13 research outputs found
Students' epistemological awareness concerning the distinction between science and technology
We have developed an approach for assessing students' understanding about the distinction between science and technology. The assessment approach focuses on a specific aspect of this distinction, namely the different goal pursued by each of the two domains. Based on this approach, we collected data from two sources; two written tests administered to 183 elementary, 132 middle school and 78 elementary education students and follow-up interviews with a sub-sample of the participants. The findings that have emerged from the data analysis indicate that students of all ages commonly fail to distinguish between the goals pursued by science and technology. They also suggest that students possess a vague notion of the two domains in that they tend to draw on a wide variety of criteria to distinguish between them in a non-systematic and inconsistent manner. Our data also suggest that age and education level do not seem to have a significant impact on the validity and systematicity of students' response patterns concerning the distinction between science and technology. The study concludes by reporting the various epistemological difficulties that seem to influence participants' attempts to differentiate and explore the interconnections between the two fields. Our assessment approach can be used in studies or educational interventions that seek to monitor student understandings about science and technology. The findings can be used to inform possible attempts for designing or modifying activity sequences that address this particular aspect of epistemological awareness
Middle school students using energy analysis in diverse phenomena
Teaching and learning about energy, especially in the elementary and middle school grades, constitutes a challenging topic that has received much attention within the science education research literature. Despite this, it is important to notice the lack of consensus on a range of relevant issues (e.g., whether - and how - to address the nature of energy as a scientific construct). In this study we briefly discuss the challenge inherent in introducing and elaborating energy in school science and the inadequacy of conventional teaching approaches in addressing this challenge effectively. Next, we outline the rationale underlying a novel teaching proposal and the corresponding curriculum materials. The remaining part of the paper presents a portion of the results of the analysis of preliminary data that have emerged during the implementation of the curriculum materials with a group of 28 students aged 12-14. These results demonstrate the potential of the curriculum materials to help students construct understanding about the transphenomenological, unifying nature of energy and also to develop the ability to employ energy for analyzing simple, unknown physical systems so as to derive qualitative accounts for system changes
Developing and validating a web-based learning environment for helping 6th grade students appreciate subjectivity and uncertainty in science
This study reports on the development and research validation of a web-based learning environment (LE) for helping students, ages 12-14, to appreciate uncertainty and subjectivity in science. The environment was implemented once and the research results are used for revising it to better address the learning objectives. Results in relation to students' understanding of subjectivity and possible emerging modifications of the LE are discussed. ISLS
CoReflect: Web-Based Inquiry Learning Environments on Socio-scientific Issues
This chapter describes the development of the web-based inquiry learning environments as part of CoReflect, a finalized 3-year EC project involving seven countries. In CoReflect, interactive web-based materials for data-driven inquiry using the web-based platform STOCHASMOS were developed. The learning environments (LEs) embrace the guided constructivist approach to learning and support collaborative and reflective work. Teachers were engaged in the design and implementation of the LEs so that a mechanism could be developed for subsequent scale-up within Europe. All LEs were implemented at least three times and in two different countries. The final versions are available from coreflect.org. This chapter focuses on experiences from the first two implementations and gives an overview of the implementations of four LEs, discussing findings and student outcomes. Results are related to earlier research on the use of socio-scientific issues in the teaching of science