的标准,随机抽取上高县实验小学的学生,调查其肥胖状况并分析其肺活量、肺活量指数等指标。结果：共获得调查对象645名小学生。超重和肥胖总检出率分别为4.3％和2.0％,男生、女生超重、肥胖和超重肥胖合计的检出率分别为6.2％和2.1％、2.8％和1.0％、4.3％和2.0％。超重、肥胖小学生的肺活量均大于正常体重小学生,但肺活量指数前者均低于后者。结论：县城小学生尤其是男生的肥胖问题已较严重,应加强预防控制,以保障和促进其心肺功能的健康发育。     

The Effects of Background Music on Primary School Pupils' Task Performance

Research on the effects of background music has a long history. Early work was not embedded within a theoretical framework, was often poorly conceptualised and produced equivocal findings. This paper reports two studies exploring the effects of music, perceived to be calming and relaxing, on performance in arithmetic and on a memory task in children aged 10-12. The calming music led to better performance on both tasks when compared with a no-music condition. Music perceived as arousing, aggressive and unpleasant disrupted performance on the memory task and led to a lower level of reported altruistic behaviour by the children. This suggests that the effects of music on task performance are mediated by arousal and mood rather than affecting cognition directly. The findings are discussed in relation to possible practical applications in the primary school and the home.     

The Effect of Plain-English Vocabulary on Student Achievement and Classroom Culture in College Science Instruction

This study examined the effect of the translation of traditional scientific vocabulary into plain English on student achievement in college science instruction. The study took place in the context of an introductory microbiology course. Data were collected from course sections instructed with traditional microbiology vocabulary as well as sections instructed with plain-English equivalent terms. Both treatment groups followed the same inquiry-based curriculum. Data collected included written and practical exam scores as well as pre and post-course surveys on subject knowledge and impressions of biology, science, and the course. Students subjected to plain-English instruction performed significantly better on written exams that assessed higher-order abilities to apply and analyze knowledge from the course. They gained similar amounts of lower-order knowledge during the course when compared to peers instructed with standard vocabulary. Results supported the hypothesis that improved achievement in the plain-English treatment was caused by students’ ability to utilize extant neural networks to ground new learning.     

小学生合作学习探析

合作学习是新课程提倡的重要学习方式之一,但在具体实施过程中还存在着诸多问题。教师应该对合作学习的本质进行了深入探析,从培养学生的合作学习能力,以个体学习为前提,以小组内个体成绩总和为评价依据,科学组织合作学习过程,善用外部激励等实施。     

小学生课堂学业情绪与写作成绩的关系研究

采用问卷和量表相结合的方法,对随机抽取的2所小学四年级与六年级学生施测,调查小学生课堂学业情绪和写作成绩间的关系。发现课堂学业情绪与写作成绩之间呈正线性相关;六年级学生的写作成绩更多地受到课堂学业情绪的影响;女生的写作成绩更多地受到课堂学业情绪的影响。     

小学教师对学生课堂问题行为的认识

课堂问题行为指发生在课堂教学中,违反课堂行为规范和教学要求,影响课堂正常教学秩序、教师教学、自身及他人学习,并给教师教学和学生学习带来消极影响的课堂行为。教师对学生问题行为的知觉和态度直接影响其教育行为,[1]因此,众多研究者开始关注教师是如何知觉和解释这些课堂问题行为的,[2]如此,才能更好地了解教师行为背后的深层原因,提高教师干预效果。     

Defining and Measuring Engagement and Learning in Science: Conceptual,Theoretical, Methodological,and Analytical Issues

Engagement is one of the most widely misused and overgeneralized constructs found in the educational, learning, instructional, and psychological sciences. The articles in this special issue represent a wide range of traditions and highlight several key conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and analytical issues related to defining and measuring engagement. All the approaches exemplified by the contributors show different ways of conceptualizing and measuring engagement and demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of each method to significantly augment our current understanding of engagement. Despite the numerous issues raised by the authors of this special issue and in my commentary, I argue that focusing on process data will lead to advances in models, theory, methods, analytical techniques, and ultimately instructional recommendations for learning contexts that effectively engage students.     

The IEA Assessment of Science Achievement

This paper reviews the IEA science assessment instruments and their outcomes in relation to what is known from other studies. The underlying assumptions are explored as is the justification for future surveys. The particular ‘decontextualised’ view that the same assessment items can be utilised validly across systems is analysed in detail by studying the item selection process. The paper looks at the interpretations of the results, considers the extent to which any claims are justified and reflects on whether, for many policy purposes, local studies within an educational system would be more useful.     

The Challenges of Defining and Measuring Student Engagement in Science

Engagement is one of the hottest research topics in the field of educational psychology. Research shows that multifarious benefits occur when students are engaged in their own learning, including increased motivation and achievement. However, there is little agreement on a concrete definition and effective measurement of engagement. This special issue serves to discuss and work toward addressing conceptual and instrumentation issues related to engagement, with particular interest in engagement in the domain of science learning. We start by describing the dimensional perspective of engagement (behavioral, cognitive, emotional, agentic) and suggest a complementary approach that places engagement instrumentation on a continuum. Specifically, we recommend that instrumentation be considered on a “grain-size” continuum that ranges from a person-centered to a context-centered orientation to clarify measurement issues. We then provide a synopsis of the articles included in this special issue and conclude with suggestions for future research.     

The Effect of a State Department of Education Teacher Mentor Initiative on Science Achievement

This study investigated the effectiveness of a southern state??s department of education program to improve science achievement through embedded professional development of science teachers in the lowest performing schools. The Science Mentor Program provided content and inquiry-based coaching by teacher leaders to science teachers in their own classrooms. The study analyzed the mean scale scores for the science portion of the state??s high school graduation test for the years 2004 through 2007 to determine whether schools receiving the intervention scored significantly higher than comparison schools receiving no intervention. The results showed that all schools achieved significant improvement of scale scores between 2004 and 2007, but there were no significant performance differences between intervention and comparison schools, nor were there any significant differences between various subgroups in intervention and comparison schools. However, one subgroup, economically disadvantaged (ED) students, from high-level intervention schools closed the achievement gap with ED students from no-intervention schools across the period of the study. The study provides important information to guide future research on and design of large-scale professional development programs to foster inquiry-based science.     

数学焦虑影响数学学业成就的作用机制——数学元认知的中介作用

选取小学2～6年级学生共285人为被试,采用儿童数学焦虑量表(MASC)和小学数学元认知问卷(QPMAM)进行调查,将被试最近两次大型数学测验的平均分作为儿童数学学业成就的效标.探查儿童的数学焦虑,数学元认知和数学学业成就3者之间的关系和相互作用机制.结果表明:(1)数学焦虑和数学学业成就存在负向相关.(2)中等、高数学焦虑组儿童数学学业成就显著低于低数学焦虑组,中等、高数学焦虑组儿童数学元认知水平显著低于低数学焦虑组.(3)数学元认知在数学焦虑和数学学业成就之间起到了完全中介的作用.     

The Effects of a Kit-Based Science Curriculum and Intensive Science Professional Development on Elementary Student Science Achievement

The science achievement of 226 5th graders from districts that have a kit-based inquiry science curriculum supported by intensive professional development (PD) is compared with data from a group of 173 5th graders from other districts that use nonkit science materials and do not have systematic science PD for teachers. Within the kit-based project, the sample of project teachers is stratified to select teachers with a high number of science PD hours versus those with few hours. While there were no significant differences in the mean total scores for kit-based students with low PD versus high PD teachers, the kit-based classrooms scored significantly higher than students in nonkit classrooms on both the pretest and posttest, though there were significantly more minutes of science instruction in the nonkit classrooms. Finally, nonkit teachers taught more units of shorter length and reported lower levels of preparedness to use reform pedagogical approaches.