Thesis
Developing scientific literacy through cooperative learning in school science : one science department's effort to implement Curriculum for Excellence
- Creator
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2010
- Thesis identifier
- T12538
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- In Scotland, the current Science curriculum reform under a Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) has reoriented the aims of Scottish Science education, with its primary aim being to enable young people to develop as scientifically literate citizens, able to hold and defend informed views on social, moral, ethical, economic and environmental issues related to science, with a secondary aim of preparing young people for further, more specialised learning in Science (Scottish Executive Education Department, 2006). However, these reforms give little practical guidance as to how Science teachers should develop scientific literacy. Research suggests that increased use of discussion of controversial socio-scientific issues can be useful in the development of scientific literacy. However, it also suggests that Science teachers feel uncomfortable handling such discussion and tend to shy away from it (Bryce & Gray, 2004), and when they do engage in it, it is often short in duration, of poor quality and teacher-dominated (Osborne, Duschl, & Fairbrother, 2002). -- This study presents a rich picture of how one secondary school Science department implemented increased use of discussion of controversial socio-scientific issues into practice using cooperative learning. This study shows that Science teachers hold equally complex conceptual models of discussion when compared with Humanities teachers, but that their focus lies towards the development of social, communication and listening skills whereas Humanities teachers’ focus lies towards the development of reasoning skills, for the exposure of multiple perspectives. The use of cooperative learning during socio-scientific discussion helped shift the classroom discourse away from an autocratic, teacher-dominated recitation-style towards an open-ended, pupil-centred discussion. Some issues arose over the development of teaching materials, increased planning and preparation time for individual teachers and technical problems relating to internet access and website availability. In terms of developing scientific literacy, this study indicates that at present, 13/14 year old pupils have difficulties with literacy and numeracy tasks which are vitally linked to the development of scientific literacy.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Bryce, Tom
- Resource Type
- DOI
- EThOS ID
- uk.bl.ethos.530324
- Date Created
- 2010
- Former identifier
- 812510
Relations
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1. Text | 2021-07-01 | Public | Download |
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2._Related_material.pdf | 2021-07-01 | Public | Download |
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zip file of appendices for thesis T12538 | 2023-07-21 | Public | Download |