Science teachers’ perceptions of nanotechnology teaching and professional development: a survey study in Taiwan

Abstract

Inclusion of nanotechnology in the science curriculum has received great attention in many countries. Taiwan's government has been funding the National Program on Nanotechnology (NPNT) for nearly 10 years. The purpose of this study was to examine Taiwanese secondary school science teachers' understanding of nanotechnology teaching after implementing the NPNT, as well as the teachers' perceptions of school support and their professional development intentions. The study adopted the questionnaire survey method. Using stratified cluster sampling, a total of 1600 questionnaires were distributed to 178 secondary schools. Finally, the responses of 663 junior high school teachers and 632 senior high school teachers who completed the instrument were analyzed. The instrument for the study is the Teachers' Perceptions of Nanotechnology Teaching Scale (TPNTS). The TPNTS included 42 Likert-scale items. The results reveal that secondary school teachers' intentions to pursue professional development are high, but their perceptions of school support are low. Teachers' knowledge and understanding of nanotechnology teaching is significantly above average, but failed to reach the "very satisfied" level. In addition, the senior high school teachers' perceptions of nanotechnology teaching and professional development are significantly higher than those of the junior high school teachers. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Learning nanotechnology with texts and comics: the impacts on students of different achievement levels

“…In addition, both of these two media can be used as supplemental reading material to help students construct fundamental knowledge of nanotechnology. This is especially useful for those teachers who have a crowded curriculum and teaching schedule but are still interested in integrating nanotechnology into their teaching practices (Lin, Chen, Shih, Wang, & Chang, 2015). The second way in which the study adds to the literature is that it provides insights into how the two media have different impacts on high-, medium-, and low-achieving students.…”

Challenges in Nanoscience Education

“…This situation leads to a need for professional development for teachers that will prepare them for teaching contemporary scientific research in their classes. New professional education courses have emerged in the area of nanotechnology (Blonder 2011, Blonder et al 2014, Bryan et al 2012, Gardner and Jones, Gorghiu and Gorghiu 2012, Lin et al 2015, Tomasik et al 2009). As noted earlier in the chapter, when it comes to teaching teachers about nanotechnology, the field is constantly evolving.…”

Fen Bilimleri Öğretmen Adaylarının Nanoteknolojiye Yönelik Görüşlerinin Belirlenmesi

“…Gerçekleştirilen bu öğretimsel uygulamalardan sonra katılımcıların nano bilgi ve farkındalık düzeylerinde artış meydana geldiği gözlenmiştir. Etkinlik temelli ve deneysel çalışmalarla (Blonder, 2010;Lin, 2015;Stavrou, Michailidi & Sgouros, 2018) öğretmenlerin nanoteknolojiye olan tutumlarının da olumlu yönde arttığı görülmüştür. İkinci grupta ise nanoteknolojiye yönelik değerlendirme çalışmaları yer almaktadır.…”