Vaille Dawson

High-School Students' Informal Reasoning and Argumentation about Biotechnology: An Indicator of Scientific Literacy?.

The aim of this research was to explore Australian high‐school students’ argumentation and informal reasoning about biotechnology. Data were obtained from semi‐structured interviews with 10 Year‐8 students (12–13 years old), 14 Year‐10 students (14–15 years old) and 6 Year‐12 students (16–17 years old) from six metropolitan high schools in Perth, Western Australia. The transcripts were analysed using both Toulmin’s argumentation pattern and informal reasoning patterns (rational, emotive, and intuitive) as frameworks. The notion of scientific literacy was used as the basis of the theoretical framework to examine the data. Most students used no data or only simple data to justify their claims. Students of all year groups used intuitive and emotive informal reasoning more frequently than rational. Rational informal reasoning was associated with more sophisticated arguments.

Western Australian school students' understanding of biotechnology

Are science educators providing secondary school students with the background to understand the science behind recent controversies such as the recently introduced compulsory labelling of genetically modified foods? Research from the UK suggests that many secondary school students do not understand the processes or implications of modern biotechnology. The situation in Australia is unclear. In this study, 1116 15-year-old students from eleven Western Australian schools were surveyed to determine their understanding of, and attitude towards, recent advances in modern biotechnology. The results indicate that approximately one third of students have little or no understanding of biotechnology. Many students over-estimate the use of biotechnology in our society by confusing current uses with possible future applications. The results provide a rationale for the inclusion of biotechnology, a cutting edge science, in the school science curriculum

Western Australian high school students' attitudes towards biotechnology processes

This study reports on the attitudes towards biotechnology of 905, 15–16 year-old students from 11 Western Australian schools. Students were asked to read 15 statements about biotechnology processes and to draw a line to separate what they considered ‘acceptable’ statements from those they considered ‘unacceptable’. Overall, the students hold a wide range of beliefs about what is an acceptable use of biotechnology. Their attitudes range from those of the 55 (6.0%) students who do not agree with the use of any living organisms in biotechnology to the 125 (14%) students who approve of all the stated uses of biotechnology, with a wide spread in between. Acceptance of the use of organisms in biotechnology decreases as we move from microorganisms (>90%approval) to plants (71–82%) to humans (42–45%) and animals (34–40%). The attitudes of 99 students who recently studied biotechnology and have a good understanding of the processes and issues were similar in percentage and spread to those who were less informed.

Use of Information Communication Technology by Early Career Science Teachers in Western Australia

Australia wide, all school systems are in the process of providing teachers with computers and there is an expectation that new teachers will possess the expertise to use them in their teaching. In addition to using computers for basic word processing and data manipulation, early‐career science teachers need to be able to use a range of Information Communication Technology (ICT)‐related resources effectively in the science classroom. The purpose of this research study was to examine the extent to which early‐career (less than 3 years of experience) science teachers perceived that their preservice education prepared them to use ICT in their teaching role, to clarify the nature of their ICT use, and to identify factors that enhance or inhibit their use of ICT. Through questionnaire and interview, it was found that the most frequent uses of ICT were word processing, Internet research, email, and PowerPoint while the least frequent uses were palm top computers, web page design, online discussion groups, and virtual excursions. The factors that most enhanced ICT use were access to the Internet and computers, teacher confidence, and skills and workload. The factors that most inhibited ICT use were workload, behaviour management issues, and access to computers and the Internet. The findings of this study will inform preservice science education and professional development workshops.

The effect of biotechnology education on Australian high school students’ understandings and attitudes about biotechnology processes

Our education system aims to equip young people with the knowledge, problem‐solving skills and values to cope with an increasingly technological society. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of biotechnology education on adolescents’ understanding and attitudes about processes associated with biotechnology. Data were drawn from teacher and student interviews and surveys in the context of innovative Year 10 biotechnology courses conducted in three Western Australian high schools. The results indicate that after completing a biotechnology course students’ understanding increased but their attitudes remained constant with the exception of their views about human uses of gene technology. The findings of this study have ramifications for the design and implementation of biotechnology education courses in high schools.

Establishing open and critical discourses in the science classroom: Reflecting on initial difficulties

This paper presents a reflective account of a science teacher’s endeavours to use the referent of critical constructivism to transform her pedagogical practices. The context of her action research was a Year 10 Bioethics unit taught at an independent girls’ school in Perth, Western Australia. Students were provided with opportunities to engage in open and critical discourses; many did, but a few were unwilling to participate in accordance with the teacher’s intentions. We illustrate the disruptive influence of these “dissident” students and explore the reasons for their unwillingness to suspend their disbelief in a new way of knowing (and of being) that involves a radical change in the role of language in the classroom. We conclude with recommendations for epistemological pluralism and the careful use of critical discourse for re-negotiating teaching and learning roles and creating conditions for open discourse to flourish.

Socio-scientific Issues in Science Education: Contexts for the Promotion of Key Learning Outcomes

Science education scholars and practitioners have called for the contextualization of science content through the exploration of socially relevant issues, also known as socio-scientific issues (SSI), throughout the field’s history. In this chapter we explore the effectiveness of SSI as contexts for science education. Specifically, we review studies that empirically test the effects of SSI-based curricula on the following learning outcomes: science content knowledge, nature of science, interest and motivation, and argumentation. The results provide evidence of positive effects of SSI-based curricula on student learning and practices related to all of the aforementioned areas. We conclude that the research base supports integration of SSI in school science education.

Through the viewfinder: Reflecting on the collection and analysis of classroom video data

The possibilities inherent in the collection and use of video footage point to an important innovation for classroom research. Unfortunately, researchers often experience uncertainty about incorporating video into their methodological approach as it can present a potential minefield of operational, technical, and ethical issues that require consideration and negotiation. Nevertheless, with the increased emphasis on the use of digital technologies, the timing is right to engage in more in-depth discussions about the role of video data in education research. In contributing to this discussion, this article unpacks several issues connected to the use of video technology as a tool for data collection and analysis. This article focuses on addressing some of the barriers faced by education researchers such as making sampling decisions, maintaining research authenticity, and grappling with ethical issues that arise. In terms of the advantages for researchers, this article highlights the suitability of video technology for classroom-based research because it provides a permanent and detailed record, which can be analyzed from multiple perspectives. These issues are explained through the experiences of an education researcher, who used video as the main data source for documenting and examining the practices of two effective primary science teachers in Perth, Western Australia.

Introducing High School Biology Students to Argumentation About Socioscientific Issues

The purpose of this research was to determine whether teaching argumentation to high school biology students improved their argumentation skills, informal reasoning, and genetics understanding. Using a quasi-experiment with mixed methods of data collection, five teachers participated in professional learning on argumentation and socioscientific issues and then explicitly taught argumentation skills in a genetics context. Using a written survey, the experimental group of students (n = 133) improved significantly more in their argumentation skills (p <.001), ability to use rational informal reasoning (p <.001), and genetics understanding (p <.001) than the control group of students (n = 160) who studied the same genetics topic without being taught argumentation skills.RésuméLe but de cette étude est de déterminer si l’enseignement de l’argumentation aux étudiants de biologie au secondaire améliore leur capacité d’argumenter, leur capacité de faire des raisonnements informels et leur compréhension des questions de génétique. Au moyen d’une quasi-expérimentation fondée sur desméthodesmixtes de cueillette de données, cinq enseignants ont participé à des activités d’apprentissage professionnel en matière d’argumentation et de questions socio-scientifiques, pour ensuite enseigner l’argumentation dans le contexte d’un cours sur la génétique. Sur la base d’un questionnaire écrit, les capacités d’argumentation du groupe expérimental (n = 133 étudiants) ont augmenté de façon significative (p <.001), de même que leur capacité de raisonnement informel (p <.001) et leur niveau de compréhension des questions génétiques (p <.001), comparativement au groupe contrôle (n = 160 étudiants), qui a étudié les mêmes questions de génétique, mais sans enseignement de l’argumentation.

Western Australian High School Students’ Understandings about the Socioscientific Issue of Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most significant science issues facing humanity; yet, teaching students about climate change is challenging: not only is it multidisciplinary, but also it is contentious and debated in political, social and media forums. Students need to be equipped with an understanding of climate change science to be able to participate in this discourse. The purpose of this study was to examine Western Australian high school students’ understanding of climate change and the greenhouse effect, in order to identify their alternative conceptions about climate change science and provide a baseline for more effective teaching. A questionnaire designed to elicit students’ understanding and alternative conceptions was completed by 438 Year 10 students (14–15 years old). A further 20 students were interviewed. Results showed that students know different features of both climate change and the greenhouse effect, however not necessarily all of them and the relationships between. Five categories of alternative conceptions were identified. The categories were (1) the greenhouse effect and the ozone layer; (2) types of greenhouse gases; (3) types of radiation; (4) weather and climate and (5) air pollution. These findings provide science educators a basis upon which to develop strategies and curriculum resources to improve their students’ understanding and decision-making skills about the socioscientific issue, climate change.