Pedagogical Practices: Triggering and Sustaining Students’ Interest and Engagement in Bhutanese Science Lessons

Rai, Bijoy Kumar

Pedagogical Practices: Triggering and Sustaining Students’ Interest and Engagement in Bhutanese Science Lessons

Rai, Bijoy Kumar

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2021

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Rai, Bijoy Kumar
dc.date.accessioned	2022-06-10T05:16:26Z
dc.date.available	2022-06-10T05:16:26Z
dc.date.issued	2021
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/158067
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Securing future generations of scientists and scientifically literate citizens is vital for the economic development of Bhutan. However, there are growing concerns expressed about low performance and declining take-up of science in later grades in Bhutanese schools. This study, used a distinctive classroom-based approach, and drew on Krapp’s Person-Object Theory of Interest (POI) and Action of Interest (AOI) framework to explore how students’ interest and engagement in science are accomplished through pedagogical practices in Bhutanese classrooms. A qualitative approach was taken, valuing depth of insight and proximity to science lessons as they happened in grades 6, 8 and 10 in one middle secondary school. From each grade, four students (two girls and two boys) and their science teacher(s) were recruited for the study, making a total of seventeen participants. Data generation in each grade was split into two-week phases, separated by four weeks. In total, 86 lessons were observed, producing field notes, video recordings and audio recordings of participating students and their teacher(s). Forty-eight post-lesson interviews were conducted with students, supplemented by ten interviews with their teachers. A multi-stage progressive and iterative process approach was undertaken to analyse the data. It was found that three main pedagogic approaches were used; interactive lecture, small group discussions, and hands-on learning. Interest and engagement were evident in most of the lessons, but sustained and high levels were found in some lessons in particular. Analysis showed that the main pedagogic approaches in themselves did not explain the patterns of interest and engagement found in the data. Rather, it was more specific pedagogic practices within each approach that could be associated with triggering and sustaining high interest and engagement. In interactive lecture lessons, teacher questioning technique were found to be the key; in small group discussion, interest and engagement were associated with interaction variations and scaffolded autonomy; and in hands-on learning lessons, the analysis showed distributed responsibility to be important in triggering and sustaining interest and engagement. Being first of its kind in Bhutan, this study contributes to science education research, offering original knowledge on interest and engagement, specifically through its foci on pedagogical practices. The study also brings new empirical data and insights from the Global South, helping to re-balance the dominance of studies in Western contexts.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/158067/2/02whole.pdf
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/ppc
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Pedagogical Practices: Triggering and Sustaining Students’ Interest and Engagement in Bhutanese Science Lessons	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Securing future generations of scientists and scientifically literate citizens is vital for the economic development of Bhutan. However, there are growing concerns expressed about low performance and declining take-up of science in later grades in Bhutanese schools. This study, used a distinctive classroom-based approach, and drew on Krapp’s Person-Object Theory of Interest (POI) and Action of Interest (AOI) framework to explore how students’ interest and engagement in science are accomplished through pedagogical practices in Bhutanese classrooms. A qualitative approach was taken, valuing depth of insight and proximity to science lessons as they happened in grades 6, 8 and 10 in one middle secondary school. From each grade, four students (two girls and two boys) and their science teacher(s) were recruited for the study, making a total of seventeen participants. Data generation in each grade was split into two-week phases, separated by four weeks. In total, 86 lessons were observed, producing field notes, video recordings and audio recordings of participating students and their teacher(s). Forty-eight post-lesson interviews were conducted with students, supplemented by ten interviews with their teachers. A multi-stage progressive and iterative process approach was undertaken to analyse the data. It was found that three main pedagogic approaches were used; interactive lecture, small group discussions, and hands-on learning. Interest and engagement were evident in most of the lessons, but sustained and high levels were found in some lessons in particular. Analysis showed that the main pedagogic approaches in themselves did not explain the patterns of interest and engagement found in the data. Rather, it was more specific pedagogic practices within each approach that could be associated with triggering and sustaining high interest and engagement. In interactive lecture lessons, teacher questioning technique were found to be the key; in small group discussion, interest and engagement were associated with interaction variations and scaffolded autonomy; and in hands-on learning lessons, the analysis showed distributed responsibility to be important in triggering and sustaining interest and engagement. Being first of its kind in Bhutan, this study contributes to science education research, offering original knowledge on interest and engagement, specifically through its foci on pedagogical practices. The study also brings new empirical data and insights from the Global South, helping to re-balance the dominance of studies in Western contexts.

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