رویکردهای نوین آموزشی (Aug 2023)
Exploring the Secondary High School Teachers Understanding of the Model and the use of Models in Science Teaching
Abstract
Scientific models are an integral part of science education, and teachers have a prominent role in teaching modelling and its use in science learning. Modeling refers to the creation, evaluation, and revision of models that represent scientific phenomena. Meta-modeling refers to the reflection and reasoning about the nature, purpose, limitations, and implications of models and modeling. In the current study intended to investigate the level of secondary high school teachers' modelling knowledge and their views on using the model in science teaching. A sample of 295 science teachers (physics, chemistry, and biology) in the Iran secondary high school who were available to the researchers was asked questions about perception and the possibility of using models in teaching. The findings showed that teachers give more importance to content knowledge than the modelling process and meta-modelling knowledge. the student's participation in modelling activities was more to describe phenomena and not for predicting phenomena, solving problems, or scientific reasoning. Also, teachers rarely use the process of model designing, evaluating and revising based on students' inquiries, and so the modelling process plays a minor role in their teaching performance. Improving teachers modelling competence, supporting them in teaching based on modelling, and revising the science teacher training curriculum to pay attention to cognitive and metacognitive skills, including modelling and metamodeling knowledge, can help to improve the quality of teachers' performance and also scientific literacy in students. IntroductionOne of the most important activities that increases the participation of students in science classes, and can be used to develop the science curriculum, and improve the quality of teaching by teachers, is the construction of conceptual (scientific) models by students. Teachers' understanding of scientific modeling, how to use models in teaching science, and teachers' views on the objectives and applications of models can make models more effective in learning science. Using models in the curriculum and transferring them to the classroom does not seem easy. There are always challenges such as teachers' tendency to learn model and meta-modeling knowledge, interpretation and absorption of new concepts by them, resistance to new educational approaches. Certainly, the implementation of new educational approaches such as scientific modeling requires having sufficient knowledge of the approaches, and having a positive attitude towards the objectives, benefits, and performance of them by teachers. This research tends to clarify the extent of understanding and use of modeling and meta-modeling knowledge by secondary school science teachers, and then to examine their views on the purpose and use of models in teaching science. MethodIn this quantitative research, which was conducted with a survey approach and was applied in terms of purpose, tried to describe the knowledge of modeling and its application in the class by science teachers. Data were collected during the academic year, from December 2021 to May 2022. A sample of 295 teachers of physics, chemistry, and biology courses of secondary schools in Ahvaz were selected. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire based on model teaching, which was designed as a survey. This questionnaire was actually questions that were prepared for conducting structured interviews, but due to the prevalence of the Corona virus, the questions were sent to the people in the form of a questionnaire and electronically and the answers were received. After collecting the data using the questionnaire, the quantitative data were examined using non-parametric statistical analyses such as chi-square and Wilcoxon statistics. Part of the data included information that participants provided to the researcher in response to open-ended questions, this category of data was also analyzed using content analysis. ResultAlthough the teachers participating in this study used all types of models, they rarely used some models. Interactive and moving models had the least share in the use of teachers during teaching and models including diagrams and symbols had the most use among teachers for teaching. Performing the Wilcoxon test showed that (1) the scores of model type A (model maps / diagrams) and model B (model symbols) received significantly higher scores compared to other types of models and teachers had the most tendency to use this type of models compared to other types of models, (2) the scores for interactive simulations (model C) and moving models (model D) were significantly lower than the scores for other types of models. Findings indicated that teachers use more types of models that traditionally play the role of visualization in teaching and usually have the most use in textbooks. Teachers showed that they are most indifferent to interactive models, these models can help improve problem-solving and reasoning skills in addition to the role of description for phenomena. Science teachers significantly preferred the use of models to explain scientific phenomena (G1) over the use of modeling as a scientific method (G2) and teaching modeling and meta-modeling knowledge (G3). Teachers prioritize the general goals of science education in their teaching as follows: first, teaching content knowledge (learning science), then doing scientific work or the scientific method (doing science), and in the third degree, meta-knowledge or meta-modeling knowledge (learning about science). Discussion and conclusionThis research provided the opportunity to identify some of the important features in the performance of science teachers, along with logical reasons for using or not using modeling competencies in teaching. According to the findings of this research, it can be concluded that a combination of weak curriculum, insufficient opportunities for sharing knowledge among teachers, inadequate support for teachers, mismatch between curriculum and teaching hours, and the form of exams and student evaluation, are the most cases that science teachers of the second period of secondary school have counted for the obstacles to the use of modeling in the class, and their perspective for teaching based on modeling competencies has been somewhat vague. Other studies on why and how science teachers of the second period of secondary school in Iran use models in teaching or what obstacles exist for them to not use models were not available to researchers. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that this research has not definitively determined whether teachers prefer to use paintings, diagrams, and symbols instead of interactive simulations and other types of models or that limited use of this type of models is due to lack of technical knowledge or deficiency in curriculum and educational facilities. Researchers find more qualitative or mixed research that can provide a deeper understanding of modeling competencies and how science teachers deal with the model valuable and recommend them to science education researchers. Acknowledgments The researchers of this article are grateful to all science teachers (physics, chemistry, and biology) who had enough time and patience to answer the questionnaires
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