Science,Society and Trends in Science Education‐‐some Thoughts on the Development of Integrated Science in the Educational Systems of the World

Summaries

English

Before constructing a new curriculum for any level in integrated‐science education, it is very important to establish a basic philosophy of science teaching which reflects a symbiotic relationship between education and the socio‐economic development in a particular country of the world.

The curriculum structure of integrated‐science education should broaden the basis of curricular decision and should be designated to follow the expectations of the society in providing professional intellectual training so that education can make a significant contribution to the socio‐economic growth of the country. This basic assumption which established a link between cultural and socio‐economic growth, involves a diversification of the cultural trends of science education which must become appropriate to the economic and historical context of each country in a fast changing world of work.

Therefore, by critically removing outside influences in the transmission of scientific knowledge, there should be less uniformity in the context and methods of teaching, and considerable restructuring of education for each country should occur. Thus, considering the historical and geographical differences, a new order in international division of labour would come into being.

In such a hypothesis, a research‐oriented integrated curriculum in science education can play a central role (certainly a better one than in the traditional, discipline‐oriented scheme of science teaching) in obtaining an adequate interaction between scientific education and social problems; this is required for modern cultural and economic development of the world.     

Books,Teachers, and Committees‐‐a Comparative Essay on Authority in Science Education

Summaries

English

In this essay, Professor Peter Fensham examines the respective roles of books, teachers and committees as source and authority of scientific information in the context of school science education. In his comparative analysis of recent curriculum development trends in the USA, England and Australia, he detects significant differences in what is accepted in the different countries as ‘authority about science knowledge’ and argues that these differences emerge from the different historical, political and economic development of the three apparently similar countries.     

Effects of In‐service Education on Improving Science Teaching in Swaziland

This paper discusses the findings of an evaluative and interpretive study into the potential of in‐service education to improve science education in Swaziland. Short‐term and long‐term effects of an in‐service intervention are evaluated in terms of changes in classroom processes. The teaching approach of participating teachers has been monitored and analysed before, during and 1 year after the in‐service intervention, to assess whether changes occurred. The study revealed the subjective interpretations of teachers about those changes, also in relation to contextual factors. Recommendations are put forward to enhance the potential of in‐service education in comparable contexts.     

Evaluating Instrument Quality in Science Education: Rasch‐based analyses of a Nature of Science test

Given the central importance of the Nature of Science (NOS) and Scientific Inquiry (SI) in national and international science standards and science learning, empirical support for the theoretical delineation of these constructs is of considerable significance. Furthermore, tests of the effects of varying magnitudes of NOS knowledge on domain‐specific science understanding and belief require the application of instruments validated in accordance with AERA, APA, and NCME assessment standards. Our study explores three interrelated aspects of a recently developed NOS instrument: (1) validity and reliability; (2) instrument dimensionality; and (3) item scales, properties, and qualities within the context of Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory (Rasch modeling). A construct analysis revealed that the instrument did not match published operationalizations of NOS concepts. Rasch analysis of the original instrument—as well as a reduced item set—indicated that a two‐dimensional Rasch model fit significantly better than a one‐dimensional model in both cases. Thus, our study revealed that NOS and SI are supported as two separate dimensions, corroborating theoretical distinctions in the literature. To identify items with unacceptable fit values, item quality analyses were used. A Wright Map revealed that few items sufficiently distinguished high performers in the sample and excessive numbers of items were present at the low end of the performance scale. Overall, our study outlines an approach for how Rasch modeling may be used to evaluate and improve Likert‐type instruments in science education.     

Curing Society by Better Education. Psychoanalyst Wilhelm Stekel (1868‐1940) on Parental Influences in the Causation and Prevention of Compulsion Neuroses

Until recently, the nurture paradigm was dominant in educational thought. Parental attitudes were considered to be the major causes for character development in their offspring, as well as for different kinds of mental illnesses. During most of the twentieth century, medical doctors and other professionals tried their best to convince educators of the seriousness of their tasks in raising children.

This article discusses the ideas of one of these doctors, Wilhelm Stekel (1868‐ 1940), on the obsessive‐compulsive disorder. This pioneer psychoanalyst explained obsessive‐ compulsive disorder as caused by a traumatic experience in childhood: the shattering of parental authority. Persons suffering from this type of neurosis proved rather difficult to cure, which led Stekel to the idea that education should provide the solution. Among the depth‐ psychologists of the twentieth century, be stands out as “the educator of the parents”, because of his numerous publications devoted to the prevention of neuroses through the illumination of popular pedagogical thought.     

The Experiences and Personal Religious Beliefs of Egyptian Science Teachers as a Framework for Understanding the Shaping and Reshaping of their Beliefs and Practices about Science‐Technology‐Society (STS)

This research investigates the role of experience in relation to teachers’ beliefs and practices. The study adopted a social‐cultural constructivist perspective using an interpretive approach. The research was guided by teachers’ interpretations of their experiences related to teaching science through Science‐Technology‐Society (STS) issues. These interpretations are re‐interpreted to find meaningful conceptual categories (grounded in the data) from which to build a model to understand the influence of experiences within socio‐Islamic culture on teachers’ beliefs and practices. Data was collected from ten teachers using interviews and observations. The findings of this study suggest that it was mainly teachers’ personal religious beliefs and experiences that shaped their beliefs and practices. The research also led to a model, constructed on the basis of the data analysis, which suggests an explanation of how teachers’ personal religious beliefs and experiences influence their beliefs and practices.     

Students’ Learning Activities Within and Between the Contexts of Education and Work

Many professional educational programs combine learning at an educational institute with learning in the workplace. The differences between these contexts, and the resulting challenges for learning, have been well-documented. However, there are few studies that explore the same students’ learning in both contexts, and even fewer that compare that learning to the learning that results from an integration of learning in both contexts. In this study we investigate, in detail, the similarities and differences of students’ learning activities both within and between the formal educational and workplace contexts of a professional educational program in the Netherlands. To that end, we analysed 1866 learning experiences of 148 students in a dual teacher education program. Analyses revealed that although the different contexts appear to be more conducive to certain kinds of learning activities, thereby confirming prior research, all learning activities did occur in all contexts. Our findings also confirm the value of learning that combines the educational and the workplace contexts, as this learning results in integrations of theory and practice and reflections on professional identity. Implications for dual education programs include focussing on increasing the diversity of learning activities within a single context and supporting students in learning how to learn, next to what to learn, irrespective of the context in which this learning takes place.     

‘Analysis of the Evolution of a Science Concept: Macromolecules'‐‐a Case Study to Introduce New Trends in German Teacher‐Training

Summaries

English

This paper describes the philosophy as well as the actual and possible utilization of a model curriculum recently developed in FR Germany. The curriculum contains two parts: one of which deals with teacher training. Here teachers are provided with information, guidelines and procedures, which are to enable them to construct an integrated curriculum—setting out from a special subject within a special discipline. The other part contains a model curriculum for use in schools. It centres around the evolution of the macromolecule concept. Both parts are determined by a philosophy which stresses the importance of the unification of aesthetic and rationalistic elements in science and science education. Generally, it reconsiders the separation between the examining subject, on one side, and nature as the object of examination, on the other side.

The actual process of dissemination and implementation is discussed along with future strategies. It is claimed that the model is confined neither to the specific German situation nor to the topic of the evolution of the specific macromolecule concept.     

The Interface between Secondary and Higher Education‐‐The Case of Slovenia: 1989‐1999

Slovenia has introduced the Matura, an external examination taken at the conclusion of higher secondary education. This examination has two distinct purposes: to certify completion of secondary education and to replace all entrance examinations that might be required for selection and matriculation. As Slovenia was the first country in central and eastern Europe to introduce an external examination at the interface of secondary and higher education, its experience might serve as an example to other countries in the region wishing to move in a similar direction. This article describes the new examination that has been successfully administered in Slovenia since 1995, its structure, and the impact it has had on the education system, particularly on higher education, Matura results determining admission to course programmes.     

The effect of a ‘Science,Technology and Society’ course on prospective teachers’ conceptions of the nature of science

The aim of this study is to assess prospective teachers’ views of some aspects of the nature of science (NOS) and the effects of a “Science, Technology and Society” (STS) course embedded with scientific investigation (SI) on these views. A questionnaire consisting of 13 items was given to 212 prospective teachers enrolled in a STS course before and after teaching. During the semester, participants were engaged in a specially designed pilot SI combined with explicit NOS instruction. Majority of the participants held traditional views of the target NOS aspects at beginning of the study. After the course there were significant changes in the conceptions of prospective teachers in majority target aspects of NOS as the results of a Sign test indicate. We suggest that the more suitable SI, performed in an active learning environment, related to target aspects of NOS must be selected to develop the more constructivist views about the NOS.     

Early Childhood Education as a Scientific Discipline: a state‐of‐the‐art perspective

The objective of early childhood education is to address the totality of issues and areas of activity relevant to young children. In spite of the considerable growth in knowledge concerning children and childhood, this objective has yet to be attained at the theoretical level. Proceeding from the vantage point of a retrospective of the conceptions of the two classical theorists, Rousseau and Frobel, the case is made for grounding early childhood education in the dimensions of subjectivity, intersubjectivity, society and history in order to be able to analyse its various tasks in their respective specificity and reciprocal dependence. The attempt is made to characterise the challenges facing such a theory and to outline the resulting systematic issues for a pedagogy of early childhood.     

Reflections on “Science Teaching and the Nature of Science”

Science &; Education -     

Clergy’s Views of the Relationship between Science and Religious Faith and the Implications for Science Education

Since many teachers and students recognize other kinds of knowledge (faith) based on other ways of knowing, consideration of these realities is appropriate for the science education community. Understanding the multitude of ways that clergy view relationships between science and faith (i.e. alternative ways of knowing) would assist in understanding various ways that people address complex issues arising from ideas about science and faith. We administered a questionnaire composed of multiple-choice and short answer items to 63 United Methodist ministers. Findings included (1) that formal, organized faith contexts (e.g. church services) serve as informal science education opportunities, (2) participants demonstrated considerable diversity regarding the types of relationships developed between science and faith, and (3) participants recognized a need exists for better understandings of science and its relationship to faith for them, their colleagues, and their congregations.

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Embarking on an Educational Journey‐‐the Establishment of the First Foreign Full University Campus in Malaysia under the 1996 Education Acts: a Malaysian‐Australian Case Study

This article is a case study of the first foreign university invited to open a campus in Malaysia under the 1996 Education Acts: Monash University of Australia, in partnership with the Sunway Corporation. The authors provide some historical background leading to the July 1998 opening of the new campus‐‐Monash University Sunway Campus Malaysia (MUSCM). Using MUSCM as a case study, they explore a number of issues that they argue must be addressed in such an international educational undertaking involving co‐operation among government, business, and a university. The article is structured under the following headings: why a foreign branch campus; nuts and bolts, operational structure and legislative requirements; quality assurance procedures; and some educational challenges.