ERIC Number: EJ1315504
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Sep
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1449-6313
EISSN: N/A
Teaching Science Using Digital Technologies: Some Insights from Papua New Guinean Schools
Wranga, Elias; Aku, Gideon; Otima, Frieda; Chandra, Vinesh
Teaching Science, v67 n3 p21-24 Sep 2021
Papua New Guinea is a developing country in the Southwestern Pacific. The nation comprises the eastern half of New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville, Buka, and some six hundred smaller islands and atolls. It has a population of nearly nine million, and the citizens speak more than 715 different languages (Rena, 2011). The country's scenic landscape comes with rugged terrain, thick vegetation and high rainfall. Building roads to connect the people has been an ongoing challenge. Planes and airports connect towns and cities. Like many developing countries, Papua New Guinea faces significant challenges in providing quality education. The islands' geography, together with issues such as teacher quality, resources, and large class sizes, continue to challenge the country's education system (Chandra, 2019; Rena, 2011). In terms of digital technologies, affordability and connectivity are two significant challenges. About 13% of the population can access electricity (Australian Government, 2020). Understandably, a lack of connectivity to a reliable power source prevents the effective use of digital technologies in many schools. There are also minimal professional learning opportunities for teachers to develop their knowledge and understanding of teaching with technologies (Chandra et al., 2014). In many instances, the teachers' motivation and ability to think critically and creatively drives the use of limited resources. Despite these challenges, there are many good examples of teaching and learning. In this paper, the authors highlight how digital technologies are used to teach science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) through an integrated approach in three Papua New Guinean schools.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Science Instruction, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Access to Computers, Energy, Barriers, Faculty Development, STEM Education, Elementary School Science, Experiential Learning, Internet, High Schools, Elementary Schools, Secondary School Science
Australian Science Teachers Association. P.O. Box 334, Deakin West, ACT 2600, Australia. Tel: +61-02-6282-9377; Fax: +61-02-6282-9477; e-mail: publications@asta.edu.au; Web site: http://www.asta.edu.au/resources/teachingscience
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Papua New Guinea
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A