Nabilah Abdullah

The Tentativeness of Scientific Theories: A Study of Views from Different Educational Levels in Malaysia

Developing science literacy has been the perennial aim of science education. One suggestion to achieve this literacy would be to ensure students have sound understanding of the nature of science (NOS). This is because comprehending NOS develops eloquent learners in science-based decision making, resulting in better scientific literacy. This study examined the views of NOS among students across different educational levels in Malaysia, focusing solely on an aspect of NOS – the tentativeness of scientific theories. This study was qualitatively designed, where a semi-structured interview protocol adapted from VNOS(C) (Lederman et al. J Res Sci Teach 39(6): 497–521, 2002) was used. The educational levels were, namely, lower secondary, upper secondary, and post-matriculation levels, with nine respondents interviewed individually for each level using the phenomenographic approach. From the data analyzed, it was found that the students’ views of theory can be categorized into four, namely, “static,” “book static,” “conditionally tentative,” and “tentative.” The categories revealed different views on the way Malaysian students perceived the nature of scientific theories compared to their counterparts in other countries.

Science Learners’ Conceptions on the Scientific Theory-Law Relationship: A Phenomenographic Case Study

This study was grounded on the ultimate goal of science education in Malaysia, which is to produce individuals who are scientifically literate. The study specifically aimed to probe how science learners conceptualize the relationship between scientific theory and law. Guided by the phenomenographic structure of awareness as the methodological framework, this study involved interviewing 10 Secondary Four Science students. Differing from the literature reviewed, the findings revealed that there were unique ways in which the scientific theory-law relationship is conceptualized by the interviewees in the study, namely “Scientific laws are superior to theory” and “Scientific theories are different from law”. The findings inferred the interviewees’ understanding of nature of science as absolute and objective. To summarize, it is pertinent to further probe and rectify incorrect, alternative understanding about science knowledge among science learners to ensure sound understanding about science in promoting students’ motivation to learn science.

Science Teachers’ Continuous Professional Development: A Preliminary Finding

Numerous studies on science teachers’ professional development status reported that despite having attended the required centralized courses and in-house trainings, there are those who still struggle to plan for and implement appropriate, well-structured lessons. This study has been carried out to identify aspects relating to instructional practices that science teachers are still lacking in, to investigate the nature of training that they have attended as well as the ones they would like to go for; and to unearth issues surrounding their training for professional growth. Twenty science teachers with less than 5 years of service were involved in this study. Data were obtained through qualitative means via interviews and document analysis. The findings revealed aspects that the science teachers had trouble in are associated with instructional strategies, content knowledge, understanding of learners, assessment and creativity in class. The teachers also raised concerns about the nature of existing and future trainings for the development of effective science teachers; on which recommendations are put forward and a possible professional development framework could be expounded.

Secondary School Students’ Knowledge and Awareness on Environmental Issues

Chemistry can be used as a medium to integrate environmental issues, inculcate environmental awareness also as a platform to assess students’ knowledge and awareness on environment. This study is designed to find out secondary school students’ knowledge and awareness on environmental issues. It employs a qualitative approach in which data are primarily gathered through observations and interviews. Observations of students’ attitudes were carried out in the classroom and laboratory while teaching and learning took place. As for the interviews, the process involved two different groups of samples namely students and chemistry teachers to support the data gathered through observations. Based on their green practices reflected through their daily routines, the secondary school students were found to possess substantial knowledge on environmental issues and good attitudes towards the environment. However, they have moderate awareness on environmental issues examined through their knowledge and attitudes. It is recommended that chemistry teachers integrate environmental issues and promote environmental awareness as they teach any related chemistry topics given the significant role of knowledge integration in fostering environmental literacy among students.

The Impact of Reflective Inquiry on Professional Development of Student Teachers

Adequate guidance, constructive feedback and professional support during teaching practice can significantly change a mediocre student teacher to one who teaches more outstandingly. This study investigates the nature of supervisor support during reflective inquiry sessions, and how the support contributes to student teachers’ professional growth as teachers-to-be. In-depth interviews with five student teachers provided data for the study. The findings revealed that the focus of reflections in the discussions between the student teachers and their supervisors revolved around the direction and implementation of the lesson; professional qualities; expressions of personal feelings, opinions and concerns; achievability of the pre-determined learning outcomes, student teachers’ manifested behaviors; and other professional supports. Reflecting on the research participants’ levels of reflectivity, 45 % interview entries were coded at level one -Technical Rationality (TR), 50 % at level two – Practical Action (PA), and 5 % at level three – Critical Reflection (CR). The findings also showed that the development of student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in teaching was due to three contributing factors: the employment of reflective techniques by the supervisors, the value of accepting the strengths and weaknesses in teaching experienced by the trainees, and the applications of the outcomes gained during the reflective inquiry sessions on the upcoming lessons. These findings imply that supervisors must take reflective inquiry conferences more seriously and recognize that productive sessions with their trainees are critical in developing future teachers with sound pedagogical know-how.