The University of Sydney: Sydney eScholarship Journals online
Not a member yet
10041 research outputs found
Sort by
Elementary Science Teachers’ Understanding of Inquiry-Based Teaching and Self-Evaluation of their Practices: A Case Study from Thailand
Get PDFThis research explores Thai elementary science teachers’ understanding of inquiry-based teaching based on self-evaluation, and focusing on the frequency of their use of inquiry-based strategies in a class. We developed 18 open-ended questions on teaching scenarios based on the essential features of inquiry teaching to assess 38 Thai elementary science teachers’ understanding of inquiry-based teaching. The 14 items of the Inquiry Strategies Scale (IS) were used to measure the frequency of using inquiry-based teaching strategies in a lesson delivered by each of the study participants. The results reveal that these Thai science teachers lack knowledge and have some fundamental misunderstandings about inquiry-based science teaching. Interestingly, the frequency with which they used inquiry-based strategies in science teaching was almost the same as non-inquiry-based strategies and was not related to their knowledge. Specific scaffolding is needed to help the teachers gain a better understanding of inquiry-based science teaching
Effects of a Digital Math Training Intervention on Self-Efficacy: Can Clipart Explainers Support Learners?
Get PDFIn the mathematics domain, learning from worked examples is a best practice method for initial skill acquisition. However, open questions refer to effective digital training interventions in the field. Subject to these questions are the potential effects of self-explanations on self-efficacy, and the role of clip art explainers currently in vogue (cartoon teachers plus explanations in speech bubbles). We thus developed and field-tested a short-term (approximately 45 minutes) digital training intervention on mathematical proportionality with 113 German secondary school students (Mage: 14.12 years). We applied a quantitative experimental research design to analyse learning processes and outcomes with tests and questionaires. To investigate the potential supportive effects of the clipart explainers, we compared two versions of our intervention: with clip art explainers (clipart condition) and without them (control condition). Our training intervention revealed a significant positive within-subjects effect on the learners’ mathematical self-efficacy related to proportionality tasks. The clipart explainers had a significant negative between-subject effect on the subjective difficulty of the instructional material—with no indications of being detrimental to learning. Finally, we detected self-explanation quality and task engagement to be significant predictors for learning outcomes. Our findings underscore the importance of having learners deeply process the given materials
Does the proportion of marks for wet laboratories affect overall performance? Results from a biochemistry course
Get PDFBACKGROUND
Students have higher marks in programs/courses with higher, rather than lower, proportions of marks allocated to coursework. Coursework can take many forms, and the aim of the present study was to determine whether this generalisation applied when the coursework was wet laboratories.
METHODS AND RESULTS
(i) The marks for the laboratories and exams were compared, (ii) any association between these marks was determined by regression line analysis, and (iii) modelling was undertaken to determine the effects of changing the allocation of marks on passing/failing rates.
Students who completed the course had higher marks in the laboratories than the exams. Regression line analysis of the marks in the laboratories versus exam showed (a) a poor line fit and (b) the correlation coefficient was moderate. A high percentage of students passed the course (90%). Modelling showed that increasing the marks for the exam decreased the number of students passing the course to as few as 51%.
DISCUSSION
The allocation of marks to wet laboratories/exams can have a major effect on the percentage of students who pass courses. The question as to whether students who pass wet laboratories but fail exams should pass courses/programs needs to be given further consideration
Where does meaningful learning occur in BioSciences courses?
Get PDFSTEM courses increasingly seek to employ teaching practices that promote meaningful learning, due to its benefits in knowledge retention, knowledge transfer, and student engagement. In redesigning existing courses to support this mode of learning, it is therefore necessary to determine which types of learning modes (lectures, workshops, practicals), and which components within these modes, maximise opportunities for meaningful learning. We surveyed a large cohort of biosciences students at the University of Melbourne (N = 321), comprising subjects across multiple year levels, to understand student perceptions of when these opportunities do and do not occur. Students believed they were most likely to engage in meaningful learning during face-to-face workshop/tutorial or practical sessions, when they had the opportunity to apply their knowledge to new contexts and to solve problems or answer questions, while interacting with peers and educators, ideally during a “hands-on” experience. Students identified individual written-based assessment tasks, in preference to creation-based group assignments, as best for promoting meaningful learning, as they had the opportunity to apply and extend their knowledge. The findings of this research provide a framework for educators to increase or optimise the opportunities for students to engage in, and provide evidence of, meaningful learning in their courses.
Physics Education Network (PEN) - Student engagement in Physics workshop
No full textAs COVID lockdowns are ending and more students are returning to campus, many of us are struggling with student engagement. It is increasingly common for students to be balancing long work hours with study. In Australia in 2021, 32.3% of students studying a non-school qualification were employed full-time and 41.6% part-time (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021). Asynchronous online materials can be beneficial to these students, but they also mean that students are not interacting with their peers and building a supportive cohort. Expectations of students have changed; it can be harder to get students to dedicate sufficient time to properly learning course material. Many colleagues are reporting that students are not prepared when they come to class and are lacking a deep understanding of pre-requisite material, having not learnt it thoroughly when learning moved online. The problem of increasing student engagement is not an easy one to solve. We have an excellent opportunity to make changes for the better regarding how students engage with learning materials and assessment. In this workshop, we will encourage participants to share what they have tried and what has worked in their setting.
This workshop will run for two hours, the first hour being hybrid, the second hour being face-to-face to give people in person a chance to catch up after two years online.
REFERENCE
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Education and Work, Australia. ABS. Retrieved June 15, 2022, from https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-work-australia/latest-release
How mainstream science students experience learning about Indigenous science
Get PDFA mixed methods approach was used to understand the experience of mainstream science students completing an elective interdisciplinary science unit “Indigenous Science: Science through the eyes of Australia’s First Peoples”. Post an introductory two weeks focused on Indigenous cultural competency in a science context, we looked at student reflections on learning (n = 72). We combined this with a quantitative instrument to look at students’ impressions on Indigenous issues pre/post the unit as an indication of changes in attitudes (Bodkin-Andrews, Page, & Trudgett, 2019). Lastly, this was paired with an instrument to evaluate the presence of Indigenous opinions, works and voices that the students perceived to be part of the class.
Analysis of the reflections shows a high number of students including negative emotions in their reflections. We also see a high number of students planning to become more familiar with Indigenous issues and literature in order to improve their understanding. Often this is coupled with an understanding that they need to upskill before interacting with community in order to have a higher baseline competency on Indigenous issues. We will present the detailed interactions of themes across the different aspects of the reflection and what it means for those working to teach in this space.
REFERENCE
Bodkin-Andrews, G., Page, S., & Trudgett, M. (2019). Working towards accountability in embedding Indigenous studies: Evidence from an Indigenous Graduate Attribute evaluation instrument. Australian Journal of Education, 63(2), 232-260. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0004944119863927