 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Humanities
- ISSN: 2155-7993
- Journal of Modern Education Review
Impulses and Dilemma Stories for Values Education in STEM Context in Elementary Schools
Birgitta Kopp, Heinz Mandl, Katrin Wallner
(Department of Psychology, University of Munich, Germany)
Abstract: Sensitizing children for values is a main aim of education in order to guarantee a justified and peaceful living together. In STEM context, values receive a more specified focus as decisions in natural scientific subjects have not only effects on individuals, but also on society and on earth. To foster the sensitization of values in STEM context, we didactically enriched experimental material for students in the 4th grade of elementary school with impulses and dilemma stories and evaluated the realization of two experiments in STEM using qualitative observation and interview data. Overall, results indicated an effective integration of impulses and dilemma stories in order to foster values education. In more detail, results showed that a combination of impulses and dilemma stories was effective for students to take the protagonists’ perspective in the dilemma story and discuss diverse opinions showing, e.g., self-activity. Furthermore group discussion in contrast to class discussion showed better results in reflecting on problem solutions integrating value issues of, e.g., environmental consciousness. And the students’ activity is of importance to stimulate reflection on values. Thus, the study gives first indications that impulses and dilemma stories are adequate didactical methods in order to foster values education in STEM context.
Key words: elementary childhood education, education attainment, values education, STEM, impulses, dilemma stories
