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Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article 11 (Dec., 2017) |
In this section, findings obtained by the analysis of qualitative data collected in order to determine teachers' perceptions about discrepant events are given in separate titles based on interview questions. In addition, findings from classroom observations are presented as table.
1. a. Discrepant event examples according to science teachers
When the data obtained from interviews with teachers were analyzed, T2 with 1-5 years of experience talked about examples of activities made with different methods which are not generally regarded as discrepant events, while T1 gave examples correct examples which are suitable for discrepant events.
"We had an activity on reflexes. The students hold a ruler on their hands and we measure the time they leave the ruler. We measure reflexes and response times. "(T2)
"For example about pressure, we put a flat wooden plate on 4-5 balloons. Normally, students say "Balloons cannot lift any heavy thing, as they explode." They see that a few students cannot explode when they mount on the wooden plaque, and they are very surprised. It is an ideal example to teach the press in gases. "(T1)
T3 teacher who had 6-10 years of experience gave an example which is not considered as discrepant events saying that he has not known ever before. But, T4 gave correct example.
“Hmm I do not know. Hmm. It's very difficult." (T3)
"For example, they do not know the solution reagents in chemistry-related acids and bases. Students only know that Turnusol paper acquires red color in acid, while blue in base. But they only know this as theoretically, don’t know how colorants such as phenolphthalein and methyl azide color with acids and bases. They don’t know these reagents either. When you drop it, they realize the difference, for example, the acid is red, the base is yellow, and they see it and they are surprised ... "(T3)
"If I asked the time of falling of cotton and ball which are same weight, when they are left in a stuffy environment, they said that ball would fall before the cotton. We discussed it and watched a video because we don't have any chance to apply it. The video showed that both of them fall at the same time and students were very surprised. "(T4)
T5 from the teachers have the experience of 11-15 years has given an example that will take place in the direction of the expectations when the students are ready before the lesson .T6, on the other hand, gave an example as discrepant events even though it is not correct example which constitutes misconceptions for students.
"... It is interesting that the substance we prepared as an indicator of activity related to acid bases takes different colors according to acid and base. The markers we prepared with savoy cabbage, lemon and baking soda attracted the attention of the students. "(T5)
"In the 8th grade, we discussed in what conditions species are formed. It is not the species that wolf and dog constitute wolf dog and horse and donkey constitute hinny."(T6)
From the teachers having 16-20 years of experience, T7 and T8 described an experiment with discrepant events.
"When nail is wrapped with wire, it gets magnetism feature. Prior wrapping, it didn’t pull. But then it started to pull. This situation is indicated as discrepant events. "(T7)
"We use aluminum foil instead of cable when preparing simple electrical circuits. We cut the pipes of the stove thinly from the bends and we make two ends of the pipe. They are very surprised when they see that the ampoule is burning. "(T8)
From the teachers who have 20 years or more of experience, T9 gave discrepant events example. T10 has described an experiment which is a discrepant event.
"... ..I give many examples such as gold and silver while I describe metals and elements. But they think they are jewelery. But they do not think we have gold and silver in our body. They say where they are. I say that we take from the food we eat and they are very surprised. "(T9)
"... When we use the Gravzant ring, the sphere is passing through the ring. I ask to children that Is it going to pass when we heat? they say Of course. They see that they do not pass after the heat, and they are very surprised. Because they are surprised at how metal can expand that much. "(T10)
b. The reasons why they consider these examples as discrepant events
T1, among the teachers, explains that the reason to consider the example given as a discrepant event is a different way of attracting the interest of the students.
"Earlier times, orbital were used to draw on board and the electrons were placed there, and some of the students had difficulty in understanding them. But this method used to become interesting for the students and I think it is more permanent, they attract other students’ interests and they try to understand what it is. I think it's an effective method. "(T1)
With the discrepant events given by the teachers according to T2, T3, T7, T8 and T9, the students have become interesting and different because they have never met in their daily life or lessons. For this reason they stated that they defined these incidents as discrepant events.
"It is something different from what they normally know, or something they know, but they do not notice they ask Was it such a thing? There is a different activity during the lesson and it takes students' pleasure. "(T2)
"They do not use these materials in the chemistry laboratory, and they do not encounter these materials in everyday life and it is interesting to them. It looks like different for them. "(T3)
"They were surprised that their magnetization was not directly on the wire." (T7)
"They have never heard of this time. It is difficult to prove it even if we tell the older people. And he will not believe. Perhaps it is the knowledge he will never hear in his life. "(T8)
"It's actually a simple cluster calculation. In mathematics, you do this kind of cluster as well. However, there is a visualization of an invisible atom model in children's eyes. They will never see it. They will not see the atomic model with their own eyes unless they are a scientist. We're trying to visualize it. It's a bit funny and it's like a game. "(T9)
"He sees what he cannot see with eyes. Electricity is a big event, but students cannot see with eyes. It's surprising since students see it on the electroscope. "(T10)
T4 and T5, among the teachers, thought that the students were interested because they saw the scientific explanations of the events they experienced in daily life and thus they stated that they saw the examples they gave as discrepant events.
"... it is of interest to see the scientific reasons for the events that lived in everyday life." (T4)
"According to the children, the information in the book is more theoretical. It is effective when we tell them in practical terms that they will be useful for everyday life, and when they consider them interesting thing they know what they need "(T5).
T6, on the other hand, explains that example he gave is discrepant event in accordance with students' reactions.
"Responses and creative thinking that children have given in discrepant events." (T6)
2. Distribution of the discrepant events examples teachers give in terms of the unit / theme
Teachers' examples toward discrepant events are listed as followings. T1, pressure; T2, nervous system / reflex; T3, acids and bases; T4, air friction force; T5, acids and bases; T6, the concept of species in genetic unit; T7, electricity; T8, electricity; T9, elements; and T10, expansion.
Table 3. Distribution of the discrepant events examples teachers give in terms of class level
Teachers
Unit/theme
Grade level
T1
T2
T3
T4
T5
T6
T7
T8
T9
T10Pressure
Nervous System / Reflex
Acids And Bases
Air Friction Force
Acids And Bases
Genetic / Species
Electricity
Electricity
Elements
Expansion8th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
8th Grade
7th and 8th Grade
8th Grade
8th Grade
All the grades
8th Grade
6th Grade"Because it attracts people's interest, it will be applied to the first class as well. An unknown event and any interesting information are surprised and it is not right to evaluate it as a class level. They can be applied to every class. "(T8)
3. Scientific concepts or processes that teachers want to explain when they use examples of discrepant events they give
Teachers stated that they use discrepant events examples to describe concepts related to the unit / subject.
"I usually use it when I teach the subjects, I do not remember the names of the themes, but I use it when I give the objectives that are related to the units, and I usually use it during the lessons." (T1).
"In the example of the air friction force, when we throw paper as flat and crumpled separately, the crumpled paper fell down earlier because the air has friction force. And since the surface is small, it will have less effect on the crumpled paper. They found themselves, and I wanted them to reach knowledge with reasons through discovery and problem solving. I want them to find by giving them hint. "(T4)
4. Reasons for teachers to use discrepant events in their lessons
Since the teachers respond positively to the question "Do you use discrepant events in your lessons?", this section contains findings about the reasons for using discrepant events in their lessons.
Teachers generally prefer to use it to attract the attention of students, to ensure that it is permanent and effective and to motivate students. In addition, a few of the teachers prefer it since it takes part in the curriculum and the discrepant events are involved in new methods and techniques.
"Yes I use. I try to apply it when I see discrepant events example. I also think it's useful. If the students confuse, I do not apply them to next year. I do not want to be adhering to old methods and I want it to be permanent. Even when time passes, it's easy to remember this type of event. " (T1)
"Yeah. Providing persistence and attracting attention. In the learning process, it is better noticed. They don’t forget and it sticks in the mind for a long time. "(T2)
"We had that experiment. They saw that the nail did not pull the needles first, They saw when wire is wrapped and they are surprised. They found it strange. They thought nothing would happen. I used it because it was in the curriculum of the course. "(T7)
"Yes, I use it so that the course will not be monotonous and to attract students' interests. These children are future scientists, artists and politicians. I use it to do our job well and to love things. "(T8)
5. Purpose of use of discrepant events in the class in terms of teachers' perceptions
Teachers' views related to purpose of using discrepant events in the class are similar to their views on the reasons for using discrepant events in the previous question. Practice skills and gaining life skills are given as purpose of use in class differently.
"to attract their notice, especially in small classes. In terms of permanence. Even in the exam, the activity comes to mind." (T2).
"To attract the attention of the learner, to explain scientifically that they live in daily life. If they know why they live in everyday life, they become more motivated. "(T4)
"Attention, arouse interest, develop the concentrate to the top level." (T6)
"Practice skills. They may never see concepts related to acids and bases again. But this gains life skills. They may not pay much attention to pressure. They can think as ‘what the press is doing in our lives?’ but there are things that they will be aware of. It looks like different. "(T9)
6. The usage of discrepant events in the class
The way in which teachers apply discrepant events has been evaluated according to the learning cycle approach developed by Karplus and Thier (1967). For this purpose, the ways in which teachers use discrepant events were evaluated whether it is appropriate for the learning cycle approach steps by forming a checklist. When the checklist is examined in detail, T4, T7, T8, T9 and T10 do not pay attention to the application steps according to the learning cycle approach although they give an example according to the discrepant events. Although T5 and T6 cannot give a proper example to discrepant events, they are striking to pay attention to the stages of "exploration" and " term introduction". It is also noteworthy that the total score of the teachers received from the control list is quite low (9) compared to the full score of 30.
Table 4. Checklist for the use of discrepant events
TEACHERS
Exploration
New situation and ideas obtained from experiments, observations and measurements are structured by the students.Term Introduction
The concepts of science obtained from experiments, activities and trips are explained and defined by the students based on group discussions and teacher guidance.Concept Application
Students are expected to apply science concepts to new situations and the support they need is provided in this regard.
Yes (1)
No (0)
Yes (1)
No (0)
Yes (1)
No (0)
Total score
T1
✓
✓
✓
3
T2
✓
✓
✓
1
T3
✓
✓
✓
0
T4
✓
✓
✓
0
T5
✓
✓
✓
2
T6
✓
✓
✓
2
T7
✓
✓
✓
0
T8
✓
✓
✓
0
T9
✓
✓
✓
1
T10
✓
✓
✓
0
Total
9
7. Teachers' expectation from students in case of using discrepant events
Among teachers who expect from students in case they use discrepant events in class, T1, asking questions and curiosity; T2, being surprised; T3, preventing students have the misconceptions; T4, they should be able to make scientific explanations about the events they meet in daily life; T5, participation in the course; T8 and T10; They will be more careful and willing to lecture; T9 expects to listen carefully. T7 has no anticipation because students are not prepared for the lesson; T6, on the other hand, stated that when student give an example that is not considered as an discrepant events, it would appeal to the other friends.
"... I want them to ask a lot of questions, I want them to ask questions and wonder" (T1)
"They will wonder, they will be willing to learn what they wonder." (T2)
"If there is a concept that is already intermingled with, I expect that the confusion of concepts of students will disappear first, and I expect concepts in students mind to settle" (T3)
"The ability of the learner to make a scientific explanation of the subject. I want scientific explanations of an event in everyday life. "(T4)
"... The interpretation of the children is very important, and even if it is faulty, it is expected that they will reveal their own thoughts on how much they understand the interpretation they have made." (T5)
“The first reaction that children usually give is laughing. They like it. They are trying to give an example."(T6)
"The students are not interested in the background because they do not know what to see. I did not have any anticipation because they did not study lesson. "(T7)
“I expect following things; listening carefully when the topic is told, motivation, curiosity, to do research assignments. "(T8)
"Within the lesson, they were fully alerted and listened. This course is different from other courses. ... attracts attention. " (T9)
"They listen with curiosity and quieter. They pay attention to the class. If there is something that interests them, they all listen carefully. "(T10)
8. Skills developed with a discrepant event
Teachers in the study explained skills developed with a discrepant event as; According to T1, ability to ask questions and make comments; according to T2, the ability to conduct research; According to T3, Analytical thinking skills; According to T4, Scientific thinking skills; according to T6, Ability to think and comment; according to T8, Imagination and thinking skills; according to T9, skills toward implementation; According to T10, visual, auditory, and tactual skills can develop. According to T5 and T7, a course that taught with discrepant events becomes permanent because it makes abstract concepts concrete.
"The ability to ask questions and interpret them." (T1).
"... they are discovering the feeling of research. At the end of the course, we are missing what we have done and they are investigating. They enjoy learning better because they are doing it themselves. "(T2)
"If the student does, it increases the thinking ability of the students. For example, if you are asking a question, it is expected that everybody will give an answer in brainstorming method by asking an open-ended question. Gain analytical thinking skills. "(T3)
"It is important to obtain scientific thinking skills. Problem-solving and thinking skills develop. "(T4)
"There is a problem of distraction. There is a system in which abstract concepts and theoretical knowledge are predominant. It is therefore necessary to make it concrete. "(T5)
"Thinking skill. It is a situation in which children should not memorize just by adhering to the book. It is important to be able to produce something in children' observations around them and to be able to comment. "(T6)
“Some things are abstract, so they are not permanent. It's visually mindful because it's different."(T7)
"Imagination and thinking skills develop. It is possible to gain different ideas. Self-confidence of students develops. "(T8)
"Practice skills. They may never see concepts related to acids and bases again. But this gains life skills. They may not pay much attention to pressure. They can think as ‘what the press is doing in our lives?’ but there are things that they will be aware of. It looks like different. "(T9)
“skills such as visual, auditory, and tactual can develop” (T10).
9. Advantages and disadvantages of a lesson taught with discrepant events
According to the teachers, the advantages of a lesson taught with discrepant events; More permanent (T1, T7); It attracts curiosity, attracts attention, becomes willing to learn (T2, T7); It raises the curiosity of knowing the reason for an encounter in daily life (T4); It provides in-depth learning opportunities (T5); Motivation increases (T6).
"It is more permanent for students. I usually experience in fifth grade very often. When I started the first lesson, I experimented with them and they didn't understand it. Maybe, they could understand if I told them on the board. It may be related to cognitive levels. "(T1)
"It raises curiosity and attracts more interest." (T2)
"it is attracting students' interests. It is curiosity and happiness to know the cause of everyday events for them. "(T4)
"In fact, this matter is important, and it will be advantageous if it clarifies what is involved with the activity." (T5)
"Concentration of focus as an advantage of children can be at a high level and can be intriguing." (T6)
"It attracts attention of the child and shares their feelings around them, and it keeps their mind alive." (T7)
"I never thought it would be a disadvantage. Children will not have trouble and harm. But it will have positive benefits toward life ... "(T9)
"A more effective lesson is taught and becomes a colorful lesson." (T10)
According to the teachers, the disadvantages of a lesson with surprising events; Time is not enough (T3, T10); Students develop misconceptions beyond the expected results (T1, T2); Difficulty of class management (T3, T6); The presence of experiments involving dangerous situations, focusing on discrepant events and miss the whole thing (T5, T7, T8); and financial costs (T3); and T4 thinks it has no any disadvantage.
"I do not believe it has a disadvantage." (T4)
"Confusion can be formed on students mind. They can obtain a lot of wrong results. The student is reaching the wrong result and it is difficult to correct it because obviously I see it and we cannot correct it. It's easier to teach something when they do not know anything. Fifth graders have wrong inference obtained from experiments, observations and trips because their ability to comment does not develop. "(T1)
"Students face a situation they don't expect, and they are freaking out. If there is a lack of information and misconceptions about the subject, they can be confused. If they can not understand the lesson or they learn wrong, then they can also think wrong. "(T2)
"There may be a problem with classroom management. For example, it is difficult to brainstorm in crowded classrooms. It's hard to give everyone a word. In fact, for all the methods, you can reach anyone who is easy to apply for small groups. The Course duration is complicated. There is a financially problem "(T3)
"If the students don't see the whole picture, depending on the duration of the entire unit explained, they just get stuck in the described example and misses the unit. This can be disadvantageous. "(T5)
"Children can use it extensively. Although the sucject is over, they can bring it back to the agenda again and again. "(T6)
"The curriculum can not be followed because there is not enough time. If the test environments are not properly regulated, they may cause accidents. "(T7)
"Central heating is closed, windows are opened and mercury experiments are conducted in a cold environment. You bend a wire and metal. But you can't bend mercury which is liquid and can evaporate. It is curious and interesting because it is heavy and liquid. 5-6 years ago, Students were injured in a school by taking the mercury to their hand. There have been several accidents in this regard. it is needed to be careful. In electrical events, too, the child tried to establish an electrical circuit to establish a simple electrical circuit, which is very dangerous. "(T8)
"It takes a long time." (T10)
After the interviews, teachers were asked to plan a lesson time using discrepant events. First of all, It was determined whether teachers use discrepant events through experiment, activity etc. Findings obtained as a result of evaluating in-class observations with 'Discrepant Events Perception Rubric' are given in Table 4.1. T9 has already experimented with a topic (acids and bases) described during the course. However, the experiment was assessed in the perception rubric to determine how the teacher followed an experiment, observation, or activity that the teacher described as discrepant events, even though it is not (T9 stated that the H2 gas was emitted when the acid are dropped on the zinc metal, and after a while, the zinc metal disappeared, that is, it was dissolved). T8 told an activity to the students from the unit of 'electricity in our lives' and since the activity makes minor changes, the event has the characteristics of discrepant events. "We rub balloon to jersey. Then the bulb light up, when we bring it closer to the bulb." This statement was used to explain the electrification by friction, but it was interesting for the students that balloon rubbed light the bulb. T2 made an activity which is described as a discrepant event in the breeding, growth and development unit to the students. In the event, some cards containing the names of some animals were distributed to the students and estimating of developmental period of animals, in the mother's womb, involved in the card was asked. In this activity, the teacher could draw attention to the students by finding out the contradictory situations. However, since such a classroom environment has not been established, this event has not been considered as a discrepant event. T5 explained to the students that the compounds do not have the properties of the constituent substances in the subject of elements and symbols and gave various examples for this situation. (e.g., H2O is a liquid but it consists of O2 gas which burn, and H2 gas which is flammable). This example can not be regarded as a discrepant event. Lastly, T3 gave examples from daily life about heat exchange and it is discoursed that how these examples are performed according to the heat exchange. Relevant examples are of discrepant events.
Table 4. Checklist for the use of discrepant events
'Discrepant Events Perception Rubric
1. Exploration Step Criteria “0” No observations were made about the ‘Exploration’ ✓
“1” The knowledge, skills and behaviors that are desired to be gained from observations and measurements through discrepant events oriented experiments, activities and trips were transferred to the students by the teacher. “2” The knowledge, skills and behaviors that are desired to be gained from observations and measurements through discrepant events oriented experiments, activities and trips were constructed mostly by the teacher. “3” The knowledge, skills and behaviors that are desired to be gained from observations and measurements through discrepant events oriented experiments, activities and trips were constructed partially by the teacher.
✓
“1” The knowledge, skills and behaviors that are desired to be gained from observations and measurements through discrepant events oriented experiments, activities and trips were constructed by the students under the guidance of the teacher.
2. Term Introduction
Criteria
Teachers
T2
T3
T5
T8
T9
“0” No observations were made about the ‘Term Introduction’
✓
“1” Discrepant events-focused science concepts targeted at the experiments, observations and trips are explained and described by the teacher.
✓
✓
“2” Discrepant events-focused science concepts targeted at the experiments, observations and trips are explained and described mostly by the teacher.
“3” Discrepant events-focused science concepts targeted at the experiments, observations and trips are explained and described partially by the teacher.
“4” Discrepant events-focused science concepts targeted at the experiments, observations and trips are explained and described by the students. 3. Concept Applications
Criteria “0” No observations were made about the ‘Concept Applications’ “1” The science concepts learned (or dealt with) through experiment, activity and trips were applied by teachers to new situations. “2” The science concepts learned (or dealt with) through experiment, activity and trips were applied mostly by teachers to new situations.
“3” The science concepts learned (or dealt with) through experiment, activity and trips were applied partially by teachers to new situations. “4” ” Students were expected to apply the science concepts learned (or dealt with) through experiment, activity and trips to new situations and supports students need were provided.
Average scores were calculated from the lectures planned by the teachers to use the discrepant events as seen in Table 4. The group spacing coefficient proposed by Kan (2009) was used to give the meaning to arithmetic averages obtained. When the group spacing coefficient is calculated, the difference between the largest value of 4 and the smallest value of 0, which is the scaling value, is divided to 5, which is the group number, and the evaluation range is set as .80. Group intervals in this direction are determined as 3.21 to 4.00 completely sufficient, 2.41 to 3.20 sufficient, 1.61 to 2.40 partially sufficient, 0.81 to 1.60 inadequate, 0.00 to 0.80 totally inadequate / unobserved and performed to give the meaning to arithmetic averages. As a result of this evaluation, when Table 5 is examined, it is found that only T3 is completely adequate according to the information obtained from the teachers' lectures.
Table 6. Mean Scores and Proficiency Levels of Teachers obtained from 'Discrepant Events Perception Rubric'
Teachers
X̄
Proficiency Level
T2
T3
T5
T8
T91.00
3.67
1.33
2.00
0.67Inadequate
Completely Sufficient
Inadequate
Partially Sufficient
Totally Inadequate / Unobserved
