Chaos in science teaching

Meaningful learning for conceptual change in science education should aim to help students change their existing misconceptions to develop an accurate understanding of scientific concepts. Although collaborative argumentation is assumed to support such processes, its value for conceptual change is unclear. Moreover, the roles of argumentative dialogue should be considered in studies on collaborative argumentation. In the present study, using a controlled experiment, we examined the value of collaborative argumentation for conceptual change in science education while fully considering the roles of argumentative dialogue. Twenty-three postgraduate students were each allocated to one of two conditions (individual argumentation [control group] and collaborative argumentation [experimental group]) and participated in two argumentation activities. The results revealed that collaborative argumentation had a delayed but long-lasting effect on conceptual change in science education (i.e., conceptual change induced by collaborative argumentation did not immediately indicate a significant improvement at the moments of argumentation but showed a significant improvement during the delay period). Collaborative argumentation provided opportunities for change in cognitive, ontological, intentional, and other aspects of learning. Dialogue protocol analysis revealed that long-lasting conceptual change was associated with a U-shaped pattern of argumentative dialogue (i.e., two high and one low: both deliberative argumentation and co-consensual construction frequently occurred, while disputative argumentation rarely occurred) in collaborative argumentation. A third argumentation activity was then conducted to confirm this unexpected finding. The results confirmed an association between long-lasting conceptual change and a U-shaped pattern of argumentative dialogue in collaborative argumentation. The current study sheds light on the value of collaborative argumentation for long-lasting conceptual change, deepening our understanding of whether conceptual gains from argumentation activities were contingent on a particular type of verbal dialogue powered by collaborative argumentation. Implications for science education were discussed.

This chapter reviews the current research on conceptual change in science education. The review includes research located in the DoRise system (Database of Research in Science Education) in Taiwan and articles published in selected international science education journals (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, International Journal of Science Education, Research in Science Education, and International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education) between 1982 and 2012. Three hundred and eighty-three articles in the international journals (including 26 English papers from researchers in Taiwan) and eighty-six articles from Taiwan were analyzed (60 and 26 articles from Taiwanese and international journals, respectively). There are five major findings. First, most of the research follows the empirical approach, regardless of it being an international or national article. Second, physics was the main discipline examined both in the international and national studies. Third, about two thirds of the studies from outside of Taiwan used epistemological perspective to frame and present their study. A similar percentage of articles investigated the instructional perspective whereas nearly two thirds of the Taiwanese articles investigated the instructional perspective and only 28 % followed the epistemological perspective. Fourth, as for the research method, we found that qualitative data analysis was ranked first among all the methods we investigated whereas Taiwan appeared to integrate both quantitative and qualitative methods. Fifth, as expected, high percentages of published researchers were from English-speaking countries (i.e., the USA, Australia, and the UK). Taiwan was ranked third out of 31 countries with respect to the number of publications in this study from 1982 to 2012 but was the first non-English-speaking country. Recommendations for researchers and educators are provided.

Issue date: 15 April 2023 Original Paper: Alp, G., & Coskun Onan, B. (2023). Using comics for climate change in science education: Students' solutions and aesthetic subtleties. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 22(2), 215-231. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/23.22.215 Abstract. Erratum for “Alp, G., & Coskun Onan, B. (2023). Using comics for climate change in science education: Students' solutions and aesthetic subtleties. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 22(2), 215-231. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/23.22.215”. Keywords: erratum This document presents the appendices belonging to the published article.

The four essays reviewed here constitute a worthwhile attempt to discuss various aspects of postcolonial theory, and offer constructive ideas to ongoing academic as well as public conversations with respect to whether science education can meet the challenges of educating an increasingly diverse population in the 21st century. These essays are grounded in the assumption that it is difficult to make meaningful and transformative changes in science education so that educators’ efforts take into consideration the dramatic changes (i.e., diverse culture and racial origins, language, economic status etc.) of ‘an era of globalization’ in order to meet the demands of today’s schools. Each of these four essays problematizes various aspects of the social and cultural conditions of science education nowadays using different ‘postcolonial’ ideas to interpret the implications for science learning and teaching. Although the term ‘postcolonial’ has certainly multiple meanings in the literature, we use this term here to describe the philosophical position of these essays to challenge long-standing and hegemonic practices and taken-for-granted assumptions in science education. Through critical analysis of these essays, we engage in a dialogue with the authors, focusing on two of what seem crucial issues in understanding the potential contributions as well as the risks of postcolonial concepts in science education; these issues are space and identity. We choose these issues because they permeate all four essays in interesting and often provocative ways.

This chapter argues that critical pedagogy based within relational, participatory ways of knowing science provides a well-grounded rationale for change in science education. This argument is based on the notion that changing curriculum and pedagogy involves fundamental questions of teacher’s and student’s worldviews that have not been addressed in past attempts at change. Because the discourses of science (education) are socially constructed, understanding how young people come to construct meaning and knowledge in their science studies through social learning seems a promising way to accommodate socioecological, political, and cultural issues within a newly conceptualized science education.

As researchers, we often seek to change science education practices that have become outdated. Throughout such change processes we are faced with the dilemma of embodying relationships of power or discourse that we are trying to transform. A situated cognition framework would suggest that this conundrum is inevitable because a community of practitioners is fundamentally bound by the institution and its resources, concerns and ways of being. If we cannot step outside the institution we are trying to change how can we change something which defines who we, as agents of change, are? We reframe the issue as one of cultural production, where we locate ourselves within a cultural field, struggling to change it. This paper embodies some of the tensions involved in cultural re/production of science education. These tensions are played out both in our autobiographical accounts that are part of this article and in the relationship of the authors as graduate student and supervisor. Through a conversational hermeneutic analysis of the authors' autobiographical writings, we examine some of the salient features of bringing about change in science education.

This study reports on the measured change in the attitude of students toward teaching science as a result of their experiences in an elementary activity-based science course for preservice elementary teachers. Overall, the students in this study showed a positive shift in attitude as measured by the Revised Science Attitude Scale instrument that was administered at the beginning and the end of the semester. When the researchers looked at specific subscales within the instrument, one of the four subscales did not show a statistically significant change in attitude. The course is required for all elementary preservice teachers.

Past research has shown that children hold images of scientists and their work which fit a stereotype of scientists as male, balding, bespectacled and with a laboratory coat, working alone in a chemistry laboratory environment. Such stereotypes have been shown to form early and strategies intended to change perceptions may be applied too late and too narrowly. Researchers in several Westernized countries have identified this trend. Recently, there has been a suggestion that such images are becoming less stereotypical, at least in the UK. The major change in science education in the UK during this time has been the introduction of a national curriculum. This study revisited primary children's views after a period of five years, using a common procedure (the Draw‐a‐Scientist Test). During this period all the children had been taught science in line with the requirements of the English and Welsh National Curriculum Order for Science. We found that perceptions have not changed significantly over this period of time amongst primary school children, despite the imposition of the National Curriculum. Results indicated that there is still a gender biased stereotype and an unrealistic view of the scientists' work. The need to analyse carefully and conservatively the data produced by such studies is emphasized and consequences for other countries introducing national curricula are discussed.

Participants at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, created a Platform for Action focusing on 12 critical areas of concern (poverty, education and training, health, violence, armed conflict, economy, decision-making, institutional mechanisms, human rights, the media, environment, and the girl child) and the serious barriers to women's health and well-being in each area. Subsequently, the Department of Energy funded a study, described here, that shows, in a literature review and in interviews with 15 women experts, how science and technology can be integral to women's advancement in each of the 12 critical areas. Among the study's conclusions are that differing perspectives exist (pro-science, relativist, and skeptical) on the role of science and technology in women's lives and that these differing perspectives may explain why communication is difficult among policy makers and with scientists about the role science and technology may play in the advancem ent of women worldwide. Recommendations call for women's involvement in the ethics of science; removal of institutional barriers to advancing women; greater accountability in use of resources; changes in science education; and increased dialogue among those with differing perspectives on the role of science and technology in the advancement of women.

This systematic review is aimed to explore the researches that established students’conceptual change process, both studies that facilitate conceptual change and studies that determined learner characters influencing conceptual change. Overall, 50 studies were examined in this review. The current study focused on the common characteristics of the literature, the conceptual change instructional interventions used and the methods usedto assess them. This review generates four averments about the current study: (1) physics subjects have obtained more attention than other science domains; (2) the majority of studies were conducted on undergraduate students of various majors, not only science education students; (3) studies about conceptual change have developed from a cognitive-only perspective to metacognitive aspects; (4) design on conceptual change study has been dominated by quasi experiment with only pre- and post-intervention. Based on these averments, the authors invite the future empirical studies to consider affective variables in designing instructional approach, focus on examining pre-service science teachers’ conceptual change through the implementation of an instructional intervention, and apply qualitative data collection methods regarding affective and metacognitive variables through the implementation of an instructional intervention.

OpenSciEd curriculum materials and professional learning resources are Creative Commons licensed, freely available, and aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This report offers direction to researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and developers by identifying OpenSciEd practitioners’ most urgent needs, the factors driving these needs, promising approaches for addressing these needs, and implications for OpenSciEd-enabled research. We gathered survey responses from 155 teachers and leaders and conducted focus group interviews with 28 of the survey respondents. Our analysis indicated three broad challenge areas related to district adoption and implementation, classroom enactment and engagement, and obtaining evidence of NGSS-based student outcomes. We also identified seven themes related to supporting OpenSciEd practitioners through research, development, and innovation: (1) access to and benefits of professional learning, (2) supporting teacher agency, collaboration, and management, (3) improving teacher capacity to enact OpenSciEd, (4) meeting students’ needs, (5) shifting classroom culture, (6) enabling formative assessment practices, and (7) access to assessment resources. Notably, professional learning and other supports for teachers appear to address root causes of many challenges experienced by practitioners. More generally, we see a need for research that would elaborate how adoption and implementation of OpenSciEd could drive system-level change in science education.

Humane education and the debate on alternatives to harmful animal use for training is a relatively recent issue in Brazil. While animal use in secondary education has been illegal since the late 1970s, animal use in higher science education is widespread. However, alternatives to animal experiments in research and testing have recently received attention from the Government, especially after the first legislation on animal experiments was passed, in 2008. This article proposes that higher science education should be based on a critical and humane approach. It outlines the recent establishment of the Brazilian Network for Humane Education (RedEH), as a result of the project, Mapping Animal Use for Undergraduate Education in Brazil, which was recognised by the 2014 Lush Prize. The network aims to create a platform to promote change in science education in Brazil, starting by quantitatively and qualitatively understanding animal use, developing new approaches adapted to the current needs in Brazil and Latin America, and communicating these initiatives nationally. This paper explores the trajectory of alternatives and replacement methods to harmful animal use in training and education, as well as the status of humane education in Brazil, from the point of view of educators and researchers engaged with the network.

Note from the EditorsToo often, biology has been considered by both students and faculty as the ideal major for the scientifically inclined but mathematically challenged, even though the advantage of quantitative approaches in biology has always been apparent.Increasingly, biologists are utilizing mathematical skills to create simulations or manage and query large data sets.The need for basic mathematical and computer science (CS) literacy among biologists has never been greater.But does this require a fundamental change in the organization of the undergraduate biology curriculum?What is the utility of math/CS in different areas of biology?How can we best provide math/CS instruction to biologists so that the utility is appreciated?Do all biology students require a stronger math/CS foundation, or only those interested in research careers?Given the speed at which technology changes, what is the best preparation?Three different points of view are offered below.Dr. Roger Brent, President and Director of the Molecular Sciences Institute, reflects on the "innumeracy" common among biologists and argues that significant insights into biological problems may be gained from better mathematical intuition.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of instructional strategies administered by primary school Science and Social Sciences teachers based on the opinions of students, and to identify if there is any difference between teachers of the two courses in terms of the level that they carry out these activities. This study is descriptive in nature. 7th grade students at primary schools in Melikgazi, Kayseri, during the spring term of 2004-2005 formed the research universe of the study. There were 87 primary schools in Melikgazi when the study was conducted. Ten primary schools were identified by stratification method, and 7th grade students in one of the classes of each school were chosen randomly and assigned as the sample group of the study. There are totally 300 students (30 students from each school) in the sample. The findings of this study reveal that strategies in the instruction step of a lesson are not applied effectively. Most of the activities were found to be conducted occasionally in both groups. According to the results, teachers of Social Sciences were identified to be more productive and effective than those of Science course in the following areas: providing reinforcement and prompting, being understanding and affectionate, using course-related tools and instruments, and creating a classroom environment where students participate actively. Summary Lesson plan consists of three interwoven steps; preparation before the lesson, planning and administering the lesson, and follow-up activities. Effective teaching is based on a well-developed plan, a well-managed classroom, and an effective presentation. Making necessary preparations and planning before a lesson may contribute a lot to success of students. A teacher has to get prepared before the lesson and has to plan the presentation, instruction, and assessment activities of the lesson in order to maintain students' interest, to maintain participation, and to sustain students' motivation at a high level. Therefore, it is vital for teachers both to be informed about instructional strategies and to have related skills to carry out these strategies. Presentation, instruction, and assessment activities within a lesson plan display different characteristics and have distinct steps. Instructional strategies are more important in nature since this is the phase when teaching is administered and learning takes place. All the definitions, concepts, rules, formulae, and explanations are delivered to students during this step. The information flow in this phase is from simple to complex, from concrete to abstract, from known to unknown, and from immediate to far. Teachers should be aware of the stimuli that affect students' learning and should use them when needed. During the instruction step, teachers should create a setting that increases interaction among students, trains them on cooperation, and improve their self-confidence; should provide various sources of information; should encourage students to learn by discovering; and should make use of methods and instruments that assess students' performance. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of instructional strategies administered by primary school Science and Social Sciences teachers based on the opinions of students, and to identify if there is any difference between teachers of the two courses in terms of the level that they carry out these strategies. Since a survey/questionnaire is utilized for the above purpose, this study is descriptive in nature. Method Sample 7th grade students at primary schools in Melikgazi, Kayseri, during the spring term of 2004-2005 formed the research universe of the study. There were 87 primary schools in Melikgazi when the study was conducted. Ten primary schools were identified by stratification method, and 7th grade students in one of the classes of each school were chosen randomly and assigned as the sample group of the study. There are totally 300 students (30 students from each school) in the sample. Researchers visited all these schools and distributed the questionnaire forms personally. Then, students filled out the forms under the supervision of researchers. Instrument The first draft of the questionnaire used in this study was developed in accordance with the related literature. Afterwards, the draft version was analyzed by experts in educational sciences and teachers lecturing Science and Social Science in terms of its content validity, and all necessary corrections were completed. Then, the questionnaire form was applied to a group of students to see if the statements were clear or not. After all the revision efforts, the questionnaire including 21 items about both lessons was given its final form. Cronbach Alpha Reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was found to be 0.86. Findings and discussion The findings of this study reveal that strategies in the instruction step of a lesson are not applied effectively. Most of the strategies were found to be conducted occasionally in both groups. According to the results, teachers of Social Sciences were identified to be more productive and effective than those of Science course in the following areas: providing reinforcement and prompting, being understanding and affectionate, using course-related tools and instruments, and creating a classroom environment where students can participate actively. On the other hand, teachers of Science course were assessed as more able in encouraging whole-class participation. Teachers may make use of various teaching techniques and methods in the classroom providing that they are informed about instructional strategies that should be taken into consideration during both planning and administering steps of a lesson and about different instructional methods. So at certain intervals, teachers may get feedback from students regarding their own behaviors and may make necessary amendments accordingly. Teacher training institutions and programs may be improved in terms of equipment and service provided for students. Teachers might be guided to attend in-service training programs designed to compensate for their insufficiencies concerning preparation, administration, and assessment of a lesson, and to inform them about innovations in teaching.

Students in elementary statistics traditionally see experiments and data as words and numbers in a text. They receive little exposure to the important statistical activities of sample selection, data collection, experimental design, development of statistical models, the need for randomization, selection of factors, etc. They often leave the first course without a firm understanding of the role of applied statistics or of the statistician in scientific investigations. In an attempt to improve elementary statistics education, we have developed a statistics laboratory similar to those of other elementary science courses. We will discuss our experiences in teaching a laboratory component with the traditional elementary statistics course. In each lab session, students, working in teams, discuss the design of an experiment, carry out the experiment, and analyze their data using Minitab on a Macintosh or MS-DOS based computer. The students then individually either answer a series of short answer questions or write a formal scientific report. The labs are designed to be relatively inexpensive and portable. They do not require a prior background in science, statistics or computing.