Browsing by Author "Kalloo, Rowena"
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Item Birds in the school yard: The impact of a science inquiry unit on local bird ecology on the environmental attitude and knowledge of Grade 4 Trinidadian students [PowerPoint presentation](2013-06-24) Kalloo, RowenaIn Trinidad and Tobago, teaching environmental science as situated knowledge at the primary level can be challenging because of a scarcity of resources and knowledge of local natural environments. This study raised questions on the extent to which a module on bird ecology could influence environmental attitudes of Trinidadian, primary schools students. Research suggests that children's attitudes to the environment are shaped by multi-sensory, inquiry-driven learning experiences in nature. It was predicted that there would be a high probability of an increase in students' pro-environmental attitudes and knowledge of local birds after exposure to the module. Twenty six, Standard 4 students in a low-income, urban environment were introduced to an eight-week multisensory, interactive module on local bird identification and ecology, which included an out-of-school field trip to a nature centre. Students' environmental attitudes were measured using questionnaires before and after treatment. Data were supplemented with qualitative observations, interviews, and a participatory mapping exercise. Statistical analysis indicated a significant difference in environmental attitudes (p=0.05), indicating that changes to attitudes were statistically significant and may be related to the quality of the intervention. The potential and challenges for introduction of this module into the local primary system of Trinidad and Tobago is discussedItem Relationships between primary teachers' and students' attitudes towards science, and students' attitudes and achievement of science process skills(1991) Kalloo, Rowena;This study explored the relationship between primary teachers' and students' attitudes to science, teachers' attitudes to science, and seven variables--gender, professional training, science workshop attendance, number of workshops attended, possession of an O'Level science subject certificate, use of SAPATT teacher guides, and student science workbooks--as well as the relationship between students' attitudes to science and their gender, and achievement on a test of science process skills. Three aspects of attitude to science were explored: 1) a general aspect defined as attitude to science in and out of school, 2) attitude to science outside of the school environment, and 3) attitude to teaching/learning science in the classroom. Data were gathered through questionnaires administered to a sample of 30 Standard 3 primary school teachers (20 female, 10 male) and 707 students (385 boys, 322 girls) in one educational division of Trinidad and Tobago. Five relationships were found to be significant; two between teachers' attitude to science generally, their attitude to teaching science, and their attainment of a science subject at O'Level. All three categories of students' attitudes to science were significantly correlated with their achievement on the process skill test. In all cases, the correlation between attitudes to teaching and learning science were stronger than for attitude to science outside the school environment, or attitude to science generallyItem Relationships between primary teachers' and students' attitudes towards science, and students' attitudes and achievement of science process skills(2008-12-09T11:28:32Z) Kalloo, Rowena