Vários são os espaços não-formais de ensino de Ciências em Curitiba e Região Metropolitana e poucos os estudos sobre o conhecimento dos professores quanto a esses locais e sua articulação com as escolas. Nesse contexto, considerando a importância desses espaços no processo ensino-aprendizagem, este trabalho teve como objetivo conhecer o atual estado de conhecimento dos professores de Ciências do 6º ao 9º ano do Ensino Fundamental da Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba a respeito dos espaços não-formais de ensino relacionados a esse componente curricular e elaborar, com base nos dados obtidos, um recurso que os auxilie no planejamento de atividades envolvendo esses locais. À luz da literatura primeiramente realizamos um levantamento bibliográfico sobre as modalidades de educação formal, informal e não-formal e a história dos museus e centros de ciências no Brasil e no mundo, além da relação entre museus e escolas e possibilidades educativas desses locais. Os dados para a pesquisa foram coletados a partir de um questionário impresso contendo questões abertas e fechadas, aplicado a docentes de Ciências do 6º ao 9º ano do Ensino Fundamental nos meses de março e abril de 2013. Através de análise estatística e de conteúdo, constatamos que existem entre os professores várias demandas no que se refere ao suporte ao planejamento de visitas a espaços não-formais de ensino de Ciências, como desconhecimento a respeito de diversos espaços existentes na região onde atuam, o atual conhecimento em relação às possibilidades de contribuição desses locais ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem e o interesse por um recurso que centralize as informações a respeito desses locais bem como forneça sugestões de atividades de preparação para a visita e retomada de conteúdos. Para a confecção do recurso, produto deste trabalho, visitamos, nos meses de julho e agosto, 27 espaços não-formais de ensino de Ciências de Curitiba e Região Metropolitana e entrevistamos seus gestores e equipes quanto às possibilidades educativas desses locais e outras informações. Com base nos dados levantados elaboramos um site para os docentes de Ciências das séries finais do Ensino Fundamental contendo sugestões de sequências didáticas envolvendo esses locais, constituindo uma referência que auxilia os docentes na utilização desses espaços em seus planejamentos, estimulando o aprendizado fora da sala de aula. / There are several non-formal spaces of science education in Curitiba and metropolitan region and few studies about teachers' knowledge regarding these places and their articulation with the schools. In this context, considering the importance of these spaces in the teaching-learning process, this study aimed to assess the current state of knowledge of science teachers from 6th to 9th grade of municipal public middle schools from Curitiba regarding non-formal spaces related to this curriculum component and elaborate, based on the data obtained, a resource that assists them in planning activities involving these locations. In light of the literature we initially conducted a bibliographic study on the education modalities - formal, informal and non-formal -, the history of museums and science centers in Brazil and in the world, and also the relationship between museums and schools and educational possibilities of these locations. We collect data for research using a printed questionnaire containing open and closed questions, applied to science teachers from 6th to 9th grade of middle school in the months of March and April 2013.Through statistical analysis and content , we found that there are several demands among teachers with regard to support and planning visits to places of non-formal science education, such as lack of knowledge about many spaces in the region where they operate, current knowledge regarding the possible contribution of these sites to the process of teaching and learning and an interest in a feature that centralizes information about these locations as well as provide suggestions for activities to prepare for the visit and resumption of content. To create the product, we visited in the months of July and August, 27 spaces of non-formal science education in Curitiba and metropolitan region and interviewed their managers and staff about the educational possibilities of these locations and other information. Based on the collected data we developed a website for science teachers of final grades of elementary school containing suggestions for didactic sequences involving these places and providing a reference that assists teachers in the use of these spaces in their planning, encouraging learning outside of the room class.

The assumption of the present study is that teachers should possess an adequate understanding of the nature of science and scientific method and hence this aspect was investigated. The empirical research carried out with Secondary School teacher trainees at Botswana colleges of education showed the following: Subjects possess an adequate understanding of some aspects of the nature of science and several aspects of the scientific method. They however do not have an adequate understanding on certain aspects of the nature of science. An association was found between the nature of science, type of educational institution attended, years of study and majoring in science. A positive association was found between scientific method and years spent studying. The present study recommended the inclusion of history, philosophy and sociology of science in the curriculum of teacher education. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Natural Science Education)

The purpose of the project was to develop an electronic resource that would provide a tutorial for students and offer opportunities for practice of measurement skills.

This project was designed to help instructors at Camp Highland Outdoor Science School in Cherry Valley, California. The camp is drsinged for fifth and sixth grade students. The manual would be a useful tool for instructors to reference information to assist in lession planning and activities. It would familiarize them with the local natual history in the area including geology, climate, plants and Native Americans.

The purpose of this study is to look at parallel factors between the Hispanic female dropout rate and possible resiliency methods such as retention through inquiry based science education. This type of educational program might provide insight into the many educational possibilities that are open to Hispanic females.

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) became part of the curriculum in the Department of Computer Science at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) in September 1997. The intent was to integrate the object-oriented paradigm in the undergraduate courses. Subsequently, this use has shifted to the graduate level. The purpose of this thesis is: 1) to determine what the students know about UML, 2) to reveal if the students were using UML, 3) to clarify how students use the UML.

The purpose of the project was to develop a single-semester curriculum for Citrus College. The curriculum was directed at adults returning from the workplace to update their skills, and college students that are enrolled in the information technology (IT), or computer science (CS) tracks.

The purpose of the project was to develop a single-semester curriculum for Citrus College. The curriculum was directed at adults returning from the workplace to update their skills, and college students that are enrolled in the information technology (IT), or computer science (CS) tracks.

This study sought to explore the pedagogical practices of teachers in science classrooms. In this study, pedagogical practices are taken as interactions between teachers, learners and learning tasks which aim to promote and facilitate learning of their learners The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from the senior phase (i.e. grades 7-9) Science teachers. The teachers were purposively selected; two from rural schools and two from urban schools in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Data on teachers’ pedagogical practices were collected using survey questionnaire, focus group interview and lesson observation. The main research question for the study is “what are teachers’ pedagogical practices when teaching science?” This overriding research question was addressed by exploring the specific research questions: 1) how do science teachers teach their lessons? And 2) what informs teachers’ pedagogical practice when teaching science? The null hypothesis for this study was “there is no significant difference between teachers’ qualification and their pedagogical practice when teaching science” while the alternative hypothesis was “there is significant difference between teachers’ qualification and their pedagogical practice when teaching science”. The quantitative data collected by means of structured questionnaires was analysed using a computer package (i.e. SPSS version 22) while the qualitative data collected by means of focus group interviews and lesson observation was analysed using content and thematic analysis. The findings from the study revealed that teachers in the study incorporate in varying degrees learner – centred; and teacher- centred pedagogies in their science lessons. Whilst majority of the teachers in the study expressed a behaviouristic view of learning, which indicates a predisposition to teacher – centred pedagogy in the classroom; however, other pedagogical practices indicated by the teachers and observed in the science lessons are consistent with constructivist or learner – centred pedagogy which suggests strategies that may be used to provide a meaningful learning experience in science. The study further found that there is a significant association between the educational qualification and their pedagogical practice when teaching science in the visited schools; therefore the alternative hypothesis is accepted and the null hypothesis is rejected. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made: i. In service training on subject content knowledge for natural science teachers, especially those without science qualifications so that they can grapple with the subject content knowledge. ii. Science workshops to be organized from time to time to train teachers on effective teaching practices in the classroom. iii. Outsourcing or involving more than one teacher in the teaching of natural science in schools. iv. Equipping of schools with science laboratories so that teachers can carry out science experiments with learners. v. The schools must ensure that only teachers with science qualifications are assigned to teach natural sciences in the senior phase. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / Ph. D. (Education (Curriculum Studies))

Thesis (D. Phil. (Humanities)) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2013 / The purpose of this study was to assess the science teaching efficacy of the Physical Science teachers in the secondary schools of the Free State province of the Republic of South Africa. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to gather data for this study. It was aimed at determining the effect of the demographic factors and the teachers’ level of preparedness regarding content knowledge and assessment skills on science teaching efficacy. The sample consisted of 190 Physical Science teachers. Two instruments were used to collect data: (1) A self-constructed questionnaire with the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument for in-service teachers (STEBI-A) modified for this study, and (2) Semi-structured interviews. Teachers’ biographical data and level of preparedness to teach Science were assessed against the two sub-scales of Personal Science Teaching Efficacy (PSTE) and Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy (STOE). Analysis of data was by basic statistics, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics using SPSS 20.0. Qualitative data were transcribed and categorised into emerging themes. Analysis of the self-efficacy survey indicated highly positive self-efficacy beliefs expressed by most of the practising secondary school teachers in regards to Science teaching. Teachers believe in their own teaching abilities (Personal Science Teaching Efficacy beliefs) and they believe learners’ learning can be influenced by effective teaching (Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy beliefs). In addition, analyses of data on the respondents’ level of preparedness to teach Science indicated a high level of self-rated Science knowledge, with higher confidence levels in Physics than in Chemistry among in-service secondary teachers. MANOVA analysis indicated that teachers’ gender, teaching experience, professional and academic qualifications, Chemistry and Physics content knowledge, frequency of practical work, and confidence in conducting experiments played a significant role in the collective dependent variables, while the grades teachers taught, their age and learner assessments did not. Analysis further indicated that secondary school teachers with a B.Sc (Ed) degree had significantly stronger STOE than teachers with any other professional qualifications. vi There was a significant difference between males and females in the STOE sub-scale scores (F=6.139; p=0.014) with males scoring higher than females; but no significant difference between males and females in the PSTE sub-scale scores (F=5.925; p=0.667). Moreover, teachers with at most five years and at least 16 years of teaching experience had significantly higher PSTE scores than teachers with different years of teaching experience. Furthermore, analyses of the level of preparedness in conducting practical work indicated that respondents were more confident to conduct Physics experiments than Chemistry experiments. In-service secondary Science teachers believed that assessment is an important and integral aspect of teaching and learning, hence they utilised a variety of assessment modes in their classroom. It is recommended that further study should include a test in content knowledge, so that teachers can be assessed to confirm their confidence in content knowledge, rather than allowing them to rate themselves without an actual test. Moreover, qualitative studies may be conducted to support teachers’ self-report measures, such as classroom observations, in order to gain in-depth data about teachers’ efficacy beliefs. If more research is conducted on the self-efficacy beliefs of in-service Science teachers at secondary school level, the curriculum of teacher training programmes could be developed and structured further, there could be more understanding on what pre-service teachers face - this will help to understand how to motivate teachers to teach Science.