A Study on the Influence of STS Teaching with the Topic of Sandstorm toward the Sixth Graders’ Environmental Cognition and Attitude

• Main Authors: Chao-Chih Kuo, 郭昭志
• Other Authors: Wan-Ju Hwang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/23146831574289376344

碩士 === 臺北市立教育大學 === 自然科學教育學系 === 95 === The aims of this research were to investigate the influence of STS teaching with the topic of sandstorm toward the sixth graders’ environmental cognition and environmental attitude. Students’ impression of STS teaching was under investigation as well. This research was analyzed qualitatively as a major and quantitatively as a minor. Thirty-four subjects, actually the researcher’s students, were from Class Two Grade Six in one elementary school in Wan-Hua District in Taipei city. The instructions were conducting for fourteen courses, three courses per week. In order to help us understand the change of students’ environmental cognition and attitude were for the factor of STS teaching, the researcher was chosen another class of sixth graders as the control group to conduct a normal teaching strategy. A pre-test of environmental cognition questionnaire and environmental attitude scale were done before the instruction. The subjects were divided into three groups according to grades of their environmental cognition questionnaire. The total of 15 students, selected five from each group, had a semi-structured interview. During the instructions, all the activities were recorded. All kinds of qualitative data, including teacher’s teaching log, teaching assistant’s observation log, students’ portfolios were collected. After the instruction, a post-test of environmental cognition questionnaire and environmental attitude scale and a semi-structured interview were done. The semi-structure interview before and after the instruction, teacher’s teaching log, teaching assistant’s observation log and students’ portfolios were analyzed in depth to see the change of students’ cognition and attitude. Then the data of environmental cognition questionnaire and environmental attitude scale were under analysis by Paired-Sample T Test and One-Way ANCOVA, in order to understand the change of students’ cognition and attitude as well. After all of the teaching activities, a questionnaire of students’ learning reflections was used to know their ideas about STS teaching strategy. The results of this research were shown as below. (1)To teach with STS teaching with the topic of sandstorm did enhance students’ environmental cognition: After the teaching activities, students’ had a better understanding of sandstorm and the related environmental problems. And the students proposed more practical solutions to some related environmental problems that people encountered. In the questionnaire of environmental cognition, the students had higher grades significantly in the post-test than in the pre-test. The experimental group had higher grades than the control group in the post-test (2) To teach with STS teaching with the topic of sandstorm did enhance students’ environmental attitude: After the STS teaching activities about the topic “Sandstorm”, students thought that people should moderately explore natural resources and more treasure our living environment. Some students changed their attitude from “taking advantage of our natural resources the most” to “moderately exploring natural resources.” Moreover, they changed their thought that the environment destruction of other countries could not influence us to that could influence us, for they believed that we live in the same planet, the Earth. In the environmental attitude scale, the students had higher grades significantly in the post-test than in the pre-test; however, there was no significant difference between those and the students receiving the normal teaching strategy. (3) Students revealed a positive thinking toward STS teaching: Most students felt interested in the topic “sandstorm” and thought it fit in their daily experience. They thought it had more space for them to develop their fresh and interesting ideas, and even asked for more time to do the activities. In terms of the results and discussions above, this research concluded some suggestions for instructors’ reference and further study in the future.