Developing a Context-Based Model of Teaching ‘Experimental Sciences’ in Primary School: A Grounded Theory Study

Today, some experts in the field of science education, such as experimental sciences and mathematics, believe that curriculum innovation is the core of sustainable development in societies in the 21st century. . . Therefore, to achieve sustainable development in this century, it is necessary to develop individuals who can use experimental and non-experimental sciences. According to the changing needs of people in the new century, optimal use of knowledge has become more important than ever before. Accordingly, it is necessary to connect children’s learning in schools with their daily lives so that students can solve the problems they face in their daily lives. Teaching ‘experimental sciences’ with the aim of transferring theoretical knowledge to everyday living conditions is of great significance among educational planners. However, research has shown that students do not usually know what the relevance of scientific concepts learned during primary school is to their daily lives cannot; in other words, they cannot relate the learned concepts to their everyday life events. This situation reduces students’ interest in learning science and negatively affects their academic performance. In recent years, many countries have adopted a context-based approach, which is based on their unique social structure, to develop an ‘experimental sciences’ curriculum at all levels of education. A context-oriented approach is one of the innovative approaches to curriculum development used in many countries such as the Netherlands, the United States, Germany, England, Canada, and Australia. This approach links the teaching, learning, and content of ‘experimental sciences’ to students’ daily lives and aims to bridge the gap between difficult abstract concepts and the world where students live. Therefore, the national curriculum should focus on increasing learners’ interest in experimental sciences, linking what is learned with the real lives of students, linking learning with actual applications (meaningful learning), helping students to gain competence in learning, and nurturing thoughtful and creative learning in textbooks. This study, following a close examination of the present ‘experimental sciences’ curriculum, aimed to present a context-based model of teaching ‘experimental sciences’ in primary school using grounded theory.

This study used a qualitative approach based on Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) reformulated grounded theory. Grounded theory, which is based on a set of empirical relevant data, is a method used to gain knowledge about a subject that has not been thoroughly researched before and for which the existing knowledge is limited. In implementing the grounded theory, the researcher must use a specific technique, called phased coding (open, axial, and selective), to analyze data. The statistical population of this study included all primary teachers in Markazi province, of which 25 were selected through purposeful sampling as the study sample. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the 25 participant primary teachers, who had sufficient experience to provide researchers with expert opinions pertinent to the research topic.
Four criteria introduced by Lincoln and Guba (1985) were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings. These included credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Member-checking, or participant validation, was used to ensure credibility. The findings were shared with experts to make them transferable. Concerning dependability, the inter-coder agreement was used. Finally, peer review and feedback were used to enhance the confirmability of the results.

The findings encompassed 43 open codes, 52 axial codes, and 15 selective codes. The sub-categories that followed causal conditions included factors related to students, curriculum planning, and teachers. The contextual conditions comprised teaching-learning factors, organizational factors, space, resources and materials, and teachers’ skills. The categories that were placed under the dimension of intervening factors were as follows: organizational and managerial factors, cultural factors, teachers’ factors, and physical factors. The category subsumed under the dimension of strategy dimension was educational planning, which itself included physical facilities, goals, content, evaluation, teacher training, and teaching method. The consequences comprised the effectiveness of teachers (professional growth of teachers) and the effectiveness of students (in terms of skills, attitudes, cognition, and acquisition of science process skills).

The present study sought to present a context-based model of education, in particular ‘experimental sciences’ teaching, in primary school. The developed model included a set of skills, and its success depends on the development of those skills. Therefore, in designing and promoting a context-based model of teaching ‘experimental sciences’, all factors and conditions, including micro and macro, should be considered. Some of these factors include cultural, organizational, social, economic, and technological factors that are related to curriculum, students, teachers, and education. Once all these factors are integrated to function in a dynamic system, the proposed model will have positive consequences for teachers, students, and the educational system of Markazi province, in particular, and Iran, in general.