Mutlu Sen's First Year Review

My undergraduate study included courses which provide a theoretical foundation for being educator first, then a technology specialist, who can analyze performance problems, design, develop, implement and evaluate instructional strategies and products. I took several major area courses regarding Education and Technology, Visualization in Education, Instructional Design and Development of Multimedia. 

 

Throughout my graduate study, I took several courses related to theories and models of learning in primary years, technology integration into science classrooms, and philosophy of Science Education.

 

My undergraduate and graduate studies directed my interest to Technology Enhanced Learning Environments, Argumentation and Inquiry-Based Learning in Science Education, Instructional Design Strategies for 21st Century Classrooms, and Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. 

 

When I came to UGA, I was really excited to have a chance of being a research assistant in a project that is very well-aligned with my own research interests. It was a great experience so far! I have learnt a lot and involving in a real research project helped me refine and elaborate my own research ideas. 

 

Last semester, I started with reading literature on instructional, curricular, and technological supports and design strategies for inquiry-based classrooms. This review lead me think about possible practical and design frameworks and how to support teachers to use technology as a scaffold for inquiry-based activities. Based on my readings so far I can sum up my line of argument for my general research idea as following; 

 

Current reform movements in some countries set scientific literacy as the main aim of science education (Jenkins, 1997; Roberts, 2007). The National Research Council (NRC) defines scientific literacy as "The knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity" (NRC 1996, p. 22). Similarly, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA, 2003) states that inquiry-based science instruction is the best method to create scientifically literate students. In an inquiry-based learning environment, learners can conduct scientific investigations, pose questions, collect and analyze data, evaluate evidence and come up with scientific explanations to an ill-defined problem (NRC, 1996). With this perspective, the main goal of inquiry-based science education is to provide an opportunity for learners to act like a real scientist who has an integrated understanding of scientific concepts and processes (Edelson, Gordin and Pea, 1999).

 

However, inquiry-based learning brings several challenges for both teachers and students into classes (Blumenfeld, Kempler, & Krajcik, 2006). In particular, teachers struggle to understand central features of scientific inquiry (Chinn & Malhotra, 2002), adapt their new roles in inquiry-based classrooms (Harris & Rooks, 2010), and allocate time to teach both content and process knowledge about inquiry (Anderson & Helmes, 2001).  At this case, pre-service teachers should be supported by appropriate courses, materials and professional development programs to be able to handle with the challenges of inquiry-based instruction. 

 

At this point, I am trying to narrow down my research interest and I know that I want to involve in a design based research process to help pre-service science teachers gain better understanding of inquiry-based instruction. I am currently reading about online collaborative - communication tools and thinking about designing a tool which provides important support for pre-service teachers by guides, activities, resources and instructional design strategies for inquiry-based instruction. With this aim, these are the research ideas that I have for following semesters;

 

Need Analysis - My first step will be observing some science method courses in science education department to analyze current strategies that have been used to support pre-service teachers' understanding of inquiry-based instruction and evaluating their perceptions of inquiry-based instruction.

 

Reviewing Literature - I am planning to keep reading on online communication tools and create a design framework for a new tool based on need analysis I do and what I have already known to support pre-service teachers understading of inquiry-based instruction.

 

Design and Development - Based on need analysis and literature, I hope, I will be able to design and develop the prototype of my tool and collect some preliminary data during next year to answer this one big question;

 

To what extend does specifically designed online communication tool support pre-service teachers' understanding of inquiry-based instruction? 

 

References 

 

Anderson, R. D.,&Helms, J. V. (2001). The ideal of standards and the reality of schools:Needed research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(1), 3-16.

 

Blumenfeld, P. C., Kempler, T. M., & Krajcik, J. S. (2006). Motivation and cognitive engagement in learning environments. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 475–488). New York: Cambridge University Press.

 

Chinn, C. A., & Malhotra, B. A. (2002). Epistemologically authentic inquiry in schools: A theoretical framework for evaluating inquiry tasks. Science Education, 86(2), 175-218. 

 

Edelson, D. C., Gordin, D. N., & Pea, R. D. (1999). Addressing the Challenges of Inquiry-Based Learning Through Technology and Curriculum Design. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8(3-4), 391-450.

 

Harris, C., & Rooks, D. (2010). Managing Inquiry-Based Science: Challenges in Enacting Complex Science Instruction in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 21(2), 227-240. 

 

Jenkins, E. (1997). Towards a functional public understanding of science. In R.Levinson & J.Thomas (Eds.), Science today: Problem or crisis? (pp. 137 150). London: Routledge.

 

National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science education standards. Washington,DC: National Academy Press.

 

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). 2003. Standards for Science Teacher Preparation: Arlington, Va.: NSTA.

 

Roberts, D.A. (2007). Scientific literacy/science literacy. In S.K. Abell, & N.G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp. 729–780). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.