RESEARCHERS ON SCIENCE EDUCATION.

John. R. Staver is Professor of Education (Science) and Chemistry, and Co-Director of the Center for
Research and Engagement in Science and Mathematics Education at Purdue University. Staver (2007) has
conducted extensive research using Piaget’s theory to examine the influence of reasoning on learning in science.
His research focuses on constructivist theory and its implications for improving science teaching and learning.
He also examines the interface between science and religion within a constructivist perspective, with a focus on
the nature of each discipline and the perceived conflicts between them. Staver expresses the beliefs that
Education in science serves three purposes. First, it prepares students to study science at higher levels of
education. Second, it prepares students to enter the workforce, pursue occupations, and take up careers. Third, it
prepares them to become more scientifically literate citizens.
Staver’s Principles of Science Education. #1: Teaching as a purposeful means to an end - Think of science
teaching as a purposeful means to an important end: student learning. #2: Core scientific ideas - Concentrate on
the core scientific ideas that have the greatest importance. #3: Deep scientific understanding - Promote deep
scientific understanding through teaching that mirrors the nature and characteristics of inquiry in science, the
values of science, and the body of scientific knowledge. #4: Complexity of learning - When designing and
teaching science lessons, consider the complex interaction between learners’ biological maturation, prior
knowledge and experience, and reasoning abilities, so the lessons challenge but do not overwhelm learners’
cognitive capabilities. #5: Active construction of scientific knowledge - Teach with strategies and techniques
that help learners become active thinkers. #6: Science content and students’ interests - Connect science
content with students’ interests and personal lives, with societal issues, and with other school subjects. #7:
Expectations for learning - For all students, set high expectations for learning. #8: Students’ anxieties and
conflicts - Use teaching strategies that lessen students’ potential anxieties and perceived conflicts when
teaching scientific ideas that may be controversial for learners, even though they are not controversial among
scientists.
Concluding, Staver express strong believes that Teaching science effectively is a difficult but rewarding work.
The difficulty stems from two sources. First, students in most science classes bring a wide range of prior
knowledge, experiences, reasoning, and interests. Second, teachers must integrate the core body of scientific
knowledge and scientific inquiry in a way that does justice to both the aspects of science and their integration.
Allison J. Young (1994) conducted extensive research on the initial statement of “I think, therefore I'm
motivated” Allison examines individual and classroom‐level differences in motivation and strategy usage in
sixth‐ and seventh‐grade middle school science. According to her, results suggest that students who experience
academic difficulties differ from both high achieving and special education students on measures of self‐
efficacy, goal orientation, expectancy, value, and self‐concept of ability in science, with students who
experience academic difficulties occasionally demonstrating less adaptive patterns of motivation and cognition
than special education students in science. Young (1994) used hierarchical linear modeling to examine between‐
classroom differences in learning‐focused goal orientation. Findings indicate that students who have science
teachers that use ability‐focused instructional practices (e.g., pointing out the best students as an example to
others) are less learning focused, and exhibit a diminished relation between self‐concept of ability and being
learning focused in science.
Young (1994) also suggested that for intentional learning of science to occur in school, out of school, and after
school, there needs to be a motivation to learn science. Prior research had shown that students' motivation to
learn science tends to decrease during adolescence. She compares 5th through 8th grade students' self-reported
goal orientations, engagement in science class, continuing motivation for science learning, and perceptions of
their schools' and parents' goals emphases. Young identifies that the aforementioned decline in adolescents'
motivation for science learning in school and out of school is not an inevitable developmental trend, since it is
apparent only in traditional schools but not in democratic ones. The results suggest that the non-declining
motivation of adolescents in democratic schools is not a result of home influence but rather is related to the
school culture. Concluding, Studies using multilevel data analysis procedures also reveal that teachers’ reports
of their instructional practices can also explain classroom differences in some student outcome measures
(Anderman & Young 1994), but these relations generally are not as strong as individual or group-level
perceptions of the learning environment. Therefore, it is the students’ subjective perceptions that are most
critical for understanding achievement-related patterns in the classroom.
According to John Parkinson (1994), improving Secondary Science Teaching has been written to help
teachers both new and experienced reflect on their current practice and consider how to improve the
effectiveness of their teaching. Parkinson examines each of the common teaching methods used in science in
relation to pupils' learning and provides guidance on management issues and procedures. With underlying
themes such as pupils' interest in science and their motivation to learn; how pupils learn science; the type of
science currently being taught in school; and the value of educational research.
Subsequently, Parkinson (1994) states that breadth and balance have to be maintained in a curriculum.
Therefore, teacher perception is very important in achieving the purpose of science teaching. It has been
observed that the purpose of science teaching is not achieved at the expected level. There are many reasons for
this, among which are some teacher related reasons. One is the teaching process which is determined by the
perception of the teacher. Teacher’s view of what science is and what science education is have implications on
the way that they present and teach in the classroom both on content and process.
Concluding, Parkinson strongly believes that teaching is not to be regarded as a static accomplishment like
riding a bicycle or keeping a ledger: it is, like all arts of high ambition, a strategy in the face of an impossible
task. Teaching Science in secondary schools has its own implications. The two main reasons for teaching
science at a secondary level results in: #1 Different stand point or one’s impression or opinion of a particular
event or activity. #2 Students should be able to make decision in an explicit, logical and evidential order to
make sense of the rapid changing interventions using a scientific background.
 CONSEQUENCES OF REMOVING THE SCIENCE FROM
SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM.
Science is the way of understanding a method of learning about nature. It uses a variety of approaches,
techniques and procedures to collect data from nature, examine and analyze that data and construct knowledge
based on the data experimented on. This knowledge relates and reflects living organism, non-living matter,
energy and events that occurs naturally. The consequences for removing Science from Secondary curriculum
greatly out weights the benefits. These include:

 Science is bigger than human-centered subjects like history, literature, language, music, art. Perhaps it’s
overwhelming to think deeply about the implications of concepts like evolution, the big bang, and
subatomic particles without incorporating the use of Science Education. Without the use of Science
education, students would generally not adopt to getting or mobilizing out of their comfort zone that
easily. Moreover, without science at secondary level, students would not be able to keep account or
track the various, subsequent and steady moving changes in the world. Science is a moving target,
forever advancing and getting more complicated. It’s hard to keep up and really hard to catch up. What
you learn in high school is often so different by the time you have kids of your own that you can’t easily
help them with their science homework. The same goes for the world and Science can assist students to
cope to a significant degree on the ever changing elements.

 A basic human motivator is to try to understand WHY. Why did something happen? How does
something work? Curiosity about the world around us, about what makes it and us TICK is at the
foundation of invention, of creativity. Teaching science well can nurture that curiosity, can satisfy some
of that yearning to understand WHY. Understanding how organisms are all connected by the long thin
thread of evolutionary change gives depth to our sense of stewardship of the Earth. Removing Science
Education at the vital Secondary level, halt students innate questioning on asking ‘WHY’. As a result,
students no longer feel the urgency to so interest about the condition of the world and curiosity
diminishes. When curiosity diminishes, students find themselves at a loss of energy or will to pursue
studies or other forms of education.

 Having a methodology to turn our native curiosity into knowledge gives us the power and possibility of
invention, of finding solutions to problems. Now, having Secondary Science Education missing from the
curriculum leads to extended dependence on other for assistance. In other words, without the power of
invention to finding a solution, students are now burdened with the fact that they no longer possesses
any method of finding out or solving a problem by themselves. As a result, the students depend more on
teachers and parents to provide solutions required. This dependence can lead to poor stability in working
performance after leaving school setting.

 Without science at secondary level, there is not equalizer for the students. A knowledge and love of
science is the ultimate equalizer, the pathway to human rights and a better quality of life. Furthermore,
at Secondary Education, Science pose as an excellent career choice for countless number of students.
Countries with strongly supported science programs are better off economically, have greater numbers
of people creating new technologies. Removing the Education in the Secondary Curriculum will only
hinder the student’s possibilities of having a more advanced career opportunity, one in which the
country can and will strongly support.
 Learning is changing one’s behavior. Our knowledge of how and why things are the way they are in the
natural world is our greatest natural resource, second only to water. The way we acquire that
knowledge and understanding, called the scientific method, is not difficult, nor does not require
memorizing a list of words: observations, hypothesis, experimentation, interpretation. These are simply
ways we go about learning. Students at the secondary level, without Science Education, will not be able
to acquire that knowledge and will not be able to change their behavior to bring about changes.
 ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN EDUCATION

CYRIL POTTER COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

SCIENCE 155

YEAR TWO (2)

SEMESTER ONE (1)

LECTURER: MR. B.KHAN

TRAINEE TEACHER:
RAVIN RAGBEER