Scientific literacy of HK students

1. Scientific literacy of HK students Implications for curriculum & instruction

2. What is scientific literacy ? Have the scientific knowledge & skills needed for everyday life. Use the key ideas in science to make informed decisions & participate in society.

3. How is scientific literacy measured? Ability to • use scientific knowledge • ask scientific questions • identifying evidence • drawing/evaluating conclusions • communicate scientific ideas/conclusions 15 (16) 5 (5) 5 (5) 6 (7) 3 (5)

4. Performance of HK students in scientific literacy

6. Student scores at different percentiles

7. Lower achievers of Hong Kong are less disadvantaged in scientific literacy. Implication for curriculum & instruction ?

8. HK secondary schools: High degree of segregation in terms of abilities of student intake  Reduced difference in science achievement between the low and high achievers ?

9. Majority of HK schools are supported by the government with equal funding & resources ALA schools are not disadvantaged in terms of supply of qualified teachers, supporting staff and equipment. Science curriculum – core & extension components

10. ALA schools Additional support from EMB and other organisations (CUSP) in various ways: • Design and implementation of school-based curriculum • Development of teaching skills that facilitate the learning of low achievers • Greater emphasis on learning & thinking skills

11. Performance in different components of scientific literacy * *

12. Strengths & weaknesses of HK students: • understanding scientific concepts • identifying evidence • drawing conclusions • recognising scientific questions • communicating conclusions/scientific ideas

13. Focus of HK science curriculum: • Mastery of scientific knowledge • Junior science encourages integration of practical work with learning of science concepts – investigatory approach • Adequate supply of trained science teachers

14. Didactic teaching style Highly prescriptive instruction on practical work: little opportunity for students to - pose problems & formulate hypotheses - design experiments & work according to their own design

15. Completion of worksheet Little demand on communication skills in interpreting results, discussion and drawing conclusions. A lesson on teaching of electrical resistance

16. We can control the loudness of a radio or the brightness of a table lamp. How to vary the current size in an electric circuit?  Concept of resistance  How to change the resistance of an electric circuit?

17. Experiment 1 Which wire conducts better, the copper wire or the nichrome wire?  You are given 1 copper wire and 1 nichrome wire – same length & thickness. Design a circuit to test which wire conducts electricity better.

18. Carry out the experiment  What is the use of the bulb in the circuit?  Conclusion: We can conclude that the ____ wire conducts electricity better because ______

19. Experiment 2 Resistance of a wire and its thickness Set up a circuit with a thin nichrome wire: Experiment 3 Resistance of a wire and its length

20. What can students learn ? • manipulative skills • observation • drawing conclusions • but no opportunities to: • identify problems for investigation • formulate hypothesis • design experiments

21. A more inquiry-based approach

22. Which material conducts electricity better, copper or nichrome?  You are given some copper & nichrome wires (different length & thickness). Design a circuit to test which material conducts electricity better  How would you compare the resistance (or size of the electric current) ?

23. Concepts of independent variables dependent variables controlled variables

24. Suggest 2 factors that may affect the resistance of nichrome wire. Design experiments to test your suggestions.  You have studied 3 factors that affect the resistance of a wire: material, thickness, length How would you design a circuit for controlling the current size in a radio or table lamp?

25. Worksheet-directed approach  A more systematic way to develop mastery of the methods of science identifying problems formulating hypothesis making predictions designing experiments drawing & evaluating conclusions

26. Strengths & weaknesses of HK students: • understanding scientific concepts • identifying evidence • drawing conclusions • recognising scientific questions • communicating conclusions/scientific ideas

27. HK junior science  dominated by academic & cognitive orientations  Deficient in understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge, the potentials & limitations of the scientific process - important for solving everyday life problems, and to make informed decision on social and personal issues

28. Implications for the science curriculum? If science education aims at promoting development of scientific literacy … Science curriculum (S1-5) should include nature of science  Historical development of science concepts (e.g. S & T curriculum)

29. Further analysis of PISA 2000: Gender differences No. of science periods Time spent on homework Time on reading

30. Future PISA studies: Tracking changes in literacy with time  Impact of education innovations on literacy PISA 2006