Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Emily Varga
Student No. 71569107
University of British Columbia
ETEC 500 Research Methodology
Introduction
Many teachers can relate to the frustrating phenomena of students
studying by merely staring at the textbook; I tend to call this learning by
osmosis. What students dont understand is that words do not have a
concentration gradient; knowledge, however, does! I intend to explore how
to motivate the unmotivated in the science classroom, often as a result of a
hydrophobic relationship with science, and a different teaching technique,
curriculum integration that has shown to be beneficial in the classroom. My
hope is that the outcome of this study will inform my teaching practice, as
well as other teachers, of the impact that curriculum integration can have on
students in terms of achievement and motivation.
Context of Study
I am a teacher researcher with a background in biology and education,
working as a high school biology teacher in British Columbias Fraser Valley. I
teach, on average, three sections of Biology 12 and one to two sections of
Biology 11 yearly, which will provide to be the context for my research. I
have observed the above mentioned phenomena almost weekly as my
students prepare for one assessment or another, and have decided to explore
Literature Review
Three main bodies of literature have served to inform this research.
The first explores instructional strategies that affect student attitudes and
anxieties towards science. The second explores student perceptions of
curriculum integration and their perceptions of its success to prepare them
for the next phase of their education. The third compares the academic
growth of students in a class integrating student-designed curriculum to that
of a separate-subject classroom.
Laying the Instructional Foundation to contend with Science
Anxieties
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Brown (2011) suggests that traditional curriculum delivery methods are not
only restrictive but could also be considered educational neglect by
educators for ignoring the needs of students (p. 205). CI provides
opportunities for students to expand their thinking processes and find links to
other subjects in order to transcend the traditional delivery methods and
construct knowledge instead of acquiring it. In his study of curriculum
integration at the middle school level, Brown (2011) questions:
What if instead of filling students with content, young adolescents
developed their critical and creative thinking processes; became
seasoned researchers; improved their problem solving skills;
became skilled at asking questions rather than waiting for teachers
to ask them questions; and, developed advanced presentation
abilities through frequent class debates? (p.194)
The research I intend to pursue addresses each of these concerns at
the high school level: I will promote and implement curriculum integration
while maintaining the expected learning outcomes for the course; integrating
the curriculum within the context of the course will allow me to maintain the
depth and breadth as expected by the Ministry, while still inviting students
into a learning environment conducive to self-discovery; providing real world
connections and an opportunity for students to design their curriculum
bypasses traditional learning methods.
Methods
Design
I have chosen to use an action research project for this study for the
reason that I intend to reflect upon the impact my use of an integrated
12
curriculum will have on students and use the results of this study to inform
my teaching practices. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be
collected during my field research in order to target and acquire the most
relevant data. Quantitative methods in the form of summative and formative
assessments will be used throughout the study to collect data corresponding
to academic success as a result of the teaching methods being used;
qualitative methods in the form of questionnaires and surveys will be used
throughout the study as well as at the beginning and end of each semester to
gather data corresponding to student perspectives and attitude about
science.
Participants
Participants in this study will be Biology 11 students attending a
middle-secondary school located in the Fraser Valley. This school is the first
of its kind in the city with a large focus on fine arts and athletics programs.
Students in this school come from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and
span from grades 7 through 12. Although the catchment areas in this city are
open, much of the schools population lives on the nearby First Nation
reserve or in one of two of the more affluent, higher income communities.
Participants will likely consist mainly of grade 11 students, but may contain
some students in grades 10 and 12. As I am one of two biology teachers in
my school, students will choose to take biology in their previous academic
year and will be assigned to my class dependent on their timetable. All
students assigned to my class will learn in an integrated curriculum
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- Student attitude
questionnaire
- Bi-monthly selfassessments
- Self-reporting after each
project/lab
- Attendance records
- Audio recordings
- Teacher reflections
- Samples of student work
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Schedule of Activities
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Time Frame
August 2014-December
2014
Phase 4
February 2015-June
2015
Phase 5
June 2015
(Last week of classes)
June 2015-July 2015
Phase 6
Activities
- Identify research pertaining to the
implementation of an integrated
curriculum in the science classroom.
- Begin loosely designing themes and
identifying real-world issues that
pertain to the Biology 11 curriculum as
outlined by BCs Ministry of Education
- Obtain principal approval
- Obtain parent consent
- Conduct preliminary summative
testing with students
- Conduct attitude questionnaire with
student
- Conduct preliminary interviews with
students
- Students self-report after each project
- Teacher reflection after each project
- Bi-monthly student self-assessment
- Midterm interview
- Final interview
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative
data
- Report findings.
Discussion
It is my hope that this study will support the implementation of an
integrated curriculum in a high school context and provide some
encouragement to other teachers looking to increase student experiences in
the classroom. While this study is limited in regards to time and subject area,
it will hopefully reveal supportive data to suggest that learning does not have
to follow traditional, teacher-centered modes of learning.
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References
Brinegar, K., & Bishop, P.A. (2011). Student Learning and Engagement in the
Context of
Curriculum Integration. Middle Grades Research Journal, 6(4), 207-222.
Brown, D.F. (2011). Curriculum Integration: Meaningful Learning Based on
Students
Questions. Middle Grades Research Journal, 6(4), 193-206.
Bryant, F.B., Kastrup, H., Udo, M., Hislop, N., Shefner, R., & Mallow, J. (2013).
Science
Anxiety, Science Attitudes, and Constructivism: A Binational Study.
Journal of Science Education and Technology, 22, 432-448.
Christiansen, I.M. (1998). Cross-Curricular Activities Within One Subject?
ZDM, 30(2),
22-27.
Gay, L.R., Mills, G.E., & Airasian, P.W. (2012). Educational research:
Competencies for analysis and application (10th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Hudson, P. (2012). A model for Curricula Integration using the Australian
Curriculum.
Teaching Science, 58(3), 40-45.
Mbamalu, G.E. (2001). Teaching Science to Academically Underprepared
Students. Journal
of Science Education and Technology, 10(3), 267-272.
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