Purpose
Intuitive understanding of science is an important element of the Saudi Arabian students’ motivation in learning, as well as the overall success in academic performance, especially in science. Seeing how science is a means to theorize and cognize reality, it is crucial that students should learn to tie in the theories learned at school together with the manifestation of these theories, which they can observe in everyday life. The purpose of the given study, therefore, is to prove that, with the help of activities that show children natural laws in action and, therefore, help students visualize the material that they have learned, it becomes possible to improve and increase students’ performance in science in primary schools and, moreover, provide the grounds for these students to be successful in studying science in the future.
Literature Review
It should be noted that ample studies have been conducted on the issue of young students’ cognition processes (Baek, Schwarz, Chen, Hokayem & Zhan, 2011). Wu and Tsai have considered the constructivist oriented instruction (Alshayea, 2012) for teaching elementary students in 2005 (Wu & Tsai, 2005). In addition, more recent researches on the issue have been carried out (Lange, Kleickmann & Möller, 2008) and deserve taking a closer look at, such as the research by Ang and Wang, which suggests using Active Worlds in engaging students in science and research (Ang & Wang, 2006). Students need more opportunities for learning to apply their new knowledge to real-life situations (Albro, Wagster, Carpenter, Cary & Gholson, 2007).
Questions
The research questions that are to be answered in the course of the given experiment are:
- Is it possible to design the classroom activities that will help students understand the link between the theory studied in class and its manifestation in real-life phenomena, and if it is, what methods can it be achieved with?
- Are there any specific pedagogic approaches that will strengthen student-teacher relationships, thus, encouraging students to be more inquisitive and learn new information faster, thus, developing the skills for analytical thinking and problem solving, and, if there are, what are they?
Terminology
Several key terms will be used consistently throughout the paper. These are:
- Cognitive skills (Martin, Jean-Siqur & Schmidt, 2005);
- Students’ self-esteem and self-image;
- Self-efficacy model (Bagheri, Jaafar & Baba, 2012);
- Personal agency belief (Tang, 2012);
- Knowledge base (Yamamoto, Nykoluk, Eusebio & Wener, 2013);
- Motivation (Kittrel & Moore, 2013; Cox, 2012);
- Lifelong learning (Baugher, 2013; Bloom & Marc, 2013).
Methodology
Speaking of the methodology, it is reasonable to suggest that qualitative research with the elements of mathematical analysis should be used (Chenail, 2012). To be more exact, it will be necessary to develop a case study based on the facts obtained from the experiment mentioned below and outline a paradigm of young students making connections between the theory and real-life experiences.
Significance
Because of the recent influx of new data and the active use of new technology in academic and professional fields in Saudi Arabia, it is crucial that the ways to teach students new skills and help them acquire new knowledge faster and more efficiently should be sought. The earlier students learn to notice the manifestations of laws studied at school in reality, the easier it will be for them to use observation techniques in the future, both in their academic life and in their careers. Thus, the significance of the study is rather high.
Ethics
The ethics issue should also be kept in mind when the research is carried out. It will be imperative that the students’ names should not be disclosed. However, since introducing all research participants as incognitos is hardly possible, it will be required to provide them with nicknames. In addition, the ethical issue regarding the non-disclosure of students’ personal information should be talked over with their parents. It will be necessary to have the parents’ permission to use the data concerning students’ academic scores in the study; otherwise, the entire research will be pointless.
Schedule
Speaking of the time that the given experiment will take, as well as the stages, in which it will be split, the fact that the experiment will be conducted among young students should be emphasized once more. It will be necessary to mark the key stages of their progress and evaluate the final results, which means that the study will take three years at the very least. Finally, regular evaluations of the students’ daily academic growth must be carried out; in other words, the research will be split into three major stages with a grand assessment at the end of the course. Each course, in its turn, will be split into twelve stages, with a major test at the end of every stage.
The stages will also be divided into information acquisition (4–5 days), information processing and exercises, including the aforementioned activities (14–18 days), and the following test to assess the students’ performance and understanding of the subject matter (2–3 days). The final month will be spent on the assessment of the results and the arrangement and interpretation of the information.
Limitations
The given study admittedly has a number of limitations, which have to be mentioned in order to avoid the possible misconceptions. To start with, the given research, which involves a comparative analysis of the students’ performance throughout three years of studying, is restricted in terms of the number of participants.
It would be much more impressive if the study was conducted on a grander level and involved more students, preferably with different cultural, ethnic and social backgrounds, with a comparative description of results acquired from each group. However, even as it is, the research will be huge, which means that there is no way to set it on an even larger scale. Time restrictions are another evident limitation; it would be much more exciting to see the outcomes of outdoor lessons for students who have successfully passed the experiment that was designed for them in the given research.
Resources
There is no need to stress that the given experiment is not going to be free. However, by designing the research carefully and picking the tools reasonably, one will be able to carry the experiment out even on a shoestring budget of approximately $ 3,000 ($ 1,000 per year). Indeed, when it comes to listing the key elements of outdoor lessons for primary students, one will have to admit that the objects proving the laws of nature studied in class can be acquired and observed for free.
For example, the principles of changing states can be demonstrated by showing students icicles dripping (at the end of the winter) or drops of water freezing outside (in the middle of winter). Of course, for the experiment to be efficient, some technology and equipment will be used; for example, a binocular will be used for observing celestial bodies for the astronomy class. However, for the most part, the given research will have a relatively low budget.
Reference List
Albro, E., Wagster, J., Carpenter, S. K., Cary M. S. & Gholson, B. (2007). Cognitive science and student learning in the classroom. New York, NY: Institute of Education Sciences.
Alshayea, A. (2012). Improvement of the quality assurance in Saudi higher education. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47(1), 2234-2236.
Ang, K. H. & Wang, Q. (2006). A case study of engaging primary school students in learning science by using Active Worlds. In The First International LAMS Conference 2006 (Eds.), Proceedings of the First International LAMS Conference 2006: Designing the future of learning (pp. 5–14). Singapore: Loyang Primary School Press.
Baek, H., Schwarz, C., Chen, J., Hokayem, S. & Zhan, L. (2011). Engaging elementary students in scientific modeling: The MoDeLS 5th-grade approach and findings. In M. Khine & I. Saleh (Eds.), Dynamic modeling: Cognitive tool for scientific inquiry (pp. 3–45). New York, NY: InformationWorld.
Bagheri, E., Jaafar, W. M. B. W. & Baba, M. B. (2012). University climate and counseling students’ self-efficacy. Journal of Education and Social Research, 2(3), 95–107.
Baugher, S. (2013). Lifelong learning. Journal of Family and Consumer Services, 105(4), 33–22.
Bloom, J. L. & Marc, L. (2013). Embracing lifelong learning for ourselves. About Campus, 17(6), 2–10.
Chenail, R. J. (2012). Conducting qualitative data analysis: Qualitative data analysis as a metaphoric process. The Qualitative Report, 17(1), 248-253.
Cox, B. J. (2012). College students, motivation, and success. International Journal of Learning & Development, 2(3), 139–142.
Kittrel, D. L. & Moore, G. E. (2013). Student motivation. NACTA Journal, 57(1), 94–95.
Lange, K., Kleickmann, T. & Möller, K. (2008). Elementary teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and student achievement in science education. Muenster, DE: University of Muenster Press.
Martin, D. J., Jean-Siqur, R. & Schmidt, E. (2005). Process-oriented inquiry – A constructivist approach to early childhood science education: Teaching teachers to do science. Journal of Elementary Science Education, 17(2), 13–26.
Tang, E. L.-Y. (2012). Development of teaching beliefs and the focus of change in the process of pre-service ESL teacher education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37(5), 89–107.
Wu, Y.-T. & Tsai, C.-C. (2005). Effects of constructivist oriented instruction on elementary school students’ cognitive structures. Journal of Biological Education, 39(3), 113–119.
Yamamoto, C., Nykoluk, D., Eusebio, E., & Wener, P. (2013). Students as knowledge base translators. Occupational Therapy Now, 15(1), 27.