This study evaluated a new Integrated Science Learning Environment (ISLE) that bridged the gaps between the traditionally separate classroom, field trip, and information technology milieus. The ISLE model involves a multi-faceted design to address the three basic forms of learning: acquisition of knowledge, change in emotions or feelings, and gain in physical or motor actions or performance. A holistic approach to teaching at the university level encompassed a step-wise, cumulative strategy that reinforced all scales of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (Personal Relevance, Uncertainty of Science, Shared Control, Critical Voice, and Student Negotiation) and minimised the potentially detrimental effects of information overload and non-linear processing. By addressing individuals and recognising limitations, the same conceptual and logistical frameworks were applied to teachers and to students uniformly in the classroom and in the field. This key factor of the ISLE program broadened all participants’ horizons and enabled them to see their role within the ‘big picture’. Thus, the common elements (knowledge) and basic components (understanding) in each realm became evident and the power of transfer for both content and concept was realised. A process approach to information technology provided a logical and meaningful mechanism for continuously scaling the program perspective from the classroom setting to the unique global environment of the World Wide Web. The final product of the ISLE program (virtual field trip) was constructed by linking the elements common to the supporting learning environments (university classroom, field trip, and information technology) at their basic levels: newness, massiveness, and appropriateness. / A combination of qualitative methods and quantitative measures provided insight into the field trip milieu and evaluation of the near- and far-term effects of exposure to constructivist pedagogy answering the general question of whether changing teachers’ learning environments might affect a change in their respective students’ learning environments. Quantitative assessment through learning environment dimensions, attitude scales, and concept map analyses was supported by qualitative data derived from reflective field journals, interviews, and observations to investigate the impact of the emergent model. Data were collected from classroom teachers and their students to assess the impact of the ISLE program in terms of promoting a constructivist classroom learning environment, teachers’ attitudes toward information technology, and teachers’ conceptual development. School teacher and student subgroups were compared in terms of the teachers’ university/field trip program experience and content background. To this end, three new versions of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) were shown to be valid and useful in secondary schools and graduate university courses in Texas. Data from 1079 students in 59 classes in north Texas were subjected to principal components factor analysis confirmed the factor structure, internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, and the ability to distinguish between different classes and groups for the comparative student form (CLES-CS). Descriptive statistics supported the usefulness of the comparative teacher (CLES-CT) and adult (CLES-A) forms. Administration of these versions of the same instrument was used to characterise the learning environment of the ISLE university/field trip program, as well as the public/private school classrooms. / Further analysis and interpretation of these data suggest that the ISLE program was effective in terms of the degree of implementation of constructivist teaching approaches in the teachers’ school classrooms as assessed by teachers’ perceptions of the learning environment of their current classroom environment relative to other classes taught by them previously and students’ perceptions of the learning environment of their classroom environment relative to classes taught by other teachers in their school classrooms. Additional data suggest that the ISLE program was effective in terms of teachers’ perceptions of the university/field trip learning environment; changes in teachers’ attitudes to information technology; and teachers’ conceptual development. When an ANOVA was used to compare students’ perceptions of THIS and OTHER classes, statistically significant differences were found for some CLES scales. In particular, students whose teachers had attended the ISLE program (THIS) perceived higher levels of Personal Relevance and Uncertainty of Science in their classrooms relative to the classrooms of other teachers in the same schools (OTHER). From a practical point of view, this study documents a new model for improving learning and understanding in the field of education, specifically science education. Participation in the ISLE program provided a tangible opportunity for teachers to gain organised knowledge to make practical changes in their school classrooms. From a research point of view, this study makes a unique contribution to the field of learning environments by evaluating a comprehensive professional development program that used information technology to initiate teacher change from the central perspective of the learning environment. / Development and validation of the CLES-CS contributes to a useful range of instruments for a variety of classroom contexts within the burgeoning field of learning environments research. The real world is where theory and practice come together and science becomes relevant, making sense that leads to understanding. The conceptual and logistical frameworks of the ISLE model seamlessly merged theory and practice with science and education through effective applications of information technology to create a rich learning environment. Virtual field trips, based on the ISLE model, can enable the principles of student-centred inquiry and constructivism to be practised for the benefit of all styles and ages of lifelong learners.

The present dissertation Integrated Science Education and History of Science in Chemistry Education is aimed at the problem of integrating scientific subjects by means of natural history. The thesis contains research concerned with integrating science education in its various forms and its analysis from the point of valid curricular documents. Results of a questionnaire on intersubject integration distributed among grammar school chemistry teachers are presented in the thesis. Further on, an approach to the integration by means of natural history is presented. Didactic materials were created on this topic: worksheets and didactic tests in Adobe Flash. Worksheets were attested in grammar school teaching and results of this attestation are included. The thesis also includes results of two projects aimed at the topic of natural history. These projects are: History of Natural Sciences in High School Teacher Education (Fund for the development of higher education in the Czech Republic, 2011) and a course called Alchymistic Prague (Developmental project of the Ministry of Education, 2011: Chemistry year - Chemistry for all).

This thesis is about the possibilities of including integrated science subjects teaching at czech schools. It presents historical milestones that had an impact on education and the current state of teaching science subjects in the Czech Republic. Because of a declining interest of students in natural sciences, the several newer teaching strategies of proven foreign research are elaborated in the theoretical part of the work. The research of this work is focused on the opinions of a selected sample of teachers, which are related to their idea of the ideal concept of integrated teaching in the implementation of established in Czech schools. Another goal of the work is to reveal the pros and cons of this form of teaching. The research was conducted on a selected sample of teachers which were willing to engage in research voluntarily. The research questions should revealed teachers claims on four categories - strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of integrated teaching, which was included in the second round of assessment. The ideal concept of integrated teaching from the perspective of the interviewed teachers was also identified in the first round. Data from the first round were given by respondents in the second and third rounds for evaluation according to relevance, which ranked the...

VOMÁČKOVÁ V. 2016: Inquiry based education in Human Physiology lessons with using school experimental systems. MSc. Thesis. Faculty of Education, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice. 47 pp. Inquiry-based education represents a modern approach to science education. This approach aims to enhance students' interest in these subjects. Nowadays, the laboratory experimental systems are available for use in the inquiry-based tasks so students have possibilities to try in practice what a scientist's work involves. The aim of this thesis was to design inquiry based tasks related to human physiology. In these tasks various kinds of laboratory experimental systems were applied. These tasks have been verified in classes at selected primary schools and at one grammar school. A partial goal of this thesis was to investigate whether inquiry based classes using laboratory systems result in acquiring better knowledge and research skills development compared with the usual laboratory work classes, where students work according to their teacher's instructions. For these purposes a pre-test and a post-test had been created and the students were divided into two groups the experimental group was applying the inquiry based work procedures and the control group was working using the teacher's instructions. The individual tasks have been verified in practice and their impact on the students' knowledge and skills level was monitored. The results have shown that inquiry based education does not lead to worse results compared with the usual conventional teaching methods. The level of students' knowledge and skills has risen after completing the experimental classes. However, the difference between the control and experimental groups was not statistically significant.

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Humanities Education / DPhil / Unrestricted

This diploma thesis deals with the integration of natural science lessons. It also deals with opinions and attitudes of 6th grade students and their parents/representatives about this type of education. First part describes history and present situation of integrated education, educational curriculums on national and school basis, subject didactics of science subjects and its didactic transformation in Czech Republic and abroad. Part of the diploma thesis forms a description of realization of integrated education on lower secondary school. There is also shown an example of educational topic with possible curriculum connection in one school grade. Second part is formed by a research which shows approach of students and their parents/representatives to integrated education. Interview method with further analysis was used for collecting results. In conclusion, results have shown that responders have very positive approach and opinions about integrated education. KEYWORDS Integrated Science, Integrated Curriculum, Natural Science lessons, earth atmosphere, structured interview

Ett ämnesövergripande arbetssätt har både en lång historia och genererar goda resultat,trots detta förskjuts lärarnas uppdrag mot andra, i vissa fall disparata, arbetsuppgifter inom utbildningsväsendet. Hur kommer det sig, är ett ämnesövergripande arbetssätt för svårt? Eller finns det andra förklaringar, det är det som denna studie skall försöka att titta närmare på.Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva hur lärare på gymnasieskolans naturvetenskapliga- och teknikprogram uppfattar och realiserar ett ämnesövergripande arbetssätt. Studien har genomförts genom samtalsintervjuer med empiristyrd tematisk analys som metodramverk. Resultatet av studien visar att de teman som lärarna beskriver är: ämnen och kombinationer av dessa, arbetsformer, eleverna, lärarkollegiet, resultatet av ett ämnesövergripandearbetssätt samt förutsättningar. Samarbetet mellan lärarna är inte alltid smärtfritt, dock är brist på tid till samordning och planering det som framhålls som den största stötestenen, och tydligaste resultatet, för ett välfungerande ämnesövergripande arbetssätt. Eldsjälarnas betydelse är ytterligare ett resultat av studien. En slutsats är att informanterna inte naturligt sett eller tänkt på sin egen undervisning i flera ämnen som ett ämnesövergripande arbetssätt. Den vanligaste formen avämnesövergripande arbetssätt är projektformen.Ytterligare en slutsats finns i att: när uppföljningen sker är det är arbetsformen somutvärderas och inte elevernas kunskapsutveckling. / Interdisciplinary working methods has both a long history and generate good results and yet it has a relatively hidden position within the educational system. How come, is it too difficult? Or are there other reasons? This is the objective for this study.This study will describe the experiences teachers, in the upper secondary school, express while working within interdisciplinary working methods. The study has been performed by a number of interviews and analyzed with applied thematic analysis framework. The result of the study shows that the themes the interviewees describe are; the subjects and combinations of those, ways of working, the students, the colleagues, the results and the prerequisites. The collaboration between the teachers is not a walk in the park, however the lack of time to perform planning and coordination are the major obstacles preventing successful interdisciplinary working methods.The importance of the enthusiasts is another result of the study. One conclusion is that the informants do not naturally thought about their own teaching of several subjects as a cross-disciplinary approach. The most common form of interdisciplinary working method is the project form. Another conclusion is that: when the follow-up is done, it is the work method that is evaluated and not the students' knowledge.

The study describes the teaching of scientific investigations by Life and Natural Sciences educators in the Bushbuckridge Region in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A quantitative survey method was exploited using a Cluster sampling method. The study was conducted a year after the introduction of the National Curriculum Statement in Grade 10, in South African schools. The study found that most educators use teacher-centred teaching methodologies rather than open inquiry in teaching scientific investigations. Schools still have a shortage of infrastructure, teaching resources and references, which make it difficult for the educators to shift towards the expected new system of teaching. Teachers are confronted with language barriers, heavy workload and insufficient retraining in the new curriculum. / Science and Technology Education / M.Ed.

The study describes the teaching of scientific investigations by Life and Natural Sciences educators in the Bushbuckridge Region in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A quantitative survey method was exploited using a Cluster sampling method. The study was conducted a year after the introduction of the National Curriculum Statement in Grade 10, in South African schools. The study found that most educators use teacher-centred teaching methodologies rather than open inquiry in teaching scientific investigations. Schools still have a shortage of infrastructure, teaching resources and references, which make it difficult for the educators to shift towards the expected new system of teaching. Teachers are confronted with language barriers, heavy workload and insufficient retraining in the new curriculum. / Science and Technology Education / M.Ed.