Learning in Science Education deals with the process of ensuring positive and permanent changes in the learners characteristics as a result of interaction with the environment and resources including human such as a teacher(Babalola, 2023).
Changes in the learners' behavior include the psychomotor, Cognitive and the affective domains. Adequate knowledge of each of these domains of learning provides for Science Education variables. The knowledge of such variables often reorients the teacher focus of what to achieve in the learners and the suitable innovative methods required to achieve that during the classroom activities. Consequently, what are these important Science Education variables that Chemistry Education researchers need to pay more attention to other than academic Achievement and why?
While academic achievement is an important variable to consider in science education research, there are several other variables that are also critical for understanding the learning process. Here are a few variables that chemistry education researchers might want to consider in addition to academic achievement:
Attitude towards science: Students' attitudes towards science can have a significant impact on their engagement and motivation in science learning activities. Understanding how to influence and promote positive attitudes towards science is an important consideration for science education researchers and teachers.
Self-efficacy: Self-efficacy refers to students' beliefs in their ability to learn and succeed in science. It is an important variable to consider because it can impact students' motivation, persistence, and engagement in science learning.
Science identity: A student's sense of identity as a science learner can also influence their engagement and motivation in science learning activities. Researchers and teachers can work to promote a sense of belonging to science and encourage students to identify as science learners.
These variables are important to consider because they can impact students' engagement, motivation, and persistence in science learning activities. By understanding and promoting these variables, science education researchers and teachers can help students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for science.
Dear Victor Tubosun Babalola! Students critical thinking development can be an important variable in science education research.
Critical thinking is a process of analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information to make reasoned judgments or decisions. In the context of science education, critical thinking involves students being able to evaluate scientific information, analyze scientific data, and make evidence-based decisions. Some reasons why critical thinking is an important variable in science education research include:
It is essential for scientific literacy: Critical thinking is a key component of scientific literacy, which refers to the ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate scientific information.
Accounting for students beliefs and thinking is something which is easy to overlook. One PhD candidate I know of was intending to write a series of Socratic activities over topics in Modern Physics, starting with Einstein's Special Relativity. After repeated failures, he discovered that the difficulties and misconceptions students held come from Galilean Relativity!
Hello Victor
One fundamental variable for students to achieve positive results is school culture. By this I mean the general conduct of school in terms of behavior patterns both on part of teachers and students. This phenomena determines the learning atmosphere. If the school culture propels discipline on part of students and instills good ethics and code of conduct for teachers, its a good environment for learning. That way its very easy for learners to grasp knowledge from teachers and permanently embrace the knowledge.
That way learners behaviors is changed positively. Thus my take.
For me, it's the Psychomotor Domain, which needed to be nurtured and uplifted in the students' performance not just their academic competence. More likely, it may be focused on the learning tasks and activities provided in science classes which are relevant, enjoyable, collaborative, and feasible.
The foundation is everything and science education is no exception. The foundation in science education is directly linked to learners' misconceptions about the subjects, especially the concepts involved. For this reason, one of the critical variables that can be considered in science education is learners' misconceptions. Although extensive work has been done in that area, the findings of studies still suggest that there are still some gaps.
- Badges
- Science method
- Similar topics
- Teaching