Science

Supporting learning in science using ICTs

Serena Matheson, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Problem

Getting students engaged in the scientific process is critical but challenging (Harmer & Cates, 2007). Science is hard to learn because it sometimes means thinking about theories or lines of thought that are abstract or without concrete evidence (Elliot, Wilson, & Boyle, 2014). Some students have said that there is a lack of understanding or an unawareness of the issues (Ellis, Weyers, & Hughes, 2012). According to Nadirova and Burger (2008), finding science challenging and boring are just two of the reasons given by students as to why they do not continue to take the subject in high school. Nadirova and Burger found that students’ gender was also a factor in whether or not science was looked at with a positive or negative attitude. They also found that females had less exposure to the technology and scientific process and that this lack of exposure in turn led to a more negative outlook toward science and a lack of confidence in their success.

According to Mujawamariya and Hamdan, (2013) in the early 20th century, there was concern from educators in Britain and the rest of Europe that students’ enthusiasm for science would weaken because of it being “dry and dehumanized” (p.426). They found that students were not seeing themselves or their lived experiences in the curriculum. One example they identified of alienation felt by students was the lack of concrete examples in the diversity of the history of science. The authors found that, because of the omission of the history of science in the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum has continued to omit the history of science, marginalized students did not see themselves mirrored in the curriculum and as such, they were not encouraged to continue their studies in science. Scanlon (2012) concluded that it can be challenging to persuade students from disadvantaged backgrounds that science is an option for the future.

Works cited

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