Vol. 16 no. 1 / June 2022 / Special Issue: Sciences in Education

Science teachers in Malta generally have a degree-level qualification in one science subject. Yet, they have to teach physics, chemistry and biology as part of the science curriculum in the first two years of secondary school. Teaching outside specialism, that is teaching a subject that was not studied at degree level or Advanced level, can be challenging because teachers need to learn new content knowledge and develop strategies to teach an unfamiliar area. A qualitative case study was carried out to investigate how a group of science teachers approach the teaching of chemistry as their non-specialist area. Data were gathered through semi- structured interviews. Building on a preliminary study, published in vol.13 no.1 of the Malta Review of Educational Research (Mizzi, 2019a), this paper focuses on how teachers negotiate subject boundaries in dealing with the challenges that arise when planning and teaching chemistry topics. The outcomes of this study demonstrate that teachers either make use of enabling or coping strategies when teaching chemistry and, at times, shift between these two ends of the continuum. The findings show that the strategies adopted are dependent on the teachers’ knowledge base, their teaching experience and on their confidence and willingness to expand their own teaching identity. Moreover, particular strategies enabled them to cross boundaries and feel competent at their non-specialist area.

Student-centred approaches have been associated with deeper learning and improved interest in science. The chemistry curriculum and the pedagogies used in the chemistry classroom in Malta and other countries are often traditional and emphasise content delivery. This exploratory study focused on the way teachers learn and how they approach and feel about making changes to their teaching towards a more student-centred approach. A teacher learning community of four chemistry teachers was formed. Focus groups and reflective journals were used to generate data. Results show how teachers appraise the nature and content of different kinds of professional development sessions and how the community helped teachers with different epistemological beliefs to move along the teacher-centred to student-centred continuum.

The Learning Outcomes Framework in Malta seeks to reform the national assessment policy through a collective effort to change the assessment culture in schools (Attard Tonna & Bugeja, 2016). The new Secondary Education Certificate physics examination will consist of one written paper which will carry 70% of the marks while coursework assessed by teachers will carry the remaining 30%. This implies a doubling of the mark for coursework from the current 15%. Several reports have questioned the validity and reliability of coursework marks. This study sought to investigate this through a quantitative analysis of marks for the nine years included in the study accompanied by interviews with key players in the system: thirteen teachers of physics. The interviews focused on broader aspects of assessment and aimed to analyse the interviewees’ thoughts on the reliability, validity and credibility of the school-based assessment (SBA) in light of the changes to be implemented. The results show a weak to moderate positive correlation between the examination mark and the SBA score. Similar results were obtained when comparing the SBA score and the marks scored in practical-oriented questions set in the exam papers. Teachers see the practical aspect in physics as very important but have a number of concerns about its SBA.

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that is associated with poor reading and writing skills. At the same time students with a profile of dyslexia have other talents such as being creative and good problem-solvers that enable them to excel in science subjects. However, when it comes to achievement in assessment tasks, students with a profile of dyslexia tend to perform worse than their non-dyslexic peers. This is an issue of fairness. A qualitative case study was carried out to explore how assessment practices can be made fairer for students with a profile of dyslexia. This involved a group of science teachers coming together to develop fairer assessment strategies to assess dyslexic students in science. The assessment strategies, which included the use of multiple
forms of assessment tasks, more emphasis on practical work and an oral component, and more attention to formatting of examination papers were then implemented in a physics class that included two students with a profile of dyslexia. The outcomes of the study suggest that small changes in assessment practices can be beneficial for students with a profile of dyslexia, allowing them to show what they can do.

This study investigates the progression from Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) to Advanced (A) level Physics, and inherent problems for students and teachers in Malta. It was based on four research questions concerning: (a) the changes in the 2012 SEC Physics syllabus; (b) SEC Physics as a foundation for A- level Physics; (c) the sufficiency of SEC Mathematics for A level Physics; and (d) the levels of correlation between SEC Physics, Mathematics and English Language results with those in A level Physics. A mixed methods approach was used, including 165 questionnaires and a focus group with second year A-level Physics
students, 16 questionnaires from A level Physics teachers and nine teacher interviews with SEC and A level Physics teachers. Teachers felt that the changes rendered the 2012 SEC syllabus insufficient as a good foundation for A level Physics, thus increasing the gap between the two levels. They considered a sound understanding of and a good grade in SEC Mathematics desirable for A level Physics. Students considered SEC Physics as a good foundation for A level and regarded Intermediate
Mathematics as the threshold for A-level Physics. Respondents acknowledged the importance of English language skills in
understanding A-level Physics questions. The correlation coefficients for SEC Physics, Mathematics and English Language with A-level Physics were all positive at 0.544, 0.452 and 0.411 respectively.

This case study was conducted amongst fifteen Year 9 Chemistry students attending a co-ed state senior school in Malta. It set out to explore how the chemistry topic ‘Nature of Matter, Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding’, which tends to be challenging for students due to the abstract concepts involved, can be taught using the flipped learning technique. Students’ views regarding this approach were also sought. Special attention was given to their engagement, motivation and learning. Data were collected through various sources including teacher observations, students’ reflective diaries and a focus group. Findings
indicate that although the students were mostly teacher dependent, they liked the new technique. This was mostly due to the fact that this approach helped them feel more prepared when attending a lesson, they were able to learn at their own pace and the technological aspect of it made it more enjoyable. The flipped learning technique was found to be advantageous since it frees up classroom time from the passing on of factual information such that more student-centred activities and student-teacher interaction could take place.

There is no abstract for this book review.