ABSTRACT

Background: Students’ satisfaction with science education is one of the preconditions for the students’ future interest in pursuing an academic career in science. However, to date it is still not clear what particular teaching strategies promote students’ satisfaction with science and, specifically, what opportunities for promoting this satisfaction are offered to students who become involved in after-school eco-clubs.

Purpose: The present research study analysed how students’ and teachers’ involvement in the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) program affects their satisfaction with science education and what significance the participating students and teachers attribute to their involvement in GLOBE.

Program description: GLOBE is a voluntary, after-school program that aims to support the teaching of science, environmental literacy, responsible behaviour, and inquiry-based investigation in schools. In the program, students and teachers form GLOBE teams and participate in inquiry-based learning activities in outdoor nature areas.

Sample: Quantitative data were collected from 438 students and 54 teachers participating in the GLOBE program and qualitative data were collected from 41 students and 9 teachers participating in the GLOBE program.

Design and methods: The research applied a mixed-methods design, including quantitative data collected through a questionnaire and qualitative data collected through focus groups and individual interviews.

Results: According to the teachers, their involvement in the GLOBE program encouraged them to teach outdoors more, to apply inquiry-based learning methods, and to allow students to participate in the decision-making within the program. These strategies were found to be the main predictors of students’ satisfaction with their science education. Also crucial for students’ satisfaction was their cooperation in the small GLOBE teams.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of developing a learning community as a tool for supporting both the students and the teachers participating in after-school science programs.

摘要

背景：学生对科学教育的满意度是学生将来对从事科学学术事业的兴趣的前提条件之一。但是，迄今为止，尚不清楚哪种特定的教学策略可以提高学生对科学的满意度，尤其是向参加课后生态俱乐部的学生提供哪些提高这种满意度的机会。

目的：本研究旨在分析学生和教师参与GLOBE（有益于全球的全球学习与观察）计划如何影响他们对科学教育的满意度，以及参与该计划的学生和教师对他们参与GLOBE的重要意义。

计划说明：GLOBE是一项自愿的课后计划，旨在支持学校的科学，环境素养，负责任的行为和基于调查的调查教学。在该计划中，学生和教师组成GLOBE团队，并在户外自然地区参加基于查询的学习活动。

样本：定量数据来自参与GLOBE计划的438名学生和54名教师，定性数据来自参与GLOBE计划的41名学生和9名教师。

设计和方法：研究采用混合方法设计，包括通过问卷调查收集的定量数据和通过焦点小组和个别访谈收集的定性数据。

结果：根据教师的介绍，他们参与了GLOBE计划，鼓励他们在户外进行更多的教学，运用基于探究的学习方法，并允许学生参与计划内的决策。这些策略被发现是学生对其科学教育满意度的主要预测指标。满足学生满意度的另一个关键是他们在小型GLOBE团队中的合作。

结论：研究结果突出了发展学习社区作为支持学生和老师参加课后科学计划的工具的重要性。