Faculty of Education - Theses

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Subject: Study and teaching (Secondary) × Subject: Biology × Type: Masters Coursework thesis × Start date: 1987 × End date: 1987 ×

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    Conceptual development in science practical work
    Williamson, Stephen Mark ( 1987)
    In an investigation of the effect of practical work upon the conceptual understanding of high school biology students the author employed concept maps as the primary research tool. Practical reports and responses to interview questions were also analysed. Misconceptions were identified in the concept maps, practical reports and interviews. The interviews appeared to reveal the greatest detail of the students' misconceptions. The component scores of the students' concept maps were substantially unaltered by the performance of a practical exercise selected from a year 11 biology course. If concept maps are reflectors of conceptual understanding then it appears that the conceptual frameworks of the students were stable over the duration of the practical exercise. Several component scores of the concept maps were found to be significantly correlated with either the students' exam results or their practical work assessment. Concept maps may have application as predictors of academic performance or be used to supplement or replace traditional measures of achievement.
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    Student teacher perception of enquiry in the teaching of senior secondary biology
    Benjamin, Mark (1937-) ( 1987)
    Ten student teachers were interviewed to determine the extent of their perception of enquiry in the teaching of senior secondary biology. Previous studies had indicated that both newly-trained and experienced teachers had difficulty in discussing the concept in the context of their teaching. Part of this problem has been due to confusion over the authentic meaning of the term itself. Enquiry was seen both as a classroom strategy, being used synonymously with discovery and as a process of scientific investigation. Biology teachers have given a low priority in their teaching to the understanding of science as a process. Although teaching science as a process of enquiry has been advocated in curriculum materials, often this has not been translated into classroom practice. The findings of this study have confirmed those of earlier ones. Few of the respondents were able to discuss science as enquiry, few were aware of the pre-eminent position of science as enquiry in the Web of Life course and none were conversant with how to use the course materials to present science as enquiry. The majority were able to discuss some aspects of scientific method. It is proposed that if similar problems are to be avoided in this and other areas, far more time must be given to more detailed consideration of the teaching of difficult concepts in teacher education programs. Awareness of and sympathy with the goals of teacher training institutions by supervising teachers in the schools seem essential.