Developing Primary Science In-Service Courses

@ Science Learning Centre:

East Midlands Dr Tina Jarvis University of Leicester

UK

Outline of talk1.Introduction to Science Learning

Centres in England

2.Research giving a picture of primary science in England

3.Research on the effect of in-service on teachers and pupils

4.Implications for in-service education

National Network of Science Learning Centres• National Centre at York

• 9 Regional Centres

• Courses for all levels – primary to FE

• Courses for all colleagues – teachers, technicians, teaching assistants

York

East Midlands

Science Learning Centre East Midlands

A collaboration between:

• University of Leicester

• University of Nottingham

• Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln

Courses take place at each venue.

Courses for:• Early years teachers• Primary teachers• Secondary teachers• Technicians

Linked optional opportunities to take a Post-Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies with tutorial support

Primary Science in EnglandA required part of the English National Curriculum.

Originally a core subject equal to maths and English but in practice is seen as less important.

Pupils have approximately 2-3 hours a week.

Science is often presented in a didactic way.

Pupils rarely carry out independent open-ended investigations.

Teachers’ lack science knowledge which inhibits posing open questions.

Potentially disruptive children discourage provision of practical activities.

Limited equipment makes organisation difficult.

Limited time restricts setting up and clearing away practical work.

Oldest children spend long periods revising for the Standard Assessment Tasks at 11 years old.

The researchAstraZeneca Science Teaching Trust

2 year in-service programme 1999 - 2000

Schools • Intakes from socially deprived areas • Under performance in national science tests and/or • OFSTED reports highlighting science as a weakness

31 City of Leicester primary schools 70 teachers 1878 pupils aged 6-12

Primary pupils’ attitudes to science in schools and in society: Attitude Instrument1. Liking school in the whole school experience. 2. Science investigations attitudes about science experiments. 3. Science enthusiasm: about in science at school & at home.4. Social context views on the uses of science to improve the

human condition.5. Science as difficult subject ascertains whether children

think science is an easy or difficult subject.6. Interest in space probes pupils’ views of the value of space

exploration

There was also a cognitive test.

Item responses for Being in School (Means)

How do you feel about Jan 1999N= 805-842

Jan 2000N= 684-693

Using the computer 4.79 4.82

Reading 4.18 4.12

Writing 4.03 4.00

Doing science experiments 4.05 3.91

Coming to school 3.91 3.80

Doing sums 3.71 3.69

Working with shapes 3.41 3.56

Spelling 3.74 3.48

Working by yourself 3.46 3.31

Writing in science book 3.54 3.23

Liking school sub-scale: Year 2 & 6 children's attitudes: Jan 2000 (means)

How do you feel aboutYear 2N= 103-5

Year 6N= 94-101

Writing 4.31** 3.87**

Reading 4.27** 3.68**

Spelling 3.65* 3.35*

Doing sums 3.61 3.88

Working with shapes 3.94** 3.66**

Using the computer 4.79 4.91

Doing science experiments 3.91 4.19

Writing in science book 3.16 3.23

Working by yourself 3.27 3.11

Coming to school 3.96* 3.81*

Overall scale Liking School 38.87 38.29

Sig. Diff.** p < 1% * P < 5%

Item responses for Science experiments scale (means)

How do you feel about1999

N= 830-839

2000N= 687-695

Choosing your own equipment 4.49 4.49

Working with friends 4.46 4.53

Telling teacher what you have done 4.03 3.96

Finding out what happens yourself 3.99 3.87

Watching teacher do an experiment 3.98 3.94

Telling friends what you have done 3.96 3.92

Teacher telling you what to do 3.91 3.78

Finding out why experiment works 3.88 3.84

Working out what to do yourself 3.47 3.35

Working by yourself 3.36 3.29

Responses for Sub-scales in What I really think of science broken down by year group for Jan 2000 data

Mean score for each year group

Sub scales 1 2 3 4 5 6

Science enthusiasm (Grand mean 16.86)

20.33 19.99 16.97 16.20 15.72 16.00

Social context(Grand mean 19.46)

19.87 20.01 18.72 19.16 19.60 19.66

Difficult subject(Grand mean 10.45)

10.95 11.94 10.88 10.24 10.13 9.29

Science enthusiasm scores by gender & year for January 1999 and 2000 (Means)

1999 2000

Year Boys Girls Boys Girls

1 20.07 19.13 21.10 19.64

2 19.86 18.76 20.47 19.43

3 17.55 17.46 16.96 16.98

4 16.74 17.40 16.41 16.00

5 16.30 15.90 16.38 * 15.08 *

6 15.78* 14.42* 16.52 15.31

All 17.21oo 16.76°° 17.31** 16.39 **

Decreases in enthusiasm across the six year groups are always significant p<1% anova.** Sig, gender difference, p<1% *Sig. gender diff p<5%, t-test°° Sig.diff between boys and girls p<1%, two way-analysis of variance, F(1,783)= 4.489

Previous research informed course design1. Two teachers or more from each school -

more likely to have positive changes in classroom practice and dissemination.

2. The course content was developed after discussions with head teachers & teachers so they had ownership.

3. Subject knowledge support was provided by 8 days contact time as research indicated that less than this would not result in conceptual changes.

4. Teachers were required to do school-based work with some tutorial support as in-service outside the classroom often does not change teaching practice.

10-day in-service course over 1 year Developing and Assessing Investigations

Developing open-ended investigations in

Electricity Melting Evaporation and dissolving Friction

Tutor visits supported classroom follow-up activities.

Assessing teachers’ confidence,attitudes to science and cognition• Personal information eg gender & experience• Confidence about teaching science, English, mathematics, and ICT • Confidence on delivering Primary Science• Science attitude scale of 49 items asking about importance of i) Encouraging pupil initiative, interest and wonder ii) Systematic, structured approaches to learning iii) Empirical, pupil-participative science

iv) In-service education v) Child-centred, constructivist process vi) Formative assessment • Cognitive test

Teachers’ changes in cognitive scores (means)

Pre testN= 68

Post testN= 46

Cognitive sub-scales

Electricity 5.40 10.20**

Change of state 8.98 11.46**

Forces 16.21 21.15**

Investigations item 1.65 2.35*

Overall gains in science understanding

32.22 45.15**

** p<1%

* p<5%Sig improvement

Paired t-test / Wilcoxen test for N=46 on both tests

Teacher types according to score range (high, average or low)

DisaffectedN=5

Limited cognitive devel.

N= 13

EnthusiasticN= 5

Unaffected professionals

N= 9

Cognitive Pre testLow

Average

Low

Low but improved

High §

High § but improved

High

High § slight improvementCognitive Post test

Teaching attitudes PreAverage

Low

Average

Average

Average

High

Average

AverageTeaching attitudes Post

Competence Pre testLow

Low but improved

Average

Average but improved

Average

High

High

AverageCompetence Post test

Teaching confidence PreLow

Low but improved

Average

Average but improved

Average

High

High

AverageTeaching confidence Post

High and Low cells are at 5% significance at least with the exception of cells marked §

Effect of in-service on pupils• Pupils attitudes to school did not deteriorate over year• Boys and girls liked more independent practical work  • Enthusiasm for science still falls for both boys & girls – This could be the expected decline. • Link between enthusiasm and difficultly disappears  • Pupils’ overall mean cognitive score showed highly significant increases which were not matched in a control sample of 77 pupils• Overall positive cognitive and attitudinal effects mask great class variation.

Disaffected teachers (5) Years 2 & 3

Modest cognitive & confidence gains from low baseDrop in attitudes to investigative science & theoryAbsences / little work in classroom

Significant fall in pupils’ attitudesCognitive rise in Year 3

Limited cognitive development (13) Years 3-6

Significant cognitive gains from a low baseGains in confidence & competency from average baseGood course attendance / limited classroom follow-upPupils’ attitudes rise from a significantly low basePupils’ cognitive gains below average

Enthusiastically fired (5) Years 4 & 5

Cognitive gains from a high levelSharp rise in attitudes, confidence & competencyMainly whole school follow up

No significant change in pupils’ attitudesPupils’ cognitive gains around average

Unaffected professionals (9) Y6

Minor change from a high cognitive baseLittle change in attitudes, confidence & competencyClass and whole school follow up

No significant change in pupils’ science attitudesCognitive gains above average

What does this mean for in-service?At least two main types of teacher in-

service depending teachers’ initial level of cognition and confidence are needed.

1.Short courses for teachers with a high cognitive base, and

2.Long-term in-service with school support for classroom-based work for teachers with initial low attainment.

Short courses• To retain teachers by keeping & extending their interest in science teaching.• Innovative pedagogical strategies to enthuse more of the unaffected professionals.

• Over 8 days contact with opportunity to revisit persistent misconceptions.• Self-confidence needs addressing.• School support for classroom-based work. • Focus for early years teaching showing value of science for early years’ children & showing science integrated with other subjects.

Substantial courses

The challengeTo provide what research says is effective in-service to

Schools and headteachers who • Are not aware of the value of sustained in-service, • Have limited funds with many demands on their funds.

Primary teachers who • Have to be experts in many subjects • Are already overworked and probably not appreciated enough.

Courses at Regional Science Learning Centre: East Midlands2004/05 Courses of 5 or 7 days with links to tutor support and accreditation towards a University Certificate as well as 1 day courses.

Despite substantial reduction in fees, teachers / schools did not choose to come on the long courses. They did attend the one day courses.

We are now offering Mix and Match courses. Eg Teachers can choose 1- 4 sessions fromAssessment Healthy Eating Rocks & SoilsPlants

Substantial bespoke coursesFocused help for four Year 5 and 6 teachers in one school who have problems providing practical investigations in their classroom. The Centre has provided individual tutorials with the teachers and two very focused 2 hour workshops. This has been extended next year to four Year 1 & 2 teachers as well as continuing with the Year 5 & 6 teachers. (2-3 year project) Secondary school and its 9 feeder primary schools. Secondary school is giving money and equipment to the primary schools. The Centre is providing workshops for all the teachers at each school and some joint workshops at the secondary school for teachers teaching the 11 year old pupils.

Early years & cross curricular• Science through discovery & play • Cross curricular science• Creativity in science

Other courses• Science for Recently Qualified Primary teachers• Quality in primary investigations • ICT Key Stage 1 & 2

For more information…

•emslc@le.ac.uk

• 0116 252 3771

• www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk/em

T. Jarvis & A. Pell (2002) The effect of the Challenger experience on elementary children’s attitudes to science Journal of Research in Science Teaching 39(10) 979-1000.T. Jarvis & A. Pell (2002) Changes in primary boys’ and girls’ attitudes to school and science during a two-year science in-service programme The Curriculum Journal 13(1) 43-69.T. Jarvis, A. Pell, F. McKeon (2003) Changes in primary teachers’ science knowledge and understanding during a two year in-service programme Research in Science & Technological Education 21(1) 17-42T. Jarvis and A. Pell (2004) Primary teachers’ changing attitudes and cognition during a two year science in-service programme and their effect on pupils International Journal of Science Education26(14) 1787-1811T. Jarvis and A. Pell (2005) Factors influencing elementary school children’s attitudes to science before, during and following a visit to the UK National Space Centre Journal Research in Science Teaching 42(1), 53-83