Learning In Science Classrooms Research Articles

Interactive pedagogy and subsequent effects on learning in science classrooms

Interactive pedagogy and subsequent effects on learning in science classrooms

The Status of Science Classroom Learning Environments in Indonesian Lower Secondary Schools

This study reports cross-validation results for an Indonesian-language version of a modified form of the What Is Happening In this Class?(WIHIC) questionnaire and its use in investigating the nature of science classroom learning environments in Indonesian lower secondary schools. Following administration of the WIHIC to approximately 1400 students and their teachers in 16 schools, the study led to five assertions. First, the study confirmed that the Indonesian version of the modified WIHIC is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the classroom learning environment in the Indonesian educational context. Second, there were significant differences between students' perceptions of the actual and preferred learning environment, with students tending to prefer a more favourable classroom learning environment than the one which they actually experienced. Third, female students generally held slightly more positive perceptions of both actual and preferred learning environments. Fourth, students held less favourable perceptions of both actual and preferred learning environments than did their teachers. Finally, there were significant differences in students' perceptions of the actual classroom learning environment depending on the schools' locality, with students in rural schools holding less favourable perceptions than students in urban and suburban schools for all seven WIHIC scales. Students in urban and suburban schools perceived their classroom environments similarly with the exception that students in urban schools perceived greater cooperation and less teacher support than did students in suburban schools.

Constructivist Beliefs About the Science Classroom Learning Environment: Perspectives From Teachers, Administrators, Parents, Community Members, and Students

This study examines the perceptions of teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and high school students about the science learning environment. The participants were active members of a grant project aimed at creating community action teams. Varrella and Burry‐Stock's (1997) Beliefs About Learning Environments (BALE) Instrument was used as a theoretical model for constructivist belief identification and comparison. Two primary questions were explored: (a) What are the beliefs of the teachers and other school community members about the science learning environment? and (b) How do these belief structures compare? Analysis of the BALE responses indicated that, although beliefs varied greatly, the administrators and teachers possessed the most constructivist beliefs. The authors suggest that identifying the beliefs of teachers, as well as those of the entire school community, is crucial. If the school community does not believe in (or understand) the recommendations, the chance for long‐lasting reform is improbable.

Toward Integration of Educational Seismology Programs: The U.S. Educational Seismology Network

Over the course of the past decade, a growing movement in science education circles has sought to address perceived gaps in the scientific literacy of America's students. Among the primary concerns of this educational reform movement is the need for in-depth, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented learning in science classrooms, combined with improved access to technology for all students ( e.g., National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000). Seismology, by nature interdisciplinary, technology-oriented, and applicable to critical societal problems, is ideally suited to answer this calling. A number of science education programs have stepped up to the challenge and are defining a new coalition between scientific research and science education. They have refined a simple mechanism to engage students actively in research: deployment of seismological sensors in an educational setting. These science education programs, while diverse in their approach, have a common goal: to use seismographs and seismic data to improve scientific literacy, spark student interest in …

Application of Research on Learning to College Teaching: Ecological Examples

Abstract Encouraged by improvements in the quality of science education since the 1960s, cognitive researchers are testing and applying theory-based research on learning in science classrooms. To introduce faculty to research on cognition and learning, I focus on metacognition: the awareness of one's own thinking, or “knowing what we know.” I analyze two ecology texts and describe several active-learning strategies in the context of metacognitive theory. Information about pedagogy and its theoretical underpinnings may well help faculty improve their teaching practices.

Conceptualisation, Development and Validation of an Instrument for Investigating the Metacognitive Orientation of Science Classroom Learning Environments: The Metacognitive Orientation Learning Environment Scale – Science (MOLES-S)

Metacognition refers to an individual's knowledge, control and awareness of his/her learning processes. An important goal of education is to develop students as metacognitive, life-long learners. However, developing students' metacognition and evaluating whether classrooms are oriented to the development of students' metacognition are difficult and often time-consuming tasks. Further, no instruments that measure key dimensions related to classroom factors that specifically influence the development of students' metacognition have been available. This article describes the conceptualisation, design, and validation of an instrument for evaluating the metacognitive orientation of science classroom learning environments. The metacognitive orientation of a learning environment is the extent to which that environment supports the development and enhancement of students' metacognition. Social constructivism was the guiding referent informing the instrument's orientation and development. This instrument measures students' perceptions of the extent to which certain psychosocial dimensions, evident in learning environments where interventions have resulted in enhanced student metacognition, are evident in their science classrooms. Findings from the use of this instrument complement what is already known from research studies to be generally the case in relation to science classrooms' metacognitive orientation.

Teaching High School Students with Learning and Emotional Disabilities in Inclusion Science Classrooms: A Case Study of Four Teachers' Beliefs and Practices

In an effort to provide a fair and appropriate education for all, educational reformers and policy makers expect the majority of the 5.8 million school age children identified with disabilities to learn science in general education classrooms whenever possible (Caseau & Norman, 1997; IDEA, 1997). For this paper, students with disabilities [SWD] consist of high school students identified with non-severe learning or emotional needs who receive special education services in the schools. These students have the cognitive, emotional, and social capacities to construct scientific knowledge, participate in scientific investigations, and apply scientific reasoning for problem solving and decision making inherent to the secondary science curriculum. Students with learning and emotional disabilities comprise the majority of all students eligible for special education services in public schools according to the U.S. Department of Education (1996). Science education reform documents such as Project 2061: Science for all Americans (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1990), the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996), and Scope, Sequence, and Coordination (National Science Teachers Association, 1996) clearly identify science teachers as key in developing scientific literacy for all students. The success of these educational reforms will be determined in large measure by the practices and beliefs of general education science teachers who often teach in inclusion classrooms enrolling both SWD and students without disabilities. Approximately 11% of all K-12 students have an identified disability and most of these students are included within general education science classes (Norman, Caseau, & Stefanick, 1998). Yet, relatively few of the general education science teachers in inclusion classrooms have been prepared to teach SWD (Cawley, 1994; Pyle & Butera, 1997). Although there have been reported successes in teaching science to SWD (Jakupcak, Rushton, Jakupcak, & Lundt, 1996; Wielert & Sheldon, 1984), there remains a clear need for research to determine best teaching practices for these learners (Bursuck, Polloway, Plante, & Epstein, 1996; Kearney & Durand, 1992; Norman, Caseau, & Stefanick, 1998; Patton, Polloway, & Cronin, 1986). In particular, there is a need to examine adaptations that take place for SWD in general education, or inclusion, science classes (McIntosh, Vaughn, Schumm, Hagger, & Lee, 1993). This paper begins to address this need by examining the practices and beliefs of four experienced high school science teachers who teach SWD in inclusion classrooms. Teaching High School Students with Learning and Emotional Disabilities in Inclusion Science Classrooms: A Case Study of Four Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices

If concept mapping is so helpful to learning biology, why aren't we all doing it?

Concept mapping is described repeatedly in the literature as a tool that can support and enhance students' learning in science classrooms. Despite such endorsements, the use of concept mapping as a basis for classroom activities in UK secondary schools does not seem to be widespread. Some of the flaws in the supporting literature are highlighted. The two main barriers to the extensive adoption of concept mapping as an integral component of typical classroom strategies are seen as the epistemological beliefs of classroom teachers and the underlying philosophy of the curriculum that they are asked to deliver. In conclusion, concept mapping is seen as a tool that may support learning within an appropriate teaching ecology. Such an ecological perspective may require, for some, a re-conceptualization of the teacher's role in which teaching, learning and change are seen as integrated components of effective teaching.

Student and Teacher Perceptions of the Use of Multimedia Supported Predict Observe Explain Tasks to Probe Understanding

This paper discusses student and teacher perceptions of a new development in the use of the predict–observe–explain (POE) strategy. This development involves the incorporation of POE tasks into a multimedia computer program that uses real-life, digital video clips of difficult, expensive, time consuming or dangerous scenarios as stimuli for these tasks. The program was created by the first author to be used by pairs of secondary physics students to elicit their conceptions of force and motion and encourage discussion about these views. In this computer learning environment, students were required to type full sentence responses that were recorded by the computer for later analysis by the researcher. Other data sources for this study included audio and video recordings of student discussions, interviews with selected students and their teachers, classroom observations, and student questionnaires. This paper will report on some findings from the study, focussing on student and teacher perceptions of the computer-mediated POE tasks. The findings have implications for the effective use of multimedia to enhance meaningful learning in science classrooms.

A Course for Critical Constructivism through Action Research: a case study from biology

While constructivism has made its mark concerning learning in science classrooms, little has surfaced so far relating to the education and professional development of science teachers. This paper not only deals with the implementation and evaluation of such a constructivist course, but extends the argument towards the induction of teachers into ‘critical constructivism’ through their own action research projects. Data are drawn from a single case study which illuminates the induction process and illustrates the changes taking place in the professional life and the reflective practice of one teacher as she deals with biological concepts with a class of 13‐15 year olds. The Brazilian setting for the course lends resonance to its international significance.

Cultural Factors of Science Classroom Learning Environments, Teacher‐Student Interactions and Student Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument to assess culturally sensitive factors of science students' learning environments, and to examine associations between these factors, students' achievement of enquiry skills, students' attitudes to science and teacher‐student interactions. A measure of culturally sensitive factors of the learning environment, namely the Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ), was developed. The instrument, which was influenced by Hofstede's four dimensions of culture (power‐distance, uncertainty‐avoidance, individualism, and masculinity‐femininity) and past learning environment research, contained seven scales. With a sample of over 3500 secondary science students, the reliability of the CLEQ scales ranged from 0#lb69 to 0#lb86 and showed acceptable discrimination between the scales as the mean correlation between scales ranged from 0#lb04 to 0#lb22. Regression analyses indicated that the most consistent predictors of teacher‐student interpersonal behaviour were the collaboration, deference, competition, teacher authority and modelling scales. The most consistent predictors of students' attitudes and achievement were equity, competition, deference, modelling and congruence.

The teacher's role in the transformation of students' understanding

The application of constructivist referents for teaching science has received some recent unwarranted criticism. To counter some of the pedagogical criticisms, the teacher's role and actions within a Year 6 science classroom learning community are described. In particular, my interpretation of two teaching episodes shows how the teacher helped a group of students transform their understanding of electrical circuits. The teacher in this study mediated learning by monitoring the transformation of student understanding and negotiating scientific practices—teaching practices which need to be illustrated more fully by researchers to avoid further confusion about the application of idea-based social constructivism. I argue that the teacher's role, from a social constructivist perspective, is to employ whatever strategies are needed to help students develop a deeper understanding of canonical science.

Laboratory Environments & Student Outcomes in Senior High School Biology

I NTERNATIONAL research efforts involving the conceptualization, assessment and investigation of perceptions of psychosocial aspects of the classroom environment have firmly established classroom environment as a thriving field of study (see reviews by Fraser 1994; Fraser & Walberg 1991). For example, recent classroom environment research has focused on constructivist classroom environments (Taylor, Fraser & White 1994), computer-assisted instruction classrooms (Teh & Fraser in press), and teacher-student interpersonal behavior in the classroom (Wubbels & Levy 1993). In the past 25 years, much attention has been given to the development and use of instruments to assess qualities of the science classroom learning environment from the perspective of the student (Fraser 1986, 1994; Fraser & Walberg 1991). The association between learning environment variables and student outcomes has provided a particular rationale and focus for the application of these learning environment instruments. In a meta-analysis that encompassed 823 classes in eight subject areas and represented the perceptions of 17,805 students in four nations, Haertel, Walberg & Haertel (1981) found enhanced student achievement in classes that students felt had greater cohesiveness, satisfaction, and goal direction, and less disorganization and friction. Other literature reviews since then have supported the existence of associations between classroom environment variables and student outcomes (Fraser 1994). This article describes an investigation of associations between students' perceptions of laboratory environment and their attitudinal, cognitive and practical performance outcomes. Although past studies have examined associations between student outcomes and their perceptions of the leaming environment in science classes (Fraser 1986, 1994), this study is unique in that it assesses student perceptions of the

The Contribution of Training and Subject Matter Knowledge to Teaching Effectiveness: A Multilevel Analysis of Longitudinal Evidence from Belize

Differentes recherches ont etabli l'influence des enseignants sur la qualite de l'apprentissage des enfants. La question est de savoir ce qui rend un enseignant plus performant qu'un autre. Quatre indicateurs, etudies par les AA., peuvent etre utilises dans ce but : les acquisitions pedagogiques des enseignants, leurs participations dans les programmes d'etudes, leurs connaissances des matieres enseignees et leurs strategies pedagogiques

Multimedia reporting in science problem solving

<span>The increasing availability of CD ROM based interactive multimedia packages to support learning in science classrooms offers science teachers new pedagogical opportunities for student-centred and cooperative learning. However, many of the current products do not make full use of the existing technology in schools and even when they do they tend to constrain the student to a very limited view of information and how it can be used as part of student reporting of inquiry projects.</span><p>Interactivity in many packages has been limited to "point and click" rather than employing instructional strategies that immerse and challenge students. The Interactive Multimedia Learning Laboratory at the University of Wollongong has developed two interactive multimedia packages designed for Australian schools that not only attempt to develop problem solving skills but also allow students to express their ideas with different forms of representation in their reports.</p><p><em>Investigating Lake Iluka</em>, based on the ecology of a coastal lake environment uses a text based notebook which allows the student to select text and edit it into their report on their problem investigation A second package, <em>Exploring the Nardoo</em>, based on water management issues extends the concept to include multimedia elements in the student's notebook. The evaluation of both packages has examined the ability of students to express themselves in text together with static and dynamic aural and visual forms. This paper also reports on improvement of scientific understanding and improved problem' reporting based on metacognitive supports included in these interactive multimedia packages, especially the use of genre templates and guides.</p>

The transformation of individual and collective knowledge in elementary science classrooms that are organised as knowledge-building communities

This study was designed to address two purposes. First, we wanted to test working hypotheses derived from previous studies about the transformation of individual and collective knowledge in elementary classrooms. Second, we attempted to understand the degree to which “ownership” was an appropriate concept to understand the process of learning in science classrooms. Over a four-month period, we collected extensive data in a Grade 6/7 classroom studying simple machines. As in our previous studies we found that (a) conceptual and material resources were readily shared among students, and (b) tool-related practices were appropriated as newcomers participated with more competent others (peers and teachers) in the pursuit of student-framed goals. We also found that for discursive change (“learning”) at the classroom level to occur, it appeared more important whether a new language game was closely related to students' previous language games than who actually proposed the new language game (teacher or student). Implications are drawn for the design of science curricula and classroom activities.

Implementing Problem‐Based Learning in Science Classrooms

Many new curricular and instructional models must be developed or adapted as the nation moves towards educational reform in science classrooms. This article describes how problem‐based learning, an innovative curricular and instructional model developed in medical graduate school programs, has been adapted for use in elementary and high school settings. Included in the integration of problem‐based learning and science are components of all problem‐based episodes including initiating learning with an ill‐structured problem, using the problem to structure the learning agenda, and teacher as metacognitive coach, with important goals of a reformed science curriculum such as learning based on concepts of significance, student‐designed experiments, and development of scientific reasoning skills.

Toward a critical approach to the study of learning environments in science classrooms

Traditional learning environment research in science classrooms has been built on survey methods meant to measure students' and teachers' perceptions of variables used to define the learning environment. This research has led mainly to descriptions of learning environments. We argue that learning environment research should play a transformative role in science classrooms; that learning environment research should take into account contemporary post-positivist ways of thinking about learning and teaching to assist students and teachers to construct a more emancipatory learning environment. In particular, we argue that a critical perspective could lead to research playing a larger role in the transformation of science classroom learning environments. This argument is supplemented with an example from a middle school science classroom.

Literacy learning in secondary school science classrooms: A cross‐case analysis of three qualitative studies

AbstractThe purpose of this cross‐case analysis is to illustrate how and why literacy was incorporated into science teaching and learning in three secondary classrooms. Research questions guiding the analysis include: (a) How were literacy events shaped by the teachers' philosophies about teaching science content and teaching students? and (b) How was literacy (reading, writing, and oral language) structured by the teachers and manifested in science lessons? The methodology of ethnography and the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism were employed in the three studies on which the cross‐case analysis was based. The researchers assumed the role of participant observers, collecting data over the period of 1 year in each of the three classrooms. Data, in the form of fieldnotes, interviews, and artifacts, were collected. In each study, data were analyzed using the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to determine patterns in the teachers' beliefs about learning and how these influenced their choice of literacy activities. The cross‐case analysis was conducted to determine patterns across the three teachers and their classrooms. The findings from this analysis are used to compare how the teachers' philosophies of teaching science and their beliefs about how students learn influenced their use of literacy practices during lessons. Specifically, each teacher's use of literacy activities varied based on his or her beliefs about teaching science concepts. Furthermore, reading, writing, and oral language were important vehicles to learning science concepts within daily classroom activities in the three classrooms.

Conditions of learning in science classrooms and what we can learn from them

Conditions of learning in science classrooms and what we can learn from them