ERIC Number: ED235016
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1979-Sep
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Focus on the Learner. Learning in Science Project. Working Paper No. 6.
Freyberg, Peter; And Others
The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters, science advisers, and inspectors) and observations made by project staff related to what children bring to their learning of science. The intent in presenting these comments/observations is not primarily to provide a balanced view of the good bad aspects of Form 1 to 4 science, but rather to open up problem issues as project staff and others see them. Comments/observations are presented in three sections, focusing on: (1) differences between what students expect to do and learn in school science programs and what actually occurs; (2) problems students face with abstract ideas and complex experiments, and such difficulties as getting students to think or follow simple instructions, or their lack of reading/practical skills; and (3) motivational factors, the most important relating to differences in expectations between teachers and learners. Major points are summarized in a concluding section, followed by extracts from interviews related to student expectations, capacity, and success. (JN)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Curriculum Development, Elementary School Science, Elementary Secondary Education, Expectation, Interviews, Learning, Performance Factors, Science Education, Science Instruction, Secondary School Science, Student Attitudes, Student Characteristics, Student Motivation, Student Teacher Relationship
University of Waikato, Science Education Research Unit, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Researchers; Administrators; Policymakers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Waikato Univ., Hamilton (New Zealand).
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A