Richard Gott

Practical work: its role in the understanding of evidence in science

The role of practical work in science education is ill‐defined. The authors suggest that one of the familiar aims of practical work, teaching for the development of ‘experimental skills’, is best regarded as having a distinct knowledge base linked to the understanding of scientific evidence. The significance and value of an understanding of evidence for employment in science, engineering and in regard to scientific literacy in the community is discussed. A content for the knowledge base linked to evidence is proposed and methods of teaching it considered. The authors conclude that while various teaching methods can be used, practical work has a key role in the teaching of evidence provided that the type of practical work is selected carefully with a clear purpose in mind.

The place of investigations in practical work in the UK National Curriculum for Science

The introduction of the National Curriculum in the UK has meant that teachers are having to take a closer look at practical work, particularly in view of the priority apportioned to scientific investigations. Consequently there is a need to clarify the principal learning outcomes of different types of practical work. In order to do this, the aims of the science curriculum as a whole are considered in terms of conceptual and procedural understanding and, in particular, with the key issue of understanding ‘concepts of evidence’. The role of different types of practical work is then considered in the light of the overall aims of the science curriculum. Investigations emerge as a way of providing pupils with the opportunity to achieve an understanding of the concepts of evidence and hence a thorough grasp of procedural understanding whilst at the same time allowing pupils to use and develop their conceptual understanding.

Constructivism and evidence from children's ideas

The validity and reliability of the evidence from childrens ideas is analyzed from a constructivist viewpoint, and a guiding set of methodological principles for the generation and evaluation of evidence is proposed. The principles seek to accent child and researcher “frames of reference” and so distinguish between the grounds on which interpretations are made. Drawing on the findings of a recent longitudinal study, the guiding principles are used to make a critical analysis of some well-known research studies in the field of chemistry.

Public participation in an environmental dispute: Implications for science education

The paper, which reports the findings of a case study of an environmental dispute, focuses on the role of the key players and the way in which they interacted with the underlying science. A model is proposed that lays out some of the dimensions of the complexity of public involvement, of the understandings of the science pertinent to such socio-scientific issues, and of the way knowledge of science is represented and disseminated in such issues. The analysis focuses on the value of local knowledge in framing and engaging with the issue, on the distinction between generative and evaluative engagement, and on the type of knowledge that proved central for engagement. The implications for science education and notions of scientific literacy are discussed.

Problems with the Assessment of Performance in Practical Science: Which way now?

This paper presents an overview of the problems associated with the assessment of practical work in science. We identify two theoretical positions from which different emphases for teaching and assessment flow and examine some of the available evidence on possible methods of assessment which articulate with these two positions. We consider the position adopted by the UK National Curriculum in science and its response to the problem of reliability. We explore possible ways forward which maintain the integrity of investigative work within the curriculum. Finally, the notion that there might be a separate ability, namely an ability to do practical work, is addressed and its consequences considered.

What Do Practicing Applied Scientists Do and What Are the Implications for Science Education

Abstract If we are to match what is taught in science education with what is needed in employment in science‐based industry, we need to determine what applied scientists actually do in terms of generic science ‘skills’. The pilot study reported here suggests that procedural understanding or the ‘know‐how’ of science is a key issue in employment but one that is not easily identified. When questioned about the science they use in their work, employers and employees tend to refer to traditional science concepts. They find it difficult to make explicit the procedural understanding which our research found was also required in their work. If we accept the notion that procedural understanding has a content which can be taught, then such teaching could make science education more efficient and in the long term had to a more efficient workforce.

A framework for practical work in science and scientific literacy through argumentation

This paper draws on earlier work on ideas that underpin the collection and use of evidence in science in schools. It establishes that different types of practical work share the same procedural underpinnings. It then takes the work of Toulmin on argumentation to suggest that the idea of the ‘public claim’ can be used to forge a link between scientific experimentation in schools and emerging ideas of scientific literacy. It concludes with a discussion of possible implications.

A CRITICAL POINT IN INVESTIGATIVE WORK : DEFINING VARIABLES

This article reports research concerning the definition of variables by pupils aged 12 to 14 during investigative work. The findings suggest that an increase in the complexity of an investigation lowers the ability to identify relevant variables as pupils start to lose track of the whole task. Substantive concepts intrude most obviously on the ability to define the appropriate dependent variable and to control variables. Pupils appear to have difficulty in realizing the advantages of defining the independent variable as continuous for the investigation as a whole. Possible explanations are considered and some practical ways of addressing this point of difficulty are put forward.

Assessment of biology investigations

The restricted range of biology investigations submitted for assessment in England and Wales, almost exclusively laboratory-based and with very little fieldwork, can be seen as a consequence of Sc1 being perceived as a skills-based performance model. An alternative approach to procedural understanding conceptualises investigations as the process of utilising a knowledge base, the Concepts of Evidence. Four biology investigations set in different contexts are analysed in this paper and the Concepts of Evidence used are shown to be very similar for each. However, the sequence in which ideas are used and actions occur differs between lab-based investigations and fieldwork. A case is made for the assessment of investigations against the Concepts of Evidence in written tests as being potentially a more reliable and valid way of assessing the ideas used in all types of biology investigations, thus reducing the distorting effect of assessment on the curriculum.

Teachers' Understanding of the Nature and Purpose of Practical Work.

This study examines science teachers’ thinking on the nature and purpose of practical work in the context of the National Curriculum for Science in England. There is a particular focus on investigations (enquiry in the science classroom), which have been a statutory component of the curriculum since 1989. Data were collected through individual interviews with science teachers about their classroom practice. The findings suggest that little attention is being given to procedural understanding in terms of ideas relating to the quality of data. It is argued that this is a key limiting factor in the development of pupils’ ability to engage in genuine investigative work.