Science & Education最新文献

Abstract

Do pre-service teachers have the same beliefs in superstitions and pseudoscience as the members of their generation? We expect so, because they are slightly different in at least two of the variables that explain differences, namely family income and level of studies, and also, normatively, because beliefs among teaching staff appear to be a key matter in the scientific literacy of citizens. In this work, we compare data from the general public of the same age to our sample of 578 pre-service teachers from five Spanish universities, using the same questionnaire. Multivariate regression analysis is then used to study the factors that affect defence of such beliefs and the differences between pre-service teachers and their age group. We have found that, on the contrary to what was expected, beliefs among pre-service teachers are not far from those of their age group in the population at large. Within that relatively homogenous group, a favourable attitude toward pseudoscience and superstition mainly depends on their educational level and basic knowledge of science, but that knowledge probably depends on their spontaneous interest in scientific matters and a prior favourable attitude. These results have implications in training scientific teachers and in the scientific literacy of the population. Thus, we must consider such non-scientific beliefs when designing classroom proposals and when communicating scientific content in social contexts.

Promoting a functional scientific literacy entails preparing people to effectively engage and make decisions regarding real-world socioscientfic issues (SSI) through consideration of the relevant products and processes of science, as well as social, cultural, environmental, and ethical factors. Students can develop a functional scientific literacy through place-based pedagogical approaches focused on real-world SSI that augment formal classroom instruction. This quasi-experimental triangulated mixed-methods study investigated how 50 fourth graders in an intervention group, in comparison to their 79 classmates, developed nature of science (NOS) views through experiencing a place-based Missouri River SSI education Program (MRSIP). Salient themes of the month-long MRSIP included Missouri River human impacts, pallid sturgeon decline and recovery, and how scientists investigate and manage those issues. Our findings demonstrate that the MRSIP participants and their non-participating classroom peers expressed NOS views ranging from those that were largely stereotypical (e.g., science must proceed by a set method in a laboratory) to those that transcended stereotypes (e.g., science proceeds by many methods implemented in various field settings). However, after students participated in the MRSIP, they expressed significantly more sophisticated non-stereotypical views about how scientists research and understand Missouri River SSI and the role science plays in resolving those issues. The comparison group of the MRSIP participating students’ classmates realized no such gains across the same time period. Pedagogical implications include how place-based SSI teaching can leverage young learners’ sense of place and augment their classroom experiences in ways that help them understand NOS and engage local SSI.

Confucianism provides a specific view on the world held by many people living in several Asian societies. It offers views on humans and nature that generally differ from other traditional or Western modern views. The paper presents a systematic analysis of the literature in education with a focus on science education about the connection of Confucianism with education for sustainability. It suggests a framework for how education for sustainability can be operated in the foreground of Confucian societies taking concepts from the international literature into consideration. This critical review provides justification for a stronger reflection about how to include ideas from Confucianism into education for sustainability in the teaching and learning of science. It suggests that Confucian thinking offers a rich and authentic context for science learning in Confucian societies and and also provides a chance to reflect on views of humans, nature, and science in science education in other societies, potentially contributing to the development of more balanced and holistic worldviews.

The engagement of students in processes for evaluating scientific arguments is particularly important for science education of all students. Research studying students’ abilities to evaluate scientific arguments based on their evidence is limited. The present paper investigates the impact of a teaching sequence for temperature and heat, which is based on the teaching science-as-practice approach, on primary school students’ abilities to evaluate the evidence of the written scientific arguments they read. The instructional material developed was implemented to 262 students aged 12 years. A questionnaire was developed and completed by the students before and after the implementation of the teaching–learning sequence. The data analysis showed that the teaching sequence significantly contributed to improving students’ abilities to locate evidence in arguments, identify relevant supporting evidence that should be included in arguments, evaluate whether a piece of evidence is strong or weak, and compare and evaluate two arguments according to the evidence they include. This study provides preliminary evidence that a teaching sequence which is based on the teaching science-as-practice approach may be effective for increasing primary school students’ abilities to evaluate the evidence of scientific arguments. The results of this study and their implications for both research and practice are discussed.

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus framework calls for a systems perspective on addressing complex sustainability challenges. As a sustainability science field, nexus research should in theory bring together transdisciplinary approaches drawing from a range of stakeholder knowledge and experiences. This approach would align with the competence-based training for future sustainability leaders advocated for in sustainability education literature. In practice, the field is dominated by techno-scientific approaches with superficial or peripheral attention paid to issues of social justice and community engagement. In this article, we explore how this imbalance in the literature reflects a breakdown between the ideals of sustainability training and the reality of training at the nexus and describe obstacles that may be contributing to this breakdown, including a prejudice towards the idea of “objective” science, institutional incentives, and disciplinary culture. To address these concerns, we introduce a research project focused on assessing the training of future researchers at the FEW nexus and exploring how these programs train students in particular views of what is important at the FEW nexus, such as technological solutions, stakeholder collaboration, and/or issues of equity and justice. It will also provide recommendations for creating open learning environments that are competence-based, and that incorporate multiple methods, acknowledgments of limitations, and alternate ways of knowing.

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