Publication details
The role of teacher in students' attitudes to and achievement in palaeontology
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Energy Education Science and Technology Part B-Social and Educational Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Pedagogy and education |
| Keywords | Palaeontology; Attitudes; Biology; Students; Teachers |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This study investigated the attitudes and achievements 13/14-year-old pupils in palaeontology with respect to school type, gender and pupils perception of palaeontology teacher. Palaeontology provides important evidence to support the theory of evolution thus it is important for science educator to understand the attitudes held by their pupils in this science topic. A factor analysis applied to a 23 Likert - type palaeontology attitude questionnaire extracted five independent factors that represent pupils' school and out of school attitudes, attitudes to future career in palaeontology and perception of teachers involvement in palaeontology. A spider type concept map was designed to examine pupils understanding of prehistoric life in the main geological eras. It was found that grammar school pupils palaeontology and also had better achievement when compared to elementary school pupils. |