Abstract
Science museums are informal resources of science education. The impact of school field trips to museums on students’ socio-cognitive learning depends largely on how teachers plan and organize them. So far, the organization of field trips in informal venues has been only fragmentary linked to teachers’ personal theories about the importance and the role of school field trips in science education. In this study, we attempt to gain insight into the relations among teachers’ planning, implementation and evaluation processes in field trips (teachers’ practices) and teachers’ personal theories about informal education (their perceptions of the importance and the role of informal education, their theories of students’ learning processes in informal contexts, and their understanding of their educational role in informal settings). We studied 14 teachers from primary and secondary education as case studies. We interviewed them before and after their visit to the museum and observed and videotaped their visits. We analyzed the interviews, using both an inductive and a deductive method of analysis. In terms of the inductive method, we composed an analytical framework drawing from the categories proposed by Joyce et al. (1992) and Tobin et al. (1994), after adapting them to fit the purposes of our study. We applied this analytical framework on the interview protocols and composed the teachers’ agendas for the visit, thus a descriptive account of their personal theories and practices before, during and after their visit to the museum. In terms of the second method of analysis, we used the constant comparative method of Grounded theory and highlighted the themes that interpret the differences between the teachers’ planning, implementation and evaluation of school visits.
Findings linked teachers’ practices to teachers’ personal theories. Teachers’ conceptions about informal education are linked to teachers’ goals for the visit and their practice before, during and after the visit. Teachers’ conceptions about pupils´ learning in informal venues are linked to the teacher, guide and pupils’ roles during the visit and teachers’ practice before, during and after the visit. Teachers’ conceptions about their preparation for the visit are linked to the teacher’s role in the museum, the goals for the visit and the outcomes. We composed two models of teachers’ planning, implementation and evaluation processes during school visits in informal venues that show the relationship among teachers’ personal theories and their practices in science museums. The study concludes with a proposal for organizing the content of teachers’ in-service education on informal science education.
Keywords: science education, informal education, teachers’ practices, teachers’ personal theories.
Publication list
Karnezou, M., Avgitidou, S., & Kariotoglou, P. (2005). Teachers’ perceptions about informal science education in a science and technology museum. In R.Pintó et D.Couso, (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International ESERA Conference on Contributions of Research to Enhancing Students’ Interest in Learning Science, 125-130. Barcelona, Spain.
Karnezou, M. (2004). The process of teachers’ planning and implementation of school visits to science and technology museums. In H.E.Fischer (Ed.), Proceedings of the Conference on Developing Standards in Research on Science Education – The 7th European Science Education Research Association E.S.E.R.A. Summer School, (pp.125- 130) Mülheim, 28 August – 4 September.
Karnezou, M., & Kariotoglou, P. (2004). Teachers’ Practices when visiting a Technology Museum with their classes. Themes in Education, 5, (1), 101-114.
Karnezou, M., Avgitidou, S., & Kariotoglou, P. (2004). Methodology of recording and coding teachers’ conceptions about school visits in science and Technology museums. 4th Conference in Science Didactics and New Technologies in education, Athens (in Greek).
Correspondence
Dr Maria Karnezou
NOESIS
6km Thessaloniki –Thermi Rd.,
57001 Thermi, Greece.
Tel.: +30231048300 (121)
E-mail: karnezou@noesis.edu.gr
