Session Information
10 SES 09 C, Research on Professional Knowledge and Identity in Teacher Education
Paper Session
Contribution
International comparative studies show that the Portuguese students have:
- poor performance on scientific literacy (PISA, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2010);
- lack of interest in school science (Sjoberg & Schreiner, 2005) and yet;
- the number of students who choose to pursue studies at the university level in the area of Physical Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics is diminishing (European Commission, 2004);
These indicators point out the need for urgent and grounded action in science education in Portugal. However, instead of promoting centralized curricular reforms and reorganizations, implemented by experts, while disseminating information on what and how to teach through guidelines or increasing the workload of students in those areas, more urgent is the intervention at the level of teaching
This study focuses on teachers' representations of scientific literacy, which is included in another study, more inclusive, seeking to understand how the discourse of scientific literacy models and is included in science teachers professional knowledge, thus contributing to clarify whether these teachers are prepared conceptually and pedagogically to teach science in order to develop scientific literacy. Thus, the present study was designed to pursue the fowling purposes:
1. identify and describe science teachers representations of scientific literacy and analyse their consistency with scientific literacy concepts present in current trends of research;
2. explore the existence of patterns in scientific literacy representations of teachers, considering variables related to his profile and professional context;
3. understand what factors contribute to the conceptualization of scientific literacy;
The meaning of scientific literacy remains unclear and non-consensual. Teachers construct their representation of the term, which influences how they decode and reconstruct curriculum documents and, therefore, how they structure education. It is therefore important, to know what are the science teachers’ representations of scientific literacy. As Roberts (2007a) points out "Clearly, more research is warranted about the development of SL [scientific literacy] and PUS [public understanding of science] through an examination of how discourse is understood, enacted by teachers and students, taken up in student learning, measured, and discussed in the science education community and beyond. "(p. 775).
The representations of teachers may be addressed by using the model proposed by Roberts (2007a, 2007b) in which the concept of scientific literacy can fit into a continuum where one of the extremes, Vision I, is focused on science and scientists. In this perspective, the goals for science education should be based on the knowledge and skills that enable students to approach and think about situations like a scientist. At the other extreme, Vision II, is focused on the situations. In this perspective, the goals for science education should be based on knowledge and skills that enable students to approach and think about situations such as an informed citizen on science world.
Thus, teachers’ representation of scientific literacy has a direct impact on purposes, goals, dimensions of science teaching, teaching methodologies and assessment strategies that are valued in science education and, therefore, is recognized as a structuring concept of science teachers’ professional knowledge, particularly in its pedagogical content knowledge.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
DeBoer, G. (2000). Scientific Literacy: Another Look at Its Historical and Contemporary Meanings and Its Relationship to Science Education Reform. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37 (6), 582-601. European Commission. (2004). Europe Needs More Scientists: Report by the High Level Group On Increasing Human Resources for Science and Technology. Brussels. European Commission. Holbrook, J. Rannikmae & M. (2007). The Nature of Science Education for Enhancing Scientific Literacy. International Journal of Science Education, 29 (11), 1347-1362. Holbrook, J. Rannikmae & M. (2009). The Meaning of Scientific Literacy. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 4 (3), 275-288. Kemp, A. (2000). Science Educator's Views on the Goal of Scientific Literacy for All: An Interpretative Review of the Literature. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (April 2000). New Orleans. ERIC Document Reproduction Services No. 454099. ME-GAVE (2004). Resultados do estudo internacional PISA 2003. Lisboa: autor. ME-GAVE (2007). PISA 2006 – Competências Científicas dos Alunos Portugueses. Lisboa: autor. OECD (2010). Pisa 2009 Results: What Students Know and Can Do – Students Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science (Volume I). http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264091450-en. Roberts, D. (2007). Scientific Literacy / Science Literacy. In Abell, S. and Lederman, N. (Eds). Handbook of Research on Science Education. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Roberts, D. (2007). Linné Scientific Literacy Symposium Opening Remarks. In: Linder, C., Östman, L. & Wickman, P. (eds.). Proceedings of the Linnaeus Tercentenary Symposium - Promoting Scientific Literacy: Science Education Research in Transaction. Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, 28-29 May 2007. 9-17. Sjoberg, S. e Schreiner, C. (2005). How do learners in different cultures relate to science and technology? Results and perspectives from the project ROSE. Asia Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 6, 1-16.
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