I plan to conduct a diagnostic study to determine the profound understanding of elementary science teachers in the whole city. I am looking into a simple tool (one that would require short time to administer and to answer) that I can give to my respondents. I wanted to determine the difficulties and misconceptions in terms of basic science concepts especially in earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics concepts of elementary science teachers. The science teacher respondents are not actually science majors in their baccalaureate degrees.
A challenging task. I think to determine profound understanding, you may like to follow triangulation that is include rigorous observation, interviews with the stakeholders, document analysis and consultation with subject matter experts. This will give you a wholesome picture to draw results. You may like to see TESOL Quality Audit Framework: Benchmarking for Curriculum Improvement as a point reference. I hope it helps!
I am looking for a tool like a test composed of four essay questions which can already assess the conceptual and profound understanding in science of elementary teachers.
Look at the Science Literacy Concept Inventory . The tool is free and has a large database of experts and novices with which to compare results. Contact me if you would like a site set up for your teachers.
Article Using a Concept Inventory to Assess the Reasoning Component ...
The main difference between scientific thinking and more everyday thinking is the difference between understanding the world as interacting objects with certain characteristics or as causal events. Newton's gravity-law is an example of the first understanding. An apple falls because the earth's and apple's mass interacts with each other. If they say that it is the attraction of the earth that causes an apple to fall, than that is an example of the second form of understanding.
What you could do is to do a survey, blending interactionist explanations for an event with causal explanations, asking them to check for the correct option. That way, you could get an idea of their scientific understanding.
Hello, Angelo.
You might consider asking them both for their previous experiences in science (both in teaching and learning in any disciplines) and also for thier current experiences. Why do I suggest so? Because it is highly expected that we are going to teach topics in the way we were tought. So, I think you could give them freedom to express what they know to later pass and ask how they know so, and how they use concepts such "fact"; "experience"; "information"; "science"; "empirism", and how they are related to the disciplines tought. Those concepts are related to epistemological notions, and tha's the basis of the whole scientific work. This is a progressive work to reach the understanding of how scientific profound understanding is reached
You should use the a composite secondary science teacher certification exam. In the state of Texas we have one that all teachers receiving a secondary certification to teach science must pass. I really don't know how hard it would be for you to get the official test, but it would fulfill the criteria that you are looking for in your research
Check out:
Using and Developing Measurement Instruments in Science Education
http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Using-and-Developing-Measurement-Instruments
Hi!
Read about achievement test and see how they are administered
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