This study aims to elucidate how—and the underlying significance of their doing so—Korean vocational high school students decide to pursue university education rather than entering the workforce. Drawing on autoethnographic journals, the research employs a combination of Chang’s descriptive-realistic, confessional-emotive, and analytical-interpretive writing methods to convey personal experiences, including the background of students and their motivations for opting for university. As an autoethnographer, I have encountered the societal perceptions of Korean vocational high schools, issues with school curricula, and misunderstandings surrounding employment. Over time, I chronicled the documented process of choosing university education, and this has been facilitated by conversations with the homeroom teacher; I have endeavored to elucidate the sociocultural implications of each student’s experience through interpretive methods. This study’s findings are anticipated to enhance the understanding of the fundamentals of career education in the realm of secondary vocational education and to offer a valuable reference for vocational high school educators on how to guide their students effectively. Furthermore, it should provide educational perspectives and fresh insights for vocational educators and researchers worldwide, thereby facilitating enhancements in career education policies and systems for vocational students.
{"title":"Why Do Vocational High School Students Opt for College?","authors":"W. Seo, Changhoon Lee","doi":"10.3390/educsci14050534","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14050534","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to elucidate how—and the underlying significance of their doing so—Korean vocational high school students decide to pursue university education rather than entering the workforce. Drawing on autoethnographic journals, the research employs a combination of Chang’s descriptive-realistic, confessional-emotive, and analytical-interpretive writing methods to convey personal experiences, including the background of students and their motivations for opting for university. As an autoethnographer, I have encountered the societal perceptions of Korean vocational high schools, issues with school curricula, and misunderstandings surrounding employment. Over time, I chronicled the documented process of choosing university education, and this has been facilitated by conversations with the homeroom teacher; I have endeavored to elucidate the sociocultural implications of each student’s experience through interpretive methods. This study’s findings are anticipated to enhance the understanding of the fundamentals of career education in the realm of secondary vocational education and to offer a valuable reference for vocational high school educators on how to guide their students effectively. Furthermore, it should provide educational perspectives and fresh insights for vocational educators and researchers worldwide, thereby facilitating enhancements in career education policies and systems for vocational students.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"134 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140977283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Informal English learning plays a crucial role in vocabulary learning, yet few scholars have explored the use of large language models for this purpose. In light of this, our study, integrating Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate factors influencing 568 Chinese English learners’ use of large language models for vocabulary learning. Our findings identified six significant factors from those models—perceived autonomy, perceived competence, perceived relatedness, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence—that significantly shape learners’ intentions and behaviors towards utilizing large language models for vocabulary learning. Notably, effort expectancy emerged as the most influential factor, while facilitating conditions did not significantly impact usage intentions. This research offers insights for future curriculum design and policy formulation, highlighting the importance of understanding learners’ perspectives on technology use in education.
{"title":"Beyond the Books: Exploring Factors Shaping Chinese English Learners’ Engagement with Large Language Models for Vocabulary Learning","authors":"Xiaochen Wang, B. Reynolds","doi":"10.3390/educsci14050496","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14050496","url":null,"abstract":"Informal English learning plays a crucial role in vocabulary learning, yet few scholars have explored the use of large language models for this purpose. In light of this, our study, integrating Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate factors influencing 568 Chinese English learners’ use of large language models for vocabulary learning. Our findings identified six significant factors from those models—perceived autonomy, perceived competence, perceived relatedness, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence—that significantly shape learners’ intentions and behaviors towards utilizing large language models for vocabulary learning. Notably, effort expectancy emerged as the most influential factor, while facilitating conditions did not significantly impact usage intentions. This research offers insights for future curriculum design and policy formulation, highlighting the importance of understanding learners’ perspectives on technology use in education.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"75 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141011215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Extensive empirical research has emphasized the benefits of integrating Online Teaching Video Cases (OTVCs) into pre-service preschool teacher education. However, there is a research gap concerning the perceptions and needs of pre-service preschool teachers regarding OTVCs. This cross-sectional study, therefore, investigated pre-service preschool teachers’ perceptions of usefulness and need pertaining to OTVCs and examined potential differences across course year levels. A self-designed questionnaire survey was completed by 744 participants from the Shandong Province (China), with a focus on five domains: actors showcased in the OTVCs, OTVC-mediated activities, learning facilitators, situations requiring OTVCs, and areas for improvement. The results revealed that the participants identified expert teacher demonstrations and collaborative learning experiences with peers and instructors as the most useful types of OTVCs. They expressed the need for OTVCs to assist them with job preparation and a desire to learn content knowledge and engage with larger communities of preschool practitioners. Interestingly, the findings revealed significant differences among participants of different year levels, with Year 3 participants finding OTVCs more useful and necessary in most domains. These findings will help preschool teacher educators improve the responsiveness of OTVC-based instruction, thereby providing online video resources tailored to the preferences and needs of pre-service preschool teachers.
{"title":"Learning with Online Teaching Video Cases: Investigating Pre-Service Preschool Teachers’ Perceived Usefulness and Needs","authors":"Rongrong Xu, Alfredo Bautista, Weipeng Yang","doi":"10.3390/educsci14050479","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14050479","url":null,"abstract":"Extensive empirical research has emphasized the benefits of integrating Online Teaching Video Cases (OTVCs) into pre-service preschool teacher education. However, there is a research gap concerning the perceptions and needs of pre-service preschool teachers regarding OTVCs. This cross-sectional study, therefore, investigated pre-service preschool teachers’ perceptions of usefulness and need pertaining to OTVCs and examined potential differences across course year levels. A self-designed questionnaire survey was completed by 744 participants from the Shandong Province (China), with a focus on five domains: actors showcased in the OTVCs, OTVC-mediated activities, learning facilitators, situations requiring OTVCs, and areas for improvement. The results revealed that the participants identified expert teacher demonstrations and collaborative learning experiences with peers and instructors as the most useful types of OTVCs. They expressed the need for OTVCs to assist them with job preparation and a desire to learn content knowledge and engage with larger communities of preschool practitioners. Interestingly, the findings revealed significant differences among participants of different year levels, with Year 3 participants finding OTVCs more useful and necessary in most domains. These findings will help preschool teacher educators improve the responsiveness of OTVC-based instruction, thereby providing online video resources tailored to the preferences and needs of pre-service preschool teachers.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"15 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141031181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Many undergraduate students hold robust misconceptions about the emergent nature of molecular processes, believing them to be directed rather than random. Interactive simulations might help transform such misconceptions by visualizing stochastic processes in a time-independent medium and enabling students to manipulate the environment to test their naïve hypotheses. Furthermore, game-based learning (GBL) might enhance the effectiveness of such simulations by promoting productive negativity (PN), i.e., learning from failure. In a randomized controlled trial with pre-test, post-test and delayed one-year follow-up, undergraduates (n = 84) engaged with either a GBL or interactive simulation (SIM) environment for 20–45 min and were compared to a baseline group (n = 138). GBL (p = 0.035) and SIM (p = 0.069) resolved more misconceptions than baseline but did not differ from each other (p = 0.992). GBL group also trended toward more positive long-term conceptual change. In-game interactions generated in response to PN were predictive of conceptual change in the GBL group alone, suggesting that PN may only be effective when supported by game design. Participants’ native English-speaking status had a moderating effect, with native-speakers performing well in GBL and poorly in SIM environment, while the opposite was true for non-native-speakers, which, as discussed herein, may be aligned with cultural differences in acceptability of GBL. The GBL intervention generated longer voluntary use (p = 0.005), especially amongst frequent game-players. The results inform how GBL/SIM approaches can implement PN as a mechanism for conceptual change about molecular emergence.
{"title":"Game and Simulation Stimulate Conceptual Change about Molecular Emergence in Different Ways, with Potential Cultural Implications","authors":"Andrea Gauthier","doi":"10.3390/educsci14040366","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040366","url":null,"abstract":"Many undergraduate students hold robust misconceptions about the emergent nature of molecular processes, believing them to be directed rather than random. Interactive simulations might help transform such misconceptions by visualizing stochastic processes in a time-independent medium and enabling students to manipulate the environment to test their naïve hypotheses. Furthermore, game-based learning (GBL) might enhance the effectiveness of such simulations by promoting productive negativity (PN), i.e., learning from failure. In a randomized controlled trial with pre-test, post-test and delayed one-year follow-up, undergraduates (n = 84) engaged with either a GBL or interactive simulation (SIM) environment for 20–45 min and were compared to a baseline group (n = 138). GBL (p = 0.035) and SIM (p = 0.069) resolved more misconceptions than baseline but did not differ from each other (p = 0.992). GBL group also trended toward more positive long-term conceptual change. In-game interactions generated in response to PN were predictive of conceptual change in the GBL group alone, suggesting that PN may only be effective when supported by game design. Participants’ native English-speaking status had a moderating effect, with native-speakers performing well in GBL and poorly in SIM environment, while the opposite was true for non-native-speakers, which, as discussed herein, may be aligned with cultural differences in acceptability of GBL. The GBL intervention generated longer voluntary use (p = 0.005), especially amongst frequent game-players. The results inform how GBL/SIM approaches can implement PN as a mechanism for conceptual change about molecular emergence.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"1 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140359232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Education for those who are visually impaired usually relies on modified materials and unique teaching methods. Nonetheless, the advent of Extended Reality marks a considerable change by providing immersive and interactive experiences that can surpass the challenges encountered in conventional learning due to visual impairments. This study aims to systematically review and analyse the existing literature on the use of extended realities in the education of individuals with visual impairment. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) statement as a formal systematic review guideline for data collection to ensure the quality and replicability of the revision process. Data were obtained from research studies over the period 2013–2023. The analysis included a total of 71 papers from Science Direct, ERIC, JSTOR, Taylor & Francis Online, and Scopus databases. The results show that Europe had the most publications on these topics during the past decade and that most papers were focused on higher education. Additionally, virtual reality was the most investigated topic. The findings indicate that extended reality has the potential to promote inclusion for the visually impaired in educational settings and provide them with enhanced educational experiences in many educational disciplines.
{"title":"Breaking through Barriers: A Systematic Review of Extended Reality in Education for the Visually Impaired","authors":"Mahmoud Hamash, Hanan Ghreir, Peter Tiernan","doi":"10.3390/educsci14040365","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040365","url":null,"abstract":"Education for those who are visually impaired usually relies on modified materials and unique teaching methods. Nonetheless, the advent of Extended Reality marks a considerable change by providing immersive and interactive experiences that can surpass the challenges encountered in conventional learning due to visual impairments. This study aims to systematically review and analyse the existing literature on the use of extended realities in the education of individuals with visual impairment. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) statement as a formal systematic review guideline for data collection to ensure the quality and replicability of the revision process. Data were obtained from research studies over the period 2013–2023. The analysis included a total of 71 papers from Science Direct, ERIC, JSTOR, Taylor & Francis Online, and Scopus databases. The results show that Europe had the most publications on these topics during the past decade and that most papers were focused on higher education. Additionally, virtual reality was the most investigated topic. The findings indicate that extended reality has the potential to promote inclusion for the visually impaired in educational settings and provide them with enhanced educational experiences in many educational disciplines.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"44 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140366835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francisco Mínguez-Aroca, S. Moll-López, N. Llobregat-Gómez, M. Roselló, L. Sánchez-Ruiz
The learning process can be conceptualized as a dynamic system constantly evolving and adapting in response to a variety of stimuli and inputs. This paper presents a novel approach to competency-based assessment that integrates a dynamic assignment design of personalized activities with the aid of a 3D matrix array structure. This structure, named Topic, Activity, and Competency (TAC) cuboid, provides a detailed view of the student’s progress, enabling the design of tailored curricular strategies to facilitate the development of competencies. Personalized activities serve as control inputs that adapt to each learner’s state, driving a feedforward that promotes proactive improvement. An automation process becomes necessary to cope with the increased data volume from the TAC cuboid and the information complexity. The concept model registers TAC cuboid information, enabling a dynamic analysis to forward an adequate workload when required to facilitate students’ achievement of their expected mathematical competencies. Additionally, the paper discusses the initial application of these models in an educational role-playing game, demonstrating their effectiveness in a gamified learning environment.
{"title":"Feedforward Enhanced Control System to Pursue Mathematical Competencies Achievement in Engineering Education","authors":"Francisco Mínguez-Aroca, S. Moll-López, N. Llobregat-Gómez, M. Roselló, L. Sánchez-Ruiz","doi":"10.3390/educsci14040362","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040362","url":null,"abstract":"The learning process can be conceptualized as a dynamic system constantly evolving and adapting in response to a variety of stimuli and inputs. This paper presents a novel approach to competency-based assessment that integrates a dynamic assignment design of personalized activities with the aid of a 3D matrix array structure. This structure, named Topic, Activity, and Competency (TAC) cuboid, provides a detailed view of the student’s progress, enabling the design of tailored curricular strategies to facilitate the development of competencies. Personalized activities serve as control inputs that adapt to each learner’s state, driving a feedforward that promotes proactive improvement. An automation process becomes necessary to cope with the increased data volume from the TAC cuboid and the information complexity. The concept model registers TAC cuboid information, enabling a dynamic analysis to forward an adequate workload when required to facilitate students’ achievement of their expected mathematical competencies. Additionally, the paper discusses the initial application of these models in an educational role-playing game, demonstrating their effectiveness in a gamified learning environment.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"53 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140367854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
‘Double structuring’ of objective economic wealth and subjective perception of wealth through language and culture produce a common world of divisions in the classroom from ‘bad taste’ to ‘good taste’. Teachers’ language and culture of instruction and ‘good taste’ perpetuate systemic injustice with unconscious bias. The tool ‘A Blueprint for Character Development for Evolution (ABCDE) offers five steps to prepare teachers to recognize bias and reverse it with a Typology Applying Bourdieusian ‘Taste’ for Making Worlds. A—Ask questions about instructional Language and Culture and Community Languages and Cultures; B—Critique Typology of Taste: C—Develop statistical models with measures to monitor and evaluate incremental progress towards synthesizing/unifying different classroom languages and cultures into one democratic language and culture whilst honouring each; D—Create evidence-informed, logical and ethical qualitative pathways to re-building a democratic community/disappearing middle class; E—Identify a principle of unity that reverses local inequality, and through powerful Higher Education networks, mainstream it to reverse global inequality. A Professional Educators and Administrators Committee for Empowerment (PEACE) offers a systemic multi-level communication infrastructure to enable feedback loops from communities to policy makers to measure inequality and report narrowing income and wealth gaps to reverse the sharpest increase between 2019 and 2020 in global inequality since World War II.
{"title":"Preparing Teachers to Re-Build Democratic Communities and Disappearing Middle Class to Reverse Global Inequality: A Typology Applying Bourdieusian ‘Taste’ and Dewey-Inspired Tools to Transform World Making","authors":"Alison Taysum, Soheil S. Salha","doi":"10.3390/educsci14040364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040364","url":null,"abstract":"‘Double structuring’ of objective economic wealth and subjective perception of wealth through language and culture produce a common world of divisions in the classroom from ‘bad taste’ to ‘good taste’. Teachers’ language and culture of instruction and ‘good taste’ perpetuate systemic injustice with unconscious bias. The tool ‘A Blueprint for Character Development for Evolution (ABCDE) offers five steps to prepare teachers to recognize bias and reverse it with a Typology Applying Bourdieusian ‘Taste’ for Making Worlds. A—Ask questions about instructional Language and Culture and Community Languages and Cultures; B—Critique Typology of Taste: C—Develop statistical models with measures to monitor and evaluate incremental progress towards synthesizing/unifying different classroom languages and cultures into one democratic language and culture whilst honouring each; D—Create evidence-informed, logical and ethical qualitative pathways to re-building a democratic community/disappearing middle class; E—Identify a principle of unity that reverses local inequality, and through powerful Higher Education networks, mainstream it to reverse global inequality. A Professional Educators and Administrators Committee for Empowerment (PEACE) offers a systemic multi-level communication infrastructure to enable feedback loops from communities to policy makers to measure inequality and report narrowing income and wealth gaps to reverse the sharpest increase between 2019 and 2020 in global inequality since World War II.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140368408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Rogers-Draycott, D. Bozward, Kelly Smith, Mokuba Mave, Vic Curtis, Dean Maragh
The student is a consumer of education and is motivated by their graduate outcomes. Entrepreneurship provides the opportunity for substantially greater graduate outcomes, but does it deliver? This paper reviews the undergraduate bachelor Entrepreneurship Education Programmes (EEPs) offered by universities in the UK. It explores the active and engaged approaches to learning through the module themes offered and considers the challenges of using routinely collected data to understand the impact of these programmes. By using data which is publicly available, we build a national viewpoint on the subjects that lead to greater continuation, student satisfaction and earning potential. The results of this study provide five key insights about EEPs. First, they focus mainly on entrepreneurship but lack a high proportion of entrepreneurship-specific modules. Comparative analysis with other disciplines is needed for context. Second, the number of entrepreneurship modules generally increases throughout the programme, but researchers face challenges such as ambiguous module naming. Third, EEP students show lower satisfaction than those studying for other business degrees, indicating a potential impact of unique pedagogies. Fourth, higher EEP continuation rates are not evident, although this may be mitigated by more selective entry requirements. Finally, EEP graduates have higher employability rates than their business degree counterparts but lower initial earnings, reflecting their entrepreneurial career paths. From this work, we identified a range of calls for further research and suggestions for practice.
{"title":"Does Entrepreneurship Education Deliver? A Review of Entrepreneurship Education University Programmes in the UK","authors":"M. Rogers-Draycott, D. Bozward, Kelly Smith, Mokuba Mave, Vic Curtis, Dean Maragh","doi":"10.3390/educsci14040361","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040361","url":null,"abstract":"The student is a consumer of education and is motivated by their graduate outcomes. Entrepreneurship provides the opportunity for substantially greater graduate outcomes, but does it deliver? This paper reviews the undergraduate bachelor Entrepreneurship Education Programmes (EEPs) offered by universities in the UK. It explores the active and engaged approaches to learning through the module themes offered and considers the challenges of using routinely collected data to understand the impact of these programmes. By using data which is publicly available, we build a national viewpoint on the subjects that lead to greater continuation, student satisfaction and earning potential. The results of this study provide five key insights about EEPs. First, they focus mainly on entrepreneurship but lack a high proportion of entrepreneurship-specific modules. Comparative analysis with other disciplines is needed for context. Second, the number of entrepreneurship modules generally increases throughout the programme, but researchers face challenges such as ambiguous module naming. Third, EEP students show lower satisfaction than those studying for other business degrees, indicating a potential impact of unique pedagogies. Fourth, higher EEP continuation rates are not evident, although this may be mitigated by more selective entry requirements. Finally, EEP graduates have higher employability rates than their business degree counterparts but lower initial earnings, reflecting their entrepreneurial career paths. From this work, we identified a range of calls for further research and suggestions for practice.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"47 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140366678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aims to examine the views of pre-service early childhood student teachers (referred to as student teachers) regarding the potential impact of an inquiry-based science course on their intention to utilize inquiry-based learning approaches, such as the Control of Variables Strategy (CVS) method. The study comprised a preliminary phase (N = 17) and a primary phase (N = 81). The participants’ level of understanding of the inquiry-based method was assessed using an open- and semi-open questionnaire. A 34-item Likert-type questionnaire was created using the Theory of Planned Behavior in the preliminary phase of the study and utilized in the primary phase to examine student teachers’ intentions to include the CVS technique into their lessons. The results showed student teachers’ strong intention to implement inquiry-based learning strategies, being supported by their positive estimations of managing the CVS method engagement in the classroom. However, their estimations of the significant others’ opinions and the personal gain–loss balance expected from engaging with the CVS method significantly hindered their intention. Most interestingly, the results of the study suggest that the various levels of comprehension of the CVS method attained by student teachers are connected to the adoption of distinct approaches in their future teaching endeavors. In light of these results, we discuss several teaching implications.
{"title":"Does the Understanding of Managing Variables among Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers Correspond to Distinct Teaching Methods in Their Future Careers?","authors":"A. Zoupidis, Vassilis Tselfes, P. Kariotoglou","doi":"10.3390/educsci14040363","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040363","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to examine the views of pre-service early childhood student teachers (referred to as student teachers) regarding the potential impact of an inquiry-based science course on their intention to utilize inquiry-based learning approaches, such as the Control of Variables Strategy (CVS) method. The study comprised a preliminary phase (N = 17) and a primary phase (N = 81). The participants’ level of understanding of the inquiry-based method was assessed using an open- and semi-open questionnaire. A 34-item Likert-type questionnaire was created using the Theory of Planned Behavior in the preliminary phase of the study and utilized in the primary phase to examine student teachers’ intentions to include the CVS technique into their lessons. The results showed student teachers’ strong intention to implement inquiry-based learning strategies, being supported by their positive estimations of managing the CVS method engagement in the classroom. However, their estimations of the significant others’ opinions and the personal gain–loss balance expected from engaging with the CVS method significantly hindered their intention. Most interestingly, the results of the study suggest that the various levels of comprehension of the CVS method attained by student teachers are connected to the adoption of distinct approaches in their future teaching endeavors. In light of these results, we discuss several teaching implications.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"75 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140366600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicole Wong, Rasha Elsayed, Katy Nilsen, Leticia R. Perez, Kirsten R. Daehler
This self-reflective case study describes our project team’s efforts to promote equity in science professional learning (PL) by centering the voices of educators in the PL design process and within the course itself. We believe that educators’ experiences, priorities, and expertise are essential to developing professional learning that meets the needs of teachers and their students. We have a particular interest in amplifying the voices of those in historically underrepresented communities. Toward that end, we engaged science educators who work with Indigenous students and recent immigrants as collaborators in developing PL to support data-rich, place-based Earth Science instruction. In this case study, we share and critique the practices and tools that we have employed to center educator voices, rather than those of the PL designers and researchers. Our strategies for developing more equitable science professional learning include the use of: (a) equity-focused research methods, such as asset-based needs-sensing questions and peer-to-peer interviews; (b) a humanistic stance toward data-rich science learning, which emphasizes the typically unnamed sociocultural inputs and outputs that permeate all aspects of data; (c) a participatory design process that centers educator voices; and (d) a model of professional learning that uses representations of educator and student experiences as objects for reflection.
{"title":"Centering Educators’ Voices in the Development of Professional Learning for Data-Rich, Place-Based Science Instruction","authors":"Nicole Wong, Rasha Elsayed, Katy Nilsen, Leticia R. Perez, Kirsten R. Daehler","doi":"10.3390/educsci14040356","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040356","url":null,"abstract":"This self-reflective case study describes our project team’s efforts to promote equity in science professional learning (PL) by centering the voices of educators in the PL design process and within the course itself. We believe that educators’ experiences, priorities, and expertise are essential to developing professional learning that meets the needs of teachers and their students. We have a particular interest in amplifying the voices of those in historically underrepresented communities. Toward that end, we engaged science educators who work with Indigenous students and recent immigrants as collaborators in developing PL to support data-rich, place-based Earth Science instruction. In this case study, we share and critique the practices and tools that we have employed to center educator voices, rather than those of the PL designers and researchers. Our strategies for developing more equitable science professional learning include the use of: (a) equity-focused research methods, such as asset-based needs-sensing questions and peer-to-peer interviews; (b) a humanistic stance toward data-rich science learning, which emphasizes the typically unnamed sociocultural inputs and outputs that permeate all aspects of data; (c) a participatory design process that centers educator voices; and (d) a model of professional learning that uses representations of educator and student experiences as objects for reflection.","PeriodicalId":502600,"journal":{"name":"Education Sciences","volume":"104 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140370753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}