Projects / Programmes
Development of ICT tools to enhance the understanding of natural science and chemical concepts and critical thinking skills
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.01.00 |
Social sciences |
Educational studies |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S271 |
Social sciences |
Special didactics |
science education, ICT, vizualization tools, perception, understanding, science concepts, chemical concepts
Researchers (11)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The understanding of scientific concepts and processes is based on declarative as well as procedural knowledge. The later substantially contributes to the development of critical thinking and enables the transfer of knowledge into a different working environment, thus offering a wide range of employment possibilities for students with scientific and technological backgrounds. However, the interest of high school students for pursuing their professional career in natural sciences and technologies has been dimished in the last decade, and what is even more threatening, the quality and motivation of high school students who enrol into these disciplines are decreasing. This situation, because it is leading into technological stagnation and dependence is not in favour of Slovenia, which due to enter the European community. Therefore in the proposed research project we wish to study - within the framework of science education, which starts in the first triad of primary school as science, and is later at higher levels of education transformed into three science subjects (chemistry, biology and physics) - the influence of cognitive development on understanding the conceptual structure of science- chemistry, and on this bases select contents which are most suitable for the development of critical thinking. At the higher levels we will study the impact of static and dynamic visualization tools on the understanding of chemical concepts and processes and the capability of students for abstract mental operations with selected visualization tools. The results of the project are expected to contribute to the introduction of novel didactic approaches to teaching science and chemistry (handbook for teachers, in-service training seminars, diagnostic tests), to the design of teaching units based on ICT for primary and high school students with the goal of achieving a better quality of science - chemistry knowledge, and of up-dating undergraduate and postgraduate programmes for science and chemistry teachers, which we believe will contribute the added value to science - chemistry education.
