New Perspectives in Science Education

In light of the severe shortage of scientists and engineers many universities offer programs which aim to increase high school pupils' interest in science and engineering and encourage them to develop a career in these fields. Some of the programs are set in the universities themselves, which high school pupils visit, while in others the activity is held in the high schools with the universities' representatives – professors and students. The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has initiated a unique program called "Educational Clinic". This one year program is designed to train science and engineering students as teaching assistants in high schools, in order to help high school pupils with mathematics and science and increase their interest in higher education in these disciplines. The first part of the program, provided during the winter semester, focuses on learning theories and teaching methods, and as part thereof the students experience teaching science in front of their peers. The second part of the program, held during the spring semester, includes practical experience in teaching science at high schools in front of small groups of pupils. It is important to note that the students are the ones to select the school and the subject, and they are not limited to the high school curriculum. Throughout the semester the course faculty holds guidance meetings with the students. During these meetings the students discuss experiences and jointly deal with difficulties. The program is offered to all undergraduate students at the Technion who get an academic score of three credit points for their participation.

Thirteen students took part in the first class of the program. They taught mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science at eight high schools in the north of Israel. The study described in this paper used qualitative tools, such as questionnaires and interviews, in order to examine the students' attitudes towards the program throughout the year. The findings indicate very positive attitudes towards the program. Alongside a fixed high level of extrinsic motivational factors, which express student satisfaction of improving their teaching skills, a notable increase was found in the level of intrinsic motivational factors, which reflect the students' interest in the program. These findings are explained in light of the self-determination theory. According thereto, the high level of motivation was due to the program's ability to satisfy the individual's three basic needs, namely, autonomy, competence and relatedness.