Www.earthscienceeducation.com Earth Science in secondary schools in England & Wales Teacher...

www.earthscienceeducation.com

Earth Science in secondary schools in England & Wales

Teacher attitudesand

levels of teaching


Earth Science Education Unit

Based at Keele University, UK

Provides in-service training for teachers

Key Stage 3 (11-14) & Key Stage 4 (14-16)

Based on National Curriculum requirements


ESEU workshops

In-school delivery

Team of facilitators around UK

Short (typically 90 minute) format

Routine survey by questionnaire

– before workshop “baseline assessment”

– after workshop “workshop evaluation”


Baseline data

Data collected prior to ESEU workshop

Responses from contact science teacher

Returns from 205 schools

May 2000 – March 2003

Demographic data collected

– school type, size, number of staff teaching science,

school status indicators (GCSE pass rates, free lunches)


What do you feel is the overall confidence of staff in their Earth

science teaching?

What do you feel is the overall enjoyment of staff in their Earth

science teaching?


Teacher confidence in teaching Earth science

1

23

7279

27

0

20

40

60

80

100

1 2 3 4 5responses on Likert scale

Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

Teacher enjoyment in teaching Earth science

216

69

83

32

0

20

40

60

80

100


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

Likert scale where 1 is high, 5 is low

mean = 3.5

mean = 3.6


What is the view of your colleagues of the value of teaching Earth

science topics in science?

What is the view of your colleagues of the importance of Earth science

to the National Science Curriculum?


Teacher value of Earth science

3

28

82

58

30

0

20

40

60

80

100


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

Teacher importance of Earth science

2

28

88

56

23

0

20

40

60

80

100


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s


mean = 3.4

mean = 3.4


Teacher perceptions of children’s attitudes

What do you feel is the level of interest of the pupils in Earth

science?

What do you feel is the level of enjoyment of the pupils in Earth

science?


Pupil interest in Earth science

3

45

79

62

13

0

20

40

60

80

100


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

Pupil enjoyment of Earth science

5

31

88

63

15

0

20

40

60

80

100


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s


mean = 3.2

mean = 3.3


in summary…

Teachers have neutral to moderately negative attitudes to teaching Earth science

They also have neutral to slightly negative opinions of the relevance of Earth science teaching

Teachers perceive pupils to have a neutral attitude to Earth science


Comparison with previous study

King (2001) reported results of a similar survey undertaken in 1997

Individual teachers (rather than one contact per school) surveyed

Comparisons can be made between some of the survey items


0.05.0

10.015.020.025.030.035.040.045.0

1 2 3 4 5

King 2001

2003

Confidence in teaching Earth science

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

1 2 3 4 5Likert scale

Per

cen

tag

e o

f re

spo

nse

s

mean = 2.7

mean = 3.5

Enjoyment of teaching Earth science

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0


Per

cen

tag

e o

f re

spo

nse

s

mean = 2.9

mean = 3.6


Importance of Earth science toNational Science Curriculum

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0


Per

cen

tag

e o

f re

spo

nse

smean = 3.2

mean = 3.4

Pupil interest in Earth science

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0


Pe

rce

nta

ge

of

res

po

ns

es

mean = 2.9

mean = 3.20.05.0

10.015.020.025.030.035.040.045.0

1 2 3 4 5

King 2001

2003


Types of teaching

Amount of practical work included in Earth science teaching across the school

Amount of Sc1 investigational work included in Earth science teaching across

the school

Amount of field work included in Earth science teaching across the school

Amount of practical work included in Earth science teaching across the school

= laboratory work

Amount of Sc1 investigational work included in Earth science teaching across

the school = National Curriculum scientific enquiry

requirements


Amount of practical work

416

62

78

41

0

20

40

60

80

100


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

Amount of Sc1 investigational work

0 4 13

46

136

020406080

100120140160


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

Amount of field work

1 221

31

139

020406080

100120140160


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s


mean = 3.7

mean = 4.6

mean = 4.6

Amount of practical work

Amount of fieldwork

Amount of Sc1 investigational work


1

2

3

4

5

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Likert scale for amount of practical work

(1 = high, 5 = low)

Lik

ert

scal

e fo

r co

nfi

den

ce

Relationship between confidence and amount of practical work

3.1

1.0

3.8

3.6

4.1

1

2

3

4

5

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0


(1 = high, 5 = low)

Lik

ert

scal

e fo

r co

nfi

den

ce

1

2

3

4

5

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0


(1 = high, 5 = low)

Lik

ert

scal

e fo

r co

nfi

den

ce

Investigational work

fieldwork


in summary…

Relatively low levels of practical work

Very low levels of investigational and

field-based work


0.05.0

10.015.020.025.030.035.040.045.0

1 2 3 4 5

King 2001

2003

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

1 2 3 4 5Responses on Likert scale

Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

mean = 3.4

mean = 3.7

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

mean = 4.4

mean = 4.6

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0


Nu

mb

er o

f re

spo

nse

s

mean = 4.7

mean = 4.6

Practical work

Fieldwork

Investigational work


How much Earth science is actually being taught?

About how many hours/minutes are spent teaching core Earth science topics (e.g. weathering, the rock cycle, sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rock formation, geological time, evidence for rock formation, structure of the Earth, plate tectonics)?


3.2

5.3

3.6

8.7

4.5

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

Y7 Y8 Y9 Y10 Y11

Year Group

Nu

mb

er o

f h

ou

rsAverage hours of Earth science

teaching per year group


Proportion of National Science Curriculum teachingdevoted to Earth Science

0.010.0

20.030.040.0

50.060.070.080.0

90.0100.0110.0

120.0130.0140.0

150.0160.0

Y7 Y8 Y9 Y10 Y11 Year Group

Nu

mb

er o

f h

ou

rs

Total hours ofscience teachingbased on 1995 NCrecommendations

Mean hours ofEarth Scienceteaching

Proportion of National Curriculum science teaching devoted to

Earth science

4.1% 6.8% 3.1% 5.6% 2.9%

Key Stage 3 mean 4.4% KS4 mean 4.3%


36%

21%

31%

5%

4%

3%

30%

32%

29%

3%

4%2%

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

Space Science

Earth Science

Environment

Proportion of National Science Curriculum Statements devoted

to each subject area

Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4


What does this mean for ESEU?

Engage with teachers to improve attitudes, particularly confidence and enthusiasm.

Help teachers to increase practical, investigational and field-based work, rather than simply teach more Earth science.


Post-workshop survey

Individual teachers asked to reflect on

what they had gained from attending

ESEU INSET workshop

421 responses in sample covering

September 2002 – July 2003

Mean responses given for each item


1

2

3

4

5

6

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Likert Scale(1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree)

After the workshop:

1. I will feel more confident in my Earth science teaching

2. I am likely to enjoy teaching Earth science more

3. I have a better understanding of the importance of Earth science

4. I feel more enthusiastic about teaching Earth science

5. I feel that the level of interest of my pupils will increase

6. I feel that the level of achievement of my pupils in ES will increase

1.8

1.8

2.0

1.9

1.8

1.9

Likert scale1 = strongly agree

5 = strongly disagree


I think the workshop will affect my Earth science teaching by:

1. Increasing the amount of ES practical work

2. Increasing the amount of ES investigational work

3. Increasing the amount of ES work out of doors

4. Increasing the total amount of Earth science I teach

Likert scale1 = strongly agree

5 = strongly disagree

1

2

3

4

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0

Likert Scale(1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree)

1.5

2.0

2.9

2.7


Conclusions

Teacher attitudes to Earth science teaching and learning in the UKcould be more positiveOverall levels of teaching in line with National Curriculum, but practical -based teaching is lowSome evidence that ESEU workshops are addressing these challengesQualitative research is needed


EARTH SCIENCEEDUCATION UNIT

Www.earthscienceeducation.com Earth Science in secondary schools in England & Wales Teacher...

Documents

Transcript of Www.earthscienceeducation.com Earth Science in secondary schools in England & Wales Teacher...