Indigenous student success in science

Declining interest and engagement in science and science-related courses and careers has been well documented and widely noted across Australia and similar highly developed countries. For Australia to successfully navigate the transition from a mostly resource-dependant economy to one that is knowledge-based and competitive, every effort needs to be made to help all students engage in science at the secondary and tertiary level. For a variety of historical and social reasons, Indigenous Australians, while expert in traditional ecological knowledge, are arguably vulnerable with regard to school science, reflected by longstanding lower achievement in science compared to their nonIndigenous peers..

Outcomes of a chemistry content professional learning session: Teachers' perspectives

The national curriculum for chemistry includes topics that have not previously been taught at secondary level. In response to requests for teacher professional learning (PL) covering these topics, a course called 'Divide and Analyse' was developed. Investigations into the PL needs of chemistry teachers were carried out in conjunction with the pilot session. Pre- and post-PL survey responses and focus group discussions provided a wealth of information about the needs of chemistry teachers and how university chemists can support them. Three themes of support for chemistry teaching were identified: resources for chemistry teaching, content PL for chemistry teachers and enrichment excursions/incursions for school students. Teachers explained that this type of support may contribute to making the study of chemistry more interesting and relevant for their students. A partnership between chemistry teachers and university chemists can facilitate the provision of the identified support for chemistry teaching. It was concluded that a community of practice partnership had developed from the Divide and Analyse PL. A model that brings together the major findings of the study is proposed

Chemistry teacher content knowledge professional development through partnership

Background In 2015 the national curriculum for senior secondary chemistry commenced implementation in Western Australia. The Science Outreach office of Murdoch University was approached by a number of chemistry teachers in the local area enquiring about professional development (PD) in particular content areas of the new curriculum that have not previously been taught. The name given to the PD session, Divide and Analyse, reflected the new curriculum topics requested by teachers: mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and chromatography. Aims The main aim of the study was to obtain information on the professional development needs of chemistry teachers, and teachers’ perspectives on how ongoing education and support could be provided by the chemistry discipline at Murdoch University. In addition, the PD activities provided on the day were evaluated. Description of intervention Three 45 minute vignettes, one on each of the subject areas, were developed and small groups (6-7) of chemistry teachers rotated through the sessions over the course of the PD day. Common features of the vignettes were, presentation of chemistry theory underpinning each topic, contextual examples and applications of each analytical technique, and links to resources that may have been helpful for development of teaching materials. Design and methods Teachers participating in the PD completed pre and post survey questions about their reasons for attending, confidence in chemistry teaching, previous professional development experiences and their impressions of the Divide and Analyse PD. Focus group interviews of one hour duration were conducted after the PD activities to gather information about the ongoing professional development needs of chemistry teachers. Audio recordings of the focus groups were transcribed and analysed for themes. Results Analysis of survey responses and focus group transcripts gave a clear picture of available support and professional development opportunities for chemistry teachers, as well as information about what they need and how their needs might best be met. One area of the PD activities where teachers would have liked more focus related to practical examples that they might implement in their classrooms. The main themes emerging related to: teachers’ desire to refresh their chemistry knowledge, accessibility of new curriculum content, and improving teaching through storytelling/contextualisation and partnership with the University. Conclusions Divide and Analyse was a successful pilot chemistry teacher content knowledge PD that is being translated to an annual offering. Changes are being made based on the results, with the inclusion of more content that teachers can implement in their classrooms being considered for future PD sessions. Feedback from teachers indicated another area of the new curriculum where content knowledge PD would be helpful. A second session called Amino Acids, Peptides and Protein Structure was developed in response to this. The developing partnership with chemistry teachers has resulted in some of the participants returning to campus with groups of their students for a modified version of Divide and Analyse

Inquiry, engagement, and literacy in science: a retrospective, cross-national analysis of PISA 2006

In this study, we examine patterns of students’ literacy and engagement in science associated with different levels of ‘inquiry-oriented’ learning reported by students in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. To achieve this we analysed data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) which had science as its focus. Consistently, our findings show that science students who report experiencing low levels of inquiry-oriented learning activities are found to have above average levels of science literacy, but below average levels of interest in science, and below average levels on six variables that reflect students’ engagement in science. Our findings show that the corollary is also true. Across the three countries, students who report high levels of inquiry-oriented learning activities in science are observed to have below average levels of science literacy, but above average levels of interest in learning science, and above average engagement in science. These findings appear to run counter to science education orthodoxy that the more students experience inquiry-oriented teaching and learning, the more likely they are to have stronger science literacy, as well as more positive affect towards science. We discuss the implications of these findings for science educators and researchers

Sustainable energy education: addressing the needs of students and industry in Australia

A survey has been carried out of graduates and employers working in the sustainable energy (SE) industry in Australia. The aims were to identify the key areas of content to be included in University level SE training and the type of degree structures that are most appropriate for SE professionals. Attention was also directed to the mode of instruction (online, blended or face-to-face) and the role of work-integrated learning (WIL). This paper presents the results of the survey, which provide guidance to Universities seeking to develop new, or revise existing, SE education offerings. The results of the survey clearly indicate that responding students and employers prefer a generalist degree in engineering, with a stream in sustainable energy as the initial qualification for professionals in this field. Specialist degrees at postgraduate level were also considered appropriate for continuing professional education (CPE). Both graduates and employers agreed on key areas to be included in the SE courses. These key areas are generic skills (research methods, team work, report writing), generation technologies (especially PV, wind and biomass), and enablers (such as economics, policy and project management). The graduates, many of whom came from overseas countries, generally agreed about the course content and its relevance to employment in their countries. Face-to-face or blended learning was preferred by both groups as the mode of instruction for the first degree. Online learning was considered a valuable adjunct in the undergraduate course and more suitable for CPE in postgraduate courses. WIL and more practical work were considered important, especially in the first degree. There was some disagreement about the appropriate length of work placements, with graduates preferring 6–8 weeks and employers 10–12 weeks. This work should provide a basis for further course development and curriculum reform for sustainable energy education

Female senior secondary physics students’ engagement in science: a qualitative study of constructive influences

Background: Prompted by fewer females compared to males enrolling in physics and advanced mathematics at both secondary and university levels, our research investigated the views and experiences of female students currently studying upper secondary school physics. We interviewed 18 female students about influences they considered important to their own science education, interest in science, and future science-related aspirations. Our purpose was to identify the experiences that these students most strongly associated with the generation and maintenance of their engagement in science, particularly represented in this research by their enrolment in upper secondary physics. Results: The research team used a systematic, iterative process to identify the main themes in the transcribed interview data. We identified the influence each girl reported as the strongest (ranked first). We also combined all influences that the participants had nominated, regardless of their ranking, to further examine all factors participants suggested as influential in their sustained engagement in school science (represented by their decision to study upper secondary physics). Systematic analysis of the interview data confirms that the influences on these females’ choices to study physics at upper secondary originate from a combination of their teachers, their school’s science culture, members of their family, the participants themselves and their peers. Conclusions: The interviews highlighted the idiographic complexities in understanding the wide range of important influences on these students studying physics at upper secondary school and their engagement in science. The unique contribution of this work is giving voice to the participants and reflecting on what these high achieving females have to say about the influential factors in their decisions to pursue science. Supportive teachers and the school science culture play essential roles, and other cultural and/or social factors such as family members and peers are identified as important. References to the culture and expectations of the school, family holidays, and conversations with siblings are support factors that seem to interact and overlap. At the same time, the importance of policy-amenable factors such as competent and caring science teachers, and science-supportive school cultures should be emphasised and encouraged

Inquiry-based, Teacher directed and adaptive instruction in secondary science: A cross-national analysis of associations with science literary and interest using PISA 2015

In science education, and STEM more generally, inquiry based teaching and learning has been a dominant pedagogical approach, particularly in Western countries, for at least half a century (e.g., Furtak, Seidel, Iverson, & Briggs, 2012; Minner, Levy, & Century, 2010). In Europe, inquiry-based teaching has become part of science education orthodoxy, receiving policy support and funding from the EU following the Rocard report (2007) recommendation that “the introduction of inquiry-based approaches in schools ... should be actively promoted” (p. 17). Recently, however, the availability of large-scale, high-quality international assessment data in science and mathematics—like Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)—has allowed scaled-up analysis of associations between various pedagogical approaches, and students’ achievement and engagement in science (e.g., Areepattamannil, 2012; Kang & Keinonen, 2017; McConney, Oliver, Woods-McConney, Schibeci, & Maor, 2014). In this study, we report research that builds on previous investigations of inquiry-based teaching in science that used PISA 2006 (McConney, et al., 2014). Our previous study found that in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, students who reported high levels of inquiry also showed above-average levels of interest in science, but below-average levels of science literacy. We also found the corollary to be true. These findings ran counter to orthodox views about the efficacy of inquiry-based teaching in science. In the current study, using PISA 2015, we extend our analysis of teaching and learning in science to six countries, and ask two research questions: RQ1: To what extent is the variability observed in science literacy (as measured in PISA 2015) associated with the frequencies of three distinct approaches to teaching science, reported by students from their science classrooms? To what extent does this vary by country and/or gender? RQ2: To what extent is the variability in students’ interest in science associated with the frequencies of three distinct approaches to teaching science, as reported by students? To what extent does this vary by country and/or gender? Consistent with the primary analysis of PISA 2015 as well as our previous analysis of PISA 2006, this study shows that the frequency of inquiry-based teaching is negatively associated with students’ science literacy. For students in six countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA), the more frequently students experienced inquiry-based activities, the weaker their literacy in science, on average. This negative relationship between science literacy and inquiry-based activities was strongest for students in the USA and Canada, but was also evident to varying degrees in all six countries. In contrast, our analysis also revealed a moderately strong positive association between inquiry and students’ interest in science. This was consistent for all six countries. With increasing focus on effective, evidence-informed practice in teacher education, our obligation is to prepare teachers based on the strongest research available regarding the efficacy of various pedagogical approaches in science. At a minimum, the findings reported in this analysis demand examination and discussion of how “inquiry” might be best conceived and applied in helping students to learn and like science

"I didn't always perceive myself as a science person": Examining efficacy for primary science teaching

Teacher efficacy has become an important field of research especially in subjects teachers may find challenging, such as science. This study investigates the sources of teachers’ efficacy for teaching science in primary schools in the context of authentic teaching situations with a view to better understanding sources of teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Twenty-four teachers participated in focus group interviews to enable in-depth exploration of the sources of efficacy for teaching science. Data was analysed using a content analysis approach guided by a conceptual framework for efficacy in science teaching. Findings show efficacy to be influenced by mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, physiological and affective states as well as prior beliefs and experiences of science. Most notably, efficacy for science teaching was found to be enhanced through particular aspects of the teaching context such as opportunities for collaboration and successful participation in science teaching practice. Implications for teaching and teacher educators are discussed

The efficacy of Inquiry-Based instruction in science: A comparative analysis of six countries using PISA 2015

This study is a comparative analysis of 15-year-old students’ scientific literacy, and its association with the instructional strategies that students experience, across six OECD countries that participated in PISA 2015. Across the six countries, the study investigates the efficacy of inquiry-based instruction in science in contrast with two other instructional approaches to teaching secondary science: adaptive and teacher-directed teaching. The analysis shows that students who reported experiencing high frequencies of inquiry strategies in their classrooms consistently evidenced lower levels of scientific literacy across the six countries. Benchmark analysis also showed, common to all six countries, a strongly positive association between the frequency of teacher-directed and adaptive teaching strategies and students’ scientific literacy. Additionally, the study disaggregates PISA’s composite variable representing inquiry-based instruction and shows that different components of inquiry are differentially associated with students’ scientific literacy. We discuss the implications of these analyses for science teacher educators, science teachers, and educational policy makers. In doing so, we add nuance to our understanding of the efficacy of inquiry-based instruction in science, suggesting that some components, as conceptualised and assessed in PISA, seem to suggest greater attention and use, and others more moderated use

Fast track teacher education: A review of the research literature on Teach For All schemes

This review of the literature was commissioned by the New Zealand Post-Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua as a means of informing the decision-making of the Association and its members about the Teach For All (TFA) scheme seeking to prepare teachers for New Zealand’s schools