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- Hansén, Sven-Erik, et al.
(author)
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Tension patterns in Finnish teacher education : Recruitment, reform and relevance
- 2023
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In: <em>Teacher education in the Nordic region</em>. <em>Challenges and opportunities</em>. - Cham : Springer. - 9783031260506 ; , s. 159-174
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this chapter, tension patterns and development opportunities withinFinnish teacher education are examined. We have chosen to focus the analysis onthe recruitment of student teachers, the relationship between theory and practice andmentorship for newly qualified teachers. Tension patterns and development oppor-tunities appear in all three phases, linking the content and form of teacher education.The analysis examines the overarching idea behind a recently introduced recruit-ment reform that was developed to let interviews play a larger role in the process.This was developed to address a situation in which an applicant applies to severaluniversities or programmes, but is interviewed only once. The relationship betweentheory and practice in teacher education remains problematic, despite the practiceschools’ favourable organizational conditions. New teachers still face challengeswhen entering the profession; mentoring programmes have been introduced toreduce these tensions.Like some other provinces in the Nordic countries, the self-governing ÅlandIslands have their own school system, which has both Finnish and Swedish traits, aswell as similar kinds of tensions. Despite the presented tensions, research-based teacher education continues to be an appropriate foundation for the continuingdevelopment of Finnish teacher education.
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- Jidesjö, Anders
(author)
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En problematisering av ungdomars intresse för naturvetenskap och teknik i skola och samhälle : Innehåll, medierna och utbildningens funktion
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Science and technology are important parts of culture. Thus today there is a need for a science education which promotes ‘science for all’ and ‘scientific literacy’ in order to prepare students for citizenship. Earlier studies indicate that many students find it hard to learn science and technology in school. They lack interest in it and have negative attitudes toward science and technology. There are also differences between the interests of girls and boys, as has been known for a long time. Recent research indicates that the concepts used in discussions of how to promote scientific literacy are too broad and underdeveloped. Science has mainly been taught for the purpose of preparing a few for further studies and has neglected the task of preparing all for citizenship. There has also been too little consideration of the relation of science literacy to specific science content. Historically, almost the same science content has been taught as is taught today. Science in society has been separated from science in school. Commonly used concepts like ‘science’, ‘school subjects’, ‘students’, ‘interest’ and ‘attitudes’ are too broad to be used in meaningful discussion. Research results show a need for a stronger connection between specific content and students’ experiences outside school. In addition, there is a need to understand societal development and the mechanisms of media and modernity. This thesis investigates student perspectives on science and technology within the affective domain of science education. The work has been carried out as part of Swedish participation in the worldwide Relevance of Science Education (ROSE) project. The empirical work presented in this thesis is extensive, and also takes into account teachers’ perspectives, the age of students, and a social theory of media. The results show that students do have an interest in science and technology, with age and sex affecting their interest in specific content. However, broad concepts like ‘science’ or ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ obscure the differences that emerge from a content level analysis. Students are different and their interest is content specific. Furthermore, the results show that student interest is not in line with what their teachers say they present for instruction. Teachers’ selection of science content and their encounters with students are discussed as important elements in science education research. In addition, the results indicate that students’ interests are more in line with the science presented in the media. Experiences outside school were shown to be related to different science content, which has an effect on choices for upper secondary education. These results are related to an overall purpose in which a social theory of the media is used to critically reflect on how modernity has led to mediated mechanisms affecting the content of science and technology. Mediated experiences and processes of reception are identified as important mechanisms in the way different people relate to specific content, which creates new conditions for science education. The results are discussed in relation to societal development and different understandings of the purpose of science education. The theoretical media approach demonstrates ways that young people’s interest in science and technology becomes involved with mediated mechanisms through popularized forms of science and through the move to what is known as ‘public understanding of science’. This situation changes an individual’s options when relating to available content and creates new conditions for science education. In this thesis, critical and reflective attention is paid to the relationship between science in school and science in society. This way of portraying the results directs the existing attention to pupil’s voice in science education in another direction. An expression of a lack of interest from an individual is interpreted as if there has been a mistake in the way science is presented.
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- Krzywacki, Heidi, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Recent trends in PhD education in mathematics and science education research : back to university level organization
- 2014
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In: NorDiNa. - 1504-4556 .- 1894-1257. ; 10:2, s. 243-250
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This descriptive article aims to discuss the development of Finnish PhD education in science andmathematics education research over the past 20 years. First, the general aims and structure of PhDeducation at the national level are introduced. Doctoral studies seek to develop research knowledgeand skills as well as the capability to produce novel scientific knowledge. Second, the development ofPhD education in the Finnish context of science and mathematics education research is discussed. Forthe past 20 years, there has been a special focus on improving PhD education through national-levelgraduate schools and international collaboration. Finally, the recent changes in PhD education, suchas the replacement of doctoral programmes at local universities, is discussed through the case of theUniversity of Helsinki.
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- Lederman, Judith, et al.
(author)
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An international collaborative investigation of beginning seventh grade students' understandings of scientific inquiry : Establishing a baseline
- 2019
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In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching. - : Wiley. - 0022-4308 .- 1098-2736. ; 56:4, s. 486-515
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although understandings of scientific inquiry (as opposed to conducting inquiry) are included in science education reform documents around the world, little is known about what students have learned about inquiry during their elementary school years. This is partially due to the lack of any assessment instrument to measure understandings about scientific inquiry. However, a valid and reliable assessment has recently been developed and published, Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI; Lederman et al. [2014], Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51, 65-83). The purpose of this large-scale international project was to collect the first baseline data on what beginning middle school students have learned about scientific inquiry during their elementary school years. Eighteen countries/regions spanning six continents including 2,634 students participated in the study. The participating countries/regions were: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Mainland China, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States. In many countries, science is not formally taught until middle school, which is the rationale for choosing seventh grade students for this investigation. This baseline data will simultaneously provide information on what, if anything, students learn about inquiry in elementary school, as well as their beginning knowledge as they enter secondary school. It is important to note that collecting data from all of the approximately 200 countries globally was not humanly possible, and it was also not possible to collect data from every region of each country. The results overwhelmingly show that students around the world at the beginning of grade seven have very little understandings about scientific inquiry. Some countries do show reasonable understandings in certain aspects but the overall picture of understandings of scientific inquiry is not what is hoped for after completing 6 years of elementary education in any country.
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- Lederman, Judith S., et al.
(author)
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Completing the progression establishing an international baseline of primary, middle and secondary students’ views of scientific inquiry
- 2023
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In: International Journal of Science Education. - : Routledge. - 0950-0693 .- 1464-5289.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Knowledge of scientific inquiry (SI) is considered essential to the development of an individual's Scientific Literacy (SL) and therefore, SI is included in many international science education reform documents. Two previous large scale international studies assessed the SI understandings of students entering middle school and secondary students at the end of their formal K-12 science education. The purpose of this international project was to use the VASI-E to collect data on what primary level students have learned about SI in their first few years of school. This study adds to previous research to bridge the landscape of SI understandings now with representation from primary, middle and high school samples. A total of 4,238 students from 35 countries/regions spanning six continents participated in the study. The results show that globally, primary students are not adequately informed about SI for their age group. However, when compared with the students in the previous international studies (grades seven and 12), the primary students' understandings were surprisingly closer to the levels of understanding of SI of the secondary school students than those in the seventh grade study.
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- Nordine, Jeffrey, et al.
(author)
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Promoting Coherent Science Instruction through Coherent Science Teacher Education : A Model Framework for Program Design
- 2021
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In: Journal of Science Teacher Education. - Abingdon : Routledge. - 1046-560X .- 1573-1847. ; 32:8, s. 911-933
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent research and reform efforts in science education have consistently stressed the importance of coherent science instruction, in which learning opportunities are connected and contextualized by meaningful phenomena, focus on a small set of core ideas over time, and generate a need-to-know about new ideas through a set of connected lessons. Yet, this type of instruction remains uncommon in schools. We argue that science teacher education has the potential to play a powerful role in promoting coherent science instruction in schools, but to reach this potential, science teacher education programs themselves must be coherent. Based on existing literature and our work in an international collaboration focused on effective practices in science teacher education, we identify key features of coherent science teacher education programs and present a new model that we refer to as the Science Teacher Education Programmatic Coherence (STEP-C) model. The STEP-C model illustrates how key elements of science teacher education are situated relative to each other, potentially serving as a powerful tool for program design. © 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
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