Mihye Won

Science Teacher Education in Australia: Initiatives and Challenges to Improve the Quality of Teaching

In this article, we describe how teachers in the Australian school system are educated to teach science and the different qualifications that teachers need to enter the profession. The latest comparisons of Australian students in international science assessments have brought about various accountability measures to improve the quality of science teachers at all levels. We discuss the issues and implications of government initiatives in preservice and early career teacher education programs, such as the implementation of national science curriculum, the stricter entry requirements to teacher education programs, an alternative pathway to teaching and the measure of effectiveness of teacher education programs. The politicized discussion and initiatives to improve the quality of science teacher education in Australia are still unfolding as we write in 2014.

Secondary Biology Teachers’ Use of Different Types of Diagrams for Different Purposes

This study presents various ways in which secondary biology teachers incorporated diagrams in their classroom teaching. To understand biology teachers’ instructional use of diagrams, classroom observations were conducted in one state senior high school in Western Australia. A total of 120 lessons in Grades 9–12 taught by five biology teachers were analyzed to produce three assertions that illustrate the instructional practice of using diagrams in secondary biology classes. The research has demonstrated a variety of different ways that experienced biology teachers used diagrams in their teaching to engender student interest and understanding of biological concepts. These findings can be used to help other biology teachers develop a better understanding of the different roles and functions of different types of diagrams in teaching biological concepts.

Using metacognitive strategies in teaching to facilitate understanding of light concepts among year 9 students

Abstract Background: Enhancing students’ metacognitive abilities will help to facilitate their understanding of science concepts. Purpose: The study was designed to conduct and evaluate the effectiveness of a repertoire of interventions aimed at enhancing secondary school students’ metacognitive capabilities and their achievements in science. Sample: A class of 35 Year 9 students participated in the study. Design and methods: The study involved a pre-post design, conducted by the first author as part of the regular designated science programme in a class taught by him. In order to enhance the students’ metacognitive capabilities, the first author employed clearly stated focused outcomes, engaging them in collaborative group work, reading scientific texts and using concept mapping techniques during classroom instruction. The data to evaluate the effectiveness of the metacognitive interventions were obtained from pre- and post-test results of two metacognitive questionnaires, the Metacognitive Support Questionnaire (MSpQ) and the Metacognitive Strategies Questionnaire (MStQ), and data from interviews. In addition, pre-test and post-test scores were used from a two-tier multiple-choice test on Light. Results: The results showed gains in the MSpQ but not in the MStQ. However, the qualitative data from interviews suggested high metacognitive capabilities amongst the high- and average-achieving students at the end of the study. Students gains were also evident from the test scores in the Light test. Conclusion: Although the quantitative data obtained from the Metacognitive Strategies Questionnaire did not show significant gains in the students’ metacognitive strategies, the qualitative data from interviews suggested positive perceptions of students’ metacognitive strategies amongst the high- and average-achieving students. Data from the Metacognitive Support Questionnaire showed that there were significant gains in the students’ perceptions of their metacognitive support implying that the majority of the students perceived that their learning environment was oriented towards the development of their metacognitive capabilities. The effect of the metacognitive interventions on students’ achievement in the Light test resulted in students displaying the correct declarative knowledge, but quite often they lacked the procedural knowledge by failing to explain their answers correctly.

Influence of Particle Theory Conceptions on Pre-service Science Teachers' Understanding of Osmosis and Diffusion

This study investigated the understanding of diffusion, osmosis and particle theory of matter concepts among 192 pre-service science teachers in Saudi Arabia using a 17-item two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test. The data analysis showed that the pre-service teachers’ understanding of osmosis and diffusion concepts was mildly correlated with their understanding of particle theory. We also identified 18 common alternative conceptions in these topics. The findings suggest that greater time and attention needs to be invested in the teaching of particle theory for Saudi pre-service teachers to ensure their scientific understanding of diffusion and osmosis concepts, so that they can help students understand the concepts better.

Learning Optics with Multiple Representations: Not as Simple as Expected

Researchers have shown the importance of adopting multiple representations when teaching and learning science. In this study, we investigated how effectively students represented their understanding of optics concepts and the difficulties they faced when using multiple representations in an introductory university physics course. To this end, we observed the teaching of a physics course in an Australian university for four semesters, developed and administered an instrument to assess students’ use of written descriptions, diagrams, formula and graphs and compared conceptual pre-test and post-test data. We also interviewed students for their perceptions of the use of multiple representations when learning optics with this instrument. Prior to instruction, most items were answered with two representations – word and diagram. The instructor integrated all four representations into his lectures. After instruction, many more students adopted formula in their responses and the three-representations of word, diagram, and formula were the most frequent combination. In interviews, the majority of students commented that the question items with explicit emphasis on multiple representations were beneficial in improving their understanding of the optics concepts. We discuss students’ perceived difficulties and provide suggestions for future instruction with multiple representations in optics.