Introduction
In contemporary science education, there are numerous issues presently faced by educators, students and science professionals. These include the misuse of information and communication technology, the depth of disciplinary action, the image of science pedagogy, student attitudes, the science curriculum ‘belonging to the past’, and the hardships of focusing on science as ‘an art’, rather than as an objective, logical method of pedagogy. (Appleton, 2013; McFarlane, 2013; Tytler, 2007) This paper will focus on a specific contemporary issue which is causing hardship for several parties involved with the teaching and learning practices. This issue is that of the lack of self-efficacy and motivation found in science educators.
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Literature Review
The concepts of educator self-efficacy and motivation in science education contexts are ones which have faced a steady decline in recent years. Self-efficacy in an education context is defined as “the judgement of an educator’s capabilities to bring about desired outcomes of student engagement and learning, even among those students who may be difficult or unmotivated” (Henson, 2001, p. 4), or as “a teacher’s confidence in their science and pedagogical abilities to promote student learning.” (Hoy, 2000, p. 344). When partnered with the concept of motivation, it can be identified that science educators’ analyses of their own performances and their perceived competencies of themselves in their profession are gradually diminishing, making this a firm contemporary issue in modern science education (Henson, 2001; Pendergast, Garvis & Keogh, 2011).
Self-efficacy and motivation are both traits that society require science educators to display on a daily basis. They shape teacher effectiveness and allow educators to be resilient when dealing with problems (Bangs & Frost, 2012). The increasingly low level of the acquirement of these traits has become a rising problem for science education in
As educators, we are instructing our students not only in matters of scholarship, but in matters of self. Expression through confidence of autonomy, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation are integral to the development of any individual.
My area of interest deals with teacher efficacy in STEM education. The article I have chosen discusses issues related to teacher efficacy, standardizing STEM education, using educational theories, pedagogical approaches, increasing teacher capacity and supports provided to teachers in STEM education. This topic is relevant because it supports the idea of building the efficacy of educators in STEM that is needed to prepare our students for the 21st century global workforce.
Hudgins, B.B., & Riesenmy, M.R. (1994). Teaching self-direction to enhance children’s thinking in physical science. Journal of Educational Research, 88(1), 15.
Surveys, according to Lovelace & Brickman (2013), are able to divulge information critical to the educator’s pedagogical practices, since practitioners can measure how students’ attitudes toward math and science influence their learning. Attitudes toward science are either positive or negative, and these innate feelings and predispositions affect students’ ability to learn science and math and acquire mastery of the subjects. Thus, educational practitioners use these psychometric measurements, in conjunction with learning outcomes to draw conclusions about levels of efficacy in their own instructional
According to Susman (2013), “science is a moving target, forever advancing and getting more complicated. It’s hard to keep up and really hard to catch up. What you learn in high school is often so different by the time you have kids of your own that you can’t easily help them with their science homework. Science changes faster than iPod models”. In this case study, Clifton High School principal believed that “students learn Science by doing, not simply by watching” (Picciano, 2011, p. 182). In 2009, the principal had trouble recruiting qualified science teachers and providing a full Science teaching program.
As Whitehead says, “If a science forgets its heroes, it is lost.” Learning about nature of science and its social and cultural aspects will enhance of our understanding that science is a human endeavor. Science is a way of explaining natural phenomena by using interpretations and interferences with experimental data and observations. However, including history of science in our teachings, as well as a laboratory part, is a great way to illuminate students about the evolution of science and how scientists can take risks and sometimes fail while seeking information. Whether they study science fields or not, this history will encourage students to make and learn from mistakes while engaged in scientific practices that will expand their
A 2, 500 word assignment which examines the role of the learning mentor and analyses the strategies used in supporting science, evaluating the impact on pupils’ learning.
(2017) aimed to study effects of gender, interest, self- efficacy on children’s epistemic knowledge of science. Their subjects included 489 students from eight different Taiwanese high schools. A 36-item questionnaire developed by them was provided to the subjects. Their results did show minor differences but much to contrary belief, females had performed better. It was found that the female participants were better ay “understanding the meanings and limitations of measurement in science”.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were presented in 2013 as a response to the need for rigorous standards reflective of current STEM culture. The NGSS define the disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts between each of the four science domains (NGSS Lead States, 2013). The three interrelated areas emphasize solid content knowledge exercised in real-world application. While these standards can potentially raise the classroom’s current rigor, they are still in the beginning phases of implementation (“Next Generation Science Standards”, 2016). In addition, the logistics of transitioning to radically new standards are both a financial and time constraint in most school
The National Curriculum for Science (2013), anticipates to advance all pupils’ scientific knowledge and conceptualise understanding through the segmented scientific approaches; biology, chemistry and physics. In addition, pupils should have an awareness of the nature, processes and approaches used within science, through the various scientific enquires that enable pupils to answer questions related to the world and life. Finally, the aims of the science curriculum also consider that children must have the resources to fund the knowledge that is necessary to use science in the, present and future tense states the Department of Education (2013).
Initially, the book points to the main objective of science education that is teaching for conceptual understanding. A concept is defined as variations of meaning that determine similarities and differences, and the frameworks through different events. To reach that goal, scientific societies are need to be convinced by the validity and reliability of this approach. One of the most persuasive strategies is setting a comparison between the traditional style of teaching which depends on teaching students by telling knowledge, and teaching by implementing scientific
While I was doing my field observation last semester, I notice one thing that motivates more student is hands on activities, not only motivates them but they learn more. Chen states an encouraging new report show that first year's outcome middle school students learn more in science classrooms that adopt a well designed, project focused curriculum. For students to choose a topic that can relate to them is important.
There are various definitions of teacher self-efficacy. For instance, Grant (2006) stated “Teacher self- efficacy is the belief a teacher holds that he or she will be successful in the classroom and make a difference in the lives of students”. Ross and Bruce (2007:50) have defined “… efficacy is a teacher's expectation that he or she will be able to bring about student learning”.
Teacher self-efficacy is an integral element of an effective teaching and learning environment. Wentzel and Miele (2016) pointed out that self-efficacy encompasses the personal beliefs that an individual teacher has regarding his/her own capabilities to help students and the higher the self-efficacy the greater the job satisfaction. According to the self-efficacy theory, teachers with greater self-efficacy are poised to help students succeed, develop challenging activities, and be more persistent with students who have difficulties (Bandura, 1997). In addition, self-efficacy among the teachers is associated with support for student’s ideas, positive classroom environments, and higher student achievement levels
philosophies as a teacher: to get students to think about science as a process, and to