Search

Professional development is important for all teachers to improve the quality of teaching. This study is aimed to investigate the trends of professional development strategy and learning outcome in 2015-2019. A systematic review was used in analyzing 267 articles published between 2015 and 2019 in the Teaching and Teacher Education. The findings showed that the trend of professional development strategy is more collaborative and using collegial learning environment, and the trend of learning outcomes which developed through PD programs is more focused on the ability to teach, ability to manage the classroom, and ability to understand the subject field. These findings suggest future studies to develop professional development programs with collaborative and collegial learning environments to develop learning outcomes on practicing new instructional strategies.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education plays an important role in teaching and learning for the 21st century. Science teacher education is making great efforts to prepare STEM teachers for modern classroom practice and enable them to adapt their STEM knowledge and practices to the needs of students' contexts. However, before developing STEM teaching practices, it is important for pre-service teachers to understand the "nature of STEM" (NOSTEM). This study explored pre-service teachers' views of the NOSTEM from both individual and integrative perspectives. The sample consisted of 428 Thai pre-service science teachers who were enrolled in science teacher-education programs. A NOSTEM questionnaire comprising Likert-type items and open-ended questions was used as a research tool. The findings indicated that pre-service teachers had inadequate understandings of NOSTEM definitions, epistemological perspectives, and the impact of culture and society on each STEM discipline. Each STEM discipline has its own characteristics, but the disciplines are similar in terms of their usefulness, processes, and required knowledge. In terms of the integration of STEM, technology uses the application of science, mathematical knowledge, and engineering processes to create tools and utensils. This paper discusses the implications of this study for science teacher-education programs and developing STEM teachers.

Field trip activities are often considered additional activities and are considered recreational activities rather than ones that teach science effectively to students. Field trip activities are one form of effective experience-based learning to train pre-service teachers in the outdoor environment. This study attempted to describe the design of outdoor science learning in the form of the field trip for pre-service science teachers (PSTs) and the condition of psychosocial learning environments in outdoor activities. This research is a case study carried out in a pre-service science teacher training program at Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kudus, Indonesia. The field trip was designed with field visits on six objects for three days in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The field trip activity was attended by 70 PSTs. Qualitative data is captured through the documentation of activities at each outdoor learning location. Quantitative data collection instruments included seven psychosocial scales, namely (1) Environmental Interaction; (2) Integration; (3) Students cohesiveness; (4) Teacher supportiveness; (5) Open-endedness; (6) Preparation and organization; (7) Material environment. The field trip design for PSTs recommends activities that lead to observation and exploration of visiting objects relating not only to the content of the science but also to the pedagogical aspects of the science. The psychosocial aspects of PSTs indicate that field trip activities show a positive meaning in all aspects, although there are significant differences in the conditions of expectations and reality experienced by PSTs. The integration aspect is not significantly different. The decline in perception is still at the medium level, and the condition of the perception is still at a positive level. Research and development studies that emphasize the process of integrating classroom learning with outdoor activities can be carried out further to be able to give meaning to science learning, which is not limited by classrooms or laboratories.

The lack of bridges between formal science taught in schools and indigenous STEM knowledge is a problem that leads to the abandonment of cultural values and local wisdom. This article aimed to (1) describe the traditional salt production process by farmers and their living values education (LVE), and (2) transform indigenous STEM knowledge into scientific knowledge that can be applied to school science learning. This research was conducted in Central Java, Indonesia using observation, interviews, and literature and document review. A qualitative, ethnographic approach revealed that the traditional salt production process includes (1) draining the land; (2) making plots; (3) draining the pond plots; (4) compaction of the land surface; (5) seawater drainage; and (6) harvesting the salt. Identifiable living values include collaboration, simplicity, happiness, responsibility, and corporation. Indigenous knowledge is found in salt farmers' understanding of the characteristics and the process of salt crystal formation and their use of traditional equipment. Indigenous STEM knowledge can be transformed into school science learning materials as an example of integrating LVE.

Argument skills play a crucial role in fostering students' scientific literacy. Students who possess such skills can employ reason and evidence to make decisions. This classroom action research was aimed at investigating the best practices for teaching chemistry to promote argument skills through socioscientific issues (SSI). The participants were 46 Thai students in Grade 12 (students aged approximately 17 years old) studying petroleum chemistry in the first semester of the 2014 academic year. To research my own teaching, I collected data from classroom observation, my reflective journals, the students' reflective journals, and an argument skill questionnaire (ASQ). Debating on petroleum-related issues helped the students to practice and improve their reasoning skills, and it showed them the importance of using evidence to formulate a reliable argument. The competition to answer questions in class also allowed students to practice reasoning. Finally, the ASQ results indicate that teaching through SSI can improve students' argument skills. The implication of the pedagogy of argumentation in science classroom is discussed.

This study investigated the development of Bhutanese students' views of the nature of science (NOS) as they engaged in an explicit and reflective approach. Seven aspects of NOS were integrated into the chemistry content in two learning units titled "matter and its composition" and "study of gas laws" over a time span of 6 weeks in a 9th Grade class. This study employed mixed method approaches which included the use of a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and a review of students' journals, and assignments. Data were analyzed for established patterns and themes. Students' views of the NOS in pre-instruction and post-instruction were categorized as naïve, transitional, or informed. The results indicated that at the end of the intervention, students' views of the NOS had improved. It was seen that NOS-specific pedagogical knowledge and subject knowledge played an important role in the teacher's ability to enhance students' views of the NOS.

This research explored the current situation in managing the field experience of a five-year science teacher education program in one university in Thailand. A number of methods were used to assess field experience situation: (1) a questionnaire on the perceptions of pre-service science teachers of field experience management; (2) participant observation at seminars; (3) interviews; and (4) analysis of supervisory comments on student teachers' teaching performance. The findings indicated that the pre-service science teachers had a high level of satisfaction with the amount of practice and with their own teaching characteristics. However, during their student teaching, they could not define clear and expected learning outcomes in lesson planning. They did not probe students' prior knowledge, rarely asked questions, could not manage a classroom and held misconceptions of science concepts. Despite the struggles, pre-service did improve their ability to develop: lesson planning techniques; teaching strategies; student learning processes; classroom management skills; and the incorporation of instructional material. [The research upon which this article is based was funded by TRF (Thailand Research Fund), Project-MRG5180335 (2008-2009).]

Every classroom environment reflects the cultural features of the country where it is located. In this study, with a focus on cultural features, we compared the science classroom environments of two Asian countries: Korea and Thailand. For this, What Is Happening In this Class (WIHIC) and the Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ) were administered to 1575 students (765 from Korea and 810 from Thailand) in Grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. The results of two instruments were analyzed and discussed with a particular focus on the four cultural dimensions in science classrooms, which were reframed from Hofstede's four cultural dimensions. The results of the analysis can be summarized as follows. First, regarding the first dimension, relationships between individuals and groups, students in both countries liked collaborative activities and had many emotional exchanges in their classrooms. However, cognitive collaborative activities occurred more frequently in Thailand than in Korea. Second, regarding the second dimension, equity issues, almost all students in Korea perceived that they participated equally in science classrooms. However, in Thailand, students thought they had equal participation in science classrooms except for the gender aspects. That is, Thai boys and girls were reported themselves to be participating in different ways in their classrooms. Third, regarding the third dimension, relationships between students and teachers, two kinds of relationships were investigated: teacher authority and teacher support. In terms of teacher authority, the extent of psychological distance between students' and their teachers' power was similar in the two countries. However, in terms of teacher support, Thai students had more positive perceptions about teacher support than Korean students did. Fourth, regarding the features of science teaching and learning processes, Korean students had more negative perceptions of involvement, investigation, and task orientation than Thai students did. The negative responses of Korean students could be the cause of the low engagement of Korean students in their science classrooms. Based on these results, educational implications are discussed in terms of culturally appropriate pedagogies in science classrooms.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the impact of a pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) based STEM professional development programme on the perceptions of teachers regarding STEM education and the implementation of STEM activities. Method: The study incorporated a mixed-method approach that involved a pre- and post-survey, classroom observations, teachers' reflective journals and their lesson plans. Findings: The results show that the professional development programme had a significantly positive effect on science teachers' attitudes towards STEM education on their knowledge and application of it. The outcome also indicated that the science teachers had a well-developed understanding of the essential nature of engineering and science. Engaging with the PCK-based STEM professional development programme helped the teachers to diagnose and improve their own STEM teaching ability. From engaging in hands-on activity, the teachers learned more about the nature of STEM. They participated in a cycle of designing and implementing their own STEM lessons and engaged with the reflections of their facilitators and peers on their STEM teaching. Significance: This study provides policy makers, teacher educators and curriculum developers with information about enhancing science teachers' expertise in the teaching of STEM.

Pedagogical content knowledge for teaching the nature of science (PCK for NOS) has attracted interest in recent decades. This study investigated the PCK for NOS of six novice chemistry teachers with various educational backgrounds. An interpretive case study was performed. Multiple data sources including classroom observations, field notes, semi-structured interviews, and teachers' artifacts were collected. The inductive process used to analyze data involved categorical aggregation, followed by a search for patterns and themes. The findings revealed that all participants had limited PCK for NOS in terms of all of its components. They had robust chemistry knowledge and expressed adequate views of a few aspects of NOS. The teachers focused only on the chemistry content and rarely taught or reflected NOS in their real practices. The findings indicate that the teachers did not reflect or teach NOS, which might have resulted from inadequacies in their teacher preparation courses, which did not greatly emphasize teaching NOS. The results of this research indicate that science educators and professional developers should use PCK for NOS not only as a lens to shed light on teachers' teaching of NOS but also as a framework to revisit the teaching of NOS in science teacher preparation courses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the analytical thinking abilities and attitudes towards science learning of grade-11 students through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education integrated with a problem-based learning in the study of stoichiometry. The research tools consisted of a pre- and post-analytical thinking ability test, a science learning attitude test, classroom observations, student reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that STEM learning activities based on problem-based learning successfully developed analytical thinking abilities and attitudes towards science learning. Consequently, the students realized how important theories are, and were able to integrate their knowledge from various fields to solve problems and to create new innovations. About 80% of the students showed higher analytical thinking ability scores above the prescribed criterion of 70% of the full score. After learning, the scores of the students were higher than those before learning at a confidence level of 0.01. The attitudes towards science learning were higher than those before learning at a confidence level of 0.01. The successful activities of STEM started with offering knowledge to students through an inquiry-based process until they could construct the knowledge on their own. After that, the teacher initiated a problem situation and allowed each group of students to create a useful product adopted from the experimental results via integrating STEM knowledge to modify their creative works.

This study investigated the journey of four Thai pre-service chemistry teachers as they sought to develop their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) throughout a PCK-based chemistry methods course and field experience. In an interpretive case study approach we drew upon classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, chemistry content knowledge surveys, beliefs surveys and documents as data sources. Data analysis was inductive involving categorical aggregation, followed by a search for correspondence and patterns. The findings indicate that at the beginning of the PCK-based chemistry methods course, the pre-service chemistry teachers had a limited background and restricted educational foundation experiences. Through the methods course, they developed their PCK and broadened their views about the nature of science, and learner-centred views of teaching and learning. During their field experiences, they were able to incorporate their methods course learning into their lesson planning appropriately but they faced some difficulties in enacting their PCK in teaching.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education plays an important role in teaching and learning for the 21st century. Science teacher education is making great efforts to prepare STEM teachers for modern classroom practice and enable them to adapt their STEM knowledge and practices to the needs of students' contexts. However, before developing STEM teaching practices, it is important for pre-service teachers to understand the "nature of STEM" (NOSTEM). This study explored pre-service teachers' views of the NOSTEM from both individual and integrative perspectives. The sample consisted of 428 Thai pre-service science teachers who were enrolled in science teacher-education programs. A NOSTEM questionnaire comprising Likert-type items and open-ended questions was used as a research tool. The findings indicated that pre-service teachers had inadequate understandings of NOSTEM definitions, epistemological perspectives, and the impact of culture and society on each STEM discipline. Each STEM discipline has its own characteristics, but the disciplines are similar in terms of their usefulness, processes, and required knowledge. In terms of the integration of STEM, technology uses the application of science, mathematical knowledge, and engineering processes to create tools and utensils. This paper discusses the implications of this study for science teacher-education programs and developing STEM teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argument skills play a crucial role in fostering students' scientific literacy. Students who possess such skills can employ reason and evidence to make decisions. This classroom action research was aimed at investigating the best practices for teaching chemistry to promote argument skills through socioscientific issues (SSI). The participants were 46 Thai students in Grade 12 (students aged approximately 17 years old) studying petroleum chemistry in the first semester of the 2014 academic year. To research my own teaching, I collected data from classroom observation, my reflective journals, the students' reflective journals, and an argument skill questionnaire (ASQ). Debating on petroleum-related issues helped the students to practice and improve their reasoning skills, and it showed them the importance of using evidence to formulate a reliable argument. The competition to answer questions in class also allowed students to practice reasoning. Finally, the ASQ results indicate that teaching through SSI can improve students' argument skills. The implication of the pedagogy of argumentation in science classroom is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the journey of four Thai pre-service chemistry teachers as they sought to develop their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) throughout a PCK-based chemistry methods course and field experience. In an interpretive case study approach we drew upon classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, chemistry con tent knowledge surveys, beliefs surveys and documents as data sources. Data analysis was inductive involving categorical aggregation, followed by a search for correspondence and patterns. The findings indicate that at the beginning of the PCK-based chemistry methods course, the pre-service chemistry teachers had a limited background and restricted educational foundation experiences. Through the methods course, they developed their PCK and broadened their views about the nature of science, and learner-centred views of teaching and learning. During their field experiences, they were able to incorporate their methods course learning into their lesson planning appropriately but they faced some difficulties in enacting their PCK in teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]