The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which science process skills are represented in the texts and activities in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science textbooks ...according to the learning areas in the science curriculum. This study was carried out by document analysis method. Course contents and activities in science textbooks were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Results showed that total of 899 science process skills are identified in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science textbooks covering total 42 units. In addition, when the averages of science process skills use in science textbooks are examined, it has been determined that the use of science process skills in 6th (%23.9) and 7th (%18.8) grade textbooks is above the average. While the use of science process skills in science textbooks increases from the 3rd grade to the 4th grade at primary education level, the similar increase is not determined in the use of science process skills in secondary education science textbooks. Moreover, it is found that science process skills are mostly focused on the 6th grade science textbook (n=215) and the least in the 3rd grade science textbook (n=112). As a result, when science textbooks are evaluated according to grade levels in terms of science process skills, it is determined that the most common science process skill identified is observing, and the least used one is the using data and modelling.
This study aims to explore the impact of primary school teachers' empathy and efficacy for inclusive practice on the relationship between trait mindfulness and inclusive educational attitudes.
A ...total of 606 primary school teachers were tested using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Interpersonal Response Index Scale, Teacher Self-efficacy for Inclusive Practice Scale, and Teachers' Multidimensional Attitudes toward Inclusive Education Scale.
Primary school teachers' trait mindfulness is significantly positively correlated with inclusive educational attitudes. Primary school teachers' trait mindfulness has an indirect impact on inclusive education attitudes through empathy, and primary school teachers' trait mindfulness has an indirect impact on inclusive education attitudes through teacher efficacy for inclusive practice. In addition, empathy and teacher efficacy for inclusive practice play a sequential mediating role between primary school teachers' trait mindfulness and inclusive education attitudes.
This empirical study reveals that empathy and efficacy for inclusive practice play a sequential mediating role between primary school teachers' trait mindfulness and inclusive education attitudes. On one hand, this research contributes to enriching the outcomes in the field of inclusive education for primary school teachers, providing a theoretical foundation for the study of their inclusive education attitudes. On the other hand, the study offers a detailed explanation of the psychological mechanisms behind the impact of mindfulness traits on the inclusive education attitude of primary school teachers, guiding schools in implementing mindfulness-based intervention programs.
•The math anxiety and working memory interplay affect differently math tasks.•High working memory individuals would suffer more from math anxiety.•An interplay of cognitive and emotional factors ...influences math performance.
According to the processing efficiency theory (PET), math anxiety would interfere with working memory resources, negatively affecting mathematical abilities. To date, few studies have explored how the interaction between math anxiety and working memory would affect different types of math tasks, especially in primary school children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore whether the interplay between math anxiety and working memory would influence performance in numerical operations (i.e., math fluency task) and mathematical reasoning (i.e., math reasoning task) in a group of primary school children (N = 202). Results showed that visuospatial working memory appeared to moderate the relationship between math anxiety and math performance when the math fluency task was considered, indicating that participants with higher levels of working memory were more negatively affected by math anxiety. No interaction effect was found for the math reasoning task in which students’ scores were explained only by visuospatial working memory. The findings suggest that math anxiety and visuospatial working memory interact to influence performance in the math fluency task and that this effect may vary depending on the strategies used to complete the task. On the other hand, results on the math reasoning task showed that visuospatial working memory continues to have a positive effect on the math performance independently of math anxiety. The implications in the educational setting are discussed, pointing to the importance of monitoring and intervention studies on affective factors.
•Both unplugged and plugged-in programming are effective in improving CT skills in early primary students, and unplugged programming is more effective.•Unplugged and plugged-in programming can reduce ...the impact of existing programming experience.•In unplugged groups, programming interest and programming confidence affect students’ CT skills.•Unplugged programming is better for boys and students with programming experience for CT improvement.•In unplugged group, students’ programming interest and programming confidence levels were positively correlated with CT improvement.
Recently, the development of computational thinking (CT) skills has become widespread in the whole world. There is a consensus to develop students’ CT skills through unplugged and plugged-in programming. However, the choice of programming approaches taught in schools is arbitrary and few studies have compared the effectiveness differences between unplugged and plugged-in programming. This study aimed to explore the differences between unplugged and plugged-in programming in developing CT skills of students in Grades 1-2 students. It also explored the joint effects of students’ gender, programming experience, programming interest, and programming confidence with different programming approaches on CT skills. The quasi-experimental research approach was used to conduct 10 weeks of unplugged, plugged-in, and regular programming activities with 124 Grades 1-2 students. The results found that unplugged programming promoted CT skills more in the early primary grades than plugged-in programming. We found that boys and students with programming experience in unplugged group performed significantly better in CT skills than in plugged-in group. Moreover, the improvement of CT skills of students in unplugged group was positively correlated with the level of their programming interest and programming confidence. However, these were not observed in plugged-in group. The results of this study can provide precise guidance for teaching CT skills to early primary school students and provide references for CT education.
In this research, a conceptual model of a wiki-based collaborative process writing pedagogy (WCPWP) is developed using a design-based research (DBR) methodology. The intention is to help the teaching ...and learning of Chinese writing among mainland Chinese upper primary school students. The wiki-based learning environment Joyous Writing Club (JWC) (www.joyouswriting.com) was designed and developed. The study was conducted in a primary school in Shenzhen, China, and divided into three iterative research phases spanning one and a half years (three semesters). Over this time the WCPWP was developed and refined. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods, including online wiki documents, a course feedback questionnaire, observations, interviews, and a teacher's questionnaire, were used to collect data. The results indicated that the Chinese language teachers and most of the students had positive attitudes and perceptions toward WCPWP. They perceived that the WCPWP had positive effects on students' writing ability, writing attitudes, collaboration, reading, and oral expression. This study illustrates in detail the process of improving the WCPWP, and is a good example of how DBR can be used to design and develop pedagogy. The resulting development of a conceptual model of a high-grade WCPWP may help primary school teachers enrich the pedagogical knowledge related to wikis and Chinese writing.
•The study used a Design-based Research methodology to develop pedagogy.•A conceptual model of the pedagogy was design and developed.•The characteristics of WCPWP in Chinese context among children were discussed.•Teacher and most students had positive perception and attitudes towards WCPWP.•This study summarized students' writing process on wiki.
The intention of the study was to examine the effects of a fraction intervention in a whole-class environment. The intervention aimed to enhance students' conceptual fraction knowledge, with a major ...focus on fraction magnitude understanding. This study included 120 fifth-grade students in standard classroom settings. Utilizing a cluster randomized controlled trial design, students were divided into either an intervention group (n = 64) or a control group (n = 56). Students in the intervention condition received a series of seven 35-minute lessons. Students in the control condition received "treatment as usual". Both post-test and delayed post-test results revealed that students in the intervention group performed significantly better than those in the control group on fraction concepts, with a stronger effect in measurement aspects compared to part-whole aspects. The intervention group also outperformed the control group on fraction arithmetic on both post-tests, while no significant difference was observed on fraction word problems.
This study investigates whether children's thermal perception at home and their dominant behaviour to achieve thermal comfort are related to their socio-economic background and contribute to their ...thermal perception at school.
The indoor operative temperatures of 27 classrooms were collected during the cooling season of 2014–2015 from eight primary schools located in the West-Midlands, UK. The perception of 662 students aged between 8 and 11 years old about thermal comfort at both home and school and their dominant behaviour in achieving thermal comfort within school was established through questionnaires. Behaviour was studied under two categories of personal behaviour (e.g. adjusting clothing) and environmental behaviour (e.g. asking teachers to open windows). The socio-economic background of the children was investigated through available data.
This paper reveals a relationship between children's socio-economic background and their perception of thermal comfort in primary schools. Results indicate that the behaviour of children differs depending on their socio-economic background. There is a strong relationship between children's thermal perception at home and at school among those that come from less privileged backgrounds. Those from less privileged backgrounds also find their classrooms warmer compared to the other children.
•Children's thermal perception is not only related to a classroom's indoor temperature.•There is a relationship between children's thermal perceptions at school and home.•Children's thermal behaviour is affected by their socio-economic background.•Children from privileged backgrounds use personal changes to achieve thermal comfort.•Children from non-privileged backgrounds use environmental changes to achieve comfort.
Elementary Science Indoors and Out : Teachers, Time, and Testing Carrier, Sarah J.; Tugurian, Linda P.; Thomson, Margareta M.
Research in science education (Australasian Science Education Research Association),
10/2013, Letnik:
43, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This article presents the results from a mixed methods research study which documented indoor and outdoor fifth grade science experiences in one school in the United States in the context of ...accountability and standardised testing. It used quantitative measures to explore students' science knowledge, environmental attitudes, and outdoor comfort levels, and via qualitative measures, it examined views on science education and environmental issues from multiple sources, including the school's principal, teachers, and students. Students' science knowledge in each of the four objectives specified for grade 5 significantly improved during the school year. Qualitative data collected through interviews and observations found limited impressions of outdoor science. Findings revealed that, despite best intentions and a school culture that supported outdoor learning, it was very difficult in practice for teachers to supplement their classroom science instruction with outdoor activities. They felt constrained by time and heavy content demands and decided that the most efficient way of delivering science instruction was through traditional methods. Researchers discuss potentials and obstacles for the science community to consider in supporting teachers and preparing elementary school teachers to provide students with authentic experiential learning opportunities. It further confronts teachers' and students' perceptions that science is always best and most efficiently learned inside the classroom through traditional text-driven instruction. Author abstract, ed
