In this paper we report on enhancing students’ attitude toward and interest in science by trainin... more In this paper we report on enhancing students’ attitude toward and interest in science by training teachers on Effective Practical Delivery in science. Teachers from 17 schools in Qatar, among them 24 secondary school teachers teaching grade 11, and 11 preparatory school teachers teaching grade 8, were enrolled in two, independent, extended training courses (four hours per week for 16 to 18 weeks) on delivery of practical science lessons. Each course was designed to train teachers on delivering practical activities aligned with science curriculum standards, in a way that allowed teachers to practice each activity during the training before delivery to their students. Teachers would then reflect on their teaching and discuss feedback with their trainers and colleagues in the subsequent training session.Evaluation of the program was based on Trainees’ performances, student performance and measurement of students’ attitudes toward science before and after training. Results suggest a no...
For the past 50 years, studying science has been a fundamental feature of the work of the science... more For the past 50 years, studying science has been a fundamental feature of the work of the science education research focusing on investigating students’ attitudes towards basic science. This piece of knowledge represents part of a research project to develop a framework that can integrate practical science activities within the teaching and learning process of school science in Qatar with a special reference to biological sciences. Our goal is to prolong teachers’ knowledge toward understanding main concepts, deep ideas and model alternatives by introducing an effective system for practicing biological science that are designed to be both” hands on” and “mind on”. Our hypothesis was as long as the teachers gained this knowledge; it will be indirectly reflected on positive student performance. The plan was based on training in the first phase (pilot) a group of 8 grade-11 science teachers from randomly selected 8 independent schools in Qatar over a period of a full academic years for...
Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Proceedings, 2012
This study reports on the development and large-scale validation of the" Assessing Arabic Sp... more This study reports on the development and large-scale validation of the" Assessing Arabic Speaking Students' Attitudes toward Science Survey"(ASSASS). The study is part of a larger project funded by the Qatar Foundation and aimed at identifying factors that impact precollege (grades 3 through 12) Qatari students' interest in, and attitudes toward, science. The development was primarily motivated by the fact that no instruments have been specifically designed and systematically validated for use with Arabic speaking students. ...
ABSTRACT This study assessed students’ attitudes toward science in Qatar. A cross-sectional, nati... more ABSTRACT This study assessed students’ attitudes toward science in Qatar. A cross-sectional, nationwide probability sample representing all students enrolled in grades 3 through 12 in the various types of schools in Qatar completed the ‘Arabic Speaking Students’ Attitudes toward Science Survey’ (ASSASS). The validity and reliability of the 32-item instrument, encompassing five sub-scales, have already been shown to be robust. The present analysis focused on responses from 1978 participants representing the students who completed the ASSASS in Arabic. Descriptive statistics were computed and a competing pair of multiple indicators multiple causes models is presented that attempt to link patterns in students’ responses to the ASSASS with a set of indicators. The final model retained student age, gender, nationality (i.e. Qatari vs. Non-Qatari Arab), and school type as indicators. Findings from this study suggest that participants’ attitudes toward science decrease with age, and that these attitudes and related preferences are influenced by students’ nationality and the type of school they attend. Equally important, the often-reported advantages for male over female precollege students in terms of attitudes toward science were much less prominent in the present study.
In this paper we report on enhancing students’ attitude toward and interest in science by trainin... more In this paper we report on enhancing students’ attitude toward and interest in science by training teachers on Effective Practical Delivery in science. Teachers from 17 schools in Qatar, among them 24 secondary school teachers teaching grade 11, and 11 preparatory school teachers teaching grade 8, were enrolled in two, independent, extended training courses (four hours per week for 16 to 18 weeks) on delivery of practical science lessons. Each course was designed to train teachers on delivering practical activities aligned with science curriculum standards, in a way that allowed teachers to practice each activity during the training before delivery to their students. Teachers would then reflect on their teaching and discuss feedback with their trainers and colleagues in the subsequent training session.Evaluation of the program was based on Trainees’ performances, student performance and measurement of students’ attitudes toward science before and after training. Results suggest a no...
For the past 50 years, studying science has been a fundamental feature of the work of the science... more For the past 50 years, studying science has been a fundamental feature of the work of the science education research focusing on investigating students’ attitudes towards basic science. This piece of knowledge represents part of a research project to develop a framework that can integrate practical science activities within the teaching and learning process of school science in Qatar with a special reference to biological sciences. Our goal is to prolong teachers’ knowledge toward understanding main concepts, deep ideas and model alternatives by introducing an effective system for practicing biological science that are designed to be both” hands on” and “mind on”. Our hypothesis was as long as the teachers gained this knowledge; it will be indirectly reflected on positive student performance. The plan was based on training in the first phase (pilot) a group of 8 grade-11 science teachers from randomly selected 8 independent schools in Qatar over a period of a full academic years for...
Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Proceedings, 2012
This study reports on the development and large-scale validation of the" Assessing Arabic Sp... more This study reports on the development and large-scale validation of the" Assessing Arabic Speaking Students' Attitudes toward Science Survey"(ASSASS). The study is part of a larger project funded by the Qatar Foundation and aimed at identifying factors that impact precollege (grades 3 through 12) Qatari students' interest in, and attitudes toward, science. The development was primarily motivated by the fact that no instruments have been specifically designed and systematically validated for use with Arabic speaking students. ...
ABSTRACT This study assessed students’ attitudes toward science in Qatar. A cross-sectional, nati... more ABSTRACT This study assessed students’ attitudes toward science in Qatar. A cross-sectional, nationwide probability sample representing all students enrolled in grades 3 through 12 in the various types of schools in Qatar completed the ‘Arabic Speaking Students’ Attitudes toward Science Survey’ (ASSASS). The validity and reliability of the 32-item instrument, encompassing five sub-scales, have already been shown to be robust. The present analysis focused on responses from 1978 participants representing the students who completed the ASSASS in Arabic. Descriptive statistics were computed and a competing pair of multiple indicators multiple causes models is presented that attempt to link patterns in students’ responses to the ASSASS with a set of indicators. The final model retained student age, gender, nationality (i.e. Qatari vs. Non-Qatari Arab), and school type as indicators. Findings from this study suggest that participants’ attitudes toward science decrease with age, and that these attitudes and related preferences are influenced by students’ nationality and the type of school they attend. Equally important, the often-reported advantages for male over female precollege students in terms of attitudes toward science were much less prominent in the present study.
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