Guidance for students studying science

"Inspectors visited 45 secondary schools in February 2010 to find out how students at the end of Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 were guided to science courses. The schools were directing most students appropriately to suitable courses at the end of Key Stage 3 and very few students felt that they had been misdirected. Sixth form students chose science partly because of their particular career intentions, but mainly because of their interest in and enjoyment of the subject. They often cited good teaching as a factor that attracted them to science." - cover

Report on a Boston University Conference December 7-8, 2012 on 'How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary U.S. Science Teaching?'

This is an editorial report on the outcomes of an international conference sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (REESE-1205273) to the School of Education at Boston University and the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University for a conference titled: How Can the History and Philosophy of Science Contribute to Contemporary U.S. Science Teaching? The presentations of the conference speakers and the reports of the working groups are reviewed. Multiple themes emerged for K-16 education from the perspective of the history and philosophy of science. Key ones were that: students need to understand that central to science is argumentation, criticism, and analysis; students should be educated to appreciate science as part of our culture; students should be educated to be science literate; what is meant by the nature of science as discussed in much of the science education literature must be broadened to accommodate a science literacy that includes preparation for socioscientific issues; teaching for science literacy requires the development of new assessment tools; and, it is difficult to change what science teachers do in their classrooms. The principal conclusions drawn by the editors are that: to prepare students to be citizens in a participatory democracy, science education must be embedded in a liberal arts education; science teachers alone cannot be expected to prepare students to be scientifically literate; and, to educate students for scientific literacy will require a new curriculum that is coordinated across the humanities, history/social studies, and science classrooms.Comment: Conference funded by NSF grant REESE-1205273. 31 page

What determines perseverance in studying science?

This article explores the issue of university student recruitment and retention beyond the first and second year of studying science. The research investigated the 'image' students have of science, the demands they face in studying science and student self-efficacy, and the relative importance of these factors as perceived by 140 returning New Zealand year two science and engineering students, using questionnaires and focus group interviews. Results indicate that returning students are generally confident in their ability to cope with their science studies. However, a significant minority of students was unsure or not coping with issues such as course workloads, and findings suggest that during their first year science students need to be reassured that they are valued, and that their education is taken very seriously by the institution and their lecturers. Student commentary suggests this can be achieved by personalising lectures, ensuring personal contact with lecturers and monitoring how students are coping with the challenges and stresses that affect workload issues and subsequently their academic progress

Hands-on Physical Science Course at Radford University

Most students in our introductory physical science course are elementary education majors. We are faced with several obstacles in teaching basic science to these students. For example, they lack interest in science, logical thinking, and necessary data gathering and analysis skills, among others. Many of those obstacles could be traced back to the science courses they had taken in the past. Those courses put more emphasis on memorizing scientific facts than understanding natural phenomena or experiencing scientific methods. As a result, the students tend to have a negative attitude toward science in general. In order to reverse this attitude, We have been developing a hands-on, experience based physical science course. In each class students are asked to perform several experiments which require observation, data gathering, and analysis. The instructor provides necessary scientific background and explanation on the experiments as they go. One of the experiments the students enjoyed a lot is the measurement of average speeds of cars. They actually go out on the street and take data. Through this course students can experience how science works and learn that science could be more exciting than just memorizing

Computer-based collaborative concept mapping : motivating Indian secondary students to learn science : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

This is a study of the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a teaching and learning intervention. The overarching aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the intervention ‘Computer-based Collaborative Concept Mapping’ (CCCM) on Indian secondary students’ conceptual learning and motivation towards science learning. CCCM was designed based on constructivist and cognitive theories of learning and reinforced by recent motivation theories. The study followed a Design-based research (DBR) methodology. CCCM was implemented in two selected Indian secondary grade 9 classrooms. A quasi-experimental Solomon Four-Group research design was adopted to carry out the teaching experiment and mixed methods of data collection were used to generate and collect data from 241 secondary students and the two science teachers. The intervention was designed and piloted to check the feasibility for further implementation. The actual implementation of CCCM followed the pilot testing for 10 weeks. Students studied science concepts in small groups using the computer software Inspiration. Students constructed concept maps on various topics after discussing the concepts in their groups. The achievement test ATS9 was designed and administered as a pre-post-test to examine the conceptual learning and science achievement. Students’ responses were analysed to examine their individual conceptual learning whereas group concept maps were analysed to assess group learning. The motivation questionnaire SMTSL was also administered as a pre-post-test to investigate students’ initial and final motivation to learn science. At the end of the teaching experiment, the science teachers and two groups of students were interviewed. Analyses of the quantitative data suggested a statistically significant enhancement of science achievement, conceptual learning and motivation towards science learning. The qualitative data findings revealed positive attitudes of students and teachers towards the CCCM use. Students and teachers believed that CCCM use could promote conceptual learning and motivate students to learn science. Both students and teachers preferred CCCM over on-going traditional didactic methods of teaching-learning. Some enablers and barriers identified by teachers and students in the Indian science classroom context are also explored and discussed. A framework for enhancing secondary school students’ motivation towards science learning and conceptual learning is proposed based on the findings. The findings of the study also contribute to addressing the prevailing learning crisis in Indian secondary school science classrooms by offering CCCM an active and participatory instructional strategy as envisioned by the Indian National Curriculum Framework 2005

The View of Russian Students on Whether Psychology is a Science

The Psychology as Science Scale (Friedrich, 1996) was administered to 525 psychology students from nine Russian universities to assess their beliefs about the nature of the discipline. About half of students (49.6%) generally agreed that psychology may be called a scientific discipline. Specifically, 71. 5% of the students agreed that psychology is a natural science, similar to biology, chemistry, and physics, 39. 9% of students agreed that psychological research is important and training in psychological methodology is necessary, and 43.1% of students agreed that human behavior is highly predictable. Students who took three methodology courses shared significantly stronger beliefs in the need for psychological research and the importance of training in methodology compared to students who did not take any methodology courses. Furthermore, students with a specialist degree had significantly stronger beliefs that psychology is a science compared to students who have just finished school. In terms of the effect of students’ career aspirations, students who wanted to be academic psychologists and clinicians had significantly stronger beliefs that psychology is a science compared to students who did not have clarity about their future careers. Regardless of the study limitations, these findings have potential implications for Russian psychology instructors

I Want to be a Scientist: Secondary Students’ Perceptions of Science as a Career

Much thought and effort on the part of high school science teachers is put into educating and engaging American youth in science with the hope that our country will have a bright future in science disciplines. But do high school students consider careers in science viable occupational options, or are the subjects of chemistry and physics simply course credits they are expected to complete? This study seeks to answer that question by investigating high school students\u27 perceptions of careers in science as they consider their own future career paths. Data collection consists of a survey distributed to sophomore, junior, and senior students currently enrolled in a secondary-level science course at a local high school. The survey questions probe student perception of the nature of professional work in science, applications of scientific work, and the role of the scientist in society. A more full and accurate understanding of these things may lead to an increase in talented students, who have benefited from an excellent education in science subjects, actually becoming interested in pursuing careers in science. Having talented scientists in the field provides more opportunity for the bright future of science, which is one of the main goals of science education

Gender differences in mathematics and integrated science achievement among junior secondary school students

Purpose – This study examined gender differences in Mathematics and Integrated Science achievement among the Junior Secondary School students with particular interest on the interaction effect of gender and school type on students’ achievement. Method – The study adopted an ex-post facto research design and generated data from an inventory from the statistics unit, Ministry of Education, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria Public Junior Secondary Schools(JSS). The inventory requested among other things, data on the Junior Secondary School Certifi cate Examinations (JSSCE) in Mathematics and Integrated Science over a two year period. Findings – The study revealed that, signifi cant difference was detected in students’ Science achievement; no signifi cant difference between male and female students in private and public schools; a strong interaction effect were detected between gender of the students, the type of school attended and achievement of students in Mathematics and Integrated Science; the average achievement gap of male and female students irrespective of the school type is statistically significant in both Mathematics and Integrated Science, also, the strength of relationship between the gender of the students and the type of school attended is slightly stronger in Integrated Science than Mathematics. Value – The possible implications for the study is discussed and addressed to the government and other stakeholders in education

Evaluation of Changes in Ghanaian Students’ Attitudes Towards Science Following Neuroscience Outreach Activities: A Means to Identify Effective Ways to Inspire Interest in Science Careers

The scientific capacity in many African countries is low. Ghana, for example, is estimated to have approximately twenty-three researchers per a million inhabitants. In order to improve interest in science among future professionals, appropriate techniques should be developed and employed to identify barriers and correlates of science education among pre-university students. Young students’ attitudes towards science may affect their future career choices. However, these attitudes may change with new experiences. It is, therefore, important to evaluate potential changes in students’ attitudes towards science after their exposure to experiences such as science outreach activities. Through this, more effective means of inspiring and mentoring young students to choose science subjects can be developed. This approach would be particularly beneficial in countries such as Ghana, where: (i) documented impacts of outreach activities are lacking; and (ii) effective means to develop scientist-school educational partnerships are needed. We have established an outreach scheme, aimed at helping to improve interaction between scientists and pre-university students (and their teachers). Outreach activities are designed and implemented by undergraduate students and graduate teaching assistants, with support from faculty members and technical staff. Through this, we aim to build a team of trainee scientists and graduates who will become ambassadors of science in their future professional endeavors. Here, we describe an approach for assessing changes in junior high school students’ attitudes towards science following classroom neuroscience outreach activities. We show that while students tended to agree more with questions concerning their perceptions about science learning after the delivery of outreach activities, significant improvements were obtained for only two questions, namely “I enjoy science lessons” and “I want to be a scientist in the future.” Furthermore, there was a generally strong trend towards a change in attitude for questions that sought information about students’ perceptions about scientists (both positive and negative perceptions). In addition, outreach providers reported that their involvement in this public engagement scheme helped them acquire several transferable skills that will be beneficial in their studies and career development. These include vital skills in project and time management, teamwork and public speaking. Altogether, our findings provide novel indications that the development of scientist-school outreach partnerships in Ghana has valuable implications for science education and capacity development