The Importance of Pupils' Interests and Out-of-School Experiences in Planning Biology Lessons

Autor/inn/en	Uitto, Anna; Juuti, Kalle; Lavonen, Jari; Meisalo, Veijo
Titel	The Importance of Pupils' Interests and Out-of-School Experiences in Planning Biology Lessons
Quelle	In: Science Education Review, 7 (2008) 1, S.23-27 (5 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1446-6120
Schlagwörter	Student Interests; Questionnaires; Grade 9; Factor Analysis; Natural Resources; Biology; Science Instruction; Student Experience; Television Viewing; Reading; Recreational Activities; Health Education; Physical Fitness; Human Body; Science Interests; Leisure Time; Correlation; Gender Differences; Foreign Countries; Information Technology; Finland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Studieninteresse; Fragebogen; School year 09; 9. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 09; Faktorenanalyse; Natural Ressource; Natürliche Ressource; Biologie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Studienerfahrung; Fernsehkonsum; Leseprozess; Lesen; Freizeitgestaltung; Gesundheitsaufklärung; Gesundheitsbildung; Gesundheitserziehung; Leistungsfähigkeit; Menschlicher Körper; Freizeit; Korrelation; Geschlechterkonflikt; Ausland; Informationstechnologie; Finnland
Abstract	How to make learning more interesting is a basic challenge for school education. In this Finnish study, the international ROSE questionnaire was used to survey, during spring of 2003, the relationship between interest in biology and out-of-school experiences for 3626 ninth-grade pupils. Interest and experience factors were extracted by using the explorative factor analysis. Out-of-school, nature-related experiences, including watching nature programs on television, reading on nature from books or magazines, or having out-of-doors, nature-related hobbies were the most important factors correlating with interest in various contexts of human biology/health education like health and illness, personal appearance and fitness, human body in extreme conditions and in general biology like zoology, applied biology and genetics, and evolution. Out-of-school experiences in science and technology-related activities, such as using science kits and constructing models, had surprisingly the highest correlation with an interest in basic processes in biology, such as conceptually more abstract phenomena in ecology or cell biology. Design and technology-related experiences, such as using large tools, or experiences in using computers and mobile phones, were the least important factors to correlate with the studied interest contexts. More boys than girls were interested in basic processes of biology, while more girls than boys found human context interesting. When planning biology lessons and field work, it is important to connect pupils' out-of-school, nature-related hobbies and experiences to biology education, because they may represent longer-lasting personal interests. (Most of this paper is a summary of Uitto, Juuti, Lavonen, & Meisalo, 2006.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01