Showing papers in "Science Education in 2021"

The trouble with STEAM and why we use it anyway

Abstract: As an emerging field of theory, research, and practice, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) has received attention for its efforts to incorporate the arts into the rubric of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning. In particular, many informal educators have embraced it as an inclusive and authentic approach to engaging young people with STEM. Yet, as with many nascent fields, the conceptualization and usage of STEAM is somewhat ambivalent and weakly theorized. On the one hand, STEAM offers significant promise through its focus on multiple ways of knowing and new pathways to equitable learning. On the other hand, it is often deployed in theory, pedagogy, and practice in ambiguous or potentially problematic ways toward varying ends. This paper attempts to disentangle some of the key tensions and contradictions of the STEAM concept as currently operationalized in educational research, policy, and practice. We pay particular attention to the transformative learning potential supported by contexts where STEAM is conceptualized as both pedagogical and mutually instrumental. That is, neither STEM nor arts are privileged over the other, but both are equally in play. We link the possibilities suggested by this approach to emerging theories for understanding how designing for and surfacing epistemic practices linked to the relevant disciplines being integrated into STEAM programs may point the way toward resolving tensions in inter- and transdisciplinary learning approaches.

Computational Thinking, Between Papert and Wing

Abstract: The pervasiveness of Computer Science (CS) in today’s digital society and the extensive use of computational methods in other sciences call for its introduction in the school curriculum. Hence, Computer Science Education is becoming more and more relevant. In CS K-12 education, computational thinking (CT) is one of the abused buzzwords: different stakeholders (media, educators, politicians) give it different meanings, some more oriented to CS, others more linked to its interdisciplinary value. The expression was introduced by two leading researchers, Jeannette Wing (in 2006) and Seymour Papert (much early, in 1980), each of them stressing different aspects of a common theme. This paper will use a historical approach to review, discuss, and put in context these first two educational and epistemological approaches to CT. We will relate them to today’s context and evaluate what aspects are still relevant for CS K-12 education. Of the two, particular interest is devoted to “Papert’s CT,” which is the lesser-known and the lesser-studied. We will conclude that “Wing’s CT” and “Papert’s CT,” when correctly understood, are both relevant to today’s computer science education. From Wing, we should retain computer science’s centrality, CT being the (scientific and cultural) substratum of the technical competencies. Under this interpretation, CT is a lens and a set of categories for understanding the algorithmic fabric of today’s world. From Papert, we should retain the constructionist idea that only a social and affective involvement of students into the technical content will make programming an interdisciplinary tool for learning (also) other disciplines. We will also discuss the often quoted (and often unverified) claim that CT automatically “transfers” to other broad 21st century skills. Our analysis will be relevant for educators and scholars to recognize and avoid misconceptions and build on the two core roots of CT.

Shift From a Traditional to a Distance Learning Environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: University Students' Engagement and Interactions.

Abstract: The paper reports a study aimed at investigating tertiary education students' engagement and interactions in the traditional face-to-face learning environment and the sequentially applied distance online learning environment imposed by the sudden upsurge of a worldwide health emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. The study took place in four distinct science learning communities formed by a total of 347 undergraduate students attending three different academic majors (Chemistry, Environmental Science, and Food Science and Technology) and 13 postgraduate students attending a Masters program related to Chemistry Education, in two Greek universities. The majority of the measured variables were shown to depend on the institution, the academic major, and the semester of study, although to a varying degree. Data analysis provided evidence for a statistically significant lower level of emotional engagement in the online relative to the traditional learning environment among the students of all three undergraduate learning communities. Multiple regression analysis showed that this documented decrease in students' emotional engagement is largely explained by the concurrent decrease at the level of human interaction (either student-student or student-instructor) upon the passage from the traditional to the online learning environment.

Developing and Using Multiple Models to Promote Scientific Literacy in the Context of Socio-Scientific Issues.

Abstract: Learning science in the context of socio-scientific issues (SSI) can promote scientific literacy that links science to everyday life and society. In this position paper, we argue that developing and using multiple models equip students with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to deal with complex issues. We draw upon literature from science education and philosophy of science and advance our theoretical argument about why it is critical for students to develop and use multiple models as part of their science learning experiences in general, and how the practice benefits students in the context of SSI in particular. We posit that students should engage in both scientific and socio-scientific models as they explore a complex societal issue because (1) engagement in multiple scientific models promotes students' understanding about the phenomena relevant to the focal issue, and (2) engagement in socio-scientific models helps students to use that scientific knowledge in the larger social contexts and reason about how interacting science and social factors may impact students' positions on the complex issue. We take COVID-19 as the learning context and present exemplar models students can develop and use as they learn about the pandemic. We conclude the paper by discussing the teaching aspects of the proposed modeling approach for SSI-based instruction as well as identifying possible areas for future research.

Scientific Literacy and Social Transformation: Critical Perspectives about Science Participation and Emancipation.

Abstract: The paper provides a systematic theoretical analysis of the main visions of the concept of scientific literacy developed in the last 20 years. It is described as a transition from a transmissive educational vision of scientific literacy (Vision-I) to a transformative vision (Vision-III), with a stronger engagement with social participation and emancipation. Using conceptual tools from sociology and the philosophy of education, the notions of science participation and emancipation associated with transformative Vision-III are critically analyzed in order to draw attention to the growing need to define them with greater accuracy as key conceptual components of scientific literacy. Without such an approach, it will be difficult for science education to materialize and consolidate educational actions that are pedagogically sound, culturally and socially sensitive, and coherent with the social transformation of the diverse conditions of oppression. It is concluded that Vision-III should include both a broad conception of participation, which makes visible the invisible and informal acts performed by diverse groups to build society, and an alternative notion of emancipation committed to liberation.

Changing the field: A Bourdieusian analysis of educational practices that support equitable outcomes among minoritized youth on two informal science learning programs

Abstract: Supporting more equitable participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains a key, persistent educational challenge. This paper employs a sociological Bourdieusian lens to explore how equitable youth outcomes might be supported through informal science learning (ISL). Drawing on multimodal, ethnographic data from four case study youth aged 11-14 from two ISL programs, we identify four areas of practice that were enacted to a greater or lesser extent in the programs in support of equitable youth outcomes. We identify how the equitable potential of these practices was realized through a disruption of dominant power relations. It is argued that ISL should focus on changing the field, rather than young people. Affordances and limitations of the Bourdieusian lens are discussed.

Asian American women in STEM in the lab with “White Men Named John”

Abstract: Asian American women occupy a paradoxical space within the context of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, simultaneously overrepresented as Asian Americans and underrepresented as women. For Asian American female doctoral students, the complex layering and weaving of these intersections involves the constant negotiation of science, racial, and gendered identities. This study explored how the intersections of science, race, and gender shaped their student experiences. We positioned these frameworks not only as mutually constitutive systems but also emphasize science as an epistemology, which informs conceptions of knowledge, the practice of inquiry, and who has epistemic authority. As a qualitative study, we utilized intersectionality theory to explore identity development in the context of STEM environments and grounded theory methods in our analysis. We interviewed 23 women who self‐identified as Asian Americans and were either currently in a doctoral program or were within 5 years of earning their degrees in STEM fields. Examining the intersections of science, race, and gender for Asian American female doctoral students in STEM allows a richer, more nuanced exploration of science as it is currently defined and understood and permits the conceptual critique of science to remake STEM environments into more inclusive spaces

Risk Society and Science Education: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Abstract: The current COVID-19 pandemic raises reflection on the new roles of science education in citizen education in a world characterized by civilization risks, derived from the current socioeconomic development. This specific type of risk is treated as a manufactured risk as proposed by the sociologist Ulrich Beck. In this paper, we report a document analysis starting from Beck's risk society theory, followed by notions of reflexive modernity, risk perception, and the Cynefin decision-making model for complex problems. COVID-19 pandemic is characterized as a manufactured risk. We state that students are unable to deal with manufactured risk because of the type of problems they are usually prepared to solve at school and the limited risk perception they have. In order to acquire better science education, we propose the integration of wicked problems in science programs alongside the use of a multidimensional schema, the so-called amplified risk perception space, a tool to locate students' risk perception. We hope to contribute to prepare citizens for a world of global and complex events, such as the current pandemic.

Beyond Hypothesis Testing

Abstract: Recent reforms in science education have promoted students’ understanding of how science works, including the methodological approaches used by scientists. Given that teachers are expected to teach and promote methodological pluralism, it is worth examining how teachers understand and view scientific methods, particularly when scientific methods are presented as a diverse array and not as a linear model based exclusively on hypothesis testing. The empirical study presented in the paper examines science teachers’ understanding of scientific methods, particularly the diversity of scientific methods. Brandon’s Matrix, a philosopher’s account of scientific methods, has been adapted for educational purposes, and two tasks were developed in order to investigate teachers’ understanding of scientific methods. Fifty-six science teachers (25% male, 75% female) from different regions in the UK responded to an online survey. The results showed that the majority of the teachers showed satisfactory understanding of basic components of Brandon’s Matrix. However, more than half of the sample held naive understanding of scientific methods. By providing insight into teachers’ misconceptions about scientific methods, the study provides suggestions for the design of teacher training programmes and highlights the need for explicit instruction about scientific methods. In addition, we suggest the use of heuristics such as Brandon’s Matrix for the development of pedagogical tools as well as research instruments.

The Present Shock and Time Re-appropriation in the Pandemic Era : Missed Opportunities for Science Education.

Abstract: The crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic led most people all over the world to deal with a change in their perception and organization of time. This happened also, and mainly, within the educational institutions, where students and teachers had to rearrange their teaching/learning dynamics because of the forced education at a distance. In this paper, we present an exploratory qualitative study with secondary school students aimed to investigate how they were experiencing their learning during lockdown and how, in particular, learning of science contributed to rearranging their daily lifetime rituals. In order to design and carry out our investigation, we borrowed constructs coming from a research field rather unusual for science education: the field of sociology of time. The main result concerns the discovery of the potential of the dichotomy between alienation from time and time re-appropriation. The former is a construct elaborated by the sociologist Hartmut Rosa to describe the society of acceleration in the "era of future shock". The latter represents an elaboration of the construct of appropriation that the authors had operationally defined, starting from Bakhtin's original idea, to describe the nexus between physics learning and identity. Thanks to the elaboration of the notion of time re-appropriation as feature of the "era of present shock", the study unveils how school science, instead of preparing the young to navigate our fast-changing and complex society, tends to create "bubbles of rituals" that detach learning from societal concern.

Pre-Service Teachers' Analysis of Claims About COVID-19 in an Online Course.

Abstract: Along with the COVID-19 outbreak, which has been a global threat for public health, the unconfirmed information about the pandemic in circulation has become another threat. Hence, it has become important to improve public understanding of science with a focus on explaining the nature of uncertainty in science and its impacts. The goal of the present study was to explore pre-service teachers' analysis of claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout an 8-week online implementation of a pre-service teachers' analysis task, focus group interviews, and instructor's feedback to this analysis in a course focusing on critical and analytical thinking. In order to achieve this purpose, the researchers used the claims that contain fallacies, conspiracy theories, and scientific arguments related to the COVID-19 pandemic as an assessment tool. The researchers developed and used a rubric consisting of the high, moderate, and low levels of analysis in three different categories including evaluation of claims, demarcation of fallacies and conspiracy theories from scientific arguments, and judgment of the credibility of sources. The findings indicate that the participants analyzed the claims rarely at a high level before the focus group interviews. However, after the focus group interviews, almost every participant's analysis scores of evaluation, demarcation, and judgment increased. The results also revealed their commitment to various fallacies and conspiracy theories while arguing the claims. Concluding remarks are made for the further implications of teaching critical evaluation of claims based on evidence.

Reintroducing “the” Scientific Method to Introduce Scientific Inquiry in Schools?

Abstract: There are some crucial critiques on scientific inquiry and “the” Scientific Method in current science education. Recent research literature is replete with arguments against inquiry’s legitimacy to be included in science classes, and it has even been abandoned from the Next Generation Science Standards. Critics of scientific inquiry in schools blame it to be a caricature of authentic inquiry suffering from five shortcomings: (1) knowledge becomes desocialized from its generative contexts, (2) scientific inquiry in schools suggests methodological monism favoring (3) a primacy of experimentation, (4) which portrays scientific inquiry as a knowledge automaton (5) raising an illusion of determination with regard to the generation of knowledge. This article argues for a reorientation of scientific inquiry in schools tentatively embracing “the” Scientific Method anew since critics appear not to sufficiently consider that scientific inquiry operates differently in schools from science. It will be shown that most critiques can be defused when untangling such an illegitimate mix-up of science proper with school science. It will be argued that current (and recent) descriptions of how science generates knowledge lack authoritative validity and should be fundamentally revisited. “The” Scientific Method will be shown to be a valid idealization that can serve as a frame of reference for introductory science classes. Still, it is understood that science education needs to extend beyond “the” Scientific Method if it is to prepare for science-related careers.

Towards Covid-19 Literacy: Investigating the Literacy Levels of University Students in Colombia.

Abstract: Covid-19 literacy, induced by the coronavirus disease (2019), is characterized as the understanding of Covid-19 as well as informed decisions based upon this understanding. This type of literacy is closely related to health literacy, scientific literacy, and scientific media literacy. It may be obvious to say that Covid-19 literacy is a key factor for governments to effectively manage the Covid-19 transition. However, lack of literature exists about Covid-19 literacy among university students. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the Covid-19 literacy level among 4168 students from a Colombian university. The data were derived from students’ responses to a 25–item anonymous online self-reporting questionnaire. We found that 21–25-year age group, graduate students, students enrolled prior to 2015, and medical students had a significantly higher mean score. Moreover, the Internet (86.8%) was the most popular source of information from which participants gained most information regarding Covid-19. Furthermore, 58.5% of the participants considered health workers as a source that can provide accurate information. Most importantly, the findings reveal the students’ knowledge about (1) the role of an eventual process of vaccination, (2) the test currently used as diagnostic for Covid-19, and (3) the fatality rate, three aspects of Covid-19 literacy that deserve more attention. The findings provide a useful basis for the formulation of policies and concrete actions in improving Covid-19 literacy.

A Theoretical Framework for Integrated STEM Education

Abstract: For several decades there has been a broad consensus on the need to promote scientific literacy and, ultimately, to promote the full development of student competency from an early age. However, many of the results recorded in the educational field are not very encouraging. Although interdisciplinarity has a more extensive trajectory, the continuous questioning of traditional teaching methods, due to their inefficiency, has given rise to the emergence of educational approaches that integrate the teaching of diverse scientific disciplines in a more contextualized, coherent, and comprehensive manner. The body of empirical research on the application of these approaches has grown, while leaving behind some essential theoretical questions. In the present work, a theoretical framework is proposed for integrated science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, a current teaching approach with the important momentum. Based on the epistemological stance of Larry Laudan, three levels of scientific commitment are adopted: with theories, methods, and aims. Regarding the theoretical commitment, three axes of support are established for this framework: epistemological, psychological, and didactical. This mechanism allows us to construct a consistent model that may contribute to developing coherent integrated STEM education. In addition, an example of a real application of this theoretical framework is provided in the design, implementation, and evaluation of a STEM didactic unit in the primary education stage, demonstrating its coherence and viability.

Providing Undergraduates with Opportunities to Explicitly Reflect on How News Articles Promote the Public (Mis)understanding of Science

Abstract: A well-informed populace is vitally important for the proper functioning of democracy. Media news articles constitute an essential means by which the public comes into contact with scientific issues. However, not all of the scientific information presented in news articles is trustworthy or accurate. Naturally, the situation becomes more complicated because most university science departments spend little empirical effort considering how to foster undergraduates’ scientific media literacy (SML). This article discusses the effect of a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) in (1) providing undergraduates with opportunities to explicitly reflect on the ways in which news articles promote the public (mis)understanding of science and (2) engaging them in argumentative classroom interactions (such as debates). It examines the written and oral arguments produced by 115 undergraduates (62 females and 53 males, 17–23 years old) in Colombia during a complete TLS supervised by the same instructor. The data used in this analysis were collected from students’ written responses and audio recordings. The findings suggest that the TLS can be a good start to show undergraduates some of the different ways in which news articles promote the public (mis)understanding of science and, thus, enrich their SML. The study contributes to the development of a research-based university science education that can inform the design of the SML curriculum for higher education.

Strategies to support teachers' professional development regarding sense‐making in context‐based science curricula

Abstract: The aim of this study is to develop more understanding about strategies to support teachers' professional development in curriculum innovations, in which pedagogy and content change simultaneously compared to the conventional curriculum. A pre‐existing framework, including strategies for professional development, was adapted, implemented, and evaluated from the perspective of teachers' sense‐making in teaching context‐based science curricula. This framework guides the design of activities that support teachers' development in three new aspects of teaching context‐based science units: setting a context in class, performing a new teaching role, and teaching new content. In a case study, six teachers in secondary education participated in a professional development program based on the adapted framework. A qualitative inner‐case analysis was conducted to describe teachers' sense‐making during the program, in terms of the categories “assimilation,” “accommodation,” “toleration,” and “distantiation.” Results showed that teachers participating in the professional development program successfully assimilated and accommodated all three aspects; however, the process of teachers' sense‐making of the new content followed a different path compared to the processes of the other aspects. The relation between these results and the adapted framework are discussed to retrieve strategies for planning professional development programs to support teachers in curriculum innovations.

Aspects About Science in the Context of Production and Communication of Knowledge of COVID-19.

Abstract: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and given the huge volume of information available for the general population (being part of them fake news), there is a clear need to foster people's understanding of the meaning of science, of how scientific knowledge is produced, communicated, and used. As one of the main aims of science education is the promotion of students' scientific literacy, one of the issues focused on teaching should be aspects of nature of science (NOS) - which can be introduced from discussions in socioscientific contexts. In this paper, we analyse the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to identify and discuss aspects of NOS involved in the production and communication of knowledge about it. We analyse selected scientific publications and reports from the general media, mainly focused on three broad topics about the production and validation of knowledge: (i) the characterisation of the virus, and (ii) the treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, and (iii) the communication of knowledge produced from the characterisation of scientific literature itself in the pandemic period. The analysis was carried out from a model that presents a broad and complex view of science, as it addresses several areas of knowledge and specific aspects of each of them and proposes the generation of one's view of science from an integration of some of its distinct areas and/or aspects. The results show the current pandemic is a rich socioscientific context whose discussion of social, political, economic, and ethical aspects may support students' learning of nature of science, thus fostering scientific literacy.

Talking Science: Argument-Based Inquiry, Teachers' Talk Moves, and Students' Critical Thinking in the Classroom.

Abstract: The paper reports an empirical study that examined relationships between the implementation quality of an argument-based inquiry (ABI) approach, teachers’ talk moves, and students’ critical thinking. Students were taught using an ABI approach in which they had opportunities to engage in critical thinking. However, this instructional approach was handled by a variety of teachers with differing capacities to implementing it. Systematic observation (talk move analysis) was therefore required to describe how quality of implementation affected students’ critical thinking. Four middle school science teachers and 92 seventh-grade students participated. Videos of in-class implementations were examined through classroom discourse analysis. It was observed that the ABI approach seemed to stimulate student-led critical thinking when implemented with higher quality. Teacher-led talk moves were correlated with implementation quality and had the ability to evoke or hinder students’ critical thinking. Instances of teachers evaluating students’ responses based on scientific knowledge and transmission of knowledge tended to inhibit students’ execution of higher-order critical thinking. Frequent use of less cognitively demanding talk moves, such as observe–compare–predict, did not seem to help students attain higher-order critical thinking. Four talk moves in particular (legitimating, challenging, monitoring, evidencing) appeared to be associated with higher implementation quality, in turn promoting students’ critical thinking. Communicating moves appeared to facilitate the initiation and maintenance of elaborate verbal exchanges. These encouraged students to perform higher-order critical thinking, though only in the presence of other talk moves (e.g., challenging, legitimating, monitoring, and evidencing).

Beyond a Pragmatic Account of the Aesthetic in Science Education

Abstract: This paper argues that pragmatist philosophies and theories of science, education and art have dominated our understanding of aesthetics in science education in ways that overshadow other important and pertinent aspects of aesthetic experience. For all its strengths, a pragmatist account of science education and aesthetics remains vulnerable to a kind of instrumentalism that reduces the objects, practices and persons in science education to mere beings: the source and subject of a reductive objectification of experience. This paper proposes a counter-balancing perspective that both respects and also adds to that offered by pragmatism. It does so with reference to Heidegger’s ontological difference: the one side of which is concerned with pragmatic, scientific, reflective thinking and the other with a meditative and phenomenological way of thinking that draws out our unmediated experiences of the world. Moreover, it argues that the latter is accessible in science classrooms by approaching objects and practices as works of art.