My Scholarly Interests...One Semester Later

First of all, I can hardly believe a whole semester has already rushed by! It feels like just a few weeks ago, I started at Purdue. In that time, I've had some truly enlightening and engaging academic experiences. While my classes have played a significant role, it has been the workshops, seminars, and conferences that have felt truly transformative.

Seeing the contemporary world of research in education, especially science education, has helped me understand the current trends and deepen my global understanding of the issues. I still believe that the Indian context is unique and quite different from the Western context. The pace of development and globalization in India puts it on a trajectory where it will encounter many of the same challenges as the West. 

When I began this semester, my research interests were mostly focused on developing critical thinking through science education, supporting the process of modeling in sciences, especially chemistry, and enhancing student motivation in science education. One semester in, I haven't drastically changed my research goals, but they have been refined further. My primary research interest has always been the development of critical thinking skills through science education. My experiences and learnings over the semester, such as the AI in P-12 Education Conference and numerous seminars organized by the College of Education, have led to a narrowing down of my focus to the science teacher experience and teacher development. Reflecting on my experience at Mallya Aditi International School, I was always aware I had a privileged experience where I was given considerable freedom to interpret the curriculum in ways that supported much larger student learning outcomes than the common denominator of examination success across the country. Of course, the context in which I taught is significant since the students come from very socioeconomically privileged families. However, all teachers, to varying extents, are interpreters of the curriculum. They are the ones that animate curriculum, shaping it to their context and experiences. As a result, I believe that teacher development and training are crucial to  achieve real change on the ground. This has also been highlighted by research coming from India such as by Sharma (2017), Mashood and Singh (2019), Giri and Paily (2020), and by Sellars et al. (2018). All these researchers (and groups) have been unanimous in advocating for teacher training to improve the development of critical thinking skills in students. 

For any interventions to be meaningful and equitable, they must first capture the reality of the teacher experience in science classrooms. My initial foray into reading literature on Indian science education show a paucity of description of the existing landscape. Without understanding and describing the current system and factors, meaningful interventions cannot be made.

I believe I would like to engage in understanding the experiences, motivations, and identities of my fellow Indian science teachers. However, teacher training and reform is, I presently believe, my destination.

References

Giri, V., & Paily, M. U. (2020). Effect of Scientific Argumentation on the Development of Critical Thinking. Science & Education, 29(3), 673–690. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-020-00120-y

Mashood, K. K., & Singh, V. A. (2019). Preuniversity science education in India: Insights and cross cultural comparison. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 15(1), 013103. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.013103

Sellars, M., Fakirmohammad, R., Bui, L., Fishetti, J., Niyozov, S., Reynolds, R., Thapliyal, N., Liu-Smith, Y.-L., & Ali, N. (2018). Conversations on Critical Thinking: Can Critical Thinking Find Its Way Forward as the Skill Set and Mindset of the Century? Education Sciences, 8(4), 205.

Sharma, P., (2017). Learning Science in Classrooms, Nurturing Thinking Skills. Journal of Indian Education, Vol. XLII(1), pp. 66-84 https://www.ncert.nic.in/pdf/publication/journalsandperiodicals/journalofindianeducation/JIE_may_2016.pdf#page=68

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Beginning To Explore - Topical Readings On Critical Thinking In Indian Science Education

My primary research interest is the development of critical thinking skills through science education, especially positioned in my area of experience - India. While the term critical thinking has lost currency in the US (replaced by argumentation and sense-making most recently), the term is still much used in the Indian context alongside higher-order thinking skills (HOTS).

My readings have just begun but I decided to start with one research paper that captures the ground reality of the construct and a position paper by the organisation responsible for curriculum development in India.

1. Learning Science in Classrooms, Nurturing Thinking Skills by Priyanka Sharma

In this study, Sharma explored the goals of science teaching by Indian teachers teaching across K-12, how their understanding is operationalised in the classroom and how well classroom teaching of science aligns with the goals of science education as stated in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum. She sampled 98 teachers teaching across diverse conditions (urban context, language of instruction, educational qualification, gender and grade level), first through small focus groups and then through individual questionnaires. The most common reason for teaching science was identified to be the development of practical experimental skills followed by the development of comprehension of science concepts and then the acquisition of science knowledge. The teaching practices most used by teachers was either reading material from the textbook, or lecture using a blackboard. Other teaching practices such as demonstrations, experiments, use of multimedia were either very rarely (<25% of time) or never used. The use of questioning students as a teaching method was largely restricted to a means of awarding marks to students after a topic was taught and drew mostly from the textbook. Questioning as a means to encourage student thinking, identify background knowledge, engage students was done by only 7-13 teachers in the study and only a similar number drew on real life experiences of students as a source of questions. The researcher’s analysis of policy documents on science education shows a discrepancy between the stated goals of science education, namely the need for inculcating scientific inquiry and temper among school children (NCERT, 2006) and the practice of teaching science in the classroom. Teachers in the study opined that obstacles like large class sizes, lack of training in innovative teaching methods and administrative issues prevented them from using more inquiry based approaches.

The student experience of learning science remains limited to rote memorisation instead of actual comprehension of science knowledge and processes. There is limited to no discussion of the nature of science. There is a collusion between curriculum, assessment, teaching and educational administration that encourages the perpetuation of science education that is restricted to the transmission of science knowledge. It would have been good to have information about the exact cities the study participants were drawn from and the nature of the schools due to the large variation that exists in India. However, studies like this show that there is tremendous space and need for more sophisticated science education in India, especially in light of current education policy as stated by the National Council for Education Research and Technology (NCERT) in 2006.

2. Position Paper of National Focus Group on Teaching of Science by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

The position paper, written in 2006, animates the current policy direction of the government of India on science education, especially at the school level. The National Education Policy 2020 clearly derives from many of the considerations and recommendations of the position paper. It notes how science education has been compulsory up to Class 10 but the curriculum lacks relevance and quality. It acknowledges the existence of isolated cases of excellence in science education and individuals who, despite the system, excel in science. The three main lacunae the authors identify are a failure to achieve equity in and through science education, a failure to foster innovation and creativity and the present system of examinations that stymie most interventions.

The position paper is interesting in its explicit and clear enunciation of scientific literacy as a stated goal of science education. The paper also recognises the importance of designing science education for the majority of students who would not pursue careers in science and technology. It has a focus on equity, sophistication and nuance in science education and recognises the critical role of teachers in enacting effective science education.

Teacher training is seen as crucial to any largescale improvement in science education. It suggests a complete overhaul of the current system of teacher education including modernisation of the syllabus and focus on science practices and the nature of science. It recognises the importance of teacher autonomy but quality control and oversight are required to ensure standards are maintained

It is critical of the current examination system which encourages rote learning, sacrifices student engagement and deep learning while creating an environment of anxiety and fear leading to poor student mental health; this is applicable to both the end of school Board examinations and the numerous entrance examinations required for admission to varied undergraduate programs. The quality of questions in Board examinations is also a topic of concern for the authors.

I find it surprising that this document written 18 years ago has a much broader and sophisticated conception of science education than I have seen enacted through curriculum or practice during my career as a teacher. The focus on equity and inquiry, the criticism of the examination system and the thrust to teacher training pre-service and in-service feel revolutionary, mostly since little has changed in the education landscape since then. Many of their criticisms still hold true, their recommendations still unenacted and their vision still relevant. However, the stated position of the NCERT being as mentioned above creates a space for continued research and design of solutions that are within the ambit of the existing system.

These two documents begin to reveal an interesting gap between policy and practice. Though the papers are not recent, my experience teaching in India suggests that very little has changed on the ground. There are areas of consonance such as the imperative for effective teacher training, and the re-evaluation and reform of the examination system. My future reading will be on newer studies that have been conducted, especially trying to understand why there is such slow progress in realising the NCERT goals of science education. It does however give me hope for future improvement and indicates a distinct research space I can occupy.  

References:

1.      Sharma, P., (2017). Learning Science in Classrooms, Nurturing Thinking Skills. Journal of Indian Education, Vol. XLII(1), pp. 66-84 https://www.ncert.nic.in/pdf/publication/journalsandperiodicals/journalofindianeducation/JIE_may_2016.pdf#page=68

NCERT, 2006. Position Paper of National Focus Group on Teaching of Science. National Council of Educational Research and Training. New Delhi.