Sub- Theme: Activity driven, conceptual change, process, inquiry and discovery orientations
Code 1: Practical work / Experiment (ST3, ST7, ST8, and ST9)
The focus group data showed that students from four focus groups out of the twelve commented that their lessons involve practical work / experiment. Below are the remarks obtained from these students:
Student from T3: We did it in the classroom with the teacher and even individually I did it at home to see whether in the atmosphere water vapour is present. We take ice cube and put it in the beaker and observe after 2 to 3 minutes to see any particle outside to see that it is condensed. Theoretically, we have learned that water vapour can be condensed in order to have liquid by doing such practical you realise that those facts are true.
Student from T8: Since the beginning of the term we are cooperating with her. First
thing she is kind to us yeah, she always came to class early as possible as she introduced the lesson to us we cooperate with her. Sometimes she does give us experiment, homework, yeah.
Code 2: Group work (ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST8, ST9, ST10 and ST12)
The focus group data showed that students from nine focus groups out of the twelve commented that their lessons involve group work. Below are the remarks obtained from these students:
Student from T5: If she gives you group work she comes round to see if you are doing it correctly. By telling us to come for Saturday classes. I think that is the only thing. Student from T5: Yes, we work both in groups and independently in class. Like if he gives us class test we work independently but if she gives us group work we come together and work in groups. Student from T5: We enjoy group work because we exchange our ideas but with individual work you are the only one to think what to do.
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Student from T8: For our science teacher she is very kind too and gives us class work and group work to do it in the class or at home. Student from T8: When she gives us group work we work in groups when she gives us assignment we do it independently. Student from T8: We bring our opinions, discuss and compare. Student from T8: Yes, we are helped by her sometimes she does gives us some group work. She will form two to three groups like that when you tell her madam come here I do not understand this she will come and explain that.
Student T9: We work sometimes independently and sometimes in groups. Student T9: When we are doing practical we work in groups. If we are given homework we do it individually. Student from T9: We like working in groups because we share our ideas as the saying goes two heads is better than one. We the students we can learn from each other better than the way the teacher is teaching us. For example, if the teacher teaches us and I don’t understand if a student comes and explain I
understand it more. In fact, when I understand from the teacher and my colleague student comes and explain I will understand more from him than the teacher.
Code 3: Providing teaching aids (ST8)
The focus group data showed that students from T8’s classroom commented that the teacher provides teaching aids. This is what was stated:
Student from T8: Since she started introducing the topic she wrote it on a card board and paste it as a teaching aid so she starts introducing and asking us questions and answering so as we go on we try to understand much better.
Code 4: Relating topic to student’s daily life (ST6)
From the focus group a student from T6 stated that the teacher relates topics taught to their daily lives. Below is a comment made by the student?
Student from T6: Not only explanations, sometimes if we don’t understand it he twists explanation in another form just like in our daily activities of our life so that we can understand. He knows that we are used to those things so if he explains it we used to understand.
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5.2.2.1 Discussion
The discussion focuses on the relevant findings of phase 1. The findings revealed students’ perceptions of their lessons as teacher centred. The first paragraph discusses teacher centred orientation, the second paragraph discusses student centred orientation and the third paragraph interprets the data to respond to RQ1. When interrogated using Magnusson et al.’s (1999) model of STOs the focus group data showed that science teachers’ practice in the classrooms runs through the continuum of teacher centred to student centred learning. Eight out of twelve focus groups stated their teachers’ practice involved the teacher showing, telling, talking, explaining and asking them questions only after explanation. Such a practice, according to Magnusson et al.’s (1999) STOs relates to didactic orientation, a
traditional teacher centred method used by teachers T1, T2, T4, T5, T6, T7, T10 and T11. This occurred in both adequately and inadequately resourced schools.
However, teacher centred method seems to be more teacher focused than student focused. The teacher seems to be in control of the activities going in the class. From what has been said by the students, it means the students were less active and had no other choice but to pay attention to what the teacher is telling or showing them. They are passive listeners and receivers of knowledge from the teacher (Gibbs, 1981).
Analysing the data gathered from the focus groups using Magnusson et al.’s (1999) STOs indicated a link between students’ views of their science lessons and teachers’ use of student centred learning practices in their classrooms. This is because
students claimed that their science lessons involved experiment, group work, linking lessons taught to their daily life, and teachers providing them with teaching and
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learning resources during the lessons. These practices concur with student centred related practices. According to Magnusson et al.’s (1999) model of STOs, such practices are student centred as they involve activity driven, process driven,
conceptual change, discovery and inquiry based orientations. Use of experiment in science lessons is key and links to student centred related practices, so Magnusson et al.’s (1999) student centred orientation, including activity driven, inquiry and discovery orientations, involved practical work/ experiment.
Another student centred practice that focus groups reported and that was the most common across all schools was group work. This, according to the students, enables them to discuss, share and exchange their ideas and thus learn from each other more than from the teacher. This concurs with Magnusson et al.’s (1999) student centred orientations such as activity driven, inquiry, process and conceptual change. Another vital aspect of the focus group data is the teaching learning resources which the teacher provides in class. This is recognised by the student as useful, since it helps them to understand what they learn much better. The provision and use of teaching and learning resources during lessons is vital. This makes lessons practical and fosters student understanding of the subject matter. Students’ interaction with physical objects concurs with Magnusson et al.’s (1999) student centred orientation particularly when the lessons are activity driven and process orientated. The final key feature of the use of student centred learning is the teacher relating topics taught to students’ daily life. This helps students to link what they have learned to practical life situations, and is in line with SCL principles by Brandes and Ginnis (1994) and Magnusson et al. (1999) STOs. The students’ awareness of the application of knowledge and skills gained from the lesson learned could be used later in life as they pursue their various careers.
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It can be deduced that UBS teachers to some degree use more didactic approach than student centre learning strategies in their classroom practices. This is because practical work which is key to science lessons and regarded as a student centred learning practice is less frequent in class compared didactic method of teaching. The number of focus groups who indicated their teachers’ use of didactic approach by showing and telling was twice the number of the focus group whose teachers offer them practical work. The only element of SCL practices that was more frequent than the didactic method of teaching was group work. The data indicated group work as the most prominent practice by teachers, hence this was mentioned by nine focus groups out of the twelve. This difference in frequency was only one which was less significant. This is because during the lesson observation it was observed that group work was not very effective due to the large size of the groups. For example, in School A, a whole class size of 50 was divided into two groups to conduct an
experiment to test for the presence of starch in a leaf. Few students were seen doing the activities while the rest were less active either lying on the desk or watching what was going on in the group. Out of the twelve focus groups only one of the groups mentioned the teacher providing them with teaching aids and relating the topic taught to their daily life. Teachers’ practice in Gambian UBS science classrooms from the student’s perspective could therefore be regarded as more didactic than student centred based on their students account of their lessons. The next section is the second phase on Friedrichsen et al.’s (2011) model of STOs and it presents and discusses students’ views of science and their beliefs about the teaching and
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