Showing papers on "Social science education published in 2010"

"Doing" Science versus "Being" a Scientist: Examining 10/11-Year-Old Schoolchildren's Constructions of Science through the Lens of Identity.

Abstract: The concern about students' engagement with school science and the numbers pursuing the further study of science is an international phenomenon and a matter of considerable concern among policy makers. Research has demonstrated that the majority of young children have positive attitudes to science at age 10 but that this interest then declines sharply and by age 14, their attitude and interest in the study of science has been largely formed. This paper reports on data collected as part of a funded 5-year longitudinal study that seeks to determine how students' interest in science and scientific careers evolves. As an initial part of the study, six focus group discussions were undertaken with schoolchildren, age 10–11, to explore their attitudes toward science and interest in science, the findings of which are presented here. The children's responses are analyzed through the lens of identity, drawing on a theoretical framework that views identity as an embodied and a performed construction that is both produced by individuals and shaped by their specific structural locations. This work offers new insights into the manner in which students construct representations of science and scientists. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed94:617–639, 2010

Cultural processes in science education: Supporting the navigation of multiple epistemologies

Abstract: Although there has been considerable focus on the underrepresentation of minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and the need for science instruction that fosters diversity, much of the associated effort has focused on the goal of diversity and tended to assume that science and science learning are acultural. We describe a conceptual framework employed in our work with both urban and rural Native American communities that focuses on culturally based epistemological orientations and their relation to the cultural practices associated with science instruction. We summarize evidence on the efficacy of community-based science education to support the proposition for a shift in orientation toward science education from aiming to have students adopt specific epistemologies to supporting students' navigation of multiple epistemologies. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed94:1008–1026, 2010

Identities and Social Change in Britain since 1940: The Politics of Method

Abstract: Preface and acknowledgements Introduction 1. 2005 to 1938: Lifting social groups out of the landscape. ART I: TECHNICAL IDENTITIES AND SOCIAL CHANGE 2. 1938: The British intellectual and high-brow culture 3. 1954: The challenge of technical identity 4. 1950: The resurgence of gentlemanly expertise in post-war Britain. 5. 1962: The moment of sociology PART II: THE SOCIAL SCIENCE APPARATUS 6. 1956: The end of community: the quest for the English Middletown 7. 1951: The interview and the melodrama of social mobility 8. 1941: The sample survey and the modern rational nation PART III: TECHNIQUE AND EXPERTISE 9. 2009: The Politics of Method References Appendix: Details of Archival Sources consulted

Never Pure: Historical Studies of Science as if It Was Produced by People with Bodies, Situated in Time, Space, Culture, and Society, and Struggling for Credibility and Authority

Abstract: Steven Shapin argues that science, for all its immense authority and power, is and always has been a human endeavor, subject to human capacities and limits. Put simply, science has never been pure. To be human is to err, and we understand science better when we recognize it as the laborious achievement of fallible, imperfect, and historically situated human beings. Shapin's essays collected here include reflections on the historical relationships between science and common sense, between science and modernity, and between science and the moral order. They explore the relevance of physical and social settings in the making of scientific knowledge, the methods appropriate to understanding science historically, dietetics as a compelling site for historical inquiry, the identity of those who have made scientific knowledge, and the means by which science has acquired credibility and authority. This wide-ranging and intensely interdisciplinary collection by one of the most distinguished historians and sociologists of science represents some of the leading edges of change in the scholarly understanding of science over the past several decades.

The Disciplinary Status of Consumer Behavior: A Sociology of Science Perspective on Key Controversies

Abstract: Critics within the consumer behavior field have consistently debated three fundamental issues about the field’s defining properties and goals: (1) whether consumer behavior should be an independent discipline, (2) what is (and is not) consumer behavior, and (3) whether our field should be interdisciplinary. Taking the perspective of the sociology of science leads us to conclude that (1) consumer behavior is not an independent discipline; (2) consumer behavior is distinguished from other fields by its focus on a consumer role, emphasizing the acquisition, consumption, and disposal of marketplace products, services, and experiences; and (3) consumer behavior is not an interdisciplinary field.

Trends of Science Education Research: An Automatic Content Analysis

Abstract: This study used scientometric methods to conduct an automatic content analysis on the development trends of science education research from the published articles in the four journals of International Journal of Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Research in Science Education, andScience Education from 1990 to 2007. The multi-stage clustering technique was employed to investigate with what topics, to what development trends, and from whose contribution that the journal publications constructed as a science education research field. This study found that the research topic of Conceptual Change & Concept Mapping was the most studied topic, although the number of publications has slightly declined in the 2000’s. The studies in the themes of Professional Development, Nature of Science and Socio-Scientific Issues, and Conceptual Chang and Analogy were found to be gaining attention over the years. This study also found that, embedded in the most cited references, the supporting disciplines and theories of science education research are constructivist learning, cognitive psychology, pedagogy, and philosophy of science.

Choosing science: understanding the declines in senior high school science enrolments

Abstract: 'Choosing Science' reports on the most thorough study yet undertaken in Australia to investigate Year 10 students' decisions about whether to take science subjects. The study was well supported by ASTA members, with around 590 teachers and 3800 students participating. It examined teachers' views on the persistent declines in science enrolments, and students' perceptions of school science and aspirations towards further study and careers. The report discusses students' attitudes to science, their enrolment deliberations, sources of advice and recommendations for change. The report identifies the most likely and unlikely contributors to enrolment declines, and makes 10 recommendations.

Science Education as a Call to Action

Abstract: This article takes the view that both science, technology, society, environment (STSE) education and conventional forms of socio-scientific issues (SSI)-oriented science education are inadequate to meet the needs and interests of students faced with the demands, issues, and problems of contemporary life. A much more politicized approach is advocated, with major emphasis on social critique, values clarification, and sociopolitical action.

The History of the Social Sciences since 1945

Abstract: This compact volume covers the main developments in the social sciences since the Second World War. Chapters on economics, human geography, political science, psychology, social anthropology, and sociology will interest anyone wanting short, accessible histories of those disciplines, all written by experts in the relevant field; they will also make it easy for readers to make comparisons between disciplines. A final chapter proposes a blueprint for a history of the social sciences as a whole. Whereas most of the existing literature considers the social sciences in isolation from one other, this volume shows that they have much in common; for example, they have responded to common problems using overlapping methods, and cross-disciplinary activities have been widespread.

Tempered Radicals: Elementary Teachers' Narratives of Teaching Science within and against Prevailing Meanings of Schooling.

Abstract: Science educators and researchers have bemoaned the lack of reform-based science in elementary schools and focused on teachers’ difficulties (i.e., lack of knowledge, interest, experience) in enacting quality science pedagogy. We present compelling evidence that challenges assumptions about science education reform and draw on a practice theory perspective to examine the stories, commitments and identities of thirteen teachers, whose beliefs and practices aligned with those promoted by science education reform documents. Through ethnographic interviews, we learned about these teachers’ critical science experiences, perceived science teacher identities, and their goals and commitments. Their stories highlight institutional and sociohistorical difficulties of enacting reform-based science, the many biases, contradictions, and unintended consequences prevalent in educational policy and practice today, and emphasize how easily the status quo can get reproduced. These teachers had to work as ‘tempered radicals’, ‘working the system’ to teach in ways that were consistent with reform-based science.

Do We Need More Scientists? A Long-Term View of Patterns of Participation in UK Undergraduate Science Programmes.

Abstract: This paper reports the findings from an ESRC funded study which examined patterns of participation in higher education science programmes. Using data on applications and acceptances to university, the paper describes trends in the numbers of candidates who choose to study science and science‐related degree programmes in the UK over the last two decades. Two main findings emerge. The first shows that overall the sciences have retained their share of the undergraduate population during a period in which the sector has expanded rapidly. We find no evidence of a ‘swing’ from science. Indeed it is not the case that undergraduates are not studying science, rather, it is the type of science courses they are studying which has changed. The second finding suggests that large and small‐scale initiatives to increase recruitment to the sciences have had little lasting impact on the higher education participation data.

Virtual games in social science education

Abstract: The new technologies make the appearance of highly motivating and dynamic games with different levels of interaction possible, in which large amounts of data, information, procedures and values are included which are intimately bound with the social sciences. We set out from the hypothesis that videogames may become interesting resources for their inclusion in the education processes in formal contexts. Videogames become laboratories for social experimentation where the scenarios, conditions and situations affecting a given human phenomenon are reproduced. In this article, 35 videogames are analysed to find out which contents can be approached through them for the teaching of Social Sciences using problem-solving strategies. To this end, instruments for information gathering (data collection grid) and analysis (category system) were designed. The different contents of a social nature are analysed according to the study categories and in turn from the areas of social issues detected in them. We present a working proposal for the use of videogames in the classroom on the basis of resolution of relevant problems, determining which are the issues that we consider relevant, what questions the pupils can be asked to approach through videogames and what the characteristics, benefits and obstacles are in the use of these resources in the teaching of Social Sciences.

Globalization: Science Education from an International Perspective

Abstract: As the world becomes more connected and dependent on shared natural and intellectual resources, questions of how we create a high level of scientific literacy for all children throughout the globe become essential for us to consider. How can we leverage what we learn in each country to improve science education not only within our own country but around the globe? Children throughout the world, if we are to survive as a planet, will need to have a deep level of scientific literacy. In recent decades research and understanding of science instruction around the world has increased substantially, through continuously growing international cooperation on the part of science education researchers and as a result of international monitoring studies like TIMSS and PISA. This special issue of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching aims at building closer international cooperation, with a particular emphasis on valuing and keeping cultural diversity. We explore three closely linked facets of this international work: (1) the transformation of the world economies and cultures, (2) the increasing challenges faced by global socio-scientific issues (such as climate change), and (3) the globalization of science education research.

Is there a crisis in school science education in the UK

Abstract: This paper reviews the extent to which contemporary concerns over the recruitment, training and retention of scientists have persisted among science education policy‐makers Drawing upon key government reports that have been commissioned in order to review the position of science education and training over the last 90 years, we consider the historical context of contemporary “moral panics” about the position of science education in schools Three themes emerge: the nature and purpose of the school science curriculum, the recruitment of science undergraduates, and the teaching of science in schools The review suggests that many of the concerns which pre‐occupy us today, such as the perceived “quality” of the science teaching workforce, are the very same that existed when science was first introduced as a school subject This raises issues about the role of policy in influencing educational change more generally but also questions whether there ever was a “golden age” for science education in the UK

Education through Science as a Motivational Innovation for Science Education for All.

Abstract: Historically, science was introduced into the school curriculum to enable students, who were entering university to study science related subjects, to gain some background knowledge before beginning studies at the university level (Fensham, 2008, p 14). Unfortunately this view is still very prevalent among policy-makers and teachers today. And this is so, even though science subjects have become part of ‘education for all’ and, in most systems, science have become compulsory for primary school students. This paper considers the roles of science education as expressed in curriculum documents and in educational standards. It notes the often expressed target of science education as enhancing scientific literacy and puts forwards views on what is meant by this expression Also noted is the comment in the UNESCO booklet on the Eleven Emerging Issues in Science Education (Fensham, 2008, p.8 and 27) that the term ‘scientific literacy’ should no longer be used. The papers argues that policy-makers and teachers should rethink their vision of science in the school curriculum and accept the view that the teaching of science subjects is part of the overall educational provision and must not be viewed in a different philosophical light from other subjects. If education is the target, then the philosophy for the teaching of science subjects must be, it is argued, ‘education through science’. This view represents a paradigm shift in the purpose of school science education from the historical view. The new vision is put forward as an essential step if school science education is to play a meaningful role for the majority of students, especially girls, in 21 st century education.

The emergence of social science research on nanotechnology

Abstract: This article examines the development of social science literature focused on the emerging area of nanotechnology. It is guided by the exploratory proposition that early social science work on emerging technologies will draw on science and engineering literature on the technology in question to frame its investigative activities, but as the technologies and societal investments in them progress, social scientists will increasingly develop and draw on their own body of literature. To address this proposition the authors create a database of nanotechnology-social science literature by merging articles from the Web of Science's Social Science Citation Index and Arts and Humanities Citation Index with articles from Scopus. The resulting database comprises 308 records. The findings suggest that there are multiple dimensions of cited literature and that social science citations of other social scientists' works have increased since 2005.

Research Trends and Findings From a Decade (1997–2007) of Research on Informal Science Education and Free-Choice Science Learning

Abstract: The decade from 1997–2007 was transformative for research into science learning in out-of-school contexts. The field transitioned from being driven by individual programmatic needs into a field with a coherent conceptual framework to guide research. These changes are documented in the research published in International Journal of Science Education, Science Education, and Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 3 major peer-reviewed and social-science-indexed journals. As such they represent opportunities for researchers in the greater science education field to understand our research and our field. This article reviews 85 articles from these 3 journals and explores links among each study's research paradigms, methods of data collection, analysis, and study setting as a way to examine the field over the last decade. In addition to examining the body of research as a whole, the research published in these journals in 1997 and 2007 is also compared and contrasted to illuminate how the field has c...

Science and public

Abstract: IN his “Ode on the Coronation of King Edward the Seventh,” William Watson wrote of England these notable lines:—

Leading with ethics, aiming for policy: new opportunities for philosophy of science

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to articulate and advocate for an enhanced role for philosophers of science in the domain of science policy as well as within the science curriculum. I argue that philosophy of science as a field can learn from the successes as well as the mistakes of bioethics and begin to develop a new model that includes robust contributions to the science classroom, research collaborations with scientists, and a role for public philosophy through involvement in science policy development. Through an analysis of two case studies, I illustrate how philosophers of science can make effective and productive contributions to science education as well as to interdisciplinary scientific research, and argue for the essential role of philosophers of science in the realm of science policy.

Engaging Students to Perceive Nature of Science Through Socioscientific Issues-Based Instruction

Abstract: In the relation to world of change, learning science is stimulated by source of scientific knowledge and various kind of pedagogical strategies. Some issues that concerns science and social dimension are raised and critiqued in many areas. Socioscientific issues are widely distributed in terms of promotion nature of science and leads scientific literacy. In this way, environmental concerns, technological concerns, discussions about the nature of science and its socially dependent nature can be addressed. It is a natural place for discussion about social justice to occur within science. These are very important in science curriculum, defined as one of the direction of science literacy and it also is developed as a part of national science education effort. This article reviewed and discussed ways to engage students to perceive nature of science through socioscientific issues-based instruction in a professional science education community.

Highly cited non-journal publications in political science, economics and psychology: a first exploration

Abstract: In this study we show that it is possible to identify top-cited publications other than Web of Science (WoS) publications, particularly non-journal publications, within fields in the social and behavioral sciences. We analyzed references in publications that were themselves highly cited, with at least one European address. Books represent between 62 (psychology) and 81% (political science) of the non-WoS references, journal articles 15-24%. Books (economics, political science) and manuals (psychology) account for the most highly cited publications. Between 50 (psychology, political science) and 71% (economics) of the top-ranked most cited publications originated from the US versus between 18 (economics) and 38% (psychology) from Europe. Finally, it is discussed how the methods and procedures of the study can be optimized.

Prioritizing science education.

Abstract: [Index to Education 2013 special section][1] This special issue of science explores “grand challenges in science education,” a critical set of the problems and exciting opportunities now facing science education on a global level. The 20 Challenges, addressed by a team of education experts, range from “Enable students to build on their own enduring, science-related interests” to “Shift incentives to encourage education research on the real problems of practice as they exist in school settings.” Here I propose three additional Grand Challenges. These focus on harnessing the wisdom of teachers, helping the business community promote new directions in precollege science education, and—last but not least—catalyzing major changes in the way we teach college-level science. ![Figure][2] CREDIT: TOM KOCHEL From my many close contacts with outstanding U.S. teachers, I have come to deeply appreciate their wisdom. They uniquely understand today's 5- to 18-year-old students and have many valuable suggestions for improving education systems. I am also painfully aware of the many past failures that have been caused by not giving the best teachers a strong voice in the public policies that profoundly affect their profession. In the 1980s, the Japanese taught the world that building a better automobile requires listening to workers on the assembly line. More generally, experience shows that actively soliciting advice from those most intimately involved is essential for wise decision-making at higher levels. Regrettably, education is one of the few parts of U.S. society that fails to exploit this fact. Hence, my initial Grand Challenge: “Build education systems that incorporate the advice of outstanding full-time classroom teachers when formulating education policy.” A start has been made,[*][3] but much more remains to be done (see the Perspective by B. Berry on p. [309][4]). ![Figure][2] CREDIT: JOE PARKER/ FLORIDA TODAY To be competitive in the global economy, businesses need to be able to hire workers who can “think for a living.” More specifically, studies reveal that the private sector seeks employees who can apply a capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking to “complex real-world problems—including problems that involve the use of scientific and technical knowledge—that are nonstandard, full of ambiguities, and have more than one right answer.” These employees must also have “the capacity to function effectively in an environment in which communication skills are vital—in work groups.”[†][5] Achieving the revolution in U.S. science education that is called for in the Next Generation Science Standards released last week[‡][6] would go a long way toward creating the type of high-school graduates that the private sector needs (see the Perspective by R. Stephens and M. Richey on p. [313][7]). Business leadership in the United States often fails to advocate for wise education policies, despite its potential for influence. Hence, my second Grand Challenge: “Harness the influence of business organizations to strongly support the revolution in science education specified in the Next Generation Science Standards. ” Several years ago on this page, I pointed out that, “Rather than learning how to think scientifically, students are generally being told about science and asked to remember facts. This disturbing situation must be corrected if science education is to have any hope of taking its proper place as an essential part of the education of students everywhere. Scientists may tend to blame others for the problem, but—strange as it may seem—we have done more than anyone else to create it.”[§][8] College science courses are taught by scientists, and they define “science education,” modeling for teachers and adults what should be done at lower levels. Most college faculty have not yet faced up to the urgent need to improve on the standard one-size-fits-all lecture format (see News story by J. Mervis on p. [292][9]). Thus, my final Grand Challenge: “Incorporate active science inquiry into all introductory college science classes.” The aim is nothing less than a more rational world. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/education2013/index.xhtml [2]: pending:yes [3]: #fn-1 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1230580 [5]: #fn-2 [6]: #fn-3 [7]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1230728 [8]: #fn-4 [9]: /lookup/volpage/340/292?iss=6130

Connecting research in science literacy and classroom practice: a review of science teaching journals in Australia, the UK and the United States, 1998-2008

Abstract: In the last 15 years (1994–2009), there has been considerable increased research interest in: (1) characterising the distinctive nature and constitutive elements of science literacy and (2) investigating classroom practices or necessary conditions that enable students to acquire this disciplinary capacity This raises the question of the extent to which this research agenda and emerging findings have been reflected in science teaching journals that seek to influence classroom practice In this paper, we review the content of science teaching journals in Australia, the UK and the USA, 1998–2008, to identify the degree of alignment between these two literatures We found a research‐practice gap, with the science teaching journals more often citing research from literacy education than from science education We conclude by considering the implications of these findings as well as possible strategies to develop a more generative relationship between research on the acquisition of science literacy and teacher

Pre-service teachers’ computer competencies, perception of technology use and attitudes toward teaching career

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between pre-service teachers’ computer competencies, the perception of technology use and the attitudes toward teaching career. This study based on a survey method and the participants consist of 106 pre-service teachers from the department of elementary education and social sciences education at Ahi Evran University Faculty of Education . One of results is that the participants think that they have a higher level of computer competencies. Another result is that although the participants from elementary education have a higher perception of computer competency than do the participants from social science education, but this result is found statistically insignificant. The pre-service teachers’ belief on the positive effects of technology in teacher education is found high for both departments. The perception of pre-service teachers on technology use is generally positive. This positive perception level affects the attitude toward teaching career positively. As the pre-service teachers level of computer literacy the positive attitude toward technology use gets higher.

Is science communication its own field

Abstract: The present comment examines to what extent science communication has attained the status of an academic discipline and a distinct research field, as opposed to the common view that science communication is merely a sub-discipline of media studies, sociology of science or history of science. Against this background, the authors of this comment chart the progress science communication has made as an emerging subject over the last 50 years in terms of a number of measures. Although discussions are still ongoing about the elements that must be present to constitute a legitimate disciplinary field, we show here that science communication meets four key elements that constitute an analytical framework to classify academic disciplines: the presence of a community; a history of inquiry; a mode of inquiry that defines how data is collected; and the existence of a communications network.