Database of Publications

Homepage > Teacher Training > Database of Publications > Publication's Form

PUBLICATION INFORMATION

TITLE OF PUBLICATION

PRIMARY TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF FOUR CHEMICAL PHENOMENA: EFFECT OF AN IN-SERVICE TRAINING COURSE

NAME OF AUTHOR(S)

Papageorgiou G., Stamovlasis D., and Johnson P.

NAME OF PUBLISHER

Journal of Science Teacher Education

YEAR OF PUBLICATION

2012

LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION

English

PUBLICATION TYPOLOGY

Research

TARGET GROUP OF PUBLICATION

Researchers, Teachers, Policy Makers

SIZE OF THE PUBLICATION

Over 10 pages

DESCRIPTION OF CONTENTS

This paper describes the structure of an in-service training course made up of two parts and developed at the Democritus University of Thrace, as well as the findings resulting from the implementation of the second part of the course by in-service primary teachers. The course focuses on a rethinking of the science knowledge teaching content. Its approach is based on the concept of a substance as the key organising idea in explaining chemical changes. The course was part of an in-service teachers’ professional development program under the direction of the Greek Ministry of National Education and Religion Affairs. All participants were working in primary schools in Greece, and their teaching experience ranged from two to 20 years. During their in-service teaching, all teachers had been using the same textbook, mandated by the Greek State. Although the concepts of atoms and molecules, together with the atom’s components (protons, neutrons and electrons), are included in that textbook, they are not applied in the study of chemical changes. During the training course, chemical reactions were studied through experiments that were performed by the trainer and almost all teachers participated fully in discussions on the observations and explanations. Moreover, teachers answered twice a one-hour long written test: the first time was before the beginning of the course and again one month after the course had finished.
The results of the written test revealed a number of teachers’ misconceptions, with many similarities to those of their pupils. It seems that neither their increased age nor their experience in teaching similar topics could make a significant conceptual change in themselves. Evaluating the overall progress made by the primary teachers during the course, the intervention seems to help teachers to apply important ideas to new chemical phenomena in addition to those they studied during the course. However, the progress was not equally spread across all phenomena. For example, post-intervention, teachers seemed better able to manage the combustion of hydrogen and the heating of sugar, instead of the case of the burning candle which had actually been studied in the course. The analysis of the findings explicitly indicates that the teachers who showed a better understanding of the particulate nature of matter are more likely to understand and therefore explain chemical changes at the macroscopic level. The authors point to the importance of factors such as duration, timing and frequency for ensuring the success of continuous and long term in-service training programs.

REVIEWER’S COMMENTS ON THE PUBLICATION

There is little in the literature about pre- or in-service primary teachers’ ideas on chemistry topics. Studies on chemical changes have been done mostly for prospective secondary chemistry or general science teachers in many countries except in Greece. Many studies have noted that misconceptions held in school years are being carried through pre-service training into teaching careers. Moreover, the fact that teachers lack a satisfactory level of understanding of basic science knowledge will have a negative effect on the quality of teaching as a whole. This original research paper investigates the effect of an in-service primary teachers’ training course on their understanding of four chemical phenomena. In the conclusions’ section, authors provide recommendations for teachers’ training and science curricula design towards improved teaching and learning of chemical phenomena. For example, it is very interesting that this paper proposes that science curricula should probably anticipate the development of particle ideas (particulate nature of matter) before the study of the actual phenomena, especially in the case of chemical phenomena.

WHERE TO FIND IT

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10972-012-9295-y?LI=true

PDF OF THE PUBLICATION

9_Publication_4.pdf

NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION

T.E.I of Ionian Islands

Comments about this Publication

Your comments are welcome

Date: 2013.07.02

Posted by Milan Veselský (Slovakia)

Message: This publication is about study in which greek primary teachers try to answer about their knowledge of the concept of substance and its chemical transformations. This study is about in-service training course, where primary teachers were offered training on the topic of “chemical changes”. The paper shows that research had shown that primary teachers often had the same misconceptions about areas of science. It is clear that lack of a satisfactory level of understanding of basic science knowledge have a negative effect on the quality of teaching and, consequently, of learning. The paper underline the importance to organize in-service teachers’ courses: in the study the incorrect teachers’ answers became almost 100% correct after the discussion and negotiation carried out during the course lessons. The publication shows that once misconceptions in science had been formed was very difficult to change them with further information and training, this even applied to the teachers. The study show that some chemical changes are probably more appropriate for the introduction of the idea of chemical change, than others. From the study is clear that if primary teachers do not receive proper training and education in the area of science, then they will bring their own misconceptions in scientific areas to the classroom and pass these onto pupils. Lack of knowledge and experience will lead to them teaching only the content presented in the textbook and they will be bad equipped to deal with the children’s questions and curiosity when they themselves lack the scientific knowledge and skills necessary on the topics.

Date: 2013.06.10

Posted by Zunino Rosalia (Italy)

Message: The publication is relevant because it debates about teaching of chemistry in the Primary School, a rarely discussed topic.
The Authors wonder: are primary school teachers ready to teach chemical changes?
They try to answer with a study conduct on one hundred and thirty Greek primary school teachers about their knowledge of the concept of substance and its chemical transformations (hydrogen combustion, iron rusting, sugar heating, a burning candle).
1. Teacher’s misconceptions. The results of the study show a number of teachers’ misconceptions with similarities to those of their pupils. It’s a vicious cycle in which misconceptions held in school years are carried through pre-service training and into teaching careers. But we know that the lack of a satisfactory level of understanding of basic science knowledge have a negative effect on the quality of teaching and, consequently, of learning. The paper underline the importance to organize in-service teachers’ courses: in the study the incorrect teachers’ answers became almost 100% correct after the discussion and negotiation carried out during the course lessons.
2. Rethink chemistry contents and science curricula. The approach to chemistry study at school should be based on the concept of substance as the key organizing idea. This is in contrasts with the usual approach based on states of matter (solids, liquids, gases) that is, in the Authors’ opinion, the cause of many misconceptions.
Besides, the study show that some chemical changes are probably more appropriate for the introduction of the idea of chemical change, than others. A burning candle, widely used in primary school science, seems to present more challenges to the primary teacher (and consequently to their pupils) than sugar heating…
Finally, since the analysis explicitly indicates that the teachers who showed a better understanding of the particulate nature of matter are more likely to understand and therefore explain chemical changes at the macroscopic level, Authors believe the development of particle ideas is helpful, even an essential requisite, to understand chemical phenomena. They hope science curricula designers might anticipate the development of particle ideas before the study of phenomena, especially chemical ones.
This is a questionable point of view.
The paper does not suggest methods for teaching chemistry, but it underlines the need for teacher to have a good knowledge of the subject in order to avoid to become a source of misconceptions and confusion.

Date: 2013.05.02

Posted by Grace Kenny (Ireland)

Message: This paper details a study of an in-service training course, where primary teachers were offered training on the topic of “chemical changes”. The paper mentioned that research had shown that primary teachers often had the same misconceptions about areas of science that their students had, and thus a cycle continued of these students going on to pass these on again in the future. Basically a lack of knowledge of scientific processes on behalf of the teacher will have a detrimental effect on the learning of the pupil. In the case of this paper the study took place on teacher’s knowledge of chemical change and thus their ability to teach these concepts to the students. Pre-in-service it was found that teachers lacked sufficient knowledge on this area. Post in-service it was shown that the teacher’s knowledge of the subject had improved, though this improvement was not evenly spread out over each topic within the in-service. The paper mentioned that once misconceptions in science had been formed it was very difficult to change them with further information and training, this even applied to the teachers. Thus follows the same for the students. Hence we can take from this that a lack of knowledge of science content with teachers at primary level will affect pupils in their future science education.

While this paper offered suggestions about how to go about training primary teachers in the area of chemical change, it did not mention other science areas.

While I think the study itself may not have huge relevance, as it was based just on one small area of science, and not on the overall larger subject of chemistry, I think we can draw from it that if primary teachers do not receive proper training and education in the area of science, then they will inevitably bring their own misconceptions in scientific areas to the classroom and pass these onto pupils. Also their lack of knowledge and experience will lead to them teaching only the content presented in the textbook and they will be ill equipped to deal with the children’s questions and curiosity when they themselves lack the scientific knowledge and skills necessary on the topics.
The paper pointed out that the issue of teacher training must be addressed so that improved teacher content knowledge can lead to more understandable primary science for pupils.

National Reports on successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry The national reports on chemistry successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry are now available on the related section of the project portal. The reports presents examples of successful experiences in the partner countries and the results of testing of ICT resources with science teachers.