Medborgerskab i naturfagsundervisningen på KBHSYD

"Medborgerskab i naturfagsundervisningen på KBHSYD" - [2.1Mb]

IND's studenterserie nr. 80. Masterafhandling - Master i scienceundervisning.

Trine Jørgensen, 2019.

Vejleder: Helle Mathiasen

Abstract

In this master’s thesis, I have been examining citizenship in science education in high school. The study was done at HF & VUC København Syd, which is a school with young adults at ages 16-22 primarily. In the study, the main focus was on how the NF teachers facilitate teaching with the theme of citizenship in a concrete teaching program in the autumn of 2018 on 1st year HF classes at HF & VUC København Syd so that the teaching supports the students' development of action competence. Furthermore, the study examined in what way socio-scientific issues can contribute to raising the pupils' learning outcomes and motivation as well as the opportunity to act in the society they participate in.
The socio-scientific issue the students’ worked with were: ‘How can we make the school more sustainable for the benefit of the students, the staff, the environment and the economy?’
Through the work with socio-scientific issues, students developed their critical thinking and the ability to take action. We saw that the students got more interested in participation in student council work after the project and that they were able to speak in front of the leaders of the school at the end of the project in order to convince them about their project being the best. They were also able to speak and participate in the Youth Meeting (Ungdommens Folkemøde) where young people from all over Copenhagen participated.
It was found that the teachers fit into one of two groups: One group with teachers who thought that citizenship and science work well together and one group who had difficulties seeing the link between the two. In order for citizenship to work in science education, it is important that the teachers can see the link. This is vital if they are going to be able to convince the students about the meaning of the project.
Working with socio-scientific issues in projects can boost the motivation of the students in many different ways. The more ways of motivation orientations considered in the organization of the teaching, the more students will be motivated in one way or another.