Mojca Juriševič

Comparing Slovenian year 8 and year 9 elementary school pupils’ knowledge of electrolyte chemistry and their intrinsic motivation

This study explored the differences between eight-year elementary school pupils (before the curriculum reform) and nine-year elementary school pupils (soon after the curriculum reform) in Slovenia, as regards specific chemistry knowledge and motivation to learn chemistry. Altogether, 191 elementary school pupils participated in the study. The results show that pupils of nine-year elementary school are not significantly better at chemistry knowledge test scores than eight-year elementary school pupils. Similar results were obtained when comparing intrinsic motivation. The results also show that those students who exhibit a higher level of intrinsic motivation to learn chemistry do not perform better at the test as a whole, but the correlation is low, although statistically significant, between motivation and pupils’ performance at solving selected problems presented in this paper. Results show that students develop different misconceptions of selected chemical concepts. Based on the results of this study, some guidelines for teachers are suggested.

Science and Technology Education in Slovenian Compulsory Basic School: Possibilities for Gifted Education

The article presents an analytical overview of the science and technology curriculum from the viewpoint of the inclusive approach adopted toward gifted education in Slovenian basic education. The main research question concerns how the current curriculum fits the learning needs of gifted students. For the purposes of the study, 16 compulsory and elective syllabi of science and technology school subjects were identified and qualitatively analyzed, and the role of activity days was examined within the target framework. The results show a rather weak operationalization of recommendations for gifted education in defined learning objectives and standards in the syllabi. Moreover, it was found that elective school subjects in science and technology are poorly represented in students’ overall selection of elective school subjects. In addition, activity days offer numerous possibilities for the implementation of the general recommendations for teaching the gifted.

Students’ Achievement in Learning Chemistry Through the Design and Construction Approach to Laboratory Activity and the Relation with their Prior Achievements and Motivation to Learn

Students’ achievement in learning chemistry through the design and construction approach to laboratory activity and the relation with their prior achievements and motivation to learn is discussed in this chapter by Vrtacnik, Sodja, and Jurisevic. Authors claim that the design and construction approach to activities in chemistry lessons for middle school students is regarded as an authentic science activity, and that this approach to learn chemistry is quite rarely practised in science classes. In this approach, students were asked to design their own experiments and control variables. The results suggest that students’ success in the design and construction approach depended upon the complexity of a particular task. A significant drop off in achievements and motivation scores was found with tasks based on more abstract thinking, e.g., analyzing data and setting up hypotheses. In evaluating the design and construction approach, students expressed the highest appreciation for a positive classroom atmosphere and their active participation in the laboratory activity. The research findings revealed that students with higher achievement in chemistry are also highly extrinsically and intrinsically motivated for learning chemistry and have a higher academic self-concept.