Impact of data loggers on science teaching and learning - European ...

<strong>Impact</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>data</strong> <strong>loggers</strong> on science teaching and learningFigure 16 to Figure 19 clearly show how the more pupils used different probes, the more theimpact on their interest, motivation and ability to learn sciences is positive. This is reasonable asusing a tool once can appear to be an out-<strong>of</strong>-context activity while the repeated use would havemore chances <strong>of</strong> getting the message across.EFFECT OF ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO THE AGE OF PUPILSIn addition, as we saw with Figure 5, the students could be divided between those underand those over the age <strong>of</strong> 14. Again, regardless <strong>of</strong> nationality, we looked at the post-activitiesviews depending, this time, on the pupils’ ages (see Figure 20 for the under-14 and Figure21 for the over-14s).Again, while the results per country were rather inconclusive, as we saw with the probes,there is a clear correspondence between age and the perceived impact <strong>of</strong> using the probes.The results in Figure 20 and Figure 21 clearly show that the younger the pupils are, themore positive is the impact on their interest, motivation and ability to learn sciences.As we did not have students <strong>of</strong> each age group in all countries, the age dependence couldbe biased by the nationality (and therefore difference in attitude) <strong>of</strong> the pupils. For example,the UK pupils were both most positive and all belonging to the younger group (see Figure5 and Figure 15), while the majority <strong>of</strong> German pupils were both older and had morenegative views (Figure 5 and Figure 12), rendering the resulting image: younger equates tomore positive and older to less positive.To make sure the motivation-age dependency is not a result <strong>of</strong> this nationality bias, wechecked the effect <strong>of</strong> the use <strong>of</strong> the probes depending on age in the case <strong>of</strong> the twocountries where we had students in both groups, namely France and Germany.In Figure 22 and Figure 23, we show the questionnaire results <strong>of</strong> the French pupils underand over 14 respectively and in Figure 24 and Figure 25, the same for the German pupils.By comparing the black and dark grey bars with the light grey and white bars, it isimmediately clear that in the German case the older the students are, the less effect theuse <strong>of</strong> probes has on their motivation.To facilitate comparison, we provide the average percentage <strong>of</strong> positive attitudes in each<strong>of</strong> the four cases in Table 5. As can be seen, in the French case the views appear to remainconstant, while there is a clear decrease with age in the German case. On the other hand,when looking at the age peaks in the two age groups (see Figure 5) the French students29