Experienced Science Teachers Research Articles

Teaching Science Outdoors: Supporting Pre-Service Teachers’ Skill Development with the Help of Available Mobile Applications

Outdoor environments provide excellent teaching and learning experiences in science education. However, many teachers find outdoor teaching challenging. In this study, we investigated factors supporting skill development and learning among pre-service teacher during a blended science didactics course that includes mobile interaction in outdoor environments. Available WhatsApp mobile application was used as an interaction platform between the pre-service teachers’ and the teacher educator. Based on the findings, the pre-service teachers learned easy ways of using outdoor environments with pupils. They also identified challenges that may arise in outdoor teaching and upskilled on how to overcome them. From the perspective of interaction, submitting learning tasks, especially visual observations, through mobile messaging and reviewing tasks of other students in the application were perceived as important. However, the most crucial benefit of mobile interaction was considered to be the teacher’s real-time feedback.

STEM Outside of School: a Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Informal Science Education on Students' Interests and Attitudes for STEM

AbstractThis meta-analysis explores the impact of informal science education experiences (such as after-school programs, enrichment activities, etc.) on students' attitudes towards, and interest in, STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The research addresses two primary questions: (1) What is the overall effect size of informal science learning experiences on students' attitudes towards and interest in STEM? (2) How do various moderating factors (e.g., types of informal learning experience, student grade level, academic subjects, etc.) impact student attitudes and interests in STEM? The studies included in this analysis were conducted within the United States in K-12 educational settings, over a span of thirty years (1992–2022). The findings indicate a positive association between informal science education programs and student interest in STEM. Moreover, the variability in these effects is contingent upon several moderating factors, including the nature of the informal science program, student grade level, STEM subjects, publication type, and publication year. Summarized effects of informal science education on STEM interest are delineated, and the implications for research, pedagogy, and practice are discussed.

Investigating Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Traditional Science Teaching Methods within the Single National Curriculum Framework

This study investigates elementary teachers' perceptions of traditional science teaching methods within the Single National Curriculum (SNC) at the elementary level. The primary objectives were to evaluate the science achievement of Grade IV students using both cooperative and traditional teaching methods, to compare the effectiveness of these methods based on students' ability levels, and to assess their impact across different science content areas. The study involved 69 elementary teachers, who provided data through a self-developed questionnaire, validated and tested for reliability using Cronbach’s Alpha during a pilot study. The data, collected via oral explanations followed by questionnaire completion, were analysed using statistical techniques such as mean and standard deviation. The findings reveal a preference among some teachers for traditional methods, citing their effectiveness in content delivery. However, there is also recognition of the need to enhance these methods with innovative techniques to improve student engagement and understanding. The study recommends refining traditional teaching approaches by integrating technology and experiential learning opportunities, ensuring a more comprehensive and effective science education experience for elementary students within the SNC framework.

Teachers’ views on the potential of school science clubs for enhancing their learning

ABSTRACT Background The teaching staff learns as a result of their daily teaching practice, and yet there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of extracurricular activities within the school, such as science clubs, on the professional growth of science teachers. Purpose This study is proposed to deepen the understanding of how teachers perceive science clubs, what learning they obtain from them, and what factors contribute to promoting this learning. Sample Five experienced science teachers involved in coordinating school science clubs participated in the study. They were all experienced science teachers with some experience in running a science club. Design and methods The study may most accurately be described as a descriptive-qualitative study with a comprehensive scope. Data was obtained through semi-structured interviews. The collected information was analysed from a descriptive and interpretative perspective using techniques specific to content analysis. Results The results show that teachers value science clubs as an opportunity to enhance both their content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, a space to reconsider what it means to be a science teacher, to get to know and connect more with their students, and to collaborate with other colleagues. Conclusion It is concluded that the study provides evidence that the learning acquired in science club activities complements and expands the interviewed teachers' expertise and contributes to their professional development in all three dimensions: personal, social, and professional.

Young children’s attitudes toward science learning in early learning grades

Purpose This research aims to investigate the attitudes of young children toward learning science in the early educational grades.Design/methodology/approach The study involved conducting interviews with seventy-three children attending institutions in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The structured interview method was employed to collect valuable data.Findings The findings of the interviews shed light on the inclination of young children to foster positive attitudes toward science education. These inclinations include the facilitation of knowledge acquisition that enables children to develop skills for applying scientific concepts in real-life contexts, the incorporation of hands-on activities both inside and outside the classroom, and the prioritization of child-centered approaches to learning.Originality/value This research aims to explore the attitudes of young children in early educational grades toward learning science. Interviews were conducted with seventy-three children in Sharjah, UAE, using a structured interview method. The findings highlight children’s inclination toward positive attitudes in science education, including the importance of knowledge acquisition for applying scientific concepts in real-life contexts, hands-on activities inside and outside the classroom, and child-centered learning approaches. Based on these findings, the study provides recommendations and conclusions to enhance science education experiences for young children.

A methodology to analyze students' intertwined speech and drawings—Aesthetic experiences in science education

A methodology to analyze students' intertwined speech and drawings—Aesthetic experiences in science education

Designing Lesson Plans with New Content Knowledge: The Intersection of Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ABSTRACT Although teachers’ instruction has been extensively studied, there is a dearth of research investigating how teachers design lessons and integrate new information into their existing lessons. This study utilized a case study approach to examine how teachers engaged in a nanoscale science professional development experience integrated new science content into their lesson plans. Five experienced science teachers were tracked as they conducted science research and developed new lessons that integrated their research into their science instruction. The findings showed that these teachers had to cross borders between science and education to design lessons, and three priorities framed their lesson planning processes: understandability, engaging students, and relevant real-world applications. For teachers whose students were assessed with end-of-grade high-takes testing, fitting the new information into the tested material was essential. The study provides insight into this border-crossing process and has implications for the design of programs that implement research experiences for teachers.

Transforming Science Education Globally Through Electronic Worksheets' Cognitive Impact

This study investigates the impact of using electronic worksheets on students' cognitive learning outcomes in understanding the human digestive system. Conducted at SMPN 3 Porong with Grade VIII students, the research employed a quantitative approach with Quasi Experimental Design and Non-equivalent Control Group Design. The experimental class (VIII F) used electronic worksheets, while the control class (VIII G) did not. Pretests and posttests were administered, showing a significant improvement in cognitive learning outcomes in the experimental class compared to the control. These findings highlight the potential of electronic tools in enhancing student learning experiences in science education, particularly in complex subjects like biology. Highlight: Enhanced learning with electronic worksheets in science education. Quasi-experimental design compares electronic and traditional methods. Technology integration improves student engagement and cognitive outcomes. Keyword: Electronic Worksheets, Cognitive Learning Outcomes, Science Education, Quasi Experimental Design, Student Engagement

Border crossing perspectives of prospective teachers’ first-time science microteaching experiences

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was on understanding and interpreting five minoritised pre-service teachers’ past educational experiences that impacted their first-time science microteaching experiences in a science teaching methods course. The study is unique because it illuminates and contributes to the literature on the importance of minoritised prospective teachers’ educational experiences in their pre-service preparation and how these experiences challenge or contradict the urgency of equitable science instruction in traditional teacher education instructional discourse. The study draws on the literature on border crossing as a guiding theoretical framework, and phenomenology as a guiding methodological framework to analyse first time science teaching experiences. Data included videos and written narratives of first-time science teaching experiences. Analysis indicated that past educational experience of being left out in doing science underscored minoritised pre-service teachers’ first-time science teaching experiences. Furthermore, they had created navigation strategies to counter the past educational experiences by challenging and modifying science teaching routines and devising equitable ways to use science teaching resources to cultivate a sense of belonging. The study suggests that future science education research would benefit from attention to minoritised pre-service teachers’ experiences used to challenge or contradict past educational inequities.

Evaluation of ecotourism suitability based on AHP-GIS: Taking Xiaoxiangling area of the Giant Panda National Park and the surrounding communities as an example.

The primary goal of national parks is to protect ecological environment, but also with the functions of scientific research, education, and recreation. Aiming for the realization of universal sharing, we used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to construct an ecotourism suitability evaluation system by selecting four factors, including landscape resources, ecological environment carrying capacity, recreation utilization capacity and social condition, taking Xiaoxiangling area of Giant Panda National Park and the surrounding communities as an example. We evaluated the ecotourism suitability based on GIS, and conducted a questionnaire survey of tourists, to propose suggestions on the functional zoning in terms of ecotourism suitability and subjective choice preferences of tourists. The results showed that the ecotourism suitability of the evaluation area could be classified into five levels. The most suitable areas were located nearby the natural landscape resources and far away from the core conservation area, and the least suitable areas distributed at the edge of the core conservation area. According to the results of suitability analysis, the evaluation area was divided into suitable development area, moderate development area, and restricted development area. Combined with the tourist preferences, we divided the recreational activities in the evaluation area into seven activities, namely, ecotourism, eco-camping, science education, leisure vacation, agricultural and animal husbandry culture experience, eco-education, and mountain adventure. These findings could help provide suitable services for different tourists and offer reference for the ecotourism developmental planning of the Xiaoxiangling area of the Giant Panda National Park.

Science and sociality: achieving the social dimensions of science through contextualization of secondary school classroom instruction

This position paper is predicated on two focus areas. First, it recognises that scientific inquiry is performed in social situations and questions whether and how standard epistemology can be augmented to tackle this aspect. Within this focus, the goals of science education are reviewed. The second focus addresses sociality as an essential feature of knowledge and questions how standard epistemology can be reformed from this generally social perspective. Specifically, this study on one hand addresses the social dimension of science education, and on the other hand, examines the suitability of instructional contextualisation as a possible strategy to achieve the social dimensions of science education. The aim is to initiate a conversation about the importance of framing science education studies and experiences within the sociocultural context of interests and needs to achieve reliable participation of all concerned. To this end, this paper argues that science education ought to place considerable emphasis on students’ acquisition of values and skills of sociality. Furthermore, a comprehensive goal of science education should constitute both the normative and the non-normative aspects of science with a particular emphasis on the development of character formation, moral values, creativity skills and competences. There is, therefore, a need for an examination of the social dimensions of science education and its curriculum implications, especially as science education serves as the nexus between science and society.

Research on mentoring in science education: A bibliometric analysis

Mentoring plays a crucial role in the professional development of science teachers by providing invaluable career-long support, guidance, and resources. Numerous prior studies have emphasized the significance of mentoring for the professional development of beginning and experienced science teachers. This study analyzed articles published in Scopus-indexed, peer-reviewed journals on STEM mentoring. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 67 articles were chosen for analysis. The data were analyzed using VOSviewer software. According to the results, almost half (n=33) of the journal articles indexed in the database were published between 2019 and 2022. The articles with the most citations were published between 2012 and 2015. <i>Journal of Science Education and Technology</i> had the most citations on mentoring. Most research has been conducted in developed countries such as the United States, Australia, and Germany. The United States has performed the most mentoring research. Rockinson-Szapkiw, Wendt, and Mondisa are the authors who published the most mentoring-related articles. In addition, mentoring, STEM, women, higher education, and science education were the most frequently used keywords. The co-citation analysis of the cited sources yielded two distinct clusters, one of which consisted of a comprehensive evaluation and synthesis of research works focusing on mentorship and practices at the undergraduate level. Our co-citation study of published sources resulted in the categorization of the 13 sources into three distinct clusters.

A thematic analysis on understanding the mastery of knowledge sharing and outcome expectations on student academic performance in science at Junior High School Level

Learning Science, Knowledge Sharing, Outcome Expectations, and Academic Performance. Participants predominantly express a favorable stance towards learning science, which is enjoyable and challenging, though they face hurdles such as language barriers and stress. Underlining the need for supportive learning conditions, the study reveals that knowledge sharing, driven by intrinsic motivation, aids in addressing gaps and enhances academic performance. Anticipations in science education significantly influence students' motivation and academic success, as seen through the value placed on control, focus, and the functional role of science in daily life. Improved academic performance, attributed to overcoming challenges, motivation, and a positive shift in attitude, underscores the significance of collaborative learning and individualized approaches. These findings emphasize the intricate interplay among positive attitudes, knowledge sharing, expectations, and academic achievement in shaping students' experiences in science education. Teachers and educational institutions can leverage these insights to refine teaching methods and create inclusive environments that foster student success in science education while addressing obstacles like language barriers and stress.

Practice-Based Teacher Education Benefits Graduate Trainees and Their Students Through Inclusive and Active Teaching Methods

The next generations of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workers are being trained in college and university classrooms by a workforce of instructors who learn pedagogical practice largely on the job. While inclusive instructional practices and their impacts are increasingly well-studied, this training is difficult to instill within the professional development that most STEM professors receive before teaching their students. The Science Teaching Experience Program for Upcoming PhDs (STEP-UP) at the University of Washington was built to prepare future professors for inclusive excellence by guiding them through the literature in education research and providing them a space to practice active and inclusive teaching techniques. This study of STEP-UP uses a design-based approach to understand graduate trainee and undergraduate perceptions of the most salient aspects and outcomes of the program. Our study found that trainees used opportunities to practice inclusive teaching methods with a cohort of their peers, and crucially that these methods were evident in trainee-taught courses through multiple lines of evidence. STEP-UP-trained instructors used inclusive teaching strategies that helped students to feel socioemotionally supported. This study offers a model program that fosters inclusion and equity in undergraduate STEM classrooms through improving teaching professional development for graduate students.

Content, interest and the role of engagement: experienced science teachers discuss

How do science teachers perceive student engagement and its importance for teaching and what strategies do they use to create it? When 21 experienced science teachers in 4 focus groups discussed these questions, they brought up behavioural aspects, but also less visible emotional and cognitive aspects, as well as reciprocal aspects of teacher and student engagement. One teacher described engagement as ‘the oil in the machinery’ during lessons. Which role does the curricular content play? Well aware that some topics are seen as more directly interesting by students, teachers connect to these, but also use hooks, including lively demonstrations, role play and connections to the outside world. In this way, they aim to generate situational interest and engagement also in topics that are often viewed as less interesting, including atoms and molecules. These experienced teachers describe how they adapt their teaching to the group also in real time, based on the degree of engagement exhibited by the students.

A Day at the Science Center Examining the Experience of the Pre-Service Elementary Teachers on the Practices at the Science Center

This research was carried out to reveal the experiences of pre-service elementary teachers during their visit to the science center and their observations and opinions about this experience. For this purpose, a case study, which is one of the qualitative research designs, was adopted. Thirty-two pre-service elementary teachers participated in the research. Interviews, observations and diaries were used to obtain the data, and the data were subjected to content analysis. As a result of the analysis, four themes were reached: image, interest, contribution, and improvement. The results show that pre-service teachers associate the science center image they create with technology, laboratory and scientists. It was determined that pre-service teachers showed more interest in some disciplines of science, scientists, and technology-related fields in the science center. In addition, it was concluded that the science center will contribute to the innovative and productive vision, economy, science literacy of the society in the city where it is located, science teaching, and the professional development of teachers. Finally, the pre-service teachers made suggestions to increase the contribution of science centers to the region and society. It is thought that the results will be guiding in terms of providing science teaching experience and a qualified science teaching vision to pre-service elementary teachers in informal environments.

Community-Initiated Science for Transformative Teaching

ABSTRACT In this paper, the authors explore how teachers and community members in Nepal come together to transform students’ science teaching and science learning experiences. The community members, primarily parents of the students, took the opportunity to drive the kinds of science topics and the nature of science activities the teachers needed to teach in their children’s science classrooms. This paper qualitatively documents the interactions between the teachers and the community members, the teachers’ decisions regarding their science lessons, and the nature of critical consciousness discourses in teachers’ built-in classroom interactions with students. The data were collected over 8 weeks through classroom observations, interviews, and student artifacts. The analysis showed that community-initiated partnership with science teachers builds science teaching that values critical community well-being and that the teachers have the agency to provide spaces for learning focused on critical consciousness. The paper uses transformative learning theory, liberation social psychology, and deliberative democracy as the guiding theoretical perspectives to understand transformative science teaching through teacher–community partnership.

Upper Secondary School Science Teachers' Values in Sweden:

AbstractThere is a substantial literature in science education research showing that many students experience a lack of relevance in science education. For this reason, science teachers’ selection of content and the way content is treated when exposed to students for learning purposes is an important part of the problem. In this connection, research show that science teachers’ values strongly influence several aspects of teaching and learning science. Therefore, science teachers’ values are important to investigate, to be empirically informed and to be able to develop science education. Accordingly, there is an increased volume of research studies about teachers’ values in science education and their effects. The study presented here is part of a larger national exploration of biotechnology education in upper secondary schools in Sweden and contributes by showing variation in teachers’ values and relations with practice. Theoretically, the study is rooted in a philosophy of science recognizing the potential importance of teachers’ non-epistemic values. Empirically, it is based on surveyed upper secondary school biology teachers’ views of the importance of including value-laden topics in their science teaching. Their responses were analyzed by latent profile analysis and non-parametric testing, to assess the variation in their views and explore associations with several explanatory factors. The results show that the surveyed teachers could be divided into two distinct groups: one favoring inclusion of value-laden topics in their teaching and another (smaller group) opposed to it. The result also shows a variation in teachers’ selection of topics to teach and their teaching approach, as the former group were more inclined than the latter to include value-laden aspects in their teaching which contributes to the research literature. Furthermore, experienced science teachers were overrepresented in the group holding more negative views, a result not reported elsewhere in the research literature. The importance of the results is discussed in relation with the theoretical framing of non-epistemic values and points out the importance to further investigate underlying causes to science teachers’ expressed values and ways that they might vary temporally together with ways that they cluster, as they are shown to be grouped. The result is also discussed in relation with practice in being able to make use of the evidence to develop science education.

Technology-Enhanced Learning and Its Association with Motivation to Learn Science from a Cross-Cultural Perspective.

Fostering technology-enhanced science learning in elementary schools is an ongoing challenge as young students are not always motivated to engage with science lessons. The use of technology, such as digital sensors and data recorders, has been found to result in higher engagement with science. However, the association between technology-enhanced science learning and students' motivation to learn, from a cross-cultural viewpoint, is still discussed among researchers. Thus, the goal of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the motivation to learn science of elementary school students from different countries and cultural backgrounds; (b) to identify phases of technology-enhanced science learning and their association with students' motivation. Applying the sequential mixed-methods research design, data were collected via questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and online observations. The study included seven experienced science teachers from the USA and Israel and 109 sixth-grade students: English speakers (N = 43), Arabic speakers (N = 26), and Hebrew speakers (N = 40). The findings indicated differences in students' internal motivation, in terms of "interest and enjoyment," "connection to daily-life," and "cross-cultural interactions," with medium ratings for "self-efficacy." The study identified and characterized two consecutive phases of technology-enhanced science learning-"divergence" and "convergence"-that can be associated with motivation to learn science. Overall, the study's results highlight the importance of seamlessly embedding technology to support cross-cultural learning of scientific practices.

DVIDEŠIMT AŠTUNTOJI NACIONALINĖ MOKSLINĖ-PRAKTINĖ KONFERENCIJA „GAMTAMOKSLINIS UGDYMAS BENDROJO UGDYMO MOKYKLOJE – 2022“: KONFERENCIJOS APŽVALGA

In 2022, the national scientific-practical conference “Natural science education in a comprehensive school – 2022” was held remotely (online). Such conference format was determined by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic; therefore, the conference for the third time already, could not take place in its usual format. It is obvious that the plenary session “united” different continents – Africa (speaker Dr. Angela James from Republic of South Africa), Latin America (Dr. Solange Locatelli from Brazil), Europe (Dr. Martin Bilek from Czech Republic, Dr. Malgorzata Nodzynska-Moron from Poland, and Dr. Rita Birzina from Latvia). All plenary reports in their own way were interesting and relevant. Prof. M. Nodzynska-Moron’s report was dedicated to non-formal natural science education realities. Various practical examples were presented, non-formal natural science education experiences were analysed. Prof. M. Bilek analysed chemistry didactics issues in his report. A special attention was paid to virtual chemistry experiments, as well as to experiments using computer tools. Prof. A. James discussed the implementation of STEM programme while working with primary school teachers. Preparation and practical implementation aspects of such programme were analysed, concrete educational experiences were presented. In the first section, the reports were mainly devoted to the problems of pre-school, primary and general natural science education. A total of 9 reports were presented. In the second section, issues of natural science and technological education in gymnasium and in higher education institutions were discussed. A total of 10 reports were presented. It is interesting that in the second section, three reports of foreign researchers were presented. The topics of the research were diverse, basically various areas of natural science and technological education were discussed. It is important that the participants were active, intense discussions and sharing of experiences took place. The results of the ongoing international project “Bridge2Teach” were presented at the conference. More information about this project can be found on the project website (https://www.bridge2teach-project.eu). Various natural science education topics were presented in other reports. On the second day of the conference, a seminar was held for natural science teachers “Integrated science education in Lithuania: achievements and future perspectives” (The project is funded by the Lithuanian Science Council No. P-REP-21-8). Insights, recommendations, and conclusions of the research. Most conference reports were presented in the form of articles and published in the conference proceedings. One can find full texts in the database at: https://oaji.net/journal-archive-stats.html?number=1984&year=2022&issue=19320 Keywords: online platform, national conference, science education, science teachers, science pedagogy