Chinese Journal of Science Education


Vol. 13 No. 1 , Pages 101 - 120 , 2005

Teachers and Students’ Understanding, Learning Needs, and Willingness to Integrate Advanced Nanotechnology into Elementary School Curricula (Article written in Chinese)

Kuo-hung TSENG & Yuan CHEN

Abstract

This study utilized qualitative and quantitative research analysis to investigate elementary school teachers and grade five and six elementary school students’ familiarity with advanced technology. It also investigated their learning needs, and their willingness to integrate curricula and learning methods about advanced technology. The subjects included the elementary science teachers and grade five and six elementary students from four cities and counties in southern Taiwan. A survey was distributed to the subjects with the purpose of understanding their learning needs and assessing their willingness to integrate curricula and learning methods about nanotechnology. In the study, a comparison was made between outstanding students and ordinary students about their knowledge of nanotechnology. Interviews were conducted to get a better understanding about students’ opinions about the integration of advanced technology into curricula and their knowledge about nanotechnology. The results are important in assessing the possible integration of new advanced technology into elementary school curricula. The results showed that less than 20% of the teachers could clearly define nanotechnology. The percentage of the teachers who would like to learn about nanotechnology through proper learning methods and would integrate it into the school courses was relatively higher. With regard to the teachers’ learning methods, attending a “Technology Seminar” was their first priority. On average, the students’ interest in learning about nanotechnology was higher than the teachers’. Also, there was a significant difference between outstanding students and ordinary students in their demand for gaining knowledge about nanotechnology. The research discovered that the students who had received the advanced technology courses wanted to gain more knowledge about nanotechnology than those who had not received the courses in the same grade. Those students also had a higher demand for advanced technology to be integrated into the school curricula. For the students who received the advanced technology courses, their acceptance and attitudes about advanced technology courses improved gradually as lesson time increased.

Keywords: advanced technology; nanotechnology; learning needs

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