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Developing Primary Science In-Service Courses
@ Science Learning Centre:
East Midlands Dr Tina Jarvis University of Leicester
UK
Outline of talk
1.Introduction to Science Learning Centres in England
2.Research giving a picture of primary science in England
3.Research on the effect of in-service on teachers and pupils
4.Implications for in-service education
National Network of Science Learning Centres• National Centre at York
• 9 Regional Centres
• Courses for all levels – primary to FE
• Courses for all colleagues – teachers, technicians, teaching assistants
York
East Midlands
Science Learning Centre East Midlands
A collaboration between:
• University of Leicester
• University of Nottingham
• Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln
Courses take place at each venue.
Courses for:
• Early years teachers
• Primary teachers
• Secondary teachers
• Technicians
Linked optional opportunities to take a Post-Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies with tutorial support
Primary Science in EnglandA required part of the English National Curriculum.
Originally a core subject equal to maths and English but in practice is seen as less important.
Pupils have approximately 2-3 hours a week.
Science is often presented in a didactic way.
Pupils rarely carry out independent open-ended investigations.
Teachers’ lack science knowledge which inhibits posing open questions.
Potentially disruptive children discourage provision of practical activities.
Limited equipment makes organisation difficult.
Limited time restricts setting up and clearing away practical work.
Oldest children spend long periods revising for the Standard Assessment Tasks at 11 years old.
The researchAstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust
2 year in-service programme 1999 - 2000
Schools • Intakes from socially deprived areas • Under performance in national science tests and/or • OFSTED reports highlighting science as a weakness
31 City of Leicester primary schools 70 teachers 1878 pupils aged 6-12
Primary pupils’ attitudes to science in schools and in society: Attitude Instrument1. Liking school in the whole school experience.
2. Science investigations attitudes about science
experiments.
3. Science enthusiasm: about in science at school & at home.
4. Social context views on the uses of science to improve the
human condition.
5. Science as difficult subject ascertains whether children
think science is an easy or difficult subject.
6. Interest in space probes pupils’ views of the value of
space exploration
There was also a cognitive test.
Item responses for Being in School (Means)
How do you feel about Jan 1999
N= 805-842
Jan 2000
N= 684-693
Using the computer 4.79 4.82
Reading 4.18 4.12
Writing 4.03 4.00
Doing science experiments 4.05 3.91
Coming to school 3.91 3.80
Doing sums 3.71 3.69
Working with shapes 3.41 3.56
Spelling 3.74 3.48
Working by yourself 3.46 3.31
Writing in science book 3.54 3.23
Liking school sub-scale: Year 2 & 6
children's attitudes: Jan 2000 (means)
How do you feel about
Year 2
N= 103-5
Year 6
N= 94-101
Writing 4.31** 3.87**
Reading 4.27** 3.68**
Spelling 3.65* 3.35*
Doing sums 3.61 3.88
Working with shapes 3.94** 3.66**
Using the computer 4.79 4.91
Doing science experiments 3.91 4.19
Writing in science book 3.16 3.23
Working by yourself 3.27 3.11
Coming to school 3.96* 3.81*
Overall scale Liking School 38.87 38.29
Sig. Diff.
** p < 1%
* P < 5%
Item responses for Science experiments
scale (means)
How do you feel about
1999
N= 830-839
2000
N= 687-695
Choosing your own equipment 4.49 4.49
Working with friends 4.46 4.53
Telling teacher what you have done 4.03 3.96
Finding out what happens yourself 3.99 3.87
Watching teacher do an experiment 3.98 3.94
Telling friends what you have done 3.96 3.92
Teacher telling you what to do 3.91 3.78
Finding out why experiment works 3.88 3.84
Working out what to do yourself 3.47 3.35
Working by yourself 3.36 3.29
Responses for Sub-scales in What I really think of science broken down by year
group for Jan 2000 data Mean score for each year group
Sub scales 1 2 3 4 5 6
Science enthusiasm
(Grand mean 16.86)
20.33 19.99 16.97 16.20 15.72 16.00
Social context
(Grand mean 19.46)
19.87 20.01 18.72 19.16 19.60 19.66
Difficult subject
(Grand mean 10.45)
10.95 11.94 10.88 10.24 10.13 9.29
Science enthusiasm scores by gender & year for January 1999 and 2000
(Means) 1999 2000
Year Boys Girls Boys Girls
1 20.07 19.13 21.10 19.64
2 19.86 18.76 20.47 19.43
3 17.55 17.46 16.96 16.98
4 16.74 17.40 16.41 16.00
5 16.30 15.90 16.38 * 15.08 *
6 15.78* 14.42* 16.52 15.31
All 17.21oo 16.76°° 17.31** 16.39 **
Decreases in enthusiasm across the six year groups are always significant p<1% anova.
** Sig, gender difference, p<1% *Sig. gender diff p<5%, t-test
°° Sig.diff between boys and girls p<1%, two way-analysis of variance, F(1,783)= 4.489
Previous research informed course design1. Two teachers or more from each school -
more likely to have positive changes in classroom practice and dissemination.
2. The course content was developed after discussions with head teachers & teachers so they had ownership.
3. Subject knowledge support was provided by 8 days contact time as research indicated that less than this would not result in conceptual changes.
4. Teachers were required to do school-based work with some tutorial support as in-service outside the classroom often does not change teaching practice.
10-day in-service course over 1 year Developing and Assessing
Investigations
Developing open-ended investigations in
Electricity Melting Evaporation and dissolving Friction
Tutor visits supported classroom follow-up activities.
Assessing teachers’ confidence,attitudes to science and cognition• Personal information eg gender & experience
• Confidence about teaching science, English, mathematics,
and ICT
• Confidence on delivering Primary Science
• Science attitude scale of 49 items asking about importance of i) Encouraging pupil initiative, interest and wonder ii) Systematic, structured approaches to learning iii) Empirical, pupil-participative science
iv) In-service education v) Child-centred, constructivist process vi) Formative assessment • Cognitive test
Teachers’ changes in cognitive scores (means)
Pre test
N= 68
Post test
N= 46
Cognitive sub-scales
Electricity 5.40 10.20**
Change of state 8.98 11.46**
Forces 16.21 21.15**
Investigations item 1.65 2.35*
Overall gains in science
understanding
32.22 45.15**
** p<1%
* p<5%
Sig improvement
Paired t-test / Wilcoxen test for N=46 on both tests
Teacher types according to score range (high, average or low)
Disaffected
N=5
Limited
cognitive devel.
N= 13
Enthusiastic
N= 5
Unaffected
professionals
N= 9
Cognitive Pre testLow
Average
Low
Low but improved
High §
High § but improved
High
High § slight improvement
Cognitive Post test
Teaching attitudes PreAverage
Low
Average
Average
Average
High
Average
AverageTeaching attitudes Post
Competence Pre testLow
Low but improved
Average
Average but improved
Average
High
High
AverageCompetence Post test
Teaching confidence PreLow
Low but improved
Average
Average but improved
Average
High
High
AverageTeaching confidence Post
High and Low cells are at 5% significance at least with the exception of cells marked §
Effect of in-service on pupils• Pupils attitudes to school did not deteriorate over year
• Boys and girls liked more independent practical work
• Enthusiasm for science still falls for both boys & girls
– This could be the expected decline.
• Link between enthusiasm and difficultly disappears
• Pupils’ overall mean cognitive score showed highly
significant increases which were not matched in a
control sample of 77 pupils• Overall positive cognitive and attitudinal effects mask
great class variation.
Disaffected teachers (5) Years 2 & 3
Modest cognitive & confidence gains from low baseDrop in attitudes to investigative science & theoryAbsences / little work in classroom
Significant fall in pupils’ attitudesCognitive rise in Year 3
Limited cognitive development (13) Years 3-6
Significant cognitive gains from a low baseGains in confidence & competency from average baseGood course attendance / limited classroom follow-upPupils’ attitudes rise from a significantly low
base
Pupils’ cognitive gains below average
Enthusiastically fired (5) Years 4 & 5
Cognitive gains from a high levelSharp rise in attitudes, confidence & competencyMainly whole school follow up
No significant change in pupils’ attitudesPupils’ cognitive gains around average
Unaffected professionals (9) Y6
Minor change from a high cognitive baseLittle change in attitudes, confidence & competencyClass and whole school follow up
No significant change in pupils’ science attitudesCognitive gains above average
What does this mean for in-service?At least two main types of teacher in-
service depending teachers’ initial level of cognition and confidence are needed.
1.Short courses for teachers with a high cognitive base, and
2.Long-term in-service with school support for classroom-based work for teachers with initial low attainment.
Short courses• To retain teachers by keeping & extending their
interest in science teaching.• Innovative pedagogical strategies to enthuse more of
the unaffected professionals.
• Over 8 days contact with opportunity to
revisit
persistent misconceptions.• Self-confidence needs addressing.• School support for classroom-based work. • Focus for early years teaching showing value
of
science for early years’ children & showing
science
integrated with other subjects.
Substantial courses
The challengeTo provide what research says is effective in-service to
Schools and headteachers who • Are not aware of the value of sustained in-service, • Have limited funds with many demands on their funds.
Primary teachers who • Have to be experts in many subjects • Are already overworked and probably not appreciated enough.
Courses at Regional Science Learning Centre: East Midlands2004/05 Courses of 5 or 7 days with links to tutor support and accreditation towards a University Certificate as well as 1 day courses.
Despite substantial reduction in fees, teachers / schools did not choose to come on the long courses. They did attend the one day courses.
We are now offering Mix and Match courses. Eg Teachers can choose 1- 4 sessions fromAssessment Healthy Eating Rocks & SoilsPlants
Substantial bespoke coursesFocused help for four Year 5 and 6 teachers in one school
who have problems providing practical investigations in
their classroom. The Centre has provided individual
tutorials with the teachers and two very focused 2 hour
workshops. This has been extended next year to four Year
1 & 2 teachers as well as continuing with the Year 5 & 6
teachers. (2-3 year project)
Secondary school and its 9 feeder primary schools.
Secondary school is giving money and equipment to the
primary schools. The Centre is providing workshops for all
the teachers at each school and some joint workshops at
the secondary school for teachers teaching the 11 year
old pupils.
Early years & cross curricular
• Science through discovery & play
• Cross curricular science
• Creativity in science
Other courses
• Science for Recently
Qualified
Primary teachers
• Quality in primary
investigations
• ICT Key Stage 1 & 2
For more information…
• 0116 252 3771
• www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk/em
T. Jarvis & A. Pell (2002) The effect of the Challenger experience on
elementary children’s attitudes to science Journal of Research in
Science Teaching 39(10) 979-1000.
T. Jarvis & A. Pell (2002) Changes in primary boys’ and girls’
attitudes to school and science during a two-year science in-service
programme The Curriculum Journal 13(1) 43-69.
T. Jarvis, A. Pell, F. McKeon (2003) Changes in primary teachers’
science knowledge and understanding during a two year in-service
programme Research in Science & Technological Education 21(1) 17-
42
T. Jarvis and A. Pell (2004) Primary teachers’ changing attitudes and
cognition during a two year science in-service programme and their
effect on pupils International Journal of Science Education26(14)
1787-1811
T. Jarvis and A. Pell (2005) Factors influencing elementary school
children’s attitudes to science before, during and following a visit to
the UK National Space Centre Journal Research in Science Teaching
42(1), 53-83
