Science Education In Primary Schools Research Articles

Enhancing Student Collaboration in Science Education Through Outdoor Learning Transformation

This study explores the efficacy of implementing outdoor learning to enhance student collaboration in fourth-grade science education at SD Muhammadiyah 1 Candi Sidoarjo, addressing a gap in research regarding its application in primary school science education. Using a descriptive qualitative approach with observation, interviews, and documentation, data analysis followed the Miles and Huberman model. Results indicate successful implementation of outdoor learning, fostering collaboration among students, particularly in accepting responsibility, assisting peers, and respecting opinions. Variations in collaboration effectiveness were noted between student groups. Findings suggest that carefully planned outdoor learning activities can create an engaging learning environment, improving student collaboration and overall learning outcomes in primary school science education. Highlight: Outdoor learning in primary science: Enhancing student collaboration and engagement. Qualitative approach: Investigating student perspectives on outdoor education. Effective peer interactions: Fostering teamwork in outdoor learning environments. Keyword: Outdoor learning, Student collaboration, Primary school, Science education, Qualitative research

DEVELOPING AN ATTITUDE SCALE TOWARDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COURSES: A STUDY OF VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

Science education in primary school is critical for establishing a comprehensive understanding of the nature of science. Students with positive attitudes towards science courses are more likely to achieve academic success. Measuring and fostering positive attitudes is essential for effective instructional planning. This study aimed to develop a measurable scale to assess the attitudes of fourth-grade elementary school students in Northern Cyprus towards Science and Technology Courses (STC). While developing the Student Science and Technology Attitude Scale (SSTAS), the literature was reviewed, and 168 students were asked to write essays about STC. A pool of attitude items was created by analyzing the literature and essays, and expert opinions were sought. The preliminary scale was prepared based on expert consultation. The study group included 651 randomly selected fourth-grade students during the 2020-2021 academic year. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted to determine SSTAS's construct validity. The results indicated that the scale is valid and reliable, comprising three dimensions. The first dimension measures students' attitudes towards the teaching process, with 13 items. The second dimension assesses students' negative attitudes, including five items. The third dimension evaluates students' attitudes towards experiments, containing five items. Keywords: science and technology lesson, attitude toward science and technology courses, attitude scale development

The Promotion of 5G+VR to Science Teaching in Primary Schools – Taking “The Passage of Time” in the First Volume of the Fifth Grade of the Education and Science Edition as an Example

With the increasing attention paid to 5G-assisted teaching, there is a growing need to explore the practical application of 5G+VR in science education. This paper uses the lesson “Sun Clock” in the “The Passage of Time” section of the fifth-grade education and science textbook as an example to investigate the use of 5G+VR technology in science teaching. By taking advantage of the school’s 5G network environment and smart education platform, this study aims to improve students’ learning experience and solve the problems encountered in experimental teaching. Through the use of VR technology, students were able to independently explore and understand how light and shadow are used to tell time with the help of the “Sun Clock” experiment. Students were able to observe the relationship between light and shadow and learn how to use them to tell time by combining the explanation in VR glasses and multi-angle observation of the sundial on the equipment. The study found that the use of 5G+VR technology significantly improved students’ understanding of the content and increased their sense of self-efficacy and on-the-spot experience. The implementation of 5G+VR technology in science education has solved the problems of safety concerns, limitations of experimental materials and site, and improved students’ problem-solving abilities in practical situations. The findings of this study have important implications for the integration of technology in primary school science education.

Science learning with designed animation: Investigation of primary school children's attitudes toward science learning, animation integration, and understanding level

This study investigated primary school children's attitudes toward science learning, animation integration in science class, and their understanding level in science. Fifty-six sixth-grade children participated in this study. Attitude surveys, knowledge tests, and a focus group interview were conducted to examine the children's science learning attitudes and understanding levels. The findings revealed that children had consistent positive attitudes toward science learning and animation integration. Their understanding level was improved through the animation as a unit review. Synthesis of the quantitative and qualitative data showed that the animation stimulated their learning enjoyment and active learning behavior. Besides, the children particularly liked the dynamic simulation and visualization features of animation which enhanced their understanding of the science concepts. Pedagogical suggestions for incorporating multimedia into primary school science education are discussed.

Improving the Science Process Skills and Science Literacy of Primary School Pre-service Teachers with Different Parental Education Levels

This research was undertaken to improve the science process skills (SPS) and science literacy (SL) of primary school pre-service teachers with different family backgrounds in terms of parental education. It was planned with a quasi-experimental design with pretests and posttests in the framework of quantitative research methodology. Eighty-four first-year students from the primary school education departments of two different public universities participated in this 14-week-long study conducted in the spring semester of 2021-2022. Classes were taught with a focus on SPS for the experimental groups and within the scope of a textbook developed for basic science education in primary school for the control groups. Data were collected by administering the SPS Test and SL Test. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and MANOVA were used. The results showed that SPS-focused education processes significantly increased the SPS and SL of the pre-service teachers. Furthermore, prior to the implementation, participants in both experimental and control groups whose parents were had bachelor degree or high school diploma ranked higher in terms of SPS and SL. While the gap in SPS arising from parental education level was closed in the experimental groups as a result of the implementation, the advantage of having a bachelor degree parent continued for SL. These results are discussed in the context of primary school pre-service teachers regarding parental education levels, SPS, and SL.

MOKYTOJŲ PASIRENGIMAS ORGANIZUOTI IR REALIZUOTI GAMTAMOKSLINĮ UGDYMĄ PRADINĖJE MOKYKLOJE

There is no doubt that the purpose of general natural science education is the systemic study and knowledge of the basics of natural sciences and the individual, most general laws of nature. Natural science education as a process is directly aimed at assimilation of experience in the field of natural sciences (formation of the system of natural science knowledge, skills, and abilities). In the process of natural science education, a person's orientation toward nature is developed, taking into account the ideas formed in society about the system of relations between nature and man. Personal qualities based on a value approach to nature and the surrounding world are also formed and developed. Primary science education should be systemic, consistent, and of high quality. In a pilot study conducted in 2018, it was established that primary school teachers’ professional preparedness in the field of natural science education remains relevant. Although teachers tend to demonstrate various experiments, researching is not a dominating activity. Also, a similar situation is observed speaking about the use of technology in the educational process. Teacher preparedness to organise and implement science education in primary school is quite uneven. Thus, the main goal of this study is – to analyse preparedness of primary school teachers to organise and implement science education in primary school according to the main scientific fields and their knowledge (the level of knowledge) in the essential fields of natural sciences. This research study based on a prior conducted pilot study, supplements and expands it. 115 primary school teachers from more than 30 Lithuanian schools participated in the study. All subjects by gender are women. It can be reasonably stated that preparedness of primary school teachers in the field of science education is basically average. Preparedness according to the main fields of natural sciences varies quite widely. The best preparedness is fixed in such areas as environmental protection, healthy lifestyle, ecology, etc. These are the areas that express not only the natural science component but also the component of social education. However, in the fields that express the issues of chemistry and physical sciences, the preparedness, though evaluated as positive, is significantly lower. Teachers’ knowledge in the essential fields of natural sciences is also diverse. Teachers feel knowing environmental protection issues best, but the knowledge in the new fields such as Nanotechnology and Genetic Engineering is extremely low. It is necessary to consistently and systematically develop primary school teachers’ natural science competencies, i.e., the ability to organise research-based learning, practical activities in various educational environments (especially in nature). Subject preparation of primary school teachers in the field of natural sciences and especially strengthening the preparedness of future primary school teachers in the field of natural science education, and the change of study programmes in the aspect of natural science content is an urgent problem. Keywords: natural sciences, primary school, professional preparedness, science education

Science Education Through Malaysian Animation Series

Animation is one of the multimedia elements that is able to express children's fantasies into reality. Animation is seen to be able to motivate and stimulate children's thinking in an effort to reduce the cognitive load during the learning process. Animation in science education has been used as an educational resource to support science learning for decades. However, most members of society consider animation to be merely a form of entertainment. Contrary to popular belief, animation is not just focused on entertainment alone, but also plays a huge role in the world of education. This study was conducted through a data analysis process from Miles et al. on three popular animation series published by local animation companies. An analysis was conducted to identify the elements of science education delivered through the published animated series. The results of the survey found that 33 episodes of the Upin & Ipin animated, 26 episodes of the Didie and Friends animated series and 14 episodes of the Alif and Sofia animated series contain elements of science education that can be utilized in primary school science education. This study was implemented so that community members make use of the animated series that are screened used to educate children through non-formal education as basic knowledge of science in children's daily lives. This study is also expected to give ideas to local animation companies to produce more animated series that have elements of Science education. This study is also able to help teachers to make use of the serial animations that have been published as the latest approach in the development of primary science curriculum.

The Development of Prospective Primary School Science Teachers’ TPaCK Fostered by Innovative Science-Teacher Education

The EEdnaS study “Development and testing of digitally enriched science-related subject matter teaching in digital teaching-learning labs and university classrooms” aims to promote the professional competencies of prospective teachers that are needed for teaching science content in a world shaped by digitalization. To achieve this goal, university teaching units (seminars) that directly address cognitive components of a teacher’s professional competencies, which are important to teaching science content in primary school education, were developed. In addition, prospective teachers were asked to plan, implement, and evaluate primary school science education with a particular focus on digitization, as well as sharing the developed units as open-educational resources. This article reports on the impact of the first part of the seminar concept, in which the promotion of digitization-related, subject-specific teaching methodology, as well as content-related knowledge (TPaCK) was systematically promoted. In a standardized survey, it could be shown that the prospective teachers demonstrated positive developments, particularly in the components PCK, TCK, TPK, as well as TPaCK, regarding the self-efficacy in cognitive characteristics about one’s own ability within the reference frame of self. Furthermore, the development of knowledge, especially in the areas of TK, PCK, TCK, and TPK, could also be determined, but not in relation to TPaCK itself.

Application of artificial intelligence APP in quality evaluation of primary school science education

ABSTRACT Two scientific and systematic evaluation index systems are constructed for primary education APP and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. These systems are revised and confirmed through two rounds of Delphi method. The Delphi method determines an educational application (APP) evaluation index system containing four first-level indicators and thirty-three second-level indicators and a primary school STEM curriculum evaluation index system containing five first-level indicators and nineteen second-level indicators. Finally, analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the weight of all indicators to rank the weights. In the evaluation index system of educational APP, the weight of teaching design is 0. 2900, ranking the first; the weight of interactive experience is 0.1801, ranking the last. In the STEM curriculum evaluation index system, the weight of innovation practice is 0.3472, which is the maximum; the weight of independent management is 0.0879, which is the minimum. It is of great significance to promote the deepening of primary school STEM curriculum learning evaluation, improve the effectiveness of STEM curriculum teaching, and promote the healthy development of primary school education APP.

Transforming Primary School Science Education: The Quantum Teaching Revolution

In a world characterized by rapid technological advancements and evolving educational needs, the quest for innovative teaching methodologies has never been more crucial. This research delves into the transformative potential of quantum teaching in the realm of primary school science education. Quantum teaching, inspired by the principles of quantum physics, reimagines the classroom as a dynamic arena for holistic learning, critical thinking, active engagement, and creativity. The study investigates the holistic nature of quantum teaching, emphasizing the interconnectedness of scientific concepts, and the promotion of critical thinking skills essential for scientific inquiry. It explores the practical implications of implementing quantum teaching, including curriculum design, teacher training, classroom dynamics, and assessment methods. The research reveals how quantum teaching can enhance student engagement, foster problem-solving abilities, and ignite a passion for science. It underscores the significance of this research in the context of educational improvement and the field of primary school science, as it paves the way for more dynamic and effective educational practices. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by introducing innovative teaching methods, emphasizing holistic learning, critical thinking, active engagement, and flexibility. It underscores the importance of creativity, interdisciplinary connections, student-centered learning, and data-driven educational improvement. By preparing students for the future, this research advances the dialogue on educational enhancement and the evolving landscape of education in a dynamic world. In conclusion, this research signifies the beginning of a new era in primary school science education, urging educators, parents, communities, and policymakers to embrace the quantum teaching frontier and unlock the potential of a new generation of scientists and thinkers.

GAMTAMOKSLINIS UGDYMAS PRADINĖJE MOKYKLOJE: PROCESAS IR JO GERINIMAS

Despite the fact that science education (SE) in primary school is integrated, it must be of high quality. In other words, primary school students should be able to perform simple observations and tests, formulate conclusions, use the simplest devices and instruments, and so on. The same universal questions remain, such as What do young people need to know and understand? why is it important? What are the most effective ways of teaching science at different levels of the school system? What knowledge and skills do teachers need? In Lithuanian primary school (1-4 grades), science education is mainly implemented through World Cognition lessons and includes two goals that are very important for the student's socialization and education: to help the child get to know nature and its processes and to ensure appropriate (positive) student socialization. Although teachers tend to demonstrate a variety of experiments, student research activities are not predominant. A similar situation is observed with regard to the use of technology in the educational process. The readiness of teachers to organize and implement science education in primary school is quite uneven/diverse. Thus, the main aim of this study was to analyse the position of primary school teachers on the issue of science education, i.e., to determine which ways of improving science education one sees, and which methods of activity in the process of science education are most appropriate, how student research activities are carried out in the SE process. A quantitative study using a survey strategy was conducted. In-service primary school teachers from various Lithuanian primary schools participated in the study. A total of 115 teachers from more than 30 Lithuanian schools participated. Teachers use a variety of methods in their science education. The most frequently used are the involvement of students in practical work (activities), demonstration of experiments, attempts to link science content with the daily life of students, to organize group work of students. Class discussions are much less often encouraged, and students are allowed to carry out independent research (experiments). The aim is rarely to incorporate technology, to encourage (facilitate) research, to meet (take into account) the individual differences of students. In the process of primary science education, the most common research with students is related to a healthy lifestyle, environmental protection, and ecology. Less often, students do research on vegetation (flora), fauna (fauna), physical phenomena. Very rarely students do research on agriculture / the effects of chemicals on plants and animals. Students rarely explore soil, minerals, and rocks. Teachers argue that science education in primary school could be improved with more resources / equipment, etc., by including more practical work (activities) in an effort to bring science content closer to students' daily lives, with more student-centred lessons, better access to technology and their use in reducing the number of students in the classroom. Some teachers point out that it is important to devote more time to the selection and analysis of science content, etc., to the preparation of lessons and to have more opportunities for the professional development of teachers. Keywords: professional development, primary school, practical activities, science education

The Teaching Method of Science Subject in Primary Schools Based on Students’ Competency Development: Results From a Field Study

Renovating the General Education Curriculum is one of the most important goals of the education renovation in Vietnam at the present. Particularly, the renovation of teaching methods has been receiving increasing attention during the past few years. This originates from the growing demands for social developments and the inadequacies of the current General Education curriculum. This article explores the current teaching methods used to teach the science subject with an orientation toward the development of students’ competencies in primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This scientific and objective account will provide the foundation for improving teaching methods, enhancing the quality of science education in primary schools with an orientation toward students’ competency development to meet the demands for the renovation of the General Education Curriculum at the primary level.

Mobile App for Science Education: Designing the Learning Approach

This paper reports research work related to a wider study, aimed at developing a mobile app for Science Education in primary-school. Several studies reveal that Science Education can be improved by using technology, namely educational software. However, to promote a structured use of technology, innovative learning approaches must be designed for educational software. This paper aims to answer how the interaction between students and a mobile app for Science Education can promote students’ scientific competences development and self-regulated learning. To achieve this, a learning approach was designed, combining the Universal Design for Learning principles, Inquiry-Based Science Education and the BSCS 5E – teaching model for Science Education designed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, which results in the acronym of the model. The 5E is related to each phase of the model: Engagement; Exploration; Explanation; Elaboration; Evaluation. The proposed was based on a grounded, participatory, and user-centred approach, crossing literature contributions with data collected among primary-school teachers through the application of a questionnaire (n = 118). Data collected allowed deductions about the expected adequacy of the learning approach, according to Nieveen’s criteria for high quality educational interventions. This adequacy was revealed through the teachers’ conceptions about the potential impact of the conceptualized mobile app (i) to provide a comprehensive and practical Science Education learning; and (ii) to enhance students’ scientific competences development and self-regulated learning. The paper aims to contribute to the design of an innovative learning approach in Science Education and to share it with other researchers since it can be expanded to other educational software.

Research on the Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Primary School Science Class

In the context of "Internet + Education", virtual and augmented reality technologies are being integrated with science education in primary schools. Based on the analysis of the background of the times and the existing problems in primary school science education, this paper analyzes the integration application of Virtual Reality education software in primary school science teaching, and analyzes the specific lessons and the advantages of integration.

A participatory framework proposal for guiding researchers through an educational mobile app development

The research work reported in this article is part of a wider study aimed at developing a mobile application (app) for Science Education in primary school. For that, we designed a participatory framework proposal nested within the larger framework of Educational Design Research. This framework emerged from the authors’ need to organise the different phases of the mobile apps development and to arrange the expected products that arise from them. Our framework suggests a grounded, participatory and user-centred approach, relating literature contributions with data collected among future end-users. In this study, we exemplify the implementation of the proposed framework by presenting the outcomes of a specific moment of the preliminary research: students’ stories and drawing analysis, to define the mobile app concept. For that, we (1) present and describe the participatory framework proposal, (2) identify and characterise the research method adopted to define the mobile app concept, (3) reveal and analyse data collected from the implementation of a creative writing and drawing activity performed by fourth grade primary-school students, and (4) describe the implications of data analysis in the mobile app concept definition. Our intention is to share with other educational researchers an approach that can be used to develop educational mobile apps grounded on future end-users’ perceptions and ideas. We also aim to contribute to deepen the Educational Design Research apps by proposing and exemplifying the implementation of a framework that brings together researchers, students, teachers and experts.

Transformation in Primary School Sciences Education in the Transition Process from the Empire to the Republic: Science Education in 1924 Primary School Curriculum

Education and training in the first year of the Republic had been kept as it was in the period of Empire with its former structure and content. The educational system and programs could be designed after the “Canon for the Unity of Education and Training” in 1924. The first curriculums of the primary and secondary schools have formed by modification on the latest programs of primary and secondary schools of the Ottoman Empire. The object of the research is to determine what kind of transformation has become on the “science education for primary schools” For this purpose, both the last curriculum program for “Mekatib-i İbtidaiyye” (The primary schools in Ottoman Empire)and the latest curriculum program for “İlk Mektepler” (Primary Schools in the Republic of Turkey) are examined by comparison. It is proved that “science education in primary education” had gone into a transformation after commenting on the findings obtained from the comparison of the programs and assessments in the publications on the history of education. The curriculum for “science education” in the first program which was approved by the Republic of Turkey is given by transliteration to the Latin alphabet The study has a feature that has important contribution for the future researches on “science education” in the Era of the Empire and The Era of the Republic with this aspect. 
 Keywords: Science Education in Primary Schools, Science Education in the Ottoman Empire, the First Science Curriculum of the Republic, History of the Turkish Education.

Experimentation in primary school: discover and understand or verify what is expected?

Science education in primary schools in Uruguay is still a pending task. Frequently, only biological science is taught in class. Often, activities are reduced either to look for information without experimentation, or to very guided hand-on activities with little space for actual research where results may differ from what is expected and new questions might come up. As a result, children have a partial and sometimes wrong concept of science. The idea of science as something distant from reality and ordinary life, holding absolute results and truth, is reinforced. A lot of research has been done in science didactics about the role of experimentation in order to improve scientific competences in the students. In this project we analyze the role of experimentation during the science class as well as the speech of the teacher in relation to his objectives and the planned didactic sequence. A qualitative methodology was used, through classroom observations and interviews with teachers. We chose a case study to inquire how the experiments are used in a science class and what is the role of experiments proposed by the teacher. To collect the data, recordings of classes were used and in-depth interviews were conducted with the teacher.

Teachers’ perception and background in chemistry: Implications for basic science education in primary schools

Science, particularly chemistry had become the life wire of any nation. This study was prompted by the importance of a solid foundation of chemistry in Universal Basic Education (UBE) and the level of background in science by teachers in the primary school. 500 teachers in primary schools were selected from Anambra State for the study through random sampling. A questionnaire (QFPS) was used to collect data for the study. The QFPS consisted 3 sections; three research questions guided the study. Data collected were analyzed using means, standard deviations and percentages. The results showed that majority of the teachers of primary schools were not professionally trained science teachers. The teachers lack confidence to teach basic science even though they perceived science as an important subject for primary school pupils. They also had positive perception towards chemistry but lacked an effective pedagogical approach to it. Educational implications were discussed and recommendations made among which are: teachers who were professionally trained in science should be employed specifically to teach basic science classes instead of leaving the basic science teaching to class teacher who had no idea of science.

PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES OF INQUIRY-BASED PRIMARY SCIENCE TEACHING: A COLLABORATIVE TEAM TEACHING MODEL

This research clarifies how a collaborative team teaching model (CTTM) can support both pre-service and in-service teachers’ professional development in using inquiry-based science teaching in primary schools. The data were collected via a questionnaire-based survey approach after inquiry projects implementation at public schools in four Finnish cities. In total, 98 pre-service teachers and 51 in-service class teachers were involved in the research. According to their experiences collaborative team teaching was seen as an adequate teaching approach in primary school science lessons. Both in-service and pre-service teachers experienced inquiry-based science teaching enthusiastically and received new ideas, knowledge and skills to carry out inquiries during the school projects. Also, they became more confident to use inquiry-based approach in their teaching. The findings indicate that the CTTM combines pre-service teachers’ professional development and in-service teachers’ expertise and the model successfully support the use of inquiry-based practices in primary school science education. Keywords: collaborative team teaching model, inquiry-based science teaching, survey research, teachers’ experiences.

Making primary school science education more practical through appropriate interactive instructional resources: A case study of Ghana

This instructional resource production project explored low cost and waste materials for developing practical and interactive resources for teaching science at the basic school level. Developing co...