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Ways of Using ‘Everyday Life’ in the Science Classroom

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Research and the Quality of Science Education

Abstract

Connecting science to students’ everyday life experiences is an important theme in science education discourse. The aim of this article is to explore in what ways ‘everyday life’ is used in the science classroom and what problems are solved through the use of ‘everyday life’. The research approach is ethnographic. Data was gathered through participant observation during one semester, in two Swedish science classes. Results show that ‘everyday life’ is brought into the classroom and made into school tasks within different types of activities; enculturation into science, education of scientifically literate citizens and making science interesting. The results underscore the importance of understanding the use of ‘everyday life’ in science classrooms as embedded in science classroom practice.

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Andrée, M. (2005). Ways of Using ‘Everyday Life’ in the Science Classroom. In: Boersma, K., Goedhart, M., de Jong, O., Eijkelhof, H. (eds) Research and the Quality of Science Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3673-6_9

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