Integrated Science in the UK, 1965-1996: its origins, characteristics, implementation and subsequent absorption into the National Curriculum in Science Jenny Frost Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London Institute of Education University of London July 1999 Integrated Science in secondary schools in the UK, 1965-1996: its origins, characteristics, implementation and absorption into the National Curriculum in Science Jenny Frost Abstract Integrated science courses for secondary schools were developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The rationale for the courses was the need to bridge the interface between school science and the personal lives of the students. so that they gained an understanding of themselves, and of the science and technology related issues that they would meet in their environment. There was also a wish to help students develop an awareness of the nature of science and of its limitations, so that if all the detail of courses was forgotten they held on to some idea about what science was and what it could do. The author argues that while the ideal of integrated science was moulded by events much of the dynamic remains and can be found in a different guise in the science curriculum of the mid 1990s. The socialisation of science teachers into particular science disciplines, concerns about teacher expertise to teach such courses and the organisational features such as the need for unusual timetable slots were all factors which militated against the implementation of this ideal. The centre-piece' of the research is a case study of change to integrated science for all pupils up to 16 in one secondary comprehensive school, between 1977 and 1980. The interplay of organisational, personal and ideological factors in the science department was like a rehearsal for a play, which was to he acted out on a national scale in the 1980s when a common examining system was put into place and science became compulsory. In the school, as in the wider context, the courses were modified by events, and in later years were designated as 'science'. Nevertheless it was possible to identify significant links to ideas in the early integrated science courses. Acknowledgements I should like to acknowledge the help of colleagues at the Institute who have at various stages helped with the supervision of this research; Professor Helen Simons who taught me how to conduct a case study; Professor Peter Gordon who took over as my second supervisor; and Professor Denis Lawton for guidance during the final stages of the research and preparation of the thesis. I am indebted to the teachers in the case study schools who gave generously of their time to answer my questions, who allowed me to report on their day to day lives and who kindly read and commented on my reports; in particular the heads of science. My special thanks go to the head of science at Duckworth comprehensive school who so willingly assented to my request to follow the change at the school between 1977 and 1980. As teachers appear by pseudonym in the text, I cannot name them personally here. I should like to thank Professor Jon Ogborn, Ralph Levinson, Alastair Cuthbertson, Marilyn Leask, John Bausor and Mike Coles for discussions, at various stages, about the significance of the findings. The advice received from Brian Woolnough and Jonathan Osborne has also been invaluable. Last, but most importantly, my gratitude goes to my family, particularly my late husband, Harry Frost, for continuous support and encouragement, and my daughter, Ruth Frost, for help with proof reading. 3 Contents Title page 1 Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 3 Contents 4 List of Figures and Tables 6 Acronyms 9 Chapter 1 The Origin of The Research Questions 11 a. Research questions b. Motivation for the research Summary Chapter 2 The Study and Research Methods 26 a. The approach to the research b. Research Methods for the case studies of schools c. Literature reviewed d. Interpretaton of the data Summary Chapter 3 Context of the Emergence of Integrated Science 42 a. Changing System of Secondary Education b. Science education in the 1950s in Secondary Schools c. Implications of Curriculum Integration Summary Chapter 4 The Emergence of Integrated Science Courses 70 a. What was integrated science? b. Integrated Science Courses in UK c. Evaluation and Implementation of Integrated Science d. Patterns of courses in secondary schools Summary 4 Chapter 5 Integrated Science at Duckworth School, 1977-80 105 a. Changing the Pattern of Courses b. The Effect of changing the pattern of courses on science departmental structure c. Reflections on the whole case study Summary Chapter 6 Integrated Science 1980 - 1996 148 a. 1980 - 1986 b. 1987 - 1996 Summary Chapter 7 Integrated Science at Duckworth and Timburn Schools, 1996 178 Chapter 8 Outcome of the Research 199 a. What was integrated science? b.What happened to integrated science and why? c. Summary: What dynamics were brought into play? Chapter 9 Evaluation 218 a. Value of the study b. Analysis of the integrated science story through Bernstein's concepts of integrated and collected codes c. Limitations of the research d. Further questions e. Personal Reflections References References Books and articles 241 Bibliography Books and Articles 253 References SCISP 257 References Other Curriculum Projects and Textbooks 260 References SSCR 264 References In-house school documents 266 Appendices Appendix 1 Letters to schools 1996 269 Appendix 2 Excerpts from SCISP and Nuffield Science 13-16 274 Appendix 3 Organisation and Management of Integrated Science Courses: Timburn and Sixford Schools, 1980 283 5 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Chapter 1 Figures 1.1 Pattern of Science Courses - Girls' Comprehensive, 1965/66 1.2 Pattern of Science Courses - Girls' Comprehensive, 1966/67 Chapter 2 Figures 2.1 Dates of visits for 1977/80 case studies 2.2 Questionnaire to all science teachers at Duckworth School, 1979 2.3 Dates and times of visits to schools in 1996 Chapter 3 Tables 3.1 Numbers of candidates entering school certificate examinations in different science subjects (with English and Mathematics for comparison) ( BAAS, 1928, p 525) 3.2 Entries to Science Subjects in school certificate 1936 - 1942 3.3 The number of candidates entering for GCE 0 and A level examinations from modern schools in 1961 3.4 Suggestions for Science Course in Secondary Modern Schools (SMA. 1953) Chapter 5 Figures 5.1 Science courses at Duckworth school 1976/9 5.2 Science Teaching Staff at Duckworth School 1976 - 1980 5.3 Responsibilities of science staff at Duckworth School in September 1977 5.4 3rd year science course in 1977/8 through to 1979/80 5.5 Progress made on preparing the double science course by September 1978 5.6 Mode 3 CSE integrated double science examination objectives 5.7 Weighting of objectives for CSE double integrated science course 5.8 Assessment tools related to objectives for the double science course [Integrated Science: Community Science (S 15) and Integrated Science: Problem Solving (S02)]. 5.9 Proposed units for the single science course, December 1977 5.10 Assessment objectives for the single science course List of figures and tables 6 5.11 Assessment tools related to objectives for the single science course. 5.12 Grade criteria for the single science course 5.13 Science laboratories in Duckworth Upper School 1978 5.14 Science course for the first two years, 1978 5.15 Science department structure 1976/8 5.16 Subject grouping of staff within the science department January 1978 5.17 Science department structure 1978/9 5.18 Science department structure 1979/80 Chapter 6 Figures 6.1 Aims of the Secondary Science Curriculum review 6.2 Ten principles in Sc 5 - 16 a Statement of Policy 6.3 Summary of five versions of the National Curriculum in science 6.4 Weightings given by science working group to the four profile components in the national curriculum (DES, 1988) Chapter 7 Figures 7.1 OLD science course units for KS3 to fit 1991 (2nd version of NC) 7.2 NEW science course units for KS3 to fit 1995 (3rd version of NC) 7.3 GCSE courses and syllabuses used at Duckworth, 1978-96 Appendix 1 A1.1 Letters sent to Duckworth and Timburn 1996 A1.2 Questionnaire sent to Duckwroth 1996 Appendix 2 A2.1 SCISP content written as a list of concepts and patterns (Patterns Teachers Handbook, p64) A2.2 Flow chart to indicate the interrelationship between problems, patterns, concepts and information in one section of the Patterns sample scheme A2.3 Assessment criteria for SCISP aim 10b (willingness to search for and test patterns) A2.4 Assessment criteria for SCISP aim 9b (ability to work in a group) A2.5 Two questions from 1974 SCISP Examination paper A2.6 The weighting of the assessment objectives in the SCISP examinations List of figures and tables 7 A2.7 The contribution of the different modes of examination to the awards of Integrated science A (principles and problems) and B (principles and applications). A2.8 Patterns Expansion A2.9 Nuffield 13 - 16 plan of units to make up different courses Appendix 3 A3.1 Faculties and departments at Timburn School 1980 A3.2 Science courses at Timburn School. before and after 1977 A3.3 Science staff Timburn School June 1980 A3.4 Diagram of the science and technology faculty at Timburn 1980 A3.5 Aims of the integrated science course, Timburn 1980 A3.6 Structure of the integrated science double certification mode 3, Timburn 1980 A3.7 Plan of science laboratories, Timburn School, 1980 A3.8 Faculty structure at Sixford School