Learning through science investigation
Dr Azra Moeed, Senior Lecturer in the School of Education Policy and Implementation, will receive $200,000 of funding from the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative, which aims to improve educational outcomes by linking educational research to practice.
In their research entitled, "Beyond play: Learning through science investigation", Dr Moeed and fellow researchers, Dr Dayle Anderson, Rex Bartholomew and Dr Craig Rofe from the Faculty of Education, will look at how primary, secondary and wharekura teachers and students conceptualise science investigations and how these conceptualisations develop following a negotiated intervention.
The New Zealand Curriculum requires students to learn science and to carry out investigations using a variety of approaches. “Our focus is to understand what students are learning from doing practical work in school and extending the range of approaches used for science investigation,” says Dr Moeed.
“We would like to acknowledge the huge support provided by Gwyn Williams in the research office, Professor Robin Millar (University of York, United Kingdom), Professor Carmen Dalli, Dr Mark Sheehan, Kahu Ropata and Susan Kaiser, who contributed to the successful funding proposal.”
The New Zealand Council for Educational Research co-ordinates the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative, on behalf of the Ministry of Education.