This research was informed by a constructivist approach to learning, with a focus on answering the research question: what skills can science teachers promote and encourage among students through designing and implementing problem-based learning in their classrooms? The research was carried out in a co-education secondary school in England and involved fifty-two Key Stage 3 students (second year of secondary education), aged 13 years old. It utilized a theoretical framework of the 3C3R model (3C-content, context, and connection, and 3R-researching, reasoning, and reflecting) in problem-based learning (PBL). Data were collected through lesson observations, interviews, and focus groups. It was analyzed using thematic analysis and the recurrent themes were coded by creating relationships and links to the problem-solving skills promoted by PBL. The study found that the application of prior knowledge, collaborative learning, modeling and eliciting feedback were the skills promoted by PBL and these are valuable in problemsolving. However, collaborative learning was the dominant skill promoted by PBL. Teachers' pedagogical knowledge and the time students spent researching were limiting factors in promoting problem-based learning, thereby suggesting the need for continuing professional development for teachers and further integration of blended PBL to maximize learning time.
This study reports the measured impact of attendance at after school science club (ASSC) on the progress and attainment of Key stages 3 and 4 students in a coeducation academy in the UK. The research was experimental in design and collected data from both a control and an experimental group of participants, 17 and 140 respectively. Data were collected through observation, questionnaires, focus groups and test performance scores. The data were subjected to various statistical analyses using SPSS. The means of performance scores for students in both control and experimental groups were tested for significance at different time points using Welch's T-test, and the effect of the ASSC on science performance scores across the different time points for both groups was tested (pre and posttests) using the Kruskal Wallis test. The questionnaire was analyzed using thematic analysis with recurrent themes identified following a process of coding to establish the skills that students can gain from attending and participating in an ASSC. The study found that the experimental group, who attended ASSC showed improvements in their academic attainment although most participants identified the acquisition of non-academic skills as the more significant outcome of their engagement. These skills included collaboration and teamwork, leadership and communication skills, and confidence in learning. Drawing on the findings, the study provides evidence that discipline-specific after-school clubs can facilitate learning and recommends that discipline-informed extra-curricular activities should be promoted in facilitating learning in STEM subjects.
Action research promotes teaching and learning as it may allow teachers to explore areas of their practices that require improvement. The purpose of this case study is to highlight the steps involved in carrying out action research and any challenges that teachers may encounter in this learning process. This study was developed as a professional development course from 2015 to 2019 attended by more than 150 teachers from early years, primary and secondary schools in London and Kent in the last 4 years. The teachers were registered as students at the University of Greenwich and supported by a university team of researchers. The study identified five steps of the development of teacher-led action research and highlighted the challenges for each step. The steps included defining the field of action; planning; action; evaluation and reflection/(re)planning. This led to the development of an innovative model for the facilitation of action research and collaboration between the university team and participants. The model is used as a framework to enhance the development of teacher-led research in schools.Keywords: action research, teacher-led research, models, collaboration
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