<p>This study explored the problem of poor performance in science among students who are provided secondary school places on merit in Malawi. Existing studies of the problem are inconsistent suggesting that these studies may have shed light on some parts of a complex problem. Questionnaires, interviews and analysis of documents were used to obtain information concerning students&rsquo / conceptions of science, science learning and events that eventuated into the problem in the past. The population for this study was 89 government and governmentassisted secondary schools. From that population eighteen schools were randomly selected from each of the six education divisions in the country. One thousand five hundred secondary class 3 students drawn from randomly selected schools participated. The participating students completed a 31item learning beliefs and practices&nbsp / questionnaire with items drawn from the science education literature and adapted to the local situation and a selfefficacy and attribution of failure questionnaire. Forty students were interviewed about their concepts of science and science learning. Relevant documents found in the Malawi National Archives were analyzed to determine the origin of the problem.</p>

During the years since 1929 it has been the privilege of the writer to serve as a teacher in the science department of the high school at Stockton, California. During those years he has been associated with students of all four years of the high school, with a slight majority of the time spent with students of the first two years of high school. Inevitably, certain observations occurred. With those observations, certain convictions, beliefs, and desires to assist, developed concerning the students who pass through our schools. It is only natural, therefore, that one in such a position should be imbued with the desire to do something about it". It is with the outgrowth of that desire that the following pages deal. Therefore, it is deemed of value to enumerate a few of the observations which led to the formulation of the outline with which the pages that follow are to be concerned. 1. Many students have need for a broad, more comprehensive, and generally non-mathematical background in science, as considered in a purely personal and cultural aspect. 2. Many of the students when in the ninth grade have the intelligence, but not the maturity, to grasp some of the ideas and facts presented in the ninth grade general science. 3. Many highly intelligent students, capable of genuine culture, do not reach college. However, they are in serious need of a general scientific background for later thought, reading, interest, and general use in everyday life. 4. Many students who do go to college will not major in the scientific field and, therefore, do not need merely one special science in high school, but one in whose study there is the possibility of broader application. 5. Many students in the upper classes in high school need a chance to do exploratory work in the field of science in an attempt to orient themselves in choosing a vocation. 6. Many students who will go to college are forced to take a particular science when both their needs and interest suggest a more general contact with science. It seems quite evident that the students mentioned above are to be found in all classes in the high school. However, the majority are in what may be called the middle fifty percent, that is, the two quartiles between the extremely bright on the one hand and those in the quartile of lowest ability. It is toward the better student of this middle group that attention is directed chiefly. Further, it is this group which has been neglected grossly in the past. In the early days when our public school system was in process of development, the schools were chiefly concerned with training men for the law, medicine, or for the ministry. This gave attention to a very select group and placed emphasis on the classics and specialized scientific field. To return to the type of student served by the schools, not until the early nineteen twenties did the poorer student come in for this share in attention and concern. The educational trend of that decade might be compared to a pendulum, which, having been started at the peak of its swing, rushes past the central point to become almost suspended for a time on the opposite side, and then to oscillate between these two extremes--attention to the very able student on the one hand and concern for the "slow" student and the "problem" child on the other hand. Therefore, is not action long overdue in caring for the needs, desires, and abilities of the great middle group, which, in the last analysis, go to make up the backbone our national life, thought, and culture? It is with the intention of serving this group and giving it some of the attention which it has been denied for so long, that this outline was developed.

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published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1937 G72

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1948 M68 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1984 H635 / Master of Science

Education is an evolving process for teachers. In order to move away from the generally accepted face to face delivery method and adapt to upcoming trends in education, teachers are implementing the flipped classroom as a means to deliver curriculum content to their students. During this study a comparison between a flipped classroom and traditional lecture style teaching approaches was conducted within a Hong Kong based International School in order to gain insight into the effects on students attitude and academic attainment in science. The comparison was conducted using participants from two year 9 (13-14 year old) general science classes. One class conducted their science lessons for the academic year using the flipped classroom approach. Within this structure a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) was used as the platform for delivering the lesson content. Students were tasked to produce questions and notes based on the online material. The second class, completed their science lessons using a traditional lecture based approach. In these lessons, the teacher delivered content via a lecture and question and answer sessions. Both classes completed investigations and practical activities during the lessons with the flipped classroom class expected to contribute to the design of investigations and the traditional class following provided instructions. In order to determine the effects of the teaching strategies employed during the study on the students attitude and attainment in science, pre and post course attitudinal surveys and pre and post topic tests were presented to the students. The quantitative data was analysed using ANOVA tests and qualitative data responses were interpreted for what the responses could infer or imply. This research has found that the implementation of a flipped learning teaching strategy can be a positive and useful instrument for teachers to use. This strategy is still relatively in its infancy and will continue to develop along with the ever changing world of technology. With the findings relating to the effects on attitude and attainment largely being positive but not necessarily significant, it would appear as though a mix of strategies needs to be employed by teachers in order to facilitate the variety of learner approaches that are experienced. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

No description available.

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