22 research outputs found
Science Education in the 21st Century: Challenges and Concerns
The issue consists of six papers. In all the six studies there has been done an effort to find out what should be the best ways to motivate students to study science, and to gain inquiry skills. Some studies (e.g. Fraser, 1982) revealed a positive correlation and a causal relationship between achievement in science and attitude constructs, whereas others revealed no clear (or negative) relationship between attitudes towards learning science and achievement (Osborne & Dillon, 2008). International studies have shown that students’ attitudes towards scientific disciplines depend on the extent of their active participation in the learning process.
The main topics of the six studies of this issue are: (1) The link between formal and non-formal learning in science education, (2) students’ linguistic heterogeneity in science, (3) poster exhibition as an effective means of support for teachers to introduce contemporary chemistry topics to high school students, (4) argumentation in the chemistry laboratory, (5) chemistry, industry, and the environment in the eyes of the individual and society, and (6) the inclusion of students with special needs in science classes teaching them inquiry-based activities. All the papers deal with studies which have the similar objectives: How can we involve as many students as possible in science studies? How can we bridge the gap between formal and non-formal education? How can create a productive and encouraging learning environment
The laboratory in science education: the state of the art
Abstract: For more than a century, laboratory experiences have been purported to promote central science education goals including the enhancement of students' understanding of concepts in science and its applications; scientific practical skills and problem solving abilities; scientific 'habits of mind'; understanding of how science and scientists work; interest and motivation. Now at the beginning of the 21 st century it looks as if the issue regarding learning in and from the science laboratory and the laboratory in the context of teaching and learning chemistry is still relevant regarding research issues as well as developmental and implementation issues. This special CERP issue is an attempt to provide up-to-date reports from several countries around the world. [Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2007, 8 (2), 105-107
The Characteristics of Open-Ended Inquiry-Type Chemistry Experiments that Enable Argumentative Discourse
One of the key goals of science education is to provide students with the ability to construct arguments -Â reasoning and thinking critically in a scientific context. Over the years, many studies have been conducted on constructing arguments in science teaching, but only a few of them have dealt with studying argumentation in the science laboratory in general and in the chemistry laboratory in particular. Our research focuses on the process in which students construct arguments in the chemistry laboratory while conducting different types of inquiry experiments. The experiments that were assessed for their argumentation level differed in their level of complexity. It was found that the more complex experiments served as a better platform for developing arguments as well as regarding their relative numbers. Moreover, we identified a number of characteristics during the discourse that serve as a catalyst for raising arguments: asking questions and unexpected results obtained in the experiments
International study of seventh grade students' understandings of scientific inquiry : the cases of Israel and South Africa
Although understanding of scientific inquiry (SI) is included in science education reform documents around the world, virtually nothing is known about middle school students' understandings of scientific inquiry. This is partially due to the lack of any valid assessment tool. However, a valid and reliable assessment has recently been developed and published. The Views About Scientific Inquiry [VASI]) (Lederman et. al., 2014). The purpose of this international project was to acquire the first baseline data on what middle school students know. In many countries, science is not formally taught until middle school, which is the rationale for choosing seventh grade students for this investigation
Understandings of scientific inquiry: an international collaborative investigation of seventh grade students
Although understandings of scientific inquiry (as opposed to conducting inquiry) is included in science
education reform documents around the world, little is known about what students have learned about inquiry
during their primary school years. This is partially due to the lack of any assessment instrument to measure
understandings about scientific inquiry. However, a valid and reliable assessment has recently been developed
and published, Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI) (Lederman J. et. al., 2014). The purpose of this large
scale (i.e., 19 countries spanning six continents and including 2,960 students) international project was to get
the first baseline data on what grade students have learned. The participating countries were: Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Nigeria, South
Africa, Spain, Sweden, United States, Taiwan, and Turkey. In many countries, science is not formally taught
until middle school, which is the rationale for choosing seventh grade students for this investigation. This
baseline data will simultaneously provide information on what, if anything, students learn about inquiry in
primary school, as well as their beginning knowledge as they enter secondary school
Edge states in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of massive magnetic skyrmions
We study the collective dynamics of a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice of
magnetic skyrmions. By performing large-scale micromagnetic simulations, we
find multiple chiral and non-chiral edge modes of skyrmion oscillations in the
lattice. The non-chiral edge states are due to the Tamm-Shockley mechanism,
while the chiral ones are topologically protected against structure defects and
hold different handednesses depending on the mode frequency. To interpret the
emerging multiband nature of the chiral edge states, we generalize the massless
Thiele's equation by including a second-order inertial term of skyrmion mass as
well as a third-order non-Newtonian gyroscopic term, which allows us to model
the band structure of skrymion oscillations. Theoretical results compare well
with numerical simulations. Our findings uncover the importance of high order
effects in strongly coupled skyrmions and are helpful for designing novel
topological devices.Comment: 6 pages,4 figures,accepted by Physical Review B as a Rapid
Communicatio
Learning science through a historical approach
Diversos estudis han demostrat que un elevat percentatge d’estudiants, sigui a secundària o fins i tot a la universitat, té visions positivistes sobre la naturalesa i la manera en què es duen a terme les investigacions científiques. El mòdul «Ciència: una entitat en desenvolupament» pretén desenvolupar una comprensió de la naturalesa de la ciència utilitzant exemples històrics, relacionats amb l’evolució de l’estructura de la matèria, i tractant aspectes de la ciència, la tecnologia i la societat.paraules clau: Naturalesa de la ciència, enfocament històric, aspectes de la ciència, tecnologia i societat.Various studies have shown that a high percentage of students, whether at high school or even at college level, hold positivistic views about nature and the ways scientific investigations are carried out. The module «Science: an ever-developing entity» intends to develop an understanding of the nature of science by using historical examples, related to developments of the structure of matter and dealing with aspects of science, technology and society.keywords: Nature of science, historical approach, aspects of science, technology and society
Learning science through a historical approach
Diversos estudis han demostrat que un elevat percentatge d'estudiants, sigui a secundĂ ria o fins i tot a la
universitat, té visions positivistes sobre la naturalesa i la manera en què es duen a terme les investigacions
cientĂfiques. El mòdul «Ciència: una entitat en desenvolupament» pretĂ©n desenvolupar una comprensiĂł de la
naturalesa de la ciència utilitzant exemples històrics, relacionats amb l'evolució de l'estructura de la matèria,
i tractant aspectes de la ciència, la tecnologia i la societat.Various studies have shown that a high percentage of students, whether at high school or even at college level,
hold positivistic views about nature and the ways scientific investigations are carried out. The module «Science: an
ever-developing entity» intends to develop an understanding of the nature of science by using historical examples,
related to developments of the structure of matter and dealing with aspects of science, technology and society
The rise and fall of the phlogiston theory: a tool to explain the use of models in science education
The phlogiston theory was established around 1700 and lasted for about one hundred years. According to the Phlogiston Theory, phlogiston is released during heating processes, and the remaining material becomes lighter. The demise of this theory started with Lavoisier’s new insights into the phenomena of chemical reactions in general and combustion in particular, as well as about the composition of air. The rise and fall of the Phlogiston theory is a good example to the process of the replacement of one theory by another, due to new facts and new discoveries. In addition, it stresses the advantages and limitations of scientific models and theories, as well as the nature of science. A brief program, planned for two lessons, was developed around the Phlogiston Theory, in the framework of teaching and learning the “Science: An Ever-Developing Entity” program. Semi-structured interviews with teachers and students were conducted after the completion of the Phlogiston topic. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the brief program, reached its goals. The students, who studied the program, learned more about the scientists – their curiosity and their boldness, as well as about the scientific endeavor, consisting of discoveries, models and theories