Development and Application of a Two-Tier Multiple Choice Diagnostic Instrument To Assess High School Students' Understanding of Inorganic Chemistry Qualitative Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Kim Chwee Daniel; Goh, Ngoh Khang; Chia, Lian Sai; Treagust, David F.

2002-01-01

Describes the development and application of a two-tier multiple choice diagnostic instrument to assess high school students' understanding of inorganic chemistry qualitative analysis. Shows that the Grade 10 students had difficulty understanding the reactions involved in the identification of cations and anions, for example, double decomposition…

The Identification of Variation in Students' Understandings of Disciplinary Concepts: The Application of the SOLO Taxonomy within Introductory Accounting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, Ursula; Mladenovic, Rosina

2009-01-01

Insights into students' understandings of disciplinary concepts are fundamental to effective curriculum development. This paper argues that a rounded picture of students' understandings is required to support such development. It is argued that one element of this picture may be provided through the use of the Structure of Observed Learning…

The Co-Creation of Caring Student-Teacher Relationships: Does Teacher Understanding Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Kristy S.; Miness, Andrew

2014-01-01

This study explores the role of high school students' perceptions of teacher understanding in the development of caring student-teacher relationships. Whereas past research has embedded understanding as a facet of care, this research distinguishes between care and understanding to examine whether and how understanding is necessary for care.…

Does a summative portfolio foster the development of capabilities such as reflective practice and understanding ethics? An evaluation from two medical schools.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Anthony J; Howe, Amanda C; Miles, Susan; Harris, Peter; Hughes, Chris S; Jones, Philip; Scicluna, Helen; Leinster, Sam J

2012-01-01

Portfolios need to be evaluated to determine whether they encourage students to develop in capabilities such as reflective practice and ethical judgment. The aims of this study were (i) to determine whether preparing a portfolio helps promote students' development in a range of capabilities including understanding ethical and legal principles, reflective practice and effective communication, and (ii) to determine to what extent the format of the portfolio affected the outcome by comparing the experiences of students at two different medical schools. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate undergraduate medical students' experiences of completing a portfolio at two medical schools. A total of 526 (45% response rate) students answered the on-line questionnaire. Students from both medical schools gave the highest ranking for the portfolio as a trigger for reflective practice. 63% of students agreed their portfolio helped them develop reflective practice skills (p < 0.001), whereas only 22% disagreed. 48% of students agreed portfolios helped them understand ethical and legal principles whereas 29% disagreed (p < 0.001). In contrast, only 34% of students thought the portfolio helped them to develop effective communication. Students perceive portfolio preparation as an effective learning tool for the development of capabilities such as understanding ethical and legal principles and reflective practice, whereas other capabilities such as effective communication require complementary techniques and other modes of assessment.

Understanding by Design (UbD) in EFL Teaching: Teachers' Professional Development and Students' Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yurtseven, Nihal; Altun, Sertel

2017-01-01

Concepts such as teachers' professional development and students' achievement act as the driving force for the development of each in a causal relationship in EFL teaching, as in many other disciplines. The purpose of this study is to investigate the change Understanding by Design (UbD) made on teachers' professional development and students'…

Biochemistry Students' Ideas about Shape and Charge in Enzyme-Substrate Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linenberger, Kimberly J.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2014-01-01

Biochemistry is a visual discipline that requires students to develop an understanding of numerous representations. However, there is very little known about what students actually understand about the representations that are used to communicate ideas in biochemistry. This study investigated biochemistry students' understanding of multiple…

Understanding the scholarly writing development of nurses enrolled in U.S. clinical doctoral programs.

PubMed

Shellenbarger, Teresa; Hunker, Diane F; Gazza, Elizabeth A

2015-01-01

Faculty teaching nurses enrolled in clinical doctoral programs need to understand the process of student scholarly writing development so that students can be prepared to share knowledge and communicate effectively in scholarly formats. A hermeneutic phenomenological study that sought to understand the scholarly writing development of nurses enrolled in a clinical doctoral program was conducted. Findings from interviews with six Doctor of Nursing Practice students revealed three themes: learning throughout life, influence of emotions, and getting through the gate. Based upon these findings, recommendations for further development of doctoral student writing are suggested so that students can disseminate their knowledge in a scholarly manner, improve practice, and contribute to the profession. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessing Student Understanding of Physical Hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, A. J.; Marshall, J.; Cardenas, M. B.

2012-12-01

Our objective is to characterize and assess upper division and graduate student thinking by developing and testing an assessment tool for a physical hydrology class. The class' learning goals are: (1) Quantitative process-based understanding of hydrologic processes, (2) Experience with different methods in hydrology, (3) Learning, problem solving, communication skills. These goals were translated into two measurable tasks asked of students in a questionnaire: (1) Describe the significant processes in the hydrological cycle and (2) Describe laws governing these processes. A third question below assessed the students' ability to apply their knowledge: You have been hired as a consultant by __ to (1) assess how urbanization and the current drought have affected a local spring and (2) predict what the effects will be in the future if the drought continues. What information would you need to gather? What measurements would you make? What analyses would you perform? Student and expert responses to the questions were then used to develop a rubric to score responses. Using the rubric, 3 researchers independently blind-coded the full set of pre and post artifacts, resulting in 89% inter-rater agreement on the pre-tests and 83% agreement on the post-tests. We present student scores to illustrate the use of the rubric and to characterize student thinking prior to and following a traditional course. Most students interpreted Q1 in terms of physical processes affecting the water cycle, the primary organizing framework for hydrology, as intended. On the pre-test, one student scored 0, indicating no response, on this question. Twenty students scored 1, indicating rudimentary understanding, 2 students scored a 2, indicating a basic understanding, and no student scored a 3. Student scores on this question improved on the post-test. On the 22 post-tests that were blind scored, 11 students demonstrated some recognition of concepts, 9 students showed a basic understanding, and 2 students had a full understanding of the processes linked to hydrology. Half the students had provided evidence of the desired understanding; however, half still demonstrated only a rudimentary understanding. Results on Q2 were similar. On the pre-test, 2 students scored 0, 21 students scored 1, indicating rudimentary understanding, 2 students scored a 2, and no student scored a 3. On the post-test, again approximately half the students achieved the desired understanding: 9 students showed some recognition of concepts, 12 students demonstrated a basic understanding; only one student exhibited full understanding. On Q3, no student scored 0, 9 scored 1, 15 scored 2 and 1 student scored 3. On the post-test, one student scored 1, 16 students scored 2, and 5 students scored 3. Students were significantly better at responding to Q3 (the application) as opposed to Q1 and Q2, which were more abstract. Research has shown that students are often better able to solve contextualized problems when they are unable to deal with more abstract tasks. This result has limitations including the small number of participants, all from one institution, and the fact that the rubric was still under development. Nevertheless, the high inter-rater agreement by a group of experts is significant; the rubric we developed is a potentially useful tool for assessment of learning and understanding physical hydrology. Supported by NSF CAREER grant (EAR-0955750).

Improving Students' Understanding and Explanation Skills through the Use of a Knowledge Building Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamel, Christine; Turcotte, Sandrine; Laferriere, Therese; Bisson, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Education research has shown the importance of helping students develop comprehension skills. Explanation-seeking rather than fact-seeking pedagogies have been shown to warrant deeper student understanding. This study investigates the use of Knowledge Forum (KF) in K-6 classrooms (n = 251) to develop students' explanation skills. To this end, we…

Using Rasch Measurement to Validate the Instrument of Students' Understanding of Models in Science (SUMS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Silin; Liu, Xiufeng; Jia, Yuane

2014-01-01

Scientific models and modeling play an important role in science, and students' understanding of scientific models is essential for their understanding of scientific concepts. The measurement instrument of "Students' Understanding of Models in Science" (SUMS), developed by Treagust, Chittleborough & Mamiala ("International…

Characterising the development of the understanding of human body systems in high-school biology students - a longitudinal study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snapir, Zohar; Eberbach, Catherine; Ben-Zvi-Assaraf, Orit; Hmelo-Silver, Cindy; Tripto, Jaklin

2017-10-01

Science education today has become increasingly focused on research into complex natural, social and technological systems. In this study, we examined the development of high-school biology students' systems understanding of the human body, in a three-year longitudinal study. The development of the students' system understanding was evaluated using the Components Mechanisms Phenomena (CMP) framework for conceptual representation. We coded and analysed the repertory grid personal constructs of 67 high-school biology students at 4 points throughout the study. Our data analysis builds on the assumption that systems understanding entails a perception of all the system categories, including structures within the system (its Components), specific processes and interactions at the macro and micro levels (Mechanisms), and the Phenomena that present the macro scale of processes and patterns within a system. Our findings suggest that as the learning process progressed, the systems understanding of our students became more advanced, moving forward within each of the major CMP categories. Moreover, there was an increase in the mechanism complexity presented by the students, manifested by more students describing mechanisms at the molecular level. Thus, the 'mechanism' category and the micro level are critical components that enable students to understand system-level phenomena such as homeostasis.

From the Field to the Classroom: Developing Scientifically Literate Citizens Using the Understanding Global Change Framework in Education and Citizen Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toupin, C.; Bean, J. R.; Gavenus, K.; Johnson, H.; Toupin, S.

2017-12-01

With the copious amount of science and pseudoscience reported on by non-experts in the media, it is critical for educators to help students develop into scientifically literate citizens. One of the most direct ways to help students develop deep scientific understanding and the skills to critically question the information they encounter is to bring science into their daily experiences and to contextualize scientific inquiry within the classroom. Our work aims to use a systems-based models approach to engage students in science, in both formal and informal contexts. Using the Understanding Global Change (UGC) and the Understanding Science models developed at the Museum of Paleontology at UC Berkeley, high school students from Arizona were tasked with developing a viable citizen science program for use at the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer, Alaska. Experts used the UGC model to help students define why they were doing the work, and give context to the importance of citizen science. Empowered with an understanding of the scientific process, excited by the purpose of their work and how it could contribute to the scientific community, students whole-heartedly worked together to develop intertidal monitoring protocols for two locations while staying at Peterson Bay Field Station, Homer. Students, instructors, and scientists used system models to communicate and discuss their understanding of the biological, physical, and chemical processes in Kachemak Bay. This systems-based models approach is also being used in an integrative high school physics, chemistry, and biology curriculum in a truly unprecedented manner. Using the Understanding Global Change framework to organize curriculum scope and sequence, the course addresses how the earth systems work, how interdisciplinary science knowledge is necessary to understand those systems, and how scientists and students can measure changes within those systems.

Development of the Enzyme-Substrate Interactions Concept Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Linenberger, Kimberly J.

2012-01-01

Enzyme function is central to student understanding of multiple topics within the biochemistry curriculum. In particular, students must understand how enzymes and substrates interact with one another. This manuscript describes the development of a 15-item Enzyme-Substrate Interactions Concept Inventory (ESICI) that measures student understanding…

Practical Tools to Foster Harmonic Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Erik

2013-01-01

Among the elements required to develop a comprehensive understanding of music is students' ability to perceive, recognize, and label the harmonies they hear. Harmonic dictation is among the strategies that teachers have traditionally chosen to help students develop harmonic awareness. However, the highly idiosyncratic ways that students approach…

Growth Points in Students' Developing Understanding of Function in Equation Form

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ronda, Erlina R.

2009-01-01

This paper presents a research-based framework for analyzing and monitoring students' understanding of functions in equation form. The framework consists of "growth points" which describe "big ideas" of students' understanding of the concept. The data were collected from Grades 8, 9, and 10 students using a set of tasks…

Examining Students' Mathematical Understanding of Geometric Transformations Using the Pirie-Kieren Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gülkilika, Hilal; Ugurlu, Hasan Hüseyin; Yürük, Nejla

2015-01-01

Students should learn mathematics with understanding. This is one of the ideas in the literature on mathematics education that everyone supports, from educational politicians to curriculum developers, from researchers to teachers, and from parents to students. In order to decide whether or not students understand mathematics we should first…

Development of a Student-Centered Instrument to Assess Middle School Students' Conceptual Understanding of Sound

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eshach, Haim

2014-01-01

This article describes the development and field test of the Sound Concept Inventory Instrument (SCII), designed to measure middle school students' concepts of sound. The instrument was designed based on known students' difficulties in understanding sound and the history of science related to sound and focuses on two main aspects of sound: sound…

Developing Intercultural Competence in Future Student Affairs Professionals through a Graduate Student Global Study Course to Doha, Qatar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haber, Paige; Getz, Cheryl

2011-01-01

This paper describes a 2-week global study course to Doha, Qatar for graduate students in the higher education leadership and student affairs program at the University of San Diego. The course sought to develop intercultural competence with a specific focus on understanding Qatari and Middle Eastern perspectives and culture, understanding the…

Teaching Academic Integrity: A Cognitive Developmental Model Based on Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Lorna

An instructional model to develop academic integrity (honesty) in college students is proposed. Goals are to develop: adherence to the principle of doing one's own work, an understanding for the principle and nature of coauthorship, an understanding and adherence to citation practices, and an understanding of plagiarism. Students should be…

Developing Teaching of Mathematics to First Year Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaworski, Barbara; Matthews, Janette

2011-01-01

Engineering Students Understanding Mathematics (ESUM) is a developmental research project at a UK university. The motivating aim is that engineering students should develop a more conceptual understanding of mathematics through their participation in an innovation in teaching. A small research team has both studied and contributed to innovation,…

Interpreting Graphs: Students Developing an Understanding of Covariation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzallen, Noleine

2012-01-01

Students' development of an understanding of covariation was the focus of a research project that investigated the way in which 12 Year 5/6 students engaged with the learning environment afforded by the graphing software, "TinkerPlots." Using data generated from individual interviews, the results demonstrate that upper primary students…

Understanding Career Context as a Key to Best Serving Adult Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohonos, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Professional development plays a key role in motivating many adult learners. Understanding these students' career contexts allows for more effective program development and better student services. This article presents five broad categories of career context and provides a brief framework which educators can use to more effectively…

Helping Secondary School Students Develop a Conceptual Understanding of Refraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashmann, Scott; Anderson, Charles W.; Boeckman, Heather

2016-01-01

Using real-world examples, ray diagrams, and a cognitive apprenticeship cycle, this paper focuses on developing students' conceptual (not mathematical) understanding of refraction. Refraction can be a difficult concept for students to comprehend if they do not have well-designed opportunities to practice explaining situations where reflection and…

The Development of Learning Devices Based Guided Discovery Model to Improve Understanding Concept and Critical Thinking Mathematically Ability of Students at Islamic Junior High School of Medan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuliani, Kiki; Saragih, Sahat

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research was to: 1) development of learning devices based guided discovery model in improving of understanding concept and critical thinking mathematically ability of students at Islamic Junior High School; 2) describe improvement understanding concept and critical thinking mathematically ability of students at MTs by using…

The opportunities and challenges of guided inquiry science for students with special needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Marianne

Research in science education has been conducted with various goals for instruction. Four outcomes identified include: immediate and delayed recall, literal comprehension, science skills and processes, and conceptual understanding. The promise of developing important thinking skills exists for all students if science instruction is designed to teach students the products of science and the principled process of inquiry. Guided inquiry science seeks to develop conceptual understanding through the pursuit of meaningful questions using scientific problem solving to conduct investigations that are thoughtfully generated and evaluated. Using a social constructivist perspective, this study examines the learning experiences of four students, identified by their teachers as learning disabled or underachieving. Four case studies are presented of the students' participation in a guided inquiry investigation of the behavior of light. Measures of conceptual understanding included pre- and post-instruction assessments, interviews, journal writing, videotapes, and fieldnotes. All four students demonstrated improved conceptual understanding of light. Five patterns of relationships influenced the development of the students' thinking. First, differences in the culture of the two classrooms altered the learning environment, Second, the nature of teacher interaction with the target students affected conceptual understanding. Third, interactions with peers modified the learning experiences for the identified students. Fourth, the conceptual and procedural complexity of the tasks increased the tendency for the students to lose focus. Finally, the literacy requirements of the work were challenging for these students.

A pHorseshoe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plumsky, Roger

1999-07-01

Students often find pH calculations boring and irrelevant, and many memorize calculation schemes without understanding. It has been suggested that such topics should be dropped from the first-year chemistry course. I have found an approach that involves memorization but enables students of average ability to achieve understanding through its use and subsequent development of the topic. Providing students with a memorization scheme at the outset eliminates initial frustration and discouragement and leads to better understanding by the time the unit has been developed. Understanding is developed after the students have successfully calculated conversions between pH and hydrogen ion concentration. In this article the pHorseshoe is described not only for the purpose of sharing with other teachers who might find it useful but also to explain why, in this case at least, memorization is the servant of understanding and not a substitute for it.

Cross-Grade Comparison of Students' Understanding of Energy Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saglam-Arslan, Aysegul

2010-01-01

The aims of this cross-grade study were (1) to determine the level of understanding of energy concepts of students at different academic grades and the differences in understanding between these grades and (2) to analyse the conceptual development of these students. Two hundred and forty-three students at 3 different levels (high school,…

Understanding the Impact of Using Oral Histories in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dutt-Doner, Karen M.; Allen, Susan; Campanaro, Kathryn

2016-01-01

Oral histories are a powerful pedagogical tool in developing historical understanding and important learning skills simultaneously. Teachers use firsthand accounts of historical time periods and/or events to help develop students' sense of history. In addition to gaining historical understanding, students are able to bring history alive by…

Mathematics education graduate students' understanding of trigonometric ratios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yiǧit Koyunkaya, Melike

2016-10-01

This study describes mathematics education graduate students' understanding of relationships between sine and cosine of two base angles in a right triangle. To explore students' understanding of these relationships, an elaboration of Skemp's views of instrumental and relational understanding using Tall and Vinner's concept image and concept definition was developed. Nine students volunteered to complete three paper and pencil tasks designed to elicit evidence of understanding and three students among these nine students volunteered for semi-structured interviews. As a result of fine-grained analysis of the students' responses to the tasks, the evidence of concept image and concept definition as well as instrumental and relational understanding of trigonometric ratios was found. The unit circle and a right triangle were identified as students' concept images, and the mnemonic was determined as their concept definition for trigonometry, specifically for trigonometric ratios. It is also suggested that students had instrumental understanding of trigonometric ratios while they were less flexible to act on trigonometric ratio tasks and had limited relational understanding. Additionally, the results indicate that graduate students' understanding of the concept of angle mediated their understanding of trigonometry, specifically trigonometric ratios.

Student understanding development in chemistry concepts through constructivist-informed laboratory and science camp process in secondary school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathommapas, Nookorn

2018-01-01

Science Camp for Chemistry Concepts was the project which designed to provide local students with opportunities to apply chemistry concepts and thereby developing their 21st century skills. The three study purposes were 1) to construct and develop chemistry stations for encouraging students' understandings in chemistry concepts based on constructivist-informed laboratory, 2) to compare students' understandings in chemistry concepts before and after using chemistry learning stations, and 3) to study students' satisfactions of using their 21st century skills in science camp activities. The research samples were 67 students who attended the 1-day science camp. They were levels 10 to 11 students in SumsaoPittayakarn School, UdonThani Province, Thailand. Four constructivist-informed laboratory stations of chemistry concepts were designed for each group. Each station consisted of a chemistry scenario, a question, answers in tier 1 and supporting reasons in tier 2, and 4 sets of experimental instruments. Four to five-member subgroups of four student groups parallel participated in laboratory station for an hour in each station. Student activities in each station concluded of individual pretest, group prediction, experimental design, testing out and collection data, interpreting the results, group conclusion, and individual post-test. Data collection was done by station mentors using two-tier multiple choice questions, students' written work and interviews. Data triangulation was used for interpreting and confirming students' understandings of chemistry concepts which divided into five levels, Sound Understanding (SU), Partial Understanding (PU), Specific Misconception (SM), No Understanding (NU) and No Response (NR), before and after collaborating at each station. The study results found the following: 1) four constructivist-laboratory stations were successfully designed and used to investigate student' understandings in chemistry concepts via collaborative workshop of chemistry teachers and researcher, 2) the percentage of students having understandings of chemistry concepts before and after learning at the four stations ranged from 15.92-54.23% and 83.89-97.02%, respectively, and 3)students' opinions of using their 21st century skills in the science camp after finishing the camp activities were at a high level of satisfactions, ranged from 4.09-4.47 of 5 rating scores.

Framework for Understanding the Patterns of Student Difficulties in Quantum Mechanics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshman, Emily; Singh, Chandralekha

2015-01-01

Compared with introductory physics, relatively little is known about the development of expertise in advanced physics courses, especially in the case of quantum mechanics. Here, we describe a framework for understanding the patterns of student reasoning difficulties and how students develop expertise in quantum mechanics. The framework posits that…

Development of a Measurement Instrument to Assess Students' Electrolyte Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Shanshan; Bi, Hualin

2016-01-01

To assess students' conceptual understanding levels and diagnose alternative frameworks of the electrolyte concept, a measurement instrument was developed using the Rasch model. This paper reports the use of the measurement instrument to assess 559 students from grade 10 to grade 12 in two cities. The results provided both diagnostic and summative…

Students' Perceptions and Development of Conceptual Understanding Regarding Trigonometry and Trigonometric Function

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetin, Omer Faruk

2015-01-01

This study aims to analyse university level mathematics education students' perceptions on conceptual understanding of trigonometry and trigonometric functions and their content development of these concepts. A case study was conducted with 90 freshman students of Elementary Mathematics Department. The data were gathered via a scale; they included…

Investigating and Improving Student Understanding of Key Ideas in Quantum Mechanics throughout Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emigh, Paul Jeffrey

This dissertation describes research on student understanding of quantum mechanics across multiple levels of instruction. The primary focus has been to identify patterns in student reasoning related to key concepts in quantum mechanics. The specific topics include quantum measurements, time dependence, vector spaces, and angular momentum. The research has spanned a variety of different quantum courses intended for introductory physics students, upper-division physics majors, and graduate students in physics. The results of this research have been used to develop a set of curriculum, Tutorials in Physics: Quantum Mechanics, for addressing the most persistent student difficulties. We document both the development of this curriculum and how it has impacted and improved student understanding of quantum mechanics.

Identity development in upper-level physics students: transitions in and out of physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irving, Paul

2016-03-01

In this era of unprecedented attention from the White House and Congress, the STEM community must rise to the challenge of recruiting and retaining students to achieve the mandate of producing one million additional college graduates with degrees in STEM. However, the number of students choosing to pursue and persist with physics as a degree has had a stagnated growth rate when compared to other STEM fields, and some institutions are experiencing dramatic shifts in the demographics of the students entering their programs. The development of a subject-specific identity is a strong influence on students' persistence in a discipline and is a productive lens from which to understand the stagnated growth rate of physics majors and how to support a shift in student demographics. In this presentation, ongoing research is presented that aims to understand identity development in STEM with a focus on the transition from physics student to physicist. Community development and exposure to authentic practice are established as crucial factors that contribute to the development of a professional identity. How these findings can be implemented into course design is discussed with an outline of the P3 learning environment. The P3 learning environment blends the regular focus of reform-based teaching practices on deep conceptual understanding with a focus on students obtaining understanding through engagement with authentic scientific practices. By establishing and studying learning environments similar to P3 we can further explore the development of subject-specific identity while also developing effective teaching practices.

Student Task Analysis for the Development of E-Learning Lectural System in Basic Chemistry Courses in FKIP UMMY Solok

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afrahamiryano, A.; Ariani, D.

2018-04-01

The student task analysis is one part of the define stage in development research using the 4-D development model. Analysis of this task is useful to determine the level of understanding of students on lecture materials that have been given. The results of this task analysis serve as a measuring tool to determine the level of success of learning and as a basis in the development of lecture system. Analysis of this task is done by the method of observation and documentation study of the tasks undertaken by students. The results of this analysis are then described and after that triangulation are done to draw conclusions. The results of the analysis indicate that the students' level of understanding is high for theoretical and low material for counting material. Based on the results of this task analysis, it can be concluded that e-learning lecture system developed should be able to increase students' understanding on basic chemicals that are calculated.

Students as "Humans Chromosomes" in Role-Playing Mitosis and Meiosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chinnici, Joseph P.; Yue, Joyce W.; Torres, Kieron M.

2004-01-01

Students often find it challenging to understand mitosis and meiosis and determine their processes. To develop an easier way to understand these terms, students are asked to role-play mitosis and meiosis and students themselves act as human chromosomes, which help students to learn differences between mitosis and meiosis.

An Exploration of High School (12 17 Year Old) Students' Understandings of, and Attitudes Towards Biotechnology Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Vaille

2007-03-01

The products of modern biotechnology processes such as genetic engineering, DNA testing and cloning will increasingly impact on society. It is essential that young people have a well-developed scientific understanding of biotechnology and associated processes so that they are able to contribute to public debate and make informed personal decisions. The aim of this study was to examine the development of understandings and attitudes about biotechnology processes as students progress through high school. In a cross-sectional case study, data was obtained from student interviews and written surveys of students aged 12 to 17 years. The results indicate that students' ability to provide a generally accepted definition and examples of biotechnology, cloning and genetically modified foods was relatively poor amongst 12 13 year old students but improved in older students. Most students approved of the use of biotechnology processes involving micro-organisms, plants and humans and disapproved of the use of animals. Overall, 12 13 year old students' attitudes were less favourable than older students regardless of the context. An awareness of the development and range of students' understandings and attitudes may lead to a more appropriate use of biotechnology curriculum materials and thus improved biotechnology education in schools.

Creative Writing and Promoting Understanding in Science: Alternative Ways to Interest Students in Writing about Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akcay, Hakan; Hand, Brian; Norton-Meier, Lori

2010-01-01

Science writing opportunities are used as a resource to enable students to understand science concepts. This study represents three different writing-to-learn tasks that enable students to learn science and to demonstrate their developing understanding about the human body system. The teacher and students engaged in a variety of science enquiries…

Clients becoming teachers: Speech-language pathology students' understanding of rehabilitation following clinical practicum in a rehabilitation setting.

PubMed

Attrill, Stacie; Gunn, Simon

2010-04-01

There has been limited research investigating the conceptual development of rehabilitation in speech-language pathology (SLP) students. The aim of this study was to describe SLP students' understanding of rehabilitation following completion of a clinical practicum in a rehabilitation setting. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach according to grounded theory methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 SLP students who had completed a practicum in a rehabilitation setting. Interview data analysis revealed the emergence of five axial categories. Clients becoming teachers was identified as the core category, as the notion that clients were fundamental to students' understanding of rehabilitation occurred reliably throughout the data and related to all other categories. A theoretical model was proposed that demonstrated successive levels of support to students in the acquisition of their understanding of rehabilitation on practicum. Students' understanding of rehabilitation was derived from client-related interactions and factors experienced on practicum in rehabilitation settings. Rehabilitation practicum provided students with a rich and complex learning environment that may facilitate the development of the "core skills" identified for rehabilitation practice.

The Conceptual Understanding of Sound by Students with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wild, Tiffany A.; Hilson, Margilee P.; Hobson, Sally M.

2013-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of the study presented here was to understand and describe the misconceptions of students with visual impairments about sound and instructional techniques that may help them to develop a scientific understanding. Methods: Semistructured interview-centered pre-and posttests were used to identify the students' conceptual…

Student Understanding of Light as an Electromagnetic Wave: Relating the Formalism to Physical Phenomena.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ambrose, Bradley S.; Heron, Paula R. L.; Vokos, Stamatis; McDermott, Lillian C.

1999-01-01

Some serious difficulties that students have in understanding physical optics may be due in part to a lack of understanding of light as an electromagnetic wave. Describes the development and use of tutorials designed to address students' conceptual difficulties. (Contains over 15 references.) (Author/WRM)

Role Playing Based on Multicultural for Understanding Fraction in Primary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryanto, S.; Budiarti, T.; Rahmatullah, R.; Utami, S. R.; Jupri, A.

2017-09-01

Multicultural serve as a reference in the development of innovative mathematical learning materials and is expected to be a solution in improving the ability of students in understanding the fraction matter based on social and mathematical approach, so this study aims to determine the improvement of students’ understanding in fraction matter through role playing by integrating multicultural concepts as development learning content. Classroom Action Research conducted on 34 students in elementary school class proves that students’ understanding in fraction matter shows improvement in cycle II as much as 67% of students are able to apply the concept or formula exactly when compared with the result of cycles I of 33%. This research is expected to be the reference of teachers in developing innovative mathematical learning, let alone explicitly, this concept not only emphasizes the cognitive abilities of students, but implicitly can develop their social skills in mathematical perspective.

Middle school students' understanding of time: Implications for the National Science Education Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinemann, Deborah Jean

2000-10-01

Measures of time are essential to human life, especially in the Western world. Human understanding of time develops from the preschool stages of using "before" and "after" to an adult understanding and appreciation of time. Previous researchers (for example, Piaget, Friedman) have investigated and described stages of time development. Time, as it was investigated here, can be classified as conventional, logical or experiential. Conventional time is the ordered representation of time; the days of the week, the months of the year, or clock time: seconds and hours. Logical time is the deduction of duration based on regular events; for example, calculating the passage of time based on two separate events. Experiential time involves the duration of events and estimating intervals. With the recent production of the National Science Education Standards (NSES), many schools are aligning their science curriculum with the NSES. Time appears both implicitly and explicitly in the NSES. Do Middle School students possess the understanding of time necessary to meet the recommendations of the NSES? An interview protocol of four sessions was developed to investigate middle school students understanding of time. The four sessions included: building and testing water clocks; an interview about water clocks and time intervals; a laserdisc presentation about relative time spans; and a mind mapping session. Students were also given the GALT test of Logical Thinking. The subjects of the study were interviewed; eleven eighth grade students and thirteen sixth grade students. The data was transcribed and coded, and a rubric was developed to evaluate students based on their responses to the four sessions. The Time Analysis Rubric is a grid of the types of time: conventional, logical and experiential time versus the degree of understanding of time. Student results were assigned to levels of understanding based on the Time Analysis Rubric. There was a relationship (although not significant) between the students' GALT score and the Time Analysis Rubric results. There was no difference in Time Analysis levels between sixth and eighth grade students. On the basis of this study, Middle School students' level of understanding of time appears to be sufficient to master the requirements of the NSES.

Assessing Students' Understanding of Macroevolution: Concerns regarding the validity of the MUM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novick, Laura R.; Catley, Kefyn M.

2012-11-01

In a recent article, Nadelson and Southerland (2010. Development and preliminary evaluation of the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution: Introducing the MUM. The Journal of Experimental Education, 78, 151-190) reported on their development of a multiple-choice concept inventory intended to assess college students' understanding of macroevolutionary concepts, the Measure of Understanding Macroevolution (MUM). Given that the only existing evolution inventories assess understanding of natural selection, a microevolutionary concept, a valid assessment of students' understanding of macroevolution would be a welcome and necessary addition to the field of science education. Although the conceptual framework underlying Nadelson and Southerland's test is promising, we believe the test has serious shortcomings with respect to validity evidence for the construct being tested. We argue and provide evidence that these problems are serious enough that the MUM should not be used in its current form to measure students' understanding of macroevolution.

Something has shifted: Nursing students' global perspective following international clinical placements.

PubMed

Gower, Shelley; Duggan, Ravani; Dantas, Jaya A R; Boldy, Duncan

2017-10-01

To examine understandings of global health issues among nursing students following participation in an international clinical placement during their pre-registration university education. Universities use international clinical placements, especially in developing countries, to develop cultural awareness in students; however, little is known about the longer term influences on students' understandings of global nursing. A retrospective cross-sectional design was used, using an exploratory, descriptive qualitative approach. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2014 with a purposive sample of 25 pre-registration nursing students from four Western Australian universities who undertook clinical placements across five countries. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Findings highlight that students developed new understandings around health systems including fragility of resource access, differences in clinical practice and variances in nursing roles between settings. Students also experienced challenges but were able to appreciate alternative world viewpoints. International clinical placements can develop greater awareness and help students form realistic strategies for using their nursing skills globally. Pre-placement training in cultural awareness and health system realities, along with strong supervisory support, is critical to success. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Making the Connection: The Use of Student Development Theory in First-Year and Transition Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Vasti; LePeau, Lucy A.

2013-01-01

This article focuses on past and present research studies that examined the creation of developmental theories to help understand how students develop while in college. The implications of this manuscript include understanding how the diversity of today's student body influences practice, considering the appropriate knowledge base needed to…

Following Young Students' Understanding of Three Phenomena in which Transformations of Matter Occur

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lofgren, Lena; Hellden, Gustav

2008-01-01

In order to develop successful teaching approaches to transformations of matter, we need to know more about how young students develop an understanding of these processes. In this longitudinal study, we followed 25 students from 7 to 13 years of age in their reasoning about transformations of matter. The questions addressed included how the…

Guiding Students to Develop an Understanding of Scientific Inquiry: A Science Skills Approach to Instruction and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Elisa M.

2014-01-01

New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific…

Urban High School Students' Critical Science Agency: Conceptual Understandings and Environmental Actions around Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeill, Katherine L.; Vaughn, Meredith Houle

2012-01-01

This study investigates how the enactment of a climate change curriculum supports students' development of critical science agency, which includes students developing deep understandings of science concepts and the ability to take action at the individual and community levels. We examined the impact of a four to six week urban ecology curriculum…

A Course in Evolutionary Biology: Engaging Students in the "Practice" of Evolution. Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Passmore, Cynthia; Stewart, James

Recent education reform documents emphasize the need for students to develop a rich understanding of evolution's power to integrate knowledge of the natural world. This paper describes a nine-week high school course designed to help students understand evolutionary biology by engaging them in developing, elaborating, and using Charles Darwin's…

Developing learning trajectory on the circumference of a cycle with realistic mathematics education (RME)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Indriani, Novi; Julie, Hongki

2017-08-01

According Nuranisa, the students' difficulties on a lesson about the circumference of a circle were to understand the concept of what was the circumference of a circle and solve problems associated with the circumference of a circle [8]. According Nuranisa, this is because the teacher only gives a formula to find the circumference of a circle without helping students to construct the formula [8]. The purposes of this study were (1) to develop the hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT) for the cycle circumference material, (2) to describe the student results from the HLT implementation. The type of research used in this research was the design research developed by Gravemeijer and Cobb (2006). According Gravemeijer and Cobb, the design research was divided into three stages: (1) preparing for the experiment, (2) design experiments, and (3) retrospective analysis [6]. In this study, researchers developed the student learning trajectories which were help students to construct their knowledge about the understanding and how to calculate the circumference of a circle. The context used on the students' learning trajectory was sports and arts event. The learning trajectory has been tried out for 15 grade five students on the Budya Wacana elementary school in Yogyakarta. In this paper, researchers would describe how the learning trajectory traversed students to construct their knowledge about the understanding and how to calculate the circumference of the circle and the student thinking process on the understanding and how to calculate the circumference of a circle. The results showed that students could construct about the understanding of the circumference of a circle and how to calculate the circumference of a circle through the student learning trajectory.

It's Rather like Learning a Language: Development of talk and conceptual understanding in mechanics lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rincke, Karsten

2011-01-01

Although a broad literature exists concerning the development of conceptual understanding of force and other topics within mechanics, little is known about the role and development of students' talk about the subject. The paper presents an in-depth investigation of students' talk whilst being introduced to the concept of force. The main research goal was to investigate and understand how students develop an understanding of the concept of force and how they use and understand the term 'force'. Therefore, we make relation to the research field of students' preconceptions and the field of second language learning. Two classes of students (N = 47) were videotaped during a time period of nine lessons, each transcribed and analysed using a category system. Additional data were obtained via written tasks, logs kept by the students, and tests. The detailed analysis of the talk and the results of the tests indicate that students face difficulties in using the term 'force' scientifically similar to those in a foreign language instruction. Vygotsky already recognised a relationship between learning in science and learning a language. In this paper, important aspects of this relationship are discussed based upon empirical data. We conclude that in some respects it might be useful to make reference to the research related to language learning when thinking about improving science education. In particular, according to Selinker's concept of interlanguage describing language-learning processes within language instruction, the language used by the students during physics lessons can be viewed as a 'scientific interlanguage'.

Understanding of Eight Grade Students about Transformation Geometry: Perspectives on Students' Mistakes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aktas, Gulfem Sarpkaya; Ünlü, Melihan

2017-01-01

People need the idea of transformation geometry in order to understand the nature and environment they live in. The teachers should provide learning environments towards perceptual understanding in symmetry training and development practice skills of the students. In order to make up such a learning environment, teachers should have information…

Students' Understanding of Mathematical Expressions in Physical Chemistry Contexts: An Analysis Using Sherin's Symbolic Forms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Nicole; Towns, Marcy

2012-01-01

Undergraduate physical chemistry courses require students to be proficient in calculus in order to develop an understanding of thermodynamics concepts. Here we present the findings of a study that examines student understanding of mathematical expressions, including partial derivative expressions, in two undergraduate physical chemistry courses.…

Concept Mapping as a Tool to Develop and Measure Students' Understanding in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Sema; Erdimez, Omer; Zimmerman, Robert

2017-01-01

Concept maps measured a student's understanding of the complexity of concepts, and interrelationships. Novak and Gowin (1984) claimed that the continuous use of concept maps increased the complexity and interconnectedness of students' understanding of relationships between concepts in a particular science domain. This study has two purposes; the…

Developing Deaf Students Fraction Skills Requires Understanding Magnitude and Whole Number Division

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mousley, Keith; Kelly, Ronald R.

2018-01-01

Research has shown that fraction magnitude and whole number division are important precursors to learning and understanding fractions. Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students are consistently challenged with learning fractions from K-12 through college. Sixty DHH college students were tested for both their understanding of magnitude between two…

Enhancing Students' Understanding of Photosynthesis and Respiration in Plant through Conceptual Change Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yenilmez, Ayse; Tekkaya, Ceren

2006-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of combining conceptual change text and discussion web strategies on students' understanding of photosynthesis and respiration in plants. Students' conceptual understanding of photosynthesis and respiration in plants was measured using the two-tier diagnostic test developed by Haslam and Treagust (1987,…

Markov Processes: Exploring the Use of Dynamic Visualizations to Enhance Student Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfannkuch, Maxine; Budgett, Stephanie

2016-01-01

Finding ways to enhance introductory students' understanding of probability ideas and theory is a goal of many first-year probability courses. In this article, we explore the potential of a prototype tool for Markov processes using dynamic visualizations to develop in students a deeper understanding of the equilibrium and hitting times…

Developing Understanding of Image Formation by Lenses through Collaborative Learning Mediated by Multimedia Computer-Assisted Learning Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tao, Ping-Kee

2004-01-01

This article reports the use of a computer-based collaborative learning instruction designed to help students develop understanding of image formation by lenses. The study aims to investigate how students, working in dyads and mediated by multimedia computer-assisted learning (CAL) programs, construct shared knowledge and understanding. The…

Assessing and Improving Student Understanding of Tree-Thinking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummer, Tyler A.

Evolution is the unifying theory of biology. The importance of understanding evolution by those who study the origins, diversification and diversity life cannot be overstated. Because of its importance, in addition to a scientific study of evolution, many researchers have spent time studying the acceptance and the teaching of evolution. Phylogenetic Systematics is the field of study developed to understand the evolutionary history of organisms, traits, and genes. Tree-thinking is the term by which we identify concepts related to the evolutionary history of organisms. It is vital that those who undertake a study of biology be able to understand and interpret what information these phylogenies are meant to convey. In this project, we evaluated the current impact a traditional study of biology has on the misconceptions students hold by assessing tree-thinking in freshman biology students to those nearing the end of their studies. We found that the impact of studying biology was varied with some misconceptions changing significantly while others persisted. Despite the importance of tree-thinking no appropriately developed concept inventory exists to measure student understanding of these important concepts. We developed a concept inventory capable of filling this important need and provide evidence to support its use among undergraduate students. Finally, we developed and modified activities as well as courses based on best practices to improve teaching and learning of tree-thinking and organismal diversity. We accomplished this by focusing on two key questions. First, how do we best introduce students to tree-thinking and second does tree-thinking as a course theme enhance student understanding of not only tree-thinking but also organismal diversity. We found important evidence suggesting that introducing students to tree-thinking via building evolutionary trees was less successful than introducing the concept via tree interpretation and may have in fact introduced or strengthened a misconception. We also found evidence that infusing tree-thinking into an organismal diversity course not only enhances student understanding of tree-thinking but also helps them better learn organismal diversity.

A structural equation modeling analysis of students' understanding in basic mathematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktavia, Rini; Arif, Salmawaty; Ferdhiana, Ridha; Yuni, Syarifah Meurah; Ihsan, Mahyus

2017-11-01

This research, in general, aims to identify incoming students' understanding and misconceptions of several basic concepts in mathematics. The participants of this study are the 2015 incoming students of Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science of Syiah Kuala University, Indonesia. Using an instrument that were developed based on some anecdotal and empirical evidences on students' misconceptions, a survey involving 325 participants was administered and several quantitative and qualitative analysis of the survey data were conducted. In this article, we discuss the confirmatory factor analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) on factors that determine the new students' overall understanding of basic mathematics. The results showed that students' understanding on algebra, arithmetic, and geometry were significant predictors for their overall understanding of basic mathematics. This result supported that arithmetic and algebra are not the only predictors of students' understanding of basic mathematics.

Students' Coordination of Geometric Reasoning and Measuring Strategies on a Fixed Perimeter Task: Developing Mathematical Understanding of Linear Measurement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Jeffrey E.; Clements, Douglas H.; Klanderman, David; Pennisi, Sarah-Jean; Polaki, Mokaeane V.

2006-01-01

This article examines students' development of levels of understanding for measurement by describing the coordination of geometric reasoning with measurement and numerical strategies. In analyzing the reasoning and argumentation of 38 Grade 2 through Grade 10 students on linear measure tasks, we found support for the application and elaboration of…

Development and Evaluation of a Tutorial to Improve Students' Understanding of a Lock-in Amplifier

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVore, Seth; Gauthier, Alexandre; Levy, Jeremy; Singh, Chandralekha

2016-01-01

A lock-in amplifier is a versatile instrument frequently used in physics research. However, many students struggle with the basic operating principles of a lock-in amplifier which can lead to a variety of difficulties. To improve students' understanding, we have been developing and evaluating a research-based tutorial which makes use of a computer…

Net Generation of Youth: A Case Study of Students in a Technology-Based Youth Development Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Coran

2013-01-01

The purpose of this interpretive study was to understand how students made sense of their experiences in a technology-based youth development program. This study was framed by James P. Connell and Michelle A. Gambone's, Community Action Framework for Youth Development, conceptual model for understanding youth development that identifies the…

The Development of an Assessment Tool: Student Knowledge of the Concept of Place Value

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Major, Karen

2012-01-01

The importance of student understanding of the concept of place value cannot be underestimated. Place value is a "gate keeper" in developing mathematical understanding. The purpose of this study was to examine and develop a teacher-made test of place value knowledge. The questions were developed using the progressions from the Number…

The Relationship between Student Leaders' Constructive Development, Their Leadership Identity, and Their Understanding of Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sessa, Valerie I.; Ploskonka, Jillian; Alvarez, Elphys L.; Dourdis, Steven; Dixon, Christopher; Bragger, Jennifer D.

2016-01-01

The purpose of our research was to use Day, Harrison, and Halpin's, (2009) theory of leadership development as a premise to investigate how students' constructive development is related to their leader identity development and understanding of leadership. Baxter Magolda's Model of Epistemological Reflection (MER, 1988, 2001) was used to understand…

Collaborative Learning: Students' Perspectives on How Learning Happens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almajed, Abdulaziz; Skinner, Vicki; Peterson, Ray; Winning, Tracey

2016-01-01

Collaborative learning (CL), a core component of inquiry-based learning approaches, aims to support students' development of key skills (e.g., working in multidisciplinary teams). To design effective CL activities, we need to understand students' perceptions about CL. However, few studies have examined students' understandings of CL. This…

Students' Independent Use of Screencasts and Simulations to Construct Understanding of Solubility Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrington, Deborah G.; Sweeder, Ryan D.; VandenPlas, Jessica R.

2017-01-01

As students increasingly use online chemistry animations and simulations, it is becoming more important to understand how students independently engage with such materials and to develop a set of best practices for students' use of these resources outside of the classroom. Most of the literature examining students' use of animations and…

Students' Conceptions of Underlying Principles in Medical Physiology: An Interview Study of Medical Students' Understanding in a PBL Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fyrenius, Anna; Silen, Charlotte; Wirell, Staffan

2007-01-01

Medical physiology is known to be a complex area where students develop significant errors in conceptual understanding. Students' knowledge is often bound to situational descriptions rather than underlying principles. This study explores how medical students discern and process underlying principles in physiology. Indepth interviews, where…

Professional Noticing: Developing Responsive Mathematics Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Jonathan N.; Eisenhardt, Sara; Fisher, Molly H.; Schack, Edna O.; Tassell, Janet; Yoder, Margaret

2014-01-01

Thoughtful implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010) presents an opportunity for increased emphasis on the development of mathematical understanding among students. Granted, ascertaining the mathematical understanding of an individual student is highly complex work and often exceedingly difficult.…

Developing Empathy towards Older Adults in Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altay, Burçak

2017-01-01

In design disciplines, an affective understanding of users' everyday lives can increase designer sensitivity and awareness, leading to higher-quality design outcomes. Developing students' empathic understanding within design education is required to accomplish this goal. This article discusses learning strategies that enhance students' empathic…

Investigating student understanding of simple harmonic motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somroob, S.; Wattanakasiwich, P.

2017-09-01

This study aimed to investigate students’ understanding and develop instructional material on a topic of simple harmonic motion. Participants were 60 students taking a course on vibrations and wave and 46 students taking a course on Physics 2 and 28 students taking a course on Fundamental Physics 2 on the 2nd semester of an academic year 2016. A 16-question conceptual test and tutorial activities had been developed from previous research findings and evaluated by three physics experts in teaching mechanics before using in a real classroom. Data collection included both qualitative and quantitative methods. Item analysis and whole-test analysis were determined from student responses in the conceptual test. As results, most students had misconceptions about restoring force and they had problems connecting mathematical solutions to real motions, especially phase angle. Moreover, they had problems with interpreting mechanical energy from graphs and diagrams of the motion. These results were used to develop effective instructional materials to enhance student abilities in understanding simple harmonic motion in term of multiple representations.

On-Ramp: Improving students' understanding of lock-in amplifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeVore, Seth; Singh, Chandralekha; Levy, Jeremy

2013-03-01

A lock-in amplifier is a powerful and versatile instrument which is used frequently in condensed matter physics research. However, many students struggle with the basics of a lock-in amplifier and they have difficulty in interpreting the data obtained with this device in diverse applications. To improve students' understanding, we are developing an ``On-Ramp'' tutorial based on physics education research which makes use of a computer simulation of a lock-in amplifier. During the development of the tutorial we interviewed several faculty members and graduate students. The tutorial is based on a field-tested approach in which students realize their difficulties after predicting the outcome of experiments that use a lock-in amplifier; students can check their predictions using simulations. The tutorial then guides students toward a coherent understanding of the basics of a lock-in amplifier. This poster will discuss the development and assessment process. This work is supported by NSF NEB (DMR-1124131) and NSF (PHY-1202909).

Considering Students' Out-of-School Lives and Values in Designing Learning Environments for Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walsh, E.; Tsurusaki, B.

2012-12-01

What are the implications of social controversy for the teaching and learning of climate change science? How do the political dimensions of this controversy affect learners' attitudes towards and reasoning about climate change and climate science? Case studies from a pilot enactment of an ecological impacts of climate change curriculum explore these questions by describing how five high school students' understandings of climate change science developed at the intersection of political and scientific values, attitudes, and ways of knowing. Case studies combine qualitative, ethnographic methods including interviews and classroom video observations with quantitative pre/post-assessments of student conceptual understandings and weekly surveys of student engagement. Data indicate that students had initial perceptions of climate change informed by the media and their families—both supporting and rejecting the scientific consensus—that influenced how they engaged with the scientific evidence. While students who were initially antagonistic to anthropogenic climate change did develop conceptual understandings of the scientific evidence for human-influences on climate change, this work was challenging and at times frustrating for them. These case studies demonstrate the wide range of initial attitudes and understandings that students bring to the study of climate change. They also demonstrate that it is possible to make significant shifts in students' understandings of climate change science, even in students who were initially resistant to the idea of anthropogenic climate change. Finally, multiple case studies discuss ways that the learning that occurred in the classroom crossed out of the classroom into the students' homes and family talk. This work highlights how learners' pathways are shaped not only by their developing understanding of the scientific evidence but also by the political and social influences that learners navigate across the contexts of their lives. It underscores the need to understand and support students as they interact with climate change across the contexts of their lives.

Construction of technological artifacts and teaching strategies to promote flexible scientific understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spitulnik, Michele Wisnudel

Science education reforms advocate inquiry as a way to build explanations and make informed decisions. Based on this call this dissertation (1) defines flexible scientific understanding by elaborating on content, inquiry and epistemic understandings; (2) describes an inquiry based unit that integrates dynamic modeling software; (3) examines students' understandings as they construct models; and (4) identifies instructional strategies that support inquiry and model building. A curriculum unit was designed to engage students in inquiry by identifying problems and constructing models to represent, explain and predict phenomena. Ninth grade students in a public mid-western high school worked in teams of 2-3 to ask questions, find information and reflect on the purposes of models. Data sources including classroom video, observations, interviews, student models and handouts were used to formulate cases that examine how two groups construct understanding. A teacher case study identifies the teaching strategies that support understanding. Categories within content, inquiry and epistemic understandings were used to analyze student understandings and teaching supports. The findings demonstrate that students can build flexible understanding by constructing models. Students built: (1) content understanding by identifying key ideas and building relationships and explanations of phenomena; (2) inquiry understanding by defining problems, constructing models and developing positions; and (3) epistemic understanding by describing the purposes of models as generalizing phenomena, testing hypotheses and making predictions. However, students demonstrated difficulty in using evidence to defend scientific arguments. Strategies that support flexible understanding were also identified. Content supports include: setting expectations for explanations; using examples to illustrate explanations; modeling questions; and providing feedback that prompts detailed explanations. Supports for inquiry are setting expectations for data gathering; using examples that illustrate model building; modeling the development of an argument; and providing feedback to promote coherent models. Epistemic supports include: using examples to illustrate purposes and assumptions within models, and providing feedback as students evaluate their models. The dissertation demonstrates that teaching strategies impact student understanding but are challenging to implement. When strategies are not used, students do not necessarily construct desired outcomes such as, using evidence to support arguments.

How Well Do Students in Secondary School Understand Temporal Development of Dynamical Systems?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forjan, Matej; Grubelnik, Vladimir

2015-01-01

Despite difficulties understanding the dynamics of complex systems only simple dynamical systems without feedback connections have been taught in secondary school physics. Consequently, students do not have opportunities to develop intuition of temporal development of systems, whose dynamics are conditioned by the influence of feedback processes.…

Do Pre-Service Science Teachers Have Understanding of the Nature of Science?: Explicit-Reflective Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Örnek, Funda; Turkey, Kocaeli

2014-01-01

Current approaches in Science Education attempt to enable students to develop an understanding of the nature of science, develop fundamental scientific concepts, and develop the ability to structure, analyze, reason, and communicate effectively. Students pose, solve, and interpret scientific problems, and eventually set goals and regulate their…

Using Service-Learning as a Tool to Develop Intercultural Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, April A. Mattix; Cunningham, Heather B.; Wrightsman, Karen R.

2015-01-01

Service-learning provides a wide range of opportunities for students to develop intercultural understanding. As a practice, service-learning has the potential to strengthen the development of student attitudes that support collaboration between people of different cultural groups. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in…

Graphical Representations of Data Improve Student Understanding of Measurement and Uncertainty: An Eye-Tracking Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Susac, Ana; Bubic, Andreja; Martinjak, Petra; Planinic, Maja; Palmovic, Marijan

2017-01-01

Developing a better understanding of the measurement process and measurement uncertainty is one of the main goals of university physics laboratory courses. This study investigated the influence of graphical representation of data on student understanding and interpreting of measurement results. A sample of 101 undergraduate students (48 first year…

Understanding Metallic Bonding: Structure, Process and Interaction by Rasch Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Maurice M. W.; Oon, Pey-Tee

2016-01-01

This paper reports the results of a survey of 3006 Year 10-12 students on their understandings of metallic bonding. The instrument was developed based on Chi's ontological categories of scientific concepts and students' understanding of metallic bonding as reported in the literature. The instrument has two parts. Part one probed into students'…

Circuits and pathways of understanding: "I can't believe we're actually figuring out some stuff"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughs-McDonnell, Fiona Jane

2000-12-01

Piaget's studies of young children and adolescents are evidence that people construct their own understanding and that action and reflection is at the heart of developing understanding. Yet, most physics teaching is didactic in nature and physics students are rarely free to develop their own understanding of formal curriculum topics. Consequently, interpretive descriptions of how physics students can develop subject matter understanding both in response to their interactions with the objects that make up a subject matter and their active reflection on those interactions are scarce. In this thesis, using a series of classroom vignettes, I reconstruct some of how two groups of high school physics students came to understand the curriculum topic electrical circuits through their exploration of batteries, bulbs, and wires and their active reflections on those explorations. The data sources that inform the classroom vignettes include the transcribed audiotapes of classroom dialogue, student journals and activity sheets, and the fieldnotes that I made during each class session. The study took place in the classroom of Kris Newton, whose teaching of physics is informed by her experiences with teaching-research, a methodology developed by Eleanor Duckworth. Duckworth's experiences with Jean Piaget and Barbel Inhelder in Geneva, Switzerland and her experiences developing curriculum with the Elementary Science Study were both formative for her in developing the notion of teaching-research. The classroom is located in an ethnically diverse urban high school with a student body of approximately 2,000. I conducted the study during the spring of 1997 and 1998. At the time of the study all but two of the students were in their junior year of high school.

The role of models/and analogies in science education: implications from research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coll, Richard K.; France, Bev; Taylor, Ian

2005-02-01

Models and modelling are key tools for scientists, science teachers and science learners. In this paper we argue that classroom-based research evidence demonstrates that the use of models and analogies within the pedagogy of science education may provide a route for students to gain some understanding of the nature of science. A common theme to emerge from the literature reviewed here is that in order to successfully develop conceptual understandings in science, learners need to be able to reflect on and discuss their understandings of scientific concepts as they are developing them. Pedagogies that involve various types of modelling are most effective when students are able to construct and critique their own and scientists' models. Research also suggests that group work and peer discussion are important ways of enhancing students' cognitive and metacognitive thinking skills. Further we argue that an understanding of science models and the modelling process enables students to develop a metacognitive awareness of knowledge development within the science community, as well as providing the tools to reflect on their own scientific understanding.

Investigating Student Understanding for a Statistical Analysis of Two Thermally Interacting Solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loverude, Michael E.

2010-10-01

As part of an ongoing research and curriculum development project for upper-division courses in thermal physics, we have developed a sequence of tutorials in which students apply statistical methods to examine the behavior of two interacting Einstein solids. In the sequence, students begin with simple results from probability and develop a means for counting the states in a single Einstein solid. The students then consider the thermal interaction of two solids, and observe that the classical equilibrium state corresponds to the most probable distribution of energy between the two solids. As part of the development of the tutorial sequence, we have developed several assessment questions to probe student understanding of various aspects of this system. In this paper, we describe the strengths and weaknesses of student reasoning, both qualitative and quantitative, to assess the readiness of students for one tutorial in the sequence.

Components of Place Value Understanding: Targeting Mathematical Difficulties When Providing Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, Beth L.; Westenskow, Arla; Moyer-Packenham, Patricia S.; Child, Barbara

2018-01-01

Place value understanding requires the same activity that students use when developing fractional and algebraic reasoning, making this understanding foundational to mathematics learning. However, many students engage successfully in mathematics classrooms without having a conceptual understanding of place value, preventing them from accessing…

Junior High School Students’ Understanding and Problem Solving Skills on the Topics of Line and Angles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irsal, I. L.; Jupri, A.; Prabawanto, S.

2017-09-01

Line and angles is important topics to learn to develop the geometry skills and also mathematics skills such as understanding and problem solving skills. But, the fact was given by Indonesian researcher show that Indonesian students’ understanding and problem solving skills still low in this topics. This fact be a background to investigate students’ understanding and problem solving skills in line and angles topics. To investigate these skills, this study used descriptive-qualitative approach. Individual written test (essay) and interview was used in this study. 72 students grade 8th from one of Junior High School in Lembang, worked the written test and 18 of them were interviewed. Based on result, almost of student were have a good instrumental understanding in line and angles topic in same area, but almost all student have a low instrumental understanding in line and angles topic in different area. Almost all student have a low relational understanding. Also, almost all student have a low problem solving skills especially in make and use strategy to solve the problem and looking back their answer. Based on result there is need a meaningfulness learning strategy, which can make students build their understanding and develop their problem solving skill independently.

Progression towards Functions: Students' Performance on Three Tasks about Variables from Grades 7 to 12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayalon, Michal; Watson, Anne; Lerman, Steve

2016-01-01

Identifying and expressing relations between quantities is a key aspect of understanding and using functions. We are aiming to understand the development of functions understanding throughout school years in Israel. A survey instrument was developed with teachers and given to 20 high and average achieving students from each of years 7-11 and to 10…

Towards a Theoretical Framework for Understanding PGCE Student Teacher Learning in the Wild Coast Rural Schools' Partnership Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennefather, Jane

2016-01-01

This article focuses on a theoretical model that I am developing in order to understand student teacher learning in a rural context and the enabling conditions that can support this learning. The question of whether a supervised teaching practice in a rural context can contribute to the development of student teacher professional learning and…

The Impact of Short-Term Science Teacher Professional Development on the Evaluation of Student Understanding and Errors Related to Natural Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buschang, Rebecca Ellen

2012-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of a short-term professional development session. Forty volunteer high school biology teachers were randomly assigned to one of two professional development conditions: (a) developing deep content knowledge (i.e., control condition) or (b) evaluating student errors and understanding in writing samples (i.e.,…

Students' Development of Astronomy Concepts across Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plummer, Julia

Students in Grades 1, 3, and 8 (N = 60) were interviewed while using a planetarium-like setting that allowed the students to demonstrate their ideas about apparent celestial motion both verbally and with their own motions. Though the older students were generally more accurate in many conceptual areas compared with the younger students, in several areas, the eighth-grade students showed no improvement over the third-grade students. The use of kinesthetic learning techniques in a planetarium program was also explored as a method to improve understanding of celestial motion. Pre- and postinterviews were conducted with participants from seven classes of first- and second-grade students (N = 63). Students showed significant improvement in all areas of apparent celestial motion covered by the planetarium program and surpassed the middle school students' understanding of these concepts in most areas. Based on the results of these studies, a learning progression was developed describing how children may progress through successively more complex ways of understanding apparent celestial motion across elementary grades.

Standing in the Hallway Improves Students' Understanding of Conformity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Timothy J.; Haubner, Richard R.; Bodle, James H.

2013-01-01

To help beginning psychology students understand how they are influenced by social pressures to conform, we developed a demonstration designed to elicit their conformity to a small group of students standing in the hallway before class. Results showed the demonstration increased students' recognition of their own tendency to conform, knowledge of…

Pre-University Chemistry Students in a Mimicked Scholarly Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Rens, Lisette; Hermarij, Philip; Pilot, Albert; Beishuizen, Jos; Hofman, Herman; Wal, Marjolein

2014-01-01

Peer review is a significant component in scientific research. Introducing peer review into inquiry processes may be regarded as an aim to develop student understanding regarding quality in inquiries. This study examines student understanding in inquiry peer reviews among pre-university chemistry students, aged 16-17, when they enact a design of a…

How Does Student Understanding of a Concept Change Throughout a Unit of Instruction? Support Toward the Theory of Learning Progressions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyer, Brian Jay

This study documented the changes in understanding a class of eighth grade high school-level biology students experienced through a biology unit introducing genetics. Learning profiles for 55 students were created using concept maps and interviews as qualitative and quantitative instruments. The study provides additional support to the theory of learning progressions called for by experts in the field. The students' learning profiles were assessed to determine the alignment with a researcher-developed learning profile. The researcher-developed learning profile incorporated the learning progressions published in the Next Generation Science Standards, as well as current research in learning progressions for 5-10th grade students studying genetics. Students were found to obtain understanding of the content in a manner that was nonlinear, even circuitous. This opposes the prevailing interpretation of learning progressions, that knowledge is ascertained in escalating levels of complexity. Learning progressions have implications in teaching sequence, assessment, education research, and policy. Tracking student understanding of other populations of students would augment the body of research and enhance generalizability.

A Student Assembled Spectrograph with a CCD Detector to Assist with Students' Understanding of Spectrometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grove, T. T.; Masters, M. F.

2007-01-01

To help students develop an understanding of the proper use and function of spectrographs and monochromators we describe a student-assembled spectrograph using a "webcam" detector. The apparatus also works well as a low-cost demonstration, helping students make connections between an atomic spectrum observed by eye and a plot of the relative…

Supporting Knowledge Integration in Chemistry with a Visualization-Enhanced Inquiry Unit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Jennifer L.; Linn, Marcia C.

2014-02-01

This paper describes the design and impact of an inquiry-oriented online curriculum that takes advantage of dynamic molecular visualizations to improve students' understanding of chemical reactions. The visualization-enhanced unit uses research-based guidelines following the knowledge integration framework to help students develop coherent understanding by connecting and refining existing and new ideas. The inquiry unit supports students to develop connections among molecular, observable, and symbolic representations of chemical reactions. Design-based research included a pilot study, a study comparing the visualization-enhanced inquiry unit to typical instruction, and a course-long comparison study featuring a delayed posttest. Students participating in the visualization-enhanced unit outperformed students receiving typical instruction and further consolidated their understanding on the delayed posttest. Students who used the visualization-enhanced unit formed more connections among concepts than students with typical textbook and lecture-based instruction. Item analysis revealed the types of connections students made when studying the curriculum and suggested how these connections enabled students to consolidate their understanding as they continued in the chemistry course. Results demonstrate that visualization-enhanced inquiry designed for knowledge integration can improve connections between observable and atomic-level phenomena and serve students well as they study subsequent topics in chemistry.

An investigation of Zimbabwe high school chemistry students' laboratory work-based images of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vhurumuku, Elaosi; Holtman, Lorna; Mikalsen, Oyvind; Kolsto, Stein D.

2006-02-01

This study investigates the proximal and distal images of the nature of science (NOS) that A-level students develop from their participation in chemistry laboratory work. We also explored the nature of the interactions among the students' proximal and distal images of the NOS and students' participation in laboratory work. Students' views of the NOS and the nature of their chemistry laboratory work were elicited through students' responses to an open-ended questionnaire and semistructured interviews. The results suggest that students build some understandings of the NOS from their participation in laboratory work. Students' proximal NOS understandings appear to build into and interact with their understandings of the nature and practice of professional science. This interaction appears to be mediated by the nature of instruction. It is posited that each student's conceptual ecological system is replete with interactions, which govern attenuation of proximal understandings into distal images. Methodologically, the study illustrates how students' laboratory work-based proximal and distal images of the NOS can be identified and extracted through analyzing and interpreting their responses to protocols. Implications for A-level Chemistry instruction and curriculum development are raised.

Understanding Co-development of Conceptual and Epistemic Understanding through Modeling Practices with Mobile Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Suna; Han, Yuhwha; Paik, Seoung-Hey

2015-04-01

The present study explores how engaging in modeling practice, along with argumentation, leverages students' epistemic and conceptual understanding in an afterschool science/math class of 16 tenth graders. The study also explores how students used mobile Internet phones (smart phones) productively to support modeling practices. As the modeling practices became more challenging, student discussion occurred more often, from what to model to providing explanations for the phenomenon. Students came to argue about evidence that supported their model and how the model could explain target and related phenomena. This finding adds to the literature that modeling practice can help students improve conceptual understanding of subject knowledge as well as epistemic understanding.

Dilations and the Equation of a Line

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yopp, David A.

2016-01-01

Students engage in proportional reasoning when they use covariance and multiple comparisons. Without rich connections to proportional reasoning, students may develop inadequate understandings of linear relationships and the equations that model them. Teachers can improve students' understanding of linear relationships by focusing on realistic…

A Study of How Classroom Dialogue Facilitates the Development of Geometric Spatial Concepts Related to Understanding the Cause of Moon Phases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherrod, Sonya Ellouise; Wilhelm, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Research indicates that student understanding is either confirmed or reformed when given opportunities to share what they know. This study was conducted to answer the research question: Will classroom dialogue facilitate students' understanding of lunar concepts related to geometric spatial visualisation? Ninety-two middle school students engaged…

High School 9th Grade Students' Understanding Level and Misconceptions about Temperature and Factors Affecting It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akbas, Yavuz

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore students' understanding levels and misconceptions about temperature and factors affecting it. The concept of the study was chosen from Geography National Curriculum. In this study, a questionnaire was developed after a pilot study with an aim to ascertain the students' understanding levels of temperature and…

Dual Processing and Discourse Space: Exploring Fifth Grade Students' Language, Reasoning, and Understanding through Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Sae Yeol

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the development of students' understanding through writing while immersed in an environment where there was a strong emphasis on a language-based argument inquiry approach. Additionally, this study explored students' spoken discourse to gain a better understanding of what role(s) talking plays in…

Development and validation of a method for measuring depth of understanding in constructivist learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guarino, Lucia Falsetti

A method for measuring depth of understanding of students in the middle-level science classroom was developed and validated. A common theme in the literature on constructivism in science education is that constructivist pedagogy, as opposed to objectivist pedagogy, results in a greater depth of understanding. Since few instruments measuring this construct exist at the present time, the development of such a tool to measure this construct was a significant contribution to the current body of assessment technologies in science education. The author's Depth of Understanding Assessment (DUA) evolved from a writing measure originally designed as a history assessment. The study involved 230 eighth grade science students studying a chemical change unit. The main research questions were: (1) What is the relationship between the DUA and each of the following independent variables: recall, application, and questioning modalities as measured by the Cognitive Preference Test; deep, surface, achieving, and deep-achieving approaches as measured by the Learning Process Questionnaire; achievement as measured by the Chemical Change Quiz, and teacher perception of student ability to conceptualize science content? (2) Is there a difference in depth of understanding, as measured by the DUA, between students who are taught by objectivist pedagogy and students who are taught by constructivist pedagogy favoring the constructivist group? (3) Is there a gender difference in depth of understanding as measured by the DUA? (4) Do students who are taught by constructivist pedagogy perceive their learning environment as more constructivist than students who are taught by objectivist pedagogy? Six out of nine hypothesis tests supported the validity of the DUA. The results of the qualitative component of this study which consisted of student interviews substantiated the quantitative results by providing additional information and insights. There was a significant difference in depth of understanding between the two groups favoring the constructivist group, however, since only two teachers and their students participated in the study, the significance of this result is limited. There was a significant gender difference in depth of understanding favoring females. Students in the constructivist group perceived their learning environment to be more constructivist than students in the objectivist group.

Students' Developing Understanding of Water in Environmental Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Covitt, Beth A.; Gunckel, Kristin L.; Anderson, Charles W.

2009-01-01

The authors developed a framework of empirically grounded curricular goals for water-science literacy and documented the challenges that students face in achieving these goals. Water-related environmental science literacy requires an understanding of connected natural and human-engineered systems at multiple scales ranging from atomic-molecular…

Helping Your Students To Understand Complex Social Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valentine, Tom, Ed.; Sandlin, Jenny, Ed.

1998-01-01

This document, which was developed to assist individuals working in publicly sponsored literacy programs in Georgia, offers instructional plans and practical strategies designed to help teachers help students of adult literacy, adult basic education, General Educational Development, and English as a second language understand complex social…

Teaching for clinical reasoning - helping students make the conceptual links.

PubMed

McMillan, Wendy Jayne

2010-01-01

Dental educators complain that students struggle to apply what they have learnt theoretically in the clinical context. This paper is premised on the assumption that there is a relationship between conceptual thinking and clinical reasoning. The paper provides a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between conceptual learning and clinical reasoning. A review of current literature is used to explain the way in which conceptual understanding influences clinical reasoning and the transfer of theoretical understandings to the clinical context. The paper argues that the connections made between concepts are what is significant about conceptual understanding. From this point of departure the paper describes teaching strategies that facilitate the kinds of learning opportunities that students need in order to develop conceptual understanding and to be able to transfer knowledge from theoretical to clinical contexts. Along with a variety of teaching strategies, the value of concept maps is discussed. The paper provides a framework for understanding the difficulties that students have in developing conceptual networks appropriate for later clinical reasoning. In explaining how students learn for clinical application, the paper provides a theoretical framework that can inform how dental educators facilitate the conceptual learning, and later clinical reasoning, of their students.

Socioscientific Issues: A Path Towards Advanced Scientific Literacy and Improved Conceptual Understanding of Socially Controversial Scientific Theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinzino, Dean William

This thesis investigates the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) in the high school science classroom as an introduction to argumentation and socioscientific reasoning, with the goal of improving students' scientific literacy (SL). Current research is reviewed that supports the likelihood of students developing a greater conceptual understanding of scientific theories as well as a deeper understanding of the nature of science (NOS), through participation in informal and formal forms of argumentation in the context of SSI. Significant gains in such understanding may improve a student's ability to recognize the rigor, legitimacy, and veracity of scientific claims and better discern science from pseudoscience. Furthermore, students that participate in significant SSI instruction by negotiating a range of science-related social issues can make significant gains in content knowledge and develop the life-long skills of argumentation and evidence-based reasoning, goals not possible in traditional lecture-based science instruction. SSI-based instruction may therefore help students become responsible citizens. This synthesis also suggests that that the improvements in science literacy and NOS understanding that develop from sustained engagement in SSI-based instruction will better prepare students to examine and scrutinize socially controversial scientific theories (i.e., evolution, global warming, and the Big Bang).

Improving Marking Reliability of Scientific Writing with the Developing Understanding of Assessment for Learning Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bird, Fiona L.; Yucel, Robyn

2013-01-01

The Developing Understanding of Assessment for Learning (DUAL) programme was developed with the dual aims of improving both the quality and consistency of feedback students receive and the students' ability to use that feedback to improve. DUAL comprises a range of processes (including marking rubrics, sample reports, moderation discussions and…

Students' development of astronomy concepts across time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plummer, Julia Diane

2006-02-01

The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) recommend that students understand the apparent patterns of motion of the sun, moon and stars visible by the end of early elementary school. However, little information exists on students' knowledge of apparent celestial motion or instruction in this area. The goals of this dissertation were to describe children's knowledge of apparent celestial motion across elementary and middle school, explore early elementary students' ability to learn these topics through planetarium instruction, and begin the development of a learning progression for these concepts, First, third, and eighth grade students (N=60) were interviewed using a planetarium-like setting that allowed the students to demonstrate their ideas both verbally and with their own motions on an artificial sky. Analysis of these interviews suggests that students are not making the types of observations of the sky necessary to learn apparent celestial motion and any instruction they may have received has not helped them reach an accurate understanding of most topics. Most students at each grade level could not accurately describe the patterns of motion. Though the older students were more accurate in most of their descriptions than the younger students, in several areas the eighth grade students showed no improvement over the third grade students. The use of kinesthetic learning techniques in a planetarium program was also explored as a method to improve understanding of celestial motion. Pre- and post-interviews were conducted with participants from seven classes of first and second grade students (N=63). Students showed significant improvement in all areas of apparent celestial motion covered by the planetarium program and surpassed the middle school students' understanding of these concepts in most areas. This suggests that students in early elementary school are capable of learning the accurate description of apparent celestial motion. The results demonstrate the value of both kinesthetic learning techniques and the rich visual environment of the planetarium for improved understanding of celestial motion. Based on the results of these studies, I developed a learning progression describing how children may progress through successively more complex ways of understanding apparent celestial motion across elementary grades.

The Challenge of Evaluating Students' Scientific Literacy in a Writing-to-Learn Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomas, Louisa; Ritchie, Stephen M.

2015-02-01

This paper reports on the challenge of evaluating students' scientific literacy in a writing-to-learn context, as illustrated by our experience with an online science-writing project. In this mixed methods study, year 9 students in a case study class (13-14 year olds, n = 26) authored a series of two `hybridised' short stories that merged scientific and narratives genres about the socioscientific issue of biosecurity. In seeking to measure the efficacy of the intervention, we sought evidence of students' conceptual understanding communicated through their stories. Finding a suitable instrument presented our first challenge. This led to the development of scoring matrices to evaluate students' derived sense of scientific literacy. Student interviews were also conducted to explore their understanding of concepts related to the biosecurity context. While the results of these analyses showed significant improvements in students' understanding arising from their participation in the writing tasks, the interviews highlighted a second challenge in evaluating students' scientific literacy: a disparity between their written and vocalised understandings. The majority of students expressed a deeper level of conceptual understanding during the interviews than they did in their stories. The interviews also revealed alternative conceptions and instances of superficial understanding that were not expressed in their writing. Aside from the methodological challenge of analysing stories quantitatively, these findings suggest that in a writing-to-learn context, evaluating students' scientific literacy can be difficult. An examination of these artefacts in combination with interviews about students' written work provided a more comprehensive evaluation of their developing scientific literacy. The implications of this study for our understanding of the derived sense of scientific literacy, as well as implications for classroom practice, are discussed.

Understanding the Carbon Cycle : A Jigsaw Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hastings, D. W.

2006-12-01

A thorough understanding of the carbon cycle is fundamental to understanding the eventual fate of CO2. To achieve this, students must understand individual processes, such as photosynthesis and respiration, as well as an integrated knowledge of how these processes relate to each other. In this "jigsaw" exercise, each student is assigned one five fundamental geochemical processes in the short- term carbon cycle to research and fully understand. In class, students first meet with others who have studied the same process to strengthen and deepen their understanding of this process. They then form teams of five students and explain to other students their particular process. In exchange, other students explain the other aspects of the carbon cycle. At the end of class all students will know about each of the five processes, and thus develop an integrated understanding of the entire carbon cycle. This approach is an efficient method for students to learn the material. As in a jigsaw puzzle, each student's part is essential for the full understanding of the carbon cycle. Since each student's part is essential, then each student is essential, which is what makes this strategy effective The jigsaw approach encourages listening, engagement, and collaboration by giving each member of the group an essential part to play in the academic activity.

Visualizing Volume to Help Students Understand the Disk Method on Calculus Integral Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tasman, F.; Ahmad, D.

2018-04-01

Many research shown that students have difficulty in understanding the concepts of integral calculus. Therefore this research is interested in designing a classroom activity integrated with design research method to assist students in understanding the integrals concept especially in calculating the volume of rotary objects using disc method. In order to support student development in understanding integral concepts, this research tries to use realistic mathematical approach by integrating geogebra software. First year university student who takes a calculus course (approximately 30 people) was chosen to implement the classroom activity that has been designed. The results of retrospective analysis show that visualizing volume of rotary objects using geogebra software can assist the student in understanding the disc method as one way of calculating the volume of a rotary object.

The Effects of an Intensive Summer Laboratory Internship on Secondary Students' Understanding of the Nature of Science as Measured by the Test on Understanding of Science (TOUS).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McComas, William F.

This study examines the role of a 6- or 8-week summer university laboratory internship for 56 high ability secondary students in developing the views of these students with respect to the nature of science. Students were assessed using a gender-neutral version of the Test on Understanding Science (TOUS) as part of a pretest-posttest research…

Community College Student Perceptions Regarding Personal Development during a Study Abroad Program According to Arthur Chickering's Seven Vectors of Student Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blahusiak, Katarzyna

2012-01-01

This qualitative study explored community college student development during a study abroad program. The main research question was: How do community college students perceive the impact of participation in a study abroad program on their personal development? In addition, there were seven follow-up questions generated to understand students'…

The Impact of Short-Term Science Teacher Professional Development on the Evaluation of Student Understanding and Errors Related to Natural Selection. CRESST Report 822

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buschang, Rebecca E.

2012-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of a short-term professional development session. Forty volunteer high school biology teachers were randomly assigned to one of two professional development conditions: (a) developing deep content knowledge (i.e., control condition) or (b) evaluating student errors and understanding in writing samples (i.e.,…

Supporting students with disabilities--promoting understanding amongst mentors in practice.

PubMed

Tee, Stephen; Cowen, Michelle

2012-01-01

Good practice demands a clinical practice culture positively disposed to students with disabilities. Equality legislation seeks to protect those with a disability from either direct or indirect discrimination. The balance between providing "reasonable adjustments" for the student, whilst ensuring "Fitness to Practice", and ultimate employability, requires a close partnership between higher education and practice mentors. This paper reports on the development and evaluation of a range of interactive resources, used in the preparation of mentors to help them address the specific learning needs of disabled students. The evaluation revealed the benefit of student 'stories' in helping mentors to understand the support needs of disabled students and ensure reasonable adjustments are implemented in compliance with disability legislation. The interactive resources have been helpful in promoting positive action towards disabled students' learning, empathic understanding of mental health issues and knowledge and skills acquisition in support of dyslexic students. Implementing reasonable adjustments in practice requires a close working partnership between HEI's and mentors who appreciate support in understanding the development and application of coping strategies to overcome disabilities. Effective preparation of mentors is essential to ensure that opportunities for disabled students to succeed are maximised. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Developing and Implementing an Assessment Technique to Measure Linked Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ye, Li; Oueini, Razanne; Lewis, Scott E.

2015-01-01

The links students make among chemistry content is considered essential for a robust, enduring understanding in multiple learning theories. This article describes the development and implementation of an assessment technique, termed a Measure of Linked Concepts, designed to inform instructors on students' understanding of linking content…

Assessing Students' Understanding of Macroevolution: Concerns regarding the Validity of the MUM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Novick, Laura R.; Catley, Kefyn M.

2012-01-01

In a recent article, Nadelson and Southerland (2010. Development and preliminary evaluation of the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution: Introducing the MUM. "The Journal of Experimental Education", 78, 151-190) reported on their development of a multiple-choice concept inventory intended to assess college students' understanding…

Virtual Solar System Project: Building Understanding through Model Building.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barab, Sasha A.; Hay, Kenneth E.; Barnett, Michael; Keating, Thomas

2000-01-01

Describes an introductory astronomy course for undergraduate students in which students use three-dimensional (3-D) modeling tools to model the solar system and develop rich understandings of astronomical phenomena. Indicates that 3-D modeling can be used effectively in regular undergraduate university courses as a tool to develop understandings…

Building professional competence in dental hygiene students through a community-based practicum.

PubMed

Yoon, M N; Compton, S M

2017-11-01

As Canadians age, there is an increased need for oral health professionals specializing in services for this unique population. Dental hygiene students require exposure to this population to develop professional competencies. This study investigated the dimensions of professional competence that were developed through a practicum for dental hygiene students in long-term care settings while working with older adults. Nine dental hygiene students were recruited across two cohorts. All students completed reflective journals describing their practicum experiences. Five students also participated in an audio-recorded focus group and completed a pre-focus group questionnaire. Additionally, the practicum course coordinator completed an audio-recorded interview. Transcripts and journals were coded using a constant comparative approach and themes were identified. Students described developing client-focused skills, such as effective verbal and non-verbal communication with older adults with dementia. Context-based learning was also a large part of the competency development for the practicum students. Understanding the care environment within which these residents lived helped students to understand and empathize why oral health may not be prioritized. Students also developed an understanding of the work of other health professionals in the settings and improved their abilities to communicate with other healthcare providers. However, students recognized that the utility of those interprofessional skills in private practice may be limited. Dental hygiene students developed personal and ethical competencies during practicum that are highly transferrable across professional settings. Exposure of students to older adult populations in long-term care may increase the likelihood of dental hygienists working in this area. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Study of the Nature of Students' Models of Microscopic Processes in the Context of Modern Physics Experiments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thacker, Beth Ann

2003-01-01

Interviews university students in modern physics about their understanding of three fundamental experiments. Explores their development of models of microscopic processes. Uses interactive demonstrations to probe student understanding of modern physics experiments in two high school physics classes. Analyzes the nature of students' models and the…

Understanding Student Engagement in Online Learning Environments: The Role of Reflexivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahn, Peter; Everington, Lucy; Kelm, Kathleen; Reid, Iain; Watkins, Francine

2017-01-01

It is important to develop understanding of what underpins the engagement of students in online learning environments. This article reports on a multiple case study that explored student engagement in a set of postgraduate degrees offered on a fully online basis. The study was based on a theorization of student engagement as the exercise of…

The Development of the Financial Literacy Program at the Community College of Baltimore County

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reams-Johnson, Ansa; Delker, Susan

2016-01-01

Student debt has increasingly become an important topic in higher education. Many students, particularly low-income and first-generation college students, do not have a solid understanding of managing personal finances. This becomes further compounded upon entering college, as these students lack the financial acumen to understand the long-term…

Student Voice as a Contested Practice: Power and Participation in Two Student Voice Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Carol; Taylor, Carol

2013-01-01

This article applies theoretical understandings of power relations within student voice work to two empirical examples of school-based student voice projects. The article builds on and refines theoretical understandings of power and participation developed in previous articles written by the authors. The first article argued that at the heart of…

Teaching Note--Student-Produced Public Service Announcements: A Project to Promote Active Learning in an Undergraduate HBSE Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Andrew; Chu, Yee Han

2017-01-01

Student-produced videos are assignments that can increase students' understanding of course content. This teaching note describes how an undergraduate Human Behavior in the Social Environment I course used student-produced public service announcement videos to develop an understanding of the different life stages in humans. The advantages and…

Investigating the Effectiveness of a POE-Based Teaching Activity on Students' Understanding of Condensation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costu, Bayram; Ayas, Alipasa; Niaz, Mansoor

2012-01-01

This article reports on the development of a Predict-Observe-Explain, POE-based teaching strategy to facilitate conceptual change and its effectiveness on student understanding of condensation. The sample consisted of 52 first-year students in primary science education department. Students' ideas were elicited using a test consisting of five probe…

The influence of textbooks on teachers' knowledge of chemical bonding representations relative to students' difficulties understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergqvist, Anna; Chang Rundgren, Shu-Nu

2017-04-01

Background: Textbooks are integral tools for teachers' lessons. Several researchers observed that school teachers rely heavily on textbooks as informational sources when planning lessons. Moreover, textbooks are an important resource for developing students' knowledge as they contain various representations that influence students' learning. However, several studies report that students have difficulties understanding models in general, and chemical bonding models in particular, and that students' difficulties understanding chemical bonding are partly due to the way it is taught by teachers and presented in textbooks.

Implications of the Integration of Computing Methodologies into Conventional Marketing Research upon the Quality of Students' Understanding of the Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ayman, Umut; Serim, Mehmet Cenk

2004-01-01

It has been an ongoing concern among academicians teaching social sciences to develop a better methodology to ease understanding of students. Since verbal emphasis is at the core of the concepts within such disciplines it has been observed that the adequate or desired level of conceptual understanding of the students to transforms the theories…

High School Students' Understandings of Diffusion Concepts in Relation to Their Levels of Cognitive Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, A. Louis; Settlage, John

The concept of diffusion may seem easy enough for many teachers to understand, but when and what do students really understand about diffusion and osmosis? In order to answer these two questions, 116 students (46.6% in the tenth grade, 30.2% in the eleventh grade, and 23.2% in the twelfth grade) enrolled in biology classes were administered tests…

Results from a Pilot Study of a Curriculum Unit Designed to Help Middle School Students Understand Chemical Reactions in Living Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrmann-Abell, Cari F.; Flanagan, Jean C.; Roseman, Jo Ellen

2012-01-01

Students often have trouble understanding key biology ideas because they lack an understanding of foundational chemistry ideas. AAAS Project 2061 is collaborating with BSCS in the development a curriculum unit that connects core chemistry and biochemistry ideas in order to help eighth grade students build the conceptual foundation needed for high…

Characterizing the development of students' understandings regarding the second law of thermodynamics: Using learning progressions to illuminate thinking in high school chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, Kevin D.

As demonstrated by their emphasis in the new, national, science education standards, learning progressions (LPs) have become a valuable means of informing teaching and learning. LPs serve this role by isolating the key components of central skills and understandings, and by describing how those abilities and concepts tend to develop over time among students in a particular context. Some LPs also identify common challenges students experience in learning specific content and suggest methods of instruction and assessment, particularly ways in which difficulties can be identified and addressed. LPs are research-based and created through the integration of content analyses and interpretations of student performances with respect to the skills and understandings in question. The present research produced two LPs portraying the development of understandings associated with the second law of thermodynamics as evidenced by the evolving explanations for the spontaneity and irreversibility of diffusion and the cooling of a hot object constructed periodically by twenty students over two consecutive years in high school chemistry. While the curriculum they experienced did not emphasize the processes of diffusion and cooling or the second law and its applications, these students received prolonged instruction regarding key aspects of the particulate nature of matter. Working in small groups and as individuals, they were also taught and regularly expected to create, test, and revise particulate-based, conceptual models to account for the properties and behavior of a wide variety of common phenomena. Although some students quickly exhibited dramatic improvements in explaining and understanding the phenomena of interest, conceptual development for most was evolutionary rather than revolutionary, and success in explaining one phenomenon did not generally translate into successes in explaining related but different phenomena. Few students reached the uppermost learning goals of either LP, but the results of this study nevertheless provide valuable guidance in ways that the desired understandings can be cultivated in more students. These cognitive models of learning can provide teachers with valuable information capable of supporting improvements in instructional techniques and materials, assessment tools and methods, and perhaps even their own understandings of fundamental, scientific concepts.

Understanding the nature of science through the historical development of conceptual models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metz, Donald J.

Understanding the nature of science has been a common goal in science education for years and continues to hold a distinct place in the recently developed Pan-Canadian science framework. Although the nature of science is often prominent in the front end of such reform documents, the implementation of these goals is presumed to be taught implicitly with the delivery of knowledge outcomes. Research strongly indicates that most students have naive conceptions about the nature of science. Surprisingly, research also clearly shows that science teachers do not fare much better, and that when they do possess adequate understanding of the nature of science it does not significantly influence their behaviour in the classroom. Norm Lederman (1998), one of the leading scholars in this field, describes two approaches advocated by curriculum reform documents to address the nature of science outcomes. The first approach suggests that students can achieve nature of science outcomes by "doing science", the second suggests that history of science can enhance students' understanding of the nature of science. While Lederman advocates the use of the history of science, he argues that these approaches are not effective when used implicitly. He recommends that an explicit approach be used (planned for, taught, assessed), but so far there have been no studies which employ this technique beyond short lessons or limited case histories. This thesis advocates an explicit approach to teaching the nature of science using the historical development of conceptual models. The research study of this thesis integrated the historical development of conceptual models with the traditional content found in a typical grade ten chemistry curriculum. Participants in the research were 74 senior 2 (grade 10) science students from four different classes in three different schools in the province of Manitoba. Prior to, and after instruction, students wrote Lederman's VNOS nature of science test. The tests were reviewed by the researcher and a nature of science profile was compiled for each student. From this profile and the student responses, 24 students (8 from each group) were selected to be interviewed. The research indicates that the HDCM unit was a successful means to improve students' understanding of models, theories, evidence, and the tentativeness of science. The manner in which students employed their examples in the post-test suggests that the historical content of the unit accounts for this change. On the relationship between laws and theories the research indicates that the view that theories advance to laws is an extremely tenacious misconception although students did seem to improve their understanding of laws and theories independently. The HDCM unit did not yield significant results in advancing students understandings of the creative and imaginative aspects of the nature of science. However, there were individual cases where progress was made which might indicate that more opportunity and a longer development time could enhance student understanding in this area. Students also indicated positive attitudes towards the inclusion of the history of science in their curriculum. The HDCM unit presented a more humanistic view of science to the students which was reflected in their interest, motivation, and responses to the curriculum. We should view this results as positive for future curriculum development in this area. Finally, the HDCM unit was shown to significantly influence one practising teacher's understanding of the nature of science.

It's Rather like Learning a Language: Development of Talk and Conceptual Understanding in Mechanics Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rincke, Karsten

2011-01-01

Although a broad literature exists concerning the development of conceptual understanding of force and other topics within mechanics, little is known about the role and development of students' talk about the subject. The paper presents an in-depth investigation of students' talk whilst being introduced to the concept of force. The main research…

Student Leadership Development within Student Government at Snow College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Gordon Ned

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the leadership development process of former student leaders at Snow College. More specifically, the study focused on understanding how, when, and where leadership development took place in their "lived experience" within the student government at Snow College (Van Manen, 1998). Examining the lived…

Biology Reflective Assessment Curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayley, Cheryl Ann

Often students and educators view assessments as an obligation and finality for a unit. In the current climate of high-stakes testing and accountability, the balance of time, resources and emphasis on students' scores related to assessment have been slanted considerably toward the summative side. This tension between assessment for accountability and assessment to inform teaching strains instruction and educators' ability to use that information to design learning opportunities that help students develop deeper conceptual understanding. A substantive body of research indicates that formative and reflective assessment can significantly improve student learning. Biology Reflective Assessment Curriculum (BRAC) examines support provided for high school science students through assessment practices. This investigation incorporates the usage of reflective assessments as a guiding practice for differentiated instruction and student choice. Reflective assessment is a metacognitive strategy that promotes self-monitoring and evaluation. The goals of the curriculum are to promote self-efficacy and conceptual understanding in students learning biology through developing their metacognitive awareness. BRAC was implemented in a high school biology classroom. Data from assessments, metacognitive surveys, self-efficacy surveys, reflective journals, student work, a culminating task and field notes were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. The results suggest that students who develop their metacognitive skills developed a deeper conceptual understanding and improved feelings of self-efficacy when they were engaged in a reflective assessment unit embedded with student choice. BRAC is a tool for teachers to use assessments to assist students in becoming metacognitive and to guide student choice in learning opportunities.

Rethinking biology instruction: The application of DNR-based instruction to the learning and teaching of biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maskiewicz, April Lee

Educational studies report that secondary and college level students have developed only limited understandings of the most basic biological processes and their interrelationships from typical classroom experiences. Furthermore, students have developed undesirable reasoning schemes and beliefs that directly affect how they make sense of and account for biological phenomena. For these reasons, there exists a need to rethink instructional practices in biology. This dissertation discusses how the principles of Harel's (1998, 2001) DNR-based instruction in mathematics could be applied to the teaching and learning of biology. DNR is an acronym for the three foundational principles of the system: Duality, Necessity, and Repeated-reasoning. This study examines the application of these three principles to ecology instruction. Through clinical and teaching interviews, I developed models of students' existing ways of understanding in ecology and inferred their ways of thinking. From these models a hypothetical learning trajectory was developed for 16 college level freshmen enrolled in a 10-week ecology teaching experiment. Through cyclical, interpretive analysis I documented and analyzed the evolution of the participants' progress. The results provide empirical evidence to support the claim that the DNR principles are applicable to ecology instruction. With respect to the Duality Principle, helping students develop specific ways of understanding led to the development of model-based reasoning---a way of thinking and the cognitive objective guiding instruction. Through carefully structured problem solving tasks, the students developed a biological understanding of the relationship between matter cycling, energy flow, and cellular processes such as photosynthesis and respiration, and used this understanding to account for observable phenomena in nature. In the case of intellectual necessity, the results illuminate how problem situations can be developed for biology learners that create cognitive disequilibrium-equilibrium phases and thus lead to modification or refinement of existing schemes. Elements that contributed to creating intellectual need include (a) problem tasks that built on students' existing knowledge; (b) problem tasks that challenged students; (c) a routine in which students presented their group's solution to the class; and (d) the didactical contract (Brousseau, 1997) established in the classroom.

Physical Education Model Curriculum Standards. Grades Nine through Twelve.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento.

These physical education standards were designed to ensure that each student achieve the following goals: (1) physical activity--students develop interest and proficiency in movement skills and understand the importance of lifelong participation in daily physical activity; (2) physical fitness and wellness--students increase understanding of basic…

Using Narrative Inquiry to Understand Persistently Disciplined Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy-Lewis, Brianna L.; Murphy, Amy S.; Grosland, Tanetha J.

2016-01-01

Educators' persistent disciplining of a small group of students positions them as "frequent flyers." This identity prevents educators from developing an understanding that could enable them to reengage these students. Using the methodology of interpretive biography positioned within narrative inquiry and using a Gestalt-based analysis,…

Can Dynamic Visualizations Improve Middle School Students' Understanding of Energy in Photosynthesis?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryoo, Kihyun; Linn, Marcia C.

2012-01-01

Dynamic visualizations have the potential to make abstract scientific phenomena more accessible and visible to students, but they can also be confusing and difficult to comprehend. This research investigates how dynamic visualizations, compared to static illustrations, can support middle school students in developing an integrated understanding of…

Improving Student Understanding of Spatial Ecology Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopkins, Robert, II; Alberts, Halley

2015-01-01

This activity is designed as a primer to teaching population dispersion analysis. The aim is to help improve students' spatial thinking and their understanding of how spatial statistic equations work. Students use simulated data to develop their own statistic and apply that equation to experimental behavioral data for Gambusia affinis (western…

Using Myoglobin Denaturation to Help Biochemistry Students Understand Protein Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miao, Yilan; Thomas, Courtney L.

2017-01-01

Analyzing and understanding data directly from primary literature can be a daunting task for undergraduates. However, if information is put into context, students will be more successful when developing data analysis skills. A classroom activity is presented using protein denaturation to help undergraduate biochemistry students examine myoglobin…

Paper Towers: Building Students' Understandings of Technological Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minogue, James; Guentensberger, Todd

2006-01-01

One set of ideas at the core of the National Science Education Standards (NSES) Science and Technology Standards is that of engaging middle school students in activities that help them develop their understandings of technological design. More precisely, students should be able to identify appropriate problems for technological design, design a…

Design and Development Computer-Based E-Learning Teaching Material for Improving Mathematical Understanding Ability and Spatial Sense of Junior High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurjanah; Dahlan, J. A.; Wibisono, Y.

2017-02-01

This paper aims to make a design and development computer-based e-learning teaching material for improving mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students. Furthermore, the particular aims are (1) getting teaching material design, evaluation model, and intrument to measure mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (2) conducting trials computer-based e-learning teaching material model, asessment, and instrument to develop mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (3) completing teaching material models of computer-based e-learning, assessment, and develop mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense of junior high school students; (4) resulting research product is teaching materials of computer-based e-learning. Furthermore, the product is an interactive learning disc. The research method is used of this study is developmental research which is conducted by thought experiment and instruction experiment. The result showed that teaching materials could be used very well. This is based on the validation of computer-based e-learning teaching materials, which is validated by 5 multimedia experts. The judgement result of face and content validity of 5 validator shows that the same judgement result to the face and content validity of each item test of mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense. The reliability test of mathematical understanding ability and spatial sense are 0,929 and 0,939. This reliability test is very high. While the validity of both tests have a high and very high criteria.

The Unique Context of Identity-Based Student Organizations in Developing Leadership.

PubMed

Kodama, Corinne M; Laylo, Rhonda

2017-09-01

This chapter addresses the important role of identity-based student organizations in developing leadership, particularly for students who may feel marginalized because of their racial/ethnic, religious, or gender identities. Understanding the influence of these groups can help leadership educators develop a more inclusive and diverse perspective on student leadership development. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Backward Design: Targeting Depth of Understanding for All Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childre, Amy; Sands, Jennifer R.; Pope, Saundra Tanner

2009-01-01

Curriculum design is at the center of developing student ability to construct understanding. Without appropriately designed curriculum, instruction can be ineffective at scaffolding understanding. Often students with disabilities need more explicit instruction or guidance in applying their schema to new information. Thus, instruction must not only…

Developing Conceptual Understanding and Procedural Fluency for Junior High School Students through Model-Facilitated Learning (MFL)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laswadi; Kusumah, Yaya S.; Darwis, Sutawanir; Afgani, Jarnawi D.

2016-01-01

Conceptual understanding (CU) and procedural fluency (PF) are two important mathematical competencies required by students. CU helps students organizing their knowledge into a coherent whole, and PF helps them to find the right solution of a problem. In order to enhance CU and PF, students need learning experiences in constructing knowledge and…

The Effect of Enriched Learning Environments on the Conceptual Understanding of Students: "The Erosion and Landslide"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çoruhlu, Tülay Senel; Bilgin, Arzu Kirman; Nas, Sibel Er

2016-01-01

The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of enriched learning environments which have been developed in the framework of the "erosion and landslide" concepts on the conceptual understanding of students. A quasi-experimental method has been used in this research. The sample consists of 40 students. 5th grade students (aged…

Comparing different approaches to visualizing light waves: An experimental study on teaching wave optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mešić, Vanes; Hajder, Erna; Neumann, Knut; Erceg, Nataša

2016-06-01

Research has shown that students have tremendous difficulties developing a qualitative understanding of wave optics, at all educational levels. In this study, we investigate how three different approaches to visualizing light waves affect students' understanding of wave optics. In the first, the conventional, approach light waves are represented by sinusoidal curves. The second teaching approach includes representing light waves by a series of static images, showing the oscillating electric field vectors at characteristic, subsequent instants of time. Within the third approach phasors are used for visualizing light waves. A total of N =85 secondary school students were randomly assigned to one of the three teaching approaches, each of which lasted a period of four class hours. Students who learned with phasors and students who learned from the series of static images outperformed the students learning according to the conventional approach, i.e., they showed a much better understanding of basic wave optics, as measured by a conceptual survey administered to the students one week after the treatment. Our results suggest that visualizing light waves with phasors or oscillating electric field vectors is a promising approach to developing a deeper understanding of wave optics for students enrolled in conceptual level physics courses.

Intercultural Understanding through Intergroup Dialogue between Japanese and Chinese University Students.

PubMed

Sakakibara, Tomomi

2017-09-01

This study had two purposes: (1) to develop university classes in which students can participate in intercultural dialogue by exchanging letters focusing on a topic about everyday norms implicit in each culture, and (2) to examine how students develop their intercultural understanding through participating in these classes. Twenty-two Japanese and six Chinese university students (each group in their own country) participated in three class sessions. At the beginning of the first class, students were given a dialogue theme that focused on cultural differences. The selected theme was mobile phone use while riding on public transportation, as this practice is prohibited in Tokyo but not in Beijing. Students discussed their opinions in small groups, wrote questions to their counterparts in the other country, and then reflected on and discussed the answers received. Analysis of the Japanese students' written reflections showed that their understanding of different cultural values and beliefs changed from one based only on a Japanese cultural perspective to one that respected the relativity of cultural norms. The results suggested that the arousal of negative emotions when students are exposed to the perspectives of other cultures is closely related to their understanding of cultural relativity.

How Do Undergraduate Students Conceptualize Acid-Base Chemistry? Measurement of a Concept Progression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romine, William L.; Todd, Amber N.; Clark, Travis B.

2016-01-01

We developed and validated a new instrument, called "Measuring Concept progressions in Acid-Base chemistry" (MCAB) and used it to better understand the progression of undergraduate students' understandings about acid-base chemistry. Items were developed based on an existing learning progression for acid-base chemistry. We used the Rasch…

What Science Is about--Development of the Scientific Understanding of Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cincera, Jan; Medek, Michal; Cincera, Pavel; Lupac, Miroslav; Tichá, Irena

2017-01-01

Background: Development of scientific understanding of secondary school students is considered to be one of the goals of environmental education. However, it is not quite clear what instructional strategies and what other factors contribute to the effectiveness of environmental education programs promoting this goal. Purpose: The aim was to…

Understanding College Students' Civic Identity Development: A Grounded Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Matthew R.

2017-01-01

This article presents the results of a study designed to understand the development of college students' civic identity--that is, an identity encompassing their knowledge, attitudes, values, and actions regarding civic engagement. Grounded theory was used to examine the experiences and attitudes of 19 college seniors who manifested strong civic…

Teaching the Meaning of Statistical Techniques with Microcomputer Simulation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Motoko Y.; And Others

Students in an introductory statistics course are often preoccupied with learning the computational routines of specific summary statistics and thereby fail to develop an understanding of the meaning of those statistics or their conceptual basis. To help students develop a better understanding of the meaning of three frequently used statistics,…

Developing National Identity within Fifth Grade Multicultural Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olmscheid, Carey

The goal of democratic understanding and civic values is within the history/social science framework. The strand of national identity falls under the goal of democratic understanding and civic values. This research project found that national identity can be developed among multicultural 5th-grade students through the teaching of national symbols,…

Developing Pre-Service Teachers' Noticing of Students' Understanding of the Derivative Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sánchez-Matamoros, Gloria; Fernández, Ceneida; Llinares, Salvador

2015-01-01

This research study examines the development of the ability of pre-service teachers to notice signs of students' understanding of the derivative concept. It analyses preservice teachers' interpretations of written solutions to problems involving the derivative concept before and after participating in a teacher training module. The results…

Understanding Cellular Respiration in Terms of Matter & Energy within Ecosystems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Joshua S.; Maskiewicz, April C.

2014-01-01

Using a design-based research approach, we developed a data-rich problem (DRP) set to improve student understanding of cellular respiration at the ecosystem level. The problem tasks engage students in data analysis to develop biological explanations. Several of the tasks and their implementation are described. Quantitative results suggest that…

Developing Conceptual Understanding of Fractions with Year Five and Six Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mills, Judith

2016-01-01

This paper presents findings from classroom observations of one teacher (Beth). It focusses on the development of conceptual understanding of fractions with her students, articulated in Kieren's sub-constructs (Kieren, 1980,1988), and Hansen's progressions (Hansen, 2005). The study covers three lessons within a six week unit. Findings from this…

Alternative conceptions of introductory geoscience students and a method to decrease them

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kortz, Karen Melissa

College students often leave introductory geoscience courses with alternative conceptions, and these alternative conceptions are a barrier to their grasp of geological conceptions. This dissertation clarifies the problem and suggests pedagogical strategies for correcting it. It is an integration of research on students' conceptions of geoscience topics with the application of that knowledge to the development of materials to change these conceptions to be more scientifically accurate. This research identifies and documents alternative conceptions students have in several key geoscience topics and the consequences of these alternative conception in terms of preventing understanding. After documenting the alternative conceptions, I investigate their sources. In addition, I develop ways in which the alternative conceptions can be addressed in classrooms in terms of non-traditional teaching techniques, and I assess the success of these methods. Chapter 1 addresses alternative conceptions in general introductory geoscience topics. I use known student alternative conceptions to develop a series of interactive materials to help reduce students' alternative conceptions. After their development, I assess the efficacy of these materials, and my research indicates that they are successful in helping students better learn the geoscience concepts. Chapter 2 deals with a particularly difficult topic for students---that of phylogenetic systematics. Students have an intuitive way of categorizing organisms, and this categorization is different from the system used by experts within the field. My investigation indicates the conceptual change required of students to fully understand the topic leads to great difficulties with learning. Drawing upon results of the research in Chapter 1, I developed and assessed interactive materials to help students better understand phylogenetic systematics. Using the insight gained from Chapters 1 and 2, Chapters 3 and 4 further examine students' conceptions in an area critical to understanding geology: rocks and their formation. My research indicates that students view rocks as objects independent from the processes that form and change them. In addition, I document students' alternative conceptions of rocks. Using these alternative conceptions, I look more deeply into the underlying factors that cause the difficulties students have with learning rocks, their formation, and their importance to the geosciences.

Life on the Number Line: Routes to Understanding Fraction Magnitude for Students with Difficulties Learning Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gersten, Russell; Schumacher, Robin F.; Jordan, Nancy C.

2017-01-01

Magnitude understanding is critical for students to develop a deep understanding of fractions and more advanced mathematics curriculum. The research reports in this special issue underscore magnitude understanding for fractions and emphasize number lines as both an assessment and an instructional tool. In this commentary, we discuss how number…

The Co-Mentoring Project: Overview and Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zucchero, Renee A.

2008-01-01

The Co-mentoring Project matched developmental psychology students with older adult volunteers for an intergenerational learning experience. Students conducted a biopsychosocial life review to increase understanding of older adult development and the continuity in lifespan development. Each student developed a summary paper containing the older…

Students' Voices: A Report of the Student View of Dyslexia Study Skills Tuition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirwan, Bernadette; Leather, Carol

2011-01-01

This article reports research using case studies of 22 university students receiving study skills development funded by the Disabled Student's Allowance at an independent dyslexia consultancy. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. The students identify the primary benefits of the tuition as: developing an understanding of dyslexia…

Use of the Attribute Hierarchy Method for Development of Student Cognitive Models and Diagnostic Assessments in Geoscience Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corrigan, S.; Brodsky, L. M.; Loper, S.; Brown, N.; Curley, J.; Baker, J.; Goss, M.; Castek, J.; Barber, J.

2010-12-01

There is a recognized need to better understand student learning in the geosciences (Stofflet, 1994; Zalles, Quallmalz, Gobert and Pallant, 2007). Educators, cognitive psychologists and practicing scientists have also called for instructional approaches that support deep conceptual development (Manduca, Mogk and Stillings, 2004, Libarkin and Kurdziel, 2006). In both cases there is an important role for educational measures that can generate descriptions of how student understanding develops over time and inform instruction. The presenters will suggest one way of responding to these needs by describing the Attribute Hierarchy Method (AHM) of assessment (Leighton, Gierl and Hunka, 2004; Gierl, Cui, Wang and Zhou, 2008) as enacted in a large-scale earth science curriculum development project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The AHM is one approach to criterion referenced, diagnostic assessment that ties measure design to cognitive models of student learning in order to support justified inferences about students’ understanding and the knowledge required for continued development. The Attribute Hierarchy Method bears potential for researchers and practitioners interested in learning progressions and solves many problems associated with making meaningful, justified inferences about students’ understanding based on their assessment performances. The process followed to design and develop the project’s cognitive models as well as a description of how they are used in subsequent assessment task design will be emphasized in order to demonstrate how the AHM may be applied in the context of geoscience education. Results from over twenty student cognitive interviews, and two hypothesized cognitive models -- one describing a student pathway for understanding rock formation and a second describing a student pathway for increasingly sophisticated use of maps and models in the geosciences - are also described. Sample assessment items will be provided as indications of the final assessment measures. The project’s efforts to create an on-line geoscience curriculum for use in the middle school grades that adapts to student performances by customizing whole lessons, grouping assignments or student feedback will provide a broader context for the discussion.

Upper High School Students' Understanding of Electromagnetism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saglam, Murat; Millar, Robin

2006-01-01

Although electromagnetism is an important component of upper secondary school physics syllabuses in many countries, there has been relatively little research on students' understanding of the topic. A written test consisting of 16 diagnostic questions was developed and used to survey the understanding of electromagnetism of upper secondary school…

India--A Look Across Cultures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison.

This teaching guide about India presents teaching-learning strategies. The major intent is to help the teacher and student examine and understand another culture within its own frame of reference, thereby helping the student understand his own. The overall emphasis of the guide is on the development and understanding of concepts and…

The Development of the Redox Concept Inventory as a Measure of Students' Symbolic and Particulate Redox Understandings and Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandriet, Alexandra R.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2014-01-01

This article describes the development of the Redox Concept Inventory (ROXCI) as a measure of students' understandings and confidence of both the symbolic and particulate domains of oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions. The ROXCI was created using a mixed-methods design in which the items were developed based upon themes that emerged from…

Drawing and Writing in Digital Science Notebooks: Sources of Formative Assessment Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shelton, Angi; Smith, Andrew; Wiebe, Eric; Behrle, Courtney; Sirkin, Ruth; Lester, James

2016-06-01

Formative assessment strategies are used to direct instruction by establishing where learners' understanding is, how it is developing, informing teachers and students alike as to how they might get to their next set of goals of conceptual understanding. For the science classroom, one rich source of formative assessment data about scientific thinking and practice is in notebooks used during inquiry-oriented activities. In this study, the goal was to better understand how student knowledge was distributed between student drawings and writings about magnetism in notebooks, and how these findings might inform formative assessment strategies. Here, drawing and writing samples were extracted and evaluated from our digital science notebook, with embedded content and laboratories. Three drawings and five writing samples from 309 participants were analyzed using a common ten-dimensional rubric. Descriptive and inferential statistics revealed that fourth-grade student understanding of magnetism was distributed unevenly between writing and drawing. Case studies were then presented for two exemplar students. Based on the rubric we developed, students were able to articulate more of their knowledge through the drawing activities than through written word, but the combination of the two mediums provided the richest understanding of student conceptions and how they changed over the course of their investigations.

Nursing students collaborating to develop multiple-choice exam revision questions: A student engagement study.

PubMed

Craft, Judy A; Christensen, Martin; Shaw, Natasha; Bakon, Shannon

2017-12-01

Nursing students find bioscience subjects challenging. Bioscience exams pose particular concerns for these students, which may lead to students adopting a surface-approach to learning. To promote student collective understanding of bioscience, improve their confidence for the final exam, and improve deeper understanding of bioscience. In order to address exam anxiety, and improve student understanding of content, this student engagement project involved nursing students collaborating in small groups to develop multiple-choice questions and answers, which became available to the entire student cohort. This study was conducted at two campuses of an Australian university, within a first year bioscience subject as part of the undergraduate nursing programme. All students enrolled in the subject were encouraged to attend face-to-face workshops, and collaborate in revision question writing. Online anonymous questionnaires were used to invite student feedback on this initiative; 79 respondents completed this feedback. Students collaborated in groups to write revision questions as part of in-class activities. These questions were made available on the student online learning site for revision. An online feedback survey was deployed at the conclusion of all workshops for this subject, with questions rated using a Likert scale. Participants indicated that they enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate in this activity, and almost all of these respondents used these questions in their exam preparation. There was strong agreement that this activity improved their confidence for the final exam. Importantly, almost two-thirds of respondents agreed that writing questions improved their understanding of content, and assisted in their active reflection of content. Overall, this initiative revealed various potential benefits for the students, including promoting bioscience understanding and confidence. This may improve their long-term understanding of bioscience for nursing practice, as registered nurses' bioscience knowledge can impact on patient outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Need for Initiatives to Promote Procedural Understanding in Physics among School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khaparde, Rajesh B.

2010-07-01

It is believed that there are three essential abilities which a student develops through a set of introductory physics laboratory courses. These abilities include 1) conceptual understanding, 2) experimental skills, and 3) procedural understanding. While the first two are well accepted, the third one is often implicit and goes behind the planning and execution of experimental physics. Procedural understanding has been described by a number of researchers including R. Gott and S. Duggan [1], and R. Roberts [2]. The author in his work [3] has adopted the approach of these researchers and extended it to physics laboratory training at the university level. Procedural understanding is the understanding of a set of ideas or concepts related to the `knowing how' of science and needed to put science into practice. It is the understanding of `concepts of evidence' like variable identification, sample size, variable types, relative scale, range, interval, choice of instruments, repeatability, graph type, etc. It is the thinking behind the doing and is a kind of cognitive understanding in its own right. It has been observed that while school (Grade 1-12) teachers are reasonably prepared to help students with respect to the development of conceptual understanding and experimental skills, a few are aware of the contents, methods and strategies related to the development of procedural understanding. It is felt that school teachers can play a very important role in helping students to develop procedural understanding at an early stage of their education and before students enter university courses. A need was felt to initiate and promote well-planned teacher improvement programmes at various levels of school education, with an objective to develop procedural understanding and understand the strategies of teaching suitable for various regions and learning environments. The author has initiated one such programme in India and will present details of a workshop organized at Mumbai, India.

Explaining Doctoral Students' Relational Maintenance with Their Advisor: A Psychosocial Development Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Zachary W.; Goodboy, Alan K.

2017-01-01

This study explored how psychosocial development affects doctoral students' relationship and communication with their advisor. Chickering and Reisser's vectors of psychosocial development were examined in the doctoral context to understand how students preserve communicatively satisfying relationships with their advisor through the use of…

The Positive and Negative Effects of Science Concept Tests on Student Conceptual Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chun-Yen; Yeh, Ting-Kuang; Barufaldi, James P.

2010-01-01

This study explored the phenomenon of testing effect during science concept assessments, including the mechanism behind it and its impact upon a learner's conceptual understanding. The participants consisted of 208 high school students, in either the 11th or 12th grade. Three types of tests (traditional multiple-choice test, correct concept test, and incorrect concept test) related to the greenhouse effect and global warming were developed to explore the mechanisms underlining the test effect. Interview data analyzed by means of the flow-map method were used to examine the two-week post-test consequences of taking one of these three tests. The results indicated: (1) Traditional tests can affect participants' long-term memory, both positively and negatively; in addition, when students ponder repeatedly and think harder about highly distracting choices during a test, they may gradually develop new conceptions; (2) Students develop more correct conceptions when more true descriptions are provided on the tests; on the other hand, students develop more misconceptions while completing tests in which more false descriptions of choices are provided. Finally, the results of this study revealed a noteworthy phenomenon that tests, if employed appropriately, may be also an effective instrument for assisting students' conceptual understanding.

Biochemistry students' ideas about shape and charge in enzyme-substrate interactions.

PubMed

Linenberger, Kimberly J; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2014-01-01

Biochemistry is a visual discipline that requires students to develop an understanding of numerous representations. However, there is very little known about what students actually understand about the representations that are used to communicate ideas in biochemistry. This study investigated biochemistry students' understanding of multiple representations of enzyme-substrate interactions through both student interviews (N = 25) and responses by a national sample (N = 707) to the Enzyme-Substrate Interactions Concept Inventory. This manuscript reports the findings regarding one category of misconceptions measured by the concept inventory, namely, students' understandings of shape and charge in the context of enzyme-substrate interactions. Students interpret molecular representations depicting such interactions by determining the complementarity between enzyme and substrate by focusing upon charge and hydrogen bonding, but with a disregard for stereochemistry. Copyright © 2014 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Students' Understandings of Human Organs and Organ Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiss, Michael J.; Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale

2001-06-01

How do people develop their understanding of what is inside them? This study looks at students' understandings of their internal structure. A cross-sectional approach was used involving a total of 158 students in England from six different age groups (ranging from four year old students to first year undergraduates). Students were given a blank piece of A4-sized paper and asked to draw what they thought was inside themselves. Repeated inspections of the completed drawings allowed us to construct a seven point scale of these representations. Our analysis shows the extent to which student understanding increases with age and the degree to which students know more about some organs and organ systems than others. While gender differences in the drawings were generally not large there were some intriguing differences in the ways males and females drew reproductive organs.

Analysis of senior high school student understanding on gas kinetic theory material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anri, Y.; Maknun, J.; Chandra, D. T.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this research conducted to find out student understanding profile about gas kinetic theory. Particularly, on ideal gas law material, ideal gas equations and kinetic energy of ideal gas. This research was conducted on student of class XII in one of the schools in Bandung. This research is a descriptive research. The data of this research collected by using test instrument which was the essay that has been developed by the researcher based on Bloom’s Taxonomy revised. Based on the analysis result to student answer, this research discovered that whole student has low understanding in the material of gas kinetic theory. This low understanding caused of the misconception of the student, student attitude on physic subjects, and teacher teaching method who are less helpful in obtaining clear pictures in material being taught.

The Influence of Toy Design Activities on Middle School Students' Understanding of the Engineering Design Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ninger; Pereira, Nielsen L.; George, Tarun Thomas; Alperovich, Jeffrey; Booth, Joran; Chandrasegaran, Senthil; Tew, Jeffrey David; Kulkarni, Devadatta M.; Ramani, Karthik

2017-10-01

The societal demand for inspiring and engaging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and preparing our workforce for the emerging creative economy has necessitated developing students' self-efficacy and understanding of engineering design processes from as early as elementary school levels. Hands-on engineering design activities have shown the potential to promote middle school students' self-efficacy and understanding of engineering design processes. However, traditional classrooms often lack hands-on engineering design experiences, leaving students unprepared to solve real-world design problems. In this study, we introduce the framework of a toy design workshop and investigate the influence of the workshop activities on students' understanding of and self-efficacy beliefs in engineering design. Using a mixed method approach, we conducted quantitative analyses to show changes in students' engineering design self-efficacy and qualitative analyses to identify students' understanding of the engineering design processes. Findings show that among the 24 participants, there is a significant increase in students' self-efficacy beliefs after attending the workshop. We also identified major themes such as design goals and prototyping in students' understanding of engineering design processes. This research provides insights into the key elements of middle school students' engineering design learning and the benefits of engaging middle school students in hands-on toy design workshops.

Student Learning of Early Embryonic Development via the Utilization of Research Resources from the Nematode "Caenorhabditis elegans"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Fong-Mei; Eliceiri, Kevin W.; Squirrell, Jayne M.; White, John G.; Stewart, James

2008-01-01

This study was undertaken to gain insights into undergraduate students' understanding of early embryonic development, specifically, how well they comprehend the concepts of volume constancy, cell lineages, body plan axes, and temporal and spatial dimensionality in development. To study student learning, a curriculum was developed incorporating…

Students' Understanding of Conservation of Matter, Stoichiometry and Balancing Equations in Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agung, Salamah; Schwartz, Marc S.

2007-01-01

This study examines Indonesian students' understanding of conservation of matter, balancing of equations and stoichiometry. Eight hundred and sixty-seven Grade 12 students from 22 schools across four different cities in two developed provinces in Indonesia participated in the study. Nineteen teachers also participated in order to validate the…

The Twin Twin Paradox: Exploring Student Approaches to Understanding Relativistic Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cormier, Sebastien; Steinberg, Richard

2010-01-01

A great deal has long been known about student difficulties connecting real-world experiences with what they are learning in their physics classes, making learning basic ideas of classical physics challenging. Understanding these difficulties has led to the development of many instructional approaches that have been shown to help students make…

Understanding Students' Needs: A Guide for Developing and Implementing Assessment Procedures for Students Encountering Educational Challenges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuels, Marilyn T.

This manual, intended to help administrators, specialists, and teachers in Alberta, Canada, understand a problem-solving, process-based approach to assessment of special needs students using multiple sources of information. Assessment outcomes are viewed as describing needs and influencing education programs, rather than being used to provide…

Students' Understanding of Loops and Nested Loops in Computer Programming: An APOS Theory Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetin, Ibrahim

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore students' understanding of loops and nested loops concepts. Sixty-three mechanical engineering students attending an introductory programming course participated in the study. APOS (Action, Process, Object, Schema) is a constructivist theory developed originally for mathematics education. This study is the…

An Exponential Growth Learning Trajectory: Students' Emerging Understanding of Exponential Growth through Covariation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Amy B.; Ozgur, Zekiye; Kulow, Torrey; Dogan, Muhammed F.; Amidon, Joel

2016-01-01

This article presents an Exponential Growth Learning Trajectory (EGLT), a trajectory identifying and characterizing middle grade students' initial and developing understanding of exponential growth as a result of an instructional emphasis on covariation. The EGLT explicates students' thinking and learning over time in relation to a set of tasks…

"OnTrack" to University: Understanding Mechanisms of Student Retention in an Australian Pre-University Enabling Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lisciandro, Joanne G.; Gibbs, Gael

2016-01-01

University-based enabling programs have become an important pathway to university for non-traditional students. There is increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms that facilitate retention and success of enabling pathway students, with the aim of developing effective strategies for maximising opportunities for university access and…

Initial Understandings of Fraction Concepts Evidenced by Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities and Difficulties: A Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Jessica H.; Welch-Ptak, Jasmine J.; Silva, Juanita M.

2016-01-01

Documenting how students with learning disabilities (LD) initially conceive of fractional quantities, and how their understandings may align with or differ from students with mathematics difficulties, is necessary to guide development of assessments and interventions that attach to unique ways of thinking or inherent difficulties these students…

High School Students' Use of Meiosis When Solving Genetics Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wynne, Cynthia F.; Stewart, Jim; Passmore, Cindy

2001-01-01

Paints a different picture of students' reasoning with meiosis as they solved complex, computer-generated genetics problems, some of which required them to revise their understanding of meiosis in response to anomalous data. Students were able to develop a rich understanding of meiosis and can utilize that knowledge to solve genetics problems.…

The Influence of Toy Design Activities on Middle School Students' Understanding of the Engineering Design Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Ninger; Pereira, Nielsen L.; Tarun, Thomas George; Alperovich, Jeffrey; Booth, Joran; Chandrasegaran, Senthil; Tew, Jeffrey David; Kulkarni, Devadatta M.; Ramani, Karthik

2017-01-01

The societal demand for inspiring and engaging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and preparing our workforce for the emerging creative economy has necessitated developing students' self-efficacy and understanding of engineering design processes from as early as elementary school levels. Hands-on engineering design…

Advancing Fourth-Grade Students' Understanding of Arithmetic Properties with Instruction That Promotes Mathematical Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rumsey, Chepina Witkowski

2012-01-01

The goals for this study were to investigate how fourth-grade students developed an understanding of the arithmetic properties when instruction promoted mathematical argumentation and to identify the characteristics of students' arguments. Using the emergent perspective as an overarching theoretical perspective helped distinguish between two…

Building Understanding of High School Students' Transition to College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriquez, Nelson Nunez; DiSanto, Jacqueline; Varelas, Antonios; Brennan, Sarah; Wolfe, Kate; Ialongo, Ernest

2017-01-01

A cohort comprised of high school and college teachers met for one year to build understanding of the critical transition of high school students to college. The seminar analyzed how current reforms in both systems will impact student skill development and preparedness for college work. The discussions highlighted the need to clarify expectations…

A Content Analysis of Undergraduate Students' Perceived Reasons for Changes in Personal Leadership Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burbank, Michael; Odom, Summer F.; Sandlin, M'Randa R.

2015-01-01

Leadership educators seek to understand how they can better develop leadership among their students through formal and informal course experiences. The purpose of this study was to understand how undergraduate students perceive reasons for changes in their leadership practices, after completing a personal leadership education course. The course…

Assessing Students' Deep Conceptual Understanding in Physical Sciences: An Example on Sinking and Floating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Ji; Liu, Ou Lydia; Chang, Hsin-Yi

2017-01-01

This paper presents a transformative modeling framework that guides the development of assessment to measure students' deep understanding in physical sciences. The framework emphasizes 3 types of connections that students need to make when learning physical sciences: (1) linking physical states, processes, and explanatory models, (2) integrating…

Student-Teacher Interaction on Facebook: What Students Find Appropriate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teclehaimanot, Berhane; Hickman, Torey

2011-01-01

Web 2.0 technologies such as Facebook, a popular social networking site, provide educators with new possibilities for reaching their students. As these technologies are new, there is not a total understanding of how these technologies could best be used in education. This study helps to develop this understanding by investigating how appropriate…

Characterizing Student Mathematics Teachers' Levels of Understanding in Spherical Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guven, Bulent; Baki, Adnan

2010-01-01

This article presents an exploratory study aimed at the identification of students' levels of understanding in spherical geometry as van Hiele did for Euclidean geometry. To do this, we developed and implemented a spherical geometry course for student mathematics teachers. Six structured, "task-based interviews" were held with eight student…

Evaluation of Students' Conceptual Understanding of Malaria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheong, Irene Poh-Ai; Treagust, David; Kyeleve, Iorhemen J.; Oh, Peck-Yoke

2010-01-01

In this study, a two-tier diagnostic test for understanding malaria was developed and administered to 314 Bruneian students in Year 12 and in a nursing diploma course. The validity, reliability, difficulty level, discriminant indices, and reading ability of the test were examined and found to be acceptable in terms of measuring students'…

Understanding Student Cognition through an Analysis of Their Preconceptions in Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, George; Nocente, Norma; Brouwer, Wytze

2008-01-01

Over the last three decades, many studies have been conducted to identify students' preconceptions on various science topics. It is time now for a synthetic study of preconceptions to enhance our understanding of students' everyday cognition and to benefit our effort in developing effective instructional inventions for conceptual change. Through a…

Number Concepts and Special Needs Students: The Power of Ten-Frame Tiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Losq, Christine S.

2005-01-01

For the last several years teachers have been using counters and connected cube "trains" and creating base-10 block models to help students develop number sense and understand number concepts. It is described how ten-frame tiles could be more useful tool for building number understanding for many students.

A Qualitative Study of Agricultural Literacy in Urban Youth: What Do Elementary Students Understand about the Agri-Food System?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Alexander J.; Trexler, Cary J.

2011-01-01

Agricultural literacy of K-12 students is a national priority for both scientific and agricultural education professional organizations. Development of curricula to address this priority has not been informed by research on what K-12 students understand about the agri-food system. While students' knowledge of food and fiber system facts have been…

The Effect of Recycling Education on High School Students' Conceptual Understanding about Ecology: A Study on Matter Cycle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ugulu, Ilker; Yorek, Nurettin; Baslar, Suleyman

2015-01-01

The objective of this study is to analyze and determine whether a developed recycling education program would lead to a positive change in the conceptual understanding of ecological concepts associated with matter cycles by high school students. The research was conducted on 68 high school 10th grade students (47 female and 21 male students). The…

Enhancing Dental Students' Understanding of Poverty Through Simulation.

PubMed

Lampiris, Lewis N; White, Alex; Sams, Lattice D; White, Tiffany; Weintraub, Jane A

2017-09-01

Dental students should develop an understanding of the barriers to and frustrations with accessing dental care and maintaining optimal oral health experienced by persons with limited resources rather than blaming the patient or caregiver. Developing this understanding may be aided by helping students learn about the lives of underserved and vulnerable patients they will encounter not only in extramural rotations, but throughout their careers. The aim of this study was to determine if dental students' understanding of daily challenges faced by families with low income changed as a result of a poverty simulation. In 2015 and 2016, an experiential poverty simulation was used to prepare third-year dental students at one U.S. dental school for their upcoming required community-based rotations. In 2015, United Way staff conducted the simulation using the Missouri Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS); in 2016, faculty members trained in CAPS conducted the simulation using a modified version of the tool. In the simulation, students were assigned to family units experiencing various types of hardship and were given specific identities for role-playing. A retrospective pretest and a posttest were used to assess change in levels of student understanding after the simulation. Students assessed their level of understanding in five domains: financial pressures, difficult choices, difficulties in improving one's situation, emotional stressors, and impact of community resources for those living in poverty. The survey response rates in 2015 and 2016 were 86% and 74%, respectively. For each of the five domains, students' understanding increased from 58% to 74% per domain. The majority reported that the exercise was very valuable or somewhat valuable (74% in 2015, 88% in 2016). This study found that a poverty simulation was effective in raising dental students' understanding of the challenges faced by low-income families. It also discovered that framing the issues in the context of accessing dental care was important.

The laboratory report: A pedagogical tool in college science courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferzli, Miriam

When viewed as a product rather than a process that aids in student learning, the lab report may become rote, busywork for both students and instructors. Students fail to see the purpose of the lab report, and instructors see them as a heavy grading load. If lab reports are taught as part of a process rather than a product that aims to "get the right answer," they may serve as pedagogical tools in college science courses. In response to these issues, an in-depth, web-based tutorial named LabWrite (www.ncsu.edu/labwrite) was developed to help students and instructors (www.ncsu.edu/labwrite/instructors) understand the purpose of the lab report as grounded in the written discourse and processes of science. The objective of this post-test only quasi-experimental study was to examine the role that in-depth instruction such as LabWrite plays in helping students to develop skills characteristic of scientifically literate individuals. Student lab reports from an introductory-level biology course at NC State University were scored for overall understanding of scientific concepts and scientific ways of thinking. The study also looked at students' attitudes toward science and lab report writing, as well as students' perceptions of lab reports in general. Significant statistical findings from this study show that students using LabWrite were able to write lab reports that showed a greater understanding of scientific investigations (p < .003) and scientific ways of thinking (p < .0001) than students receiving traditional lab report writing instruction. LabWrite also helped students develop positive attitudes toward lab reports as compared to non-LabWrite users (p < .01). Students using LabWrite seemed to perceive the lab report as a valuable tool for determining learning objectives, understanding science concepts, revisiting the lab experience, and documenting their learning.

At War, with Shakespeare - Student Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derrick, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

Discusses one professor's decision, in the aftermath of the destruction of the World Trade Center, to use a Shakespeare course to help students' process their feelings about military combat and cultural conflict. The professor uses Baxter Magolda's student development theory to understand student attitudes about war as presented in student…

Developing a Program-Level Faith Integration Curriculum: A Case Study from Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCoy, Bradley K.

2014-01-01

Integrating faith with academics possesses significant benefits for students, because it connects major disciplines to students' personal values and goals, prepares students to be effective and faithful professionals in their discipline and vocation, and develops students' understanding of the nature of their discipline. However, to…

Evaluating Middle Years Students' Proportional Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilton, Annette; Dole, Shelley; Hilton, Geoff; Goos, Merrilyn; O'Brien, Mia

2012-01-01

Proportional reasoning is a key aspect of numeracy that is not always developed naturally by students. Understanding the types of proportional reasoning that students apply to different problem types is a useful first step to identifying ways to support teachers and students to develop proportional reasoning in the classroom. This paper describes…

Student understanding of the Boltzmann factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Trevor I.; Mountcastle, Donald B.; Thompson, John R.

2015-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Upper Division Physics Courses.] We present results of our investigation into student understanding of the physical significance and utility of the Boltzmann factor in several simple models. We identify various justifications, both correct and incorrect, that students use when answering written questions that require application of the Boltzmann factor. Results from written data as well as teaching interviews suggest that many students can neither recognize situations in which the Boltzmann factor is applicable nor articulate the physical significance of the Boltzmann factor as an expression for multiplicity, a fundamental quantity of statistical mechanics. The specific student difficulties seen in the written data led us to develop a guided-inquiry tutorial activity, centered around the derivation of the Boltzmann factor, for use in undergraduate statistical mechanics courses. We report on the development process of our tutorial, including data from teaching interviews and classroom observations of student discussions about the Boltzmann factor and its derivation during the tutorial development process. This additional information informed modifications that improved students' abilities to complete the tutorial during the allowed class time without sacrificing the effectiveness as we have measured it. These data also show an increase in students' appreciation of the origin and significance of the Boltzmann factor during the student discussions. Our findings provide evidence that working in groups to better understand the physical origins of the canonical probability distribution helps students gain a better understanding of when the Boltzmann factor is applicable and how to use it appropriately in answering relevant questions.

Research and Teaching: Factors Related to College Students' Understanding of the Nature of Science--Comparison of Science Majors and Nonscience Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Partin, Matthew L.; Underwood, Eileen M.; Worch, Eric A.

2013-01-01

To develop a more scientifically literate society, students need to understand the nature of science, which may be affected by controversial topics such as evolution. There are conflicting views among researchers concerning the relationships between understanding evolution, acceptance of evolution, and understanding of the nature of science. Four…

Using Recent Planetary Science Data to Develop Advanced Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steckloff, Jordan; Lindell, Rebecca

2016-10-01

Teaching science by having students manipulate real data is a popular trend in astronomy and planetary science education. However, many existing activities simply couple this data with traditional "cookbook" style verification labs. As with most topics within science, this instructional technique does not enhance the average students' understanding of the phenomena being studied. Here we present a methodology for developing "science by doing" activities that incorporate the latest discoveries in planetary science with up-to-date constructivist pedagogy to teach advanced concepts in Physics and Astronomy. In our methodology, students are first guided to understand, analyze, and plot real raw scientific data; develop and test physical and computational models to understand and interpret the data; finally use their models to make predictions about the topic being studied and test it with real data.To date, two activities have been developed according to this methodology: Understanding Asteroids through their Light Curves (hereafter "Asteroid Activity"), and Understanding Exoplanetary Systems through Simple Harmonic Motion (hereafter "Exoplanet Activity"). The Asteroid Activity allows students to explore light curves available on the Asteroid Light Curve Database (ALCDB) to discover general properties of asteroids, including their internal structure, strength, and mechanism of asteroid moon formation. The Exoplanet Activity allows students to investigate the masses and semi-major axes of exoplanets in a system by comparing the radial velocity motion of their host star to that of a coupled simple harmonic oscillator. Students then explore how noncircular orbits lead to deviations from simple harmonic motion. These activities will be field tested during the Fall 2016 semester in an advanced undergraduate mechanics and astronomy courses at a large Midwestern STEM-focused university. We will present the development methodologies for these activities, description of the activities, and results from the pre-tests.

Comparison of Students' Understanding of Functions in Classes Following English and Israeli National Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Anne; Ayalon, Michal; Lerman, Stephen

2018-01-01

This paper arises from a study of how concepts related to understanding functions develop for students across the years of secondary/high school, using small samples from two different curricula systems: England and Israel. We used a survey consisting of function tasks developed in collaboration with teachers from both curriculum systems. We…

Meeting the Challenge of Students' Understanding of Formulae in High-School Physics: A Learning Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagno, Esther; Berger, Hana; Eylon, Bat-Sheva

2008-01-01

In this paper we describe a diagnostic study to investigate students' understanding of two basic formulae in physics. Based on the findings of the study, we have developed a classroom activity focused on the interpretation of formulae. The activity was developed cooperatively by physics education researchers and high-school physics teachers and…

Development and Analysis of an Instrument to Assess Student Understanding of GOB Chemistry Knowledge Relevant to Clinical Nursing Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Corina E.; Hyslop, Richard M.; Barbera, Jack

2015-01-01

The General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Knowledge Assessment (GOB-CKA) is a multiple-choice instrument designed to assess students' understanding of the chemistry topics deemed important to clinical nursing practice. This manuscript describes the development process of the individual items along with a psychometric evaluation of the…

Mapping What Young Students Understand and Value Regarding Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manni, Annika; Sporre, Karin; Ottander, Christina

2013-01-01

This paper presents the results of a study carried out to investigate how 10-12 year old Swedish students understand and value the issue of sustainable development. The responses from open-ended questions in a questionnaire have been analyzed through a content analysis based on a phenomenographic approach. The results show that there are…

An Inquiry-Based Augmented Reality Mobile Learning Approach to Fostering Primary School Students' Historical Reasoning in Non-Formal Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Efstathiou, Irene; Kyza, Eleni A.; Georgiou, Yiannis

2018-01-01

This study investigated the contribution of a location-based augmented reality (AR) inquiry-learning environment in developing 3rd grade students' historical empathy and conceptual understanding. Historical empathy is an important element of historical thinking, which is considered to improve conceptual understanding and support the development of…

Contexts That Matter to the Leadership Development of Latino Male College Students: A Mixed Methods Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Gina A.; Huerta, Adrian H.; Ramirez, Jenesis J.; Patrón, Oscar E.

2017-01-01

As the number of Latino males entering college increases, there is a need to understand their unique leadership experiences. This study used a convergent parallel mixed methods design to understand what contexts contribute to Latino male undergraduate students' leadership development, capacity, and experiences. Quantitative data were gathered by…

'Students-as-partners' scheme enhances postgraduate students' employability skills while addressing gaps in bioinformatics education.

PubMed

Mello, Luciane V; Tregilgas, Luke; Cowley, Gwen; Gupta, Anshul; Makki, Fatima; Jhutty, Anjeet; Shanmugasundram, Achchuthan

2017-01-01

Teaching bioinformatics is a longstanding challenge for educators who need to demonstrate to students how skills developed in the classroom may be applied to real world research. This study employed an action research methodology which utilised student-staff partnership and peer-learning. It was centred on the experiences of peer-facilitators, students who had previously taken a postgraduate bioinformatics module, and had applied knowledge and skills gained from it to their own research. It aimed to demonstrate to peer-receivers, current students, how bioinformatics could be used in their own research while developing peer-facilitators' teaching and mentoring skills. This student-centred approach was well received by the peer-receivers, who claimed to have gained improved understanding of bioinformatics and its relevance to research. Equally, peer-facilitators also developed a better understanding of the subject and appreciated that the activity was a rare and invaluable opportunity to develop their teaching and mentoring skills, enhancing their employability.

Development and validation of an achievement test in introductory quantum mechanics: The Quantum Mechanics Visualization Instrument (QMVI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cataloglu, Erdat

The purpose of this study was to construct a valid and reliable multiple-choice achievement test to assess students' understanding of core concepts of introductory quantum mechanics. Development of the Quantum Mechanics Visualization Instrument (QMVI) occurred across four successive semesters in 1999--2001. During this time 213 undergraduate and graduate students attending the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) at University Park and Arizona State University (ASU) participated in this development and validation study. Participating students were enrolled in four distinct groups of courses: Modern Physics, Undergraduate Quantum Mechanics, Graduate Quantum Mechanics, and Chemistry Quantum Mechanics. Expert panels of professors of physics experienced in teaching quantum mechanics courses and graduate students in physics and science education established the core content and assisted in the validating of successive versions of the 24-question QMVI. Instrument development was guided by procedures outlined in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA-APA-NCME, 1999). Data gathered in this study provided information used in the development of successive versions of the QMVI. Data gathered in the final phase of administration of the QMVI also provided evidence that the intended score interpretation of the QMVI achievement test is valid and reliable. A moderate positive correlation coefficient of 0.49 was observed between the students' QMVI scores and their confidence levels. Analyses of variance indicated that students' scores in Graduate Quantum Mechanics and Undergraduate Quantum Mechanics courses were significantly higher than the mean scores of students in Modern Physics and Chemistry Quantum Mechanics courses (p < 0.05). That finding is consistent with the additional understanding and experience that should be anticipated in graduate students and junior-senior level students over sophomore physics majors and majors in another field. The moderate positive correlation coefficient of 0.42 observed between students' QMVI scores and their final course grades was also consistent with expectations in a valid instrument. In addition, the Cronbach-alpha reliability coefficient of the QMVI was found to be 0.82. Limited findings were drawn on students' understanding of introductory quantum mechanics concepts. Data suggested that the construct of quantum mechanics understanding is most likely multidimensional and the Main Topic defined as "Quantum Mechanics Postulates" may be an especially important factor for students in acquiring a successful understanding of quantum mechanics.

Starting a learning progression for agricultural literacy: A qualitative study of urban elementary student understandings of agricultural and science education benchmarks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, Alexander Jay

Science and agriculture professional organizations have argued for agricultural literacy as a goal for K-12 public education. Due to the complexity of our modern agri-food system, with social, economic, and environmental concerns embedded, an agriculturally literate society is needed for informed decision making, democratic participation, and system reform. While grade-span specific benchmarks for gauging agri-food system literacy have been developed, little attention has been paid to existing ideas individuals hold about the agri-food system, how these existing ideas relate to benchmarks, how experience shapes such ideas, or how ideas change overtime. Developing a body of knowledge on students' agri-food system understandings as they develop across K-12 grades can ground efforts seeking to promote a learning progression toward agricultural literacy. This study compares existing perceptions held by 18 upper elementary students from a large urban center in California to agri-food system literacy benchmarks and examines the perceptions against student background and experiences. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Constructivist theoretical perspectives framed the study. No student had ever grown their own food, raised a plant, or cared for an animal. Participation in school fieldtrips to farms or visits to a relative's garden were agricultural experiences most frequently mentioned. Students were able to identify common food items, but could not elaborate on their origins, especially those that were highly processed. Students' understanding of post-production activities (i.e. food processing, manufacturing, or food marketing) was not apparent. Students' understanding of farms reflected a 1900's subsistence farming operation commonly found in a literature written for the primary grades. Students were unaware that plants and animals were selected for production based on desired genetic traits. Obtaining food from areas with favorable growing conditions and supporting technology (such as transportation and refrigeration) was an understanding lacking in the group. Furthermore, most spoilage prevention technologies employed today were not an expressed part of student's schema. Students' backgrounds and experiences did not appear to support the development of a robust agri-food system schema. An agricultural science and technology schema appears poorly developed in each of the students.

A Cross-Course Investigation of Integrative Cases for Evolution Education.

PubMed

White, Peter John Thomas; Heidemann, Merle K; Smith, James J

2015-12-01

Evolution is a cornerstone theory in biology, yet many undergraduate students have difficulty understanding it. One reason for this is that evolution is often taught in a macro-scale context without explicit links to micro-scale processes. To address this, we developed a series of integrative evolution cases that present the evolution of various traits from their origin in genetic mutation, to the synthesis of modified proteins, to how these proteins produce novel phenotypes, to the related macro-scale impacts that the novel phenotypes have on populations in ecological communities. We postulated that students would develop a fuller understanding of evolution when learning biology in a context where these integrative evolution cases are used. We used a previously developed assessment tool, the ATEEK (Assessment Tool for Evaluating Evolution Knowledge), within a pre-course/post-course assessment framework. Students who learned biology in courses using the integrative cases performed significantly better on the evolution assessment than did students in courses that did not use the cases. We also found that student understanding of evolution increased with increased exposure to the integrative evolution cases. These findings support the general hypothesis that students acquire a more complete understanding of evolution when they learn about its genetic and molecular mechanisms along with macro-scale explanations.

A Cross-Course Investigation of Integrative Cases for Evolution Education †

PubMed Central

White, Peter John Thomas; Heidemann, Merle K.; Smith, James J.

2015-01-01

Evolution is a cornerstone theory in biology, yet many undergraduate students have difficulty understanding it. One reason for this is that evolution is often taught in a macro-scale context without explicit links to micro-scale processes. To address this, we developed a series of integrative evolution cases that present the evolution of various traits from their origin in genetic mutation, to the synthesis of modified proteins, to how these proteins produce novel phenotypes, to the related macro-scale impacts that the novel phenotypes have on populations in ecological communities. We postulated that students would develop a fuller understanding of evolution when learning biology in a context where these integrative evolution cases are used. We used a previously developed assessment tool, the ATEEK (Assessment Tool for Evaluating Evolution Knowledge), within a pre-course/post-course assessment framework. Students who learned biology in courses using the integrative cases performed significantly better on the evolution assessment than did students in courses that did not use the cases. We also found that student understanding of evolution increased with increased exposure to the integrative evolution cases. These findings support the general hypothesis that students acquire a more complete understanding of evolution when they learn about its genetic and molecular mechanisms along with macro-scale explanations. PMID:26753023

Transforming Undergraduate Education Through the use of Analytical Reasoning (TUETAR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, M. P.; Houser, C.; Lemmons, K.

2015-12-01

Traditional learning limits the potential for self-discovery, and the use of data and knowledge to understand Earth system relationships, processes, feedback mechanisms and system coupling. It is extremely difficult for undergraduate students to analyze, synthesize, and integrate quantitative information related to complex systems, as many concepts may not be mathematically tractable or yet to be formalized. Conceptual models have long served as a means for Earth scientists to organize their understanding of Earth's dynamics, and have served as a basis for human analytical reasoning and landscape interpretation. Consequently, we evaluated the use of conceptual modeling, knowledge representation and analytical reasoning to provide undergraduate students with an opportunity to develop and test geocomputational conceptual models based upon their understanding of Earth science concepts. This study describes the use of geospatial technologies and fuzzy cognitive maps to predict desertification across the South-Texas Sandsheet in an upper-level geomorphology course. Students developed conceptual models based on their understanding of aeolian processes from lectures, and then compared and evaluated their modeling results against an expert conceptual model and spatial predictions, and the observed distribution of dune activity in 2010. Students perceived that the analytical reasoning approach was significantly better for understanding desertification compared to traditional lecture, and promoted reflective learning, working with data, teamwork, student interaction, innovation, and creative thinking. Student evaluations support the notion that the adoption of knowledge representation and analytical reasoning in the classroom has the potential to transform undergraduate education by enabling students to formalize and test their conceptual understanding of Earth science. A model for developing and utilizing this geospatial technology approach in Earth science is presented.

Middle Grades Students' Situation Definitions: Development of a Knowledge-Linking Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schuh, Kathy L.; Kuo, Yi-Lung; Knupp, Tawnya L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop the Student Knowledge Linking Instrument (SKLI), an inventory for middle grades students that seeks to understand student knowledge construction processes. This study included 461 fifth and sixth grade students and follows from a series of qualitative studies that were used as a foundation for development…

What do primary students know about science, scientists and how they do their work?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartels, Selina L.

The teaching of scientific literacy is the primary goal of elementary science education. Scientific literacy is composed of the overall understanding of what science is and how scientific knowledge is developed. The purpose of this study was to see if elementary students' understandings of science, scientists and how scientists do their work changes from grade one to grade five of elementary school. Furthermore, the study attempts to determine whether there is a difference in scientific literacy between students taught using a textbook curriculum versus a kit-based curriculum. The study draws on a sample of 338 students from 18 different classrooms situated in six different schools in both urban and suburban areas of a large Midwestern city. Students' understandings of science, scientists and how they do their work was measured through a valid and reliable oral protocol entitled Young Children's Views of Science (YCVS) (Lederman, J., Bartels, Lederman, & Ganankkan, 2014). The YCVS assesses students' understandings of the aspects of scientific inquiry (SI) and the nature of science (NOS) that young elementary students are able to understand. These aspects are; science, scientists, multiple methods, observation/inference, begins with a question, empirical, subjectivity, tentativeness and creativity. The YCVS was administered orally for grade one students, and a paper-and-pencil version was given to grades three and five. Results indicated that there are very few gains in NOS and SI understandings between grades one and five in the schools included in this study. None of the schools in this study made significant gains for all of the nine aspects measured in this study. Examining curriculum's affect on NOS and SI understandings, understanding of only one aspect was significantly impacted by curriculum differences. Subjectivity understanding was impacted by kit-based instruction. Overall, students' understandings of science, scientists and how they do their work did not significantly change from grade one to grade five regardless of what type of curriculum they followed. This study shows that students' scientific literacy is not being developed throughout elementary school. Therefore, the teaching of scientific literacy in an explicit and reflective manner should be the focus of preservice elementary school education.

Students' Responses to Authentic Assessment Designed to Develop Commitment to Performing at Their Best

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzzomi, Andrew L.; Male, Sally A.; Miller, Karol

2017-01-01

Engineering educators should motivate and support students in developing not only technical competence but also professional competence including commitment to excellence. We developed an authentic assessment to improve students' understanding of the importance of "perfection" in engineering--whereby 50% good enough will not be…

Animal Research Practices and Doctoral Student Identity Development in a Scientific Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holley, Karri

2009-01-01

This article examines doctoral student identity development in regard to engagement with research practices. Using animal research as a contextual lens, it considers how students develop an identity congruent to their perception of the community which facilitates their social and cognitive activities. The shared, interpretive understanding among…

Understanding the Emotional Reactions and Exploring the Professional Development of College Students Based on Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Su, Yuling; Chung, Ya-hui

2015-01-01

It remains ambiguous how college students form perceptions of professional development by identifying their emotional reactions and reflecting on their experiences in a situated setting. College students undergo professional development by participating in field experiences and reflecting on their experiential learning. In addition, researchers…

Developing Students' Functional Thinking in Algebra through Different Visualisations of a Growing Pattern's Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkie, Karina J.; Clarke, Doug M.

2016-01-01

Spatial visualisation of geometric patterns and their generalisation have become a recognised pathway to developing students' functional thinking and understanding of variables in algebra. This design-based research project investigated upper primary students' development of explicit generalisation of functional relationships and their…

Dissonance in Students' Perceptions of Sustainable Development and Sustainability: Implications for Curriculum Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagawa, Fumiyo

2007-01-01

Purpose: An online questionnaire survey was conducted to explore University of Plymouth students' perceptions and understandings of, and attitudes towards, sustainable development and related concepts and issues. In general, student perceptions of sustainable development have been under-researched. This research sought to go some way towards…

Refining a learning progression of energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Jian-Xin; Guo, Yu-Ying; Neumann, Knut

2017-11-01

This paper presents a revised learning progression for the energy concept and initial findings on diverse progressions among subgroups of sample students. The revised learning progression describes how students progress towards an understanding of the energy concept along two progress variables identified from previous studies - key ideas about energy and levels of conceptual development. To assess students understanding with respect to the revised learning progression, we created a specific instrument, the Energy Concept Progression Assessment (ECPA) based on previous work on assessing students' understanding of energy. After iteratively refining the instrument in two pilot studies, the ECPA was administered to a total of 4550 students (Grades 8-12) from schools in two districts in a major city in Mainland China. Rasch analysis was used to examine the validity of the revised learning progression and explore factors explaining different progressions. Our results confirm the validity of the four conceptual development levels. In addition, we found that although following a similar progression pattern, students' progression rate was significantly influenced by environmental factors such as school type. In the discussion of our findings, we address the non-linear and complex nature of students' progression in understanding energy. We conclude with illuminating our research's implication for curriculum design and energy teaching.

Assessment of electrochemical concepts: a comparative study involving senior high-school students in Indonesia and Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahayu, Sri; Treagust, David F.; Chandrasegaran, A. L.; Kita, Masakazu; Ibnu, Suhadi

2011-07-01

Background and purpose: This study investigated Indonesian and Japanese senior high-school students' understanding of electrochemistry concepts. Sample The questionnaire was administered to 244 Indonesian and 189 Japanese public senior high-school students. Design and methods An 18-item multiple-choice questionnaire relating to five conceptual categories (reactions occurring during electrolysis, differences between electrolytic and voltaic cells, movement of ions in voltaic cells, poles in voltaic cells, voltaic cell reactions) was administered. Results The findings of this study show that difficulties and alternative conceptions previously reported in the literature are held equally by students from a developing and developed country, Indonesian and Japan respectively. Conclusions Collectively, the findings suggest that students' understanding of electrochemistry concepts is relatively weak. Students from both samples shared common difficulties and displayed several alternative conceptions dealing with electrolysis, electricity flow, the voltaic cell and the electrode reactions. Not surprisingly, the students displayed limited consistency in understanding of the concepts in the five categories. This study has implications for teaching and learning, particularly in classroom discussions using models and computer animations in order to reinforce understanding at the sub-microscopic level.

Using structured games to teach early fraction concepts to students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

PubMed

Markey, Carmel; Power, Des; Booker, George

2003-01-01

The study focused on the development of the concept of fractions in a group of 11- and 12-year-old students who were deaf or hard of hearing. The approach implemented in the study relied extensively on the use of games with very little formal instruction. It emphasized the development of appropriate language to facilitate an understanding of the notion of fractions through the investigation of concrete materials, pictorial representations, and interactions between students and teacher. The progress achieved by means of this approach is reported, and the implications of developing an understanding of fractions (and mathematics generally) among students who are deaf or hard of hearing are noted.

Investigating and improving student understanding of the expectation values of observables in quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshman, Emily; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-07-01

The expectation value of an observable is an important concept in quantum mechanics since measurement outcomes are, in general, probabilistic and we only have information about the probability distribution of measurement outcomes in a given quantum state of a system. However, we find that upper-level undergraduate and PhD students in physics have both conceptual and procedural difficulties when determining the expectation value of a physical observable in a given quantum state in terms of the eigenstates and eigenvalues of the corresponding operator, especially when using Dirac notation. Here we first describe the difficulties that these students have with determining the expectation value of an observable in Dirac notation. We then discuss how the difficulties found via student responses to written surveys and individual interviews were used as a guide in the development of a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) to help students develop a good grasp of the expectation value. The QuILT strives to help students integrate conceptual understanding and procedural skills to develop a coherent understanding of the expectation value. We discuss the effectiveness of the QuILT in helping students learn this concept from in-class evaluations.

The complexity of teaching density in middle school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashweh, Maher Z.

2016-01-01

Background: Density is difficult to learn and teach in middle schools. This study, hypothesizing that the density concept develops as part of a conceptual system, used a conceptual change approach to teaching density. The approach emphasized the use of multiple strategies to teach the density concept and the associated concepts in the conceptual system. Purpose: This study assessed post-instructional understanding of different aspects of density in a sample of seventh grade students, examined the effectiveness of the multi-dimensional approach in teaching density, investigated the relations between prior student characteristics and their post-instructional understanding, and investigated if the concept of density develops as part of a conceptual system. Program description: In the first part of the study, student understanding of density was assessed in regular classrooms. In the second part, the investigator and a science teacher co-taught the density unit over a two-week period emphasizing relations between density, mass, volume, part-whole relations, and a scientific particulate conception of matter. A conceptual change approach was used which emphasized multiple representations of knowledge and the use of analogies. Sample: The sample in regular classes consisted of 1645 seventh graders in 51 schools in the West Bank, Palestine. The intervention group consisted of 29 students in one school. Design and methods: The post-instructional understanding of density in 51 regularly taught classrooms was assessed in the first part of the study using a pencil-and paper test. In the second part, a pre-test was used with the intervention group. Students in both parts of the study took the same post-test. Descriptive statistics were calculated to describe student performance. Comparison between pre-test and post-test performance of students in the intervention group was conducted using t-test and ANOVA. Correlations between pre-test sub-scores and post-test scores for students in the intervention class also were calculated. X2 was used to test for co-development of the density concept and other concepts using the different items of the post-test for all groups. Results: Student understanding of density was found poor after instruction, while the intervention had a moderate effect on understanding. Students who started with a basic understanding of some aspects of density gained more from the intervention. The density concept co-developed with the concept of volume and a particulate conception of matter. Conclusions: Teaching density as part of a conceptual system helps promote understanding of the concept. This requires the continuous development and refinement of a learning progression of density, volume, and the particulate nature of matter on the one hand, and an in-depth treatment while teaching the concept on the other hand.

Teaching Environmental Geochemistry: An Authentic Inquiry Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koretsky, Carla M.; Petcovic, Heather L.; Rowbotham, Katherine L.

2012-01-01

A field-based environmental geochemistry course was developed at Western Michigan University for undergraduate geosciences and environmental studies students to (1) improve student understanding of complex environmental systems, specifically targeting lake systems; (2) facilitate student development of professional-level, field- and…

Students' Understanding of the Function-Derivative Relationship When Learning Economic Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ariza, Angel; Llinares, Salvador; Valls, Julia

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to characterise students' understanding of the function-derivative relationship when learning economic concepts. To this end, we use a fuzzy metric (Chang 1968) to identify the development of economic concept understanding that is defined by the function-derivative relationship. The results indicate that the understanding…

Whole-Number Place-Value Understanding of Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thouless, Helen R.

2014-01-01

Place-value is an essential concept that is foundational for understanding our number system and for developing procedures for multidigit operations, but there has been limited research into the place-value understanding of students with learning disabilities. This research is a two-part mixed-methods study that links basic research to…

Reference Framework for Describing and Assessing Students' Understanding in First Year Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kannemeyer, Larry

2005-01-01

This paper presents aspects of a study that investigates the development of an instrument, a reference framework, to analyse students' written responses to non-routine problems in a first year calculus course in order to describe the complexities of their understanding and to assess their understanding of particular mathematical concepts.…

Reading to Understand Anatomy: A Literature Circle Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calmer, Joseph; Straits, William

2014-01-01

As a science teacher, I regularly use outside reading assignments (e.g., news articles) to help develop my students' understanding of topics addressed in my anatomy class. However, I have found that in simply reading texts, students often fail to (1) understand the context of the science discussed, (2) make the connections between ideas…

Understanding Co-Development of Conceptual and Epistemic Understanding through Modeling Practices with Mobile Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryu, Suna; Han, Yuhwha; Paik, Seoung-Hey

2015-01-01

The present study explores how engaging in modeling practice, along with argumentation, leverages students' epistemic and conceptual understanding in an afterschool science/math class of 16 tenth graders. The study also explores how students used mobile Internet phones (smart phones) productively to support modeling practices. As the modeling…

Gravity Can Do What?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schnittka, Christine

2017-01-01

Many students (and adults) do not understand a basic tenet of energy literacy: how electricity is produced. They do not know how coal or other fossil fuels are used to make electricity, nor do they understand how nuclear power, hydroelectric power, and wind power work. The author developed a series of lessons to help students understand how…

A descriptive qualitative study of student learning in a psychosocial nursing class infused with art, literature, music, and film.

PubMed

Jensen, Alice; Curtis, Mary

2008-01-01

Nursing educators have long valued and supported the integration of liberal arts in professional nursing programs. This descriptive qualitative study explores the meanings students derive from the integration of liberal arts content into a psychosocial nursing class. Questionnaires, class observation, and focus group interviews revealed five themes: an interesting hook, a deeper level of understanding, developing self-understanding, developing empathy and increasing cultural awareness. Researchers suggest that integrating liberal arts into nursing education enhances student learning.

Grade six students' understanding of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochrane, Donald Brian

The goal of scientific literacy requires that students develop an understanding of the nature of science to assist them in the reasoned acquisition of science concepts and in their future role as citizens in a participatory democracy. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the range of positions that grade six students hold with respect to the nature of science and to investigate whether gender or prior science education was related to students' views of the nature of science. Two grade six classes participated in this study. One class was from a school involved in a long-term elementary science curriculum project. The science curriculum at this school involved constructivist epistemology and pedagogy and a realist ontology. The curriculum stressed hands-on, open-ended activities and the development of science process skills. Students were frequently involved in creating and testing explanations for physical phenomena. The second class was from a matched school that had a traditional science program. Results of the study indicated that students hold a wider range of views of the nature of science than previously documented. Student positions ranged from having almost no understanding of the nature of science to those expressing positions regarding the nature of science that were more developed than previous studies had documented. Despite the range of views documented, all subjects held realist views of scientific knowledge. Contrary to the literature, some students were able to evaluate a scientific theory in light of empirical evidence that they had generated. Results also indicated that students from the project school displayed more advanced views of the nature of science than their matched peers. However, not all students benefited equally from their experiences. No gender differences were found with respect to students' understanding of the nature of science.

Effect of a Diagram on Primary Students' Understanding About Electric Circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preston, Christine Margaret

2017-09-01

This article reports on the effect of using a diagram to develop primary students' conceptual understanding about electric circuits. Diagrammatic representations of electric circuits are used for teaching and assessment despite the absence of research on their pedagogical effectiveness with young learners. Individual interviews were used to closely analyse Years 3 and 5 (8-11-year-old) students' explanations about electric circuits. Data was collected from 20 students in the same school providing pre-, post- and delayed post-test dialogue. Students' thinking about electric circuits and changes in their explanations provide insights into the role of diagrams in understanding science concepts. Findings indicate that diagram interaction positively enhanced understanding, challenged non-scientific views and promoted scientific models of electric circuits. Differences in students' understanding about electric circuits were influenced by prior knowledge, meta-conceptual awareness and diagram conventions including a stylistic feature of the diagram used. A significant finding that students' conceptual models of electric circuits were energy rather than current based has implications for electricity instruction at the primary level.

Developing Physics Textbook Based on Cognitive Conflict for Deeper Conceptual Understanding and Better Characters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linuwih, S.; Lurinda, N. W.; Fianti

2017-04-01

These study aims are to develop a textbook based on cognitive conflict approachment, to know theproperness of textbook, the legibility of textbook, and also the effect of using the textbook for increasing the conceptual understanding and improving the character of the students. This study was conducted by research and development method employing non-equivalent control group design to test the product. The subjects wereten-grade students of SMA N 1 Gubug in thesecond semester of 2015/2016. The properness test used properness-questionnaire, while the legibility test used themost closet. The data of conceptual understanding was taken from thepretest-postest result and the data of characters was taken from direct observation. By analysing the data, we concluded that the textbook based on cognitive conflict approachment was very proper to use with high legibility. By applied this textbook, students would be helped to get a deeper conceptual understanding and better characters.

Scaffolding Students' Online Critiquing of Expert- and Peer-generated Molecular Models of Chemical Reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Hsin-Yi; Chang, Hsiang-Chi

2013-08-01

In this study, we developed online critiquing activities using an open-source computer learning environment. We investigated how well the activities scaffolded students to critique molecular models of chemical reactions made by scientists, peers, and a fictitious peer, and whether the activities enhanced the students' understanding of science models and chemical reactions. The activities were implemented in an eighth-grade class with 28 students in a public junior high school in southern Taiwan. The study employed mixed research methods. Data collected included pre- and post-instructional assessments, post-instructional interviews, and students' electronic written responses and oral discussions during the critiquing activities. The results indicated that these activities guided the students to produce overall quality critiques. Also, the students developed a more sophisticated understanding of chemical reactions and scientific models as a result of the intervention. Design considerations for effective model critiquing activities are discussed based on observational results, including the use of peer-generated artefacts for critiquing to promote motivation and collaboration, coupled with critiques of scientific models to enhance students' epistemological understanding of model purpose and communication.

Introductory Biology Students’ Use of Enhanced Answer Keys and Reflection Questions to Engage in Metacognition and Enhance Understanding

PubMed Central

Sabel, Jaime L.; Dauer, Joseph T.; Forbes, Cory T.

2017-01-01

Providing feedback to students as they learn to integrate individual concepts into complex systems is an important way to help them to develop robust understanding, but it is challenging in large, undergraduate classes for instructors to provide feedback that is frequent and directed enough to help individual students. Various scaffolds can be used to help students engage in self-regulated learning and generate internal feedback to improve their learning. This study examined the use of enhanced answer keys with added reflection questions and instruction as scaffolds for engaging undergraduate students in self-regulated learning within an introductory biology course. Study findings show that both the enhanced answer keys and reflection questions helped students to engage in metacognition and develop greater understanding of biological concepts. Further, students who received additional instruction on the use of the scaffolds changed how they used them and, by the end of the semester, were using the scaffolds in significantly different ways and showed significantly higher learning gains than students who did not receive the instruction. These findings provide evidence for the benefit of designing scaffolds within biology courses that will support students in engaging in metacognition and enhancing their understanding of biological concepts. PMID:28645893

Students' Ideas about How and Why Chemical Reactions Happen: Mapping the Conceptual Landscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yan, Fan; Talanquer, Vicente

2015-01-01

Research in science education has revealed that many students struggle to understand chemical reactions. Improving teaching and learning about chemical processes demands that we develop a clearer understanding of student reasoning in this area and of how this reasoning evolves with training in the domain. Thus, we have carried out a qualitative…

Student Relationships across Social Markers of Difference in a Baltimore County, Maryland, Comprehensive High School, 1950-1969

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eick, Caroline

2010-01-01

This article contributes to one's historical understanding of student experience in general, and more particularly, to one's understanding of developing cross-group relationships within desegregated schools over the second half of the twentieth century. The article draws from a broader study that examines students' evolving relationships within a…

AN APPRAISAL OF INSTRUCTIONAL UNITS TO ENHANCE STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF PROFIT-MAXIMIZING PRINCIPLES. RESEARCH SERIES IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BARKER, RICHARD L.; BENDER, RALPH E.

TWENTY-TWO SELECTED OHIO VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE TEACHERS AND 262 JUNIOR AND SENIOR VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A STUDY TO MEASURE THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF NEWLY DEVELOPED INSTRUCTIONAL UNITS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF PROFIT-MAXIMIZING PRINCIPLES IN FARM MANAGEMENT. FARM MANAGEMENT WAS TAUGHT IN THE…

Through Alice's Looking Glass: Studying Ourselves To Learn More about Our Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abernathy, Tammy V.; Agey, Teresa

A teacher of a graduate course in severe learning disabilities developed a guided self-study project designed to move her students from a vocabulary-laden understanding of disability to an understanding of their students' unique and complex ways of learning. Self-study activities included learning about one's own learning style and how that…

The Effect of Guided Note Taking during Lectures on Thai University Students' Understanding of Electromagnetism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Narjaikaew, Pattawan; Emarat, Narumon; Cowie, Bronwen

2009-01-01

This paper reports on the implementation of a guided note taking strategy to promote Thai students' understanding of electromagnetism during a lecture course. The aim of the study was to enhance student learning of electromagnetism concepts. The developed guided notes contain quotations, diagrams, pictures, problems, and blank spaces to encourage…

Self-Directed Learning Characteristics of First-Generation, First-Year College Students Participating in a Summer Bridge Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Jeffrey D.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to advance understanding of self-directed learning characteristics of first-year, first-generation college students participating in a summer bridge program. Understanding the experience of these students in higher education can lead to the development of programmatic and pedagogical strategies to better meet the…

Progression in High School Students' (Aged 16-18) Conceptualizations about Chemical Reactions in Solution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boo, Hong-Kwen; Watson, J. R.

2001-01-01

Explores the development over time of students' understandings of the concept of chemical reaction in the context of two familiar reactions in solution. Based on interviews (n=48), results show that students made some progress in their understanding of the concept of chemical reaction but some fundamental misconceptions remained. (Author/MM)

University Students' Understanding of Chemistry Processes and the Quality of Evidence in Their Written Arguments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seung, Eulsun; Choi, Aeran; Pestel, Beverly

2016-01-01

We have developed a process-oriented chemistry laboratory curriculum for non-science majors. The purpose of this study is both to explore university students' understanding of chemistry processes and to evaluate the quality of evidence students use to support their claims regarding chemistry processes in a process-oriented chemistry laboratory…

Virtual Microscopic Simulation (VMS) to Promote Students' Conceptual Change: A Case Study of Heat Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wibowo, Firmanul Catur; Suhandi, Andi; Nahadi; Samsudin, Achmad; Darman, Dina Rahmi; Suherli, Zulmiswal; Hasani, Aceng; Leksono, Sroso Mukti; Hendrayana, Aan; Suherman; Hidayat, Soleh; Hamdani, Dede; Costu, Bayram

2017-01-01

Most students cannot understand the concepts of science concepts. The abstract concepts that require visualization help students to promote to the understanding about the concept. The aim of this study was to develop Virtual Microscopic Simulation (VMS) in terms of encouraging conceptual change and to promote its effectiveness connected to…

How College Students Understand Their Self-Control Development: A Qualitative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cliburn Allen, Cara; Glanzer, Perry

2017-01-01

Recent research has shown the importance of the positive benefits of high-levels of self-control for both individuals and society. Yet, we know only a limited amount about how college students understand and apply self-control. This qualitative study examined how a national sample of 75 students defined self-control, whether or not they believed…

University Students' Perceptions of Social Justice: The Impact of Implementing a Summer Camp for Children with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jefferson, Ruth E.; Grant, Christina E.; Rye, Lindsay; Bassette, Laura A.; Stuve, Matt; Heneisen, Ryan

2018-01-01

University students who experience real-world service tend to develop a more inclusive world view and enhanced understandings outside of their personal perspectives. This project combined course objectives, community collaboration, and service provision to identify the impact of students' understanding of social justice and disability access…

Understanding Science Teaching Effectiveness: Examining How Science-Specific and Generic Instructional Practices Relate to Student Achievement in Secondary Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikeska, Jamie N.; Shattuck, Tamara; Holtzman, Steven; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Duchesneau, Nancy; Qi, Yi; Stickler, Leslie

2017-01-01

In order to create conditions for students' meaningful and rigorous intellectual engagement in science classrooms, it is critically important to help science teachers learn which strategies and approaches can be used best to develop students' scientific literacy. Better understanding how science teachers' instructional practices relate to student…

Building an Understanding of Democratization in a Developing Nation: A Success Story in Botswana.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gary, Lee P., Jr.

This document is an exercise for teachers who are seeking to increase student understanding of the rise and expansion of democracy in new or emerging nations. The exercise complements the National Education Goals for Student Achievement and Citizenship. By design, the exercise challenges students to plan and to conduct (based on the timeless…

Reflective Course Construction: An Analysis of Student Feedback and Its Role in Curricular Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Erik

2013-01-01

This study uses formal and informal student feedback as a source for understanding the impact of experimental course elements. Responses were used to develop a codebook, which was then applied to the entire dataset. The results inform our understanding of student's conceptions of professional identity, learning styles and curriculum design.…

High-School Students' Epistemic Knowledge of Science and Its Relation to Learner Factors in Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Fang-Ying; Liu, Shiang-Yao; Hsu, Chung-Yuan; Chiou, Guo-Li; Wu, Hsin-Kai; Wu, Ying-Tien; Chen, Sufen; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Meng-Jung; Lee, Silvia W.-Y.; Lee, Min-Hsien; Lin, Che-Li; Chu, Regina Juchun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an online contextualized test for assessing students' understanding of epistemic knowledge of science. In addition, how students' understanding of epistemic knowledge of science interacts with learner factors, including time spent on science learning, interest, self-efficacy, and gender, was…

Microscopic Virtual Media (MVM) in Physics Learning: Case Study on Students Understanding of Heat Transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wibowo, F. C.; Suhandi, A.; Rusdiana, D.; Darman, D. R.; Ruhiat, Y.; Denny, Y. R.; Suherman; Fatah, A.

2016-08-01

A Study area in physics learning is purposeful on the effects of various types of learning interventions to help students construct the basic of scientific conception about physics. Microscopic Virtual Media (MVM) are applications for physics learning to support powerful modelling microscopic involving physics concepts and processes. In this study groups (experimental) of 18±20 years old, students were studied to determine the role of MVM in the development of functional understanding of the concepts of thermal expansion in heat transfer. The experimental group used MVM in learning process. The results show that students who learned with virtual media exhibited significantly higher scores in the research tasks. Our findings proved that the MVM may be used as an alternative instructional tool, in order to help students to confront and constructed their basic of scientific conception and developed their understanding.

Calculus students' understanding of the vertex of the quadratic function in relation to the concept of derivative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns-Childers, Annie; Vidakovic, Draga

2018-07-01

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into 30, first year calculus students' understanding of the relationship between the concept of vertex of a quadratic function and the concept of the derivative. APOS (action-process-object-schema) theory was applied as a guiding framework of analysis on student written work, think-aloud and follow up group interviews. Students' personal meanings of the vertex, including misconceptions, were explored, along with students' understanding to solve problems pertaining to the derivative of a quadratic function. Results give evidence of students' weak schema of the vertex, lack of connection between different problem types and the importance of linguistics in relation to levels of APOS theory. A preliminary genetic decomposition was developed based on the results. Future research is suggested as a continuation to improve student understanding of the relationship between the vertex of quadratic functions and the derivative.

Understanding and Working with Attention Deficit Disorder Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buttery, Thomas J.

2009-01-01

From a holistic perspective the term attention refers to a student's capacity to focus, direct and sustain their attention on a particular stimulus within their environment for a significant period of time. The development of students' attention spans develops progressively from the time they enter school. From the beginning some students have…

Exploring the Culture of Assessment within a Division of Student Affairs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Julian, Nessa Duque

2013-01-01

The growing calls for accountability within higher education have mobilized student affairs divisions to develop practices that provide evidence of student learning and development. In order to do this effectively student affairs divisions understand the importance of creating, managing, and sustaining a culture of assessment. The purpose of this…

Exploring the Role of Alternative Break Programs in Students' Career Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niehaus, Elizabeth; Kurotsuchi Inkelas, Karen

2015-01-01

Higher education institutions play a key role in helping to shape students' interests and career plans; as such, student affairs practitioners should understand how the co-curricular environments in their domain contribute to students' career development. The purpose of this study is to explore how one specific co-curricular experience,…

Henry David Thoreau, Forest Succession & The Nature of Science: A Method for Curriculum Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howe, Eric M.

2009-01-01

A main reason for using the history of science in classroom instruction is its utility in promoting students' understanding of the nature of science (NOS). As indicated in such documents as the "National Science Education Standards," it is important to help students develop their understanding of NOS so that they will become more critical…

Classroom Research: Assessment of Student Understanding of Sampling Distributions of Means and the Central Limit Theorem in Post-Calculus Probability and Statistics Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lunsford, M. Leigh; Rowell, Ginger Holmes; Goodson-Espy, Tracy

2006-01-01

We applied a classroom research model to investigate student understanding of sampling distributions of sample means and the Central Limit Theorem in post-calculus introductory probability and statistics courses. Using a quantitative assessment tool developed by previous researchers and a qualitative assessment tool developed by the authors, we…

Using a socioecological framework to understand the career choices of single- and double-degree nursing students and double-degree graduates.

PubMed

Hickey, Noelene; Harrison, Linda; Sumsion, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Untested changes in nursing education in Australia, such as the introduction of double degrees in nursing, necessitate a new research approach to study nursing career pathways. A review of the literature on past and present career choice theories demonstrates these are inadequate to gain an understanding of contemporary nursing students' career choices. With the present worldwide shortage of nurses, an understanding of career choice becomes a critical component of recruitment and retention strategies. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an ecological system approach based on Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development can be used to understand and examine the influences affecting nursing students' and graduates' career development and career choices. Bronfenbrenner's socioecological model was adapted to propose a new Nursing Career Development Framework as a way of conceptualizing the career development of nursing students undertaking traditional bachelor of nursing and nontraditional double-degree nursing programs. This Framework is then applied to a study of undergraduate nurses' career decision making, using a sequential explanatory mixed method study. The paper demonstrates the relevance of this approach for addressing challenges associated with nursing recruitment, education, and career choice.

Using a Socioecological Framework to Understand the Career Choices of Single- and Double-Degree Nursing Students and Double-Degree Graduates

PubMed Central

Hickey, Noelene; Harrison, Linda; Sumsion, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Untested changes in nursing education in Australia, such as the introduction of double degrees in nursing, necessitate a new research approach to study nursing career pathways. A review of the literature on past and present career choice theories demonstrates these are inadequate to gain an understanding of contemporary nursing students' career choices. With the present worldwide shortage of nurses, an understanding of career choice becomes a critical component of recruitment and retention strategies. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an ecological system approach based on Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development can be used to understand and examine the influences affecting nursing students' and graduates' career development and career choices. Bronfenbrenner's socioecological model was adapted to propose a new Nursing Career Development Framework as a way of conceptualizing the career development of nursing students undertaking traditional bachelor of nursing and nontraditional double-degree nursing programs. This Framework is then applied to a study of undergraduate nurses' career decision making, using a sequential explanatory mixed method study. The paper demonstrates the relevance of this approach for addressing challenges associated with nursing recruitment, education, and career choice. PMID:22852094

Designing Interdisciplinary Assessments in Sciences for College Students: An example on osmosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Ji; Liu, Ou Lydia; Sung, Shannon

2014-07-01

College science education needs to foster students' habit of mind beyond disciplinary constraints. However, little research has been devoted to assessing students' interdisciplinary understanding. To address this problem, we formed a team of experts from different disciplines to develop interdisciplinary assessments that target introductory college-level science. We started our project by focusing on osmosis, a topic that involves knowledge from multiple science disciplines. We developed an instrument focusing on this topic and administered it to 3 classes of college students. A Rasch partial credit analysis showed that the items demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. The findings also revealed the differences between student's disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding. The educational implications of the study were discussed.

Design e-learning with flipped learning model to improve layout understanding the concepts basic of the loop control structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handayani, D. P.; Sutarno, H.; Wihardi, Y.

2018-05-01

This study aimed in design and build e-learning with classroom flipped model to improve the concept of understanding of SMK students on the basic programming subject. Research and development obtained research data from survey questionnaire given to students of SMK class X RPL in SMK Negeri 2 Bandung and interviews to RPL productive teacher. Data also obtained from questionnaire of expert validation and students' assessment from e-learning with flipped classroom models. Data also obtained from multiple-choice test to measure improvements in conceptual understanding. The results of this research are: 1) Developed e- learning with flipped classroom model considered good and worthy of use by the average value of the percentage of 86,3% by media experts, and 85,5% by subjects matter experts, then students gave judgment is very good on e-learning either flipped classroom model with a percentage of 79,15% votes. 2) e-learning with classroom flipped models show an increase in the average value of pre-test before using e-learning 26.67 compared to the average value post-test after using e- learning at 63.37 and strengthened by the calculation of the index gains seen Increased understanding of students 'concepts by 50% with moderate criteria indicating that students' understanding is improving.

Putting more ‘modern’ in modern physics education: a Knowledge Building approach using student questions and ideas about the universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Glenn

2017-03-01

Student-generated questions and ideas about our universe are the start of a rich and highly motivating learning environment. Using their curiosity-driven questions and ideas, students form Knowledge Building groups or ‘communities’ where they plan, set goals, design questions for research, and assess the progress of their work, tasks that were once under the control of the teacher. With the understanding that all knowledge and ideas are treated as improvable, students work collaboratively at their level of competency to share their knowledge, ideas and understandings gained from authoritative sources and laboratory activities. Over time, students work collectively to improve the knowledge and ideas of others that result in advances in understanding that benefit not only the individual but the community as a whole. Learning outcomes reported in this paper demonstrate that a Knowledge Building environment applied to introductory cosmology produced similar gains in knowledge and understanding surrounding foundational concepts compared to teacher-centred learning environments. Aside from new knowledge and understanding, students develop important skills and competencies such as question-asking, idea development, communication, collaboration that are becoming ever more important for 21st century living and working. Finally, the process of planning and initiating a Knowledge Building environment that produced the results reported in this paper is outlined.

Competencies to enable learning-focused clinical supervision: a thematic analysis of the literature.

PubMed

Pront, Leeanne; Gillham, David; Schuwirth, Lambert W T

2016-04-01

Clinical supervision is essential for development of health professional students and widely recognised as a significant factor influencing student learning. Although considered important, delivery is often founded on personal experience or a series of predetermined steps that offer standardised behavioural approaches. Such a view may limit the capacity to promote individualised student learning in complex clinical environments. The objective of this review was to develop a comprehensive understanding of what is considered 'good' clinical supervision, within health student education. The literature provides many perspectives, so collation and interpretation were needed to aid development and understanding for all clinicians required to perform clinical supervision within their daily practice. A comprehensive thematic literature review was carried out, which included a variety of health disciplines and geographical environments. Literature addressing 'good' clinical supervision consists primarily of descriptive qualitative research comprising mostly small studies that repeated descriptions of student and supervisor opinions of 'good' supervision. Synthesis and thematic analysis of the literature resulted in four 'competency' domains perceived to inform delivery of learning-focused or 'good' clinical supervision. Domains understood to promote student learning are co-dependent and include 'to partner', 'to nurture', 'to engage' and 'to facilitate meaning'. Clinical supervision is a complex phenomenon and establishing a comprehensive understanding across health disciplines can influence the future health workforce. The learning-focused clinical supervision domains presented here provide an alternative perspective of clinical supervision of health students. This paper is the first step in establishing a more comprehensive understanding of learning-focused clinical supervision, which may lead to development of competencies for clinical supervision. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development and assessment of a chemistry-based computer video game as a learning tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Hernandez, Kermin Joel

The chemistry-based computer video game is a multidisciplinary collaboration between chemistry and computer graphics and technology fields developed to explore the use of video games as a possible learning tool. This innovative approach aims to integrate elements of commercial video game and authentic chemistry context environments into a learning experience through gameplay. The project consists of three areas: development, assessment, and implementation. However, the foci of this study were the development and assessment of the computer video game including possible learning outcomes and game design elements. A chemistry-based game using a mixed genre of a single player first-person game embedded with action-adventure and puzzle components was developed to determine if students' level of understanding of chemistry concepts change after gameplay intervention. Three phases have been completed to assess students' understanding of chemistry concepts prior and after gameplay intervention. Two main assessment instruments (pre/post open-ended content survey and individual semi-structured interviews) were used to assess student understanding of concepts. In addition, game design elements were evaluated for future development phases. Preliminary analyses of the interview data suggest that students were able to understand most of the chemistry challenges presented in the game and the game served as a review for previously learned concepts as well as a way to apply such previous knowledge. To guarantee a better understanding of the chemistry concepts, additions such as debriefing and feedback about the content presented in the game seem to be needed. The use of visuals in the game to represent chemical processes, game genre, and game idea appear to be the game design elements that students like the most about the current computer video game.

Coaches' Perspectives on Their Roles in Facilitating the Personal Development of Student-Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banwell, Jenessa; Kerr, Gretchen

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate coaches' perspectives on the personal development student-athletes experience through interuniversity sport. Additionally, it explored the ways in which coaches understand, enable, and facilitate the personal development of student-athletes. Eight in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with…

Developing Student Leaders in Campus Outdoor Recreation Programs: An Appreciative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandberg, Dan; Martin, Bruce; Szolosi, Andrew; Early, Sherry; Casapulla, Sharon

2017-01-01

Campus outdoor recreation programs can play an integral role in developing student leaders. In this study, we sought a better understanding of the shared positive elements exemplary outdoor programs are using to develop their student leaders. The study was designed using a collective case study methodology and the theoretical lens of the…

Teaching and Learning Multiple Perspectives: The Atomic Bomb.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doppen, Frans H.

2000-01-01

Explores how historical empathy can give students a richer understanding of the past, focusing on the development of the students' historical understanding through an analysis of 18 documents on President Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. (CMK)

An evaluation of meaningful learning in a high school chemistry course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bross, April J.

This study utilized an action research methodology to examine students' understandings of science knowledge, and meaningful learning using the SLD (Science Lecture Demonstration) and laboratory instructional method in a high school chemistry classroom. This method was a modification of the Science Lecture Demonstration Method as developed by Majerich and Schmuckler (2004, in press), the modification due to the addition of a laboratory component. The participants in this study represented a convenience sample which included one class of twenty-two, middle to high socio-economic status students (Mean family income over $75,000/year in 2005 U.S. dollars) in an honors chemistry course at a public high school in the state of New Jersey. These participants included nine girls and thirteen boys. The results of this study indicated what the students' understandings of science knowledge were, how the understandings differed among students, and to what extent those understandings were indicative of meaningful learning. These results were obtained by careful analysis of student generated concept maps, narratives from demonstration quizzes, laboratory reports, and test questions, as well as a teacher/researcher reflection upon the classroom experience. A simple taxonomy for analyzing students' understandings of science knowledge was developed, based upon the work of Majerich (2004). Findings indicated that the students' understanding of science knowledge, as well as the extent of meaningful learning that occurs in the chemistry classroom may be influenced by the roles of: explicit directions, pre-existing knowledge from elementary and middle school science classes, using examples vs. non-examples, macroscopic vs. microscopic views of nature, time for reflection, and everyday vs. scientific language. Results obtained from high school student responses confirmed Novak's observation of elementary students' lack of differentiation between the terms vapor and gas (Novak, 1998).

Information-seeking strategies and science content understandings of sixth-grade students using on-line learning environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, Joseph Loris

1999-11-01

This study examined the information-seeking strategies and science content understandings learners developed as a result of using on-line resources in the University of Michigan Digital Library and on the World Wide Web. Eight pairs of sixth grade students from two teachers' classrooms were observed during inquiries for astronomy, ecology, geology, and weather, and a final transfer task assessed learners' capabilities at the end of the school year. Data included video recordings of students' screen activity and conversations, journals and completed activity sheets, final artifacts, and semi-structured interviews. Learners' information-seeking strategies included activities related to asking, planning, tool usage, searching, assessing, synthesizing, writing, and creating. Analysis of data found a majority of learners posed meaningful, openended questions, used technological tools appropriately, developed pertinent search topics, were thoughtful in queries to the digital library, browsed sites purposefully to locate information, and constructed artifacts with novel formats. Students faced challenges when planning activities, assessing resources, and synthesizing information. Possible explanations were posed linking pedagogical practices with learners' growth and use of inquiry strategies. Data from classroom-lab video and teacher interviews showed varying degrees of student scaffolding: development and critique of initial questions, utilization of search tools, use of journals for reflection on activities, and requirements for final artifacts. Science content understandings included recalling information, offering explanations, articulating relationships, and extending explanations. A majority of learners constructed partial understandings limited to information recall and simple explanations, and these occasionally contained inaccurate conceptualizations. Web site design features had some influence on the construction of learners' content understandings. Analysis of data suggests sites with high quality general design, navigation, and content helped to foster the construction of broad and accurate understandings, while context and interactivity had less impact. However, student engagement with inquiry strategies had a greater impact on the construction of understandings. Gaining accurate and in-depth understandings from on-line resources is a complex process for young learners. Teachers can support students by helping them engage in all phases of the information-seeking process, locate useful information with prescreened resources, build background understanding with off-line instruction, and process new information deeply through extending writing and conversation.

Impact of Learning Model Based on Cognitive Conflict toward Student’s Conceptual Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mufit, F.; Festiyed, F.; Fauzan, A.; Lufri, L.

2018-04-01

The problems that often occur in the learning of physics is a matter of misconception and low understanding of the concept. Misconceptions do not only happen to students, but also happen to college students and teachers. The existing learning model has not had much impact on improving conceptual understanding and remedial efforts of student misconception. This study aims to see the impact of cognitive-based learning model in improving conceptual understanding and remediating student misconceptions. The research method used is Design / Develop Research. The product developed is a cognitive conflict-based learning model along with its components. This article reports on product design results, validity tests, and practicality test. The study resulted in the design of cognitive conflict-based learning model with 4 learning syntaxes, namely (1) preconception activation, (2) presentation of cognitive conflict, (3) discovery of concepts & equations, (4) Reflection. The results of validity tests by some experts on aspects of content, didactic, appearance or language, indicate very valid criteria. Product trial results also show a very practical product to use. Based on pretest and posttest results, cognitive conflict-based learning models have a good impact on improving conceptual understanding and remediating misconceptions, especially in high-ability students.

Evaluation of a computer-based approach to teaching acid/base physiology.

PubMed

Rawson, Richard E; Quinlan, Kathleen M

2002-12-01

Because acid/base physiology is a difficult subject for most medical and veterinary students, the first author designed a software program, Acid/Base Primer, that would help students with this topic. The Acid/Base Primer was designed and evaluated within a conceptual framework of basic educational principles. Seventy-five first-year veterinary students (of 81; 93% response rate) participated in this study. Students took both a pre- and posttest of content understanding. After completing the Acid/Base Primer in pairs, each student filled out a survey evaluating the features of the program and describing his/her use and experience of it. Four pairs of students participated in interviews that elaborated on the surveys. Scores improved from 53 +/- 2% on the pretest to 74 +/- 1% on an immediate posttest. On surveys and in interviews, students reported that the program helped them construct their own understanding of acid/base physiology and prompted discussions in pairs of students when individual understandings differed. The case-based format provided anchors and a high degree of relevance. Repetition of concepts helped students develop a more complex network of understanding. Questions in the program served to scaffold the learning process by providing direction, accentuating the relevant features of the cases, and provoking discussion. Guidelines for software development were generated on the basis of the findings and relevant educational literature.

Design and Testing of an Assessment Instrument to Measure Understanding of Protein Structure and Enzyme Inhibition in a New Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villafañe, Sachel M.; Heyen, Bruce J.; Lewis, Jennifer E.; Loertscher, Jennifer; Minderhout, Vicky; Murray, Tracey Arnold

2016-01-01

Assessment instruments designed to measure student conceptual understanding and skills proficiency related to biochemistry are important to transform undergraduate biochemistry education. The purpose of this study was to develop an assessment instrument to measure student understanding of protein structure and enzyme inhibition in a new context,…

Simulation-Based Performance Assessment: An Innovative Approach to Exploring Understanding of Physical Science Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gale, Jessica; Wind, Stefanie; Koval, Jayma; Dagosta, Joseph; Ryan, Mike; Usselman, Marion

2016-01-01

This paper illustrates the use of simulation-based performance assessment (PA) methodology in a recent study of eighth-grade students' understanding of physical science concepts. A set of four simulation-based PA tasks were iteratively developed to assess student understanding of an array of physical science concepts, including net force,…

Linking Teaching for Understanding to Practice in a U.S. History Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiCamillo, Lorrei

2010-01-01

The author reports findings from a study that explored the methods a U.S. history teacher used to promote students' higher order thinking and engagement. The teacher, Mr. Scott (a pseudonym), challenged his urban high school students to develop stronger understandings of history by enacting elements of the teaching for understanding (TFU)…

An Exploratory Study of Fifth-Grade Students' Reasoning about the Relationship between Fractions and Decimals When Using Number Line-Based Virtual Manipulatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Scott

2017-01-01

Understanding the relationship between fractions and decimals is an important step in developing an overall understanding of rational numbers. Research has demonstrated the feasibility of technology in the form of virtual manipulatives for facilitating students' meaningful understanding of rational number concepts. This exploratory dissertation…

The Contribution of Conceptual Change Texts Accompanied by Concept Mapping to Eleventh-Grade Students Understanding of Cellular Respiration Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al khawaldeh, Salem A.; Al Olaimat, Ali M.

2010-01-01

The present study conducted to investigate the contribution of conceptual change texts, accompanied by concept mapping instruction to eleventh-grade students' understanding of cellular respiration concepts, and their retention of this understanding. Cellular respiration concepts test was developed as a result of examination of related literature…

Understanding How College Students Think.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cosgrove, Thomas J.

1987-01-01

With a knowledge of students' thinking processes, activities advisers and leaders can design environments for maximum learning and development. An interpretation of Perry's model of intellectual and ethical development is provided. (MLW)

Problem Analysis: Application in Developing Marketing Strategies for Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, John; Moore, Thomas

1991-01-01

The problem analysis technique can help colleges understand students' salient needs in a competitive market. A preliminary study demonstrates the usefulness of the approach for developing strategies aimed at maintaining student loyalty and improving word-of-mouth promotion to other prospective students. (Author/MSE)

Student Learning by Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schallies, Michael; Lembens, Anja

2002-01-01

Describes a research and development project aiming to help develop secondary students' abilities to understand biotechnology/genetic engineering. Focuses on an exemplary true-to-life experiment, planned and executed by students in grade 8, that involves external experts and uses an industrial research laboratory for solving genuine questions.…

Using Students' Interests as Algebraic Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whaley, Kenneth A.

2012-01-01

Fostering algebraic thinking is an important goal for middle-grades mathematics teachers. Developing mathematical reasoning requires that teachers cultivate students' habits of mind. Teachers develop students' understanding of algebra by engaging them in tasks that involve modeling and representation. This study was designed to investigate how…

Probability from a Socio-Cultural Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Sashi

2016-01-01

There exists considerable and rich literature on students' misconceptions about probability; less attention has been paid to the development of students' probabilistic thinking in the classroom. Grounded in an analysis of the literature, this article offers a lesson sequence for developing students' probabilistic understanding. In particular, a…

Rapid knowledge assessment (RKA): Assessing students content knowledge through rapid, in class assessment of expertise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connell, Erin

Understanding how students go about problem solving in chemistry lends many possible advantages for interventions in teaching strategies for the college classroom. The work presented here is the development of an in-classroom, real-time, formative instrument to assess student expertise in chemistry with the purpose of developing classroom interventions. The development of appropriate interventions requires the understanding of how students go about starting to solve tasks presented to them, what their mental effort (load on working memory) is, and whether or not their performance was accurate. To measure this, the Rapid Knowledge Assessment (RKA) instrument uses clickers (handheld electronic instruments for submitting answers) as a means of data collection. The classroom data was used to develop an algorithm to deliver student assessment scores, which when correlated to external measure of standardized American Chemical Society (ACS) examinations and class score show a significant relationship between the accuracy of knowledge assessment (p=0.000). Use of eye-tracking technology and student interviews supports the measurements found in the classroom.

Quantum interactive learning tutorial on the double-slit experiment to improve student understanding of quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayer, Ryan; Maries, Alexandru; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-06-01

Learning quantum mechanics is challenging, even for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. Research-validated interactive tutorials that build on students' prior knowledge can be useful tools to enhance student learning. We have been investigating student difficulties with quantum mechanics pertaining to the double-slit experiment in various situations that appear to be counterintuitive and contradict classical notions of particles and waves. For example, if we send single electrons through the slits, they may behave as a "wave" in part of the experiment and as a "particle" in another part of the same experiment. Here we discuss the development and evaluation of a research-validated Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) which makes use of an interactive simulation to improve student understanding of the double-slit experiment and strives to help students develop a good grasp of foundational issues in quantum mechanics. We discuss common student difficulties identified during the development and evaluation of the QuILT and analyze the data from the pretest and post test administered to the upper-level undergraduate and first-year physics graduate students before and after they worked on the QuILT to assess its effectiveness. These data suggest that on average, the QuILT was effective in helping students develop a more robust understanding of foundational concepts in quantum mechanics that defy classical intuition using the context of the double-slit experiment. Moreover, upper-level undergraduates outperformed physics graduate students on the post test. One possible reason for this difference in performance may be the level of student engagement with the QuILT due to the grade incentive. In the undergraduate course, the post test was graded for correctness while in the graduate course, it was only graded for completeness.

Developing the next generation of diverse computer scientists: the need for enhanced, intersectional computing identity theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Sarah L.; Lehman, Kathleen

2017-10-01

This theoretical paper explores the need for enhanced, intersectional computing identity theory for the purpose of developing a diverse group of computer scientists for the future. Greater theoretical understanding of the identity formation process specifically for computing is needed in order to understand how students come to understand themselves as computer scientists. To ensure that the next generation of computer scientists is diverse, this paper presents a case for examining identity development intersectionally, understanding the ways in which women and underrepresented students may have difficulty identifying as computer scientists and be systematically oppressed in their pursuit of computer science careers. Through a review of the available scholarship, this paper suggests that creating greater theoretical understanding of the computing identity development process will inform the way in which educational stakeholders consider computer science practices and policies.

Developing the critical thinking skills of astrobiology students through creative and scientific inquiry.

PubMed

Foster, Jamie S; Lemus, Judith D

2015-01-01

Scientific inquiry represents a multifaceted approach to explore and understand the natural world. Training students in the principles of scientific inquiry can help promote the scientific learning process as well as help students enhance their understanding of scientific research. Here, we report on the development and implementation of a learning module that introduces astrobiology students to the concepts of creative and scientific inquiry, as well as provide practical exercises to build critical thinking skills. The module contained three distinct components: (1) a creative inquiry activity designed to introduce concepts regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry; (2) guidelines to help astrobiology students formulate and self-assess questions regarding various scientific content and imagery; and (3) a practical exercise where students were allowed to watch a scientific presentation and practice their analytical skills. Pre- and post-course surveys were used to assess the students' perceptions regarding creative and scientific inquiry and whether this activity impacted their understanding of the scientific process. Survey results indicate that the exercise helped improve students' science skills by promoting awareness regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry and building their confidence in formulating and assessing scientific questions. Together, the module and survey results confirm the need to include such inquiry-based activities into the higher education classroom, thereby helping students hone their critical thinking and question asking skill set and facilitating their professional development in astrobiology.

Impact of historical science short stories on students' attitudes and NOS understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Garrett

This study examines the impact of historical short stories on upper and lower level high school chemistry students in the second semester of a two-semester course at a large Midwestern suburban school. Research focused on improved understanding of six fundamental nature of science (NOS) concepts made explicit in the stories, recollection of historical examples from the stories that supported student NOS thinking; student attitudes toward historical stories in comparison to traditional textbook readings as well as student attitudes regarding scientists and the development of science ideas. Data collection included surveys over six NOS concepts, attitudes towards science and reading, and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data collected in this study indicated significant increases in understanding for three of the six NOS concepts within the upper-level students and one of the six concepts for lower level students. Students were able to draw upon examples from the stories to defend their NOS views but did so more frequently when responding verbally in comparison to written responses on the surveys. The analysis also showed that students in both levels would rather utilize historical short stories over a traditional textbook and found value in learning about scientists and how scientific ideas are developed.

A CIT Investigation of Disruptive Student Behaviors: The Students' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoffman, K. Douglas; Lee, Seung Hwan

2014-01-01

This research focuses on gaining a better understanding of how students negatively impact other students' classroom experience. More specifically, this research develops a typology of disruptive student behavior, including frequency of occurrence and the perceived magnitude of the disruption from a student perspective. Students also provide…

An examination of the identity development of African American undergraduate engineering students attending an HBCU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Kenneth J.

This study examined the identity development for a sample of 90 African American undergraduate engineering male and female students attending an HBCU. Using the Student Development Task and Lifestyle Assessment (SDTLA), which is based on Chickering and Reisser's identity development theory, differences in identity development were examined with respect to gender, academic classification, and grade point average. Previous research has shown the need to look beyond academic factors to understand and influence the persistence of African American engineering students. Non-cognitive factors, including identity development have proven to be influential in predicting persistence, especially for African American engineering students. Results from the analysis revealed significant means for academic classification and five of the dependent variables to include career planning peer relations, emotional autonomy, educational involvement, and establishing and clarifying purpose. Post hoc analysis confirmed significant differences for four of those dependent variables. However, the analysis failed to confirm statistical significant differences in peer relations due to academic classification. The significant decline in the mean scores for development in these four areas, as students progressed from sophomore to senior year revealed strong implications for the need to provide programming and guidance for those students. Institutions of higher education should provide more attention to the non-cognitive areas of development as a means of understanding identity development and working toward creating support systems for students.

Developing an Instrument for Assessing Students' Understanding of the Energy Concept across Science Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Mihwa

2013-01-01

Energy is a core and unifying concept in all science disciplines and across all grade levels. Although energy is one of the most central and richly connected ideas in all of science disciplines, students often have a great deal of difficulty understanding it. Numerous studies have been conducted on this topic finding that many students held…

Assessing the Development of Chemistry Students' Conceptual and Visual Understanding of Dimensional Analysis via Supplemental Use of Web-Based Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Jennifer T.

2013-01-01

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a proprietary software program on students' conceptual and visual understanding of dimensional analysis. The participants in the study were high school general chemistry students enrolled in two public schools with different demographics (School A and School B) in the Chattanooga, Tennessee,…

Effect of PDEODE Teaching Strategy on Turkish Students' Conceptual Understanding: Particulate Nature of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demircioglu, Hülya

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of activities developed in accordance with PDEODE teaching strategy on students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter. The sample of the study consists of the first grade students who study in the Primary School Teacher Education Program. In order to determine the conceptual change on…

High School Students' Proficiency and Confidence Levels in Displaying Their Understanding of Basic Electrolysis Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sia, Ding Teng; Treagust, David F.; Chandrasegaran, A. L.

2012-01-01

This study was conducted with 330 Form 4 (grade 10) students (aged 15-16 years) who were involved in a course of instruction on electrolysis concepts. The main purposes of this study were (1) to assess high school chemistry students' understanding of 19 major principles of electrolysis using a recently developed 2-tier multiple-choice diagnostic…

Evaluating College Students' Conceptual Knowledge of Modern Physics: Test of Understanding on Concepts of Modern Physics (TUCO-MP)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akarsu, Bayram

2011-01-01

In present paper, we propose a new diagnostic test to measure students' conceptual knowledge of principles of modern physics topics. Over few decades since born of physics education research (PER), many diagnostic instruments that measure students' conceptual understanding of various topics in physics, the earliest tests developed in PER are Force…

Systematic Study of Student Understanding of the Relationships between the Directions of Force, Velocity, and Acceleration in One Dimension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblatt, Rebecca; Heckler, Andrew F.

2011-01-01

We developed an instrument to systematically investigate student conceptual understanding of the relationships between the directions of net force, velocity, and acceleration in one dimension and report on data collected on the final version of the instrument from over 650 students. Unlike previous work, we simultaneously studied all six possible…

Reasoning, Not Recipes: Helping Your Students Develop Statistical Understanding and Enjoy the Experience!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mooney, Gai

2010-01-01

Statistics is often presented to students as a series of algorithms to be learnt by heart and applied at the appropriate time to get "the correct answer". This approach, while it may in fact produce the right answer, has been shown to be minimally effective at helping students understand the underlying statistical concepts. As Holmes noted,…

The Impact of Designing and Evaluating Molecular Animations on How Well Middle School Students Understand the Particulate Nature of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Hsin-Yi; Quintana, Chris; Krajcik, Joseph S.

2010-01-01

In this study, we investigated whether the understanding of the particulate nature of matter by students was improved by allowing them to design and evaluate molecular animations of chemical phenomena. We developed Chemation, a learner-centered animation tool, to allow seventh-grade students to construct flipbook-like simple animations to show…

Educational Practice, Student Experience, and the Purpose of Education--A Critique of "Pedagogy in Practice"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klitmøller, Jacob

2016-01-01

The focus of the present paper is a critical discussion of the recently developed concept Pedagogy in Practice (PiP) with the intention of improving the concept for future research. PiP aims to understand ongoing educational practice from the students' perspective by interviewing groups of students about their understanding of learning. By…

Students' Understanding of the Nature of Matter and Chemical Reactions--A Longitudinal Study of Conceptual Restructuring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Øyehaug, Anne Bergliot; Holt, Anne

2013-01-01

This longitudinal study aims to provide greater insight into how students' understanding of matter and chemical reactions develops over time and how their knowledge structures are restructured. Four case-study students in a Norwegian primary school were followed for two years from age 10-11 to age 12-13. Researchers were responsible for…

Building Students' Understanding of Quadratic Equation Concept Using Naïve Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fachrudin, Achmad Dhany; Putri, Ratu Ilma Indra; Darmawijoyo

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research is to know how Naïve Geometry method can support students' understanding about the concept of solving quadratic equations. In this article we will discuss one activities of the four activities we developed. This activity focused on how students linking the Naïve Geometry method with the solving of the quadratic…

Using Virtual Reality Computer Models to Support Student Understanding of Astronomical Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Michael; Yamagata-Lynch, Lisa; Keating, Tom; Barab, Sasha A.; Hay, Kenneth E.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine how 3-dimensional (3-D) models of the Solar System supported student development of conceptual understandings of various astronomical phenomena that required a change in frame of reference. In the course described in this study, students worked in teams to design and construct 3-D virtual reality computer…

Understanding Public Policy Making through the Work of Committees: Utilizing a Student-Led Congressional Hearing Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rinfret, Sara R.; Pautz, Michelle C.

2015-01-01

In an effort to help students better understand the complexity of making environmental policy and the role of policy actors in this process, we developed a mock congressional hearing simulation. In this congressional hearing, students in two environmental policy courses take on the roles of members of Congress and various interest groups to…

Understanding Subgroups in Common State Assessments: Special Education Students and ELLs. NCEO Brief. Number 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, 2011

2011-01-01

Although most assessment developers have a sense of the nature of the general student population, they often lack an understanding of the characteristics of special education students and English Language Learners (ELLs) who will participate in the assessment. The Race-to-the-Top Assessment Consortia have the rare opportunity to know who these…

Banishing Bradford Pears

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deaton, Cynthia; Cook, Michelle

2012-01-01

Role-play provides fifth-grade students with the opportunity to develop meaningful connections to environmental science concepts and understand how those concepts relate to their community. Role-play also builds students' communication skills and increases their understanding of the attitudes of science. By participating in role-play, teachers…

Using a Virtual Tablet Machine to Improve Student Understanding of the Complex Processes Involved in Tablet Manufacturing.

PubMed

Mattsson, Sofia; Sjöström, Hans-Erik; Englund, Claire

2016-06-25

Objective. To develop and implement a virtual tablet machine simulation to aid distance students' understanding of the processes involved in tablet production. Design. A tablet simulation was created enabling students to study the effects different parameters have on the properties of the tablet. Once results were generated, students interpreted and explained them on the basis of current theory. Assessment. The simulation was evaluated using written questionnaires and focus group interviews. Students appreciated the exercise and considered it to be motivational. Students commented that they found the simulation, together with the online seminar and the writing of the report, was beneficial for their learning process. Conclusion. According to students' perceptions, the use of the tablet simulation contributed to their understanding of the compaction process.

Building the BIKE: Development and Testing of the Biotechnology Instrument for Knowledge Elicitation (BIKE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witzig, Stephen B.; Rebello, Carina M.; Siegel, Marcelle A.; Freyermuth, Sharyn K.; Izci, Kemal; McClure, Bruce

2014-10-01

Identifying students' conceptual scientific understanding is difficult if the appropriate tools are not available for educators. Concept inventories have become a popular tool to assess student understanding; however, traditionally, they are multiple choice tests. International science education standard documents advocate that assessments should be reform based, contain diverse question types, and should align with instructional approaches. To date, no instrument of this type targeting student conceptions in biotechnology has been developed. We report here the development, testing, and validation of a 35-item Biotechnology Instrument for Knowledge Elicitation (BIKE) that includes a mix of question types. The BIKE was designed to elicit student thinking and a variety of conceptual understandings, as opposed to testing closed-ended responses. The design phase contained nine steps including a literature search for content, student interviews, a pilot test, as well as expert review. Data from 175 students over two semesters, including 16 student interviews and six expert reviewers (professors from six different institutions), were used to validate the instrument. Cronbach's alpha on the pre/posttest was 0.664 and 0.668, respectively, indicating the BIKE has internal consistency. Cohen's kappa for inter-rater reliability among the 6,525 total items was 0.684 indicating substantial agreement among scorers. Item analysis demonstrated that the items were challenging, there was discrimination among the individual items, and there was alignment with research-based design principles for construct validity. This study provides a reliable and valid conceptual understanding instrument in the understudied area of biotechnology.

What Is Cheating? Student and Faculty Perception of What They Believe Is Academically Dishonest Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, George; Sottile, James; Liang, Jia Grace

2014-01-01

The study of ethics and moral development of college students is an important issue. Knowing and understanding the ethical behavior of college students can lead to changing and increasing appropriate behavior among graduate and undergraduate students. Such changes in ethical behavior and moral development during the college experience can…

Explaining Newton's Laws of Motion: Using Student Reasoning through Representations to Develop Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldrip, Bruce; Prain, Vaughan; Sellings, Peter

2013-01-01

The development of students' reasoning and argumentation skills in school science is currently attracting strong research interest. In this paper we report on a study where we aimed to investigate student learning on the topic of motion when students, guided by their teacher, responded to a sequence of representational challenges in which their…

Reflective Journals as a Research Tool: The Case of Student Teachers' Development of Teamwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bashan, Bilha; Holsblat, Rachel

2017-01-01

The study explores the development of teamwork among a group of Israeli student teachers enrolled in a practicum, in order to help teacher educators to understand better the processes student teachers experience in becoming a collaborative team. The student teachers' reflective journals provide qualitative evidence of the stages in the development…

The Influence of Social Media Use on Male College Students' Gender Identity and Gendered Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potts, Lawrence Charles

2017-01-01

To better understand the influence of social media use on male college students' gender identity and male gendered performance, this research examined existing research on digital identity and social networking sites, male gender identity development, college student development theory, and the effects of living arrangements on college students.…

Improving students' understanding of quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Guangtian

2011-12-01

Learning physics is challenging at all levels. Students' difficulties in the introductory level physics courses have been widely studied and many instructional strategies have been developed to help students learn introductory physics. However, research shows that there is a large diversity in students' preparation and skills in the upper-level physics courses and it is necessary to provide scaffolding support to help students learn advanced physics. This thesis explores issues related to students' common difficulties in learning upper-level undergraduate quantum mechanics and how these difficulties can be reduced by research-based learning tutorials and peer instruction tools. We investigated students' difficulties in learning quantum mechanics by administering written tests and surveys to many classes and conducting individual interviews with a subset of students. Based on these investigations, we developed Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials (QuILTs) and peer instruction tools to help students build a hierarchical knowledge structure of quantum mechanics through a guided approach. Preliminary assessments indicate that students' understanding of quantum mechanics is improved after using the research-based learning tools in the junior-senior level quantum mechanics courses. We also designed a standardized conceptual survey that can help instructors better probe students' understanding of quantum mechanics concepts in one spatial dimension. The validity and reliability of this quantum mechanics survey is discussed.

Teaching tools in Evidence Based Practice: evaluation of reusable learning objects (RLOs) for learning about Meta-analysis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background All healthcare students are taught the principles of evidence based practice on their courses. The ability to understand the procedures used in systematically reviewing evidence reported in studies, such as meta-analysis, are an important element of evidence based practice. Meta-analysis is a difficult statistical concept for healthcare students to understand yet it is an important technique used in systematic reviews to pool data from studies to look at combined effectiveness of treatments. In other areas of the healthcare curricula, by supplementing lectures, workbooks and workshops with pedagogically designed, multimedia learning objects (known as reusable learning objects or RLOs) we have shown an improvement in students' perceived understanding in subjects they found difficult. In this study we describe the development and evaluation of two RLOs on meta-analysis. The RLOs supplement associated lectures and aim to improve students' understanding of meta-analysis in healthcare students. Methods Following a quality controlled design process two RLOs were developed and delivered to two cohorts of students, a Master in Public Health course and Postgraduate diploma in nursing course. Students' understanding of five key concepts of Meta-analysis were measured before and after a lecture and again after RLO use. RLOs were also evaluated for their educational value, learning support, media attributes and usability using closed and open questions. Results Students rated their understanding of meta-analysis as improved after a lecture and further improved after completing the RLOs (Wilcoxon paired test, p < 0.01 in all cases) Whilst the media components of the RLOs such as animations helped most students (86%) understand concepts including for example Forest plots, 93% of students rated usability and control as important to their learning. A small number of students stated they needed the support of a lecturer alongside the RLOs (7% 'Agreed' and 21% 'Neutral'). Conclusions Meta-analysis RLOs that are openly accessible and unrestricted by usernames and passwords provide flexible support for students who find the process of meta-analysis difficult. PMID:21542905

Development of two tier test to assess conceptual understanding in heat and temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winarti; Cari; Suparmi; Sunarno, Widha; Istiyono, Edi

2017-01-01

Heat and temperature is a concept that has been learnt from primary school to undergraduate levels. One problem about heat and temperature is that they are presented abstractly, theoretical concept. A student conceptual frameworks develop from their daily experiences. The purpose of this research was to develop a two-tier test of heat and temperature concept and measure conceptual understanding of heat and temperature of the student. This study consist of two method is qualitative and quantitative method. The two-tier test was developed using procedures defined by Borg and Gall. The two-tier test consisted of 20 question and was tested for 137 students for collecting data. The result of the study showed that the two-tier test was effective in determining the students’ conceptual understanding and also it might be used as an alternative for assessment and evaluation of students’ achievement

Impact of the Developing Mathematical Ideas Professional Development Program on Grade 4 Students' and Teachers' Understanding of Fractions. REL 2017-256

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayanthi, Madhavi; Gersten, Russell; Taylor, Mary Jo; Smolkowski, Keith; Dimino, Joseph

2017-01-01

Contemporary state math standards emphasize that students must demonstrate an understanding of the mathematical ideas underlying the computations that have typically been the core of the elementary school math curriculum. The standards have put an increased emphasis on the study of fractions in upper elementary grades, which are the years during…

Developing and Evaluating an Eighth Grade Curriculum Unit That Links Foundational Chemistry to Biological Growth: Using Student Measures to Evaluate the Promise of the Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrmann-Abell, Cari F.; Flanagan, Jean C.; Roseman, Jo Ellen

2013-01-01

Students often have trouble understanding key biology ideas, in part because they lack an understanding of foundational chemistry ideas. AAAS [American Association for the Advancement of Science] is collaborating with BSCS [Biological Sciences Curriculum Study] in the development of a curriculum unit that connects core chemistry and biology ideas…

Use of a Walk Through Time to Facilitate Student Understandings of the Geological Time Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shipman, H. L.

2004-12-01

Students often have difficulties in appreciating just how old the earth and the universe are. While they can simply memorize a number, they really do not understand just how big that number really is, in comparison with other, more familiar student referents like the length of a human lifetime or how long it takes to eat a pizza. (See, e.g., R.D. Trend 2001, J. Research in Science Teaching 38(2): 191-221) Students, and members of the general public, also display such well-known misconceptions as the "Flintstone chronology" of believing that human beings and dinosaurs walked the earth at the same time. (In the classic American cartoon "The Flintstones," human beings used dinosaurs as draft animals. As scientists we know this is fiction, but not all members of the public understand that.) In an interdisciplinary undergraduate college class that dealt with astronomy, cosmology, and biological evolution, I used a familiar activity to try to improve student understanding of the concept of time's vastness. Students walked through a pre-determined 600-step path which provided a spatial analogy to the geological time scale. They stopped at various points and engaged in some pre-determined discussions and debates. This activity is as old as the hills, but reports of its effectiveness or lack thereof are quite scarce. This paper demonstrates that this activity was effective for a general-audience, college student population in the U.S. The growth of student understandings of the geological time scale was significant as a result of this activity. Students did develop an understanding of time's vastness and were able to articulate this understanding in various ways. This growth was monitored through keeping track of several exam questions and through pre- and post- analysis of student writings. In the pre-writings, students often stated that they had "no idea" about how to illustrate the size of the geological time scale to someone else. While some post-time walk responses simply restated what was done in the walk through time, some students were able to develop their own ways of conceptualizing the vastness of the geological time scale. A variety of findings from student understandings will be presented. This work has been supported in part by the Distinguished Scholars Program of the National Science Foundation (DUE-0308557).

Threshold Capability Development in Intensive Mode Business Units

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crispin, Stuart; Hancock, Phil; Male, Sally Amanda; Baillie, Caroline; MacNish, Cara; Leggoe, Jeremy; Ranmuthugala, Dev; Alam, Firoz

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore: student perceptions of threshold concepts and capabilities in postgraduate business education, and the potential impacts of intensive modes of teaching on student understanding of threshold concepts and development of threshold capabilities. Design/Methodology/Approach: The student experience of…

Using Patient Case Video Vignettes to Improve Students' Understanding of Cross-cultural Communication.

PubMed

Arif, Sally; Cryder, Brian; Mazan, Jennifer; Quiñones-Boex, Ana; Cyganska, Angelika

2017-04-01

Objective. To develop, implement, and assess whether simulated patient case videos improve students' understanding of and attitudes toward cross-cultural communication in health care. Design. Third-year pharmacy students (N=159) in a health care communications course participated in a one-hour lecture and two-hour workshop on the topic of cross-cultural communication. Three simulated pharmacist-patient case vignettes highlighting cross-cultural communication barriers, the role of active listening, appropriate use of medical interpreters, and useful models to overcome communication barriers were viewed and discussed in groups of 20 students during the workshop. Assessment. A pre-lecture and post-workshop assessed the effect on students' understanding of and attitudes toward cross-cultural communication. Understanding of cross-cultural communication concepts increased significantly, as did comfort level with providing cross-cultural care. Conclusion. Use of simulated patient case videos in conjunction with an interactive workshop improved pharmacy students' understanding of and comfort level with cross-cultural communication skills and can be useful tools for cultural competency training in the curriculum.

Using Multiple Representations to Resolve Conflict in Student Conceptual Understanding of Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daubenmire, Paul L.

Much like a practiced linguist, expert chemists utilize the power and elegance of chemical symbols to understand what is happening at the atomic level and to manipulate atoms and molecules to effect an observable change at the macroscopic level. Unfortunately, beginning chemistry is often taught in a way that emphasizes memorizing the symbolic representations of equations and reactions without much opportunity to meaningfully connect the observable macroscopic phenomena with an understanding of the chemistry taking place at the atomic level. The compartmentalized manner of chemistry instruction in most chemistry classrooms further nullifies the efficacy of the triplet relationship to connect between macroscopic observations, symbolic representations, and atomic scale views. If symbolic representations are presented as the goal of instruction, rather than as the means to gain understanding, then students will be impaired in developing a coherent understanding of chemical principles. This dissertation describes the development and implementation of an interview study to examine how undergraduate students interpreted multiple representations of a chemical equilibrium. To establish a baseline of ideas, students first were coached to verbally generate successive representations. They were then cued to think about the chemistry occurring between atoms and ions at the molecular level. Next, an experiment involving a change in states of matter and color was performed which paralleled the symbolic representations. Through self-explanations and verbalizing of conjectures, students were encouraged to explore, interpret, and refine their understanding of the observations related to the chemical symbols presented to them. Finally, with the goal of fostering a deeper understanding of the process of equilibrium, a dynamic visualization of the molecular level was introduced as a tool for helping students connect these multiple representations. This study revealed that one way in which students develop conceptual understanding and resolve conflicts between different representations of the same phenomena is by verbalizing their ideas as a conjecture (as a verbal explanation to advance towards a hypothesis). Thus, it is proposed that symbolic representations are most effective viewed not as an end goal but as a bridge for connecting macroscopic, visible phenomena with what is occurring at the molecular, invisible level. When the focus on merely memorizing chemical equations and symbols is removed, students can gain a coherent understanding of the meaning available when multiple representations are viewed together.

From Cheerleader to Coach: The Developmental Progression of Bedside Teachers in Giving Feedback to Early Learners.

PubMed

Wenrich, Marjorie D; Jackson, Molly Blackley; Maestas, Ramoncita R; Wolfhagen, Ineke H A P; Scherpbier, Albert J J

2015-11-01

Medical students learn clinical skills at the bedside from teaching clinicians, who often learn to teach by teaching. Little is known about the process of becoming an effective clinical teacher. Understanding how teaching skills and approaches change with experience may help tailor faculty development for new teachers. Focusing on giving feedback to early learners, the authors asked: What is the developmental progression of clinician-teachers as they learn to give clinical skills feedback to medical students? This qualitative study included longitudinal interviews with clinician-teachers over five years in a new clinical skills teaching program for preclinical medical students. Techniques derived from grounded theory were used for initial analyses. The current study focused on one theme identified in initial analyses: giving feedback to students. Transcript passages were organized by interview year, coded, and discussed in year clusters; thematic codes were compared and emergent codes developed. Themes related to giving feedback demonstrated a dyadic structure: characteristic of less experienced teachers versus characteristic of experienced teachers. Seven dominant dyadic themes emerged, including teacher as cheerleader versus coach, concern about student fragility versus understanding resilience, and focus on creating a safe environment versus challenging students within a safe environment. With consistent teaching, clinical teachers demonstrated progress in giving feedback to students in multiple areas, including understanding students' developmental trajectory and needs, developing tools and strategies, and adopting a dynamic, challenging, inclusive team approach. Ongoing teaching opportunities with targeted faculty development may help improve clinician-teachers' feedback skills and approaches.

Life on the Number Line: Routes to Understanding Fraction Magnitude for Students With Difficulties Learning Mathematics.

PubMed

Gersten, Russell; Schumacher, Robin F; Jordan, Nancy C

Magnitude understanding is critical for students to develop a deep understanding of fractions and more advanced mathematics curriculum. The research reports in this special issue underscore magnitude understanding for fractions and emphasize number lines as both an assessment and an instructional tool. In this commentary, we discuss how number lines broaden the concept of fractions for students who are tied to the more general part-whole representations of area models. We also discuss how number lines, compared to other representations, are a superior and more mathematically correct way to explain fraction concepts.

Examining Samoan Language Development in Samoan Bilingual Students' Understanding of Texts in English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amituanai-Toloa, Meaola; McNaughton, Stuart; Kuin Lai, Mei

2009-01-01

This paper examines language development of Samoan students in bilingual contexts in Aotearoa, New Zealand. In the absence of valid and standardized assessments tools in Samoan, one was designed to test reading comprehension and oral language development for Samoan students using common narratives as a base. For reading comprehension, the tool…

Developing Thinking and Understanding in Young Children: An Introduction for Students. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robson, Sue

2012-01-01

Developing "Thinking and Understanding in Young Children" presents a comprehensive and accessible overview of contemporary theory and research about young children's developing thinking and understanding. Throughout this second edition, the ideas and theories presented are enlivened by transcripts of children's activities and conversations taken…

Hooke's law: applications of a recurring principle.

PubMed

Giuliodori, Mauricio J; Lujan, Heidi L; Briggs, Whitney S; Palani, Gurunanthan; DiCarlo, Stephen E

2009-12-01

Students generally approach topics in physiology as a series of unrelated phenomena that share few underlying principles. However, if students recognized that the same underlying principles can be used to explain many physiological phenomena, they may gain a more unified understanding of physiological systems. To address this concern, we developed a simple, inexpensive, and easy to build model to demonstrate the underlying principles regarding Starling's Law of the Heart as well as lung and arterial elastic recoil. A model was chosen because models significantly enhance student understanding. Working with models also encourages research-oriented learning and helps our students understand complex ideas. Students are drawn into discussion by the power of learning that is associated with manipulating and thinking about objects. Recognizing that the same underlying principles can be used to explain many physiological phenomena may help students gain a more complete understanding of physiological systems.

The distress of voice-hearing: the use of simulation for awareness, understanding and communication skill development in undergraduate nursing education.

PubMed

Orr, Fiona; Kellehear, Kevin; Armari, Elizabeth; Pearson, Arana; Holmes, Douglas

2013-11-01

Role-play scenarios are frequently used with undergraduate nursing students enrolled in mental health nursing subjects to simulate the experience of voice-hearing. However, role-play has limitations and typically does not involve those who hear voices. This collaborative project between mental health consumers who hear voices and nursing academics aimed to develop and assess simulated voice-hearing as an alternative learning tool that could provide a deeper understanding of the impact of voice-hearing, whilst enabling students to consider the communication skills required when interacting with voice-hearers. Simulated sounds and voices recorded by consumers on mp3 players were given to eighty final year nursing students undertaking a mental health elective. Students participated in various activities whilst listening to the simulations. Seventy-six (95%) students completed a written evaluation following the simulation, which assessed the benefits of the simulation and its implications for clinical practice. An analysis of the students' responses by an external evaluator indicated that there were three major learning outcomes: developing an understanding of voice-hearing, increasing students' awareness of its impact on functioning, and consideration of the communication skills necessary to engage with consumers who hear voices. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding Instructions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milburn, Val

This guide is intended to help adult basic education (ABE) teachers teach their students to understand instructions in their daily lives. The 25 learning activities included all develop students' skills in the area of following directions by using basic situations drawn from everyday life. The following activities are included: sequencing pictures…

Teaching the Combined Gas Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersen, Lauren; Nobile, Nicole; Cormas, Peter

2011-01-01

For students to develop an understanding of science content and processes, teachers must create classroom environments in which students use inquiry to understand the natural world. However, teachers frequently find it difficult, if not impossible, to demonstrate complex scientific concepts, which textbooks often fail to properly explain. During…

Taking the Guesswork out of Computational Estimation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochran, Jill; Dugger, Megan Hartmann

2013-01-01

Computational estimation is an important skill necessary for students' mathematical development. Students who can estimate well for computations rely on an understanding of many mathematical topics, including a strong number sense, which facilitates understanding the mathematical operations and contextual evidence within a problem. In turn, good…

The Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sirum, Karen; Humburg, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Higher education goals include helping students develop evidence based reasoning skills; therefore, scientific thinking skills such as those required to understand the design of a basic experiment are important. The Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT) measures students' understanding of the criteria for good experimental design through their…

Developing a Better Understanding of the Process of Fat Absorption.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yip, Din Yan

2001-01-01

Performance on a multiple-choice item in a public examination indicates that most students do not understand how fat is absorbed through villi. A teaching strategy is suggested to overcome this problem by helping students review their own ideas critically. (Author/MM)

Learning Language through Total Physical Response.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marlatt, Edward A.

1995-01-01

The Total Physical Response (TPR) method of language instruction is introduced, and guidelines for designing and implementing TPR lessons for students with hearing impairments are provided. In TPR instruction, students develop understanding before speech or signing, understanding is demonstrated through actions, and new vocabulary is developed…

Using Steffe's Advanced Fraction Schemes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCloskey, Andrea V.; Norton, Anderson H.

2009-01-01

Recognizing schemes, which are different from strategies, can help teachers understand their students' thinking about fractions. Using Steffe's advanced fraction schemes, the authors describe a progression of development that upper elementary and middle school students might follow in understanding fractions. Each scheme can be viewed as a…

Students Develop New Foods for School Lunch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindquist, Michele

2004-01-01

In partnership with their food service staff, the author of this paper developed the "Food Innovations" course, which fulfills the Minnesota graduation requirements for Inquiry: New Product Development. In this course, students first demonstrate an understanding of nutrition, food safety, product development, marketing strategies, and…

Developing Causal Understanding with Causal Maps: The Impact of Total Links, Temporal Flow, and Lateral Position of Outcome Nodes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jeong, Allan; Lee, Woon Jee

2012-01-01

This study examined some of the methodological approaches used by students to construct causal maps in order to determine which approaches help students understand the underlying causes and causal mechanisms in a complex system. This study tested the relationship between causal understanding (ratio of root causes correctly/incorrectly identified,…

Understanding the Greenhouse Effect by Embodiment - Analysing and Using Students' and Scientists' Conceptual Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niebert, Kai; Gropengießer, Harald

2014-01-01

Over the last 20 years, science education studies have reported that there are very different understandings among students of science regarding the key aspects of climate change. We used the cognitive linguistic framework of experientialism to shed new light on this valuable pool of studies to identify the conceptual resources of understanding climate change. In our study, we interviewed 35 secondary school students on their understanding of the greenhouse effect and analysed the conceptions of climate scientists as drawn from textbooks and research reports. We analysed all data by metaphor analysis and qualitative content analysis to gain insight into students' and scientists' resources for understanding. In our analysis, we found that students and scientists refer to the same schemata to understand the greenhouse effect. We categorised their conceptions into three different principles the conceptions are based on: warming by more input, warming by less output, and warming by a new equilibrium. By interrelating students' and scientists' conceptions, we identified the students' learning demand: First, our students were afforded with experiences regarding the interactions of electromagnetic radiation and CO2. Second, our students reflected about the experience-based schemata they use as source domains for metaphorical understanding of the greenhouse effect. By uncovering the-mostly unconscious-deployed schemata, we gave students access to their source domains. We implemented these teaching guidelines in interventions and evaluated them in teaching experiments to develop evidence-based and theory-guided learning activities on the greenhouse effect.

Third and Fourth Grade Teacher Practices in Cognitive and Emotional/Social Development, Their Students' Opportunities for Emotional/Social Development, and Academic Self-Concept Moderated by Students' Mothers' Level of Education and Time Reading at Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Carol A.

2009-01-01

This study examines the relationships among third and fourth grade teacher practices in cognitive development: understanding, application, synthesis, and judgment; emotional/social development; their students' self-reported opportunities for emotional/social development; and academic self-concept. In addition, this study investigates the…

Building Reflection with Word Clouds for Online RN to BSN Students.

PubMed

Volkert, Delene R

Reflection allows students to integrate learning with their personal context, developing deeper knowledge and promoting critical thinking. Word clouds help students develop themes/concepts beyond traditional methods, introducing visual aspects to an online learning environment. Students created word clouds and captions, then responded to those created by peers for a weekly discussion assignment. Students indicated overwhelming support for the use of word clouds to develop deeper understanding of the subject matter. This reflection assignment could be utilized in asynchronous, online undergraduate nursing courses for creative methods of building reflection and developing knowledge for the undergraduate RN to BSN student.

An investigation of successful and unsuccessful students' problem solving in stoichiometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulacar, Ozcan

In this study, I investigated how successful and unsuccessful students solve stoichiometry problems. I focus on three research questions: (1) To what extent do the difficulties in solving stoichiometry problems stem from poor understanding of pieces (domain-specific knowledge) versus students' inability to link those pieces together (conceptual knowledge)? (2) What are the differences between successful and unsuccessful students in knowledge, ability, and practice? (3) Is there a connection between students' (a) cognitive development levels, (b) formal (proportional) reasoning abilities, (c) working memory capacities, (d) conceptual understanding of particle nature of matter, (e) understanding of the mole concept, and their problem-solving achievement in stoichiometry? In this study, nine successful students and eight unsuccessful students participated. Both successful and unsuccessful students were selected among the students taking a general chemistry course at a mid-western university. The students taking this class were all science, non-chemistry majors. Characteristics of successful and unsuccessful students were determined through tests, audio and videotapes analyses, and subjects' written works. The Berlin Particle Concept Inventory, the Mole Concept Achievement Test, the Test of Logical Thinking, the Digits Backward Test, and the Longeot Test were used to measure students' conceptual understanding of particle nature of matter and mole concept, formal (proportional) reasoning ability, working memory capacity, and cognitive development, respectively. Think-aloud problem-solving protocols were also used to better explore the differences between successful and unsuccessful students' knowledge structures and behaviors during problem solving. Although successful students did not show significantly better performance on doing pieces (domain-specific knowledge) and solving exercises than unsuccessful counterparts did, they appeared to be more successful in linking the pieces (conceptual knowledge) and solving complex problems than the unsuccessful student did. Successful students also appeared to be different in how they approach problems, what strategies they use, and in making fewer algorithmic mistakes when compared to unsuccessful students. Successful students, however, did not seem to be statistically significantly different from the unsuccessful students in terms of quantitatively tested cognitive abilities except formal (proportional) reasoning ability and in the understanding of mole concept.

The Development of High School Teachers' Efficacy in Handling Student Misbehavior (TEHSM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsouloupas, Costas Nicou; Carson, Russell Lee; MacGregor, S. Kim

2014-01-01

The authors used representations associated with managing student misbehavior across disparate teaching experiences and teaching subjects to understand the development of teachers' efficacy in handling student misbehavior (TEHSM), years of teaching experience, and teaching subject. Twenty-four high school teachers were individually interviewed.…

Discrepancies between Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of Homework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Eunsook; Wan, Min; Peng, Yun

2011-01-01

For homework to help students improve school achievement and develop responsibility and autonomy in academic endeavors in and out of school, the development of teachers' understanding of students' views about homework and their homework behaviors is critical. Whether the subject of the homework is mathematics, reading, or a second language,…

Student Off-Task Electronic Multitasking Predictors: Scale Development and Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qian, Yuxia; Li, Li

2017-01-01

In an attempt to better understand factors contributing to students' off-task electronic multitasking behavior in class, the research included two studies that developed a scale of students' off-task electronic multitasking predictors (the SOTEMP scale), and explored relationships between the scale and various classroom communication processes and…

Understanding Student Attitudes toward Bible Reading: A Philippine Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baring, Rito V.

2008-01-01

Reflecting from the Philippine experience, this article explores an emerging picture that characterizes contemporary Bible reading attitudes of college students. Six new attitude factor definitions are developed following the development of the Bible Reading (BR) attitude scale for college students constructed by this author in a separate study.…

Behavioral Exploration of Career and Specialty Choice in Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borges, Nicole J.

2007-01-01

Understanding the process by which students naturally construct and internalize their educational experiences relating to career development is important to career counseling. The author investigated how exploratory behaviors during a community-based field experience course contributed to the vocational development of 1st-year medical students.…

The Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in First-Year Graduate Teaching Assistants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Judson, Thomas W.; Leingang, Matthew

2016-01-01

Our investigation is concerned with new teachers developing their ability to understand student thinking. We conducted individual interviews with graduate students teaching calculus for the first time, interviewing a representative sample of graduate students before and after their first teaching assignment. The interviews were transcribed and…

Beyond the Write Answer: Mathematical Connections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haltiwanger, Leigh; Simpson, Amber M.

2013-01-01

As math teachers, the authors often encountered students who could ace a test but not explain their reasoning. This phenomenon was disturbing to them, and they fought for years to help students both understand mathematical concepts and develop meaning for them. Since their primary goal was to develop mathematically literate students, their…

Using Student Scholarship To Develop Student Research and Writing Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ware, Mark E.; Badura, Amy S.; Davis, Stephen F.

2002-01-01

Focuses on the use of student publications in journals as a teaching tool. Explores the use of this technique in three contexts: (1) enabling students to understand experimental methodology; (2) teaching students about statistics; and (3) helping students learn more about the American Psychological Association (APA) writing style. (CMK)

Developing Self-Efficacy: Exploring Preservice Coursework, Student Teaching, and Professional Development Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKim, Aaron J.; Velez, Jonathan J.

2017-01-01

To extend current understanding of school-based agriculture teacher development, this study explored the relationship between teacher development experiences and the self-efficacy of early career agriculture teachers. Three teacher development experiences were of interest: (a) preservice coursework, (b) student teaching, and (c) professional…

Mapping students' ideas about chemical reactions at different educational levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Fan

Understanding chemical reactions is crucial in learning chemistry at all educational levels. Nevertheless, research in science education has revealed that many students struggle to understand chemical processes. Improving teaching and learning about chemical reactions demands that we develop a clearer understanding of student reasoning in this area and of how this reasoning evolves with training in the discipline. Thus, we have carried out a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews as the main data collection tool to explore students reasoning about reaction mechanism and causality. The participants of this study included students at different levels of training in chemistry: general chemistry students (n=22), organic chemistry students (n=16), first year graduate students (n=13) and Ph.D. candidates (n=14). We identified major conceptual modes along critical dimensions of analysis, and illustrated common ways of reasoning using typical cases. Main findings indicate that although significant progress is observed in student reasoning in some areas, major conceptual difficulties seem to persist even at the more advanced educational levels. In addition, our findings suggest that students struggle to integrate important concepts when thinking about mechanism and causality in chemical reactions. The results of our study are relevant to chemistry educators interested in learning progressions, assessment, and conceptual development.

Understanding Social Learning Relations of International Students in a Large Classroom Using Social Network Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rienties, Bart; Héliot, YingFei; Jindal-Snape, Divya

2013-01-01

A common assumption in higher education is that international students find it difficult to develop learning and friendship relations with host students. When students are placed in a student-centred environment, international students from different cultural backgrounds are "forced" to work together with other students, which allows…

Historical short stories as nature of science instruction in secondary science classrooms: Science teachers' implementation and students' reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid-Smith, Jennifer Ann

This study explores the use of historical short stories as nature of science (NOS) instruction in thirteen secondary science classes. The stories focus on the development of science ideas and include statements and questions to draw students' and teachers' attention to key NOS ideas and misconceptions. This study used mixed methods to examine how teachers implement the stories, factors influencing teachers' implementation, the impact on students' NOS understanding, students' interest in the stories and factors correlated with their interest. Teachers' implementation decisions were influenced by their NOS understanding, curricula, time constraints, perceptions of student ability and resistance, and student goals. Teachers implementing stories at a high-level of effectiveness were more likely to make instructional decisions to mitigate constraints from the school environment and students. High-level implementers frequently referred to their learning goals for students as a rationale for implementing the stories even when facing constraints. Teachers implementing at a low-level of effectiveness were more likely to express that constraints inhibited effective implementation. Teachers at all levels of implementation expressed concern regarding the length of the stories and time required to fully implement the stories. Additionally, teachers at all levels of implementation expressed a desire for additional resources regarding effective story implementation and reading strategies. Evidence exists that the stories can be used to improve students' NOS understanding. However, under what conditions the stories are effective is still unclear. Students reported finding the stories more interesting than textbook readings and many students enjoyed learning about scientists and the development of science idea. Students' interest in the stories is correlated with their attitudes towards reading, views of effective science learning, attributions of academic success, and interest in a science-related career. If NOS instructional materials are to be used effectively, designers must take into account the needs of classroom teachers by limiting the length of the materials and providing additional teacher support resources. Many teachers will likely require professional development opportunities to build their NOS understanding, develop a compelling rationale for teaching NOS and using the stories, observe modeling of effective implementation, and collaborate with other teachers regarding how to mitigate constraints.

An Analysis of 16-17-Year-Old Students' Understanding of Solution Chemistry Concepts Using a Two-Tier Diagnostic Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adadan, Emine; Savasci, Funda

2012-01-01

This study focused on the development of a two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic instrument, which was designed and then progressively modified, and implemented to assess students' understanding of solution chemistry concepts. The results of the study are derived from the responses of 756 Grade 11 students (age 16-17) from 14 different high schools…

The Effects of Scientific Representations on Primary Students' Development of Scientific Discourse and Conceptual Understandings during Cooperative Contemporary Inquiry-Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillies, Robyn M.; Nichols, Kim; Khan, Asaduzzaman

2015-01-01

Teaching students to use and interpret representations in science is critically important if they are to become scientifically literate and learn how to communicate their understandings and learning in science. This study involved 248 students (119 boys and 129 girls) from 26 grade 6 teachers' classes in nine primary schools in Brisbane,…

Reweaving a Fragmented Self: A Grounded Theory of Self-Understanding among Chinese Women Students in the United States of America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qin, Dongxiao; Lykes, M. Brinton

2006-01-01

A grounded theory was developed to describe the processes of self-understanding of a group of Chinese women graduate students who were studying in the United States at the time of the research. A basic psychological process, reweaving a fragmented self, was identified from interviews with 20 Chinese women graduate students. Reweaving a fragmented…

Concepts of Information Literacy and Information Literacy Standards among Undergraduate Students in Public and Private Universities in the State of Kuwait

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Issa, Reham E.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of undergraduate college students attending a public and a private university in the State of Kuwait to understand how they develop their understanding and valuing of information literacy and information literacy standards. Data from student and faculty interviews and student…

Looking inward, looking outward: Developing knowledge through teacher research in a middle school science classroom during a unit on magnetism and electricity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, Melissa D.

In this study I aimed to understand effective teaching and learning in the context of my middle school science classroom. The study was a multiple case analysis of two classes of students, one gifted and one academic, during a unit on magnetism and electricity. From a teacher researcher perspective, I conducted the study to investigate the development of my knowledge---scientific, pedagogical content, and reflective---as a teacher. From an analysis of questionnaires, field notes, transcribed audio tapes of small and large group discussions, and student artifacts, I constructed an understanding of my students' learning and my own growth in several realms. My scientific knowledge grew both substantively and syntactically; I elaborated my understanding of magnetism, rethought my delivery of electricity, realized a need for training in electronics, and refined my definition of the nature of science in research. I built on my pedagogical content knowledge with regard to students ideas about magnetism and electricity, learning characteristics of gifted students, tools of inquiry that facilitate learning, and methods to operationalize the situated learning model. Most importantly I gained an understanding of teacher research and its three components: ownership, purpose, and methodology. The findings contribute to the understanding of teacher research as well as various bodies of science education literature: (a) students' ideas about magnetism, (b) the science learning characteristics of gifted students, (c) tools of inquiry in the science classroom, and (d) operationalization of the situated learning model.

Development of biology student worksheets to facilitate science process skills of student

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahayu, Y. S.; Pratiwi, R.; Indana, S.

2018-01-01

This research aims to describe development of Biology student worksheets to facilitate science process skills of student, at the same time to facilitate thinking skills of students in senior high school are equipped with Assesment Sheets. The worksheets development refers to cycle which includes phase analysis (analysis), planning (planning), design (design), development (development), implementation (implementation), evaluation and revision (evaluation and revision). Phase evaluation and revision is an ongoing activity conducted in each phase of the development cycle. That is, after the evaluation of the results of these activities and make revisions at any phase, then continue to the next phase. Based on the test results for grade X, XI, and XII in St. Agnes Surabaya high school, obtained some important findings. The findings are as follows. (1) Developed biology student worksheets could be used to facilitate thinking ability of students in particular skills integrated process that includes components to formulate the problem, formulate hypotheses, determine the study variables, formulate an operational definition of variables, determine the steps in the research, planning data tables, organizing Data in the form of tables/charts, drawing conclusions, (2) Developed biology student worksheets could also facilitate the development of social interaction of students such as working together, listening/respect the opinions of others, assembling equipment and materials, discuss and share information and facilitate the upgrading of skills hands-on student activity. (3) Developed biology worksheets basically could be implemented with the guidance of the teacher step by step, especially for students who have never used a similar worksheet. Guidance at the beginning of this need, especially for worksheets that require special skills or understanding of specific concepts as a prerequisite, such as using a microscope, determine the heart rate, understand the mechanism of specific indicators.

High-School Students' Epistemic Knowledge of Science and Its Relation to Learner Factors in Science Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Fang-Ying; Liu, Shiang-Yao; Hsu, Chung-Yuan; Chiou, Guo-Li; Wu, Hsin-Kai; Wu, Ying-Tien; Chen, Sufen; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Meng-Jung; Lee, Silvia W.-Y.; Lee, Min-Hsien; Lin, Che-Li; Chu, Regina Juchun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2017-04-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an online contextualized test for assessing students' understanding of epistemic knowledge of science. In addition, how students' understanding of epistemic knowledge of science interacts with learner factors, including time spent on science learning, interest, self-efficacy, and gender, was also explored. The participants were 489 senior high school students (244 males and 245 females) from eight different schools in Taiwan. Based on the result of an extensive literature review, we first identified six factors of epistemic knowledge of science, such as status of scientific knowledge, the nature of scientific enterprise, measurement in science, and so on. An online test was then created for assessing students' understanding of the epistemic knowledge of science. Also, a learner-factor survey was developed by adopting previous PISA survey items to measure the abovementioned learner factors. The results of this study show that; (1) by factor analysis, the six factors of epistemic knowledge of science could be grouped into two dimensions which reflect the nature of scientific knowledge and knowing in science, respectively; (2) there was a gender difference in the participants' understanding of the epistemic knowledge of science; and (3) students' interest in science learning and the time spent on science learning were positively correlated to their understanding of the epistemic knowledge of science.

Inquiry-Driven Field-Based (IDFB) Ocean Science Classes: an Important Role in College Students' Development as Scientists, and Student Retention in the Geo-science Pipeline.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crane, N. L.

2004-12-01

Experiential learning, engaging students in the process of science, can not only teach students important skills and knowledge, it can also help them become connected with the process on a personal level. This study investigates the role that Inquiry-Driven Field-Based (IDFB) experiences (primarily field classes) in ocean science have on undergraduate science students' development as ocean scientists. Both cognitive (knowledge-based) and affective (motivation and attitude) measures most important to students were used as indicators of development. Major themes will be presented to illustrate how IDFB science experiences can enhance the academic and personal development of students of science. Through their active engagement in the process of science, students gain important skills and knowledge as well as increased confidence, motivation, and ability to plan for their future (in particular their career and educational pathways). This growth is an important part of their development as scientists; the IDFB experience provides them a way to build a relationship with the world of science, and to better understand what science is, what scientists do, and their own future role as scientists. IDFB experiences have a particularly important role in affective measures of development: students develop an important personal connection to science. By doing science, students learn to be scientists and to understand science and science concepts in context. Many underrepresented students do not have the opportunity to take IDFB classes, and addressing this access issue could be an important step towards engaging more underrepresented students in the field. The nature of IDFB experiences and their impact on students makes them a potentially important mechanism for retaining students in the geo-science `pipeline'.

Linking Student Achievement Growth to Professional Development Participation and Changes in Instruction: A Longitudinal Study of Elementary Students and Teachers in Title I Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desimone, Laura; Smith, Thomas M.; Phillips, Kristie J. R.

2013-01-01

Background/Context: Most reforms in elementary education rely on teacher learning and improved instruction to increase student learning. This study increases our understanding of which types of professional development effectively change teaching practice in ways that boost student achievement. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study:…

Teaching Millennials and Generation Z: Bridging the Generational Divide.

PubMed

Shatto, Bobbi; Erwin, Kelly

2017-02-01

Most undergraduate students today are part of the millennial generation. However, the next wave of students-Generation Z-are just beginning to enter universities. Although these groups share many similarities, they each have unique characteristics that create challenges in the classroom. Incorporating technology, engaging students with adaptive learning activities, and understanding basic generational differences are ways to limit the effects of generational conflict while keeping both millennials and Generation Z students engaged in learning. It is important to understand basic differences and distinctions across generations for developing pedagogy that reaches these unique student populations.

Teaching and Learning Mathematics through Hurricane Tracking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Maria L.; Schoen, Robert C.

2008-01-01

Mathematics teachers can tap into students' curiosity about hurricanes to develop their understanding of mathematical ideas within a real-life context. This article discusses hurricane-based mathematics tasks involving cooperative learning that were found to help students enhance their understanding of patterns, graphs, and rates of change. For…

Using Guided Reinvention to Develop Teachers' Understanding of Hypothesis Testing Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolor, Jason; Noll, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Statistics education reform efforts emphasize the importance of informal inference in the learning of statistics. Research suggests statistics teachers experience similar difficulties understanding statistical inference concepts as students and how teacher knowledge can impact student learning. This study investigates how teachers reinvented an…

Developing Elementary Teachers' Understandings of Hedges and Personal Pronouns in Inquiry-Based Science Classroom Discourse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, Alandeom W.

2010-02-01

This study examined the effectiveness of introducing elementary teachers to the scholarly literature on personal pronouns and hedges in classroom discourse, a professional development strategy adopted during a summer institute to enhance teachers’ social understanding (i.e., their understanding of the social functions of language in science discussions). Teachers became aware of how hedges can be employed to remain neutral toward students’ oral contributions to classroom discussions, invite students to share their opinions and articulate their own ideas, and motivate students to inquire. Teachers recognized that the combined use of I and you can render their feedback authoritative, you can shift the focus from the investigation to students’ competence, and we can lead to authority loss. It is argued that explicitness, reflectivity, and contextualization are essential features of professional development programs aimed at improving teachers’ understandings of the social dimension of inquiry-based science classrooms and preparing teachers to engage in inquiry-based teacher-student interactions.

Developing an Understanding of Quadratics through the Use of Concrete Manipulatives: A Case Study Analysis of the Metacognitive Development of a High School Student with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strickland, Tricia K.

2014-01-01

This case study analyzed the impact of a concrete manipulative program on the understanding of quadratic expressions for a high school student with a learning disability. The manipulatives were utilized as part of the Concrete-Representational-Abstract Integration (CRA-I) intervention in which participants engaged in tasks requiring them to…

Informing Understanding of Young Students' Writing Challenges and Opportunities: Insights From the Development of a Digital Writing Tool That Supports Students With Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vue, Ge; Hall, Tracey E.; Robinson, Kristin; Ganley, Patricia; Elizalde, Emma; Graham, Steve

2016-01-01

Conducting focus groups with target audiences to assess user needs is a critical step in the process of designing and developing a web-based writing environment. This descriptive study examined focus group data gathered to address two questions: First, do data from focus groups affirm and expand our understanding of writing and writing development…

Using Student Work to Develop Teachers' Knowledge of Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herbel-Eisenmann, Beth A.; Phillips, Elizabeth Difanis

2005-01-01

This article describes a set of learning activities that use algebraic problems and written student work to help preservice and in-service teachers understand students' algebraic thinking. (Contains 4 figures.)

Computer model for the cardiovascular system: development of an e-learning tool for teaching of medical students.

PubMed

Warriner, David Roy; Bayley, Martin; Shi, Yubing; Lawford, Patricia Victoria; Narracott, Andrew; Fenner, John

2017-11-21

This study combined themes in cardiovascular modelling, clinical cardiology and e-learning to create an on-line environment that would assist undergraduate medical students in understanding key physiological and pathophysiological processes in the cardiovascular system. An interactive on-line environment was developed incorporating a lumped-parameter mathematical model of the human cardiovascular system. The model outputs were used to characterise the progression of key disease processes and allowed students to classify disease severity with the aim of improving their understanding of abnormal physiology in a clinical context. Access to the on-line environment was offered to students at all stages of undergraduate training as an adjunct to routine lectures and tutorials in cardiac pathophysiology. Student feedback was collected on this novel on-line material in the course of routine audits of teaching delivery. Medical students, irrespective of their stage of undergraduate training, reported that they found the models and the environment interesting and a positive experience. After exposure to the environment, there was a statistically significant improvement in student performance on a series of 6 questions based on cardiovascular medicine, with a 33% and 22% increase in the number of questions answered correctly, p < 0.0001 and p < 0.001 respectively. Considerable improvement was found in students' knowledge and understanding during assessment after exposure to the e-learning environment. Opportunities exist for development of similar environments in other fields of medicine, refinement of the existing environment and further engagement with student cohorts. This work combines some exciting and developing fields in medical education, but routine adoption of these types of tool will be possible only with the engagement of all stake-holders, from educationalists, clinicians, modellers to, most importantly, medical students.

How the First Year of College Influences Moral Reasoning Development for Students in Moral Consolidation and Moral Transition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayhew, Matthew J.; Seifert, Tricia A.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

2012-01-01

Understanding the developmental issues first-time college students face is critical for scholars and educators interested in learning and development. This purpose of this study was to investigate the differential impact of first-year college experiences on the moral reasoning development of 1,469 students in moral transition versus those in moral…

Assessing Secondary and College Students' Implicit Assumptions about the Particulate Nature of Matter: Development and Validation of the Structure and Motion of Matter Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stains, Marilyne; Escriu-Sune, Marta; Alverez de Santizo, Myrna Lisseth Molina; Sevian, Hannah

2011-01-01

Development of learning progressions has been at the forefront of science education for several years. While understanding students' conceptual development toward "big ideas" in science is extremely valuable for researchers, science teachers can also benefit from assessment tools that diagnose their students' trajectories along the learning…

Students' Ideas about How and Why Chemical Reactions Happen: Mapping the conceptual landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Fan; Talanquer, Vicente

2015-12-01

Research in science education has revealed that many students struggle to understand chemical reactions. Improving teaching and learning about chemical processes demands that we develop a clearer understanding of student reasoning in this area and of how this reasoning evolves with training in the domain. Thus, we have carried out a qualitative study to explore students reasoning about chemical causality and mechanism. Study participants included individuals at different educational levels, from college to graduate school. We identified diverse conceptual modes expressed by students when engaged in the analysis of different types of reactions. Main findings indicate that student reasoning about chemical reactions is influenced by the nature of the process. More advanced students tended to express conceptual modes that were more normative and had more explanatory power, but major conceptual difficulties persisted in their reasoning. The results of our study are relevant to educators interested in conceptual development, learning progressions, and assessment.

Developing energy and momentum conceptual survey (EMCS) with four-tier diagnostic test items

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afif, Nur Faadhilah; Nugraha, Muhammad Gina; Samsudin, Achmad

2017-05-01

Students' conceptions of work and energy are important to support the learning process in the classroom. For that reason, a diagnostic test instrument is needed to diagnose students' conception of work and energy. As a result, the researcher decided to develop Energy and Momentum Conceptual Survey (EMCS) instrument test into four-tier test diagnostic items. The purpose of this research is organized as the first step of four-tier test-formatted EMCS development as one of diagnostic test instruments on work and Energy. The research method used the 4D model (Defining, Designing, Developing and Disseminating). The instrument developed has been tested to 39 students in one of Senior High Schools. The resulting research showed that four-tier test-formatted EMCS is able to diagnose students' conception level of work and energy concept. It can be concluded that the development of four-tier test-formatted EMCS is one of potential diagnostic test instruments that able to obtain the category of students who understand concepts, misconceptions and do not understand about Work and Energy concept at all.

NASA Educational Product Development and Post-Secondary Program Assessment Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salmons, Phyllis A.

1999-01-01

Producing "value-added students" involves proactively addressing how successfully students develop their skills, knowledge, and personal, social, and ethical growth due to their association with a program. NASA programs for higher education can certainly be responsive in aiding the academic community strive for quality in terms of "valueadded" students. By identifying essential characteristics of exemplary assessment practices, the standards developed by accrediting agencies serve as guides for developing quality practices and policies. Such a process is an effective tool for communicating the expectations of the educational components of a program to all concerned with the program and its expected results. When standards are connected to student performance, they provide a very compelling argument for refocusing the definition of quality in higher education. By linking standards and performance, student learning and development becomes the starting point for examining program quality. If the multiple stakeholders - faculty, peers, the professional community, addressed assessment issues, then accreditation can be a link among various constituencies, the parties can better understand the needs of each other and develop the necessary trust needed for understanding and support.

From Flavr Savr Tomatoes to Stem Cell Therapy: Young People's Understandings of Gene Technology, 15 Years on

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Jenny

2014-02-01

This paper explores knowledge and understanding of basic genetics and gene technologies in school students who have been taught to a `science for all' National Curriculum and compares 482 students in 1995 (gene technology was a new and rapidly developing area of science with potential to impact on everyday life; the first cohort of students had been taught to the National Curriculum for Science) with 154 students in 2011 (genomics had replaced gene technology as a rapidly developing area of science with potential to impact on everyday life; science as a core subject within the National Curriculum was well established). These studies used the same questions, with the same age group (14-16) across the same (full) ability range; in addition the 2011 sample were asked about stem cells, stem cell technology and epigenetics. Students in 2011 showed: better knowledge of basic genetics but continuing difficulty in developing coherent explanatory frameworks; a good understanding of the nature of stem cells but no understanding of the process by which such cells become specialised; better understanding of different genetic technologies but also a wider range of misunderstandings and confusions (both between different genetic technologies and with other biological processes); continuing difficulty in evaluating potential veracity of short `news' items but greater awareness of ethical issues and the range of factors (including knowledge of genetics) which could be drawn on when justifying a view or coming to a decision. Implications for a `science for all' curriculum are considered.

A Principal's Handbook of Programs for Gifted Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norton, M. Scott; Zeilinger, Elna Rae

1983-01-01

Principals supporting effective programing for gifted students should exhibit competencies listed in this article when exercising planning and leadership, developing philosophy, determining goals and objectives, understanding gifted students' characteristics, identifying gifted students, financing and staffing the program, providing guidance and…

Concept analysis: confidence/self-confidence.

PubMed

Perry, Patricia

2011-01-01

Confidence and self-confidence are crucial practice elements in nursing education and practice. Nurse educators should have an understanding of the concept of confidence in order to assist in the accomplishment of nursing students and their learning of technical and nontechnical skills. With the aim of facilitating trusted care of patients in the healthcare setting, nursing professionals must exhibit confidence, and, as such, clarification and analysis of its meaning is necessary. The purpose of this analysis is to provide clarity to the meaning of the concept confidence/self-confidence, while gaining a more comprehensive understanding of its attributes, antecedents, and consequences. Walker and Avant's eight-step method of concept analysis was utilized for the framework of the analysis process with model, contrary, borderline, and related cases presented along with attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents identified. Understanding both the individualized development of confidence among prelicensure nursing students and the role of the nurse educator in the development of confident nursing practice, nurse educators can assist students in the development of confidence and competency. Future research surrounding the nature and development of confidence/self-confidence in the prelicensure nursing student experiencing human patient simulation sessions would assist to help educators further promote the development of confidence. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Why should I care? Engaging students in conceptual understanding using global context to develop social attitudes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forder, S. E.; Welstead, C.; Pritchard, M.

2014-12-01

A glance through the Harvard Business Review reveals many suggestions and research pieces reviewing sales and marketing techniques. Most educators will be familiar with the notion that making accurate first impressions and being responsive, whilst maintaining pace is critical to engaging an audience. There are lessons to be learnt from industry that can significantly impact upon our teaching. Eisenkraft, in his address to the NSTA, proposed four essential questions. This presentation explores one of those questions: 'Why should I care?', and discusses why this question is crucial for engaging students by giving a clear purpose for developing their scientific understanding. Additionally, this presentation explores how The ISF Academy has adapted the NGSS, using the 14 Grand Engineering Challenges and the IB MYP, to provide current, authentic global contexts, in order to give credibility to the concepts, understandings and skills being learnt. The provision of global contexts across units and within lessons supports a platform for students to have the freedom to explore their own sense of social responsibility. The Science Department believes that planning lessons with tasks that elaborate on the student's new conceptualisations, has helped to transfer the student's new understanding into social behavior beyond the classroom. Furthermore, extension tasks have been used to transfer conceptual understanding between different global contexts.

Developing the Critical Thinking Skills of Astrobiology Students through Creative and Scientific Inquiry

PubMed Central

Lemus, Judith D.

2015-01-01

Abstract Scientific inquiry represents a multifaceted approach to explore and understand the natural world. Training students in the principles of scientific inquiry can help promote the scientific learning process as well as help students enhance their understanding of scientific research. Here, we report on the development and implementation of a learning module that introduces astrobiology students to the concepts of creative and scientific inquiry, as well as provide practical exercises to build critical thinking skills. The module contained three distinct components: (1) a creative inquiry activity designed to introduce concepts regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry; (2) guidelines to help astrobiology students formulate and self-assess questions regarding various scientific content and imagery; and (3) a practical exercise where students were allowed to watch a scientific presentation and practice their analytical skills. Pre- and post-course surveys were used to assess the students' perceptions regarding creative and scientific inquiry and whether this activity impacted their understanding of the scientific process. Survey results indicate that the exercise helped improve students' science skills by promoting awareness regarding the role of creativity in scientific inquiry and building their confidence in formulating and assessing scientific questions. Together, the module and survey results confirm the need to include such inquiry-based activities into the higher education classroom, thereby helping students hone their critical thinking and question asking skill set and facilitating their professional development in astrobiology. Key Words: Scientific inquiry—Critical thinking—Curriculum development—Astrobiology—Microbialites. Astrobiology 15, 89–99. PMID:25474292

Co-development of Conceptual Understanding and Critical Attitude: Analyzing texts on radiocarbon dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Décamp, N.; Viennot, L.

2015-08-01

This research documents the impact of a teaching interview aimed at developing a critical attitude in students, and focused on a particular topic: radiocarbon dating. This teaching interview is designed to observe students' reaction to limited written explanations of the phenomenon under study, and their possible frustration or intellectual satisfaction in relation to these texts. We aim to document the possible link between students' developing conceptual understanding of a topic and their ability to express their frustration when presented with very incomplete explanations, or their intellectual satisfaction when presented with complete explanation. As a side product, we intend to observe some of their a priori ideas concerning this topic. Ten teaching interviews conducted with fourth-year University students were recorded, transcribed and coded. Beyond a series of results concerning students' a priori understanding of the domain, the analysis of the interviews suggests that, when students are presented with texts of increasing completeness and discuss these with the interviewer, their critical reactions evolve in time in a very specific way. We propose a tentative model for this co-evolution of student conceptual command and critical stance. The discussion bears on possible interpretations for the 'anesthesia of judgment' observed in most students at the beginning of the interview, and for a few of them throughout the discussion. Keeping in mind the 'competence vs concepts' current alternative, the conditions that seem to free students' critical potential are analyzed in relation to their evolving command of the topic and their degree of intellectual satisfaction.

Challenges and Changes: Developing Teachers' and Initial Teacher Education Students' Understandings of the Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Gillian; Haigh, Mavis

2017-01-01

Teachers need an understanding of the nature of science (NOS) to enable them to incorporate NOS into their teaching of science. The current study examines the usefulness of a strategy for challenging or changing teachers' understandings of NOS. The teachers who participated in this study were 10 initial teacher education chemistry students and six…

An Investigation into the Relationship between Students' Conceptions of the Particulate Nature of Matter and Their Understanding of Chemical Bonding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Othman, Jazilah; Treagust, David F.; Chandrasegaran, A. L.

2008-01-01

A thorough understanding of chemical bonding requires familiarity with the particulate nature of matter. In this study, a two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic instrument consisting of ten items (five items involving each of the two concepts) was developed to assess students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter and chemical bonding so…

Developing and Validating a Science Notebook Rubric for Fifth-Grade Non-Mainstream Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huerta, Margarita; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.

2014-07-01

We present the development and validation of a science notebook rubric intended to measure the academic language and conceptual understanding of non-mainstream students, specifically fifth-grade male and female economically disadvantaged Hispanic English language learner (ELL) and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students. The science notebook rubric is based on two main constructs: academic language and conceptual understanding. The constructs are grounded in second-language acquisition theory and theories of writing and conceptual understanding. We established content validity and calculated reliability measures using G theory and percent agreement (for comparison) with a sample of approximately 144 unique science notebook entries and 432 data points. Results reveal sufficient reliability estimates, indicating that the instrument is promising for use in future research studies including science notebooks in classrooms with populations of economically disadvantaged Hispanic ELL and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students.

Does alignment of constructivist teaching, curriculum, and assessment strategies promote meaningful learning?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jimarez, Teresa

Despite our national efforts to attract more students to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, the number of students continues to be small. Empirical studies have suggested that in order to actively engage students in the science learning processes, lessons need to be designed which consider student prior experiences and provide a sound curriculum, within an environment promoting social interaction---that is, allowing for sharing and negotiation of those ideas which promote reflective thinking. These premises require an embedded assessment system that continuously provides feedback to both student and teacher. This technique allows adaptation and modification of lessons to better facilitate conceptual understanding. This study focused on the use of constructivist strategies that, when aligned, promoted conceptual understanding while facilitating development of science process skills. Skill development leads to meaningful learning, known to promote a change of attitude toward science. A mixed research design embedded in a case study approach was used to understand the complexity of the variables examined in this study. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used to strengthen the validity and interpretation of the findings. Students from one of three ninth-grade physical science classes were selected for this study. The students numbered 29, 13 boys and 16 girls; the majority of these students were of Hispanic background. The analysis of data suggested that the use of constructivist strategies promotes conceptual understanding of science concepts and development of science process skills and a change of attitude towards science. This study concluded that selecting teaching and multiple assessment strategies is vital to engage students in science careers. Due to the limited nature of this case study, the researcher recommends a replication or followup with a different teacher and school, including a control group and student interviews to add validity to student written pieces of work.

Teachers' Understanding of Algebraic Generalization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawthorne, Casey Wayne

Generalization has been identified as a cornerstone of algebraic thinking (e.g., Lee, 1996; Sfard, 1995) and is at the center of a rich conceptualization of K-8 algebra (Kaput, 2008; Smith, 2003). Moreover, mathematics teachers are being encouraged to use figural-pattern generalizing tasks as a basis of student-centered instruction, whereby teachers respond to and build upon the ideas that arise from students' explorations of these activities. Although more and more teachers are engaging their students in such generalizing tasks, little is known about teachers' understanding of generalization and their understanding of students' mathematical thinking in this domain. In this work, I addressed this gap, exploring the understanding of algebraic generalization of 4 exemplary 8th-grade teachers from multiple perspectives. A significant feature of this investigation is an examination of teachers' understanding of the generalization process, including the use of algebraic symbols. The research consisted of two phases. Phase I was an examination of the teachers' understandings of the underlying quantities and quantitative relationships represented by algebraic notation. In Phase II, I observed the instruction of 2 of these teachers. Using the lens of professional noticing of students' mathematical thinking, I explored the teachers' enacted knowledge of algebraic generalization, characterizing how it supported them to effectively respond to the needs and queries of their students. Results indicated that teachers predominantly see these figural patterns as enrichment activities, disconnected from course content. Furthermore, in my analysis, I identified conceptual difficulties teachers experienced when solving generalization tasks, in particular, connecting multiple symbolic representations with the quantities in the figures. Moreover, while the teachers strived to overcome the challenges of connecting different representations, they invoked both productive and unproductive conceptualizations of the symbols. Finally, by comparing two teachers' understandings of student thinking in the classroom, I developed an instructional trajectory to describe steps along students' generalization processes. This emergent framework serves as an instructional tool for teachers' use in identifying significant connections in supporting students to develop understanding of algebraic symbols as representations that communicate the quantities perceived in the figure.

‘Students-as-partners’ scheme enhances postgraduate students’ employability skills while addressing gaps in bioinformatics education

PubMed Central

Mello, Luciane V.; Tregilgas, Luke; Cowley, Gwen; Gupta, Anshul; Makki, Fatima; Jhutty, Anjeet; Shanmugasundram, Achchuthan

2017-01-01

Abstract Teaching bioinformatics is a longstanding challenge for educators who need to demonstrate to students how skills developed in the classroom may be applied to real world research. This study employed an action research methodology which utilised student–staff partnership and peer-learning. It was centred on the experiences of peer-facilitators, students who had previously taken a postgraduate bioinformatics module, and had applied knowledge and skills gained from it to their own research. It aimed to demonstrate to peer-receivers, current students, how bioinformatics could be used in their own research while developing peer-facilitators’ teaching and mentoring skills. This student-centred approach was well received by the peer-receivers, who claimed to have gained improved understanding of bioinformatics and its relevance to research. Equally, peer-facilitators also developed a better understanding of the subject and appreciated that the activity was a rare and invaluable opportunity to develop their teaching and mentoring skills, enhancing their employability. PMID:29098185

The Impact of Problem-Based Learning on Non-Science Undergraduate Students' Attitudes towards Mathematics in an Egyptian Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizkallah, Mohammed W.

While Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been established in the literature in different contexts, there remains few studies on how PBL has an impact on students' attitude towards mathematics and their conceptual understanding of it in Egyptian classrooms. This study was conducted in an international university in Egypt, and the participants were non-science undergraduate students who took a course called "Fun with Problem-Solving" as a requirement core class. The study shows that students' attitude towards mathematics developed throughout the course, and this was tested using the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scale, where students had a pretest and posttest. While the sample size was small, there was statistical significance in the change of the means of how students perceived mathematics as a male domain, and how teachers perceived students' achievements. This notion was coupled with students' development of conceptual understanding, which was tracked throughout the semester by mapping students' work with the Lesh Translation Model.

Science Teachers' Perspectives about Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Vaille

2012-01-01

Climate change and its effects are likely to present challenging problems for future generations of young people. It is important for Australian students to understand the mechanisms and consequences of climate change. If students are to develop a sophisticated understanding, then science teachers need to be well-informed about climate change…

Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Conceptual Model for CATs in the Online Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergquist, Emily; Holbeck, Rick

2014-01-01

Formative assessments are an important part of the teaching and learning cycle. Instructors need to monitor student learning and check for understanding throughout the instructional phase of teaching to confirm that students understand the objective before embarking on the summative assessment. Typically, online classrooms are developed with…

Functional Thinking for Managing Challenging Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allday, R. Allan

2018-01-01

Challenging student behavior remains one of the biggest trials for classroom teachers. Understanding why a student performs a specific behavior is important in determining how to develop an intervention that targets the function of the behavior. This column focuses on how thinking functionally about behavior can help teachers understand why…

Helping Students with Mathematics Difficulties Understand Ratios and Proportions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Barbara; Bryant, Diane Pedrotty; Bryant, Brian R.; Shin, Mikyung

2016-01-01

Ratios and proportions are foundational to student understanding across multiple topics in mathematics and science. In mathematics, they are central to developing concepts and skills related to slope, constant rate of change, and similar figures, which are all fundamental to algebraic concepts and skills. This article examines the importance of…

Comparison of University Students' Understanding of Graphs in Different Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Planinic, Maja; Ivanjek, Lana; Susac, Ana; Milin-Sipus, Zeljka

2013-01-01

This study investigates university students' understanding of graphs in three different domains: mathematics, physics (kinematics), and contexts other than physics. Eight sets of parallel mathematics, physics, and other context questions about graphs were developed. A test consisting of these eight sets of questions (24 questions in all) was…

Exploring the Relationship between Physics-Related Epistemological Beliefs and Physics Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stathopoulou, Christina; Vosniadou, Stella

2007-01-01

Three studies are reported that investigated the relationship between secondary school students' physics-related epistemological beliefs and physics conceptual understanding. Study 1 involved the development of a Greek Epistemological Beliefs Evaluation Instrument for Physics (GEBEP) which was administered to 394 students (10th graders). Study 2…

Inquiry and Astronomy: Preservice Teachers' Investigations of Celestial Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plummer, Julia D.; Zahm, Valerie M.; Rice, Rebecca

2010-01-01

This study investigated the impact of an open inquiry experience on elementary science methods students' understanding of celestial motion as well as the methods developed by students to answer their own research questions. Pre/post interviews and assessments were used to measure change in participants' understanding (N = 18). A qualitative…

Student Understanding of Gravity in Introductory College Astronomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Kathryn E.; Willoughby, Shannon

2012-01-01

Twenty-four free-response questions were developed to explore introductory college astronomy students' understanding of gravity in a variety of contexts, including in and around Earth, throughout the solar system, and in hypothetical situations. Questions were separated into three questionnaires, each of which was given to a section of…

Science 20-30: Program of Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

Presented in both English and French, Science 20-30 is an integrated academic program in Alberta, Canada that helps students better understand and apply fundamental concepts and skills common to biology, chemistry, physics, and the Earth sciences. The major goals of the program are: (1) to develop in students an understanding of the…

Science 10: Course of Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

Presented in both English and French, Science 10 is an integrated academic course that helps students in Alberta, Canada better understand and apply fundamental concepts and skills common to biology, chemistry, physics, and the Earth sciences. The major goals of the program are: (1) to develop in students an understanding of the interconnecting…

Chemistry 20-30: Program of Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

Presented in English and French, Chemistry 20-30 is an academic program that helps students in Alberta, Canada, better understand and apply fundamental concepts and skills. The major goals of the program are: (1) to develop in students an understanding of the interconnecting ideas and principles that transcend and unify the natural science…

Assessment of Student Outcomes Using a Theoretical Framework.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levins, Lesley

1997-01-01

Examines the scientific concept of evaporation. Attempts to show how students develop their understanding through the levels of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy. Shows how designing learning experiences to suit the learners' developmental stages in understanding a concept is paramount to the overall growth of the…

Building the Evidentiary Argument in Game-Based Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiCerbo, Kristen E.

2017-01-01

While game-based assessment offers new potential for understanding the processes students use to solve problems, it also presents new challenges in uncovering which player actions provide evidence that contributes to understanding about students' knowledge, skill, and attributes that we are interested in assessing. A development process that…

Supporting Mathematical Discussions: The Roles of Comparison and Cognitive Load

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richland, Lindsey E.; Begolli, Kreshnik Nasi; Simms, Nina; Frausel, Rebecca R.; Lyons, Emily A.

2016-01-01

Mathematical discussions in which students compare alternative solutions to a problem can be powerful modes for students to engage and refine their misconceptions into conceptual understanding, as well as to develop understanding of the mathematics underlying common algorithms. At the same time, these discussions are challenging to lead…

Supporting Mathematical Discussions: The Roles of Comparison and Cognitive Load

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richland, Lindsey E.; Begolli, Kreshnik Nasi; Simms, Nina; Frausel, Rebecca R.; Lyons, Emily A.

2017-01-01

Mathematical discussions in which students compare alternative solutions to a problem can be powerful modes for students to engage and refine their misconceptions into conceptual understanding, as well as to develop understanding of the mathematics underlying common algorithms. At the same time, these discussions are challenging to lead…

Expression in the Visual Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millward, Peter; Parton, Anthony

2001-01-01

Focuses on how the construction of understanding can be supported through the visual arts in the context of the British National Curriculum for Art and Design. Giving students experience working with art materials is not, in itself, sufficient; the experience must be shaped in order for students to develop artistic understanding and appreciation.…

Rediscovering Good Teaching: Exploring Selfhood and Solidarity in Urban Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahoney, Timothy

2012-01-01

This paper describes the experiences of preservice teachers developing deeper understanding of themselves and diverse students through participation in the Philadelphia Urban Seminar. The Seminar focuses on the reconstruction of more complete understanding of urban students and urban communities by combining field experience in Philadelphia with…

Fraction Operations: An Examination of Prospective Teachers' Errors Confidence, and Bias

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Elaine; Zientek, Linda

2011-01-01

Fractions are important in young students' understanding of rational numbers and proportional reasoning. The teacher is fundamental in developing student understanding and competency in working with fractions. The present study spanned five years and investigated prospective teachers' competency and confidence with fraction operations as they…

Implementing Mathematics Teaching That Promotes Students' Understanding through Theory-Driven Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Rongjin; Gong, Zikun; Han, Xue

2016-01-01

Lesson study (LS) has been practiced in China as an effective way to advance teachers' professional development for decades. This study explores how LS improves teaching that promotes students' understanding. A LS group including didacticians (practice-based teaching research specialist and University-based mathematics educators) and mathematics…

Biology 20-30: Program of Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Branch.

Presented in English and French, Biology 20-30 is an academic program that helps students in Alberta, Canada, better understand and apply fundamental concepts and skills. The major goals of the program are: (1) to develop in students an understanding of the interconnecting ideas and principles that transcend and unify the natural science…

Helping Students Understand Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weihe, Paul

2006-01-01

Despite the central role of risk assessment in analyzing and making decisions about many environmental issues, most people are poorly equipped to understand key concepts about risk or apply them successfully. I present three class activities in which students develop a better appreciation for the magnitude of a one in a million increased risk of…

Visuals and Visualisation of Human Body Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathai, Sindhu; Ramadas, Jayashree

2009-01-01

This paper explores the role of diagrams and text in middle school students' understanding and visualisation of human body systems. We develop a common framework based on structure and function to assess students' responses across diagram and verbal modes. Visualisation is defined in terms of understanding transformations on structure and relating…

Shake It up with Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Argus, Lindsy

2012-01-01

The author created a lesson in which students successfully practiced reading comprehension skills while developing an understanding of earthquakes. Not only did this lesson help students gain an understanding of the impact of earthquakes, a subject embedded into Missouri's eighth-grade science curriculum, but it also addresses one of the new…

Understanding Successful Sandwich Placements: A Bourdieusian Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Martyn; Zukas, Miriam

2016-01-01

Sandwich placements and other integrated work and study schemes are increasingly advocated as a key means by which universities can promote students' employability. However, there is little understanding of how successful placements work in terms of facilitating learning and development. Drawing on three longitudinal case studies of students who…

Analogy-Integrated e-Learning Module: Facilitating Students' Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida, Jennifer

2012-01-01

The study deals with the development of an analogy-integrated e-learning module on Cellular Respiration, which is intended to facilitate conceptual understanding of students with different brain hemisphere dominance and learning styles. The module includes eight analogies originally conceptualized following the specific steps used to prepare…

Building the BIKE: Development and Testing of the Biotechnology Instrument for Knowledge Elicitation (BIKE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witzig, Stephen B.; Rebello, Carina M.; Siegel, Marcelle A.; Freyermuth, Sharyn K.; Izci, Kemal; McClure, Bruce

2014-01-01

Identifying students' conceptual scientific understanding is difficult if the appropriate tools are not available for educators. Concept inventories have become a popular tool to assess student understanding; however, traditionally, they are multiple choice tests. International science education standard documents advocate that assessments…

Assessing student understanding of host pathogen interactions using a concept inventory.

PubMed

Marbach-Ad, Gili; Briken, Volker; El-Sayed, Najib M; Frauwirth, Kenneth; Fredericksen, Brenda; Hutcheson, Steven; Gao, Lian-Yong; Joseph, Sam; Lee, Vincent T; McIver, Kevin S; Mosser, David; Quimby, B Booth; Shields, Patricia; Song, Wenxia; Stein, Daniel C; Yuan, Robert T; Smith, Ann C

2009-01-01

As a group of faculty with expertise and research programs in the area of host-pathogen interactions (HPI), we are concentrating on students' learning of HPI concepts. As such we developed a concept inventory to measure level of understanding relative to HPI after the completion of a set of microbiology courses (presently eight courses). Concept inventories have been useful tools for assessing student learning, and our interest was to develop such a tool to measure student learning progression in our microbiology courses. Our teaching goal was to create bridges between our courses which would eliminate excessive overlap in our offerings and support a model where concepts and ideas introduced in one course would become the foundation for concept development in successive courses. We developed our HPI concept inventory in several phases. The final product was an 18-question, multiple-choice concept inventory. In fall 2006 and spring 2007 we administered the 18-question concept inventory in six of our courses. We collected pre- and postcourse surveys from 477 students. We found that students taking pretests in the advanced courses retained the level of understanding gained in the general microbiology prerequisite course. Also, in two of our courses there was significant improvement on the scores from pretest to posttest. As we move forward, we will concentrate on exploring the range of HPI concepts addressed in each course and determine and/or create effective methods for meaningful student learning of HPI aspects of microbiology.

Research-Based Learning: Teaching Development through Fieldschools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guinness, Patrick

2012-01-01

The challenge of bringing research-based learning to undergraduate development studies and anthropology students has led to convening a fieldschool in Indonesia. The fieldschool has been vital in introducing students to fieldwork methodology and in developing a deeper understanding of the relation of research data to development theory. In…

Developing Models to Convey Understanding Rather than Merely Knowledge of the Methods of Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinet, Paul Raymond

1989-01-01

A teaching method in which students develop models of simple systems to learn critical thinking and scientific methodology is presented. Discussed are the stages of the development of a model and the possible outcomes of the use of model development for students. (CW)

The Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment: A Concept Assessment for Upper-Division Molecular Biology Students

PubMed Central

Couch, Brian A.; Wood, William B.; Knight, Jennifer K.

2015-01-01

Measuring students’ conceptual understandings has become increasingly important to biology faculty members involved in evaluating and improving departmental programs. We developed the Molecular Biology Capstone Assessment (MBCA) to gauge comprehension of fundamental concepts in molecular and cell biology and the ability to apply these concepts in novel scenarios. Targeted at graduating students, the MBCA consists of 18 multiple-true/false (T/F) questions. Each question consists of a narrative stem followed by four T/F statements, which allows a more detailed assessment of student understanding than the traditional multiple-choice format. Questions were iteratively developed with extensive faculty and student feedback, including validation through faculty reviews and response validation through student interviews. The final assessment was taken online by 504 students in upper-division courses at seven institutions. Data from this administration indicate that the MBCA has acceptable levels of internal reliability (α = 0.80) and test–retest stability (r = 0.93). Students achieved a wide range of scores with a 67% overall average. Performance results suggest that students have an incomplete understanding of many molecular biology concepts and continue to hold incorrect conceptions previously documented among introductory-level students. By pinpointing areas of conceptual difficulty, the MBCA can provide faculty members with guidance for improving undergraduate biology programs. PMID:25713098

A Deliberate Practice Approach to Teaching Phylogenetic Analysis

PubMed Central

Hobbs, F. Collin; Johnson, Daniel J.; Kearns, Katherine D.

2013-01-01

One goal of postsecondary education is to assist students in developing expert-level understanding. Previous attempts to encourage expert-level understanding of phylogenetic analysis in college science classrooms have largely focused on isolated, or “one-shot,” in-class activities. Using a deliberate practice instructional approach, we designed a set of five assignments for a 300-level plant systematics course that incrementally introduces the concepts and skills used in phylogenetic analysis. In our assignments, students learned the process of constructing phylogenetic trees through a series of increasingly difficult tasks; thus, skill development served as a framework for building content knowledge. We present results from 5 yr of final exam scores, pre- and postconcept assessments, and student surveys to assess the impact of our new pedagogical materials on student performance related to constructing and interpreting phylogenetic trees. Students improved in their ability to interpret relationships within trees and improved in several aspects related to between-tree comparisons and tree construction skills. Student feedback indicated that most students believed our approach prepared them to engage in tree construction and gave them confidence in their abilities. Overall, our data confirm that instructional approaches implementing deliberate practice address student misconceptions, improve student experiences, and foster deeper understanding of difficult scientific concepts. PMID:24297294

A new method for teaching physical examination to junior medical students.

PubMed

Sayma, Meelad; Williams, Hywel Rhys

2016-01-01

Teaching effective physical examination is a key component in the education of medical students. Preclinical medical students often have insufficient clinical knowledge to apply to physical examination recall, which may hinder their learning when taught through certain understanding-based models. This pilot project aimed to develop a method to teach physical examination to preclinical medical students using "core clinical cases", overcoming the need for "rote" learning. This project was developed utilizing three cycles of planning, action, and reflection. Thematic analysis of feedback was used to improve this model, and ensure it met student expectations. A model core clinical case developed in this project is described, with gout as the basis for a "foot and ankle" examination. Key limitations and difficulties encountered on implementation of this pilot are discussed for future users, including the difficulty encountered in "content overload". This approach aims to teach junior medical students physical examination through understanding, using a simulated patient environment. Robust research is now required to demonstrate efficacy and repeatability in the physical examination of other systems.

Motivations and Expectations of Undergraduate Nursing Students Undertaking International Clinical Placements.

PubMed

Gower, Shelley; Duggan, Ravani; Dantas, Jaya A R; Boldy, Duncan

2016-09-01

International clinical placements are common in preregistration nursing programs in Australian universities to enhance awareness of cultural needs and global health issues. Yet, little is known about the motivations and expectations of nursing students who choose to participate. Using a qualitative exploratory design, individual semistructured interviews were undertaken with 52 preregistration final-year nursing students from four Western Australian universities 2 weeks prior to departure to the developing countries of Tanzania, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and India. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The interviews revealed that students were motivated by cultural inquisitiveness and a desire to help. They expected to gain cultural learning, to be challenged, to be fulfilled, to experience professional growth, and to feel gratitude. Developing an understanding of culture was a crucial outcome. By understanding the impetus and personal motivations of students, educators can guide students toward a more transformative experience whereby a more multicultural perspective on health care can be developed. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(9):487-494.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

After-School Programs for Bilingual Students: Preservice Teachers' Perspectives and Students' Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falk-Ross, Francine; Dealy, Ann; Porcelli, Justinna; Hammond, Jonna; Evans, Brian

2017-01-01

We studied the process and products of developing effective tutoring programs to support Tier 2 bilingual students with a focus on teachers' perspectives and students' achievement to assess and teach students based on need. With the understanding that young students require individual attention to resolve specific misunderstandings, optimally…

Educating Students to Give Them a Sustainable Competitive Advantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopkins, Christopher D.; Raymond, Mary Anne; Carlson, Les

2011-01-01

With an increasingly competitive job market, this study focuses on what marketing educators can do to help students develop a sustainable competitive advantage. The authors conducted a survey of students, faculty, and recruiters to develop a better understanding of what skills and characteristics might be of value to each group of respondents and…

Developing and Validating a Science Notebook Rubric for Fifth-Grade Non-Mainstream Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huerta, Margarita; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.

2014-01-01

We present the development and validation of a science notebook rubric intended to measure the academic language and conceptual understanding of non-mainstream students, specifically fifth-grade male and female economically disadvantaged Hispanic English language learner (ELL) and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students. The…

Development of the Flame Test Concept Inventory: Measuring Student Thinking about Atomic Emission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Murata Mayo, Ana Vasquez

2018-01-01

This study reports the development of a 19-item Flame Test Concept Inventory, an assessment tool to measure students' understanding of atomic emission. Fifty-two students enrolled in secondary and postsecondary chemistry courses were interviewed about atomic emission and explicitly asked to explain flame test demonstrations and energy level…

Improving Students' Understanding of Quantum Measurement. II. Development of Research-Based Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Guangtian; Singh, Chandralekha

2012-01-01

We describe the development and implementation of research-based learning tools such as the Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials and peer-instruction tools to reduce students' common difficulties with issues related to measurement in quantum mechanics. A preliminary evaluation shows that these learning tools are effective in improving students'…

Connecting Literacy and Science to Increase Achievement for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huerta, Margarita; Jackson, Julie

2010-01-01

Giving students a purpose and a passion for sharing their thinking through authentic learning experiences and giving them tools for writing through which they can risk new vocabulary, new language, and new thought is critical for the linguistic and cognitive development of students. Furthermore, students develop a deep understanding of content…

Constructing a Professional Identity: Some Preliminary Findings from Students of Early Years Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egan, Bridget A.

2004-01-01

In this article some preliminary data from an ongoing exploration of student teachers' development of professional identities are explored. This project uses hermeneutic techniques to develop a set of categories which characterise students' articulation of their understanding. This is related to the Aristotelian categories of "praxis",…

Understanding Transition Pathways of International Development Assistance Students: With More Respect to Stakeholders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Nick; Gruba, Paul

2012-01-01

This paper describes an evaluation of the transition stages of "development assistance program" (DAP) international students (IS) at a large Australian research university. This group has different backgrounds that suggest distinct transition issues compared with students from wealthier families and/or more industrialized nations. We argue that a…

What Do Final Year Engineering Students Know about Sustainable Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicolaou, I.; Conlon, E.

2012-01-01

This paper presents data from a project that aims to determine the level of knowledge and understanding of engineering students about sustainable development (SD). The data derive from a survey completed by final year engineering students in three Irish Higher Education Institutions. This paper is part of a larger study that examines the…

Referencing and Citation for Graduate Students: Gain without Pain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krol, Ed S.; Krol, Lisa M.

2012-01-01

The objective of this paper is to share with other educators a teaching method that was developed to help graduate students, and potentially undergraduate students, understand how to properly reference and cite academic papers. In an attempt to teach rather than reprimand, a new teaching practice was developed for a graduate class at the…

Student Teachers' Engagement with Re-Contextualized Materials: A Case of Numerical Approximation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brijlall, Deonarain; Bansilal, Sarah

2011-01-01

This paper reports on an exploration of students' learning derived from the implementation of learning materials developed in a previous collaborative project. The purpose of the study was to examine the development of third-year students' understanding of the Reimann Sum. These concepts were taught to undergraduate teacher trainees wishing to…

Investigating the Relationship between Students' Views of Scientific Models and Their Development of Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Meng-Fei; Lin, Jang-Long

2015-01-01

Understanding the nature of models and engaging in modeling practice have been emphasized in science education. However, few studies discuss the relationships between students' views of scientific models and their ability to develop those models. Hence, this study explores the relationship between students' views of scientific models and their…

High School Students' Knowledge of a Square as a Basis for Developing a Geometric Learning Progression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seah, Rebecca; Horne, Marj; Berenger, Adrian

2016-01-01

This study surveyed and analysed four secondary school students' writing about a square. Sfard's discursive approach to understanding mathematical discourse was used to analyse the responses collected from 214 Australian secondary school students. The results showed that geometric knowledge was developed experientially and not developmentally.…

Enhancing the Development of Statistical Literacy through the Robot Bioglyph

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bragg, Leicha A.; Koch, Jessica; Willis, Ashley

2017-01-01

One way to heighten students' interest in the classroom is by personalising tasks. Through designing Robot Bioglyphs students are able to explore personalised data through a creative and engaging process. By understanding, producing and interpreting data, students are able to develop their statistical literacy, which is an essential skill in…

Helping Lower Secondary Students Develop Conceptual Understanding of Electrostatic Forces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moynihan, Richard; van Kampen, Paul; Finlayson, Odilla; McLoughlin, Eilish

2016-01-01

This article describes the development of a lesson sequence that supports secondary-level students to construct an explanatory model for electrostatic attraction using a guided enquiry method. The students examine electrostatic interactions at a macro level and explain the phenomena at the atomic level. Pre-tests, post-tests, homework assignments…

Developing Explanations and Developing Understanding: Students Explain the Phases of the Moon Using Visual Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parnafes, Orit

2012-01-01

This article presents a theoretical model of the process by which students construct and elaborate explanations of scientific phenomena using visual representations. The model describes progress in the underlying conceptual processes in students' explanations as a reorganization of fine-grained knowledge elements based on the Knowledge in Pieces…

The Relationship of Science Knowledge, Attitude and Decision Making on Socio-Scientific Issues: The Case Study of Students' Debates on a Nuclear Power Plant in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jho, Hunkoog; Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Kim, Mijung

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of students' understanding of science knowledge, attitude and decision making on socio-scientific issues (SSI), especially on the issues of nuclear energy in Korea. SSI-focused instructions were developed to encourage students to understand and reflect on knowledge, attitude and…

Air Toxics Under the Big Sky: Examining the Effectiveness of Authentic Scientific Research on High School Students' Science Skills and Interest.

PubMed

Ward, Tony J; Delaloye, Naomi; Adams, Earle Raymond; Ware, Desirae; Vanek, Diana; Knuth, Randy; Hester, Carolyn Laurie; Marra, Nancy Noel; Holian, Andrij

2016-01-01

Air Toxics Under the Big Sky is an environmental science outreach/education program that incorporates the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 8 Practices with the goal of promoting knowledge and understanding of authentic scientific research in high school classrooms through air quality research. A quasi-experimental design was used in order to understand: 1) how the program affects student understanding of scientific inquiry and research and 2) how the open inquiry learning opportunities provided by the program increase student interest in science as a career path . Treatment students received instruction related to air pollution (airborne particulate matter), associated health concerns, and training on how to operate air quality testing equipment. They then participated in a yearlong scientific research project in which they developed and tested hypotheses through research of their own design regarding the sources and concentrations of air pollution in their homes and communities. Results from an external evaluation revealed that treatment students developed a deeper understanding of scientific research than did comparison students, as measured by their ability to generate good hypotheses and research designs, and equally expressed an increased interest in pursuing a career in science. These results emphasize the value of and need for authentic science learning opportunities in the modern science classroom.

Toward Understanding Business Student Professional Development Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blau, Gary; Blessley, Misty; Kunkle, Matthew; Schirmer, Michael; Regan, Laureen

2017-01-01

Professional development engagement (PDE) is defined as the level of perceived undergraduate engagement in professional development activities. An 11-item measure of PDE exhibited a good reliability. Using a complete data sample of 467 graduating business undergraduates, four variable sets (student background or precollege variables,…

A study of the development of scientific literacy in students of conservative Christian schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johns, Christopher D.

A collision of concepts often occurs within the science classrooms of Christian schools. Students are faced with the task of accommodating biblical teachings with science theories that are not only incompatible but often directly conflicting. Teachers in the Christian school must choose to what extent and how this conflicting information will be addressed. Students must manage the tension caused by this conflict and then determine their own belief systems. High-stakes achievement testing also plays a role in the curriculum and instruction of science in the Christian school as well as public schools. Science literacy, a lifelong pursuit of understanding of the physical world, can be a victim of instructional strategies aimed at promoting student success on a specific test covering a specific set of facts instead of a comprehensive plan developed for individual-specific growth. This study was designed to gain an understanding of science literacy development of the middle school student in the Christian school. This was accomplished by comparing the individual component scores of the science Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus achievement test for a 3-year period of 5 Christian schools in Indiana to the overall state averages. Armed with this information, the study, in its second phase, included interviews of the 7th-grade science teachers of the included schools. The goal of the interviews was to provide meaning and substance to the score comparisons. The purpose of the study was to understand how the students in Christian schools compared to the overall population of students in areas of science that may conflict with their Biblical beliefs. Additionally, this study was developed to understand how the science teachers in Christian schools managed the conflict that develops between the Bible and theories of science. Findings from this study showed that students in Christian schools continue to score higher than the overall population of students in all content areas in the battery of the science test. Teachers attribute these scores to the multiple substantive discussions involving the competing views of the origin of Earth and man that occur in the classroom.

The Stories They Tell: Understanding International Student Mobility through Higher Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdullah, Doria; Abd Aziz, Mohd Ismail; Mohd Ibrahim, Abdul Latiff

2017-01-01

The movement of students across borders has had profound impact on higher education policy development. This article seeks to unpack international student mobility through a discourse approach, using five policy documents on international student mobility from well-established recruiters of international students. Eight headline findings are…

"Is This Okay?" Developing Student Ownership in Artmaking through Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Low, Sok Hui

2015-01-01

When used effectively, feedback promotes student ownership in artmaking by encouraging students to inject originality, persist, and improve. Feedback from teacher, self, and peers can also provide students with motivation. In this article, the author explores her students' understanding of the idea of ownership, observes how feedback…

Knowing, Learning, and Writing: Patterns in Students' Understanding of Academic Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurfiss, Joanne Gainen

The paper describes four major patterns that emerge in studies of college student intellectual development. Quotations from students' writing about their epistemological beliefs and quotations from professors' writing concerning their courses and students are related to the four patterns. Characteristics of student writing associated with each…

Experimenting with wires, batteries, bulbs and the induction coil: Narratives of teaching and learning physics in the electrical investigations of Laura, David, Jamie, myself and the nineteenth century experimenters. Our developments and instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavicchi, Elizabeth Mary

Physics is conventionally taught as a fixed curriculum which students must master. This thesis changes that: curriculum emerges from what learners try and question in experiments they invent. The thesis narrates: three adult students exploring wires, batteries and bulbs with me as teacher; nineteenth century investigations of electromagnetism; my laboratory work replicating historic instruments. In each case, learning arose through activity with materials. Evidences of this are analyzed within narratives and reflections. I used teaching-research, a method developed by Duckworth from Piaget's clinical interviewing, to research and simultaneously extend students' evolving understandings. What I learned through questioning students informed my next interactions; what they learned extended their experimenting. Similarly, I researched historical accounts interactively: improvising experiments to develop my understandings. Studying my own learning deepened my interpretations of students' learning. My students Laura, David and Jamie experimented by: soldering bulbs to wires, making series and parallel circuits, inserting resistive wire that dimmed bulbs, conducting electricity through salt water They noticed bulb brightness and battery heat, compared electricity's paths, questioned how voltage and current relate. They inferred electricity's effects manifest magnitudes of material properties. They found their experiences while learning were inseparable from what they learned. I researched investigations connected with Cavendish's leather fish, Galvani's frogs, Schweigger's wire spiraled around a compass needle, Henry's electromagnets, Faraday's induction ring, induction devices of Page, Callan, Hearder. Experimentally, I made galvanometers, electromagnets, induction rings, induction coil. I observed effects of electromagnetism, internal resistance, induced sparking. Across these investigations, learning developed with instrumental innovations; confusions were productive for further explorations. This thesis has implications for profoundly changing physics instruction. Physics education research seeks to supplant students' 'misconceptions' with correct explanations; by contrast, this thesis shows that students' original thinking provides their beginnings for moving to new understandings. Students and historic experimenters form and reform new, tentative understandings through many engagements with phenomena. As learners' questioning deepens in detail, its inclusiveness broadens. Evolving understandings are unique and consistent with nature. Wonder empowers continued learning. This thesis is a resource to inspire teachers in exploring the many possibilities within their learning, their students' learning, and physical phenomena.

Western Australian High School Students' Understandings about the Socioscientific Issue of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Vaille

2015-05-01

Climate change is one of the most significant science issues facing humanity; yet, teaching students about climate change is challenging: not only is it multidisciplinary, but also it is contentious and debated in political, social and media forums. Students need to be equipped with an understanding of climate change science to be able to participate in this discourse. The purpose of this study was to examine Western Australian high school students' understanding of climate change and the greenhouse effect, in order to identify their alternative conceptions about climate change science and provide a baseline for more effective teaching. A questionnaire designed to elicit students' understanding and alternative conceptions was completed by 438 Year 10 students (14-15 years old). A further 20 students were interviewed. Results showed that students know different features of both climate change and the greenhouse effect, however not necessarily all of them and the relationships between. Five categories of alternative conceptions were identified. The categories were (1) the greenhouse effect and the ozone layer; (2) types of greenhouse gases; (3) types of radiation; (4) weather and climate and (5) air pollution. These findings provide science educators a basis upon which to develop strategies and curriculum resources to improve their students' understanding and decision-making skills about the socioscientific issue, climate change.

Exploring children's cognitive and affective skills related to conservation of mass using Fischer's dynamic skills model: What goes on in their minds and hearts?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asghar, Anila

I conducted a mixed method study to examine: How, if at all, does middle school students' understanding of the conservation of mass develop as they engage in two different chemistry curricula (an interactive chemistry curriculum, DESIGNS, aimed at helping them to understand the conservation of mass and another presenting the same concepts from a traditional approach)? How do they feel about participating in the science activities, and how, if at all, do their feelings relate to their learning? I used the framework of the Dynamic Skills theory (Fischer, 1980) as a lens through which to understand their thinking and feelings and any changes in them. The study was conducted in two Massachusetts public schools. In each school, one class followed the DESIGNS curriculum (DESIGNS II, in press), while the other followed a traditional chemistry curriculum. Each teacher in the study taught two science classes and used the DESIGNS curriculum in one class and the traditional curriculum in the other. Seventy three middle school students from the two schools participated in this study. The data was gathered through (a) a concept assessment questionnaire and (b) affective response survey (both were administered before, during, and at the end of the curriculum). Additionally, qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 selected students (four from each class) twice (before and after the curriculum). The quantitative analysis revealed that students in the DESIGNS group demonstrated greater conceptual change, on average, as compared to the traditional group. In addition, pretest score and mother's education were also found to be associated with students' learning. The pretest score was negatively associated with the conceptual gain (the lower the pretest score the higher the gain), whereas mother's education had a positive relationship with conceptual understanding. A comparison of students' affective response to their respective curriculum showed that students felt more positive towards the DESIGNS curriculum than the traditional curriculum, and the difference was statistically significant. The relationship between students' feelings and conceptual learning was statistically non-significant. The qualitative analysis entailed the developmental assessment of students' evolving understanding of conservation of mass using the Dynamic Development model. The prevalent preconceptions among the participants resonated with the relevant literature on children's scientific ideas (Dirver, 1985; Smith, 1988). The common misconceptions were: (a) air is weightless, (b) sugar gains or loses mass after dissolving, (c) melted water is heavier than frozen ice, (d) denser means heavier, and (e) pressure has mass. Some of these underlying misconceptions remained persistent in both treatment groups even after participating in the curriculum. These misconceptions influenced students' understanding of conservation of mass and they developed non-conserving frameworks. Students generally tended to focus on a single component of the system, in relation to various conservation problems, which led to a non-conserving view mostly. The findings suggest that students did not develop a generalized understanding of the conservation principle. They developed localized frameworks, which they applied inconsistently to specific conservation problems. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Exploration of Factors Related to the Development of Vocational Identity in Collegiate Student-Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ackerman, Candice

2012-01-01

The goal of this study was to understand the vocational consequences and benefits of being a student-athlete in a large university and competitive level of sport, and how these contribute to the development of a student-athlete's vocational identity. A mass email was sent to the entire student-athlete population at a Division I university…

Preparing Teachers to Support the Development of Climate Literate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; Ellins, K. K.; Bardar, E. W.; Youngman, E.; Dunlap, C.; Lockwood, J.; Mote, A. S.; McNeal, K.; Libarkin, J. C.; Lynds, S. E.; Gold, A. U.

2014-12-01

The EarthLabs climate project includes curriculum development, teacher professional development, teacher leadership development, and research on student learning, all directed at increasing high school teachers' and students' understanding of the factors that shape our planet's climate. The project has developed four new modules which focus on climate literacy and which are part of the larger Web based EarthLabs collection of Earth science modules. Climate related themes highlighted in the new modules include the Earth system with its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, "How do we know what we know about Earth's past and present climate?" which addresses proxy data and scientific instrumentation. EarthLabs climate modules use two central strategies to help students navigate the multiple challenges inherent in understanding climate science. The first is to actively engage students with the content by using a variety of learning modes, and by allowing students to pace themselves through interactive visualizations that address particularly challenging content. The second strategy, which is the focus of this presentation, is to support teachers in a subject area where few have substantive content knowledge or technical skills. Teachers who grasp the processes and interactions that give Earth its climate and the technical skills to engage with relevant data and visualizations are more likely to be successful in supporting students' understanding of climate's complexities. This presentation will briefly introduce the EarthLabs project and will describe the steps the project takes to prepare climate literate teachers, including Web based resources, teacher workshops, and the development of a cadre of teacher leaders who are prepared to continue leading the workshops after project funding ends.

Developing and validating a conceptual survey to assess introductory physics students’ understanding of magnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; Singh, Chandralekha

2017-03-01

Development of validated physics surveys on various topics is important for investigating the extent to which students master those concepts after traditional instruction and for assessing innovative curricula and pedagogies that can improve student understanding significantly. Here, we discuss the development and validation of a conceptual multiple-choice survey related to magnetism suitable for introductory physics courses. The survey was developed taking into account common students’ difficulties with magnetism concepts covered in introductory physics courses found in our investigation and the incorrect choices to the multiple-choice questions were designed based upon those common student difficulties. After the development and validation of the survey, it was administered to introductory physics students in various classes in paper-pencil format before and after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant concepts. We compared the performance of students on the survey in the algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics courses before and after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant magnetism concepts. We discuss the common difficulties of introductory physics students with magnetism concepts we found via the survey. We also administered the survey to upper-level undergraduates majoring in physics and PhD students to benchmark the survey and compared their performance with those of traditionally taught introductory physics students for whom the survey is intended. A comparison with the base line data on the validated magnetism survey from traditionally taught introductory physics courses and upper-level undergraduate and PhD students discussed in this paper can help instructors assess the effectiveness of curricula and pedagogies which is especially designed to help students integrate conceptual and quantitative understanding and develop a good grasp of the concepts. In particular, if introductory physics students’ average performance in a class is significantly better than those of students in traditionally taught courses described here (and particularly when it is comparable to that of physics PhD students’ average performance discussed here), the curriculum or pedagogy used in that introductory class can be deemed effective. Moreover, we discuss the use of the survey to investigate gender differences in student performance.

High School Intervention for Influenza Biology and Epidemics/Pandemics: Impact on Conceptual Understanding among Adolescents

PubMed Central

Hasni, Abdelkrim

2009-01-01

Understanding real-life issues such as influenza epidemiology may be of particular interest to the development of scientific knowledge and initiation of conceptual changes about viruses and their life cycles for high school students. The goal of this research project was to foster the development of adolescents' conceptual understanding of viruses and influenza biology. Thus, the project included two components: 1) pre- and posttests to determine students' conceptions about influenza biology, epidemics/pandemics, and vaccination; and 2) design an intervention that supports conceptual change to promote improvements in influenza knowledge based on these primary conceptions. Thirty-five female students from a high school biology class participated in a series of instructional activities and pre- and posttest assessments. Results from the pretest indicated that high school students exhibit a limited understanding of concepts related to viruses. Six weeks after an intervention that promoted active learning, results from a posttest showed that conceptions about influenza are more accurately related to the provided scientific knowledge. Although adolescents have nonscientific models to explain influenza biology, we showed that a carefully designed intervention can affect students' knowledge as well as influence the implementation of health education programs in secondary schools. PMID:19255137

Guiding students to develop an understanding of scientific inquiry: a science skills approach to instruction and assessment.

PubMed

Stone, Elisa M

2014-01-01

New approaches for teaching and assessing scientific inquiry and practices are essential for guiding students to make the informed decisions required of an increasingly complex and global society. The Science Skills approach described here guides students to develop an understanding of the experimental skills required to perform a scientific investigation. An individual teacher's investigation of the strategies and tools she designed to promote scientific inquiry in her classroom is outlined. This teacher-driven action research in the high school biology classroom presents a simple study design that allowed for reciprocal testing of two simultaneous treatments, one that aimed to guide students to use vocabulary to identify and describe different scientific practices they were using in their investigations-for example, hypothesizing, data analysis, or use of controls-and another that focused on scientific collaboration. A knowledge integration (KI) rubric was designed to measure how students integrated their ideas about the skills and practices necessary for scientific inquiry. KI scores revealed that student understanding of scientific inquiry increased significantly after receiving instruction and using assessment tools aimed at promoting development of specific inquiry skills. General strategies for doing classroom-based action research in a straightforward and practical way are discussed, as are implications for teaching and evaluating introductory life sciences courses at the undergraduate level.

An investigation of student understanding of wave phenomena at a boundary as a guide to the development and assessment of instructional materials on mechanical waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryjevskaia, Lioudmila N.

This dissertation reports on an in-depth investigation of student understanding of wave phenomena at a boundary. The research and curriculum development were conducted in the contexts of the introductory calculus-based physics course and special courses for preservice and inservice teachers. Research methods included pretests, post-tests, and informal observations and discussions with students. Several student difficulties with wave behavior at a boundary and the cause and effect relationship between wavelength, frequency, and propagation speed were identified. The results from this investigation have guided the development of two sets of instructional materials designed to address the conceptual and reasoning difficulties that were identified. The first is a sequence of tutorials intended to supplement standard lecture and laboratory instruction on mechanical waves in a traditional introductory course. The second consists of a module on mechanical waves designed for use in inquiry-oriented courses for preservice and inservice teachers. Ongoing assessment of both sets of materials indicates that they are effective in addressing many of the student difficulties that were found to be persistent. Such difficulties, when not addressed, may hinder student understanding of more advanced topics such as interference and diffraction of waves.

The impact of collaborative groups versus individuals in undergraduate inquiry-based astronomy laboratory learning exercises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibbernsen, Kendra J.

One of the long-standing general undergraduate education requirements common to many colleges and universities is a science course with a laboratory experience component. One of the objectives frequently included in the description of most of these courses is that a student will understand the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. However, recent research has shown that learners in traditional undergraduate science laboratory environments are not developing a sufficiently meaningful understanding of scientific inquiry. Recently, astronomy laboratory activities have been developed that intentionally scaffold a student from guided activities to open inquiry ones and preliminary results show that these laboratories are successful for supporting students to understand the nature of scientific inquiry (Slater, S., Slater, T. F., & Shaner, 2008). This mixed-method quasi-experimental study was designed to determine how students in an undergraduate astronomy laboratory increase their understanding of inquiry working in relative isolation compared to working in small collaborative learning groups. The introductory astronomy laboratory students in the study generally increased their understanding of scientific inquiry over the course of the semester and this held true similarly for students working in groups and students working individually in the laboratories. This was determined by the examining the change in responses from the pretest to the posttest administration of the Views of Scientific Inquiry (VOSI) survey, the increase in scores on laboratory exercises, and observations from the instructor. Because the study was successful in determining that individuals in the astronomy laboratory do as well at understanding inquiry as those who complete their exercises in small groups, it would be appropriate to offer these inquiry-based exercises in an online format.

An analysis of TA-Student Interaction and the Development of Concepts in 3-d Space Through Language, Objects, and Gesture in a College-level Geoscience Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, S. L.

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study is twofold: 1) to describe how a teaching assistant (TA) in an undergraduate geology laboratory employs a multimodal system in order to mediate the students' understanding of scientific knowledge and develop a contextualization of a concept in three-dimensional space and 2) to describe how a linguistic awareness of gestural patterns can be used to inform TA training assessment of students' conceptual understanding in situ. During the study the TA aided students in developing the conceptual understanding and reconstruction of a meteoric impact, which produces shatter cone formations. The concurrent use of speech, gesture, and physical manipulation of objects is employed by the TA in order to aid the conceptual understanding of this particular phenomenon. Using the methods of gestural analysis in works by Goldin-Meadow, 2000 and McNeill, 1992, this study describes the gestures of the TA and the students as well as the purpose and motivation of the meditational strategies employed by TA in order to build the geological concept in the constructed 3-dimensional space. Through a series of increasingly complex gestures, the TA assists the students to construct the forensic concept of the imagined 3-D space, which can then be applied to a larger context. As the TA becomes more familiar with the students' meditational needs, the TA adapts teaching and gestural styles to meet their respective ZPDs (Vygotsky 1978). This study shows that in the laboratory setting language, gesture, and physical manipulation of the experimental object are all integral to the learning and demonstration of scientific concepts. Recognition of the gestural patterns of the students allows the TA the ability to dynamically assess the students understanding of a concept. Using the information from this example of student-TA interaction, a brief short course has been created to assist TAs in recognizing the mediational power as well as the assessment potential of gestural awareness in classroom settings and will be test-run in the fall 2015 semester. This presentation will describe classroom interaction data, the design of the short course, and the implementation/ results of this module.

Inter-professional education of prospective speech-language therapists and primary school teachers through shared professional practice placements.

PubMed

Wilson, Leanne; McNeill, Brigid; Gillon, Gail T

2017-07-01

Preliminary studies of inter-professional education (IPE) among student speech-language therapists (SLTs) and student teachers suggest that workshop-based applications are beneficial in preparing participants for elements of collaborative practice. Situating IPE within the students' professional practice placements may provide another useful avenue to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills for inter-professional collaboration. Research examining the impact of different approaches to IPE is required to advance our understanding of effective design and evaluation of such initiatives. To understand how student SLTs and student teachers develop competency for collaborative practice when co-working during professional practice placements to support children's speech and literacy development. A case study design was used to monitor the impact of the IPE. Student SLTs (n = 4) were paired with student teachers (n = 4) to participate in shared professional practice placements in junior school classrooms. An inductive thematic analysis of interviews conducted with participants after the IPE was employed to explore the development of competencies in collaborative practice. Change in inter-disciplinary knowledge and perceptions over the IPE was evaluated via survey to further explore the development of collaborative competencies. Integration of qualitative and quantitative findings suggested that participants began to develop four broad areas of collaborative competency: understanding of professional roles and expertise, communication skills to support shared decision-making, inter-dependency in supporting children's learning, and flexibility to implement alternative instructional practices. Interview analysis also revealed factors related to the facilitators and learning contexts that supported and/or limited the collaboration between participants. Shared placement experiences between student SLTs and student teachers may be an effective method for building participants' competencies in multiple aspects of collaborative practice. Active facilitation by both SLT and classroom teacher supervisors alongside careful consideration of learning contexts (e.g., classroom structure) will help to ensure that learning is maximized for prospective professionals. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

The Voluntariat: A Frieirean framework to understand the nature of undergraduate international (medical) experiences.

PubMed

Qaiser, Seemi; Dimaras, Helen; Hamel, Paul

2016-12-01

Despite literature documenting limited and asymmetrical benefits along with ethical issues, short-term international volunteering is increasingly popular among North American university students as a perceived advantage when applying to professional healthcare schools or the job market. Academic institutions are also encouraging students to pursue international experiences in order to cultivate values as global citizens. These experiences are most typically limited to economically privileged students. Furthermore, international activities in developing countries often lack a pedagogy of social justice and may confirm a simplistic understanding of development. Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's "liberation pedagogy" provides a framework for understanding the limitations of international volunteering, whereby the presence of privileged volunteers implementing Western models of development may hinder aspects of local movements. Regardless, university students face intense competition in accessing opportunities, such as medical school, and pay large sums to participate in volunteering to strengthen their academic credentials. We propose that these students form "the voluntariat." They simultaneously play two roles by, first, contributing to the conditions that oppress the very communities in which they volunteer and, second, by playing a role as objects of oppression by the liberal institutions of learning and employment to which they are attempting to gain access.

An Exploration of Teachers' Efforts to Understand Identity Work and its Relevance to Science Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. Cecil; Darfler, Anne

2012-06-01

US educators express concern that students are turning away from the study of science and have little interest in pursuing science careers. Nationally, science achievement scores for 8th graders are unchanged since 1996, but 12th graders' scores have significantly decreased. A shortcoming of education reform efforts is lack of attention to students' developmental needs. Science study should enable students to learn about themselves—to develop and refine their skills, define their values, explore personal interests, and understand the importance of science to themselves and others. Effective secondary science instruction requires attention to students' identity development—the key developmental task of adolescence. Secondary science teachers participated in an 8-week course focused on understanding adolescent identity development and methods for addressing identity. Transcripts of the teachers' online discussions of salient issues were analyzed to determine their perceptions regarding classroom identity work. Teachers identified several assets and obstacles to identity work that were organized into two broad categories: teacher knowledge, training opportunities, and administrative support, or lack of these; and, presence of inflexible curricula, standardized testing regimes, and increased teacher accountability. Implications for student growth and science teacher professional development are discussed.

Animals. Environmental Education Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topeka Public Schools, KS.

The material in this unit is designed to provide upper elementary students with information and experiences to develop a better understanding and appreciation of the variety of animals living today. Unit goals include fostering a better understanding of animals' roles in nature, developing observational skills, facilitating understanding of man's…

Conceptual frameworks in astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pundak, David

2016-06-01

How to evaluate students' astronomy understanding is still an open question. Even though some methods and tools to help students have already been developed, the sources of students' difficulties and misunderstanding in astronomy is still unclear. This paper presents an investigation of the development of conceptual systems in astronomy by 50 engineering students, as a result of learning a general course on astronomy. A special tool called Conceptual Frameworks in Astronomy (CFA) that was initially used in 1989, was adapted to gather data for the present research. In its new version, the tool included 23 questions, and five to six optional answers were given for each question. Each of the answers was characterized by one of the four conceptual astronomical frameworks: pre-scientific, geocentric, heliocentric and sidereal or scientific. The paper describes the development of the tool and discusses its validity and reliability. Using the CFA we were able to identify the conceptual frameworks of the students at the beginning of the course and at its end. CFA enabled us to evaluate the paradigmatic change of students following the course and also the extent of the general improvement in astronomical knowledge. It was found that the measure of the students’ improvement (gain index) was g = 0.37. Approximately 45% of the students in the course improved their understanding of conceptual frameworks in astronomy and 26% deepened their understanding of the heliocentric or sidereal conceptual frameworks.

Predicting fifth-grade students' understanding of ecological science concepts with motivational and cognitive variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alao, Solomon

The need to identify factors that contribute to students' understanding of ecological concepts has been widely expressed in recent literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between fifth grade students' prior knowledge, learning strategies, interest, and learning goals and their conceptual understanding of ecological science concepts. Subject were 72 students from three fifth grade classrooms located in a metropolitan area of the eastern United States. Students completed the goal commitment, interest, and strategy use questionnaire (GISQ), and a knowledge test designed to assess their prior knowledge and conceptual understanding of ecological science concepts. The learning goals scale assessed intentions to try to learn and understand ecological concepts. The interest scale assessed the feeling and value-related valences that students ascribed to science and ecological science concepts. The strategy use scale assessed the use of two cognitive strategies (monitoring and elaboration). The knowledge test assessed students' understanding of ecological concepts (the relationship between living organisms and their environment). Scores on all measures were examined for gender differences; no significant gender differences were observed. The motivational and cognitive variables contributed to students' understanding of ecological concepts. After accounting for interest, learning goals, and strategy use, prior knowledge accounted for 28% of the total variance in conceptual understanding. After accounting for prior knowledge, interest, learning goals, and strategy use explained 7%, 6%, and 4% of the total variance in conceptual understanding, respectively. More importantly, these variables were interrelated to each other and to conceptual understanding. After controlling for prior knowledge, learning goals, and strategy use, interest did not predict the variance in conceptual understanding. After controlling for prior knowledge, interest, and strategy use, learning goals did not predict the variance in conceptual understanding. And, after controlling for prior knowledge, interest, and learning goals, strategy use did not predict the variance in conceptual understanding. Results of this study indicated that prior knowledge, interest, learning goals, and strategy use should be included in theoretical models design to explain and to predict fifth grade students' understanding of ecological concepts. Results of this study further suggested that curriculum developers and science teachers need to take fifth grade students' prior knowledge of ecological concepts, interest in science and ecological concepts; intentions to learn and understand ecological concepts, and use of cognitive strategies into account when designing instructional contexts to support these students' understanding of ecological concepts.

The Road to Self-Assessment: Exemplar Marking before Peer Review Develops First-Year Students' Capacity to Judge the Quality of a Scientific Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yucel, Robyn; Bird, Fiona L.; Young, Jodie; Blanksby, Tania

2014-01-01

Lack of clarity about assessment criteria and standards is a source of anxiety for many first-year university students. The Developing Understanding of Assessment for Learning (DUAL) programme was designed as a staged approach to gradually familiarise students with expectations, and to provide opportunities for the development of the skills…

Application of Faith Development Theory for Understanding Students' Transformational Learning as a Result of Bonfire at Texas A&M University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petersen, Brent Russell

2012-01-01

Considerable attention by scholars for the last two decades has focused on issues of spirituality and higher education. Literature in the field of college student affairs suggest that, in order promote the development of the whole student, practitioners in the field should consider adopting theories of faith and spiritual development. This study…

Assessment of microbiology students' progress with an audience response system.

PubMed

Chaudhry, M Ahmad

2011-01-01

The development of new approaches to teaching of large lecture courses is needed. Today's classroom has a wide range of students including high-achieving motivated learners, students struggling to understand basic concepts, and learning-challenged students. Many of these students can be lost in large classes under the shadow of the high-achieving extroverted students who dominate classroom question-and-answer sessions. Measuring a student's understanding and achievement of content standards becomes difficult until an assessment has been done. To close this gap, an audience response system was introduced in an introductory Principles of Microbiology course. This technology specifically addressed the goal of individualizing instruction to the needs of the students. The evaluation of this project indicated an overall positive impact on student learning.

Nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience: a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Reyes, Andrew Thomas; Andrusyszyn, Mary-Anne; Iwasiw, Carroll; Forchuk, Cheryl; Babenko-Mould, Yolanda

2015-11-01

The aim of this study was to explore nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience. Stress is considered to be a major factor affecting the health, well-being and academic performance of nursing students. Resilience has been extensively researched as a process that allows individuals to successfully adapt to adversity and develop positive outcomes as a result. However, relatively little is known about the resilience of nursing students. A constructivist, grounded theory qualitative design was used for this study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 38 nursing students enrolled in a four-year, integrated baccalaureate nursing degree programme at a university in Ontario, Canada. Face-to-face interviews were conducted from January to April 2012 using a semi-structured interview guide. The basic social process of 'pushing through' emerged as nursing students' understanding and enactment of resilience. Participants employed this process to withstand challenges in their academic lives. This process was comprised of three main phases: 'stepping into', 'staying the course' and 'acknowledging'. 'Pushing through' also included a transient 'disengaging' process where students were temporarily unable to push through their adversities. The process of 'pushing through' was based on a progressive trajectory, which implied that nursing students enacted the process to make progress in their academic lives and to attain goals. Study findings provide important evidence for understanding the phenomenon of resilience as a dynamic, contextual process that can be learnt and developed, rather than a static trait or personality characteristic. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding pictorial information in biology: students' cognitive activities and visual reading strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandstetter, Miriam; Sandmann, Angela; Florian, Christine

2017-06-01

In classroom, scientific contents are increasingly communicated through visual forms of representations. Students' learning outcomes rely on their ability to read and understand pictorial information. Understanding pictorial information in biology requires cognitive effort and can be challenging to students. Yet evidence-based knowledge about students' visual reading strategies during the process of understanding pictorial information is pending. Therefore, 42 students at the age of 14-15 were asked to think aloud while trying to understand visual representations of the blood circulatory system and the patellar reflex. A category system was developed differentiating 16 categories of cognitive activities. A Principal Component Analysis revealed two underlying patterns of activities that can be interpreted as visual reading strategies: 1. Inferences predominated by using a problem-solving schema; 2. Inferences predominated by recall of prior content knowledge. Each pattern consists of a specific set of cognitive activities that reflect selection, organisation and integration of pictorial information as well as different levels of expertise. The results give detailed insights into cognitive activities of students who were required to understand the pictorial information of complex organ systems. They provide an evidence-based foundation to derive instructional aids that can promote students pictorial-information-based learning on different levels of expertise.

School District Effects and Efficiency. Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Austin D.; Engert, Frank

This paper describes efforts to develop indices of student achievement, school district effort, and school district efficiency. The challenge was to develop measures that are simple to understand, yet allow comparison among districts that are not distorted by socioeconomic differences. Measures were developed for average student achievement,…

Drawing Connections Between Local and Global Observations: An Essential Element of Geoscience Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manduca, C. A.; Mogk, D. W.

2002-12-01

One of the hallmarks of geoscience research is the process of moving between observations and interpretations on local and global scales to develop an integrated understanding of Earth processes. Understanding this interplay is an important aspect of student geoscience learning which leads to an understanding of the fundamental principles of science and geoscience and of the connections between local natural phenomena or human activity and global processes. Several techniques that engage students in inquiry and discovery (as recommended in the National Science Education Standards, NRC 1996, Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Earth Science Education, AGU, 1997) hold promise for helping students make these connections. These include the development of global data sets from local observations (e.g. GLOBE); studying small scale or local phenomenon in the context of global models (e.g. carbon storage in local vegetation and its role in the carbon cycle); or an analysis of local environmental issues in a global context (e.g. a comparison of local flooding to flooding in other countries and analysis in the context of weather, geology and development patterns). Research on learning suggests that data-rich activities linking the local and global have excellent potential for enhancing student learning because 1) students have already developed observations and interpretations of their local environment which can serve as a starting point for constructing new knowledge and 2) this context may motivate learning and develop understanding that can be transferred to other situations. (How People Learn, NRC, 2001). Faculty and teachers at two recent workshops confirm that projects that involve local or global data can engage students in learning by providing real world context, creating student ownership of the learning process, and developing scientific skills applicable to the complex problems that characterize modern science and society. Workshop participants called for increased dissemination of examples of effective practice, evaluation of the impact of data-rich activities on learning, and further development of data access infrastructure and services. (for additional workshop results and discussion see http://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/usingdata)

A phenomenographic study of the ways of understanding conditional and repetition structures in computer programming languages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucks, Gregory Warren

Computers have become an integral part of how engineers complete their work, allowing them to collect and analyze data, model potential solutions and aiding in production through automation and robotics. In addition, computers are essential elements of the products themselves, from tennis shoes to construction materials. An understanding of how computers function, both at the hardware and software level, is essential for the next generation of engineers. Despite the need for engineers to develop a strong background in computing, little opportunity is given for engineering students to develop these skills. Learning to program is widely seen as a difficult task, requiring students to develop not only an understanding of specific concepts, but also a way of thinking. In addition, students are forced to learn a new tool, in the form of the programming environment employed, along with these concepts and thought processes. Because of this, many students will not develop a sufficient proficiency in programming, even after progressing through the traditional introductory programming sequence. This is a significant problem, especially in the engineering disciplines, where very few students receive more than one or two semesters' worth of instruction in an already crowded engineering curriculum. To address these issues, new pedagogical techniques must be investigated in an effort to enhance the ability of engineering students to develop strong computing skills. However, these efforts are hindered by the lack of published assessment instruments available for probing an individual's understanding of programming concepts across programming languages. Traditionally, programming knowledge has been assessed by producing written code in a specific language. This can be an effective method, but does not lend itself well to comparing the pedagogical impact of different programming environments, languages or paradigms. This dissertation presents a phenomenographic research study exploring the different ways of understanding held by individuals of two programming concepts: conditional structures and repetition structures. This work lays the foundation for the development of language independent assessment instruments, which can ultimately be used to assess the pedagogical implications of various programming environments.

Teaching At-Risk Students to Read Strategically.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Janet L.; Schuder, Ted

1993-01-01

A Maryland school system developed a program called "Students Achieving Independent Learning" (SAIL) to help low-achieving students learn how to read. SAIL helps students become successful readers by showing them steps they can take throughout the reading process to increase their understanding. (13 references) (MLF)

Students' Thinking and the Depth of the Mathematics Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kent, Laura B.

2014-01-01

This article explores the impact of students' thinking centered professional development on mathematics teaching and learning. Purposeful pedagogy and problem posing are examined as mechanisms by which teachers can potentially deepen students' understanding of mathematics. A classroom example comparing student generated strategies versus…

Investigating students' academic numeracy in 1st level university courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galligan, Linda; Hobohm, Carola

2015-06-01

This paper investigates how an online test (`Self-Test' developed at the University of Southern Queensland) can enrich students' understanding of their academic numeracy, through a purpose-built, self-assessment tool aligned with online modules. Since its creation and evaluation, the tool has been developed and tailored to suit other first year courses based around an academic numeracy framework of competence, confidence and critical awareness (Galligan 2013a). This paper will highlight how the new Self-Test is underpinned by this framework and how students' levels of numeracy can be better understood by the lecturer through Self-Test in a first year nursing for numeracy course and a maths for teachers course. It particularly addresses over- and under-confidence, error analysis and students' reflective comments, and how this understanding can better inform course development and teaching.

System understanding as a basis for sustainable decision-making. A science - school collaboration within the Sparkling Science project "Traisen w3"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poppe, Michaela; Böck, Kerstin; Loach, Andreas; Scheikl, Sigrid; Zitek, Andreas; Heidenreich, Andrea; Kurz-Aigner, Roman; Schrittwieser, Martin; Muhar, Susanne

2016-04-01

Equipping young people with the skills to participate successfully in increasingly complex environments and societies is a central issue of policy makers around the world. Only the understanding of complex socio-environmental systems establishes a basis for making decisions leading to sustainable development. However, OECD Pisa studies indicated, that only a low percentage of 15-year-old students was able to solve straightforward problems. Additionally, students get less interested in natural science education. In Austria "Sparkling Science" projects funded by the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy in Austria target at integrating science with school learning by involving young people into scientific research for the purpose of developing new and engaging forms of interactive, meaningful learning. Within the Sparkling Science Project "Traisen.w3" scientists work together with 15 to 18-year-old students of an Austrian Secondary School over two years to identify and evaluate ecosystem services within the catchment of the river Traisen. One of the aims of the project is to foster system understanding of the youths by multi-modal school activities. To support the development of causal systems thinking, students developed qualitative causal models on processes in the catchment of the river Traisen with an interactive, hierarchically structured learning environment that was developed within the EU-FP7 project "DynaLearn" (http://www.dynalearn.eu) based on qualitative reasoning. Students worked in small groups and were encouraged to interlink entities, processes and simulate the results of the proposed interactions of hydrological, biological, ecological, spatial and societal elements. Within this setting collaborative problem solving competency through sharing knowledge, understanding and different perspectives was developed. Additionally, in several school workshops the ecosystem services concept was used as communication tool to show the multifunctionality of river catchments and to highlight the necessity of a sustainable use. Furthermore a field mapping of a restored and an anthropogenically altered section of the river Traisen was performed by the students in collaboration with the scientists. It aimed on the surveying of specific parameters relevant for the identification of cultural and ecological ecosystem services. To investigate the effects of the different forms of learning on youths' factual, regional and system knowledge, tests were conducted before and after the school activities. The evaluation results of the pre- and post-tests proved that the multi-modal school activities lead to a significantly higher students' knowledge of environmental processes in river landscapes. The analyses of the students` model scenarios for the river catchment Traisen revealed a clear students` understanding of relationships of anthropogenic impacts, morphological and ecological river states and restoration measures. Students` feedback showed high enthusiasm for field work and the application of theoretical knowledge in their regional context. Summarizing, the involvement of secondary school students in the research project "Traisen.w3" can be seen as a successful example of how students` system thinking and motivation for learning can be increased. Ensuring that young people are proficient in system knowledge and understanding also in relation to their own surrounding environment makes it more likely that sustainable considerations are soundly addressed in the future.

Measuring the development of conceptual understanding in chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claesgens, Jennifer Marie

The purpose of this dissertation research is to investigate and characterize how students learn chemistry from pre-instruction to deeper understanding of the subject matter in their general chemistry coursework. Based on preliminary work, I believe that students have a general pathway of learning across the "big ideas," or concepts, in chemistry that can be characterized over the course of instruction. My hypothesis is that as students learn chemistry they build from experience and logical reasoning then relate chemistry specific ideas in a pair-wise fashion before making more complete multi-relational links for deeper understanding of the subject matter. This proposed progression of student learning, which starts at Notions, moves to Recognition, and then to Formulation, is described in the ChemQuery Perspectives framework. My research continues the development of ChemQuery, an NSF-funded assessment system that uses a framework of the key ideas in the discipline and criterion-referenced analysis using item response theory (IRT) to map student progress. Specifially, this research investigates the potential for using criterion-referenced analysis to describe and measure how students learn chemistry followed by more detailed task analysis of patterns in student responses found in the data. My research question asks: does IRT work to describe and measure how students learn chemistry and if so, what is discovered about how students learn? Although my findings seem to neither entirely support nor entirely refute the pathway of student understanding proposed in the ChemQuery Perspectives framework. My research does provide an indication of trouble spots. For example, it seems like the pathway from Notions to Recognition is holding but there are difficulties around the transition from Recognition to Formulation that cannot be resolved with this data. Nevertheless, this research has produced the following, which has contributed to the development of the ChemQuery assessment system, (a) 13 new change items with good fits, 3 new change items that need further study, (b) a refined scoring guide and (c) a set of item exemplars that can then be developed further into a computer-adapted model so that more data can be captured.

Antiviral drug research proposal activity.

PubMed

Injaian, Lisa; Smith, Ann C; Shipley, Jennifer German; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Fredericksen, Brenda

2011-01-01

The development of antiviral drugs provides an excellent example of how basic and clinical research must be used together in order to achieve the final goal of treating disease. A Research Oriented Learning Activity was designed to help students to better understand how basic and clinical research can be combined toward a common goal. Through this project students gained a better understanding of the process of scientific research and increased their information literacy in the field of virology. The students worked as teams to research the many aspects involved in the antiviral drug design process, with each student becoming an "expert" in one aspect of the project. The Antiviral Drug Research Proposal (ADRP) culminated with students presenting their proposals to their peers and local virologists in a poster session. Assessment data showed increased student awareness and knowledge of the research process and the steps involved in the development of antiviral drugs as a result of this activity.

Graduate Students' Experiences: Developing Self-efficacy.

PubMed

Laurencelle, Francine; Scanlan, Judith

2018-01-09

The nurse educator shortage continues without an increase in the numbers of graduate prepared nurses. Studies identified challenges in recruitment of nursing graduate students. No studies explore the experiences of nurses during graduate education. The framework used was Bandura's self-efficacy theory. The population for this study included 15 nurse educators with a master's or doctoral degree currently teaching in an undergraduate or graduate program in a western Canadian city. In semi-structured interviews, participants shared their experiences. Two themes emerged from the data: i) the hurdles of learning and ii) being a graduate student. The purpose of this article is to report the findings of faculty members' experiences as graduate students. Understanding these experiences will help graduate faculty understand how graduate students develop self-efficacy throughout their graduate programs. Moreover, findings of this study will help graduate students succeed in a graduate program. Finally, issues related to recruitment and retention are addressed.

Antiviral Drug Research Proposal Activity †

PubMed Central

Injaian, Lisa; Smith, Ann C.; Shipley, Jennifer German; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Fredericksen, Brenda

2011-01-01

The development of antiviral drugs provides an excellent example of how basic and clinical research must be used together in order to achieve the final goal of treating disease. A Research Oriented Learning Activity was designed to help students to better understand how basic and clinical research can be combined toward a common goal. Through this project students gained a better understanding of the process of scientific research and increased their information literacy in the field of virology. The students worked as teams to research the many aspects involved in the antiviral drug design process, with each student becoming an “expert” in one aspect of the project. The Antiviral Drug Research Proposal (ADRP) culminated with students presenting their proposals to their peers and local virologists in a poster session. Assessment data showed increased student awareness and knowledge of the research process and the steps involved in the development of antiviral drugs as a result of this activity. PMID:23653735

Optimizing Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences: Placing Physics in Biological Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crouch, Catherine

2014-03-01

Physics is a critical foundation for today's life sciences and medicine. However, the physics content and ways of thinking identified by life scientists as most important for their fields are often not taught, or underemphasized, in traditional introductory physics courses. Furthermore, such courses rarely give students practice using physics to understand living systems in a substantial way. Consequently, students are unlikely to recognize the value of physics to their chosen fields, or to develop facility in applying physics to biological systems. At Swarthmore, as at several other institutions engaged in reforming this course, we have reorganized the introductory course for life science students around touchstone biological examples, in which fundamental physics contributes significantly to understanding biological phenomena or research techniques, in order to make explicit the value of physics to the life sciences. We have also focused on the physics topics and approaches most relevant to biology while seeking to develop rigorous qualitative reasoning and quantitative problem solving skills, using established pedagogical best practices. Each unit is motivated by and culminates with students analyzing one or more touchstone examples. For example, in the second semester we emphasize electric potential and potential difference more than electric field, and start from students' typically superficial understanding of the cell membrane potential and of electrical interactions in biochemistry to help them develop a more sophisticated understanding of electric forces, field, and potential, including in the salt water environment of life. Other second semester touchstones include optics of vision and microscopes, circuit models for neural signaling, and magnetotactic bacteria. When possible, we have adapted existing research-based curricular materials to support these examples. This talk will describe the design and development process for this course, give examples of materials, and present initial assessment data evaluating both content learning and student attitudes.

"Everybody Kind of Looked at Me Like I Was from Mars:" Preparing Educators through Qualitative Service-Research Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorner, Lisa M.; Kim, Sujin; Floros, Alice; Mujanovic, Midheta

2017-01-01

Skills developed through qualitative research and community partnerships can be essential for developing education students' cultural competency and understandings about diverse student populations. Toward this end, we developed a qualitative "service-research" project in a teacher education course focused on child development, whereby…

Exploring the Complexity of Tree Thinking Expertise in an Undergraduate Systematics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halverson, Kristy L.; Pires, Chris J.; Abell, Sandra K.

2011-01-01

Student understanding of biological representations has not been well studied. Yet, we know that to be efficient problem solvers in evolutionary biology and systematics, college students must develop expertise in thinking with a particular type of representation, phylogenetic trees. The purpose of this study was to understand how undergraduates…