Qualitatively recognizing the dimensions of student environmental identity development within the classroom context

This study qualitatively explored the process of student environmental identity development (sEID) within the highly social and structured context of elementary school science. Social practice theory was used as the lens to distinguish the dimensions of sEID that were visible during a curriculum-based, in-school program focused on the issue of pollution. Student narratives, collected from small group interviews and reflective journals, were prioritized to capture the process of students in context identifying as “being for the environment.” Data collected from 35 grade six students were qualitatively coded, a network diagram was used to visualize the relationships in the data, and a research vignette was constructed. Eight dimensions were recognized as contributing to sEID; the opportunity to be an environmental actor with peers, increased awareness of environmental threat, emotional responses, self-recognition for environmental action, perceived agency, changed behavior across social contexts, social recognition for identity actions, and personal meaning. While many of these dimensions have been directly or indirectly discussed in the research on adult environmentalists, shifting the emphasis from group membership to the individual student in context led to the addition of two dimensions—personal meaning and emotional responses. Recognizing the eight dimensions of sEID is an important contribution to the literature as students engaging in environmental action as a requirement of school is distinct from the existing research. Identifying the dimensions of sEID can support the intentional design of learning sequences that foster environmental identities in school and beyond.     

An investigation of the goals for an environmental science course: teacher and student perspectives

This investigation uses an ethnographic case study approach to explore the benefits and challenges of including a variety of goals within a high school Environmental Science curriculum. The study focuses on environmental education (EE) goals established by the Belgrade Charter (1975), including developing students’ environmental awareness and behavior, but also explores alternative goals including empowerment, presenting a balanced perspective, improving critical thinking skills, and developing an emotional connection with environmental issues. This research, which was conducted at a public high school in the northeast United States, aims to understand the teacher’s reasoning for including the above goals within the curriculum and the students’ reactions to the enactment of these goals. Interview data from 10 student participants and the teacher reveal areas of alignment between teacher and student perspectives regarding goals such as presenting a balanced approach, as well as misalignment in areas such as the teaching of environmentally friendly behaviors.     

Bringing environmental identity research into the classroom context: examining the theoretical foundations influencing its current use in the literature

ABSTRACT

A theoretical review of the literature was conducted to understand how environmental identity is currently being interpreted and applied so the construct can be extended to the classroom context appropriately. The review found three key foundational philosophies contributing to the interpretation of environmental identity in the field of education: Eriksonian identity theories, Meadian identity theories, and those grounded in the conservation movement that revolve around understanding and promoting environmentally responsible behaviours. As expected, these foundational theories were inconsistent in the emphasis given to the social versus physical context within which environmental identities develop. Social network analysis was used to analyse the network of literature reviewed. This revealed that Susan Clayton’s interpretation of environmental identity had greatly influenced the educational research reviewed. However, her definition of environmental identity and the environmental identity scale she developed greatly emphasise the physical context. This commonly referenced interpretation recognises nature as the social ‘other’ and leaves little room to recognise the human social ‘other’ in environmental identity development. The author calls for the consideration of both social and physical contexts in environmental identity research, as well as transparency in the interpretation of the construct for research purposes.     

A longitudinal investigation of the science teaching efficacy beliefs and science experiences of a cohort of preservice elementary teachers

ABSTRACT

This paper assesses the relationship between participation in two tertiary science courses and the science teaching efficacy beliefs (STEBs) of one cohort of preservice elementary teachers over a four-year period. Two Type II case studies were conducted within the courses. Data were collected through 26 administrations of the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-B and semi structured interviews. Results showed that participation in the subjects covaried with increases in the participants’ STEBs. These increases in STEBs remained durable for two years. Implications for these findings are discussed within the paper.     

Environmental identity formation in nonformal environmental education programs

This paper explores experiences that remained salient in the memories of former participants in three nature-based programs in Colorado, five to forty years after childhood involvement. Interviews with program founders and staff, archival research, and observations of current activities provided an understanding of each program’s history, mission and educational approach. In this context, 18 former participants were interviewed about program experiences that they remembered and program impacts on their environmental identities and academic or career choices. Results were analyzed through the lens of social practice theory, which has significant implications for the design and evaluation of environmental education programs. Results showed that social practice theory is a useful framework for interpreting the development of a social environmental identity, but an ecological identity that forms through direct contact with the natural world is an important complementary concept.     

小学科学课程实验研究

本文介绍了小学科学课程实验研究的概况,小学自然课的改革首先是个观念问题,其次才是技巧问题.目前的自然课教学,仍然是重视知识结论而不是提高学生认识事物的能力,应体现科学教育基本理念和整体目标,引导学生获取丰富的事实材料,加以整理综合得出结论,并解释其结果有何意义,从整体上把握科学、技术、社会、个人等因素之间的联系.提高学生的科学素质.     

Studying science teacher identity: current insights and future research directions

Over the past 10?years an increasing number of articles have been published in leading science education journals that report on research about teacher identity and describe interventions that support teacher identity development. My purpose in this review paper is to examine how the construct of science teacher identity has been conceptualised and studied in science education. In doing so, I synthesise the findings of 29 empirical studies on teacher identity within the field of science education in an attempt to respond to the following questions: (a) In what ways have researchers used the construct of teacher identity to examine science teacher learning and development? (b) What approaches to supporting science teacher identity development have been documented in the literature? Following that, I identify gaps and limitations in the existing literature and I offer recommendations for future research in the area of science teacher identity and identity development: (a) studying teacher identity as a process; (b) connecting science teacher identity research and reform recommendations; (c) conducting large-scale, longitudinal and life-history studies; and (d) examining teacher identity enactment in school classrooms.     

Exploring the use of virtual reality by pre-service elementary teachers for teaching science in the elementary classroom

Abstract

This research was conducted on two groups of pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) (N?=?38) in a pre/post within-subjects design. Participants were asked to critique, create, and evaluate the use of virtual reality (VR) classroom applications during a three-stage intervention. Pre/post questionnaires assessed the change in attitudes toward using VR and technology when teaching. Participants felt significantly more ready to teach science using computer-based technology (t = 7.23, p < .0001) following the intervention. Qualitative analysis of responses showed that PSETs were positive about their VR experience and had come to see VR apps as supplementary educational tools. The majority of the PSET teams successfully created original instructional material using VR, increasing their self-efficacy.     

Engaged environmental science for underserved youth

Abstract

The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences has called for targeted efforts to engage underserved youth in environmental education programs that support environmental literacy and contribute to the development of a diverse workforce pipeline for environmental science-related occupations. Evidence suggests that career knowledge among low income and minority youth is more likely to be incompatible with post-secondary educational opportunities than other racial and ethnic groups. One approach to attenuating discordant college and career expectations among underserved youth is building networks for information sharing between secondary and post-secondary students. The purpose of this commentary is to describe the development and implementation of a high school curriculum on environmental science and environmental justice by Texas A&M University in collaboration with community engagement partners, students, and teachers at Furr High School, an innovative XQ Super School in Houston, Texas.     

小学教育专业理科教学改革与学生科学素养的培养

师范教育由三级转向二级,培养小学新师资的任务已由高师承担。小学教师的培养要注重文理渗透,强调人文精神和科学素养的培养。为此,必须深刻认识科学素养的内涵,改革小学教育专业理科教学,加强师资队伍建设,科学设置理科课程,创新教学方法,实施探究性教学,强调实践教学环节,开展丰富多彩的科技活动,努力培养学生的科学素养,提高学生的科学素质。     

Intersections of life histories and science identities: the stories of three preservice elementary teachers

Grounded within Connelly and Clandinin’s conceptualization of teachers’ professional identity in terms of ‘stories to live by’ and through a life-history lens, this multiple case study aimed to respond to the following questions: (a) How do three preservice elementary teachers view themselves as future science teachers? (b) How have the participants’ life histories shaped their science identity trajectories? In order to characterize the participants’ formation of science identities over time, various data regarding their life histories in relation to science were collected: science biographies, self-portraits, interviews, reflective journals, lesson plans, and classroom observations. The analysis of the data illustrated how the three participants’ identities have been in formation from the early years of their lives and how various events, experiences, and interactions had shaped their identities through time and across contexts. These findings are discussed alongside implications for theory, specifically, identity and life-history intersections, for teacher preparation, and for research related to explorations of beginning elementary teachers’ identity trajectories.     

Impact of model-based science curriculum and instruction on elementary students' explanations for the hydrosphere

Developing scientific literacy about water systems is critical for K-12 students. However, even with opportunities to build knowledge about the hydrosphere in elementary classrooms, early learners may struggle to understand the water cycle (Forbes et al., 2015 ; Gunckel et al., 2012 ; Zangori et al., 2015 ; Zangori et al., 2017 ). Scientific modeling affords opportunities for students to develop representations, make their ideas visible, and generate model-based explanations for complex natural systems like the water cycle. This study describes a comprehensive evaluation of a 5-year, design-based research project focused on the development, implementation, revision, and testing of an enhanced, model-centered version of the Full Option Science System (FOSS) Water (2005) unit in third grade classrooms. Here, we build upon our previous work (Forbes et al., 2015 a; b; Vo et al., 2015 ; Zangori et al., 2015 ; Zangori et al., 2017 ) by conducting a comparative analysis of student outcomes in two sets of classrooms: (1) one implementing the modeling-enhanced version of the FOSS Water unit developed by the research team (n = 6), and 2) another using the standard, unmodified version of the same curricular unit (n = 5). Results demonstrate that teachers in both conditions implemented the two versions of the curriculum with relative fidelity. On average, students exposed to the modeling-enhanced version of the curriculum showed greater gains in their model-based explanations for the hydrosphere. Engagement in scientific modeling allowed students to articulate hydrologic phenomena by (1) identifying various elements that constitute the hydrosphere, (2) describing how these elements influenced the movement of water in the hydrosphere, and (3) demonstrating underlying processes that govern the movement of water in the hydrosphere.     

The development of elementary teacher identities as teachers of science

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the contributions of pre-service teachers’ memories of science and science education, combined with their experiences in a STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, to their developing identities as elementary school teachers of science. Data collected over three years include a series of interviews and observations of science teaching during elementary teacher preparation and the first year of teaching. Grounded within a theoretical framework of identity and using a case-study research design, we examined experiences that contributed to the participants’ identity development, focusing on key themes from teacher interviews: memories of science and science instruction, STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, field experiences, first year of teaching, and views of effective science instruction. Findings indicate the importance of exposure to reform strategies during teacher preparation and are summarised in main assertions and discussed along with implications for teacher preparation and research.     

Botany and environmental education in elementary school in Brazil: articulating knowledge,values, and procedures

Abstract

The increasing urbanization and alienation from nature reduce children’s opportunities to interact with plants and challenge teachers to devise educational practices that contribute to learning botany. This study presents the results of activities developed in a Brazilian school through explorations, drawings, dried and pressed specimens, and semi-structured interviews. The data were evaluated using mixed methods analysis. Leaves were the structure that was most frequently drawn by 1st- and 2nd-year students, followed by stems. Among students in their 3rd, 4th, and 5th years, more emphasis was on flowers and their detailed morphological structures. The 1st- and 2nd-year students included non-living elements and the surrounding environment in their drawings, whereas the older students focused on the plant itself. These particularities point to methods of teaching botany in context and link students’ specific knowledge to values and practices that contribute to an environmental education that aims to minimize the utilitarian view of nature and move towards a view of human beings as integrated and interdependent with other living and non-living elements.     

Positional identity and science teacher professional development

The aim of this study was to understand the positional identity of three African American secondary science teachers. Positional identity was operationally defined in terms of race, ethnicity, economic status, gender, religion, and age. Positional identity was posited to inform why diverse teachers with differing knowledge and experiences in science exist. An analysis of the findings suggested that the teachers' positional identity was defined beyond race, ethnicity and gender. Although the three science teachers came from very similar social backgrounds and were members of the same racial/ethnic group (African American), their positionality manifested itself in different ways: meanings of their life experiences; orientations to professional development; and future career goals in science education. Thus they possessed multiple positional identities that intersected in various ways which resulted in them having different perceptions of the world and subjectivities as science teachers. Implications included addressing positional identity and the creation of professional development models that are framed around incorporating teacher identity in addition to furthering teachers' personal and professional advancement within science education. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 684–710, 2008