Science Enacted in Everyday Life: Studies of On-line and Classroom Practice

Sammanfattning: This thesis contributes to the field of science education with two studies investigating science literacy in its practice in everyday life. The approach embrace a view on science learning as embedded in the context of situation, resulting in the study of two practices: on-line communication and science classroom. The particularities in ways of interacting between participants and available physical material are analyzed for the purposes of understanding the characters of unfolding science literacy events. A focus on language use enables methods to distinguish science aspects from other aspects in the context of situation and illuminates how ways of knowing science is connected to ways of expression in ongoing processes of learning. The results illustrate how engagement with and intertwinement of science and everyday genres characterizes science literacy events, particularly seen as the reading, writing and talking about science issues being part of everyday life practices. The two studied contexts are compared as arenas for learning with respect to the different opportunities and routes to learning experiences on-line environments and teaching and learning activities exhibit. Conclusions consider the purposeful decisions learners make and how this have influence on expressed views on science and scientific knowledge. Therefore, learning needs to be understood according to the context of each situation. The thesis represents one approach to current challenges in science education and has implications for professionals engaged in education at different levels in schools and outside schools.