BIOKOMP - Competency-oriented teaching of biology. An empirical study on biology teachers towards a competency-oriented teaching and learning

In order to facilitate the implementation of competency-oriented teaching of biology to be introduced at the national level it is planned to conduct throughout Austria an empirical study aiming at identifying conditional variables at the teaching-staff level which may promote or impede the implementation of competency-oriented teaching. To this end, a questionnaire-based survey will be carried out to classify teachers of biology in accordance with an empirically founded typology with special attention being paid to the teachers` subject-related diagnostic skills and attitudes towards the competency areas "subject knowledge", "knowledge acquisition", "subject related communication" and "valuing and moral judgement" as defined by the German National Educational Standards (KMK [Conference of the Ministers of Education of the German Districts] 2004). These characteristics will be related to teachers` personality traits, their self-concepts, features of instruction, as well as their readiness to participate in learning communities as a measure directed at the advancement of teacher professionalism. The distribution of these types will be examined against the background of a number of socio-demographic data, such as age, gender, teaching experience and subsidiary subject. At the same time, the study will draw upon results made available through quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the projects "Biologie im Kontext" (Bik), "Chemie im Kontext" (Chik), "Innovations in Mathematics, Science and Technology Teaching" (IMST), as well as "SINUS". This questionnaire-based survey is expected to yield an understanding of both teachers` attitudes towards and preparedness for the implementation of an instructional design aimed at promoting learners` competencies. On that basis, during the second phase of the project, it is planned to establish a BIO KOMP learning community involving both teachers and researchers of subject didactics in order to build up a web-based programme enabling systematic promotion of both teachers` and learners` competencies in the fields of subject knowledge, knowledge acquisition, communication and valuing. Within such framework, comparative tasks will be devised, subjected to testing in the classroom and made available to other teachers that might be interested in this issue at the common BIOKOMP website. The BIOKOMP comparative tasks are an instrument for teachers to devise measures in regard of the development of their own classes. Subsequent reflection upon the data received on the diagnostic accuracy or error patterns typically found in learners serves the purpose to motivate a school internal discussion of competency- oriented instruction, the practice of assessment and educational standards giving fresh impetus to the improvement of the instructional design.