Assessing the quality of undergraduate education students' writing about learning and teaching science

Abstract

A pilot study provided insight into difficulties experienced by 143 Yr. 2 B.Ed, students in Scotland, writing in a science education context. In studying writing, an 'academic literacies' approach was adopted, focusing on social aspects in addition to identifying flaws. In over 20% of assignments, tutors' assessments identified a need to structure or sequence content. In 15%, a lack of explanation and expansion of ideas was noted. Detailed examination, of a 15% sample of scripts, showed approximately half with errors in punctuation, sentence structure or word use, tending to obscure the intended meaning. A questionnaire, completed by 70% of the student cohort, indicated that the assessed task had been perceived as authentic. 25% of that sample reported finding writing about science more difficult than for other subjects. It is argued that development of writing about science is important for future teachers and must become a stronger part of an overall, inter-disciplinary, course approach.

Changes in primary school pupils' conceptions of water in the context of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) instruction

“…However, the descriptions depend on the pupils' conceptual abilities to describe their perceptions. If pupils cannot produce fluent and valid essays, they might be misunderstood (see Robertson, 2004). Hence, interviews were used once during the process to verify the pupils' descriptions and improve the validity of the analysis.…”

Writing Science: Transforming Students’ Science Writing by Tapping into Writing Instruction Scholarship and Best Practices

“…

Instructors at most career levels can agree there is irony in our expectations of students' writing abilities. While we want our students to write well, and often bemoan their abilities, relatively few of us actually teach writing skills (Guilford 2001, Robertson 2004, Reynolds and Thompson 2011.The real paradox, according to Reynolds and Thompson, is that while writing and associated communication skills are fundamental to most careers in ecology, "the teaching of writing is not central to science education" (Reynolds and Thompson 2011). Few undergraduate biology courses "make explicit what most scientists agree […] that comprehension of primary scientific papers and communication of scientific concepts are two of the most important skills" students must learn (Brownell et al 2013).

…”

“…Instructors at most career levels can agree there is irony in our expectations of students' writing abilities. While we want our students to write well, and often bemoan their abilities, relatively few of us actually teach writing skills (Guilford 2001, Robertson 2004, Reynolds and Thompson 2011.…”