”Eleven använder med säkerhet ett naturvetenskapligt språk”. En intervjustudie om naturvetenskapligt språk i biologiundervisningen

Abstract

Managing the scientific language that is found within biology education presents a challenge for both students and teachers. Scientific language is a fundamental aspect of science and essential for the development of scientific knowledge. Research has unanimously emphasized the importance of teaching this language, yet a gap remains between the demands placed on education and the instruction provided through teacher education. The aim of this study is to explore how teachers of biology and science perceive and teach scientific language. Interviews with six practicing upper secondary school teachers were conducted to answer the questions of this study. The results show that teachers consider scientific language to be central to scientific education and that they persistently incorporate language instruction into their teaching. The teachers use activities that aim to strengthen students’ reading, writing, and oral communication. The instructional strategies described align with educational instruction previously proven effective by research and literature. In summary, the study demonstrates that the teachers possess knowledge in managing scientific language and supporting students' development in language, but the instruction is challenging and there is a need for more explicit teaching. There is still a need for research and teacher student instruction to increase the possibility to teach scientific language.