Maria Evagorou | University of Nicosia (original) (raw)
Papers by Maria Evagorou
Frontiers in education, Feb 15, 2024
Introduction: Engaging young students in integrated STEM early on can support them to develop the... more Introduction: Engaging young students in integrated STEM early on can support them to develop their competences linked to problem solving and critical thinking. Despite the importance of STEM education in younger ages, teachers still lack the skills and competences to implement STEM in their classes. The purpose of this study is to explore how pre-service kindergarten teachers (PSTs) understand STEM education, how they design lesson plans to teach STEM and how they implement STEM in their teaching. Methods: Participants of the study were 21, 3rd, and 4th year students studying to become kindergarten teachers. The participants of the current study attended a Science Methods Course for Kindergarten which is a 36 h long course. Data collected included questionnaires, reflections, lesson plans, interviews, and classroom observations. Results: Findings for the first research question reveal that kindergarten PSTs were not familiar with STEM education and did not have any previous experience with STEM education either as school students or during their studies at the university. Another important finding is that teachers' views on STEM education improved after the theoretical introduction to STEM, but considerable improvement and understanding of STEM education was evident after they engaged as learners in a STEM lesson specially designed for kindergarten students. Discussion: Findings from the lesson plans designed by the PSTs showed that when working in groups PSTs designed lessons which offered integration between two subjects, mainly math and science. Finally, when implementing STEM lessons PSTs had similar difficulties as when designing lessons. Additionally, PSTs reported that they did not have support from their mentors, or their mentors did not act as role models during the implementation of their designs. What this study supports is the need for teacher preparation programs to prepare kindergarten teachers in understanding what STEM is, but also supporting them in the process of designing and implementing STEM lessons. Implications from this study include the design of a teacher training course to support PSTs during their studies and in their early career, but also include mentors as part of the training course to support them to act as positive role models.
Contemporary trends and issues in science education, 2020
The aim of this chapter is to present the purpose of the book, and explain the importance of incl... more The aim of this chapter is to present the purpose of the book, and explain the importance of including socioscientific issues in education. In this chapter we aim to discuss the importance of socioscientific education, especially in connection with responsible citizenship and relevance of science, and present the chapters.
occupied while a teacher tends to other tasks, such as marking the role or arranging materials, a... more occupied while a teacher tends to other tasks, such as marking the role or arranging materials, and it is useful to use a cooking timer to ensure the allowed time (e.g., 3 minutes) is not exceeded.
Journal of Biological Education, Apr 29, 2020
ABSTRACT This paper addresses an explorative case study on Spanish primary pre-service teachers’ ... more ABSTRACT This paper addresses an explorative case study on Spanish primary pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) emotions about, and their interest in, insects. The study is part of a teachers’ training programme on insects and the problem of the decline in pollinators conducted at the University of Santiago de Compostela, using scientific practice-based learning approach. The research questions are: 1) What are PSTs’ emotions towards insects and what elements mediate these? 2) To what extent are insects interesting for PSTs and what criteria do they use when justifying this interest? 3) Is there a statistically significant association between PSTs’ emotions towards insects and their interest in them? To answer these questions, a content analysis was conducted on individual written responses to an open-ended questionnaire along with statistical analysis. Negative emotions are prevalent among pre-service teachers regarding most insect species, and morphology is the factor most strongly correlated with these negative emotions. A significant association was found between the participants’ interest in insects and the emotions they displayed, demonstrating that the participants’ lack of interest is influenced by their negative emotions. The implications point to the need to design training programmes oriented to help teachers overcome negative emotions and develop an interest in invertebrates.
Curriculum Journal, Dec 29, 2020
Cultural literacy, as a set of values and dispositions developed through dialogue and constructiv... more Cultural literacy, as a set of values and dispositions developed through dialogue and constructive argumentation with people representing different cultural identities, is an essential skillset of a twenty-first-century citizen in any part of today's world. Especially within the current European landscape of continuous immigration and change, the fluidity and rhetoricity of identity construction require a notion of citizenship education that can adapt to this dynamic process. Moreover, the practical aspects of being a citizen in its authentic, global, democratic sense are not sufficiently emphasized within current curricula. In this paper, we present an innovative citizenship education curriculum based on dialogic, argumentative and cultural literacy skills, which addresses this gap through proposing discursive practices of cultural identity construction at a collaborative level (small group or whole class) inspired by wordless texts (picture books and animated films) on core civic cultural values such as tolerance, empathy and inclusion. Through applying a design-based research methodology with teachers from three education levels and four European countries, we conclude that dialogic lesson plans aiming at the development of cultural literacy dispositions can act as an innovative and adaptive citizenship education curriculum in diverse contexts.
International Journal of Educational Research, 2023
Language is central in everyday life since it is one of the tools for understanding the world aro... more Language is central in everyday life since it is one of the tools for understanding the world around us, communicating with peers, expressing our ideas and developing our knowledge. Even though language is not the only tool for understanding or apprehending the world,'becoming an educated person necessarily involves learning some special ways of using language'(Mercer and Littleton, 2007, p. 2). Within classrooms, language is the principal means of communication, the tool used to reflect upon our thoughts, and share ...
BRILL eBooks, 2009
ABSTRACT Deanna Kuhn (2005) in a recent publication argues that the aim of the school should be t... more ABSTRACT Deanna Kuhn (2005) in a recent publication argues that the aim of the school should be to “develop individuals who can function effectively in, and contribute maximally to society” (p.5). To do so she argues, we need to turn to an education for thinking, and such an education should place an emphasis on developing students’ and teachers’ thinking skills. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a critical review of what we already know concerning thinking skills in science education, and discuss examples from research projects aiming to enhance students’ and teachers’ thinking. More specifically the chapter will focus on examining two different thinking skills – namely systems thinking and argumentation – using evidence-based examples that showcase the ways in which the specific thinking skills can be developed. A secondary goal of this chapter is to examine the use of technology, as a means of supporting the development of thinking skills, with an emphasis on how to scaffold both students and teachers in the process. Finally the chapter will conclude with a discussion of ways of introducing thinking skills in the science classroom and in teacher professional development, and present suggestions for future research.
Frontiers in education, Feb 15, 2024
Introduction: Engaging young students in integrated STEM early on can support them to develop the... more Introduction: Engaging young students in integrated STEM early on can support them to develop their competences linked to problem solving and critical thinking. Despite the importance of STEM education in younger ages, teachers still lack the skills and competences to implement STEM in their classes. The purpose of this study is to explore how pre-service kindergarten teachers (PSTs) understand STEM education, how they design lesson plans to teach STEM and how they implement STEM in their teaching. Methods: Participants of the study were 21, 3rd, and 4th year students studying to become kindergarten teachers. The participants of the current study attended a Science Methods Course for Kindergarten which is a 36 h long course. Data collected included questionnaires, reflections, lesson plans, interviews, and classroom observations. Results: Findings for the first research question reveal that kindergarten PSTs were not familiar with STEM education and did not have any previous experience with STEM education either as school students or during their studies at the university. Another important finding is that teachers' views on STEM education improved after the theoretical introduction to STEM, but considerable improvement and understanding of STEM education was evident after they engaged as learners in a STEM lesson specially designed for kindergarten students. Discussion: Findings from the lesson plans designed by the PSTs showed that when working in groups PSTs designed lessons which offered integration between two subjects, mainly math and science. Finally, when implementing STEM lessons PSTs had similar difficulties as when designing lessons. Additionally, PSTs reported that they did not have support from their mentors, or their mentors did not act as role models during the implementation of their designs. What this study supports is the need for teacher preparation programs to prepare kindergarten teachers in understanding what STEM is, but also supporting them in the process of designing and implementing STEM lessons. Implications from this study include the design of a teacher training course to support PSTs during their studies and in their early career, but also include mentors as part of the training course to support them to act as positive role models.
Contemporary trends and issues in science education, 2020
The aim of this chapter is to present the purpose of the book, and explain the importance of incl... more The aim of this chapter is to present the purpose of the book, and explain the importance of including socioscientific issues in education. In this chapter we aim to discuss the importance of socioscientific education, especially in connection with responsible citizenship and relevance of science, and present the chapters.
occupied while a teacher tends to other tasks, such as marking the role or arranging materials, a... more occupied while a teacher tends to other tasks, such as marking the role or arranging materials, and it is useful to use a cooking timer to ensure the allowed time (e.g., 3 minutes) is not exceeded.
Journal of Biological Education, Apr 29, 2020
ABSTRACT This paper addresses an explorative case study on Spanish primary pre-service teachers’ ... more ABSTRACT This paper addresses an explorative case study on Spanish primary pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) emotions about, and their interest in, insects. The study is part of a teachers’ training programme on insects and the problem of the decline in pollinators conducted at the University of Santiago de Compostela, using scientific practice-based learning approach. The research questions are: 1) What are PSTs’ emotions towards insects and what elements mediate these? 2) To what extent are insects interesting for PSTs and what criteria do they use when justifying this interest? 3) Is there a statistically significant association between PSTs’ emotions towards insects and their interest in them? To answer these questions, a content analysis was conducted on individual written responses to an open-ended questionnaire along with statistical analysis. Negative emotions are prevalent among pre-service teachers regarding most insect species, and morphology is the factor most strongly correlated with these negative emotions. A significant association was found between the participants’ interest in insects and the emotions they displayed, demonstrating that the participants’ lack of interest is influenced by their negative emotions. The implications point to the need to design training programmes oriented to help teachers overcome negative emotions and develop an interest in invertebrates.
Curriculum Journal, Dec 29, 2020
Cultural literacy, as a set of values and dispositions developed through dialogue and constructiv... more Cultural literacy, as a set of values and dispositions developed through dialogue and constructive argumentation with people representing different cultural identities, is an essential skillset of a twenty-first-century citizen in any part of today's world. Especially within the current European landscape of continuous immigration and change, the fluidity and rhetoricity of identity construction require a notion of citizenship education that can adapt to this dynamic process. Moreover, the practical aspects of being a citizen in its authentic, global, democratic sense are not sufficiently emphasized within current curricula. In this paper, we present an innovative citizenship education curriculum based on dialogic, argumentative and cultural literacy skills, which addresses this gap through proposing discursive practices of cultural identity construction at a collaborative level (small group or whole class) inspired by wordless texts (picture books and animated films) on core civic cultural values such as tolerance, empathy and inclusion. Through applying a design-based research methodology with teachers from three education levels and four European countries, we conclude that dialogic lesson plans aiming at the development of cultural literacy dispositions can act as an innovative and adaptive citizenship education curriculum in diverse contexts.
International Journal of Educational Research, 2023
Language is central in everyday life since it is one of the tools for understanding the world aro... more Language is central in everyday life since it is one of the tools for understanding the world around us, communicating with peers, expressing our ideas and developing our knowledge. Even though language is not the only tool for understanding or apprehending the world,'becoming an educated person necessarily involves learning some special ways of using language'(Mercer and Littleton, 2007, p. 2). Within classrooms, language is the principal means of communication, the tool used to reflect upon our thoughts, and share ...
BRILL eBooks, 2009
ABSTRACT Deanna Kuhn (2005) in a recent publication argues that the aim of the school should be t... more ABSTRACT Deanna Kuhn (2005) in a recent publication argues that the aim of the school should be to “develop individuals who can function effectively in, and contribute maximally to society” (p.5). To do so she argues, we need to turn to an education for thinking, and such an education should place an emphasis on developing students’ and teachers’ thinking skills. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a critical review of what we already know concerning thinking skills in science education, and discuss examples from research projects aiming to enhance students’ and teachers’ thinking. More specifically the chapter will focus on examining two different thinking skills – namely systems thinking and argumentation – using evidence-based examples that showcase the ways in which the specific thinking skills can be developed. A secondary goal of this chapter is to examine the use of technology, as a means of supporting the development of thinking skills, with an emphasis on how to scaffold both students and teachers in the process. Finally the chapter will conclude with a discussion of ways of introducing thinking skills in the science classroom and in teacher professional development, and present suggestions for future research.
This article focuses on the development of decision-making skills and environmental concern by 11... more This article focuses on the development of decision-making skills and environmental concern by 11- and 12-year-old students through computer-based,scaffolded learning activities. The enacted activities provided necessary scientific information and allowed for the consideration of multiple aspects of the problem, the study of the effects of every possible solution and the formulation and balancing of criteria. The optimization strategy for decision making was adopted, because it allows for the development of compensatory thinking which is more relevant to actual situations of decision making. Twelve students participated in the pilot enactment of the proposed activities. Data
collection relied on students’ reports and pre- and post- tests as well as a closed questionnaire designed to measure students’ environmental concern. The teaching intervention proved quite successful in enhancing the decision-making skills of the participating children. Moreover, students’ performance on the
environmental concern questionnaire correlated in interesting ways with the improvement of decision-making skills.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a simulation-based learning environmen... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a simulation-based learning environment on elementary school students’ (11–12 years old) development of system thinking skills. The learning environment included interactive simulations using the Stagecast Creator software to simulate the ecosystem of a marsh. Simulations are an important tool in any effort to develop system thinking, because they have the potential to highlight the dynamic nature of systems. Before the implementation of the learning environment (over a period of five 90-min lessons) two written tests were administered to the students, investigating the development of seven aspects of system thinking. The same tests were administered after the implementation. Specifically, four of the tasks included in each test were associated with skills concerning the structure and the elements of a system and three
were associated with the processes and interactions taking place within a system. The findings indicated that elementary school students have the potential to develop system thinking skills. The
proposed learning environment provoked considerable improvements in some system thinking skills during a relatively brief learning process. However, the learning environment was not successful in promoting feedback thinking. We interpret these results in view of the difficulties encountered by the students. We also discuss the implications of our findings for the design of learning environments.