Science Education in Context

CONTEXTUALIZING SCIENCE PRACTICES TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE

Dr. Anne Leak

Assistant Professor, Department of Educator Preparation, Stout School of Education

Since kindergarten (or possibly before), I have loved asking the question “why?” Why does the sun shine? Why do we only see it during the day? Why do plants grow straight up? Why are rectangles considered both rectangles, polygons and squares? How did we develop this organization system in the first place? I actually wrote a letter to a math professor in sixth grade about these last two questions. Luckily, I found the field of physics where everyone loves asking “why?” However, when it came time to start my senior thesis as a physics major at Gettysburg College, I was more interested in questions about why some people persist in physics and others leave than in questions about physics itself. Are the reasons people persist in (or leave from) physics cultural? Are these trends similar in other countries? The questions I most cared about had more to do with science access and equity.

After graduating from Gettysburg, I took my questions abroad as a Fulbright Fellow to explore access to science and mathematics education in Cameroon,

West Africa. In my research there, I identified gatekeepers (both perceived and actual) that made it difficult for some students to persist in science and mathematics education. I spent a year as a participant-observer in an elementary and middle school. This allowed me to observe and interact with students at key points in their education before they were tracked into classes that would move them toward further study in science and mathematics. In these observations (ethnographic field notes) and interactions (ethnographic interviews), I found that students were often tracked based on mathematics test scores on two key exams, one at the end of elementary school and one at the end of middle school. In classes with 80 to 160 students, it was challenging for students to learn the necessary concepts and skills for these tests. As a supplement many boys had private tutors in the afternoons, while most girls were expected to complete household chores each day before studying. Girls also missed more school than boys once they reached puberty due to inadequate access to latrines and sanitary napkins at school. Furthermore, girls described specific challenges they faced learning algebra while expressing much more confidence in other areas of mathematics such as geometry. Yet they felt that algebra made up a large portion of their exams. Students (especially traditionally underserved students in STEM) having low affect for algebra and perceiving it as a gatekeeper is similarly found in the United States even with different school cultures related to health and sanitation, testing and tracking. Through this research, I became interested in such broader contexts around learning science and mathematics that influence students’ access and success.

Research on learning contexts at the intersection of science, engineering and society is a valuable juncture for solving complex STEM education and societal challenges. For learners around the world, the intersections of culture and science dictate how people position themselves as scientists and how their cultural knowledge fits or conflicts with that of scientific communities. In Kenya, I worked with Engineers without Borders to install groundwater pumps and rainwater catchment systems. While a water system may bring clean water to a community, my team and I found that the ways people use and maintain the system often conflict with practices informed by germ theory and recontaminate the water at the point of use. On the other hand, we found that local water users who see the relevance of science in their lives make better decisions to reduce water contamination such as covering the tap or cleaning the tap before filling containers with water. When I completed my dissertation research, I explored ways in which young children were able to bring their experiences and ideas about the needs in their home and community into the classroom as resources. For example, some students were concerned with the high rates of cholera during the rainy season and suggested testing the lake water with different treatment options to figure out what worked best. Their teacher and I used these interests to build a science curriculum, in this case designing experiments for students to test various water sources for indicator bacteria that they could grow, measure and visually compare. I then researched how students applied the science they learned in the classroom back into their home and communities. For example, once students learned about some of the ways germs spread, they made changes in their homes like designing and building covers for the latrine. One interesting finding is how much local needs contextualized the science students learned and how important that context was for students to feel connected with science and find it relevant, making them more likely to apply what they had learned. For example, students who were able to identify clear needs and interests to solve specific problems before learning were more likely to make immediate changes toward solving these problems using what they had learned.

Just as students around the world struggle to efforts. We recently published our findings, which transfer science learning from their classroom show in part that students perceive innovation to their home and community, undergraduate as critical for doing physics, yet do not recognize science majors often struggle to transfer science the applications of physics to design and business learning from their classes to their first careers. and its impact on society. We have also applied Some of my research zooms into the experiences for additional funding to continue efforts in both and perceptions of physics majors specifically. context-rich curriculum development and research Much like a liberal arts education generally, on students’ perceptions of physics. Understanding physics provides a general foundation about students’ perspectives will ensure that students how to think, but also equips students with a receive an education and mindset that prepare rich quantitative toolbox, an understanding of them for their future STEM careers and may also fundamental principles and a desire to understand improve equity and access to STEM careers. why and how things work. Physics majors pursue a diverse range of careers with their degree, and Contextualizing science education can prepare rarely are those jobs titled “Physicist.” American students of all ages to apply their learning to Institute of Physics data from classes of 2011-12 solving problems in their own communities indicates that over 40% of bachelor’s recipients and in a variety of future careers. What I have entered the workforce and did not attend a learned so far has also influenced the way I teach graduate or professional school, and some of the future elementary teachers to teach science. First, most common jobs for physics majors involved I try to provide meaningful contexts for each engineering, software development, data analysis, science lesson that relates what we are learning to and research and technical jobs. students’ interests, local needs and future careers. Because of the diverse Contextualizing science education of just having students career paths that can prepare students of all ages develop a conceptual physics majors can to apply their learning to solving model of the molecular take, it is important problems in their own communities interactions between that what they learn and in a variety of future careers. water, soap and oil, as an undergraduate is I contextualize an transferable to a variety of new contexts. Yet, experiment to determine strategies for cleaning in the NSF-funded PIPELINE project (award up an oil spill off the coast or determine best #1624882), we have found that students are practices for hand washing to prevent the spread typically unaware of the role that physics, and of germs. Second, Dr. Shirley Disseler and I, with their own learning, can play in industry and support from Dean Mariann Tillery and the Stout society. The PIPELINE project worked to address School of Education, have designed a new STEM these challenges by integrating opportunities Innovation Lab that shows future teachers what to learn innovation and entrepreneurship (via their future classrooms could look like and helps curriculum development, workshops, internships them transition the hands-on science experiences in industry and makerspaces among others) they have as undergraduates to those they provide into physics departments across the U.S. I have their own students as future teachers. interviewed and surveyed students and faculty For example, instead to better understand perceptions, department Some of the high-need schools in our local area culture and department change as part of these have a teacher shortage and because of that, teachers without education, especially STEM

education, lack training. In the fall of 2018, High Point University received a $4 million Teacher Quality Preparedness grant (TQP) awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. The Piedmont-Triad Residency Educator Program and Recruitment Efforts (PREPARE) grant is a partnership between High Point University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, and Guilford County Schools working together to improve the number of quality teachers at highly impacted schools in Guilford County in the areas of Elementary Education STEM and Secondary Mathematics. For these teacher residents, we have been working together as a department to contextualize science education and make it transferable and meaningful to the PREPARE Scholar’s students in high needs K-12 schools. I am excited to continue my research on science learning contexts here at High Point University. More importantly, I have the opportunity at High Point to help teachers envision possible futures that they can create and help them develop transferable skills they can use to achieve those futures. ❧