Science Education in Primary Schools: Is an Animation Worth a Thousand Pictures?

Abstract

Science teaching deals with abstract concepts and processes that very often cannot be seen or touched. The development of Java, Flash, and other web-based applications allow teachers and educators to present complex animations that attractively illustrate scientific phenomena. Our study evaluated the integration of web-based animated movies into primary schools science curriculum. Our goal was to examine teachers’ methods for integrating animated movies and their views about the role of animations in enhancing young students’ thinking skills. We also aimed at investigating the effect of animated movies on students’ learning outcomes. Applying qualitative and quantitative tools, we conducted informal discussions with science teachers (N = 15) and administered pre- and post-questionnaires to 4th (N = 641) and 5th (N = 694) grade students who were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group students studied science while using animated movies and supplementary activities at least once a week. The control group students used only textbooks and still-pictures for learning science. Findings indicated that animated movies support the use of diverse teaching strategies and learning methods, and can promote various thinking skills among students. Findings also indicated that animations can enhance scientific curiosity, the acquisition of scientific language, and fostering scientific thinking. These encouraging results can be explained by the fact that the students made use of both visual-pictorial and auditory-verbal capabilities while exploring animated movies in diverse learning styles and teaching strategies.

Appendices

Appendix 1: The Science Thinking Skills Questionnaire for 5th Grade Students

Understanding and Implementing Scientific Concepts

• 1. In the past, millions of Flamingo birds nested in Lake Nakuro in Kenya, but in recent years their number was dramatically reduced. Researchers found that this phenomenon is due to the poisoning of the lake’s water with sewage from a nearby factory. Which of the following answers can be the best solution to the problem described above?

  • a. To shut down the contaminating factory.

  • b. To move the contaminating factory to another location in Kenya.

  • c. To treat the sewage water and remove the poisoning materials.

  • d. To look for another lake for the Flamingo birds.

• 2. The earth moves around its axis once every 24 h, Jupiter is moving around its axis for 10 h. How many hours does the night last in Jupiter?

  • a. 5 h. b. 10 h. c. 12 h. d. 24 h.

• 3. A food chain starts with seaweeds that are eaten by small fish that are eaten by bigger fish that are eaten by bears. Mark the correct answer:

  • a. The small fish will be in danger of extinction only if they eat all the seaweeds.

  • b. The extinction of bears may result in the extermination of small fish.

  • c. The extinction of seaweeds doesn’t affect bears because they eat only fish.

  • d. The creatures in the food chain are not affected by each other.

• 4. Which of the following sentence is correct about planets?

  • a. Planets that are in the universe are very small and can’t be seen.

  • b. Planets have no self light source and they can’t be seen.

  • c. All the planets are very far away from us.

  • d. In the past, the astronomers looked only for stars and not planets.

• 5. A few friends decided to prepare a bonfire and through some potatoes in it. Half an hour latter Omer decided to take the potatoes out of the fire. However, because of the strong heat he decided to make a tool that will help him take all the potatoes out of the fire without getting burnt. From which material/s should he create such a tool?

  • a. From wood because it’s an available material.

  • b. From iron because it’s a strong material and will not burn in the fire.

  • c. The handle from wood and the rest from plastic because both materials are low heat conductors.

  • d. The handle from wood and the rest from plastic because both materials are low heat conductors.

• 6. When water freeze their volume increases. This phenomenon is called “The anomaly of water”. A certain lake is located in a country where the temperatures are below zero degrees Celsius. Which of the following phenomenon is explained by the anomaly of water?

  • a. All the water freezes in the lake.

  • b. Only the upper level of the water freezes.

  • c. The water in the lake does not freeze at all.

  • d. There is a strong flow of water in the lake.

• 7. Which of the following sentences indicates the ability of blood to transport materials in the body?

  • a. The oxygen passes from the lungs through the heart to all the body parts.

  • b. When we breathe, air enters the lungs and comes out of them.

  • c. After a snake bite, the venom can reach every part of the body in a very short time.

  • d. Answers a. and c. are correct.

• 8. Nir brought to a fieldtrip only one bottle of water instead of two. It was a very hot day and a long walk, and Nir suddenly fainted. Is there a connection between the quantity of water and Nir’s condition?

  • a. No, because the body needs a small quantity of water and probably there was another reason for his fainting.

  • b. Yes, because the body needs about same quantity of water regularly every day.

  • c. Yes, because Nir’s body lost more water than the quantity that he drank during the fieldtrip.

  • d. No, because the body can become accustomed to a limited quantity of water.

Reasoning Ability

Gold is a relatively soft metal. It is shiny, it doesn’t rust and its color doesn’t change. It is relatively rare and therefore expensive. Is gold a suitable material for the following usages? Mark in the square near each of the following objects, and explain your decision.

 

Objects	Suitable	Not suitable	Explanation
Hammer	□	□
Jewelry	□	□
Tooth filling	□	□
Electrical wires	□	□

Appendix 2: An Exploration Assignment via the Use of Animated Movies

An Animal I Would Like to Learn About

Enter BrainPop website on science: http://www.brainpop.com/science, then click on: Diversity of Life button. There, you will see a list of animated movies on various living organisms.

Choose an organism that you do not know and wish to learn about.

Summarize the organism’s habitat, way of living, food, and physical characteristics.

Your assignment is to write a paper about the organism you chose and present it to the class (you may use PowerPoint slides for your presentation).

The paper will include the following:

• 1. A Title page: your name, the name of the organism, and its picture.

• 2. Page 2: an explanation about why you chose to learn about this particular organism.

• 3. Pages 3–6: summarize information about the organism:

  • a. The group it belongs to (vertebrates or non-vertebrates) and its biological division.

  • b. How does it breathe? How does the way of breathing adapted to the surroundings?

  • c. What does it eat? How does the body structure fit for catching food? What organisms hunt it?

  • d. How does it reproduce? In what season? How long is the pregnancy? What is the number of offsprings/eggs?

  • e. How does it communicate with the near surrounding? How does it defend itself from attackers? How does it gain control? What are its courting behaviors? What are its parental behaviors?

• 4. Summary: Describe what you enjoyed most from your exploration assignment. Specify new things that you learned and what concepts you already knew.

• 5. References: Write a list of resources that helped you learn about the organism.

• 6. Last page: Add a blank page for your colleagues’ feedback.