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Understanding engagement: Science demonstrations and emotional energy
Author(s) -
Milne Catherine,
Otieno Tracey
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.20203
Subject(s) - science education , student engagement , energy (signal processing) , psychology , symbol (formal) , mathematics education , philosophy of science , chemistry , pedagogy , epistemology , computer science , mathematics , philosophy , statistics , programming language
Although beloved of some chemists and physicists, science demonstrations have been criticized for stifling inquiry and assisting teachers to maintain a power differential between themselves and students in the classroom. This interpretive study reports the unexpected positive learning outcomes for urban science students in two chemistry classes that resulted from the use of science demonstrations during a unit on gas laws. Beginning with an examination of science demonstrations as sites of interactions, researchers observed greater student engagement and positive emotional energy, more sophisticated use by students of symbol systems associated with chemistry, and a greater willingness of students to move between description of the phenomena and submicroscopic explanations. Applying sociology of emotions to analysis of classroom conversations and actions, we examine the nature of engagement and propose explanations for the positive effect of science demonstrations on the engagement, emotional energy, and learning of students. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 91: 523–553, 2007