Profiling teachers based on their professional attitudes towards teaching responsible research and innovation

Journal Title: European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - Year 2017, Vol 5, Issue 3

Abstract

In order to facilitate policy?driven reforms in science education, it is important to understand how teaching innovations diffuse among teachers and how that adoption process can be catalysed. Little is known about the set of attitudes that makes teachers early or late adopters. In this study, the Concerns?Based Adoption Model (C?BAM) was employed as a framework for analysing teachers’ interests, concerns, worries and enthusiasm. We argue that the questionnaire typically used with C?BAM suffers from a ceiling effect and has unbalanced variables. An improved version of the questionnaire was developed and implemented in the project IRRESISTIBLE with 180 science teachers in ten countries at all school levels. The case of educational innovation in this project was Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), a concept offered by the EU for science education to orient towards socially and ethically sensitive and inclusive processes of science and technology. Using cluster analysis we found four concern profile types: the Carefree, the Pragmatic, the Uncertain and the Worried. With their relatively high positive interests, the Carefree and the Pragmatic profile types are most likely to be early adopters. The high number of Uncertain teachers calls for better conceptualization of RRI in the school context. Furthermore, teacher professional development and additional resources are needed if this innovation is to be diffused widely across European schools. The improved questionnaire provided elaborate information on teachers’ concerns and interests, and could help in understanding and facilitating other top?down educational reforms as well.

Authors and Affiliations

Miikka de Vocht| Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, For correspondence: miikka.devocht@helsinki.fi, Antti Laherto| Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Keywords

Related Articles

The relationship between pre-service science teachers’ epistemological beliefs and preferences for creating a constructivist learning environment

The present study investigated the relationship between pre-service science teachers’ epistemological beliefs and perceptions of a constructivist learning environment. The Turkish version of Constructivist Learning Envir...

Teaching of geometry in Bulgaria

Geometry plays an important role in the school mathematics curriculum all around the world. Teaching of geometry varies a lot (Hoyls, Foxman, & Kuchemann, 2001). Many countries revise the objectives, the content, and the...

Electronic learning in the German science project ‘Nawi-Interaktiv’

The German science project ‘NAWI?Interaktiv’ is an example of innovative use of E?Learning and new media education. Since 2009, the learning platform provides learners and teachers with high?quality learning tools, teach...

Research on mathematical literacy in schools - Aim, approach and attention

The development of mathematical literacy in schools is of significant concern at the policy level, and research is an important source of information in this process. This review article focuses on areas of research inte...

Adapting a math book to the arab world region: Benefits on the learning process

An instructor in the Arab world teaching a math course is used to the unfortunate situation where he wants to follow a well-known book whose reputation is long established and yet, all books he can find have been written...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP8143
  • DOI -
  • Views 410
  • Downloads 26

How To Cite

Miikka de Vocht, Antti Laherto (2017). Profiling teachers based on their professional attitudes towards teaching responsible research and innovation. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 5(3), 271-284. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-8143