Influences on the science teaching self efficacy beliefs of Australian primary school teachers

The science teaching self-efficacy beliefs of primary school teachers are influential on teaching practice. The purpose of this research was to determine if informal education institutions, such as science centres, could provide professional development that influenced the self-efficacy of pre-service and in-service primary school teachers, and to what extent this was influenced by their science background, years of teaching experience and external, environmental factors. Participants were also asked if places such as science centres had a role to play with, and for, teachers. A cohort of eight final year pre-service teachers and 13 in-service teachers (six from one New South Wales (NSW) school and seven from one Australian Capital Territory (ACT) school) completed a series of four one-hour workshops and were surveyed immediately before, immediately after, four months after and 11 months after the workshops. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were used in the data collection. The results of this research showed that four hours of science centre produced, professional development workshops were capable of increasing the science teaching self-efficacy of all but three participants, with observable results for at least 11 months after the completion of the workshops. The ACT in-service cohort showed the greatest overall gains in self-efficacy. The pre-service cohort showed greatest gains in confidence in, and enjoyment of, science teaching. The school environment of the in- service participant cohorts was a major determining factor of how their increased self- efficacy influenced their teaching practice, with positive and negative consequences. This thesis clearly demonstrated that the science education experienced by teachers in this study was highly influential in their own development of perceptions and beliefs about science that they, in turn, take to the classroom. This was just as applicable to newly graduated teachers as it was to those who have been teaching for over 20 years. Participants identified a role for science centres as a source of inspiration, support and training for teachers in order to help them teach science more effectively. This project showed that the informal education sector could enact positive reforms within science education, but only if the context in which teachers must operate is taken into account and reform efforts adapted accordingly. The informal science education sector could be the key to achieving long lasting reform in science education where other, formal measures have failed

Science teaching self-efficacy of culturally foreign teachers: A baseline study in Abu Dhabi

The research presented describes an exploratory study examining the science teaching efficacy beliefs of culturally foreign teachers in Abu Dhabi\u27s primary schools, private and public. A standardized teacher self-efficacy instrument (STEBI A) specific to science education was used to collect data on teachers\u27 perceptions of their strengths and weaknesses in the area of science education. Results showed a much lower sense of self-efficacy in comparison to other studies elsewhere in the world, and indicate cultural adaptation - both personal and professional - may influence teaching efficacy of beginning and experienced teachers. Self-efficacy of teachers working within a culturally different environment is an underexplored field and is worthy of future research. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Perceptions of barriers to career progression for academic women in stem

Gender equity in academia is a long-standing struggle. Although common to all disciplines, the impacts of bias and stereotypes are particularly pronounced in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This paper explores what barriers exist for the career progression of women in academia in STEM disciplines in order to identify key issues and potential solutions. In particular, we were interested in how women perceive the barriers affecting their careers in comparison to their male colleagues. Fourteen focus groups with female-identifying academics showed that there were core barriers to career progression, which spanned countries, disciplines and career stages. Entrenched biases, stereotypes, double standards, bullying and harassment all nega-tively impact women’s confidence and sense of belonging. Women also face an additional biological burden, often being pushed to choose between having children or a career. Participants felt that their experiences as STEM academics were noticeably different to those of their male colleagues, where many of the commonly occurring barriers for women were simply non-issues for men. The results of this study indicate that some of these barriers can be overcome through networks, mentoring and allies. Addressing these barriers requires a reshaping of the gendered norms that currently limit progress to equity and inclusion

Vaccination communication strategies: What have we learned, and lost, in 200 years?

This study compares Australian government vaccination campaigns from two very different time periods, the early nineteenth century (1803-24) and the early twenty-first (2016). It explores the modes of rhetoric and frames that government officials used in each period to encourage parents to vaccinate their children. The analysis shows that modern campaigns rely primarily on scientific fact, whereas 200 years ago personal stories and emotional appeals were more common. We argue that a return to the old ways may be needed to address vaccine hesitancy around the worl

Challenges of communicating science: Perspectives from the Philippines

Science communication research is dominated by Western countries. While their research provides insight into best practices, their findings cannot be generalized to developing countries. This study examined the science communication challenges encountered by scientists and science communicators from Manila, Philippines through an online survey and semi-structured, investigative interviews. Their answers revealed issues which have been echoed in other international studies. However, challenges of accessibility and local attitudes to science were magnified within the Philippine context. These results indicate the ubiquity of certain challenges in science communication and the need for country-specific science communication frameworks. Further research on the identified challenges is needed on a local and global scale

One size does not fit all: gender implications for the design of outcomes, evaluation and assessment of science communication programs

As science communication programs grow worldwide, effective evaluation and assessment metrics lag. While there is no consensus on evaluation protocols specifically for science communication training, there is agreement on elements of effective training: listening, empathy, and knowing your audience - core tenets of improvisation. We designed an evaluation protocol, tested over three years, based on validated and newly developed scales for an improvisation-based communication training at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Initial results suggest that 'knowing your audience' should apply to training providers as they design and evaluate their curriculum, and gender may be a key influence on outcomes

Research on media framing of public policies to prevent chronic disease: A narrative synthesis

Media coverage plays a key role in shaping public and political attitudes towards policy interventions to improve health. We reviewed studies of news media to identify the arguments used to frame policies that address risk factors for chronic disease, and the impact of different arguments on attitudes to policy. Drawing on a previous scoping review, we identified a subsample of 49 studies of media framing of policies to address risk factors for lifestyle-related chronic disease for further analysis. We extracted and synthesised data to explore key themes. Of the limited research that has been undertaken, most studies have focused on tobacco policy, followed by alcohol, with a small number of studies of food and beverage policies. Studies have primarily used content analysis. Our synthesis demonstrated that advocates and opponents draw on five frames: health, social, economic, practical and ideological. Only a small number of studies have examined the impact of framing on public attitudes towards policy interventions, although such studies have tended to focus on the impact of how problems, rather than solutions (i.e. policies) are framed. Media research is crucial to understanding the complex ways in which attitudes towards policy interventions shape, and are shaped by, public discourses and can provide public health advocates with insights into strategies to successfully position policy arguments. This review highlights key insights and gaps in the hope that this will stimulate further research that will enhance public health advocates' abilities to promote effective public health policy.The work was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) through its Partnership Centre grant scheme (grant GNT9100001). NSW Health, ACT Health, the Australian Government Department of Health, the Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia and the HCF Research Foundation have contributed funds to support this work as part of the NHMRC Partnership Centre grant schem

Pop culture influences on tertiary physics enrolments

Popular culture offers a variety of opportunities and avenues for potential tertiary students to become engaged in physics. These include programs such as “The Big Bang Theory”, or “The Wonders of the Universe with Brian Cox”, personalities such as “Dr Karl”, video games such as “Portal” and web comics such as “xkcd”. These pop culture products are generally not aimed at boosting tertiary enrolment but at entertainment, while still conveying some strong physics concepts and processes. There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that some individuals have enrolled in tertiary science degrees because of pop culture influences, and some historical increases in science enrolments have been linked to popular culture (notably the boom in university forensic science courses in the early 2000s, precipitated by popular crime television programs). But the reach and strength of pop culture’s influence on science enrolments has not been systematically studied, particularly with respect to physics. The aim of this project was to examine the influence of popular culture on secondary students’ ambitions to enrol in tertiary physics. We surveyed secondary school students in NSW about what influences their subject choices. The survey considered pop culture influences such as television programs, video games, web comics, and more. This project will share some preliminary results, and discuss the potential for capitalising on popular culture to encourage further enrolments in tertiary science