High School Students’ Semantic Networks of Scientific Method in an International Science Olympiad Context

Alpaslan Sahin,Kadir Almus,Adem Ekmekci,Ozcan Gulacar

doi:10.29333/ejmste/93677

Abstract

This study examines students’ conceptualization of scientific method from three perspectives: (a) participation in an international science fair, (b) gender differences, and (c) participation from different geographic regions worldwide. An online Word Association Test (WAT) with 10 stimulus words that are associated with scientific method was administered to high school students from more than 35 countries. Findings indicated that the semantic network of students who participated in the I-SWEEEP Olympiad had stronger connections among the 10 key concepts compared to that of non-I-SWEEEP students. Findings also revealed that male participants overall had a more complex semantic network of scientific method than their female counterparts. In addition, students from Americas, mostly U.S., had a more complex conception of scientific method than their counterparts from Eastern Europe and Asia. Results have implications about understanding affordances of science fairs in conceptualization of scientific method and about addressing gender and geographic differences.

Highlights

An online Word Association Test (WAT) with 10 stimulus words that are associated with scientific method was administered to high school students from more than 35 countries
Science education and curricula vary among countries, states, school districts, and even among individual schools, developing science literacy and a strong understanding of doing science appear to be highlighted among all (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1989; Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1990)
We base our work on the core concepts we identified and alluded above that are common across different schools of thought for scientific method: inquiring, researching, hypothesizing, creating a course of action

Summary

Introduction

Science education and curricula vary among countries, states, school districts, and even among individual schools, developing science literacy and a strong understanding of doing science appear to be highlighted among all (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1989; Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1990). AAAS (1989) and National Research Council (NRC; 1996) have long stressed the importance of developing precollege students’ understandings of scientific inquiry and scientific processes for decades. Research indicates that school science may be quite limited in helping students develop scientific literacy (Lederman, 1992; Trautmann, Avery, Krasny, & Cunningham, 2002). Educational researchers and science organizations suggest alternative ways to teach scientific inquiry by doing science through either in-class science projects or out of classroom work with scientists (NRC, 1996; Rock & Lauten, 1996; Solomon, 1991; Trautmann et al, 2002). “Working on authentic science research projects facilitates the development of scientific literacy by enhancing students’ understandings of science content, the processes and logic of scientific inquiry, and the nature of science” It is naturally expected that students who experience the messiness of doing science and seeing its real life connections develop better understandings of scientific inquiry

Objectives

Methods

Results