Vasilis Koulaidis | University of Nicosia (original) (raw)

Conference papers by Vasilis Koulaidis

Proceedings of the 6th Panhellenic Conference with International Participation ‘’Information and Communication Technologies in Education’’, Vol. II, pp. 419-426, Cyprus, 2008

VCs. In addition, the project is working towards developing a practical framework to help guide t... more VCs. In addition, the project is working towards developing a practical framework to help guide the process of creating best practice in VCs, as well as raising awareness of issues and approaches to creating sustainable VCs.

Papers by Vasilis Koulaidis

Public Understanding of Science, 2004

This paper aims to reveal the social representations about the nature and the evolution of Space-... more This paper aims to reveal the social representations about the nature and the evolution of Space-Science & Astronomy, Genetics & Biotechnology, Natural Sciences and Engineering & Informatics, through analyzing active (i.e., original and creative) metaphors found in 2303 technoscientific articles published in four Greek daily newspapers and two popular scientific magazines. The analysis showed that all metaphors concerning the nature of the four disciplinary fields can be clustered into four superordinate categories that juxtapose these fields to: (1) a construct; (2) a supernatural process; (3) an activity extending the frontiers of knowledge; (4) a dipole of promise and/or scare. The most frequently employed category is that representing technoscience as an activity extending the frontiers of knowledge. Furthermore, the evolution of the four disciplines is mainly represented as a violent process. Each discipline though, seems to be characterized by combinations of different categor...

The aim of this paper is the mapping of the pedagogic discourse in the Greek school science textb... more The aim of this paper is the mapping of the pedagogic discourse in the Greek school science textbooks of the primary and lower secondary level. School science textbooks are considered as means of regulating the pedagogic discourse of each of the educational levels. This approach stems from the view that science education (and education in general) is a socialization process

International Journal of …, 2005

The aim of this study is to examine how certain meanings related to the nature of school science ... more The aim of this study is to examine how certain meanings related to the nature of school science are produced by the ways the visual and the linguistic mode interact in school science textbooks. In total the linkage of 1575 visual representations with their linguistic counterparts was examined in the science textbooks of the fifth and sixth grade of the Greek primary school respectively (age level 10-12 years old). The co-deployment of the two modes is examined at two levels, distinguished only for methodological reasons. The first level is that of design which according to Kress and van Leeuwen, (2001) refers to the uses of semiotic resources, in all modes and combinations (here visual and written language) and stands midway between content (i.e. meaning) and expression. The second level is that of the semantic relationships between the visual representation and their corresponding linguistic parts. Specifically, for the first level we use a scheme developed by Kress and van Leeuwen, (1996) which attributes different informational values aacording to the relative placement of visual representations and their corresponding linguistic parts on the verical (top-down) and horizontal (left-right) axes of a textbook's page layout. Futhermore in this level the explicitness of the way the visual representations are connected to their corresponding linguistic parts is examined. The second level of analysis is based on a classification system of seven mutually exclusive categories which desctribe the semantic relationships of the visual representations in relation to their linked linguistic parts. These categories correspond to the semantic functions of: a) expansion, b) conceptual organizationsummarizing, c) exemplification or counterexemplification, d) repetition, e) testimonial evidence, f) stimulus for science based activities (e.g. observation, classificatiom, etc) and g) decoration. In our analysis the type of the visual representations according to their modality and role (Dimopoulos, Koulaidis & Sklaveniti, 2003) as well as the different genres of the linguistic parts of the textbooks are taken into consideration. The results show that despite their heavy use, the visual representations seem to paly a subservient to the linguistic parts role in the meaning articulation. Moreover, it was found that the interaction between the two expressive modes tends to produce specific effects as far as the epistemic constitution of school science as a re-contextualized body of knowledge, is concerned. These effects are firstly the objectification of the natural world and secondly the attribution to both the everyday commonsensical knowledge, mainly articulated through the visual reperesenations and to scientific knowledge itself, mainly articulated through the linguistic mode, a mythological status.

... is located between this frame and the frame of scientific knowledge and its recontextualised ... more ... is located between this frame and the frame of scientific knowledge and its recontextualised version of school science. ... Thus, we could again distinguish between two views. ... to the first (Figxtre 2), the factors which contribute to effective teaching are the teacher, the pupil and the ...

The paper examines the relationship between children's use of metaphors and their mental models c... more The paper examines the relationship between children's use of metaphors and their mental models concerning the ozone layer and the ozone layer depletion. Our study is based on semi-structured, individual interviews with primary school Greek pupils. The analysis of data pointed to the construction of a limited number of models concerning the role of the ozone layer and the process of its depletion. A parallel analysis of the transcripts focuses on the metaphorical statements pupila used while discussing the same issues. These statements were classified in categories such as persons, substances, and objects (containers, dividing surfaces, absorbing or reflecting surfaces, or holes). The results of the two dimensions of the analysis were correlated. It is found that there exist correlations between the ontological basis of metaphors and the particular models children use in order to understand and explain the role and depletion of the ozone layer.

Public Understanding of Science, 2002

This paper aims to analyze the way in which the Greek press treats the socio-epistemic constituti... more This paper aims to analyze the way in which the Greek press treats the socio-epistemic constitution of science and technology. By "socio-epistemic constitution" we mean the following dimensions: (a) techno-scientific methodology, (b) the social organization of the techno-scientific endeavor, and (c) the interactions of science and technology with other public spheres. Our methodology is based on a content analysis of a sample consisting of 1,867 relevant articles from four national Greek newspapers. The analysis showed that although there is a constant flow of techno-scientific articles, the internal aspects (methodology and internal organization) of science and technology become apparent in only a small minority of these articles. By contrast, external relationships, mainly with politics and economics, are emphasized by focusing on the positive social impact of the techno-scientific endeavor. In general, the Greek press makes a positive contribution to the advancement of the public understanding of science and technology, as the prominent presentation of some of their socio-epistemological components forms a realistic "post-academic" image of these two areas.

International Journal of Science Education - INT J SCI EDUC, 1998

This article presents an attempt to improve teaching‐learning strategies for science as addressed... more This article presents an attempt to improve teaching‐learning strategies for science as addressed by prospective teachers in the Department of Primary Education of the University of Athens. The aim of the proposed strategy is twofold: to promote the constructivist aspect in science teaching‐learning and to improve prospective teachers’ knowledge in the particulate nature of matter. Prospective teachers were confronted with pupils’ ideas about matter and its transformations as they are described and explained by the molecular theory of matter. They were asked to evaluate pupils’ explanations about the states of matter and changes of state as if they were the pupils’ actual teachers. Moreover, they were asked to discuss the origins of pupils’ conceptions and to propose appropriate interventions for classroom activities. The results show that prospective teachers share a number of misconceptions with pupils’ and that when they ‘act as real teachers’ they willingly revise their relevant...

Science Education, 2003

This paper aims to explore the potential suitability of the press as a teaching resource for rais... more This paper aims to explore the potential suitability of the press as a teaching resource for raising scientific literacy for citizenship within science education. Our methodology is based on a content analysis of a sample of 1867 articles about science and technology from four Greek newspapers. The analysis showed that the press is potentially a useful tool for teaching certain aspects of science and technology for citizenship since it (a) provides a constant flow of relevant articles on a regular basis, (b) gives prominence to techno-scientific issues that prevail in the public arena (digital technologies, advances in biotechnology and genetic engineering, environmental degradation), (c) identifies the various social actors and forces (mainly coming from the world of politics and the business world) that impinge on the collective decision-making procedures about these issues, (d) portrays the kind of the social impacts of science and technology in an optimistic way, albeit tempered by considerable levels of concern, and (e) presents all the relevant news in context, thereby adding relevance and meaningfulness to the techno-scientific concepts under discussion. In addition to strong points, the press has also weak points as a teaching resource in science classes. These weaknesses are mostly related to the underpresentation of techno-scientific subject matter and the internal mechanisms that lead to the production of the corresponding knowledge. Consequently, press material can be used in the science classes in a complementary way to the conventional material already used so as to illuminate crucial aspects of science and technology in the public that seem to be missing from the official pedagogic discourse of science education.

Research in Science Education, 1996

The views of forty primary students about ozone and its depletion were recorded through individua... more The views of forty primary students about ozone and its depletion were recorded through individual, semistructured interviews. The data analysis resulted in the formation of a limited number of models concerning i) the distribution and role of ozone in the atmosphere, ii) the ozone depletion process, and iii) the consequences of ozone depletion. Children's models involve a variety of alternative conceptions which indicate the presence of a number of different target obstacles, that is, critical factors constraining children's understanding and thus preventing the construction of adequate models. Five target obstacles were identified: a) the lack of conceptual distinction between ultraviolet and other forms of solar radiation, b) the lack of the absorption mechanism of ultraviolet rays by ozone, c) the conceptualisation of the atmosphere as an entirely homogeneous mixture of its constituent gases, d) the non-localisation of the ozone layer around the earth, and e) the lack of interpretation of the 'ozone hole' as a decrease in the concentration of ozone. The identification of those target obstacles constitutes the first step for the design and evaluation of appropriate teaching aims and material.

Research in Science Education, 2005

This study aims at presenting a grid for analysing the way the language employed in Greek school ... more This study aims at presenting a grid for analysing the way the language employed in Greek school science textbooks tends to project pedagogic messages. These messages are analysed for the different school science subjects (i.e., Physics, Chemistry, Biology) and educational levels (i.e., primary and lower secondary level). The analysis is made using the dimensions of content specialisation (classification) and social-pedagogic relationships (framing) promoted by the language of the school science textbooks as well as the elaboration and abstraction of the corresponding linguistic code (formality), thus combining pedagogical and socio-linguistic perspectives. Classification and formality are used to identify the ways science textbooks tend to position students in relation to the interior of the corresponding specialised body of knowledge (i.e., in terms of content and code) while framing is used to identify the ways science textbooks tend to position students as learning subjects within the school science discourse. The results show that the kind of pedagogic messages projected by the textbooks depends mainly on the educational level and not particularly on the specific discipline. As the educational level rises a gradual move towards more specialised forms of scientific knowledge (mainly in terms of code) with a parallel increase in the students' autonomy in accessing the textbook material is noticed. The implications concern the way both students and teachers approach science textbooks as well as the roles they can undertake by internalising the textbooks' pedagogic messages and also the way science textbooks are authored.

Research in Science Education, 1996

Research in Science & Technological Education, 2010

The aim of this paper is to study the epistemological views of science teachers for the following... more The aim of this paper is to study the epistemological views of science teachers for the following epistemological issues: scientific method, demarcation of scientific knowledge, change of scientific knowledge and the status of scientific knowledge. Teachers’ views for each one of these epistemological questions were investigated during semi‐structured interviews. These issues were studied according to the following epistemological positions: empirico‐inductivism,

Research in Science & Technological Education, 1997

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to explore both the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of ... more ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to explore both the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of pupils’ ideas relevant to conservation during the changes occurring in the physical state of water. For the study of these ideas a questionnaire was developed and applied to a large sample of primary and secondary students. The items of the questionnaire concern the phenomena of evaporation, boiling and condensation. The analysis of the data showed that qualitative understanding precedes quantitative. The latter is achieved by pupils of 14‐15 years old. Furthermore, our analysis showed that pupils acquire the school science view at an earlier age than that suggested in previous literature.

Public Understanding of Science, 2002

European Journal of Teacher Education, 1999

Educational Studies, 2006

The aim of this study is to explore how Greek youth understands their relationship to education, ... more The aim of this study is to explore how Greek youth understands their relationship to education, and how this understanding might change as a result of the interplay between participation in different educational/social arrangements and structural factors such as gender, socio-...

Proceedings of the 6th Panhellenic Conference with International Participation ‘’Information and Communication Technologies in Education’’, Vol. II, pp. 419-426, Cyprus, 2008

Public Understanding of Science, 2004

International Journal of …, 2005

Public Understanding of Science, 2002

International Journal of Science Education - INT J SCI EDUC, 1998

Science Education, 2003

Research in Science Education, 1996

Research in Science Education, 2005

Research in Science Education, 1996

Research in Science & Technological Education, 2010

Research in Science & Technological Education, 1997

Public Understanding of Science, 2002

European Journal of Teacher Education, 1999

Educational Studies, 2006

Research in Science Education, 2003

This paper aims at presenting the application of a grid for the analysis of the pedagogic functio... more This paper aims at presenting the application of a grid for the analysis of the pedagogic functions of visual images included in school science textbooks and daily press articles about science and technology. The analysis is made using the dimensions of content specialisation (classification) and social-pedagogic relationships (framing) promoted by the images as well as the elaboration and abstraction of the corresponding visual code (formality), thus combining pedagogical and sociosemiotic perspectives. The grid is applied to the analysis of 2819 visual images collected from school science textbooks and another 1630 visual images additionally collected from the press. The results show that the science textbooks in comparison to the press material: a) use ten times more images, b) use more images so as to familiarise their readers with the specialised techno-scientific content and codes, and c) tend to create a sense of higher empowerment for their readers by using the visual mode. Furthermore, as the educational level of the school science textbooks (i.e., from primary to lower secondary level) rises, the content specialisation projected by the visual images and the elaboration and abstraction of the corresponding visual code also increases. The above results have implications for the terms and conditions for the effective exploitation of visual material as the educational level rises as well as for the effective incorporation of visual images from press material into science classes.