Impact of school gardens on student attitudes and beliefs

Current research on school gardens implies positive changes in student attitudes, however most of this research is focused on how students change their dietary behavior during short-term studies. This study provides baseline data for a long-term survey of student attitudes toward gardening, peer relationships, and students\u27 science efficacy. The population for this study was sixth to ninth grade students at Gifft Hill School, St. John, USVI. This school is participating in a five year school garden implementation program associated with the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. While the population is limited (N= 40), the implications of a long-term school garden program for middle school students could add significant data to the research available for student attitudes toward school gardens and the impact gardens have on science achievement. The participants in this study were confident in their ability to complete the science tasks presented in each grades respective science class. Students were also able to recognize the importance of maintaining plant health in the school garden. New students and returning students differed in the degree to which they believe they had the ability to grow and maintain a garden as adults; however they appear to be developing positive attitudes toward consuming fruits and vegetables from their school garden. The baseline data presented in this study will be used for comparison of future student responses to aid Gifft Hill School and Iowa State University with the implementation of this school garden program

Innovation in Teacher Education:Collective Creativity in the Development of a Teacher Education Internship

This article reports on research into the development of a teacher education internship scheme at Oxford University from 1973 to 1987. Based on an analysis of an archive of documents and interviews with key protagonists, the paper uses insights from cultural-historical theory to show how the scheme emerged interactively within a multi-layered social system. The article makes a contribution to the history of teacher education and how we theorise change in the field by providing an empirical description and analysis of one highly influential programme internationally and using the tools of CHAT to theorise innovation

Teacher questions, wait time, and student output in classroom interaction in EMI science classes: An interdisciplinary view

Past research has often shown a lack of student output in English medium instruction (EMI) classes (e.g., An et al., 2021; Lo & Macaro, 2012) and this study seeks to identify possible reasons. Guided by literature on wait time (Rowe, 1986) and teacher higher-order thinking questions (Chin, 2007), this study explores whether these two pedagogical moves have the same impact on classroom interaction in EMI science classes. 30 EMI science lessons were recorded from seven EMI high school programs in China, taught by 15 native speakers of English to homogenous groups of Chinese students. Correlation tests showed that when there was more wait time after a teacher question, the students produced lengthier responses with more linguistic complexity, took up more talk time, and asked more questions. However, greater use of teacher higher-order thinking questions, coded by Chin’s (2007) framework of constructivist questions, did not correlate with any student output measures. This suggests that wait time may be a more effective factor leading to more student output in EMI classes than asking higher-order thinking questions. Qualitative analysis showed teachers’ follow-up moves may have also played a role in the limited success of higher-order thinking questions

High School Teachers' Experiences of Consumer Technologies for Stress Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Stress in education is an adverse reaction that teachers have to excessive pressures or other types of demands placed on them. Consumer digital technologies are already being used by teachers for stress management, albeit not in a systematic way. Understanding teachers' experiences and the long-term use of technologies to support stress self-management in the educational context is essential for meaningful insight into the value, opportunity, and benefits of use. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was first to understand teachers' experiences of consumer technologies for stress management. They were chosen by teachers from a taxonomy tailored to their stress management. The second aim was to explore whether their experiences of use evolved over time as teachers transitioned from working at home during lockdown to working full time on school premises. METHODS: A longitudinal study intended for 6 weeks in the summer term (2020) was extended because of COVID-19 into the autumn term, lasting up to 27 weeks. Teachers chose to use a Withings smartwatch or the Wysa, Daylio, or Teacher Tapp apps. In total, 2 semistructured interviews and web-based surveys were conducted with 8 teachers in South London in the summer term, and 6 (75%) of them took part in a third interview in the autumn term. The interviews were analyzed by creating case studies and conducting cross-case analysis. RESULTS: The teachers described that the data captured or shared by the technology powerfully illustrated the physical and psychosocial toll of their work. This insight gave teachers permission to destress and self-care. The social-emotional confidence generated also led to empathy toward colleagues, and a virtuous cycle of knowledge, self-compassion, permission, and stress management action was demonstrated. Although the COVID-19 pandemic added a new source of stress, it also meant that teachers' stress management experiences could be contrasted between working from home and then back in school. More intentional self-care was demonstrated when back in school, sometimes without the need to refer to the data or technology. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate that taking a situated approach to understand the real-world, existential significance and value of data generates contextually informed insights. Where a strategic personal choice of consumer technology is enabled for high school heads of year, the data generated are perceived as holistic, with personal and professional salience, and are motivational in the educational context. Technology adoption was aided by the pandemic conditions of home working, and this flexibility would otherwise need workplace facilitation. These findings add to the value proposition of technologies for individual stress management and workforce health outcomes pertinent to educators, policy makers, and designers

Teachers' perceptions of Brandon's Matrix as a framework for the teaching and assessment of scientific methods in school science

This article utilizes a framework for classifying different scientific methods suggested by a philosopher of science (Brandon Synthese, 99, 59–73, 1994) called Brandon’s Matrix. It presents findings from teachers who took part in a funded project in England that looked at the nature of scientific methods in science investigations. Science investigations are an integral aspect of science education and, as such, are often included in high stakes examinations. Therefore, teachers need to have a good understanding of a range of scientific methods and their purposes in science investigations. The framework was used to ask teachers to classify science investigations based on how they teach them. It was also employed to devise assessments to measure students’ understanding of scientific methods. The teachers were introduced to the new approaches and their perceptions were gathered to understand if they supported this as a framework for their classroom practice. Evidence from the study suggested that Brandon’s Matrix appealed to teachers as a framework for practical science in schools, and they see potential benefits for its use in the teaching, learning, and assessment of science. Findings from the study showed it appealed to the teachers as a tool for classifying scientific methods, and how they also recognized the importance of assessing practical work and had an appreciation of the constraints and drivers in the current curriculum and assessment requirements in England. Implications for teachers’ professional development are discussed

The use of the Internet in science teaching: a longitudinal study of developments in use by student teachers in England

This paper reports on a longitudinal study of developments in use of the Internet by science student teachers on Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) courses in five higher education institution – schools partnerships in England. These are one year, full time, teacher training courses for graduate scientists. The aim of the research was to examine changes in attitudes to, and use of, the Internet to support science teaching and the perceived challenges and barriers to practice in schools, against a background of high national expectations reflected in the qualification standards of the teacher education courses. The research has involved nearly 600 student teachers, representing between 7% and 8% of those training on PGCE science courses in England, and has employed mixed methods, with questionnaires serving as the main basis for analysing trends, and focus groups and case studies used to gain deeper insight to the particular issues identified. The process has been an iterative one, with the outcomes of each year's research being used to inform further research and course developments in the institutions involved. The findings indicate that attitudes and confidence in use of the Internet have improved over the period, with evidence of increased application directly in the classroom. However, in addition to some of the generic technological issues that may hinder developments in the use of ICT, there are continuing concerns relating to limited pedagogical guidance and availability of good role models. The implications of this for developments in science teacher education programmes are discussed

Science teachers in northern Scotland : their perceptions of opportunities for effective professional learning

This research investigates the perceptions of a group of secondary science teachers (26) from six schools in a remote part of northern Scotland of the opportunities afforded to them for effective professional learning. Focus groups of science teachers were conducted, and the findings identified a number of key areas they perceived as effective professional learning, including the availability of a wide range of opportunities for professional learning from a number of providers, the professional learning in their own schools and collaboration with colleagues. However, they also identified a number of key barriers including their remote location from the Central Belt of Scotland, which they perceived to be the key source of effective professional learning in Scotland. They also identified lack of time, workload and initiative overload as key barriers. Finally, implications for further research are explored

Formative interventions and practice-development: A methodological perspective on teacher rounds

Highlights • We examine Rounds in education from a methodological perspective. • In doing so, we class Rounds as a formative intervention and compare it to another means of formative intervention—Developmental Work Research. • We raise three methodological issues about both types of formative intervention: the role of theory; the relationship between the individual and the collective; and the meaning of collaboration

Regulatory Fit, Processing Fluency, and Narrative Persuasion

For millennia, people have used narratives to inform and persuade. However, little social psychological research addresses how and when narrative persuasion occurs, perhaps because narratives are complex stimuli that are difficult to vary without significantly changing the plot or characters. Existing research suggests that regulatory fit and/or processing fluency can be varied easily and in ways completely exterior to narrative content but that nonetheless affect how much narratives engage, transport, and persuade. We review research on narrative transportation and persuasion and then discuss regulatory fit and its relationship to processing fluency. Afterward, we discuss how regulatory fit and processing fluency may affect psychological engagement, transportation, and persuasion via narratives