Abstract:

School scientific culture consists of a relatively stable yet constantly re-negotiated and dynamic set of norms, values, beliefs and practices around science-related matters (e.g., Charlton, 2006; Connoly & Kruse, 2019). In the present study, we aim to explore how school scientific culture manifests itself through its visible assets: the everyday science-related practices on school level and in different subject teaching.

As part of the research project “Scientific school culture for sustainable society”, we first conducted semi-structured interviews with 46 teachers. Then, based on theoretical notions of the professional agency of teachers (Bandura, 2018; Priestley et al., 2012) and the results of the interviews on teachers' perceptions of scientific practices in schools, we developed a questionnaire on activities implemented in school (organizational level) and in lessons (teachers' individual practices). 579 secondary school teachers took part in the survey (statistical power 0.8).

Our results indicate that above 90% of schools participate in school subject olympiads (99%), in 95,3% of schools, teachers promote students' engagement in scientific activity (observations, experiments), in 92,6% of schools, students engage in conducting scientific research projects. 80,3% of schools regularly organize study visits to science centers/ scientific institutions. On the other hand, less than 30% of schools have programmes that are aimed to prepare students for careers in science, and 25% of schools engage their teaching staff and students in citizen science. Teachers, in their own pedagogical practice, mostly focus on preparing students to participate in school subject olympiads (Mdn = 4 in the 1-5 scale). Teachers also claim to teach students to search for information, to use appropriate sources of information (Mdn = 4 in 1-5 scale), and grounding their instructional content on scientific facts and scientific sources (Mdn = 3 in 1-5 scale).

In the discussion, we focus on the apparent fact that the enactment of school scientific culture, both on school level and in individual teachers’ practice, manifests itself through activities that ensure school ratings and are based on competition (e.g. subject olympiads) highlighted by current educational policies. We discuss our results in the light of apparent paradoxes of neoliberalism which narrows prevailing forms of pedagogy and impacts the creation of a wholesome school scientific culture.

References:
[1] Bandura A. (2018). Toward a psychology of human agency: Pathways and reflections, toward a psychology of human agency: Pathways and reflections. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(2), 130–136.
[2] Charlton, B.G. (2006). Science school and culture school: Improving the efficiency of high school science teaching in a system of mass science education. Medical Hypothesis, 67, 1-5.
[3] Connolly, M. & Kruse, S.D. (2019). Organizational Culture in Schools: A Review of A Widely Misunderstood Concept. In M.Connolly, D.H. Eddy-Spicer, C.James and S.D. Kruse (Eds.) The SAGE Handbook of School Organization, pp. 177-194. LosAngeles, London, Delhpi, Singapore: SAGE.
[4] Priestley M., Edwards R., Priestley A., Miller K. (2012). Teacher agency in curriculum making: Agents of change and spaces for maneuver. Curriculum Inquiry, 42(2), 191–214.

Keywords:

Scientific school culture, pedagogical practice, enactment of school scientific culture, secondary education.