Initial Teacher Training: Contribution to an Appropriate Use of the Experimental Work

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Therefore, the experimental activity starts with the presentation of a problematic situation (context of exploration), preferably known on the everyday lives of students and that is part of their experiences. From this contextualized situation, one formulates a question (problem question) for which an answer is sought: what one wants to know about the topic under study. Students are asked to express their point of view on the subject (prediction), so that they explain and justify the ideas they already have and that may (or may not) turn out to be confirmed by the experimentation.

Once identified and registered the previous students’ ideas, one will move on to the planning stage of the activity to be undertaken. This step includes outlining the procedure itself (what do we do to get the answer to the question problem), selecting the required materials (what will we need) and defining the variables to be studied, ex:, making a controlled trial ^[13]: "what we will measure" (depending variable selected), "what we are going to change" (independent variable in analysis); "what we keep" (controlled independent variables).

Then, by performing the activity, the student observes the phenomenon or event and records the results, being able to test their predictions and compare them with the observations. Resorting to dialogue, one takes the student to compare the obtained results with their initial ideas, being able to build a new explanation if the results contradict these initial predictions (verification).

To finish up, we draw a conclusion about the content in question - the answer to the question problem (conclusion). It is vital that each activity will conduct an assessment of the intended learning and may include the placing of new questions on the explored theme.

Summing up:

• One of the best ways to develop the scientific competence of students, to deal with scientific subjects and to participate with practical and rational interventions, is conducting experimental work, given the multiplicity of investigative actions that are contemplated ^[13];

• The period of Supervised Practice Education (internship) can decisively contribute to the acquisition and development of necessary skills to adopt more appropriate and innovative pedagogical-didactic practices in the use of experimental work ^[20].

3. Methodology

The 12 participants in the study were attending the last year (2^nd year) of a course for future teachers of the 1^st cycle of basic education (primary education) in a higher education private institution. The lessons included in the initial training, as curricular units, focused on Science Education courses (Pedagogy and Didactics of Science and Pedagogy and Didactics of Science and Mathematics), in a set of 30 hours, based on Didactic Scripts (https://www.dgidc.min-edu.pt/), used in the Training Program of Experimental Science Education (PFEEC).

I approached contents inherent to experimental work, aiming to develop essential skills in students that would help them to correctly develop practices with experimental activities. Each of eight trainees designed two experimental activities while the remaining four, due to their participation in other projects, were only able to plan one activity (Table 2).

Table 2. Items Considered in the Planned Experimental Activities

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As for the structure for performing experimental activities (20 activities), we took, as an example, a planning framework proposed by ^[10] (quoted by ^[13]) and designated as a planning chart. This planning chart includes the different stages needed for the development of experimental activities. The planning charts built by the interns were subjected to an analysis.

4. Results

Almost all steps were contemplated in the planning chart produced by the future teacher participants (Table 3). The only exception was seen in the "Learning Assessment" (LA). It was necessary to constitute the subcategory "not included" (LA4), because half of the planning charts (50%) presented no proposal to review the learning.

Table 3. Summary of Key Features in the Planning Intership (n=20)

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These are the following features at each step of the planning charts:

Exploration Context (EC)

Almost all the planning charts (90%) included an "Exploration Context" focused only on the topic on which the practical activity was based on EC1. As an example, I refer to a conversation about the possibility of drinking water (or bathing) from different sites (ponds, rivers, fountains, tap, bottled, ... ) to explore the topic "water quality".

However, only a few planning charts (10%) presented exploration contexts that were also extended to other program topics (EC2). Included in this type, there is, for example, the history of the "Water Droplet" regarding the water cycle and the properties of water, when, in fact, the subject to explore was the solubility of substances in water.

The "Exploration Context" took various forms of presentation: the presentation of a story, drama or to read a text. However, most interns preferred the projection of images, followed by the viewing informational videos.

Problem Question (PQ)

To formulate the "Problem Question", most trainees (70%) chose to introduce concepts and/or terms that would direct an activity to the corresponding phenomenon (PQ2). For example: "Does the weight of the object ...?"; "What is the effect of temperature ..." (as in Table 4).

Table 4. Examples of Problem Questions Included in the Subcategory PQ2

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In the least chosen form (PQ1 - 30%), the language used in the given questions focused only on a case by case scenario, namely that of the “Exploration Context". For example: "which of the papers absorbs..."; "which of the two liquids...?".

Prediction (P)

The presence of the P1 subcategory ("examples of possible students’ predictions") stands out (65%) in relation to each of the other sub-categories: P2 ("box/table to record predictions"- 45%) and P3 ("predictions’ suggestions for students to point out"- 10%).

Table 5 presents an example of the forms used by the interns to diagnose students’ predictions.

Table 5. Ways to Ask Students for Their Predictions (inserted in subcategory P3

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Undertaking the activity (U)

"Undertaking the activity" (U) breaks down into four subcategories are related with the "tasks to do ..." (U1), with the "tools ..." (U2), with the "data to observe and record ... "(U3) and with the" precision /accuracy in language ... "(U4). All of these items, with particular emphasis on U1, U2 and U3, show quite high percentages (95%, 95% and 100%, respectively) compared with others in different stages of planning.

The "guidance on data to observe /record" (U3) is provided in two ways, namely in text and / or chart / table (see the example in Table 6), being the only subcategory present in all of the 20 planning charts.

Table 6. Example of a Table for Recording Observed Data

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Study variables (V)

The "Study variables" (see Table 7) are a key feature in the context of experimental work.

Table 7. Examples of Variables Defined in the Planning Charts

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It seemed that, for each of the three produced subcategories, the definition of “all possible variables" (V1) is what it is present in a greater number of planned activities (85%), followed (50%) by the "accurate definition of language and scientific precision" (V3).

In the case of V2 ("some of the possible variables"), although the interns (15%) defined the three types of variables (measured variable; changed variable; controlled variables), a complete discrimination wasn’t always shown, especially in controlled variables (2 planning charts) and changed variable (1 planning chart).

Interpreting results (IR)

An equal number of interns selected one of two identified formats: one focusing on "the obtained registered results" (IRI) (Table 8) and the other enabling the "comparison of the predictions with the obtained results" (IR2).

Table 8. Example of Interpretation of Results Focused on the Obtained and Registered Results (IRI)

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In some cases, the interns left a box containing two spaces: a space for the placement of predictions and another intended to record the results, thus allowing students to compare predictions and results.

Conclusion (C)

When preparing the "Conclusion" (C), there were two scenarios the conclusions included: "Direct response to Problem Question" (C1), with a dominant presence (70%) (see Table 9 for an example), or "Extensive answer with more info" (C2).

Table 9. Example of Conclusion with Direct Response to PQ (C1)

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In the case of C2 (conclusions "with extensive answer with more info"), one included more information in addition to the response to the Problem Question. Take as an example the case that Table 10 exposes.

Table 10. Example of Conclusion with Direct Response to Problem Question (C2)

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Learning assessment (LA)

The following three types were identified in "Learning assessment": i) establishing connections with the "applicability in everyday life" (LA1 - 20%) (Table 11), ii) taking into consideration the "applicability of curriculum content" (LA2 - 20%), iii) contemplating the "applicability in everyday life and with the curriculum content" (LA3 - 10%).

Table 11. Learning Assessment Example Focused on the Applicability in Everyday Life (LA1)

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Despite the considerable absence of the "Learning Assessment" in half of the planning charts, some interns still chose to put it on their lesson planning chart.

To sum up, the items most focused on the procedural aspects of experimental work show considerably higher percentages than most items requiring a high conceptual involvement or the ones dealing with the assessment of students’ capabilities in doing experimental work.

Thus, summing up, Figure 1 shows at each step the dominant presence of the following aspects:

Figure 1. Overview of the Key Characteristics Identified in the Planning of Activities

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