Reviewing Newspaper Articles as a Technique for Enhancing the Scientific Literacy of Student‐teachers

The ability to understand and evaluate news reporting of science is often cited as an attribute of a scientifically literate person. This work reports on an attempt to develop such attributes in a group of 19 student‐teachers. They were introduced to a review technique designed to help them evaluate newspaper representation of science and engage more effectively in a course dealing with biotechnology and associated socio‐scientific issues. The work they produced was examined for a range of evidence, and this showed that they were able to comment effectively on issues such as the newsworthiness of stories, bias in reporting, and the portrayal of science and scientists. Questionnaire responses indicated that the technique helped them to think about the media reporting of science in ways that were new to them. They believed school‐age students would benefit from a similar technique, and its use in schools is seen as highly desirable.     

Not all preconceptions are misconceptions: finding ‘anchoring conceptions’ for grounding instruction on students’ intuitions

This study begins the task of mapping out the domain of valid, potentially helpful beliefs of students and raises the possibility of drawing on these intuitions in teaching conceptual material. Some issues are explored surrounding the identification of such intuitions, referred to as anchoring conceptions or anchors. We attempt to: (1) propose some organizing theoretical and observational definitions of the anchor construct; (2) present some initial findings from a diagnostic test designed to uncover anchors for physics instruction; and (3) provoke an initial discussion of the new methodological issues that arise in this domain.

The results of the diagnostic test indicate that a number of group anchors exist. In addition, some unexpected non‐anchors were identified. Furthermore, evidence was found indicating that some anchoring examples may be ‘brittle’, i.e., evidence that the anchor could not be extended analogically to help a student make sense of a target situation.

Finally, it is suggested that further research is needed to construct a theory of anchoring conceptions that would, for example, specify what characteristics would indicate that an anchoring conception can provide the basis for conceptual change via analogical extension.     

Expertise for Teaching Biology Situated in the Context of Genetic Testing

Contemporary genomics research will impact the daily practice of biology teachers who want to teach up-to-date genetics in secondary education. This article reports on a research project aimed at enhancing biology teachers’ expertise for teaching genetics situated in the context of genetic testing. The increasing body of scientific knowledge concerning genetic testing and the related consequences for decision-making indicate the societal relevance of an educational approach based on situated learning. What expertise do biology teachers need for teaching genetics in the personal health context of genetic testing? This article describes the required expertise by exploring the educational practice. Nine experienced teachers were interviewed about the pedagogical content, moral and interpersonal expertise areas concerning how to teach genetics in the personal health context of genetic testing, and the lessons of five of them were observed. The findings showed that the required teacher expertise encompasses specific pedagogical content expertise, interpersonal expertise and a preference for teacher roles and teaching approaches for the moral aspects of teaching in this context. A need for further development of teaching and learning activities for (reflection on) moral reasoning came to the fore. Suggestions regarding how to apply this expertise into context-based genetics education are discussed.     

Using Data Comparison and Interpretation to Develop Procedural Understandings in the Primary Classroom: Case study evidence from action research

The development of a science education that includes a focus upon the nature of science suggests the need for “pedagogic tools” that can be used to engage children with the procedural understandings that are central to the scientific approach to enquiry. This paper reports on a collaborative action research project that focused on the use of secondary data as just such a “tool” for stimulating engagement with procedural understandings among primary school children. It argues that the comparative analysis of secondary and investigative data can provide a basis for such engagement. However, such comparative analysis will only mirror the collaborative nature of the scientific enterprise where children have guided opportunities to discuss their understanding of the issues revealed by the comparisons. The research suggests that children work best with this data if the scientific approach to enquiry is contextualized through connection with the knowledge claims made in science.     

Narrative analysis as philosophical research: Bridging the gap between the empirical and the conceptual

There is a longstanding debate about what can be expected from philosophy of education and what its place can be in educational theory. A remarkable resemblance can be found between the debate about the usefulness of qualitative research methods and the kinds of insights they produce. The debate between proponents of empirical (quantitative) research and of qualitative research can be traced to the opposition between the need for understanding and the desire to manipulate. We argue that empirical qualitative research is of a similar nature to philosophical research, its aim being mainly to understand a human practice. We offer a framework that allows the clarification of what may be expected from an educational science and consequently from qualitative research methods: taking as one?s starting point human experience, providing comments, and thus trying to open the eyes of others to particular human realities.     

A Knowledge Base for Teaching Biology Situated in the Context of Genetic Testing

Recent developments in the field of genomics will impact the daily practice of biology teachers who teach genetics in secondary education. This study reports on the first results of a research project aimed at enhancing biology teacher knowledge for teaching genetics in the context of genetic testing. The increasing body of scientific knowledge concerning genetic testing and the related consequences for decision-making indicate the societal relevance of such a situated learning approach. What content knowledge do biology teachers need for teaching genetics in the personal health context of genetic testing? This study describes the required content knowledge by exploring the educational practice and clinical genetic practices. Nine experienced teachers and 12 respondents representing the clinical genetic practices (clients, medical professionals, and medical ethicists) were interviewed about the biological concepts and ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) of testing they considered relevant to empowering students as future health care clients. The ELSA suggested by the respondents were complemented by suggestions found in the literature on genetic counselling. The findings revealed that the required teacher knowledge consists of multiple layers that are embedded in specific genetic test situations: on the one hand, the knowledge of concepts represented by the curricular framework and some additional concepts (e.g. multifactorial and polygenic disorder) and, on the other hand, more knowledge of ELSA and generic characteristics of genetic test practice (uncertainty, complexity, probability, and morality). Suggestions regarding how to translate these characteristics, concepts, and ELSA into context-based genetics education are discussed.     

Multiple influences on curriculum decisions in a supercomplex world

This article extends currently reported theory and practice in the use of learning goals or targets with students in secondary and further education. Goal-setting and action-planning constructs are employed in personal development plans (PDPs) and personal learning plans (PLPs) and are advocated as practice within the English national policy agenda with its focus on personalisation. The article argues that frameworks widely used for goal setting and action planning by UK educational practitioners, in particular SMART targets or goals, have yet to be rigorously examined in the light of relevant theory and practice. Doing so is important given contemporary emphasis on the dimensions of the learner experience regarded by ‘learning to learn’ practitioners as underpinning effective learning in the modern classroom. The article draws from social cognitive theory and achievement goal theory, including Zimmerman's criteria for appropriate goals, to suggest an alternative framework for goal or target setting – ‘well-formed outcomes’, a construct from the field of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). In comparison with SMART targets, the authors argue that well-formed outcomes offer a more rigorous and holistic approach, by taking greater account of the learner's identity, affective dimensions (feelings and emotions), social relations and values, as well as encouraging mental rehearsal.     

It's Just Your Imagination: The Effect of Imagery on Recognition of Product- Versus Non-Product-Related Information in Radio Advertisements

This experiment tested the effects of imagery on recognition of product- versus non-product-related information in radio ads. Participants listened to four high-imagery and four low-imagery, 60-second spots. After a distracter task, participants were given a four alternative, forced choice, recognition test. The recognition test consisted of three product-related and three non-product-related questions for each ad. Recognition of product-related information was significantly lower than recognition of non-product information in high-imagery ads. There was no significant difference between recognition of productversus non-product information in low-imagery spots. Theoretical and practical implications of the results for understanding information processing of radio and producing effective high-imagery radio spots are discussed.     

Organization of Concepts Relevant to Emotions and their Regulation During Test Taking

The purpose of this study was to assess aspects of college students' organization of concepts related to emotions and their regulation during test taking. The authors also evaluated whether students who report having problems with test anxiety hold a different conceptual organization about test taking compared with students who do not report having such problems. Concepts relevant to emotions and their regulation during test taking were sampled from the emotion and emotional regulation literature. Participants rated how similar these concepts were during test taking. These ratings were then submitted to multidimensional scaling analyses (MDS). The resulting arrangement of concepts provides insight into the underlying organizational conceptions held by low, moderate, and high test-anxious participants. Students' organizational schemes surrounded 2 dimensions: (a) task-focus and (b) pleasantness. High test-anxious participants had differing conceptual organizations about test taking than moderate and low test-anxious participants with regard to pleasantness. In addition, the high test-anxious participants saw task-focused processes such as reading directions during test taking as more highly related to unpleasant emotions like anxiety than moderate and low test-anxious participants.