ERIC Number: EJ886570
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Jul
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: N/A
Does STES-Oriented Science Education Promote 10th-Grade Students' Decision-Making Capability?
Levy Nahum, Tami; Ben-Chaim, David; Azaiza, Ibtesam; Herskovitz, Orit; Zoller, Uri
International Journal of Science Education, v32 n10 p1315-1336 Jul 2010
Today's society is continuously coping with sustainability-related complex issues in the Science-Technology-Environment-Society (STES) interfaces. In those contexts, the need and relevance of the development of students' higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) such as question-asking, critical-thinking, problem-solving and decision-making capabilities within science teaching have been argued by several science educators for decades. Three main objectives guided this study: (1) to establish "base lines" for HOCS capabilities of 10th grade students (n = 264) in the Israeli educational system; (2) to delineate within this population, two different groups with respect to their decision-making capability, science-oriented (n = 142) and non-science (n = 122) students, Groups A and B, respectively; and (3) to assess the pre-post development/change of students' decision-making capabilities via STES-oriented HOCS-promoting curricular modules entitled "Science, Technology and Environment in Modern Society" (STEMS). A specially developed and validated decision-making questionnaire was used for obtaining a research-based response to the guiding research questions. Our findings suggest that a long-term persistent application of purposed decision-making, promoting teaching strategies, is needed in order to succeed in affecting, positively, high-school students' decision-making ability. The need for science teachers' involvement in the development of their students' HOCS capabilities is thus apparent. (Contains 5 tables, 1 figure, and 1 note.)
Descriptors: Grade 10, Science Education, Teaching Methods, Foreign Countries, Decision Making, Sustainable Development, Environmental Education, Technology Education, Thinking Skills, Curriculum Implementation, Pretests Posttests, Questionnaires, Science Instruction, Science Curriculum, Skill Development, Instructional Effectiveness, Science and Society, Scientific Concepts, Units of Study
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 10; Secondary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A