Training of future STEAM teachers: Comparison between primary degree students and secondary master's degree students

In recent years, the presence of the acronym STEAM has been growing in the educational field. All around the world we are faced with a growing demand for professional STEM skills, however, who has the responsibility to train future STEAM teachers? In this article, we explain the results of an investigation with university students pursuing a degree in primary education and Master’s degree students in secondary education, with technology speciality, participating in a seminar about STEAM projects design in two consecutive academic calendar years (18/19 and 19/20). We analyse the responses to a questionnaire which was specifically designed to discover their knowledge about STEAM and the predisposition towards its extended study with a set of semi-structured interviews to delve into the causes of the responses. Previous knowledge about the meaning of STEM and the predisposition of pre-service teachers towards the future design of projects based on the STEAM disciplines are compared. The results show significant differences between the previous knowledge and the perceptions of the teachers from both specializations: primary and secondary level. The results also confirm the low levels of prior knowledge with a slight tendency towards improvement when two consecutive courses are compared. The findings emphasize the need to integrate STEAM teacher training into official curriculaPeer Reviewe

Apropant la perspectiva STEAM a docents de tecnologia en formació

La presència del terme STEM a la investigació educativa i als documents internacionals sobre educació científica és un fet contrastat. Aquesta realitat és coneguda pels docents de secundària en formació? Es mostra una intervenció didàctica realitzada amb futurs do-cents de tecnologia que evidència el seu desconeixement a priori sobre aquesta perspec-tiva i serveix per a dotar-los d'estratègies que els ajuden a dissenyar propostes didàcti-ques STEAM pròpies.The concept of STEM in educational research and international references on scientific education is a fact. Is this reality known by future secondary school teachers? We show a didactic intervention with initial training technology teachers that demonstrates their prior lack of knowledge about this perspective and provides them with strategies to design their own STEAM didactic proposals

The Comparison of Self-Perception of the Use of Learning Strategies in Spanish and Lithuanian Secondary Students When Learning Science

Improving students' learning strategies is important for them in order to learn successfully. This article compares the self-perception of the use of learning strategies in Spanish and Lithuanian secondary schools students when learning science and analyse the students understanding of these strategies to determine the sociocultural environment influence on this perception. Results emphasize the need to include support actions to improve the management of strategies in secondary school

Secondary students' Sensory preferences and their influence on science academic achievement

Evidence has been found that some students seem to have learning obstacles associated with particular sensory preferences when dealing with instructional materials. Therefore, knowing students' sensory preferences could help teachers improve instructional resources. Our objectives were: (1) to describe Secondary students' sensory preferences according to gender and age; (2) to analyse the possible association between students' sensory preferences and their general academic achievement in science. We conducted a synchronic, cross-sectional descriptive study in a sample of 582 male and female students from 7th to 11th grade using the VARK questionnaire. There was a significant predominance of sensory preferences containing the Kinesthetic mode, and the preferences containing the Visual mode were the least frequent. Girls or boys showed similar distributions of sensory preferences. Using linear regression to predict students' general academic achievement from VARK scores, we obtained a significant contribution of the Kinesthetic score, and a minor but still significant single contribution of the Reading/Writing score

«Expliquem l'Albufera»: transformar una salida de campo en un proyecto interdisciplinar

Se expone el proceso seguido por un equipo de docentes de secundaria con el objetivo de cambiar la metodología de trabajo en el aula mediante el diseño y aplicación de una secuencia de aprendizaje definida a partir del aprendizaje basado en retos que integre de manera interdisciplinar los contenidos de Biología y Geografía en segundo de la ESO. Mediante la reflexión didáctica compartida, organizada y continuada se transforma una salida de campo tradicional en un nuevo proyecto de trabajo que se desarrolla a lo largo de un trimestre completo. Los resultados muestran la nueva secuencia de actividades creada, la percepción de los estudiantes y familias y los beneficios en la implicación del alumnado. La conclusión pone de manifiesto el potencial transformador del trabajo en equipo del cuerpo docente

Escape room educativa: Concepción de los futuros maestros de Educación Secundaria en especialidad de Educación Física y Tecnología sobre la experiencia de diseñar y participar en una escape room educativa

En els últims anys ha incrementat l’interès per metodologies alternatives i innovadores que a poc a poc es van implementant a l’aula. D’entre aquestes metodologies, trobem la gamificació, amb un component lúdic i motivacional que paulatinament ha guanyat terreny en l’àmbit educatiu. Conscients d’això, en aquest article s’analitza la concepció dels futurs mestres d’Educació Secundària d’especialitat en Educació Física i Tecnologia sobre l’experiència de dissenyar i participar en una escape room educativa. Amb aquest objectiu, mostrem les propostes didàctiques desenvolupades en ambdues matèries i els resultats obtinguts d’un qüestionari realitzat amb Google Forms. Els resultats mostren com els estudiants valoren positivament l’experiència de participar i dissenyar una escape room a nivell educatiu i veuen viable la seva futura implementació a l’aula. Es mostra un exemple d’investigació-acció que permet concloure la necessitat de transformar la formació inicial docent a través d’estratègies com la gamificació i obrir línies d’investigació que apostin per escape rooms inter i transdisciplinars. In recent years there has been an increase in the interest in alternative and innovative methodologies that are gradually being implemented in the classrooms. Among these methodologies, we find gamification, with a ludic and motivational component that has gradually gained ground in the educational field. Aware of this, this article analyzes the conception of future teachers of Secondary Education specializing in Physical Education and Technology on the experience of designing and participating in an educational escape room. Due to this, the didactic proposals developed in both subjects and the results obtained from a questionnaire made with Google Forms are shown. The results show how the students positively value the experience of participating and design an escape room in education and see their future application in the classroom as viable. This is an example of action research that allows to conclude the need to transform the initial teacher training through strategies such as gamification and opens lines of research that bet on inter and transdisciplinary escape rooms.En los últimos años se ha incrementado el interés por metodologías alternativas e innovadoras que poco a poco se van implementando en las aulas. Dentro de estas metodologías encontramos la gamificación, con un componente lúdico y motivacional que paulatinamente ha ganado terreno en el ámbito educativo. Conscientes de ello, en el presente artículo se analiza la concepción de los futuros profesores de educación secundaria en especialidad de educación física y tecnología sobre la experiencia de diseñar y participar en una Escape Room educativa. Para ello se muestra las propuestas didácticas desarrolladas en ambas materias y los resultados obtenidos de un cuestionario realizado con Google Forms. Los resultados muestran como los estudiantes valoran positivamente la experiencia de participar y diseñar una Escape Room a nivel educativo y ven viable su futura aplicación en el aula.  Se muestra un ejemplo de investigación-acción que permite concluir la necesidad de transformar la formación inicial docente a través de estrategias como la gamificación y abrir líneas de investigación que apuesten por Escape Rooms inter y transdisciplinares

Adecuación de recursos instruccionales en ciencias a las preferencias sensoriales del alumnado: un estudio exploratorio en enseñanza secundaria

Se ha probado que el aprendizaje mejora cuando los materiales y métodos de enseñanza toman en consideración rasgos individuales diferenciales de cada estudiante. El modelo VARK se ha propuesto para dar cuenta de esas diferencias en lo que respecta a las preferencias o facilidades que cada alumno tiene para aprender a través de un canal sensorial u otro. El objetivo principal del presente trabajo fue determinar el grado de adecuación de los recursos instruccionales que se utilizan en ciencias a las preferencias sensoriales del alumnado de enseñanza secundaria. Learning has been proven to improve when teaching materials and methods take into account students' individual differential traits. The VARK model has been proposed to account for these differences in terms of the preferences or facilities that each student has to learn through one sensory channel or another. The main goal of the present study was to assess the degree of adequacy of science instructional resources to secondary students' sensory preferences

Influence on self-efficacy of the degree of authenticity of the inquiry carried out in two secondary school science projects

Las creencias sobre la propia capacidad para llevar a cabo con éxito una tarea concreta (autoeficacia) influyen en la implicación y la motivación hacia dicha tarea. En las últimas décadas se ha incrementado el foco de atención hacia estas creencias en el área de ciencias no sólo como uno de los predictores más consistentes del desempeño real del alumnado, sino por la existencia de desigualdades sistemáticas en la autoeficacia de chicos y chicas. Aunque el Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos (ABP) en el aula de ciencias posee diversas características que potencialmente pueden contribuir a la mejoría de la autoeficacia en ciencias del alumnado, las evidencias entre la relación de los elementos de diseño y la mejora de la autoeficacia en ciencias del alumnado han sido poco exploradas. Con la finalidad de ofrecer pautas para el diseño, la investigación que se presenta pretende explorar qué características de la indagación planteada en dos variaciones del proyecto “El congreso científico” pueden promover la mejora en la autoeficacia en las ciencias de los y las estudiantes de 14-15 años participantes en dos centros de secundaria (A y B). Se diseñó un cuestionario que respondieron 60 estudiantes antes y después de su participación en el proyecto (10 chicos y 16 chicas en el Centro A y 23 chicos y 11 chicas en el Centro B). Los resultados muestran que estrategias de indagación que otorgan diferentes grados de autenticidad en la indagación científica escolar no derivan necesariamente en un aumento de la autoeficacia en ciencias a corto plazo. En el artículo se discute la necesidad de incluir otras estrategias complementarias para garantizar que tanto chicas como chicos pueden tener experiencias de indagación científica con éxito real.Beliefs about one's ability to successfully carry out a specific task (self-efficacy) influence involvement and motivation towards that task. In recent decades, the focus of attention on these beliefs has increased in the area of science education, not only as one of the most consistent predictors of students’ real performance, but because of the existence of systematic inequalities regarding boys’ and girls’ self-efficacy. Although various characteristics of Project Based Learning (PBL) can potentially contribute to the improvement of students’ selfefficacy, the evidence on the relationship between the elements of design and the improvement of students’ selfefficacy in school science has been little explored. To offer design guidelines, the research presented aims at exploring which characteristics of the inquiry carried out in two variations of “The scientific congress” project can lead to an improvement in self-efficacy of 14-15-year-old participating students in two secondary schools (A and B). A questionnaire was designed and answered by 60 students before and after their participation in the project (10 boys and 16 girls from School A, and 23 boys and 11 girls from School B). Results show that research strategies with different degrees of authenticity in scientific inquiry in school do not necessarily lead to an improvement in science self-efficacy of students in the short term. The article discusses the need to include other complementary strategies to guarantee that both girls and boys can successfully participate in real scientific research experiences

Inter-relations among motivation, self-perceived use of strategies and academic achievement in science: a study with spanish secondary school students

The relationship between motivation and the use of learning strategies is a focus of research in order to improve students' learning. Meaningful learning requires a learner's personal commitment to put forth the required effort needed to acquire new knowledge. This commitment involves emotional as well as cognitive and metacognitive factors, and requires the ability to manage different resources at hand, in order to achieve the proposed learning goals. The main objectives in the present study were to analyse: (a) Spanish secondary school students' motivation and self-perception of using strategies when learning science; (b) the nature of the relationship between motivation and perceived use of learning strategies; (c) the influence of different motivational, cognitive, metacognitive and management strategies on students' science achievement. The Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was administered to 364 middle and high-school students in grades 7-11. For each participant, the academic achievement was provided by the respective science teacher. The results obtained from the Pearson product-moment correlations between the study variables and a stepwise regression analysis suggested that: (1) motivation, cognitive and metacognitive, and resource management strategies, have a significant influence on students' science achievement; (2) students' motivation acts as a kind of enabling factor for the intellectual effort, which is assessed by the self-perceived use of learning strategies in science; and, (3) motivational components have a greater impact on students' performance in science than cognitive and metacognitive strategies, with self-efficacy being the variable with the trongest influence. These results suggest a reflexion about the limited impact on science achievement of the self-perceived use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and highlight the importance of students' self-efficacy in science, in line with previous studies