Development of grade 10 students’ scientific argumentation through the science-technology-society learning unit on work and energy

This study aims to examine the effect of Science-Technology-Society (STS) learning unit on the Work and Energy topic in developing grade 10 students’ scientific argumentation. The research participants were 20 grade 10 students at one secondary school located in Khon Kaen province, the Northeastern region of Thailand. The students’ tasks, discourse and informal interview were collected and interpreted according to the Toulmin’s Argument Pattern (TAP) framework. The findings revealed that the STS learning unit on Work and Energy could promote the participating students’ scientific argumentation. That is, the students could generate more quality and effective scientific argumentation according to the TAP framework. There was a high number of quality scientific argumentation regarding Warrants, Qualifiers and Backing especially in the Decision Making and Socialization stages of STS approach. Also, the students normally applied their scientific understanding in creating their Grounds. The implication of this study are designing the appropriate STS workshop for training in-service science teachers to be able to understand about the STS approach and how to apply the STS approach in helping their students develop scientific argumentationPeer Reviewe

Comparison of Metacognitive Orientation between Thai Urban and Rural Physics Classrooms

The concept of metacognition which refers to the knowledge of an individual's control and awareness of their learning processes can be used to build Thai students’ higher-thinking skills. This research aimed to describe the metacognitive orientation of the teaching and learning environment in Thai physics classrooms between urban and rural schools. It looks at situations that support the development of metacognition among the students in the classroom. The target group of the research is Grade 10 students in two urban and two rural schools in Khon Kaen Province. This research uses both quantitative and qualitative method. The MOLES-S instrument (Thomas, 2003) for evaluating students’ metacognition is used to show how the learning environment in the physics classroom is able to support students’ metacognition in the Thai context. This instrument is based on sociocultural view of learning which impact on the process of students’ thinking, for instance, the interaction of teachers, students, and the classroom environment have important impact on students’ thinking. The MOLES-S survey showed that the students in Thai Physics classrooms lack in metacognition. The implication of this is that students in both the urban and rural schools need to develop metacognition orientation in their physics classrooms to enhance their learning and achievement. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s1p19

Development of Grade 10 Students’ Scientific Argumentation through the Science-Technology-Society Learning Unit on Work and Energy

This study aims to examine the effect of Science-Technology-Society (STS) learning unit on the Work and Energy topic in developing grade 10 students’ scientific argumentation. The research participants were 20 grade 10 students at one secondary school located in Khon Kaen province, the Northeastern region of Thailand. The students’ tasks, discourse and informal interview were collected and interpreted according to the Toulmin’s Argument Pattern (TAP) framework. The findings revealed that the STS learning unit on Work and Energy could promote the participating students’ scientific argumentation. That is, the students could generate more quality and effective scientific argumentation according to the TAP framework. There was a high number of quality scientific argumentation regarding Warrants, Qualifiers and Backing especially in the Decision Making and Socialization stages of STS approach. Also, the students normally applied their scientific understanding in creating their Grounds. The implication of this study in designing the appropriate STS workshop for training in-service science teachers to be able to understand about the STS approach and how to apply the STS approach in helping their students develop scientific argumentation