Abstract
When students are presented with course alternatives, most of them tend to go for the easiest option. This is especially the case when it comes to science-related disciplines that involve practical tests and theoretical assessments. According to Luft et al. (2022), students often opt to forego practical tests and choose theoretical assessments because dealing with scenarios is less challenging than practical tests that require them to exemplify accurate understanding of acquired scientific knowledge. In my experience while teaching Biology following the IGCSE curriculum, I have found this to be true.
Extract
[...] Combined, these reflexive outcomes will influence the nature of my teaching strategies in a way that will help Biology students become more confident and willing to take on practical and scientific assessments. Following the discoveries obtained from this enquiry, I have become determined to deploy multi-faceted pedagogical strategies. Initially, I relied on my research-based opinions to determine my teaching approaches. However, I have changed this stance and will henceforth intergrade available and evidence-based strategies to ensure that students gain interest in laboratory learning and are willing to undertake practical assessments. [...]
[...] Investigating Students' Preferences for Paper 6 Over Paper 5 in IGCSE Biology and Their Impact on Practical Skill Development TITLE: Investigating Students' Preferences for Paper 6 Over Paper 5 in IGCSE Biology and Their Impact on Practical Skill Development Section One: Questions and Context 1.1 Introduction and Context When students are presented with course alternatives, most of them tend to go for the easiest option. This is especially the case when it comes to science related disciplines that involve practical tests and theoretical assessments. [...]
[...] This would explain why Oliveira and Bonito (2023) had observed that approximately 84% of students that go for theoretical alternatives in science-related disciplines have convinced themselves that it is better to avoid the emotional stress accompanying practical tests. Additionally, the findings revealed that students desisted from taking on paper 5 because they were afraid of the subjective observations involved, and especially in relation to describing color changes. Such findings are understandable given that most students, and especially those having visual difficulties have been reported to manifest significant errors in practical assessments when it comes to color changes. [...]
[...] E., & Holyoak, K. J. (2021). Teaching by analogy: From theory to practice. Mind, Brain, and Education, 250-263. Hutt, S., Krasich, K., R. Brockmole, J., & K. D'Mello, S. (2021, May). Breaking out of the lab: Mitigating mind wandering with gaze-based attention-aware technology in classrooms. In Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. [...]
[...] Rodgers, C. (2002). Defining reflection: Another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking. Teachers College Record, 104(4), 842-866. Smith, E. M., & Holmes, N. G. (2021). Best practice for instructional labs. Nature Physics, 662-663. Stagg, B. [...]
