Factors Impacting on Teachers' Job Satisfaction Related to Science Teaching: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, S.; Mustafa, M.

2015-01-01

Science teachers' job satisfaction is identified as a major factor that affects the quality of a science program. This research investigated to what extent a science program supports science teachers in terms of curriculum materials or extracurricular activities. It also examined the relationships among schools' curriculum support, the number of…

The impact factor and journals in laboratory medicine.

PubMed

Lippi, Giuseppe; Favaloro, Emmanuel J; Guidi, Gian Cesare

2009-01-01

The impact factor, originally devised by Eugene Garfield, offsets the advantages of journal size and age, and is a tool often used for the evaluation of journals and scientists, and is considered to provide a reliable trend of basic and clinical research worldwide. Overall, the median impact factor of all medical laboratory journals increased by 23% from 2001 to 2007, but it was slightly decreased from that of the previous year (-4.1%). Moreover, the aggregate impact factor of all these journals, which takes into account the number of citations for all journals in this category and the number of articles from all journals in the same category, increased from 2.042 in 2003 to 2.153 in 2004, but decreased to 2.060 in 2005 and has remained fairly stable in subsequent years (2.054 in 2006 and 2.080 in 2007), reflecting remarkable increases and substantial reductions observed for individual journals. This trend mirrored that of biochemistry and molecular biology journals, whereas journals listed under the subject categories "pathology", "surgery" and "Medicine, general and internal" substantially increased their aggregate impact factor from 2003 to 2007. According to the impact factor trend of laboratory medicine journals, it appears that medical laboratory science has reached a steady state. This might be partially due to the radical changes that have occurred within medical laboratory science since the beginning of the last millennium and raises the question of whether laboratory professionals should consider embracing new areas of research, such as the role of laboratory diagnostics in surgery and internal medicine.

Vulvodynia: Definition, Prevalence, Impact, and Pathophysiological Factors.

PubMed

Pukall, Caroline F; Goldstein, Andrew T; Bergeron, Sophie; Foster, David; Stein, Amy; Kellogg-Spadt, Susan; Bachmann, Gloria

2016-03-01

Vulvodynia constitutes a highly prevalent form of chronic genital pain in women, and current information regarding its definition, prevalence, impact, and pathophysiologic factors involved is needed. To update the scientific evidence published in 2010 from the Third International Consultation of Sexual Medicine pertaining to the definition, prevalence, impact, and pathophysiologic factors of women's sexual pain. An expert committee, as part of the Fourth International Consultation of Sexual Medicine, comprised of researchers and clinicians from biological and social science disciplines, reviewed the scientific evidence on the definition, prevalence, impact, and pathophysiologic factors related to chronic genital pain. A review of the definition, prevalence, impact, and pathophysiological factors involved in vulvodynia. Vulvodynia is a prevalent and highly impactful genital pain condition. Numerous factors have been implicated in its development and maintenance. What is becoming increasingly apparent is that it likely represents the end point of different factors that can differ from patient to patient. Longitudinal research is needed to shed light on risk factors involved in the expression of vulvodynia, as well as in potential subgroups of affected patients, in order to develop an empirically supported treatment algorithm. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Practitioner perspectives on the role of science in environmental impact assessment.

PubMed

Morrison-Saunders, Angus; Bailey, John

2003-06-01

A large body of literature addresses the role of science in environmental impact assessment (EIA) but less attention has been given to the views of practitioners themselves. In this research a survey of 31 EIA practitioners in Western Australia was undertaken to determine their perceptions of the quality and importance of science in EIA. The survey results are compared with previous theoretical, empirical, and survey studies of the role of science in EIA. Interview questions addressed the role of science in impact prediction, monitoring activities, mitigation and management, and EIA decision-making. It was clear from the interviews that many practitioners are satisfied with the quality of science currently used in EIA, but do not believe that it is given sufficient importance in the process. The quality and importance of science in the predecision stages of EIA was rated higher than in the postdecision stages. While science was perceived to provide the basis for baseline data collection, impact prediction, and mitigation design, it was seen to be less important during decision-making and ongoing project management. Science was seen to be just one input to decision-makers along with other factors such as sociopolitical and economic considerations. While time and budget constraints were seen to limit the scientific integrity of EIA activities, pressure from the public and regulatory authorities increased it. Improving the scientific component of EIA will require consideration of all these factors, not just the technical issues.

Impact factor: Universalism and reliability of assessment.

PubMed

Grzybowski, Andrzej; Patryn, Rafał

In 1955, Eugene Garfield (1925-1917) published a paper in Science where for the first time he advocated the necessity of introducing parameters to assess the quality of scientific journals. Underlying this necessity was an observation of a trend where the whole area of influence in academic publishing was dominated by a narrow group of large interdisciplinary research journals. For this reason, along with Irving H. Sher, they created the impact factor (IF), also called the Garfield impact factor, journal citation rate, journal influence, and journal impact factor. The concept of IF concerns a research discipline called bibliometrics, which uses mathematical and statistical methods to analyze scientific publications. Established by Garfield in 1963, the Science Citation Index, a record of scientific publications and citations therein, contributed directly to the increased importance of this method. Since the 1960s, the register of scientific publications has expanded and their evaluation by the IF has become a fundamental and universal measure of the journal's value. Contrary to the authors' intentions in the creation of the index (IF), it is often used to assess the quality of contributions, simultaneously assessing the authors' achievements or academic career and academic institutions' funding possibilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Voices of Kindergarten Teachers: Factors That Impact Decisions about When to Engage the Natural Curiosities of Their Students in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamilton, Frances A.

Students enter kindergarten as natural-born scientists, curious about the world around them. They enter middle school disliking science. Although implementing science in kindergarten has the potential to improve learning in other subjects in addition to science, it is not taught much in kindergarten. There are many reasons for this according to the literature. The purpose of the study is to gain insight into teachers' thinking as they decide when and how to engage their students in science, to better understand why student enjoyment of science fades in early grades; to contribute teachers' voices to the existing literature on teaching science in the early grades; and to investigate how teachers' science teaching methods align with current research regarding how students learn best. The key research question is "What are the factors that impact teachers' decisions about when to engage the natural curiosities of their students?" Broken down, the supporting research questions include: 1. What factors impact teacher decisions about when to teach science? 2. Under what conditions do teachers engage students' natural curiosities in science? 3. How do teachers describe engagement in their classrooms? This was a participatory action research study that used autoethnography, case studies, and grounded theory methods. Five co-researchers took part in the process. Purposeful sampling was used to select a range of kindergarten teachers in Tennessee and Alabama with different perspectives on teaching science--some from county systems and some from city systems; some using Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) kits and some not using kits. Co-researchers were selected during initial meetings, interviewed, collected journal entry data, and interviewed again at the culmination of the study. Interviews were transcribed and coded. Analysis included individual cases, each co-researcher, as well as across-case analysis. Results indicated that co-researchers did not

[An analysis of Spanish biomedical journals by the impact factor].

PubMed

Baños, J E; Casanovas, L; Guardiola, E; Bosch, F

1992-06-13

One of the most frequently used parameters for evaluating scientific publications is that of impact factor (IF) published in the Science Citation Index-Journal Citation Reports (SCI-JCR) which evaluates the number of citations a journal receives on behalf of other journals. The present study analyzed the Spanish biomedical journals included in the SCI-JCR by the IF. The IF were obtained from the SCI-JCR (1980-89). The journals were evaluated by the IF and the weighted impact factor (WIF) calculated according to WIF = (IF/MIF) x 100 in which MIF = maximum IF of the considered area. Nine Spanish biomedical journals were included in the SCI-JCR, four being basic sciences (Histology and Histopathology, Inmunología, Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Revista Española de Fisiología) and five clinical journals (Allergologia et Immunopathologia, Medicina Clínica, Nefrología, Revista Española de las Enfermedades del Aparato Digestivo, Revista Clínica Española). Their IF were much lower than the most important journals in each area with the mean (+/- standard deviation) being 0.21 +/- 0.22 (range 0.016-0.627). The mean WIF was 2.88 +/- 4.07 (0.16-12.82). The journals of basic sciences had higher IF and WIF than the clinical journals (p less than 0.05). Only the four journals of basic sciences were included in the SCI. Four journals, those of basic sciences, are preferentially or exclusively published in English and other five are published in Spanish. The differences in IF among these groups were not significant (p = 0.06) while those of WIF were significant (p less than 0.05). The number of Spanish biomedical journals in the SCI-JCR has risen from 1 in 1980 to 9 in 1989 with IF which have evolved variably. In mind of impact factor, the contribution of Spanish journals is low, with that of biomedical sciences being higher than that of clinical journals. Language and inclusion in the Science Citation Index may explain, at least in part

Effect of bibliographical classification on the impact factor of science- and engineering-based journals.

PubMed

Foo, Jong Yong Abdiel

2009-01-01

The simplest and widely used assessment of academic research and researchers is the journal impact factor (JIF). However, the JIF may exhibit patterns that are skewed towards journals that publish high number of non-research items and short turnover research. Moreover, there are concerns as the JIF is often used as a comparison for journals from different disciplines. In this study, the JIF computation of eight top ranked journals from four different subject categories was analyzed. The analysis reveals that most of the published items (>65%) in the science disciplines were nonresearch items while fewer such items (<22%) were observed in engineering-based journals. The single regression analysis confirmed that there is correlation (R(2) > or = .99) in the number of published items or citations received over the two-year period used in the JIF calculation amongst the eight selected journals. A weighted factor computation is introduced to compensate for the smaller journals and journals that publish longer turnover research. It is hoped that the approach can provide a comprehensive assessment of the quality of a journal regardless of the disciplinary field.

Impacts | Computational Science | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Impacts Impacts Read about the impacts of NREL's innovations in computational science. Awards community. Photo of the Peregrine supercomputer 2014 R&D 100 Award and R&D Magazine Editor's Choice

To Stay or Leave: Factors That Impact Undergraduate Women's Persistence in Science Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gayles, Joy Gaston; Ampaw, Frim

2016-01-01

This study examined factors that influenced undergraduates' decision to enter, leave, or stay within science majors. In addition, we sought to understand if such decisions differed by gender and type of science major. Using Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) longitudinal survey data, we found that women were less likely to select a science…

[Obtaining the Impact Factor by Ginekologia Polska].

PubMed

Spaczyński, Marek; Januszek-Michalecka, Lucyna; Nowak-Markwitz, Ewa; Kedzia, Witold; Spaczyński, Robert; Karowicz-Bilińska, Agata

2011-08-01

Scientific journals are ranked and evaluated to measure their relative importance and influence on science within a specific field. One of the tools most widely used to evaluate and compare journals is the Thomson Reuters Impact Factor In Poland a specific value of a scientist's Impact Factor is required for academic promotion. Ginekologia Polska was placed on the Master Journal List in 2008 in the result of changes introduced in 2007 by the new Chief Editor prof. Marek Spaczynski. In 2010, first time in its history the journal was listed in the Journal Citation Reports with the Impact Factor 0.367. The analysis of Ginekologia Polska contemporary value, as well as of prospects for its development was conducted on the basis of the Journal Citation Reports. In the light of the JCR data, Ginekologia Polska is a highly regarded title compared to other Polish journals. Its value and importance is gradually growing.

[The impact factor--a reliable sciento-metric parameter?].

PubMed

Meenen, N M

1997-08-01

with the highest impact factor. The impact front-runner from 1995 has a very low absolute number of citations. The impact factor provides limited statistical information on a journal in its special field. Using it for this purpose presupposes knowledge of rules, limitations and constraints. Its uncritical use as a general currency of science is fundamentally unscientific. In addition, this leads to the specialists in the field knowledge of the universities being disregarded in favor of a pseudo-objective parameter determined elsewhere. At all events, correction factors for the impact factor have to be applied in respect to the different disciplines. The faculties should reach agreement on relevant (also on German language) organs of publication. The impact factor is not suitable as an indicator of the research activity and the quality of a researcher or an institution. Besides careful human judgement and other classical methods of decision making, the Science Citation Index can contribute to the individual evaluation.

Milestones and impact factors.

PubMed

Ozonoff, David M; Grandjean, Philippe

2010-07-08

Environmental Health has just received its first Impact Factor by Thomson ISI. At a level of 2.48, this achievement is quite satisfactory and places Environmental Health in the top 25% of environmental science journals. When the journal was launched in 2002, it was still unclear whether the Open Access publishing model could be made into a viable commercial enterprise within the biomedical field. During the past eight years, Open Access journals have become widely available, although still covering only about 15% of journal titles. Major funding agencies and institutions, including prominent US universities, now require that researchers publish in Open Access journals. Because of the profound role of scientific journals for the sharing of results and communication between researchers, the advent of Open Access may be of as much significance as the transition from handwriting to printing via moveable type. As Environmental Health is an electronic Open Access journal, the numbers of downloads at the journal website can be retrieved. The top-20 list of articles most frequently accessed shows that all of them have been downloaded over 10,000 times. Back in 2002, the first article published was accessed only 49 times during the following month. A year later, the server had over 1,000 downloads per month, and now the total number of monthly downloads approaches 50,000. These statistics complement the Impact Factor and confirm the viability of Open Access in our field of research. The advent of digital media and its decentralized mode of distribution - the internet - have dramatically changed the control and financing of scientific information dissemination, while facilitating peer review, accelerating editorial handling, and supporting much needed transparency. Both the meaning and means of "having an impact" are therefore changing, as will the degree and way in which scientific journals remain "factors" in that impact.

Milestones and Impact Factors

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Environmental Health has just received its first Impact Factor by Thomson ISI. At a level of 2.48, this achievement is quite satisfactory and places Environmental Health in the top 25% of environmental science journals. When the journal was launched in 2002, it was still unclear whether the Open Access publishing model could be made into a viable commercial enterprise within the biomedical field. During the past eight years, Open Access journals have become widely available, although still covering only about 15% of journal titles. Major funding agencies and institutions, including prominent US universities, now require that researchers publish in Open Access journals. Because of the profound role of scientific journals for the sharing of results and communication between researchers, the advent of Open Access may be of as much significance as the transition from handwriting to printing via moveable type. As Environmental Health is an electronic Open Access journal, the numbers of downloads at the journal website can be retrieved. The top-20 list of articles most frequently accessed shows that all of them have been downloaded over 10,000 times. Back in 2002, the first article published was accessed only 49 times during the following month. A year later, the server had over 1,000 downloads per month, and now the total number of monthly downloads approaches 50,000. These statistics complement the Impact Factor and confirm the viability of Open Access in our field of research. The advent of digital media and its decentralized mode of distribution - the internet - have dramatically changed the control and financing of scientific information dissemination, while facilitating peer review, accelerating editorial handling, and supporting much needed transparency. Both the meaning and means of "having an impact" are therefore changing, as will the degree and way in which scientific journals remain "factors" in that impact. PMID:20615249

The Impact of Science on Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, James; And Others

The impact of science on society is examined in this publication's coverage of a series of public lectures that commemorated the 25th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Edited versions of four speeches are presented which address the impact of science on society from the time of humanity's first significant…

The Impact of Data-Based Science Instruction on Standardized Test Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrington, Tia W.

Increased teacher accountability efforts have resulted in the use of data to improve student achievement. This study addressed teachers' inconsistent use of data-driven instruction in middle school science. Evidence of the impact of data-based instruction on student achievement and school and district practices has been well documented by researchers. In science, less information has been available on teachers' use of data for classroom instruction. Drawing on data-driven decision making theory, the purpose of this study was to examine whether data-based instruction impacted performance on the science Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) and to explore the factors that impeded its use by a purposeful sample of 12 science teachers at a data-driven school. The research questions addressed in this study included understanding: (a) the association between student performance on the science portion of the CRCT and data-driven instruction professional development, (b) middle school science teachers' perception of the usefulness of data, and (c) the factors that hindered the use of data for science instruction. This study employed a mixed methods sequential explanatory design. Data collected included 8th grade CRCT data, survey responses, and individual teacher interviews. A chi-square test revealed no improvement in the CRCT scores following the implementation of professional development on data-driven instruction (chi 2 (1) = .183, p = .67). Results from surveys and interviews revealed that teachers used data to inform their instruction, indicating time as the major hindrance to their use. Implications for social change include the development of lesson plans that will empower science teachers to deliver data-based instruction and students to achieve identified academic goals.

A Large-Scale Analysis of Impact Factor Biased Journal Self-Citations.

PubMed

Chorus, Caspar; Waltman, Ludo

2016-01-01

Based on three decades of citation data from across scientific fields of science, we study trends in impact factor biased self-citations of scholarly journals, using a purpose-built and easy to use citation based measure. Our measure is given by the ratio between i) the relative share of journal self-citations to papers published in the last two years, and ii) the relative share of journal self-citations to papers published in preceding years. A ratio higher than one suggests that a journal's impact factor is disproportionally affected (inflated) by self-citations. Using recently reported survey data, we show that there is a relation between high values of our proposed measure and coercive journal self-citation malpractices. We use our measure to perform a large-scale analysis of impact factor biased journal self-citations. Our main empirical result is, that the share of journals for which our measure has a (very) high value has remained stable between the 1980s and the early 2000s, but has since risen strongly in all fields of science. This time span corresponds well with the growing obsession with the impact factor as a journal evaluation measure over the last decade. Taken together, this suggests a trend of increasingly pervasive journal self-citation malpractices, with all due unwanted consequences such as inflated perceived importance of journals and biased journal rankings.

The Factors and Features of Museum Fatigue in Science Centres Felt by Korean Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Minchul; Dillon, Justin; Song, Jinwoong

2018-03-01

One of the objectives of science education in science centres has been the enhancement of interest in science. However, museum fatigue has a negative impact on interest. Museum fatigue has been described as physical tiredness or a decrease in visitors' interest in a museum. The learning experience of students in science centres is also influenced by museum fatigue. The purpose of this study is to identify the phenomena of museum fatigue in science centres and to identity how it is manifested. First, we identified the factors causing museum fatigue in science centres using the data from an open-ended questionnaire which was given to 597 primary, middle and high school students in South Korea. From the responses to the questionnaire, 50 factors causing museum fatigue in science centres were identified. A second Likert-type questionnaire with the 50 factors of museum fatigue in science centres was administered to 610 primary, middle and high school students in South Korea. Using reliability and factor analyses, we developed a framework of the factors causing museum fatigue in science centres, which consists of three contexts, 12 categories and 50 factors. Secondly, through statistical analyses including T test and ANOVA analysis, the features of students' museum fatigue in science centres were analysed and compared regarding student gender, school level, interest in science, grade of school science, the number of visits, and type of visit. The results, which were found to be statistically significant, are reported and discussed. The findings of this study are intended to serve for a deeper understanding and practical improvement of science learning in science centres.

A study of the long term impact of an inquiry-based science program on student's attitudes towards science and interest in science careers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Helen Lussier

One reason science enrichment programs were created was to address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in science. These programs were designed to increase underrepresented groups' interest in science and science careers. One attempt to increase students' interest in science was the Summer Science Exploration Program (SSEP). The SSEP was a two week, inquiry-based summer science camp offered by Hampshire College for students entering grades seven and eight. Students who participated were from three neighboring school districts in Western Massachusetts. The goal of the program was to stimulate greater interest in science and scientific careers among middle school students, in particular among females and students of color. A review of the literature of inquiry-based science programs revealed that the effect of inquiry-based programs on students' attitudes towards science is typically investigated shortly after the end of the treatment period. The findings from this study contribute to our understanding of the long-term impact of inquiry-based science enrichment programs on students' attitude towards science and their interest in science careers. The data collected consisted of quantitative survey data as well as qualitative data through case studies of selected participants from the sample population. This study was guided by the following questions: (1) What was the nature and extent of the impact of the Summer Science Exploration Program (SSEP) on students' attitudes towards science and interest in science careers, in particular among females and students of color? (2) What factors, if any, other than participation in SSEP impacted students' attitude towards science and interest in scientific careers? (3) In what other ways, if any, did the participants benefit from the program? Conclusions drawn from the data indicate that SSEP helped participants maintain a high level of interest in science. In contrast, students who applied but were not accepted

Psychiatry and the Hirsch h-index: The relationship between journal impact factors and accrued citations.

PubMed

Hunt, Glenn E; Cleary, Michelle; Walter, Garry

2010-01-01

There is considerable debate on the use and abuse of journal impact factors and on selecting the most appropriate indicator to assess research outcome for an individual or group of scientists. Internet searches using Web of Science and Scopus were conducted to retrieve citation data for an individual in order to calculate nine variants of Hirsch's h-index. Citations to articles published in a wide range of psychiatric journals in the periods 1995-99 and 2000-05 were analyzed using Web of Science. Comparisons were made between journal impact factor, h-index of citations from publication to 2008, and the proportion of articles cited at least 30 or 50 times. For up to 14 years post-publication, there was a strong positive relationship between journal impact factor and h-index for citations received. Journal impact factor was also compared to the percentage of articles cited at least 30 or 50 times-a comparison that showed wide variations between journals with similar impact factors. This study found that 40%-50% of the articles published in the top ten psychiatry journals ranked by impact factor acquire 30 to 50 citations within ten to fifteen years. Despite certain flaws and weaknesses, the h-index provides a better way to assess long-term performance of articles or authors than using a journal's impact factor, and it provides an alternative way to assess a journal's long-term ranking.

The Impact of Selected Educational Factors on the Academic Achievement of Secondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epps, Bernethia Mechelle

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of related educational factors on the mathematics and science achievement of secondary students. The researcher compared the variables of instructional design, economic status and retention against the exit level scores on the mathematics and science Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills…

The Influence of Global Warming Science Views and Sociocultural Factors on Willingness to Mitigate Global Warming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Benjamin C.

2015-01-01

The science education field readily recognizes that perceptions about science's claims and nature influence socioscientific decision making. However, sociocultural factors may overshadow these perceptions when people are forced to make personally impacting choices contextualized within actual socioscientific issues. This investigation…

Evaluating Academic Journals without Impact Factors for Collection Management Decisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dilevko, Juris; Atkinson, Esther

2002-01-01

Discussion of evaluating academic journals for collection management decisions focuses on a methodological framework for evaluating journals not ranked by impact factors in Journal Citation Reports. Compares nonranked journals with ranked journals and then applies this framework to a case study in the field of medical science. (LRW)

Science Misconceptions and Funds of Knowledge: Impact on STEM Choices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millham, R. A.

2015-12-01

Alternate conceptions (misconceptions) in science can hinder understandings and impact student growth and comfort level in the science classroom. Resarch has, and still does, demonstrate that science misconceptions are still prevelant in many conceptual frameworks. Although breaking down misconceptions to rebuild scientifically sound conceptual frameworks are practices used in many science classrooms, misconceptions still persist. After identifying specific misconceptions, we asked our participating teachers to conduct specific instructional interventions in an effort to mitigate misconceptions and bring about scientific understandings with excellent results overall. However, important factors also need condsideration: funds of knowledge and the abilty to determine the differnce between understandings and beliefs held by an individual. This abstract deals with what has been determined in the research conducted by the author, and the next steps to better understandings about how to mitigate alternate conceptions.

Impact Factor? Shmimpact Factor!

PubMed Central

2007-01-01

The journal impact factor is a measure of the citability of articles published in that journal—the more citations generated, the more important that article is considered to be, and as a consequence the prestige of the journal is enhanced. The impact factor is not without controversy, and it can be manipulated. It no longer dominates the choices of journals to search for information. Online search engines, such as PubMed, can locate articles of interest in seconds across journals regardless of high or low impact factors. Editors desiring to increase their influence will need to focus on a fast and friendly submission and review process, early online and speedy print publication, and encourage the rapid turnaround of high-quality peer reviews. Authors desiring to have their results known to the world have never had it so good—the internet permits anyone with computer access to find the author's work. PMID:20806031

Impact beyond the impact factor.

PubMed

Zupanc, Günther K H

2014-02-01

The journal impact factor is an annually calculated number for each scientific journal, based on the average number of times its articles published in the two preceding years have been cited. It was originally devised as a tool for librarians and publishers to provide information about the citation performance of a journal as a whole, but over the last few decades it has increasingly been used to assess the quality of specific articles and the research performance of individual investigators, institutions, and countries. In addition to this clear abuse of the journal impact factor, several conceptual and technical issues limit its usability as a measure of journal reputation, especially when journals are compared across different fields. An author's decision regarding the suitability of a scholarly journal for publication should, therefore, be based on the impact that this journal makes in the field of research, rather than on the journal impact factor.

How is impact factor impacting our research?

PubMed

Rawat, Seema

2014-01-01

The impact factor (IF) of an journal is a measure reflecting the average number of citations to recent articles published in the journal. It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field, with journals with higher impact factors deemed to be more important than those with lower ones. However it is not a perfect metric and has its own limitations. Journals are increasingly finding new ways to improve their impact factor by increasing self citation, publishing more review articles. This correspondence discuss the fallacies of the impact factor.

The impact of selected educational factors on the academic achievement of secondary students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Epps, Bernethia Mechelle

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of related educational factors on the mathematics and science achievement of secondary students. The researcher compared the variables of instructional design, economic status and retention against the exit level scores on the mathematics and science Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test of 11th grade students. The technique used for this investigation was a Three-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Three hundred thirty five students from an urban school district in a metropolitan area in southeast Texas participated in this study. Ex-post facto data obtained from the district's student information system was utilized. Based on the results, the following conclusions were drawn. (1) Instructional design does impact mathematics and science achievement of students at the secondary level. (2) Retention during a student's ninth grade year does impact mathematics and science achievement. (3) The interaction of instructional design and retention does impact the mathematics and science achievement of students at the secondary level. (4) Economic status as a main effect or as an interaction effect does not impact mathematics and science achievement of students at the secondary level. For those seeking to explore this topic in greater depth, recommendations for further investigations might consider the study of teacher perceptions and attitudes toward students who attend school in the alternative setting. Additionally, future investigations might look into the level of experience and the reasons teachers choose to teach in the alternative setting.

Factors that affect the physical science career interest of female students: Testing five common hypotheses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazari, Zahra; Potvin, Geoff; Lock, Robynne M.; Lung, Florin; Sonnert, Gerhard; Sadler, Philip M.

2013-12-01

There are many hypotheses regarding factors that may encourage female students to pursue careers in the physical sciences. Using multivariate matching methods on national data drawn from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering (PRiSE) project (n=7505), we test the following five commonly held beliefs regarding what factors might impact females’ physical science career interest: (i) having a single-sex physics class, (ii) having a female physics teacher, (iii) having female scientist guest speakers in physics class, (iv) discussing the work of female scientists in physics class, and (v) discussing the underrepresentation of women in physics class. The effect of these experiences on physical science career interest is compared for female students who are matched on several factors, including prior science interests, prior mathematics interests, grades in science, grades in mathematics, and years of enrollment in high school physics. No significant effects are found for single-sex classes, female teachers, female scientist guest speakers, and discussing the work of female scientists. However, discussions about women’s underrepresentation have a significant positive effect.

[Analysis of citations and national and international impact factor of Farmacia Hospitalaria (2001-2005)].

PubMed

Aleixandre-Benavent, R; González Alcaide, G; Miguel-Dasit, A; González de Dios, J; de Granda Orive, J I; Valderrama Zurián, J C

2007-01-01

The objective of this study is to analyse the citation patterns and impact and immediacy indicators of the Farmacia Hospitalaria journal during the period 2001-2005. An analysis of citations chosen from 101 Spanish health science journals was carried out in order to determine the citing and cited journals and the national and international impact and immediacy indicators. A similar methodology used by Thomson ISI in Science Citation Index (SCI) and Journal Citation Reports (JRC) was applied. Farmacia Hospitalaria made 1,370 citations to 316 different journals. The percentage of self-citations was 9%. The national impact factor increased from 0.178 points in 2001 to 0.663 points in 2005 while the international impact factor increased from 0.178 to 0.806 for the same period. The analysis of citation patterns demonstrates the multidisciplinary nature of Farmacia Hospitalaria and a significant growth in the impact indicators over recent years. These indicators are higher than those of some other pharmacy journals included in Journal Citation Reports. Self-citation was not excessive and was similar to that of other journals.

Impacts of psychological science on national security agencies post-9/11.

PubMed

Brandon, Susan E

2011-09-01

Psychologists have been an integral part of national security agencies since World War I, when psychological science helped in personnel selection. A robust infrastructure supporting wider applications of psychology to military and intelligence problems developed further during World War II and the years following, primarily in the areas of testing, human factors, perception, and the decision sciences. Although the nature of the attacks on 9/11 raised the level of perceived need for increased human-based intelligence, the impacts of psychologists on the policies and practices of national security agencies in the decade since have not increased significantly. © 2011 American Psychological Association

Citizen science participation in research in the environmental sciences: key factors related to projects' success and longevity.

PubMed

Cunha, Davi G F; Marques, Jonatas F; Resende, Juliana C DE; Falco, Patrícia B DE; Souza, Chrislaine M DE; Loiselle, Steven A

2017-01-01

The potential impacts of citizen science initiatives are increasing across the globe, albeit in an imbalanced manner. In general, there is a strong element of trial and error in most projects, and the comparison of best practices and project structure between different initiatives remains difficult. In Brazil, the participation of volunteers in environmental research is limited. Identifying the factors related to citizen science projects' success and longevity within a global perspective can contribute for consolidating such practices in the country. In this study, we explore past and present projects, including a case study in Brazil, to identify the spatial and temporal trends of citizen science programs as well as their best practices and challenges. We performed a bibliographic search using Google Scholar and considered results from 2005-2014. Although these results are subjective due to the Google Scholar's algorithm and ranking criteria, we highlighted factors to compare projects across geographical and disciplinary areas and identified key matches between project proponents and participants, project goals and local priorities, participant profiles and engagement, scientific methods and funding. This approach is a useful starting point for future citizen science projects, allowing for a systematic analysis of potential inconsistencies and shortcomings in this emerging field.

Hurricane Sandy science plan: coastal impact assessments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stronko, Jakob M.

2013-01-01

Hurricane Sandy devastated some of the most heavily populated eastern coastal areas of the Nation. With a storm surge peaking at more than 19 feet, the powerful landscape-altering destruction of Hurricane Sandy is a stark reminder of why the Nation must become more resilient to coastal hazards. In response to this natural disaster, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received a total of $41.2 million in supplemental appropriations from the Department of the Interior (DOI) to support response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. These funds support a science plan that will provide critical scientific information necessary to inform management decisions for recovery of coastal communities, and aid in preparation for future natural hazards. This science plan is designed to coordinate continuing USGS activities with stakeholders and other agencies to improve data collection and analysis that will guide recovery and restoration efforts. The science plan is split into five distinct themes: coastal topography and bathymetry, impacts to coastal beaches and barriers, impacts of storm surge, including disturbed estuarine and bay hydrology, impacts on environmental quality and persisting contaminant exposures, impacts to coastal ecosystems, habitats, and fish and wildlife. This fact sheet focuses assessing impacts to coastal beaches and barriers.

Strong Showing for AGU Journals in 2009 Impact Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Bill

2010-06-01

AGU publishes great science, which is recognized in several ways. One of the most widely recognized is from Thomson Reuters, which provides the Journal Citation Report (JCR) each year as a component of the Web of Science®. JCR reports on several measures of journal usage, including a journal's Eigenfactor score, its Article Influence score, its Impact Factor, and its rank within a cohort of similar journals. According to the 2009 statistics released last week, AGU again has outperformed its larger competitors. For the twelfth time, two different AGU titles hold the top rank in their categories, and AGU titles hold the second spot in two other categories and third in two more.

Memories of GAMES: Exploring the Long-Term Impacts of After-School Museum Programming on Girls' Attitudes Towards Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snow, Sarah Elizabeth

The purpose of this study is to investigate any lasting impacts of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History's Girls at the Museum Exploring Science (GAMES) Program. Using assessment document analysis, student focus groups, and adult interviews, this study examined whether students' positive associations with science continue after completion of the program and whether the program affects the academic and career choices of past participants. Results from the analysis suggest that GAMES has a generally positive impact on participant attitudes towards science in both the short- and long-term. These results also support existing research in identifying key factors in the success of the program including hands-on activities, exposure to diverse careers and female role models, and the incorporation of authentic objects and experiences. These factors of success can contribute to the evidence base about the role of informal education programs in increasing science participation among women, as well as ways in which schools and universities can collaborate to effectively serve populations that are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences.

Bringing ecology blogging into the scientific fold: measuring reach and impact of science community blogs.

PubMed

Saunders, Manu E; Duffy, Meghan A; Heard, Stephen B; Kosmala, Margaret; Leather, Simon R; McGlynn, Terrence P; Ollerton, Jeff; Parachnowitsch, Amy L

2017-10-01

The popularity of science blogging has increased in recent years, but the number of academic scientists who maintain regular blogs is limited. The role and impact of science communication blogs aimed at general audiences is often discussed, but the value of science community blogs aimed at the academic community has largely been overlooked. Here, we focus on our own experiences as bloggers to argue that science community blogs are valuable to the academic community. We use data from our own blogs ( n  = 7) to illustrate some of the factors influencing reach and impact of science community blogs. We then discuss the value of blogs as a standalone medium, where rapid communication of scholarly ideas, opinions and short observational notes can enhance scientific discourse, and discussion of personal experiences can provide indirect mentorship for junior researchers and scientists from underrepresented groups. Finally, we argue that science community blogs can be treated as a primary source and provide some key points to consider when citing blogs in peer-reviewed literature.

Bringing ecology blogging into the scientific fold: measuring reach and impact of science community blogs

PubMed Central

Duffy, Meghan A.; Heard, Stephen B.; Kosmala, Margaret; Leather, Simon R.; McGlynn, Terrence P.; Ollerton, Jeff; Parachnowitsch, Amy L.

2017-01-01

The popularity of science blogging has increased in recent years, but the number of academic scientists who maintain regular blogs is limited. The role and impact of science communication blogs aimed at general audiences is often discussed, but the value of science community blogs aimed at the academic community has largely been overlooked. Here, we focus on our own experiences as bloggers to argue that science community blogs are valuable to the academic community. We use data from our own blogs (n = 7) to illustrate some of the factors influencing reach and impact of science community blogs. We then discuss the value of blogs as a standalone medium, where rapid communication of scholarly ideas, opinions and short observational notes can enhance scientific discourse, and discussion of personal experiences can provide indirect mentorship for junior researchers and scientists from underrepresented groups. Finally, we argue that science community blogs can be treated as a primary source and provide some key points to consider when citing blogs in peer-reviewed literature. PMID:29134093

[National and international impact factor of Revista Española de Cardiología].

PubMed

Aleixandre Benavent, Rafael; Valderrama Zurián, Juan C; Castellano Gómez, Miguel; Miguel-Dasit, Alberto; Simó Meléndez, Raquel; Navarro Molina, Carolina

2004-12-01

The aim of this paper is to present the bibliometric indicators for Revista Española de Cardiologíathat were obtained from the "Potential impact factor of Spanish medical journals in 2001" study financed by the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte. Citations to Revista Española de Cardiología, its national and international impact factor, and its immediacy index were calculated with methods similar to those used by the Institute for Scientific Information. National indicators were based only on citations from 87 Spanish journals considered source journals, whereas international indicators were calculated on the basis of citations from both national journals and foreign source journals in the Science Citation Index. Revista Española de Cardiologíaobtained a national impact factor of 0.719 and an international impact factor of 0.837, placing it at the head of the ranking of Spanish medical journals.

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.

Science and Science Education Go Hand-in-Hand: The Impact of the NASA Science Mission Directorate Education and Public Outreach Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, D. A.; Peticolas, L.; Schwerin, T.; Shipp, S.; Manning, J. G.

2014-07-01

For nearly two decades, NASA has embedded education and public outreach (EPO) in its Earth and space science missions and research programs on the principle that science education is most effective when educators and scientists work hand-in-hand. Four Science EPO Forums organize the respective NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, and Planetary Science EPO programs into a coordinated, efficient, and effective nationwide effort. The NASA SMD EPO program evaluates EPO impacts that support NASA's policy of providing a direct return-on-investment for the American public, advances STEM education and literacy, and enables students and educators to participate in the practice of science as embodied in the 2013 Next Generation Science Standards. Leads of the four NASA SMD Science EPO Forums provided big-picture perspectives on NASA's effort to incorporate authentic science into the nation's STEM education and scientific literacy, highlighting examples of program effectiveness and impact. Attendees gained an increased awareness of the depth and breadth of NASA SMD's EPO programs and achievements, the magnitude of its impacts through representative examples, and the ways current and future EPO programs can build upon the work being done.

[National and international impact factor of Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría].

PubMed

Aleixandre Benavent, R; Valderrama Zurián, J C; Castellano Gómez, M; Simó Meléndez, R; Navarro Molina, C

2004-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the bibliometric indicators of Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría that were obtained from the study "Potential impact factor of the Spanish medical journals in 2001", financed by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. The citations made in Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría and its national and international impact factor and immediacy index have been obtained by the use of a methodology similar to the one used by the Institute for Scientific Information. The national indicators only take into account the citations made in 87 Spanish journals considered as sources, while those from the foreign source journals of Science Citation Index have been added to the previously cited ones. Actas Españolas de Psiquiatría has obtained a national impact factor of 0.315 and an international impact factor of 0.395, which places it as a leader in the Spanish psychiatric journals.

Zebrafish in Brazilian Science: Scientific Production, Impact, and Collaboration.

PubMed

Gheno, Ediane Maria; Rosemberg, Denis Broock; Souza, Diogo Onofre; Calabró, Luciana

2016-06-01

By means of scientometric indicators, this study investigated the characteristics of scientific production and research collaboration involving zebrafish (Danio rerio) in Brazilian Science indexed by the Web of Science (WoS). Citation data were collected from the WoS and data regarding Impact Factor (IF) were gathered from journals in the Journal Citation Reports. Collaboration was evaluated according to coauthorship data, creating representative nets with VOSviewer. Zebrafish has attained remarkable importance as an experimental model organism in recent years and an increase in scientific production with zebrafish is observed in Brazil and around the world. The citation impact of the worldwide scientific production is superior when compared to the Brazilian scientific production. However, the citation impact of the Brazilian scientific production is consistently increasing. Brazil does not follow the international trends with regard to publication research fields. The state of Rio Grande do Sul has the greatest number of articles and the institution with the largest number of publications is Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul. Journals' average IF is higher in Brazilian publications with international coauthorship, and around 90% of articles are collaborative. The Brazilian institutions presenting the greatest number of collaborations are Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rio Grande, and Universidade de São Paulo. These data indicate that Brazilian research using zebrafish presents a growth in terms of number of publications, citation impact, and collaborative work.

Zebrafish in Brazilian Science: Scientific Production, Impact, and Collaboration

PubMed Central

Gheno, Ediane Maria; Rosemberg, Denis Broock; Souza, Diogo Onofre

2016-01-01

Abstract By means of scientometric indicators, this study investigated the characteristics of scientific production and research collaboration involving zebrafish (Danio rerio) in Brazilian Science indexed by the Web of Science (WoS). Citation data were collected from the WoS and data regarding Impact Factor (IF) were gathered from journals in the Journal Citation Reports. Collaboration was evaluated according to coauthorship data, creating representative nets with VOSviewer. Zebrafish has attained remarkable importance as an experimental model organism in recent years and an increase in scientific production with zebrafish is observed in Brazil and around the world. The citation impact of the worldwide scientific production is superior when compared to the Brazilian scientific production. However, the citation impact of the Brazilian scientific production is consistently increasing. Brazil does not follow the international trends with regard to publication research fields. The state of Rio Grande do Sul has the greatest number of articles and the institution with the largest number of publications is Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul. Journals' average IF is higher in Brazilian publications with international coauthorship, and around 90% of articles are collaborative. The Brazilian institutions presenting the greatest number of collaborations are Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Fundação Universidade Federal de Rio Grande, and Universidade de São Paulo. These data indicate that Brazilian research using zebrafish presents a growth in terms of number of publications, citation impact, and collaborative work. PMID:27045850

The Analysis of the Impact of Individual Weighting Factor on Individual Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilic, Gulsen Bagci; Cakan, Mehtap

2006-01-01

In this study, category-based self and peer assessment were applied twice in a semester in an Elementary Science Teaching Methods course in order to assess individual contributions of group members to group projects as well as to analyze the impact of Individual Weighting Factors (IWF) on individual scores and individual grades. IWF were…

A proposal for a novel impact factor as an alternative to the JCR impact factor

PubMed Central

Yang, Zu-Guo; Zhang, Chun-Ting

2013-01-01

One disadvantage of the JCR impact factor, the most commonly used assessment tool for ranking and evaluating scientific journals, is its inability in distinguishing among different shapes of citation distribution curves, leading to unfair evaluation of journals in some cases. This paper aims to put forward an alternative impact factor (IF′) that can properly reflect citation distributions. The two impact factors are linearly and positively correlated, and have roughly the same order of magnitude. Because of the ability of IF′ in distinguishing among different shapes of citation distribution curves, IF′ may properly reflect the academic performance of a scientific journal in a way that is different from the JCR impact factor with some unique features that reward journals with highly cited papers. Therefore, it is suggested that IF′ could be used to complement the JCR impact factor. PMID:24296521

A proposal for a novel impact factor as an alternative to the JCR impact factor.

PubMed

Yang, Zu-Guo; Zhang, Chun-Ting

2013-12-03

One disadvantage of the JCR impact factor, the most commonly used assessment tool for ranking and evaluating scientific journals, is its inability in distinguishing among different shapes of citation distribution curves, leading to unfair evaluation of journals in some cases. This paper aims to put forward an alternative impact factor (IF') that can properly reflect citation distributions. The two impact factors are linearly and positively correlated, and have roughly the same order of magnitude. Because of the ability of IF' in distinguishing among different shapes of citation distribution curves, IF' may properly reflect the academic performance of a scientific journal in a way that is different from the JCR impact factor with some unique features that reward journals with highly cited papers. Therefore, it is suggested that IF' could be used to complement the JCR impact factor.

Investigating the Impact of Snacks on Secondary School Students' Science Learning and Science Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knowles, Reco T.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Snacks on secondary school students' science learning and science self-efficacy. This study also explored the relationship between teacher science self-efficacy and confidence. The study utilized thirteen (13) teachers participating in an inquiry science professional development that…

The Impact of Science Fiction Film on Student Understanding of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnett, Michael; Wagner, Heather; Gatling, Anne; Anderson, Janice; Houle, Meredith; Kafka, Alan

2006-04-01

Researchers who have investigated the public understanding of science have argued that fictional cinema and television has proven to be particularly effective at blurring the distinction between fact and fiction. The rationale for this study lies in the notion that to teach science effectively, educators need to understand how popular culture influences their students' perception and understanding of science. Using naturalistic research methods in a diverse middle school we found that students who watched a popular science fiction film, The Core, had a number of misunderstandings of earth science concepts when compared to students who did not watch the movie. We found that a single viewing of a science fiction film can negatively impact student ideas regarding scientific phenomena. Specifically, we found that the film leveraged the scientific authority of the main character, coupled with scientifically correct explanations of some basic earth science, to create a series of plausible, albeit unscientific, ideas that made sense to students.

Correlation between Self-Citation and Impact Factor in Iranian English Medical Journals in WoS and ISC: A Comparative Approach.

PubMed

Ghazi Mirsaeid, Seyed Javad; Motamedi, Nadia; Ramezan Ghorbani, Nahid

2015-09-01

In this study, the impact of self-citation (Journal and Author) on impact factor of Iranian English Medical journals in two international citation databases, Web of Science (WoS) and Islamic world science citation center (ISC), were compared by citation analysis. Twelve journals in WoS and 26 journals in ISC databases indexed between the years (2006-2009) were selected and compared. For comparison of self-citation rate in two databases, we used Wilcoxon and Mann-whitney tests. We used Pearson test for correlation of self-citation and IF in WoS, and the Spearman's correlation coefficient for the ISC database. Covariance analysis was used for comparison of two correlation tests. P. value was 0.05 in all of tests. There was no significant difference between self-citation rates in two databases (P>0.05). Findings also showed no significant difference between the correlation of Journal self-citation and impact factor in two databases (P=0.526) however, there was significant difference between the author's self-citation and impact factor in these databases (P<0.001). The impact of Author's self-citation in the Impact Factor of WoS was higher than the ISC.

Investigation of Factors Affecting Students' Science Achievement According to Student Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tatar, Erdal; Tüysüz, Cengiz; Tosun, Cemal; Ilhan, Nail

2016-01-01

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the factors affecting students' science achievement according to student science teachers. The survey model which is one of the quantitative research methods was used. The sample was consisted of total 606 student science teachers from four state universities in Turkey. The data were obtained by using the…

[Archivos de Bronconeumología: among the 3 Spanish medical journals with the highest national impact factors].

PubMed

Aleixandre Benavent, R; Valderrama Zurián, J C; Castellano Gómez, M; Simó Meléndez, R; Navarro Molina, C

2004-12-01

Citation analysis elucidates patterns of information consumption within professional communities. The aim of this study was to analyze the citations of 87 Spanish medical journals by calculating their impact factors and immediacy indices for 2001, and to estimate the importance of Archivos de Bronconeumología within the framework of Spanish medicine. Eighty-seven Spanish medical journals were included. All were listed in the Spanish Medical Index (Indice Medico Español) and in at least one of the following databases: MEDLINE, BIOSIS, EMBASE, or Science Citation Index. References to articles from 1999 through 2001 in citable articles from 2001 were analyzed. Using the method of the Institute for Scientific Information, we calculated the national impact factor and immediacy index for each journal. The journals with the highest national impact factors were Revista Española de Quimioterapia (0.894), Medicina Clínica (0.89), and Archivos de Bronconeumología (0.732). The self-citation percentage of Archivos de Bronconeumología was 18.3% and the immediacy index was 0.033. The impact factor obtained by Archivos de Bronconeumología confirms its importance in Spanish medicine and validates its inclusion as a source journal in Science Citation Index and Journal Citation Report.

Values of Catholic science educators: Their impact on attitudes of science teaching and learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeMizio, Joanne Greenwald

This quantitative study examined the associations between the values held by middle school science teachers in Catholic schools and their attitudes towards science teaching. A total of six value types were studied---theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political, and religious. Teachers can have negative, positive, or neutral attitudes towards their teaching that are linked to their teaching practices and student learning. These teachers' attitudes may affect their competence and have a subsequent impact on their students' attitudes and dispositions towards science. Of particular interest was the relationship between science teaching attitudes and religious values. A non-experimental research design was used to obtain responses from 54 teachers with two survey instruments, the Science Teaching Attitude Scale II and the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that political values were negatively associated with attitudes towards science teaching. Data collected were inconsistent with the existence of any measurable association between religious values and attitudes towards science teaching. This study implies that science teacher preparation programs should adopt a more contextual perspective on science that seeks to develop the valuation of science within a cultural context, as well as programs that enable teachers to identify the influence of their beliefs on instructional actions to optimize the impact of learning new teaching practices that may enhance student learning.

Examination of the impact of animal and dairy science journals based on traditional and newly developed bibliometric indices.

PubMed

Malesios, C; Abas, Z

2012-12-01

Using traditional bibliometric indices such as the well-known journal impact factor (IFAC), as well as other more recently developed measures like the (journal) h-index and modifications, we assessed the impact of most prolific scientific journals in the field of animal and dairy science. To achieve this end, we performed a detailed investigation on the evaluation of journals quality, using a total of 50 journals selected from the category of "Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science" included in the Thomson Reuters' (formerly Institute of Scientific Information, ISI) Web of Science. Our analysis showed that among the top journals in the field are the Journal of Dairy Research, the Journal of Dairy Science, and the Journal of Animal Science. In particular, the Journal of Animal Science, the most productive and frequently cited journal, has shown rapid development, especially in recent years. The majority of the top-tier, highly cited articles are those associated with the description of statistical methodology and the standard chemical analytical methodologies.

Everglades Restoration: Competing Societal Factors Versus Good Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, T. R.

2002-05-01

magnitude of water quantity, water quality, and nutrient and sediment flux to the Everglades. Because the aforementioned competing factors have a potentially significant effect upon our ability to effectively restore the natural ecosystem, scientists must strive to develop more holistic methodologies that integrate the broad range of interdisciplinary research, the baselines of restoration conditions, and socio-economic and political factors that may impact these conditions, now and in the future. The final result of this integration must be a decision-support infrastructure founded upon objective, unbiased science and long-term monitoring capabilities. Ultimately, the success of this infrastructure will be judged by the utility of this information for ecosystem adaptive assessment and support tools for a multitude of resource managers and political decision-makers.

Implications of Web of Science journal impact factor for scientific output evaluation in 16 institutions and investigators' opinion.

PubMed

Wáng, Yì-Xiáng J; Arora, Richa; Choi, Yongdoo; Chung, Hsiao-Wen; Egorov, Vyacheslav I; Frahm, Jens; Kudo, Hiroyuki; Kuyumcu, Suleyman; Laurent, Sophie; Loffroy, Romaric; Maurea, Simone; Morcos, Sameh K; Ni, Yicheng; Oei, Edwin H G; Sabarudin, Akmal; Yu, Xin

2014-12-01

Journal based metrics is known not to be ideal for the measurement of the quality of individual researcher's scientific output. In the current report 16 contributors from Hong Kong SAR, India, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Belgium, France, Italy, UK, The Netherlands, Malaysia, and USA are invited. The following six questions were asked: (I) is Web of Sciences journal impact factor (IF) and Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) citation the main academic output performance evaluation tool in your institution? and your country? (II) How does Google citation count in your institution? and your country? (III) If paper is published in a non-SCI journal but it is included in PubMed and searchable by Google scholar, how it is valued when compared with a paper published in a journal with an IF? (IV) Do you value to publish a piece of your work in a non-SCI journal as much as a paper published in a journal with an IF? (V) What is your personal view on the metric measurement of scientific output? (VI) Overall, do you think Web of Sciences journal IF is beneficial, or actually it is doing more harm? The results show that IF and ISI citation is heavily affecting the academic life in most of the institutions. Google citation and evaluation, while is being used and convenient and speedy, has not gain wide 'official' recognition as a tool for scientific output evaluation.

The Impact of Science on Society

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burke, J.; Bergman, J.; Asimov, I.

1985-01-01

Four speeches delivered as part of a public lecture series to assess the impact of science on society are presented. The computerization of society, space exploration and habitation, the mechanisms of technological change, and cultural responses are addressed.

Impact of Cybernetics on Information Science, and Vice Versa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heilprin, Laurence B.

The impact of cybernetics on information science occurs chiefly through the concepts of variety, the law of requisite variety, and theory of transformations. Through these it pervades every aspect of information science. However, other basic sciences such as physics, biology, psychology are in their spheres equally pervasive, and information…

Effective Science Instruction: Impact on High-Stakes Assessment Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Carla C.; Zhang, Danhui; Kahle, Jane Butler

2012-01-01

This longitudinal prospective cohort study was conducted to determine the impact of effective science instruction on performance on high-stakes high school graduation assessments in science. This study provides powerful findings to support authentic science teaching to enhance long-term retention of learning and performance on state-mandated…

Correlation between Self-Citation and Impact Factor in Iranian English Medical Journals in WoS and ISC: A Comparative Approach

PubMed Central

GHAZI MIRSAEID, Seyed Javad; MOTAMEDI, Nadia; RAMEZAN GHORBANI, Nahid

2015-01-01

Background: In this study, the impact of self-citation (Journal and Author) on impact factor of Iranian English Medical journals in two international citation databases, Web of Science (WoS) and Islamic world science citation center (ISC), were compared by citation analysis. Methods: Twelve journals in WoS and 26 journals in ISC databases indexed between the years (2006–2009) were selected and compared. For comparison of self-citation rate in two databases, we used Wilcoxon and Mann-whitney tests. We used Pearson test for correlation of self-citation and IF in WoS, and the Spearman’s correlation coefficient for the ISC database. Covariance analysis was used for comparison of two correlation tests. P. value was 0.05 in all of tests. Results: There was no significant difference between self-citation rates in two databases (P>0.05). Findings also showed no significant difference between the correlation of Journal self-citation and impact factor in two databases (P=0.526) however, there was significant difference between the author’s self-citation and impact factor in these databases (P<0.001). Conclusion: The impact of Author’s self-citation in the Impact Factor of WoS was higher than the ISC. PMID:26587498

Math and science illiteracy: Social and economic impacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, J.L.

1994-05-01

Today`s highly competitive global economy is being driven by increasingly rapid technological development. This paper explores the problems of math and science illiteracy in the United States and the potential impact on our economic survival in this environment during the next century. Established educational methods that reward task performance, emphasize passive lecture, and fail to demonstrate relevance to real life are partly to blame. Social norms, stereotypes, and race and gender bias also have an impact. To address this crisis, we need to question the philosophy of an educational system that values task over concept. Many schools have already initiatedmore » programs at all grade levels to make math and science learning more relevant, stimulating, and fun. Teaching methods that integrate math and science learning with teamwork, social context, and other academic subjects promote the development of higher-order thinking skills and help students see math and science as necessary skills.« less

Marine Science Summer Enrichment Camp's Impact Ocean Literacy for Middle School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Victoria Jewel

Although careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have expanded in the United States, science literacy skills for K-12 students have declined from 2001 to 2011. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of science enrichment programs on the science literacy skills of K-12 students, particularly in marine science. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of a marine science summer enrichment camp located in the eastern region of the United States on the ocean literacy skills of middle school students who participated in this camp. Weimar's learner centered teaching approach and the definition and principles of ocean literacy formed the conceptual framework. The central research question focused on how a marine science summer enrichment camp impacted the ocean literacy skills of middle grade students. A single case study research design was used with ten participants including 3 camp teachers, four students, and 3 parents of Grade 6-8 students who participated this camp in 2016. Data were collected from multiple sources including individual interviews of camp teachers, students, and parents, as well as camp documents and archival records. A constant comparative method was used to construct categories, determine emergent themes and discrepant data. Results indicated that the marine science camp positively impacted the ocean literacy skills of middle school students through an emphasis on a learner centered instructional approach. The findings of this study may provide a positive social impact by demonstrating active science literacy instructional strategies for teachers which can motivate students to continue studies in science and science related fields.

Science Fairs: A Qualitative Study of Their Impact on Student Science Inquiry Learning and Attitudes toward STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Kathleen M.; Kelter, Paul

2017-01-01

Little is known about the impact of science fair participation on student science inquiry learning. Furthermore, there is only a small research base relating to science fair participation and student attitudes toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and coursework. In this study, 41 seventh-grade science fair…

Factors that influence women's dispositions toward science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atria, Catherine Graczyk

Females have been underrepresented in the study of science and science careers for decades although advancements have been made in closing this gender gap, the gap persists particularly in the physical sciences. Variables which influence a woman's desire to pursue and maintain a science course of study and career must be discovered. The United States lags behind other industrialized countries in the fields of science, math, and engineering. Females comprise an estimated half of the population; their potential contributions cannot be ignored or overlooked. This retrospective research study explores the personal experiences of ten women enrolled in science majors, with science related career plans. The goal of this study is to describe the factors that influence the participants' interest in science. The findings, the effect of science coursework, science teachers' personality and manner, other influential educational personnel, role models and mentors, external influences exclusive of school, parental influence, locus of control and positive attitudes toward science confirm what other researchers have found.

[Impact factor, its variants and its influence in academic promotion].

PubMed

Puche, Rodolfo C

2011-01-01

Bibliometrics is a set of methods used to study or measure texts and information. While bibliometric methods are most often used in the field of library and information science, bibliometrics variables have wide applications in other areas. One popular bibliometric variable is Garfield's Impact Factor (IF). IF is used to explore the impact of a given field, the impact of a set of researchers, or the impact of a particular paper. This variable is used to assess academic output and it is believed to affect adversely the traditional approach and assessment of scientific research. In our country, the members of the evaluation committees of intensive research institutions, e.g. the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) use IF to assess the quality of research. This article revises the exponential growth of bibliometrics and attempts to expose the overall dissatisfaction with the analytical quality of IF. Such dissatisfaction is expressed in the number of investigations attempting to obtain a better variable of improved analytical quality.

The Impact of Differentiated Instructional Materials on English Language Learner (ELL) Students' Comprehension of Science Laboratory Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manavathu, Marian; Zhou, George

2012-01-01

Through a qualitative research design, this article investigates the impacts of differentiated laboratory instructional materials on English language learners' (ELLs) laboratory task comprehension. The factors affecting ELLs' science learning experiences are further explored. Data analysis reveals a greater degree of laboratory task comprehension…

Effective Broader Impacts - Lessons Learned by the Ocean Science Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scowcroft, G.

2014-12-01

Effective broader impact activities have the potential for scientists to engage with educators, students, and the public in meaningful ways that lead to increased scientific literacy. These interactions provide opportunities for the results and discoveries of federally funded research projects, along with their implications for society, to reach non-scientist audiences. This is especially important for climate, ocean, and environmental science research that will aid citizens in better understanding how they affect Earth's systems and how these systems affect their daily lives. The National Centers for Ocean Sciences Excellence (COSEE) Network has over 12 years of experience in conducting successful broader impact activities and has provided thousands of ocean scientists the opportunity to share the fruits of their research well beyond the scientific enterprise. COSEE evaluators and principal investigators collaborated over several years to determine the impacts of COSEE broader impact activities and to identify best practices. The lessons learned by the ocean science community can help to inform other disciplines. Fruitful broader impact activities require key elements, no matter the composition of the audience. For example, a high degree of success can be achieved when a "bridge builder" facilitates the interactions between scientists and non-science audiences. This presentation will offer other examples of best practices and successful strategies for engaging scientists in broader impact activities, increasing societal impacts of scientific research, and providing opportunities for collaboration on a national scale. http://www.cosee.net

The key factors affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, Derek

2018-01-01

Individual interest in school science lessons can be defined as a relatively stable and enduring personal emotion comprising affective and behavioural reactions to events in the regular science lessons at school. Little research has compared the importance of different factors affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons. The present study aimed to address this gap, using a mixed methods design. Qualitative interview data were collected from 60 Hong Kong junior secondary school students, who were asked to describe the nature of their interest in science lessons and the factors to which they attribute this. Teacher interviews, parent interviews, and classroom observations were conducted to triangulate student interview data. Five factors affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons were identified: situational influences in science lessons, individual interest in science, science self-concept, grade level, and gender. Quantitative data were then collected from 591 students using a questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was applied to test a hypothesised model, which provided an acceptable fit to the student data. The strongest factor affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons was science self-concept, followed by individual interest in science and situational influences in science lessons. Grade level and gender were found to be nonsignificant factors. These findings suggest that teachers should pay special attention to the association between academic self-concept and interest if they want to motivate students to learn science at school.

The impact of different college science courses on students' attitude towards science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flohic, Helene

2015-08-01

For non-science majors, a general education course in college is often the last science course they will ever take. General education courses are often regarded by students as a right of passage in which they have no interest. Thus strict coursework might aggravate students against the matter taught, and decrease their general interest in the subject. To test whether general education courses killed the students' interest in science, we administered a science attitude inventory at the beginning and at the end of an introductory astronomy course. We compared the gain/loss in science attitude with that experienced by students of a writing course as a baseline. Finally, we evaluated the gain/loss in science attitude for students enrolled in a general education seminar on science and society, where no formal science knowledge was taught, but where the students discussed the different aspects of the relation between science and society.We find that the science and society seminar had a more positive impact on students' attitude towards science than the astronomy class, which decreased the students' confidence in their ability to understand science. This study (once tested on a larger scale) could serve as a guideline for educational policies aiming to foster a positive attitude in the population of college graduates.

The Impact of an Informal Science Program on Students' Science Knowledge and Interest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zandstra, Anne Maria

2012-01-01

In this sequential explanatory mixed methods study, quantitative and qualitative data were used to measure the impact of an informal science program on eleventh grade students' science knowledge and interest. The local GEAR UP project has been working for six years with a cohort of students who were in eleventh and twelfth grade during the time of…

NASA Citizen Science: Looking at Impact in the Science Community and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thaller, M.

2017-12-01

NASA's Science Mission Directorate has invested in several citizen scinece programs with the goal of addressing specific scientific goals which will lead to publishable results. For a complete list of these programs, go to https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscientists. In this paper, we will look at preliminary evalution of the impact of these programs, both in the production of scientific papers and the participation of the general public.

Science in the Sun: How Science is Performed as a Spatial Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kass, Natalie

This study analyzes how spatial organization impacts science communication at the St. Petersburg Science Festival in Florida. Through map analysis, qualitative interviews, and a close reading of evaluation reports, the author determines that sponsorship, logistics, exhibitor ambience, and map usability and design are the factors most affecting the spatial performance of science. To mitigate their effects, technical communicators can identify these factors and provide the necessary revisions when considering how science is communicated to the public.

Chemistry, the Central Science? The History of the High School Science Sequence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheppard, Keith; Robbins, Dennis M.

2005-01-01

Chemistry became the ''central science'' not by design but by accident in the US high schools. The three important factors, which had their influence on the high school science, are sequenced and their impact on the development of US science education, are mentioned.

Impact of the macroeconomic factors on university budgeting the US and Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogomolova, Arina; Balk, Igor; Ivachenko, Natalya; Temkin, Anatoly

2017-10-01

This paper discuses impact of macroeconomics factor on the university budgeting. Modern developments in the area of data science and machine learning made it possible to utilise automated techniques to address several problems of humankind ranging from genetic engineering and particle physics to sociology and economics. This paper is the first step to create a robust toolkit which will help universities sustain macroeconomic challenges utilising modern predictive analytics techniques.

Temporal Trends (1999-2015) in the Impact Factor of Biomedical Journals Published by US and EU Scientific Societies.

PubMed

Falagas, Matthew E; Kyriakidou, Margarita; Spais, George; Argiti, Efstathia; Vardakas, Konstantinos Z

2018-04-19

The impact factor has emerged as the most popular index of scientific journals' resonance. In this study we aimed to examine the impact factor trends of journals published by scientific bodies in the United States of America (USA) and Europe (EU). We randomly chose 11 categories of Journal of Citation Reports and created three research classes: clinical medicine, laboratory medicine, and basic science. The impact factor values for the years 1999-2015 were abstracted, and the impact factor of US and EU journals was studied through the years. A total of 265 journals were included in the final analysis. The impact factor of US journals was higher than that of EU journals throughout the study period. In addition, for both US and EU journals the median impact factor increased throughout the study period. The rate of annual change in the impact factor throughout the study period was lower for US than EU journals (1.85% versus 3.55%, P=0.019). A higher median annual increase was seen in the impact factor during the period 1999-2008 compared to the period 2009-2015 for both US (P<0.001) and EU (P=0.001) journals. In fact, during the second period the US median impact factor value did not show significant changes (P=0.31), while the EU median impact factor continued to increase (P<0.001). The impact factor of EU journals increased at a significantly higher rate than and approached that of the US journals during the last 16 years.

Factors Influencing College Science Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tai, Robert H.; Sadler, Philip M.; Mintzes, Joel J.

2006-01-01

In this paper, the authors report some of the salient findings of a large-scale, four-year national study, conducted at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, entitled "Factors Influencing College Science Success" (FICSS), which surveyed college students who enrolled in first-year biology, chemistry, and physics courses…

Towards a truer multicultural science education: how whiteness impacts science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Paul T.; Matias, Cheryl E.

2018-03-01

The hope for multicultural, culturally competent, and diverse perspectives in science education falls short if theoretical considerations of whiteness are not entertained. Since whiteness is characterized as a hegemonic racial dominance that has become so natural it is almost invisible, this paper identifies how whiteness operates in science education such that it falls short of its goal for cultural diversity. Because literature in science education has yet to fully entertain whiteness ideology, this paper offers one of the first theoretical postulations. Drawing from the fields of education, legal studies, and sociology, this paper employs critical whiteness studies as both a theoretical lens and an analytic tool to re-interpret how whiteness might impact science education. Doing so allows the field to reconsider benign, routine, or normative practices and protocol that may influence how future scientists of Color experience the field. In sum, we seek to have the field consider the theoretical frames of whiteness and how it might influence how we engage in science education such that our hope for diversity never fully materializes.

The effects of student-level and classroom-level factors on elementary students' science achievement in five countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaya, Sibel

The interest in raising levels of achievement in math and science has led to a focus on investigating the factors that shape achievement in these subjects (Lamb & Fullarton, 2002) as well as understanding how these factors operate across countries (Baker, Fabrega, Galindo, & Mishook, 2004). The current study examined the individual student factors and classroom factors on fourth grade science achievement within and across five countries. Guided by the previous school learning models, the elements of students' science learning were categorized as student-level and classroom-level factors. The student-level factors included gender, self-confidence in science, and home resources. The classroom-level factors included teacher characteristics, instructional variables and classroom composition. Results for the United States and four other countries, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and Scotland were reported. Multilevel effects of student and classroom variables were examined through Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 fourth grade dataset. The outcome variable was the TIMSS 2003 science score. Overall, the results of this study showed that selected student background characteristics were consistently related to elementary science achievement in countries investigated. At the student-level, higher levels of home resources and self-confidence and at the classroom-level, higher levels of class mean home resources yielded higher science scores on the TIMSS 2003. In general, teacher and instructional variables were minimally related to science achievement. There was evidence of positive effects of teacher support in the U.S. and Singapore. The emphasis on science inquiry was positively related to science achievement in Singapore and negatively related in the U.S. and Australia. Experimental studies that investigate the impacts of teacher and instructional factors on elementary science achievement are

The Factors that Affect Science Teachers' Participation in Professional Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roux, Judi Ann

Scientific literacy for our students and the possibilities for careers available in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas are important topics for economic growth as well as global competitiveness. The achievement of students in science learning is dependent upon the science teachers' effectiveness and experienced science teachers depend upon relevant professional development experiences to support their learning. In order to understand how to improve student learning in science, the learning of science teachers must also be understood. Previous research studies on teacher professional development have been conducted in other states, but Minnesota science teachers comprised a new and different population from those previously studied. The purpose of this two-phase mixed methods study was to identify the current types of professional development in which experienced, Minnesota secondary science teachers participated and the factors that affect their participation in professional development activities. The mixed-methods approach s utilized an initial online survey followed by qualitative interviews with five survey respondents. The results of the quantitative survey and the qualitative interviews indicated the quality of professional development experiences and the factors which affected the science teachers' participation in professional development activities. The supporting and inhibiting factors involved the availability of resources such as time and money, external relationships with school administrators, teacher colleagues, and family members, and personal intrinsic attributes such as desires to learn and help students. This study also describes implications for science teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and professional development providers. Recommendations for future research include the following areas: relationships between and among intrinsic and extrinsic factors, science-related professional development activities

Space human factors discipline science plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The purpose of this Discipline Science Plan is to provide a conceptual strategy for NASA's Life Sciences Division research and development activities in the comprehensive areas of behavior, performance, and human factors. This document summarizes the current status of the program, outlines available knowledge, establishes goals and objectives, defines critical questions in the subdiscipline areas, and identifies technological priorities. It covers the significant research areas critical to NASA's programmatic requirements for the Extended Duration Orbiter, Space Station Freedom, and Exploration mission science activities. These science activities include ground-based and flight; basic, applied and operational; and animal and human research and development. This document contains a general plan that will be used by both NASA Headquarters program offices and the field centers to review and plan basic, applied, and operational research and development activities, both intramural and extramural, in this area.

Religion as a Support Factor for Women of Color Pursuing Science Degrees: Implications for Science Teacher Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceglie, Robert

2013-02-01

This study explores the influence of religion as a support factor for a group of Latina and African-American women majoring in science. The current project is a part of a larger study that investigated persistence factors of underrepresented woman who were enrolled as science majors at United States colleges and universities. This paper focuses on one theme that emerged among six participants who disclosed how religion was a significant influence on their persistence in science fields. The strength and support offered by religious values is certainly not specific to science content; however, the support received from their beliefs highlights a potential area for further exploration. Given the importance of increasing participation by students from diverse backgrounds into science fields, it is critical to recognize how some of these differences may be the key factors influencing the way these students look at the world. This study offers evidence that science educators need to consider what role religious beliefs have for students who may be considering science or science education as a future career, particularly for those students from underrepresented groups.

Cultural Factors Impacting Student Motivation at a Health Sciences College in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdul Razzak, Nina Lutfi

2016-01-01

This paper presents a reflection on students' levels and types of motivation at a college of health sciences in Saudi Arabia and highlights the social and cultural factors possibly contributing to the differences in motivation among those students. The results of this study, which followed a mixed-methods approach, indicate a multiplicity of…

Contextual Factors Impacting a Pain Management Intervention.

PubMed

Alaloul, Fawwaz; Williams, Kimberly; Myers, John; Jones, Kayla Dlauren; Sullivan, Katelyn; Logsdon, M Cynthia

2017-09-01

To determine if findings from our preliminary study related to patient and nursing satisfaction with a pain management intervention could be replicated in a changed environment, and if contextual factors could impact the effectiveness of a pain management intervention on patient satisfaction with nursing staff's management of pain. A prospective, experimental design was used with six monthly assessments before, during, and after the intervention. Data were collected from 540 patients admitted to eight medical surgical and progressive care units and nurses that worked in these units at an academic health sciences center in the southern United States, from March to July 2015. The script-based, pain management communication intervention included three specific tactics: script-based communication, use of white boards, and hourly rounding. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey was used to assess two items: "pain is well controlled" and "staff did everything they could to help with pain." Contextual factors focused on the practice setting. Both scores for "pain is well controlled" (β = .028, p = 0.651) and scores for "staff did everything they could to help with pain" (β = .057,p = .385) did not change initially but then increased significantly and were sustained over time. Nurses had high levels of satisfaction with the intervention (M = 7.9, SD = 2.1) and compliance with the intervention (M = 8.0, SD = 1.9), and had little difficulty in implementing the intervention (M = 8.3, SD = 1.4). In terms of contextual factors, the number of beds on the unit and the number of patients being discharged negatively impacted scores for "pain is well controlled" and "staff did everything they could to help with pain." Hospital length of stay positively impacted scores for "pain is well controlled" by staff. Despite challenging contextual variables, the study extended the findings of an early preliminary study in showing the effectiveness of

Factors influencing post-traumatic stress in Korean forensic science investigators.

PubMed

Yoo, Yang-Sook; Cho, Ok-Hee; Cha, Kyeong-Sook; Boo, Yun-Jeong

2013-09-01

The aim of this study was to understand factors that influence post-traumatic stress (PTS) in Korean forensic science investigators. A total of 111 forensic science investigators were recruited in Korea. PTS was measured using the tool modified by Choi (2001) from the original developed by Foa, Riggs, Dancu, and Rothbaum (1993) based on DSM-IV. Factors influencing PTS included demographic and job-related characteristics, emotional intelligence, and death anxiety. PTS scores were positively correlated with personality type, fatigue from work, and death anxiety. PTS scores were negatively correlated with length of career as a forensic science investigator and emotional intelligence. The factors that had the greatest influence on PTS were death anxiety, years spent as a forensic science investigator, personality type, emotional intelligence, fatigue, and homicide experience. The explanatory power of these six factors was 44.0%. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly evaluate the mental health of those who are vulnerable to PTS. Based on these results, various interventions could be implemented for promoting overall health of the forensic science investigators. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Who cares about impact factor?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariethoz, Gregoire; Karssenberg, Derek; Grana, Dario

2018-06-01

The Impact Factor of Computers & Geosciences has again increased this year. This is generally seen as a positive result - but should we be happy about it? Many people are involved in the life of a journal, and not all have the same interests or incentives. A metric like the Impact Factor is unlikely to mean the same thing for everyone.

Temporal Trends (1999–2015) in the Impact Factor of Biomedical Journals Published by US and EU Scientific Societies

PubMed Central

Falagas, Matthew E.; Kyriakidou, Margarita; Spais, George; Argiti, Efstathia; Vardakas, Konstantinos Z.

2018-01-01

Objective The impact factor has emerged as the most popular index of scientific journals’ resonance. In this study we aimed to examine the impact factor trends of journals published by scientific bodies in the United States of America (USA) and Europe (EU). Methods We randomly chose 11 categories of Journal of Citation Reports and created three research classes: clinical medicine, laboratory medicine, and basic science. The impact factor values for the years 1999–2015 were abstracted, and the impact factor of US and EU journals was studied through the years. Results A total of 265 journals were included in the final analysis. The impact factor of US journals was higher than that of EU journals throughout the study period. In addition, for both US and EU journals the median impact factor increased throughout the study period. The rate of annual change in the impact factor throughout the study period was lower for US than EU journals (1.85% versus 3.55%, P=0.019). A higher median annual increase was seen in the impact factor during the period 1999–2008 compared to the period 2009–2015 for both US (P<0.001) and EU (P=0.001) journals. In fact, during the second period the US median impact factor value did not show significant changes (P=0.31), while the EU median impact factor continued to increase (P<0.001). Conclusion The impact factor of EU journals increased at a significantly higher rate than and approached that of the US journals during the last 16 years. PMID:29517962

Why school students choose and reject science: a study of the factors that students consider when selecting subjects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmer, Tracey-Ann; Burke, Paul F.; Aubusson, Peter

2017-04-01

Student study of science at school has been linked to the need to provide a scientifically capable workforce and a scientifically literate society. Educators, scientists, and policymakers are concerned that too few students are choosing science for study in their final years of school. How and why students choose and reject certain subjects, including science, at this time is unclear. A Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) survey was completed by 333 Year 10 (age 14-17) students to investigate the relative importance of 21 factors thought to impact students' subject-selection decisions. Students ranked enjoyment, interest and ability in a subject, and its perceived need in their future study or career plans as the most important factors in both choosing and rejecting subjects. They considered advice from teachers, parents or peers as relatively less important. These findings indicate that enhancing students' enjoyment, interest, and perceptions of their ability in science, as well as increasing student perceptions of its value in a future career, may result in more students studying science at school.

Response: Social Work, Science, Social Impact--Crafting an Integrative Conversation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nurius, Paula S.; Kemp, Susan P.

2012-01-01

Shifts in the ways that science is being undertaken and marshaled toward social change argue for a new kind of professional competence. Taking the view that the science of social work is centrally about the relationship of research to social impact, the authors extend Fong's focus on transdisciplinary and translational approaches to science,…

Factors Influencing Exemplary Science Teachers' Levels of Computer Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakverdi, Meral; Dana, Thomas M.; Swain, Colleen

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine exemplary science teachers' use of technology in science instruction, factors influencing their level of computer use, their level of knowledge/skills in using specific computer applications for science instruction, their use of computer-related applications/tools during their instruction, and their…

Impacting the Science Community through Teacher Development: Utilizing Virtual Learning.

PubMed

Boulay, Rachel; van Raalte, Lisa

2014-01-01

Commitment to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) pipeline is slowly declining despite the need for professionals in the medical field. Addressing this, the John A. Burns School of Medicine developed a summer teacher-training program with a supplemental technology-learning component to improve science teachers' knowledge and skills of Molecular Biology. Subsequently, students' skills, techniques, and application of molecular biology are impacted. Science teachers require training that will prepare them for educating future professionals and foster interest in the medical field. After participation in the program and full access to the virtual material, twelve high school science teachers completed a final written reflective statement to evaluate their experiences. Using thematic analysis, knowledge and classroom application were investigated in this study. Results were two-fold: teachers identified difference areas of gained knowledge from the teacher-training program and teachers' reporting various benefits in relation to curricula development after participating in the program. It is concluded that participation in the program and access to the virtual material will impact the science community by updating teacher knowledge and positively influencing students' experience with science.

The Science Identity and Entering a Science Occupation*

PubMed Central

Stets, Jan E.; Brenner, Philip S.; Burke, Peter J.; Serpe, Richard T.

2016-01-01

The initiative to increase the number of students in STEM disciplines and train them for a science-related job is a current national focus. Using longitudinal panel data from a national study that followed underrepresented college students in STEM fields, we investigate the neglected role that social psychological processes play in influencing science activity among the young. We study the impact of identity processes related to being a science student on entering a science occupation. More broadly, we examine whether an identity formulated in one institutional setting (education) has effects that persist to another institutional setting (the economy). We find that the science identity positively impacts the likelihood of entering a science occupation. It also serves as a mediator for other factors that are related to educational success. This provides insight into how an identity can guide behavior to move persons into structural positions across institutional domains. PMID:28364837

Technology-Enhanced Science Partnership Initiative: Impact on Secondary Science Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, Wan; Fergusson, Jennifer

2017-07-01

The issue of student disengagement in school science continues to pose a threat to lifting the participation rates of students undertaking STEM courses and careers in Australia and other countries globally. In Australia, several science initiatives to reverse the problem have been funded over the last two decades. Many of these initiatives involve partnerships with scientists, science educators and with industries, as is the case in this paper. The research in this paper investigated a recent partnership initiative between secondary science teachers, scientists and an educational technology company to produce science e-modules on adaptive learning platforms, enabling students to engage in personalised, inquiry-based learning and the investigation of real-world problems. One of the objectives of the partnership project was to build theoretical and pedagogical skills in teachers to deliver science by exposing them to new ways of engaging students with new digital tools, for example analytics. Using a mixed methods approach, the research investigated science teachers' pedagogical involvement in the partnership project and their perceptions of the project's impact on their teaching and students' learning. The findings indicate that the teachers believed that new technology could enhance their teaching and students' learning and that while their students were motivated by the online modules, there was still a need for scaffolding for many of the students. The effectiveness of this would depend on the teachers' ability to internalise the new technological and content knowledge resulting from the partnership and realign them with their existing pedagogical framework. The research is significant in identifying elements for successful partnership projects as well as challenges that need to be considered. It is significant in facilitating continuous discourse about new evidence-based pedagogical approaches to science education in engaging students to learn STEM subjects in a

Retraction policies of top scientific journals ranked by impact factor.

PubMed

Resnik, David B; Wager, Elizabeth; Kissling, Grace E

2015-07-01

This study gathered information about the retraction policies of the top 200 scientific journals, ranked by impact factor. Editors of the top 200 science journals for the year 2012 were contacted by email. One hundred forty-seven journals (74%) responded to a request for information. Of these, 95 (65%) had a retraction policy. Of journals with a retraction policy, 94% had a policy that allows the editors to retract articles without authors' consent. The majority of journals in this sample had a retraction policy, and almost all of them would retract an article without the authors' permission.

Introduction: Commercialization of Academic Science and a New Agenda for Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irzik, Gürol

2013-01-01

Certain segments of science are becoming increasingly commercialized. This article discusses the commercialization of academic science and its impact on various aspects of science. It also aims to provide an introduction to the articles in this special issue. I briefly describe the major factors that led to this phenomenon, situate it in the…

An Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Scores and Impact Factors with Different Citation Time Windows: A Case Study of 28 Ophthalmologic Journals.

PubMed

Liu, Xue-Li; Gai, Shuang-Shuang; Zhang, Shi-Le; Wang, Pu

2015-01-01

An important attribute of the traditional impact factor was the controversial 2-year citation window. So far, several scholars have proposed using different citation time windows for evaluating journals. However, there is no confirmation whether a longer citation time window would be better. How did the journal evaluation effects of 3IF, 4IF, and 6IF comparing with 2IF and 5IF? In order to understand these questions, we made a comparative study of impact factors with different citation time windows with the peer-reviewed scores of ophthalmologic journals indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. The peer-reviewed scores of 28 ophthalmologic journals were obtained through a self-designed survey questionnaire. Impact factors with different citation time windows (including 2IF, 3IF, 4IF, 5IF, and 6IF) of 28 ophthalmologic journals were computed and compared in accordance with each impact factor's definition and formula, using the citation analysis function of the Web of Science (WoS) database. An analysis of the correlation between impact factors with different citation time windows and peer-reviewed scores was carried out. Although impact factor values with different citation time windows were different, there was a high level of correlation between them when it came to evaluating journals. In the current study, for ophthalmologic journals' impact factors with different time windows in 2013, 3IF and 4IF seemed the ideal ranges for comparison, when assessed in relation to peer-reviewed scores. In addition, the 3-year and 4-year windows were quite consistent with the cited peak age of documents published by ophthalmologic journals. Our study is based on ophthalmology journals and we only analyze the impact factors with different citation time window in 2013, so it has yet to be ascertained whether other disciplines (especially those with a later cited peak) or other years would follow the same or similar patterns. We designed the survey questionnaire

NASA Information Sciences and Human Factors Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holcomb, Lee B.; Mciver, Duncan E.; Dibattista, John D.; Larsen, Ronald L.; Montemerlo, Melvin D.; Wallgren, Ken; Sokoloski, Marty; Wasicko, Dick

1985-01-01

This report contains FY 1984/85 descriptions and accomplishments in six sections: Computer Science and Automation, Controls and Guidance, Data Systems, Human Factors, Sensor Technology, and Communications.

The Impact of an Informal Science Program on Students' Science Knowledge and Interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zandstra, Anne Maria

In this sequential explanatory mixed methods study, quantitative and qualitative data were used to measure the impact of an informal science program on eleventh grade students' science knowledge and interest. The local GEAR UP project has been working for six years with a cohort of students who were in eleventh and twelfth grade during the time of the study. Participants of this study were 122 eleventh grade students from this cohort. In the first, quantitative phase, state standardized test scores and a modified version of the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) were used to measure participants' science knowledge and interest respectively. The findings of the quantitative phase revealed a small but significant correlation between students' attendance at the program elements (in total number of hours) and their science knowledge. In addition, small but significant correlations were found between (1) students' attendance at the mathematics program element and their total interest scores, (2) their mathematics attendance and the career interest subscore, and (3) their total attendance and the normality of scientist subscore. The qualitative data in the second phase consisted of focus group interviews with fourteen of the participants. Results of this phase showed that the majority of the focus group participants agreed that they had learned something from the GEAR UP field trips and half of them thought the field trips had impacted their grades and test scores. Furthermore, a majority of the focus group participants concurred that their experiences in the field trips had increased their interest in science. The purpose of the qualitative phase of this study was to provide explanations for the results of the quantitative phase. Explanations for the correlation between attendance and knowledge were that the field trips covered the same content as the formal science classes and that students learned more because they perceived the field trips as fun and hands

The influences and factors of an undergraduate research program in preparing women for science careers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Ashley Mcdowell

Progress has been made in diminishing barriers experienced by women in science in recent years, however obstacles still remain. One of the key elements of the Texas Tech University Howard Hughes Medical Institute (TTU/HHMI) Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Program is to "support activities that broaden access to science for women." In light of the barriers women in science face, this dissertation examined how the experiences of females in the TTU/HHMI fellows program prepared them for a career in science. This study employed mixed methods, utilizing both a questionnaire involving all past female fellows, and in-depth interviews with seven fellows who chose a career as a professional scientist. According to the quantitative data, research experience, the relationship with mentors, and opportunities to present at state or national meetings were program factors that fellows identified as contributing to their career success. The TTU/HHMI program experiences positively influenced the fellows' level of interest in science, confidence in science, and motivation to pursue a science-related career. Encouragement from the mentor and increased confidence regarding the ability to be successful in science were significant predictors of career advantages. Motivation to pursue a science-related career was the most significant predictor of the fellows' preparation to overcome barriers. Qualitatively, six themes were identified for coding, which included (1) research experience, (2) the mentor, (3) support and interactions, (4) self-confidence, (5) career decisions, and (6) time demands related to a science career. The themes identified were important factors in preparing these past female fellows for a career in science by initiating a change in their attitudes, knowledge, and skills. With over 90% of past fellows currently pursuing a science career, the program, through research experience and encouraging mentors, made a large impact on the career paths of fellows

NASA Information Sciences and Human Factors Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holcomb, Lee; Hood, Ray; Montemerlo, Melvin; Jenkins, James; Smith, Paul; Dibattista, John; Depaula, Ramon; Hunter, Paul

1990-01-01

Fiscal year 1989 descriptions of technical accomplishments in seven sections are presented: automation and robotics; communications; computer sciences; controls and guidance; data systems; human factors; and sensor technology.

NASA information sciences and human factors program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holcomb, Lee; Hood, Ray; Montemerlo, Melvin; Jenkins, James; Smith, Paul; Dibattista, John; Depaula, Ramon; Hunter, Paul; Lavery, David

1991-01-01

The FY-90 descriptions of technical accomplishments are contained in seven sections: Automation and Robotics, Communications, Computer Sciences, Controls and Guidance, Data Systems, Human Factors, and Sensor Technology.

The "Human Factor" in Pure and in Applied Mathematics. Systems Everywhere: Their Impact on Mathematics Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Roland

1992-01-01

Discusses the impact that the relationship between people and mathematics could have on the development of pure and applied mathematics. Argues for (1) a growing interest in philosophy, history and sociology of science; (2) new models in educational and psychological research; and (3) a growing awareness of the human factor in technology,…

NASA Information Sciences and Human Factors Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holcomb, Lee (Editor); Hood, Ray (Editor); Montemerlo, Melvin (Editor); Sokoloski, Martin M. (Editor); Jenkins, James P. (Editor); Smith, Paul H. (Editor); Dibattista, John D. (Editor)

1988-01-01

The FY 1987 descriptions of technical accomplishments are contained for seven areas: automation and robotics, communications systems, computer sciences, controls and guidance, data systems, human factors, and sensor technology.

NASA information sciences and human factors program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holcomb, Lee; Hood, Ray; Montemerlo, Melvin; Sokoloski, Martin; Jenkins, James; Smith, Paul; Dibattista, John

1989-01-01

The FY 1988 descriptions of technical accomplishments is presented in seven sections: Automation and Robotics, Communications Systems, Computer Sciences, Controls and Guidance, Data Systems, Human Factors, and Sensor Technology.

Alternatives to the impact factor.

PubMed

Oosthuizen, J C; Fenton, J E

2014-10-01

To explore alternative bibliometric markers to the well-established journal impact factor. The bibliometric evolution of a leading ENT journal over a six year period is discussed with critical analysis of a predetermined set of bibliometric alternatives to the journal impact factor. Retrospective review of the bibliometric performance of Clinical Otolaryngology over a six year period. The results of the study reveal that Clinical Otolaryngology has made steady bibliometric progress when the impact factor (IF) is considered with a gradual increase in impact factor from 1.098 in 2006 to a peak of 2.393 in 2011. Self-citation rates reported by the Journal Citation Report (JCR) demonstrated a significant decline during 2007 with a reported self-citation rate of 0%. The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) database however recorded a self-citation rate of 67. Independent evaluation demonstrated a 56 self-citations during this period. The percentage of review articles published remained stable during the period in question. A lagged association between the number of review manuscripts and the IF failed to demonstrate any significant correlation (r = -0.19). Comparison between the IF and the Eigen factor (EF) as well as the SJR yielded negative correlation (r = -0.46) and (r = -0.35) respectively. The Article Influence score (AIS) and Source Normalised Impact per Paper (SNIP) were the only bibliometric alternatives to demonstrate a positive correlation when compared to the IF (r = 0.94) and (r = 0.66) respectively. The necessity of bibliometric markers cannot be called into question however the most widely employed of these, the journal impact factor has come under increased scrutiny of late. Despite some of the advantages offered by novel bibliometric markers, these do not necessarily compare favourably to the IF with regards to bibliometric performance. The only two markers to demonstrate a positive correlation when compared to the IF were the AI score and SNIP which would

[Impact factor of the Spanish medical journals].

PubMed

Aleixandre Benavent, Rafael; Valderrama Zurián, Juan Carlos; Castellano Gómez, Miguel; Simó Meléndez, Raquel; Navarro Molina, Carolina

2004-11-20

The 2001 edition of the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) includes only 13 Spanish medical journals. The impact factor (IF) of the rest of Spanish medical journals is unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the IF of the main Spanish medical journals, taking also into account the references from journals not covered by the SCI. A set of 87 Spanish medical journals was selected from the national database IME and other international databases. All citable articles published in these journals in 2001 were analyzed, extracting their bibliographic references to articles published in 1999, 2000 and 2001. The indicators obtained for each journal were the number of cites, the IF and the immediacy index. Among the 87 source journals, 74 were not included in the JCR. From them, 5,388 bibliographic references were examined, identifying the journals cited. Final indicators were obtained adding these results to the ones obtained by using the Science Citation Index. The most cited journal was Medicina Clinica (768 cites), and the highest IF were attained by Histology and Histopathology (IF = 1.866), International Journal of Developmental Biology (IF = 1.654) and Medicina Clinica (IF = 1.125). This work has permitted to obtain the IF of 87 Spanish medical journals. Already detected in previous works, the leadership of the journal Medicina Clinica in Spanish medicine is confirmed. Spanish medical journals published in English have received a small number of cites from the ones published in Spanish. A low impact factor is not necessarily related to lack of quality, merit or relevance.

How operational issues impact science peer review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blacker, Brett S.; Golombek, Daniel; Macchetto, Duccio

2006-06-01

In some eyes, the Phase I proposal selection process is the most important activity handled by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Proposing for HST and other missions consists of requesting observing time and/or archival research funding. This step is called Phase I, where the scientific merit of a proposal is considered by a community based peer-review process. Accepted proposals then proceed thru Phase II, where the observations are specified in sufficient detail to enable scheduling on the telescope. Each cycle the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) reviews proposals and awards observing time that is valued at $0.5B, when the total expenditures for HST over its lifetime are figured on an annual basis. This is in fact a very important endeavor that we continue to fine-tune and tweak. This process is open to the science community and we constantly receive comments and praise for this process. In this last year we have had to deal with the loss of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and move from 3-gyro operations to 2-gyro operations. This paper will outline how operational issues impact the HST science peer review process. We will discuss the process that was used to recover from the loss of the STIS instrument and how we dealt with the loss of 1/3 of the current science observations. We will also discuss the issues relating to 3-gyro vs. 2-gyro operations and how that changes impacted Proposers, our in-house processing and the TAC.

Inaccurate Citations in Biomedical Journalism: Effect on the Impact Factor of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

PubMed

Karabulut, Nevzat

2017-03-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of incorrect citations and its effects on the impact factor of a specific biomedical journal: the American Journal of Roentgenology. The Cited Reference Search function of Thomson Reuters' Web of Science database (formerly the Institute for Scientific Information's Web of Knowledge database) was used to identify erroneous citations. This was done by entering the journal name into the Cited Work field and entering "2011-2012" into the Cited Year(s) field. The errors in any part of the inaccurately cited references (e.g., author names, title, year, volume, issue, and page numbers) were recorded, and the types of errors (i.e., absent, deficient, or mistyped) were analyzed. Erroneous citations were corrected using the Suggest a Correction function of the Web of Science database. The effect of inaccurate citations on the impact factor of the AJR was calculated. Overall, 183 of 1055 citable articles published in 2011-2012 were inaccurately cited 423 times (mean [± SD], 2.31 ± 4.67 times; range, 1-44 times). Of these 183 articles, 110 (60.1%) were web-only articles and 44 (24.0%) were print articles. The most commonly identified errors were page number errors (44.8%) and misspelling of an author's name (20.2%). Incorrect citations adversely affected the impact factor of the AJR by 0.065 in 2012 and by 0.123 in 2013. Inaccurate citations are not infrequent in biomedical journals, yet they can be detected and corrected using the Web of Science database. Although the accuracy of references is primarily the responsibility of authors, the journal editorial office should also define a periodic inaccurate citation check task and correct erroneous citations to reclaim unnecessarily lost credit.

The Impact of a Curriculum Course on Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Science Content Knowledge and Attitudes towards Teaching Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Cliona; Smith, Greg

2012-01-01

Many primary school teachers have insufficient content and pedagogical knowledge of science. This lack of knowledge can often lead to a lack of confidence and competence in teaching science. This article explores the impact of a year-long science methodology (curriculum science) course on second year Bachelor of Education (BEd) students'…

Analysis of aggregate impact factor inflation in ophthalmology.

PubMed

Caramoy, Albert; Korwitz, Ulrich; Eppelin, Anita; Kirchhof, Bernd; Fauser, Sascha

2013-01-01

To analyze the aggregate impact factor (AIF) in ophthalmology, its inflation rate, and its relation to other subject fields. A retrospective, database review of all subject fields in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Science edition. Citation data, AIF, number of journals and citations from the years 2003-2011 were analyzed. Data were retrieved from JCR. Future trends were calculated using a linear regression method. The AIF varies considerably between subjects. It shows also an inflation rate, which varies annually. The AIF inflation rate in ophthalmology was not as high as the background AIF inflation rate. The AIF inflation rate caused the AIF to increase annually. Not considering these variations in the AIF between years and between fields will make the AIF as a bibliometric tool inappropriate. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Better Broader Impacts through National Science Foundation Centers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, K. M.

2010-12-01

National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers (STCs) play a leading role in developing and evaluating “Better Broader Impacts”; best practices for recruiting a broad spectrum of American students into STEM fields and for educating these future professionals, as well as their families, teachers and the general public. With staff devoted full time to Broader Impacts activities, over the ten year life of a Center, STCs are able to address both a broad range of audiences and a broad range of topics. Along with other NSF funded centers, such as Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence, Engineering Research Centers and Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers, STCs develop both models and materials that individual researchers can adopt, as well as, in some cases, direct opportunities for individual researchers to offer their disciplinary research expertise to existing center Broader Impacts Programs. The National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics is an STC headquartered at the University of Minnesota. NCED’s disciplinary research spans the physical, biological and engineering issues associated with developing an integrative, quantitative and predictive understanding of rivers and river basins. Funded in 2002, we have had the opportunity to partner with individuals and institutions ranging from formal to informal education and from science museums to Tribal and women’s colleges. We have developed simple table top physical models, complete museum exhibitions, 3D paper maps and interactive computer based visualizations, all of which have helped us communicate with this wide variety of learners. Many of these materials themselves or plans to construct them are available online; in many cases they have also been formally evaluated. We have also listened to the formal and informal educators with whom we partner, from whom we have learned a great deal about how to design Broader Impacts activities and programs. Using NCED as a case study

Professional development that works: Impacting elementary science teachers' learning and practice during the implementation of an inquiry-oriented science curriculum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlang, Jodi A.

One of the most important factors for developing science literacy for all students is teacher knowledge of science content and pedagogy. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of professional development on teacher learning, changes in teacher behavior, and student learning. The goal was to develop a deeper understanding of how the Elementary Science Teaching and Learning (ESTL) program affected teacher learning and changed teacher behavior in the classroom. This study also provided insight into the effect of the ESTL program on student learning during the first year of the professional development. This mixed method case study was used to examine the link between participation in the ESTL program, teacher learning, changes in teacher classroom behavior, and student learning. Qualitative observations and videotaped sessions provided rich description of the professional development and implementation of inquiry-oriented strategies in participant's classrooms. Artifacts and interviews provided evidence of teacher learning and changes in teacher behaviors. Quantitative data included self-report survey data examining changes in teacher behavior and the measurement of student learning used both science district assessment scores and CSAP writing scores. Key findings include: (1) teacher learning was reported in the areas of questioning and scope and sequence of the curriculum occurred; (2) statistically significant changes teacher behavior were reported and were noted in teacher interviews; (3) participation in the ESTL program did not positively impact student learning; (4) unanticipated findings include the role of camaraderie in professional development and the role of additional training in teacher's confidence in both their own teaching and in helping others; and, (5) teacher's perceptions identified the role of inquiry-based science curriculum as providing the rich experiences necessary for improved student writing. Overall participation in the ESTL

Author Impact Metrics in Communication Sciences and Disorder Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Andrew; Faucette, Sarah P.; Thomas, William Joseph

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose was to examine author-level impact metrics for faculty in the communication sciences and disorder research field across a variety of databases. Method: Author-level impact metrics were collected for faculty from 257 accredited universities in the United States and Canada. Three databases (i.e., Google Scholar, ResearchGate,…

Gender, Complexity, and Science for All: Systemizing and Its Impact on Motivation to Learn Science for Different Science Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeyer, Albert

2018-01-01

The present study is based on a large cross-cultural study, which showed that a systemizing cognition type has a high impact on motivation to learn science, while the impact of gender is only indirect thorough systemizing. The present study uses the same structural equation model as in the cross-cultural study and separately tests it for physics,…

Marketing data: has the rise of impact factor led to the fall of objective language in the scientific article?

PubMed

Fraser, Véronique J; Martin, James G

2009-05-11

The language of science should be objective and detached and should place data in the appropriate context. The aim of this commentary was to explore the notion that recent trends in the use of language have led to a loss of objectivity in the presentation of scientific data. The relationship between the value-laden vocabulary and impact factor among fundamental biomedical research and clinical journals has been explored. It appears that fundamental research journals of high impact factors have experienced a rise in value-laden terms in the past 25 years.

Marketing data: Has the rise of impact factor led to the fall of objective language in the scientific article?

PubMed Central

Fraser, Véronique J; Martin, James G

2009-01-01

The language of science should be objective and detached and should place data in the appropriate context. The aim of this commentary was to explore the notion that recent trends in the use of language have led to a loss of objectivity in the presentation of scientific data. The relationship between the value-laden vocabulary and impact factor among fundamental biomedical research and clinical journals has been explored. It appears that fundamental research journals of high impact factors have experienced a rise in value-laden terms in the past 25 years. PMID:19432970

Climate Change Science, Impacts, Solutions - A Senior Science Course for Post-Secondary Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, J. M.; Little, L. J.; Barnes, C. C.; Mirmasoudi, S.; Mansouri Kouhestani, F.; Reiger, C.; Rodriguez Bueno, R. A.

2015-12-01

The role of humanity in warming the global climate is well defined. The research community has predicted and documented many of the early impacts of climate change. The research literature has extensive assessments of future impacts on environment, cities, agriculture, human health, infrastructure, social and political changes, and the risks of military conflict. Society is facing massive infrastructure redevelopment, protection and possible abandonment due to increasing weather extremes. We have reached the point where science consensus is obvious and the population over much of the developed and developing world understands the urgency - humanity is changing the climate. The challenge is helping people help themselves. People understand there are consequences - they want to know how to minimize those consequences, and how to adapt to minimize the impacts. There is a dire need for a senior level course that addresses the key issues across disciplines. This course should cover a range of topics across many disciplinary boundaries, including: an introduction to the science, politics, health and well-being challenges of climate change; likely changes to personal and community lifestyles; consumption of energy and other resources. Population migration due to climate change impacts is a critical topic. Most important, the course must address the solutions to climate change. The population is demanding the power to address this massive challenge. This course will provide a multimedia curriculum on the impacts and solutions to our climate change dilemma.

The impact of a dedicated Science-Technology-Society (STS) course on student knowledge of STS content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron, Paul E.

In the last half century, public awareness of issues such as population growth, environmental pollution and the threat of nuclear war has pressured science education to reform to increase student social responsibility. The emerging Science-Technology-Society (STS) movement addressed these concerns by developing numerous strategies and curricula. Considerable diagnostic research has been conducted on student knowledge of the nature of science, but not on the wider scope of STS content (e.g., the nature of science and technology and their interactions with society). However, researchers have not widely studied the impact of comprehensive STS curricula on students' knowledge of STS content nor the nature of STS teaching practice that influenced this knowledge gain. This study examined student success and teacher performance in a special STS course in Ontario, Canada. Research questions focused on the STS content knowledge gain by students completing this course and the impact of the STS teachers' teaching practices on this knowledge gain. Student data were collected using pre-course and post-course assessments of students' STS content knowledge. Teacher data were obtained using semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and videotapes. Statistical analysis indicated that, after completing the STS course, students significantly increased their STS content knowledge as measured by the Views on Science Technology Society instrument. Gender and academic achievement had no significant impact on this knowledge gain, implying that this course, as taught by these teachers, could appeal to a wide range of students as a general education course. The second part of the study indicated that detailed research is needed on the relationship between STS teaching practice and student STS content knowledge gain. The small sample size prevents generalizations but initial indications show that factors such constructivist teaching practices and strong teacher STS content knowledge

Identifying mediating factors of moral reasoning in science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeidler, Dana L.; Schafer, Larry E.

The purpose of this research was to examine how science content knowledge, moral reasoning ability, attitudes, and past experiences mediate the formation of moral judgments on environmental dilemmas. The study was conducted in two phases using environmental science majors and nonscience majors of college age. Phase One determined if environmental science majors exhibited higher levels of moral reasoning on nontechnical environmental social issues than on general social issues and examined the extent to which possible mediating factors accounted for differences in moral reasoning. Phase Two was qualitative in nature, the purpose of which was to observe and identify trends in conversations between subjects as to how certain mediating factors are revealed as people form moral judgments. The framework on which this study was constructed incorporates a progressive educational position; a position that views science education as being interdisciplinary, and a social means to a social end.

[Impact factor of Latin American medical journals].

PubMed

Téllez-Zenteno, José F; Morales-Buenrostro, Luis E; Estañol, Bruno

2007-04-01

Latin American medical journals have a low impact factor. Higher quality articles originated in Latin American countries are published in North American or European journals. To analyze the impact factor of Latin-American journals according to the language of publication. The data base of periodic journals of the Thomson ISI (Journal of Citation Report) in the year 2004 was used for the analysis. Four countries with more than one journal in the data base of the Thomson ISI were included (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico). Few Latin-American journals are included in the Thomson ISI data base. The mean impact factor was 0.76 (0.23-3.2) for eight Mexican journals, 0.66 (0.10-2.1) for eight Chilean journals, 0.39 (0.06-0.7) for five Argentinian journals and 0.41 (0.09-1.1) for 16 Brazilian journals. The mean impact factor for 11 journals written in English was 0.74 (0.12-2.1), 0.53 (0.09-3.2) for 18 bilingual journals and 0.28 (0.06-0.56) for eight journals written in native language. The differences between countries and languages were not statistically significant. The journal impact factor was similar in the four countries studied. A non-significant higher impact factor was observed in Latin-American journals published in English.

Religion as a Support Factor for Women of Color Pursuing Science Degrees: Implications for Science Teacher Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceglie, Robert

2013-01-01

This study explores the influence of religion as a support factor for a group of Latina and African-American women majoring in science. The current project is a part of a larger study that investigated persistence factors of underrepresented woman who were enrolled as science majors at United States colleges and universities. This paper focuses on…

High School Science Teachers' Receptivity to the Next Generation Science Standards: An Examination of Discipline Specific Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, Lesley Jacqueline

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), are the biggest change to American science education since the National Science Education Standards (NSES) were published. While inquiry was central to the NSES, science assessment largely addressed factual knowledge acquisition. The NGSS represent a significant practical change for teachers as they mark a return to the ideals specified in the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and Benchmarks for Science Literacy. The purpose of this explanatory sequential, mixed-methods study was to identify and compare the factors that influenced high school science teachers' receptivity to the curricular shifts necessitated by the adoption of the NGSS. The survey data identified three factors as significant predictors of teacher receptivity: teachers' non-monetary cost-benefit analysis, alignment between the NGSS and their current teaching style, and concerns about student readiness. To understand how these factors operate in the classroom, both receptive and non-receptive teachers were interviewed. In terms of cost-benefit analysis, all teachers agree that time is a significant cost. This includes the time it takes to adapt lessons to the NGSS, and the time it takes to teach in a way that integrates the three parts of the NGSS which are the practices of science and engineering, the crosscutting concepts, and the disciplinary core ideas. In terms of alignment between their teaching style and the NGSS, teachers talked about the lack of examples of what NGSS-aligned instruction looks like and the dearth of accessible high quality professional development. Finally, concerns about students' readiness focused on both inadequate preparation for college-level science coursework and deficits in science instruction in the lower grades.

The Impact of Regulating Social Science Research with Biomedical Regulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durosinmi, Brenda Braxton

2011-01-01

The Impact of Regulating Social Science Research with Biomedical Regulations Since 1974 Federal regulations have governed the use of human subjects in biomedical and social science research. The regulations are known as the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, and often referred to as the "Common Rule" because 18 Federal…

Big Science vs. Little Science: How Scientific Impact Scales with Funding.

PubMed

Fortin, Jean-Michel; Currie, David J

2013-01-01

is it more effective to give large grants to a few elite researchers, or small grants to many researchers? Large grants would be more effective only if scientific impact increases as an accelerating function of grant size. Here, we examine the scientific impact of individual university-based researchers in three disciplines funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). We considered four indices of scientific impact: numbers of articles published, numbers of citations to those articles, the most cited article, and the number of highly cited articles, each measured over a four-year period. We related these to the amount of NSERC funding received. Impact is positively, but only weakly, related to funding. Researchers who received additional funds from a second federal granting council, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, were not more productive than those who received only NSERC funding. Impact was generally a decelerating function of funding. Impact per dollar was therefore lower for large grant-holders. This is inconsistent with the hypothesis that larger grants lead to larger discoveries. Further, the impact of researchers who received increases in funding did not predictably increase. We conclude that scientific impact (as reflected by publications) is only weakly limited by funding. We suggest that funding strategies that target diversity, rather than "excellence", are likely to prove to be more productive.

An Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Scores and Impact Factors with Different Citation Time Windows: A Case Study of 28 Ophthalmologic Journals

PubMed Central

Liu, Xue-Li; Gai, Shuang-Shuang; Zhang, Shi-Le; Wang, Pu

2015-01-01

Background An important attribute of the traditional impact factor was the controversial 2-year citation window. So far, several scholars have proposed using different citation time windows for evaluating journals. However, there is no confirmation whether a longer citation time window would be better. How did the journal evaluation effects of 3IF, 4IF, and 6IF comparing with 2IF and 5IF? In order to understand these questions, we made a comparative study of impact factors with different citation time windows with the peer-reviewed scores of ophthalmologic journals indexed by Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. Methods The peer-reviewed scores of 28 ophthalmologic journals were obtained through a self-designed survey questionnaire. Impact factors with different citation time windows (including 2IF, 3IF, 4IF, 5IF, and 6IF) of 28 ophthalmologic journals were computed and compared in accordance with each impact factor’s definition and formula, using the citation analysis function of the Web of Science (WoS) database. An analysis of the correlation between impact factors with different citation time windows and peer-reviewed scores was carried out. Results Although impact factor values with different citation time windows were different, there was a high level of correlation between them when it came to evaluating journals. In the current study, for ophthalmologic journals’ impact factors with different time windows in 2013, 3IF and 4IF seemed the ideal ranges for comparison, when assessed in relation to peer-reviewed scores. In addition, the 3-year and 4-year windows were quite consistent with the cited peak age of documents published by ophthalmologic journals. Research Limitations Our study is based on ophthalmology journals and we only analyze the impact factors with different citation time window in 2013, so it has yet to be ascertained whether other disciplines (especially those with a later cited peak) or other years would follow the same or

Teaching Science in a Technology-Rich Environment: The Impact of Three Innovative Tools on Secondary Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felt, Wallace A.

2011-01-01

This qualitative case study of a rural high school examines the impact of technology tools on secondary science classrooms. Specifically, document cameras, student response systems, and probeware are examined for their affect in instructional practices in science classrooms where they are used. Observational data, student surveys, and teacher…

Integrating technology, curriculum, and online resources: A multilevel model study of impacts on science teachers and students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Lei

This scale-up study investigated the impact of a teacher technology tool (Curriculum Customization Service, CCS), curriculum, and online resources on earth science teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and practices and on students' achievement and engagement with science learning. Participants included 73 teachers and over 2,000 ninth-grade students within five public school districts in the western U.S. To assess the impact on teachers, changes between pre- and postsurveys were examined. Results suggest that the CCS tool appeared to significantly increase both teachers' awareness of other earth science teachers' practices and teachers' frequency of using interactive resources in their lesson planning and classroom teaching. A standard multiple regression model was developed. In addition to "District," "Training condition" (whether or not teachers received CCS training) appeared to predict teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and practices. Teachers who received CCS training tended to have lower postsurvey scores than their peers who had no CCS training. Overall, usage of the CCS tool tended to be low, and there were differences among school districts. To assess the impact on students, changes were examined between pre- and postsurveys of (1) knowledge assessment and (2) students' engagement with science learning. Students showed pre- to postsurvey improvements in knowledge assessment, with small to medium effect sizes. A nesting effect (students clustered within teachers) in the Earth's Dynamic Geosphere (EDG) knowledge assessment was identified and addressed by fitting a two-level hierarchical linear model (HLM). In addition, significant school district differences existed for student post-knowledge assessment scores. On the student engagement questionnaire, students tended to be neutral or to slightly disagree that science learning was important in terms of using science in daily life, stimulating their thinking, discovering science concepts, and satisfying their own

The science of human factors: separating fact from fiction

PubMed Central

Russ, Alissa L; Fairbanks, Rollin J; Karsh, Ben-Tzion; Militello, Laura G; Saleem, Jason J; Wears, Robert L

2013-01-01

Background Interest in human factors has increased across healthcare communities and institutions as the value of human centred design in healthcare becomes increasingly clear. However, as human factors is becoming more prominent, there is growing evidence of confusion about human factors science, both anecdotally and in scientific literature. Some of the misconceptions about human factors may inadvertently create missed opportunities for healthcare improvement. Methods The objective of this article is to describe the scientific discipline of human factors and provide common ground for partnerships between healthcare and human factors communities. Results The primary goal of human factors science is to promote efficiency, safety and effectiveness by improving the design of technologies, processes and work systems. As described in this article, human factors also provides insight on when training is likely (or unlikely) to be effective for improving patient safety. Finally, we outline human factors specialty areas that may be particularly relevant for improving healthcare delivery and provide examples to demonstrate their value. Conclusions The human factors concepts presented in this article may foster interdisciplinary collaborations to yield new, sustainable solutions for healthcare quality and patient safety. PMID:23592760

Cross-cultural comparisons of university students' science learning self-efficacy: structural relationships among factors within science learning self-efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ya-Ling; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2018-04-01

Science learning self-efficacy could be regarded as a multi-factor belief which comprises different aspects such as cognitive skills, practical work, and everyday application. However, few studies have investigated the relationships among these factors that compose science learning self-efficacy. Also, culture may play an important role in explaining the relationships among these factors. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate cultural differences in science learning self-efficacy and examine the relationships within factors constituting science learning self-efficacy by adopting a survey instrument for administration to students in the U.S. and Taiwan. A total of 218 university students (62.40% females) were surveyed in the U.S.A, and 224 university students (49.10% females) in Taiwan were also invited to take part in the study. The results of the structural equation modelling revealed cultural differences in the relationships among the factors of science learning self-efficacy. It was found that U.S. students' confidence in their ability to employ higher-order cognitive skills tended to promote their confidence in their ability to accomplish practical work, strengthening their academic self-efficacy. However, the aforementioned mediation was not found for the Taiwanese participants.

How Do Technology-Enhanced Inquiry Science Units Impact Classroom Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hee-Sun; Linn, Marcia C.; Varma, Keisha; Liu, Ou Lydia

2010-01-01

We investigated how student understanding of complex science topics was impacted when 27 teachers switched from typical to inquiry instruction in a delayed cohort comparison design study. For the same set of science topics, the teachers used typical methods of instruction in the first year and online, visualization rich inquiry units in the second…

Assessing culturally sensitive factors in the learning environment of science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Darrell L.; Waldrip, Bruce G.

1997-03-01

As schools are becoming increasingly diverse in their scope and clientele, any examination of the interaction of culturally sensitive factors of students' learning environments with learning science assumes critical importance. The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop an instrument to assess learning environment factors that are culturally sensitive, to provide initial validation information on the instrument and to examine associations between students' perceptions of their learning environments and their attitudes towards science and achievement of enquiry skills. A measure of these factors of science student's learning environment, namely the Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ), was developed from past learning environment instruments and influenced by Hofstede's four dimensions of culture (Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism, and Masculinity/Femininity). The reliability and discriminant validity for each scale were obtained and associations between learning environment, attitude to science and enquiry skills achievement were found.

The assessment of science: the relative merits of post-publication review, the impact factor, and the number of citations.

PubMed

Eyre-Walker, Adam; Stoletzki, Nina

2013-10-01

The assessment of scientific publications is an integral part of the scientific process. Here we investigate three methods of assessing the merit of a scientific paper: subjective post-publication peer review, the number of citations gained by a paper, and the impact factor of the journal in which the article was published. We investigate these methods using two datasets in which subjective post-publication assessments of scientific publications have been made by experts. We find that there are moderate, but statistically significant, correlations between assessor scores, when two assessors have rated the same paper, and between assessor score and the number of citations a paper accrues. However, we show that assessor score depends strongly on the journal in which the paper is published, and that assessors tend to over-rate papers published in journals with high impact factors. If we control for this bias, we find that the correlation between assessor scores and between assessor score and the number of citations is weak, suggesting that scientists have little ability to judge either the intrinsic merit of a paper or its likely impact. We also show that the number of citations a paper receives is an extremely error-prone measure of scientific merit. Finally, we argue that the impact factor is likely to be a poor measure of merit, since it depends on subjective assessment. We conclude that the three measures of scientific merit considered here are poor; in particular subjective assessments are an error-prone, biased, and expensive method by which to assess merit. We argue that the impact factor may be the most satisfactory of the methods we have considered, since it is a form of pre-publication review. However, we emphasise that it is likely to be a very error-prone measure of merit that is qualitative, not quantitative.

The Assessment of Science: The Relative Merits of Post-Publication Review, the Impact Factor, and the Number of Citations

PubMed Central

Eyre-Walker, Adam; Stoletzki, Nina

2013-01-01

The assessment of scientific publications is an integral part of the scientific process. Here we investigate three methods of assessing the merit of a scientific paper: subjective post-publication peer review, the number of citations gained by a paper, and the impact factor of the journal in which the article was published. We investigate these methods using two datasets in which subjective post-publication assessments of scientific publications have been made by experts. We find that there are moderate, but statistically significant, correlations between assessor scores, when two assessors have rated the same paper, and between assessor score and the number of citations a paper accrues. However, we show that assessor score depends strongly on the journal in which the paper is published, and that assessors tend to over-rate papers published in journals with high impact factors. If we control for this bias, we find that the correlation between assessor scores and between assessor score and the number of citations is weak, suggesting that scientists have little ability to judge either the intrinsic merit of a paper or its likely impact. We also show that the number of citations a paper receives is an extremely error-prone measure of scientific merit. Finally, we argue that the impact factor is likely to be a poor measure of merit, since it depends on subjective assessment. We conclude that the three measures of scientific merit considered here are poor; in particular subjective assessments are an error-prone, biased, and expensive method by which to assess merit. We argue that the impact factor may be the most satisfactory of the methods we have considered, since it is a form of pre-publication review. However, we emphasise that it is likely to be a very error-prone measure of merit that is qualitative, not quantitative. PMID:24115908

The effective factors on library anxiety of students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Ashrafi-Rizi, Hasan; Sajad, Maryam Sadat; Rahmani, Sedigheh; Bahrami, Susan; Papi, Ahmad

2014-01-01

The efficient use of libraries can be an important factor in determining the educational quality of Universities. Therefore, investigation and identification of factors affecting library anxiety becomes increasingly necessary. The purpose of this research is to determine the factors effecting library anxiety of students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. This was an applied survey research using Bostick's Library Anxiety questionnaire as data gathering tool. The statistical population consisted of all students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (15011 students) with the sample size of 375 using stratified random sampling. The validity of data gathering tool was confirmed by experts in the library and information science and its reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha (r = 0.92). Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test and ANOVA) were used for data analysis using SPSS 18 software. Findings showed that the mean of library anxiety score was 2.68 and 2.66 for students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences respectively which is above average (2.5). Furthermore, age and gender had no meaningful effect on the library anxiety of students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, but gender had a meaningful effect on library anxiety of students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences while age had no such effect. The results showed that the mean of factors effecting library anxiety in students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences is higher than average and therefore not satisfactory and only factors relating to feeling comfortable in the library is lower than average and somewhat satisfactory.

The effective factors on library anxiety of students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

PubMed Central

Ashrafi-rizi, Hasan; Sajad, Maryam Sadat; Rahmani, Sedigheh; Bahrami, Susan; Papi, Ahmad

2014-01-01

Introduction: The efficient use of libraries can be an important factor in determining the educational quality of Universities. Therefore, investigation and identification of factors affecting library anxiety becomes increasingly necessary. The purpose of this research is to determine the factors effecting library anxiety of students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This was an applied survey research using Bostick's Library Anxiety questionnaire as data gathering tool. The statistical population consisted of all students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (15011 students) with the sample size of 375 using stratified random sampling. The validity of data gathering tool was confirmed by experts in the library and information science and its reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha (r = 0.92). Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test and ANOVA) were used for data analysis using SPSS 18 software. Results: Findings showed that the mean of library anxiety score was 2.68 and 2.66 for students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences respectively which is above average (2.5). Furthermore, age and gender had no meaningful effect on the library anxiety of students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, but gender had a meaningful effect on library anxiety of students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences while age had no such effect. Conclusion: The results showed that the mean of factors effecting library anxiety in students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences is higher than average and therefore not satisfactory and only factors relating to feeling comfortable in the library is lower than average and somewhat satisfactory. PMID:25250358

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…

Research on the Relationships between Chinese Journal Impact Factors and External Web Link Counts and Web Impact Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Lu; Qiu, Junping

2004-01-01

Journal impact factors (JIFs) as determined by the Institute for Scientific and Technological Information of China (ISTIC) of forty-two Chinese engineering journals were compared with external Web link counts, obtained from Lycos, and Web Impact Factors (WIFs) of corresponding journal Web sites to determine if any significant correlation existed…

The Impact of Ultrasound on Developing Brain Neurons. Science Briefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2007

2007-01-01

"Science Briefs" summarize the findings and implications of a recent study in basic science or clinical research. This brief reports on the study. This Brief summarizes the findings and implications of "Prenatal Exposure to Ultrasound Waves Impacts Neuronal Migration in Mice" (E. S. B. C. Ang, Jr.; V. Gluncic; A. Duque; M. E. Schafer; and P.…

Factors in life science textbooks that may deter girls' interest in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, Ellen F.; Rosser, Sue V.

In order to examine factors that may deter girls' interest in science, five seventh-grade life science textbooks were analyzed for sexism in language, images, and curricular content, and for features of activities that have been found to be useful for motivating girls. Although overt sexism was not apparent, subtle forms of sexism in the selection of language, images, and curricular content were found. Activities had some features useful to girls, but other features were seldom included. Teachers may wish to use differences that were found among texts as one basis for text selection.

Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts in 2018.

PubMed

2018-02-21

2017 was another successful year for Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (ESPI); it saw the expansion of our Editorial team and publication of two excellent Themed Issues, all while maintaining our commitment to provide our authors with exceptional customer service and fast times to publication. Through this Editorial, we wish to reflect upon some of the highlights from 2017 and also take this opportunity to reveal further new additions to the ESPI team and our plans for 2018.

The impact of science teachers' epistemological beliefs on authentic inquiry: A multiple-case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Dionne Bennett

The purpose of this study was to examine how science teachers' epistemological beliefs impacted their use of authentic inquiry in science instruction. Participants in this multiple-case study included a total of four teachers who represented the middle, secondary and post-secondary levels. Based on the results of the pilot study conducted with a secondary science teacher, adjustments were made to the interview questions and observation protocol. Data collection for the study included semi-structured interviews, direct observations of instructional techniques, and the collection of artifacts. The cross case analysis revealed that the cases epistemological beliefs were mostly Transitional and the method of instruction used most was Discussion. Two of the cases exhibited consistent beliefs and instructional practices, whereas the other two exhibited beliefs beyond their instruction. The findings of this study support the literature on the influence of contextual factors and professional development on teacher beliefs and practice. The findings support and contradict literature relevant to the consistency of teacher beliefs with instruction. This study's findings revealed that the use of reform-based instruction, or Authentic Inquiry, does not occur when science teachers do not have the beliefs and experiences necessary to implement this form of instruction.

[Comparative analysis of impact factor and h-index for pharmacology journals].

PubMed

Bador, Pascal; Lafouge, Thierry

2010-01-01

Using the strictly same parameters (identical two publication years (2004-2005) and identical one-year citation window (2006)), impact factor (IF) 2006 was compared with h-index 2006 for one sample of "pharmacology and pharmacy" journals computed from the ISI Web of Science. For this sample, the IF and the h-index rankings of the journals are very different. The correlation coefficient between the IF and the h-index is low for "pharmacology and pharmacy" journals. The IF and h-index can be completely complementary when evaluating journals of the same scientific discipline. 2010 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Students' Perceptions of the Long-Term Impact of Attending a "CSI Science Camp"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanowitz, Karen L.

2016-12-01

A science summer camp is a popular type of informal science experience for youth. While there is no one model of a science camp, these experiences typically allow for more focused and in-depth exploration of different science domains and are usually hands-on and participatory. The goal of this research was to examine the impact of a short science camp program approximately 1 year after students attended the camp. Overall, the results revealed that attending a 2-day forensic science camp had a positive and continuing influence on the participants. Students' science self-efficacy increased immediately after attending the camp and remained higher than pre-camp levels approximately 1 year later. Students were able to articulate why they believed the camp had a long-term impact on their lives. Furthermore, participants attributed a higher level of engaging in additional informal STEM-related activities during the academic year as a result of attending the camp.

The Impact of Agricultural Science Education on Performance in a Biology Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernest, Byron L.

The lack of student achievement in science is often cited in U.S. educational reports. At the study site, low student achievement in science has been an ongoing concern for administrators. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the impact of agricultural science education on student performance in a Biology course. Vygotsky's constructivist theory and Gardner's multiple intelligences theory provided the framework for the study. The quantitative research question examined the relationship between the completion of Fundamentals of Agriculture Science and Business course and student performance in Biology I. Teacher perceptions and experiences regarding the integration of science and agricultural curriculum and traditional science curriculum were examined qualitatively. A sequential explanatory design was employed using 3 years of data collected from 486 high school students and interviews with 10 teachers. Point-biserial correlation and chi square tests revealed statistically significant relationships between whether or not students completed Fundamentals of Agriculture Science and Business and Biology I course performance, as measured by the end of course assessment and the course grade. In the qualitative sequence, typological and inductive data analyses were applied to the interview data, and themes of student impact and teacher experience emerged. Social change implications may be possible through improved science education for students in this program. Agriculture science courses may be used to facilitate learning of complex science concepts, designing teacher collaboration and professional development for teaching science in a relevant context, and resultant improved student performance in science.

The impact of institutional ethics on academic health sciences library leadership: a survey of academic health sciences library directors.

PubMed

Tooey, Mary Joan M J; Arnold, Gretchen N

2014-10-01

Ethical behavior in libraries goes beyond service to users. Academic health sciences library directors may need to adhere to the ethical guidelines and rules of their institutions. Does the unique environment of an academic health center imply different ethical considerations? Do the ethical policies of institutions affect these library leaders? Do their personal ethical considerations have an impact as well? In December 2013, a survey regarding the impact of institutional ethics was sent to the director members of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries. The objective was to determine the impact of institutional ethics on these leaders, whether through personal conviction or institutional imperative.

The impact of institutional ethics on academic health sciences library leadership: a survey of academic health sciences library directors

PubMed Central

Tooey, Mary Joan (M.J.); Arnold, Gretchen N.

2014-01-01

Ethical behavior in libraries goes beyond service to users. Academic health sciences library directors may need to adhere to the ethical guidelines and rules of their institutions. Does the unique environment of an academic health center imply different ethical considerations? Do the ethical policies of institutions affect these library leaders? Do their personal ethical considerations have an impact as well? In December 2013, a survey regarding the impact of institutional ethics was sent to the director members of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries. The objective was to determine the impact of institutional ethics on these leaders, whether through personal conviction or institutional imperative. PMID:25349542

The Pacific Northwest's Climate Impacts Group: Climate Science in the Public Interest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantua, N.; Snover, A.

2006-12-01

Since its inception in 1995, the University of Washington's Climate Impacts Group (CIG) (funded under NOAA's Regional Integrated Science and Assessments (RISA) Program) has become the leader in exploring the impacts of climate variability and climate change on natural and human systems in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW), specifically climate impacts on water, forest, fish and coastal resource systems. The CIG's research provides PNW planners, decision makers, resource managers, local media, and the general public with valuable knowledge of ways in which the region's key natural resources are vulnerable to changes in climate, and how this vulnerability can be reduced. The CIG engages in climate science in the public interest, conducting original research on the causes and consequences of climate variability and change for the PNW and developing forecasts and decision support tools to support the use of this information in federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector resource management decisions. The CIG's focus on the intersection of climate science and public policy has placed the CIG nationally at the forefront of regional climate impacts assessment and integrated analysis.

How does a Next Generation Science Standard Aligned, Inquiry Based, Science Unit Impact Student Achievement of Science Practices and Student Science Efficacy in an Elementary Classroom?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittington, Kayla Lee

This study examined the impact of an inquiry based Next Generation Science Standard aligned science unit on elementary students' understanding and application of the eight Science and Engineering Practices and their relation in building student problem solving skills. The study involved 44 second grade students and three participating classroom teachers. The treatment consisted of a school district developed Second Grade Earth Science unit: What is happening to our playground? that was taught at the beginning of the school year. Quantitative results from a Likert type scale pre and post survey and from student content knowledge assessments showed growth in student belief of their own abilities in the science classroom. Qualitative data gathered from student observations and interviews performed at the conclusion of the Earth Science unit further show gains in student understanding and attitudes. This study adds to the existing literature on the importance of standard aligned, inquiry based science curriculum that provides time for students to engage in science practices.

Rising Publication Delays Inflate Journal Impact Factors

PubMed Central

Tort, Adriano B. L.; Targino, Zé H.; Amaral, Olavo B.

2012-01-01

Journal impact factors have become an important criterion to judge the quality of scientific publications over the years, influencing the evaluation of institutions and individual researchers worldwide. However, they are also subject to a number of criticisms. Here we point out that the calculation of a journal’s impact factor is mainly based on the date of publication of its articles in print form, despite the fact that most journals now make their articles available online before that date. We analyze 61 neuroscience journals and show that delays between online and print publication of articles increased steadily over the last decade. Importantly, such a practice varies widely among journals, as some of them have no delays, while for others this period is longer than a year. Using a modified impact factor based on online rather than print publication dates, we demonstrate that online-to-print delays can artificially raise a journal’s impact factor, and that this inflation is greater for longer publication lags. We also show that correcting the effect of publication delay on impact factors changes journal rankings based on this metric. We thus suggest that indexing of articles in citation databases and calculation of citation metrics should be based on the date of an article’s online appearance, rather than on that of its publication in print. PMID:23300920

The Impact of Agricultural Science Education on Performance in a Biology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernest, Byron L.

2014-01-01

The lack of student achievement in science is often cited in U.S. educational reports. At the study site, low student achievement in science has been an ongoing concern for administrators. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the impact of agricultural science education on student performance in a Biology course. Vygotsky's…

Factors affecting science reform: Bridging the gap between reform initiatives and teaching practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pensak, Karl John

In response to the perceived deficiencies in science education today, and to the expressed need for research into the culture of schools (due primarily to the failure of many science reforms in the past), this study used a broad based approach to study the gap between science education research and science education practice. This study identified 47 factors that may encourage or inhibit science curriculum reform. A survey was conducted to determine which factors were perceived to be important by local and national K-12 classroom teachers, science supervisors/coordinators, and college/university professors. Continual staff development (scheduled as part of teachers' work day/week/month), funding (for long-term staff development, teacher training and support, science laboratory facilities and materials), teacher motivation and "ownership" of the reform, the need for collaborative opportunities for classroom teachers, teachers' college preparation, textbook reform, community support, and reform initiatives that are "in tune" with assessment, are major factors identified as having a substantial affect on the successful adoption, implementation, and institutionalization of science reforms.

Results from a Web Impact Factor Crawler.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thelwall, Mike

2001-01-01

Discusses Web impact factors (WIFs), Web versions of the impact factors for journals, and how they can be calculated by using search engines. Highlights include HTML and document indexing; Web page links; a Web crawler designed for calculating WIFs; and WIFs for United Kingdom universities that measured research profiles or capability. (Author/LRW)

Aviation Noise Impacts: State of the Science.

PubMed

Basner, Mathias; Clark, Charlotte; Hansell, Anna; Hileman, James I; Janssen, Sabine; Shepherd, Kevin; Sparrow, Victor

2017-01-01

Noise is defined as "unwanted sound." Aircraft noise is one, if not the most detrimental environmental effect of aviation. It can cause community annoyance, disrupt sleep, adversely affect academic performance of children, and could increase the risk for cardiovascular disease of people living in the vicinity of airports. In some airports, noise constrains air traffic growth. This consensus paper was prepared by the Impacts of Science Group of the Committee for Aviation Environmental Protection of the International Civil Aviation Organization and summarizes the state of the science of noise effects research in the areas of noise measurement and prediction, community annoyance, children's learning, sleep disturbance, and health. It also briefly discusses civilian supersonic aircraft as a future source of aviation noise.

Aviation Noise Impacts: State of the Science

PubMed Central

Basner, Mathias; Clark, Charlotte; Hansell, Anna; Hileman, James I.; Janssen, Sabine; Shepherd, Kevin; Sparrow, Victor

2017-01-01

Noise is defined as “unwanted sound.” Aircraft noise is one, if not the most detrimental environmental effect of aviation. It can cause community annoyance, disrupt sleep, adversely affect academic performance of children, and could increase the risk for cardiovascular disease of people living in the vicinity of airports. In some airports, noise constrains air traffic growth. This consensus paper was prepared by the Impacts of Science Group of the Committee for Aviation Environmental Protection of the International Civil Aviation Organization and summarizes the state of the science of noise effects research in the areas of noise measurement and prediction, community annoyance, children’s learning, sleep disturbance, and health. It also briefly discusses civilian supersonic aircraft as a future source of aviation noise. PMID:29192612

The impact factor of a journal is a poor measure of the clinical relevance of its papers.

PubMed

Kodumuri, P; Ollivere, B; Holley, J; Moran, C G

2014-03-01

We evaluated the top 13 journals in trauma and orthopaedics by impact factor and looked at the longer-term effect regarding citations of their papers. All 4951 papers published in these journals during 2007 and 2008 were reviewed and categorised by their type, subspecialty and super-specialty. All citations indexed through Google Scholar were reviewed to establish the rate of citation per paper at two, four and five years post-publication. The top five journals published a total of 1986 papers. Only three (0.15%) were on operative orthopaedic surgery and none were on trauma. Most (n = 1084, 54.5%) were about experimental basic science. Surgical papers had a lower rate of citation (2.18) at two years than basic science or clinical medical papers (4.68). However, by four years the rates were similar (26.57 for surgery, 30.35 for basic science/medical), which suggests that there is a considerable time lag before clinical surgical research has an impact. We conclude that high impact journals do not address clinical research in surgery and when they do, there is a delay before such papers are cited. We suggest that a rate of citation at five years post-publication might be a more appropriate indicator of importance for papers in our specialty.

Educating Jurors about Forensic Evidence: Using an Expert Witness and Judicial Instructions to Mitigate the Impact of Invalid Forensic Science Testimony.

PubMed

Eastwood, Joseph; Caldwell, Jiana

2015-11-01

Invalid expert witness testimony that overstated the precision and accuracy of forensic science procedures has been highlighted as a common factor in many wrongful conviction cases. This study assessed the ability of an opposing expert witness and judicial instructions to mitigate the impact of invalid forensic science testimony. Participants (N = 155) acted as mock jurors in a sexual assault trial that contained both invalid forensic testimony regarding hair comparison evidence, and countering testimony from either a defense expert witness or judicial instructions. Results showed that the defense expert witness was successful in educating jurors regarding limitations in the initial expert's conclusions, leading to a greater number of not-guilty verdicts. The judicial instructions were shown to have no impact on verdict decisions. These findings suggest that providing opposing expert witnesses may be an effective safeguard against invalid forensic testimony in criminal trials. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Marine Science Summer Enrichment Camp's Impact Ocean Literacy for Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Victoria Jewel

2017-01-01

Although careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have expanded in the United States, science literacy skills for K-12 students have declined from 2001 to 2011. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of science enrichment programs on the science literacy skills of K-12 students, particularly in marine science. The…

Science and the Nonscience Major: Addressing the Fear Factor in the Chemical Arena Using Forensic Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labianca, Dominick A.

2007-01-01

This article describes an approach to minimizing the "fear factor" in a chemistry course for the nonscience major, and also addresses relevant applications to other science courses, including biology, geology, and physics. The approach emphasizes forensic science and affords students the opportunity to hone their analytical skills in an…

Multilevel Effects of Student and Classroom Factors on Elementary Science Achievement in Five Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaya, Sibel; Rice, Diana C.

2010-01-01

This study examined the effects of individual student factors and classroom factors on elementary science achievement within and across five countries. The student-level factors included gender, self-confidence in science and home resources. The classroom-level factors included teacher characteristics, instructional variables and classroom…

Documenting the Impact of Multisite Evaluations on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roseland, Denise; Greenseid, Lija O.; Volkov, Boris B.; Lawrenz, Frances

2011-01-01

This chapter discusses the impact that four multisite National Science Foundation (NSF) evaluations had on the broader field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and evaluation. Three approaches were used to investigate the broader impact of these evaluations on the field: (a) a citation analysis, (b) an on-line survey,…

SOLAS Science and the Environmental Impacts of Geoengineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, P.; Law, C. S.

2016-02-01

SOLAS (Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study) has played a major role in establishing the elemental and ecosystem responses in the in situ mesoscale iron addition experiments. The outcomes of these experiments have included a Summary for Policymakers and an amendment on ocean fertilisation in the London Convention on marine dumping, which have informed both the debate and international regulation on this potential geoengineering approach. As part of Future Earth the next ten years of SOLAS Science will develop understanding and fundamental science in 5 major themes, including Greenhouse Gases and the Ocean, Interconnections between Aerosol, Clouds and Ecosystems, and Ocean Biogeochemical Controls on Atmospheric Chemistry. This poster will review the SOLAS science areas that provide fundamental knowledge on processes and ecosystem impacts, which is required for the robust assessment of potential Solar Radiation Management and Carbon Dioxide Removal techniques.

Students' Perceptions of the Long-Term Impact of Attending a "CSI Science Camp"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yanowitz, Karen L.

2016-01-01

A science summer camp is a popular type of informal science experience for youth. While there is no one model of a science camp, these experiences typically allow for more focused and in-depth exploration of different science domains and are usually hands-on and participatory. The goal of this research was to examine the impact of a short science…

Measuring and Maximising Research Impact in Applied Social Science Research Settings. Good Practice Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanwick, John; Hargreaves, Jo

2012-01-01

This guide describes the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) approach to measuring impact using examples from its own case studies, as well as showing how to maximise the impact of applied social science research. Applied social science research needs to demonstrate that it is relevant and useful both to public policy and…

Science communication on YouTube: Factors that affect channel and video popularity.

PubMed

Welbourne, Dustin J; Grant, Will J

2016-08-01

YouTube has become one of the largest websites on the Internet. Among its many genres, both professional and amateur science communicators compete for audience attention. This article provides the first overview of science communication on YouTube and examines content factors that affect the popularity of science communication videos on the site. A content analysis of 390 videos from 39 YouTube channels was conducted. Although professionally generated content is superior in number, user-generated content was significantly more popular. Furthermore, videos that had consistent science communicators were more popular than those without a regular communicator. This study represents an important first step to understand content factors, which increases the channel and video popularity of science communication on YouTube. © The Author(s) 2015.

Information sciences and human factors overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holcomb, Lee B.

1988-01-01

An overview of program objectives of the Information Sciences and Human Factors Division of NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology is given in viewgraph form. Information is given on the organizational structure, goals, the research and technology base, telerobotics, systems autonomy in space operations, space sensors, humans in space, space communications, space data systems, transportation vehicle guidance and control, spacecraft control, and major program directions in space.

Author Impact Factor: tracking the dynamics of individual scientific impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Raj Kumar; Fortunato, Santo

2014-05-01

The impact factor (IF) of scientific journals has acquired a major role in the evaluations of the output of scholars, departments and whole institutions. Typically papers appearing in journals with large values of the IF receive a high weight in such evaluations. However, at the end of the day one is interested in assessing the impact of individuals, rather than papers. Here we introduce Author Impact Factor (AIF), which is the extension of the IF to authors. The AIF of an author A in year t is the average number of citations given by papers published in year t to papers published by A in a period of Δt years before year t. Due to its intrinsic dynamic character, AIF is capable to capture trends and variations of the impact of the scientific output of scholars in time, unlike the h-index, which is a growing measure taking into account the whole career path.

Latinos in science: Identifying factors that influence the low percentage of Latino representation in the sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, Susan Jennifer

A mixed methods approach was used to identify factors that influence the underrepresentation of Latinos in the domain of science. The researcher investigated the role of family influences, academic preparation, and personal motivations to determine science-related career choices by Latinos. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted using information from Latinos gathered from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88) administered by the National Center for Education Statistics. For the present study, data were analyzed using participants' responses as high school seniors, college students, and post-baccalaureates. Students responded to questions on school, work, parental academic influences, personal aspirations, and self-perception. To provide more insight into the experiences of Latinos in science and support the statistical analyses, nine students majoring in science in a private, urban university located in the northeastern part of the country were interviewed. Eleven variables related to parents' academic support and students' perceptions of parental support were taken together as predictors for two separate criteria from the survey. These results identified parents' level of education and the importance of academics to parents in their teen's college choice as significant predictors in determining college major in science. When the criterion was degree in science, the significant predictor was the frequency parents contacted high school as volunteers. Student interviews supported this information, demonstrating the importance of parental support in attaining a degree in science. Academic preparation was also analyzed. Students' reasons for taking science classes in high school was a significant predictor for science major; significant predictors for science degree were the emphasis placed on objectives in math and science classes and number of courses in biology and physics. Student interviews supported this information and

School Composition and Context Factors that Moderate and Predict 10th-Grade Science Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogrebe, Mark C.; Tate, William F., IV

2010-01-01

Background: Performance in high school science is a critical indicator of science literacy and regional competitiveness. Factors that influence science proficiency have been studied using national databases, but these do not answer all questions about variable relationships at the state level. School context factors and opportunities to learn…

Cross-Cultural Comparisons of University Students' Science Learning Self-Efficacy: Structural Relationships among Factors within Science Learning Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ya-Ling; Liang, Jyh-Chong; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2018-01-01

Science learning self-efficacy could be regarded as a multi-factor belief which comprises different aspects such as cognitive skills, practical work, and everyday application. However, few studies have investigated the relationships among these factors that compose science learning self-efficacy. Also, culture may play an important role in…

Working Alongside Scientists. Impacts on Primary Teacher Beliefs and Knowledge About Science and Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Dayle; Moeed, Azra

2017-05-01

Current curriculum demands require primary teachers to teach about the Nature of Science; yet, few primary teachers have had opportunity to learn about science as a discipline. Prior schooling and vicarious experiences of science may shape their beliefs about science and, as a result, their science teaching. This qualitative study describes the impact on teacher beliefs about science and science education of a programme where 26 New Zealand primary (elementary) teachers worked fulltime for 6 months alongside scientists, experiencing the nature of work in scientific research institutes. During the 6 months, teachers were supported, through a series of targeted professional development days, to make connections between their experiences working with scientists, the curriculum and the classroom. Data for the study consisted of mid- and end-of-programme written teacher reports and open-ended questionnaires collected at three points, prior to and following 6 months with the science host and after 6 to 12 months back in school. A shift in many teachers' beliefs was observed after the 6 months of working with scientists in combination with curriculum development days; for many, these changes were sustained 6 to 12 months after returning to school. Beliefs about the aims of science education became more closely aligned with the New Zealand curriculum and its goal of developing science for citizenship. Responses show greater appreciation of the value of scientific ways of thinking, deeper understanding about the nature of scientists' work and the ways in which science and society influence each other.

Factors affecting student achievement in science: A study of teacher beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, Jonathan

This study employed a mixed methods and mixed model research design to explore secondary science teachers' beliefs. Specifically, this study focused on factors that secondary science teachers believe affect student achievement in science, and the extent to which teacher beliefs transfer to teacher practice. This study is significant because the outcomes may inform professional development and policy decisions at the school, district, and provincial level. Results from self-reporting data of 82 secondary science teachers indicate that teacher beliefs in each of the fourteen topics surveyed (Classroom Management, Learning Styles, Inclusion, Equity, Science-Technology-Society (STS), Formative Assessment, Summative Assessment, Constructivism, Thematic Approach, Hands-On/Minds-On Activities, The Nature of Science, Science Subject Matter, Electronic Learning and Cooperative Learning) are positive for most Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) secondary science teachers. Furthermore, secondary science teachers reported having strong beliefs in their ability to affect student learning (self-efficacy beliefs). However, it is apparent from the survey and interview data that teachers believe there are other influential factors that are preventing some students from learning despite the teachers' best efforts and ability. Regarding implementation, this study indicates that beliefs and the enactment of beliefs in classroom practice are positively correlated. The data also shows that at least seventy percent of teachers reported that they implement practices consistent with all but two topics -- The Nature of Science and Electronic Learning -- at least once a week. The findings of this study are discussed in the context of the P.E.I. secondary science setting. Limitations and implications of this study are also addressed.

Computers as learning resources in the health sciences: impact and issues.

PubMed Central

Ellis, L B; Hannigan, G G

1986-01-01

Starting with two computer terminals in 1972, the Health Sciences Learning Resources Center of the University of Minnesota Bio-Medical Library expanded its instructional facilities to ten terminals and thirty-five microcomputers by 1985. Computer use accounted for 28% of total center circulation. The impact of these resources on health sciences curricula is described and issues related to use, support, and planning are raised and discussed. Judged by their acceptance and educational value, computers are successful health sciences learning resources at the University of Minnesota. PMID:3518843

An investigation of the impact of science course sequencing on student performance in high school science and math

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mary, Michael Todd

High school students in the United States for the past century have typically taken science courses in a sequence of biology followed by chemistry and concluding with physics. An alternative sequence, typically referred to as "physics first" inverts the traditional sequence by having students begin with physics and end with biology. Proponents of physics first cite advances in biological sciences that have dramatically changed the nature of high school biology and the potential benefit to student learning in math that would accompany taking an algebra-based physics course in the early years of high school to support changing the sequence. Using a quasi-experimental, quantitative research design, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of science course sequencing on student achievement in math and science at a school district that offered both course sequences. The Texas state end-of-course exams in biology, chemistry, physics, algebra I and geometry were used as the instruments measuring student achievement in math and science at the end of each academic year. Various statistical models were used to analyze these achievement data. The conclusion was, for students in this study, the sequence in which students took biology, chemistry, and physics had little or no impact on performance on the end-of-course assessments in each of these courses. Additionally there was only a minimal effect found with respect to math performance, leading to the conclusion that neither the traditional or "physics first" science course sequence presented an advantage for student achievement in math or science.

Writing in elementary school science: Factors that influence teacher beliefs and practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glen, Nicole J.

Recent calls for scientifically literate citizens have prompted science educators to examine the roles that literacy holds in students' science learning processes. Although many studies have investigated the cognitive gains students acquire when they write in science, these writing-to-learn studies have typically been conducted with only middle and secondary school students. Few studies have explored how teachers, particularly elementary teachers, understand the use of writing in science and the factors that influence their science and writing lessons. This was a qualitative case study conducted in one suburban school with four elementary teachers. The purpose of this study was to understand: (a) how teachers' uses of and purposes for writing in science compared to that in English language arts; (b) the factors that drove teachers' pedagogical decisions to use writing in certain ways; (c) teachers' beliefs about science teaching and learning and its relation to how they used writing; (d) teachers' perceptions of students' writing abilities and its relation to how they used writing; and (e) teachers' views about how writing is used by scientists. Seven main findings resulted from this research. In summary, teachers' main uses of and purposes for writing were similar in science and English language arts. For much of the writing done in both subjects, teachers' expectations of students' writing were typically based on their general literacy writing skills. The teachers believed that scientific writing is factual, for the purpose of communicating about science, and is not as creative or "fun" as other types of writing. The teachers' pedagogical practices in science included teaching by experiences, reading, and the transmission of information. These practices were related to their understanding of scientific writing. Finally, additional factors drove the decisions teachers made regarding the use of writing in science, including time, knowledge of curriculum

Girls and science: A qualitative study on factors related to success and failure in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Paula Denise

This qualitative study sought to determine how girls perceived factors that contribute to their success in science programs designed to maximize their achievement. The sample consisted of 20 students in 9th and 12th grades attending a school of choice. Respondents were interviewed using a structured interview protocol. The National Council for Research on Women study (Thom, 2001) found that girls are more successful in math and science programs that incorporate a cooperative, hands-on approach than in programs that stress competition and individual learning. This finding was supported by this study among 20 high school girls in a school whose mission is to improve the access of girls who study and choose careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. Related studies on the subject of the underrepresentation of girls and women in science and related disciplines raise the question why so few girls choose STEM careers. Qualitative inductive analysis was used to discover critical themes that emerged from the data. The initial results were presented within the context of the following five themes: (1) learning styles, (2) long-term goals, (3) subject matter, (4) classroom climate/environment, and (5) evaluation. After further analysis, the researcher found that factors cited by the girls as contributing to their success in science programs specifically designed to maximize their achievement were: (a) cooperative learning, (b) a custom-tailored curriculum, and (c) positive influences of mentors.

Conceptions of learning factors in postgraduate health sciences master students: a comparative study with non-health science students and between genders.

PubMed

Campos, Fernando; Sola, Miguel; Santisteban-Espejo, Antonio; Ruyffelaert, Ariane; Campos-Sánchez, Antonio; Garzón, Ingrid; Carriel, Víctor; de Dios Luna-Del-Castillo, Juan; Martin-Piedra, Miguel Ángel; Alaminos, Miguel

2018-06-07

The students' conceptions of learning in postgraduate health science master studies are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to compare the factors influencing conceptions of learning in health sciences and non-health sciences students enrolled in postgraduate master programs in order to obtain information that may be useful for students and for future postgraduate programs. A modified version of the Learning Inventory Conception Questionnaire (COLI) was used to compare students' conception learning factors in 131 students at the beginning of their postgraduate studies in health sciences, experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences. The present study demonstrates that a set of factors may influence conception of learning of health sciences postgraduate students, with learning as gaining information, remembering, using, and understanding information, awareness of duty and social commitment being the most relevant. For these students, learning as a personal change, a process not bound by time or place or even as acquisition of professional competences, are less relevant. According to our results, this profile is not affected by gender differences. Our results show that the overall conceptions of learning differ among students of health sciences and non-health sciences (experimental sciences, arts and humanities and social sciences) master postgraduate programs. These finding are potentially useful to foster the learning process of HS students, because if they are metacognitively aware of their own conception or learning, they will be much better equipped to self-regulate their learning behavior in a postgraduate master program in health sciences.

Positive Results Bias and Impact Factor in Ophthalmology.

PubMed

Mimouni, Michael; Krauthammer, Mark; Gershoni, Assaf; Mimouni, Francis; Nesher, Ronit

2015-01-01

Previous studies in several fields of medicine have reported an association between the result of a trial (positive versus negative) and the impact factor of the journal in which it is published. The purpose of this study was to test the hypotheses that in the field of ophthalmology: (1) studies with positive results have a greater chance of being published in journals with a higher impact factor; (2) likewise, studies with a larger number of participants are more likely to be published in journals with a higher impact factor. In this retrospective study, consecutive randomized, controlled trials conducted in the field of ophthalmology between 1 January 2010 and 1 January 2013 were retrieved from PubMed. Each study was classified as having either a positive or negative result. A positive result was defined as a study in which there was a statistically significant difference between groups (p < 0.05). The impact factor of the journal in which the study was published was retrieved. The number of patients enrolled and whether or not the trial was placebo controlled was documented as well. Out of 2524 studies identified, 892 met the inclusion criteria. Studies with positive results were published in journals with a significantly higher impact factor than that of the journals in which negative result studies were published (p < 0.001). Studies with positive results had a slightly larger number of participants than studies with negative results (p = 0.028). In multiple regression analysis, the ranked impact factor was significantly predicted by the primary outcome (positive versus negative results) and the number of participants in a study (total R(2 )= 2.95, p < 0.001). In the field of ophthalmology, articles with positive results are currently published in journals with a higher impact factor. This finding supports the ongoing occurrence of positive results bias in the field of ophthalmology.

Confirmatory factors analysis of science teacher leadership in the Thailand world-class standard schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thawinkarn, Dawruwan

2018-01-01

This research aims to analyze factors of science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools. The research instrument was a five scale rating questionnaire with reliability 0.986. The sample group included 500 science teachers from World-Class Standard Schools who had been selected by using the stratified random sampling technique. Factor analysis of science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools was conducted by using M plus for Windows. The results are as follows: The results of confirmatory factor analysis on science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools revealed that the model significantly correlated with the empirical data. The consistency index value was x2 = 105.655, df = 88, P-Value = 0.086, TLI = 0.997, CFI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.022, and SRMR = 0.019. The value of factor loading of science teacher leadership was positive, with statistical significance at the level of 0.01. The value of six factors was between 0.880-0.996. The highest factor loading was the professional learning community, followed by child-centered instruction, participation in development, the role model in teaching, transformational leaders, and self-development with factor loading at 0.996, 0.928, 0.911, 0.907, 0.901, and 0.871, respectively. The reliability of each factor was 99.1%, 86.0%, 83.0%, 82.2%, 81.0%, and 75.8%, respectively.

Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers: Examination of the Multiple Factors Reported as Influential

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tastan Kirik, Özgecan

2013-01-01

This study explores the science teaching efficacy beliefs of preservice elementary teachers and the relationship between efficacy beliefs and multiple factors such as antecedent factors (participation in extracurricular activities and number of science and science teaching methods courses taken), conceptual understanding, classroom management…

The Key Factors Affecting Students' Individual Interest in School Science Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Derek

2018-01-01

Individual interest in school science lessons can be defined as a relatively stable and enduring personal emotion comprising affective and behavioural reactions to events in the regular science lessons at school. Little research has compared the importance of different factors affecting students' individual interest in school science lessons. The…

Lessons from NASA Applied Sciences Program: Success Factors in Applying Earth Science in Decision Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedl, L. A.; Cox, L.

2008-12-01

The NASA Applied Sciences Program collaborates with organizations to discover and demonstrate applications of NASA Earth science research and technology to decision making. The desired outcome is for public and private organizations to use NASA Earth science products in innovative applications for sustained, operational uses to enhance their decisions. In addition, the program facilitates the end-user feedback to Earth science to improve products and demands for research. The Program thus serves as a bridge between Earth science research and technology and the applied organizations and end-users with management, policy, and business responsibilities. Since 2002, the Applied Sciences Program has sponsored over 115 applications-oriented projects to apply Earth observations and model products to decision making activities. Projects have spanned numerous topics - agriculture, air quality, water resources, disasters, public health, aviation, etc. The projects have involved government agencies, private companies, universities, non-governmental organizations, and foreign entities in multiple types of teaming arrangements. The paper will examine this set of applications projects and present specific examples of successful use of Earth science in decision making. The paper will discuss scientific, organizational, and management factors that contribute to or impede the integration of the Earth science research in policy and management. The paper will also present new methods the Applied Sciences Program plans to implement to improve linkages between science and end users.

Choosing Science: A Mixed-Methods Study of Factors Predicting Latino and Latina High School Students' Decisions to Pursue Science Degrees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, Rachel S.

Latino/as are an increasingly large subset of the United States population; however, they continue to be underrepresented in science careers. Because of this increase, research regarding Latino/as has improved, but there are still many gaps in regards to gender-specific predictors to pursue science careers. To address this lack of literature, the purpose of this study is to extend previous research and to develop a model of variables that significantly contribute to science career choice among Latino and Latina students when they graduate from high school. In particular the study addressed the following research questions: (1) What are the differences in science outcomes for Latino and Latina students? (2) What are the differences in factors involved in science outcomes for Latino and Latina students? (3) For Latino and Latina students what are the differences in the factors that predict students' choice to pursue a science degree and/or high scores on the Future Plans in Science Scale? (4) What are the differences in how Latino and Latina students experience science, which account for high achieving students to choose to pursue a science major? This study utilized an explanatory mixed-method approach to examine how cognitive, institutional, and motivational factors may be interrelated and play a role in Latino/as choice to pursue science. The first phase of the study incorporated the collection of survey and database information from 12th grade students at two Southern California high schools. The second phase of the study utilized follow-up focus group interviews to explore the specific differential experiences and views of Latino and Latina students. The results of the study demonstrated multiple significant predictors. Science self-concept and views towards science outside of school were the most significant predictors of students' choice to pursue science. Male students also had major predictors of Spanish proficiency, teacher encouragement, religious views

Variables that impact the implementation of project-based learning in high school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunningham, Kellie

Wagner and colleagues (2006) state the mediocrity of teaching and instructional leadership is the central problem that must be addressed if we are to improve student achievement. Educational reform efforts have been initiated to improve student performance and to hold teachers and school leaders accountable for student achievement (Wagner et al., 2006). Specifically, in the area of science, goals for improving student learning have led reformers to establish standards for what students should know and be able to do, as well as what instructional methods should be used. Key concepts and principles have been identified for student learning. Additionally, reformers recommend student-centered, inquiry-based practices that promote a deep understanding of how science is embedded in the everyday world. These new approaches to science education emphasize inquiry as an essential element for student learning (Schneider, Krajcik, Marx, & Soloway, 2002). Project-based learning (PBL) is an inquiry-based instructional approach that addresses these recommendations for science education reform. The objective of this research was to study the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) in an urban school undergoing reform efforts and identify the variables that positively or negatively impacted the PBL implementation process and its outcomes. This study responded to the need to change how science is taught by focusing on the implementation of project-based learning as an instructional approach to improve student achievement in science and identify the role of both school leaders and teachers in the creation of a school environment that supports project-based learning. A case study design using a mixed-method approach was used in this study. Data were collected through individual interviews with the school principal, science instructional coach, and PBL facilitator. A survey, classroom observations and interviews involving three high school science teachers teaching grades 9

Key Impact Factors on Dam Break Fatalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, D.; Yu, Z.; Song, Y.; Han, D.; Li, Y.

2016-12-01

Dam failures can lead to catastrophes on human society. However, there is a lack of research about dam break fatalities, especially on the key factors that affect fatalities. Based on the analysis of historical dam break cases, most studies have used the regression analysis to explore the correlation between those factors and fatalities, but without implementing optimization to find the dominating factors. In order to understand and reduce the risk of fatalities, this study has proposed a new method to select the impact factors on the fatality. It employs an improved ANN (Artificial Neural Network) combined with LOOCV (Leave-one-out cross-validation) and SFS (Stepwise Forward Selection) approach to explore the nonlinear relationship between impact factors and life losses. It not only considers the factors that have been widely used in the literature but also introduces new factors closely involved with fatalities. Dam break cases occurred in China from 1954 to 2013 are summarized, within which twenty-five cases are selected with a comprehensive coverage of geographic position and temporal variation. Twelve impact factors are taken into account as the inputs, i.e., severity of dam break flood (SF), population at risk (PR), public understanding of dam break (UB), warning time (TW), evacuation condition (EC), weather condition during dam break (WB), dam break mode (MB), water storage (SW), building vulnerability (VB), dam break time (TB), average distance from the affected area to the dam (DD) and preventive measures by government (PG).From those, three key factors of SF, MB and TB are chosen. The proposed method is able to extract the key factors, and the derived fatality model performs well in various types of dam break conditions.

The Impact of Science Integrated Curriculum Supplements on Early Childhood Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs towards Science while In-Service: A Multiple Case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Kellian L.

Science at the early childhood level has been rarely taught as a single subject or integrated into the curriculum. One reason why early childhood educators avoid teaching science are their attitudes, beliefs, and lack of understanding scientific concepts as presented in traditional science curriculums. The intervention used by researchers for improving beliefs and attitudes in K-6 pre-service teachers towards teaching science in early childhood has been science method courses. For in service teachers, the intervention has been professional development workshops, seminars, and symposiums. Though these interventions have had a positive impact on teachers' attitudes and beliefs toward teaching science, the interventions have not necessarily guaranteed more science being taught in the preschool classroom. The specific problem investigated for this study was how to improve the interventions designed to improve preschool teachers' attitudes and beliefs so that they would feel more confident in teaching science to young children. The purpose of this study was to examine how implementing a one-week science integrated curriculum supplement could be an effective tool for improving preschool teachers' attitudes and beliefs toward teaching science. This study utilized the qualitative multiple case study research method. A logical model was created based on negative teacher attitudes and beliefs attributes that were the core components of the Preschool Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs toward Science teaching (P-TABS) questionnaire. The negative attributes were paired with positive interventions and encapsulated in a one-week science integrated curriculum supplement based on the factors of teacher comfort, child benefit and challenges. The primary source of evidence for this study was the semi-structured interview. The researcher contacted 24 early childhood facilities, 44 emails were sent to preschool teachers, four teachers agreed to participate in the study. The results of the

Reinventing a health sciences digital library--organizational impact.

PubMed

Moore, Margaret E; Garrison, Scott; Hayes, Barrie; McLendon, Wallace

2003-01-01

What is the organizational impact of becoming a digital library, as well as a physical entity with facilities and collections? Is the digital library an add-on or an integrated component of the overall library package? Librarians see sweeping environmental and technological changes. The staff members feel exhilarated and challenged by the pressures to adapt quickly and effectively. Librarians recognize that a Web presence, like other technology components, must be continuously enhanced and regularly re-engineered. The Health Sciences Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is reinventing its digital presence to better meet the needs of the community. This paper provides a case study focusing on major changes in planning processes, organizational structure, staffing, budgeting, training, communications, and operations at the Health Sciences Library.

Mentoring for Inclusion: The Impact of Mentoring on Undergraduate Researchers in the Sciences

PubMed Central

Haeger, Heather; Fresquez, Carla

2016-01-01

Increasing inclusion of underrepresented minority and first-generation students in mentored research experiences both increases diversity in the life sciences research community and prepares students for successful careers in these fields. However, analyses of the impact of mentoring approaches on specific student gains are limited. This study addresses the impact of mentoring strategies within research experiences on broadening access to the life sciences by examining both how these experiences impacted student success and how the quality of mentorship affected the development of research and academic skills for a diverse population of students at a public, minority-serving institution. Institutional data on student grades and graduation rates (n = 348) along with postresearch experience surveys (n = 138) found that students mentored in research had significantly higher cumulative grade point averages and similar graduation rates as a matched set of peers. Examination of the relationships between student-reported gains and mentoring strategies demonstrated that socioemotional and culturally relevant mentoring impacted student development during mentored research experiences. Additionally, extended engagement in research yielded significantly higher development of research-related skills and level of independence in research. Recommendations are provided for using mentoring to support traditionally underrepresented students in the sciences. PMID:27543635

Comparing the Impact of an Astronomy Course and a Science and Society Seminar on Undergraduate Students' Attitudes toward Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flohic, Hélène M. L. G.

2017-01-01

A common challenge among university professors is how to best design undergraduate courses to successfully enhance students' attitudes. To compare which curriculum was more efficient at fostering a positive attitude towards science in general, I studied the impact of two different general education science courses on the attitudes of college…

Throttling Impacts on Hall Thruster Performance, Erosion, and Qualification for NASA Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dankanich, John W.; DeHoyos, Amado

2007-01-01

With the SMART-1, Department of Defense, and commercial industry successes in Hall thruster technologies, NASA has started considering Hall thrusters for science missions. The recent Discovery proposals included a Hall thruster science mission and the In-Space Propulsion Project is investing in Hall thruster technologies. As the confidence in Hall thrusters improve, ambitious multi-thruster missions are being considered. Science missions often require large throttling ranges due to the 1/r(sup 2) power drop-off from the sun. Deep throttling of Hall thrusters will impact the overall system performance. Also, Hall thrusters can be throttled with both current and voltage, impacting erosion rates and performance. Last, electric propulsion thruster lifetime qualification has previously been conducted with long duration full power tests. Full power tests may not be appropriate for NASA science missions, and a combination of lifetime testing at various power levels with sufficient analysis is recommended. Analyses of various science missions and throttling schemes using the Aerojet BPT-4000 and NASA 103M HiVHAC thruster are presented.

Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers: Examination of the Multiple Factors Reported as Influential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taştan Kırık, Özgecan

2013-12-01

This study explores the science teaching efficacy beliefs of pr-service elementary teachers and the relationship between efficacy beliefs and multiple factors such as antecedent factors (participation in extracurricular activities and number of science and science teaching methods courses taken), conceptual understanding, classroom management beliefs and science teaching attitudes. Science education majors ( n = 71) and elementary education majors ( n = 262) were compared with respect to these variables. Finally, the predictors of two constructs of science teaching efficacy beliefs, personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE), were examined by multiple linear regression analysis. According to the results, participation in extracurricular activities has a significant but low correlation with science concept knowledge, science teaching attitudes, PSTE and STOE. In addition, there is a small but significant correlation between science concept knowledge and outcome expectancy, which leads the idea that preservice elementary teachers' conceptual understanding in science contributes to their science teaching self-efficacy. This study reveals a moderate correlation between science teaching attitudes and STOE and a high correlation between science teaching attitudes and PSTE. Additionally, although the correlation coefficient is low, the number of methodology courses was found to be one of the correlates of science teaching attitudes. Furthermore, students of both majors generally had positive self-efficacy beliefs on both the STOE and PSTE. Specifically, science education majors had higher science teaching self-efficacy than elementary education majors. Regression results showed that science teaching attitude is the major factor in predicting both PSTE and STOE for both groups.

Natural Sciences and Pre-Schoolers: Impact and Future Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mira, Sara; Leote, Catarina; Ferreira, Hélder; Correia, Diana; Alho, Joana; Costa, Júlio; Silva, Adriana; Faria, Cláudia; Azevedo Rodrigues, Luis

2017-04-01

Geosciences are more and more part of the primary school curriculum. However, the subjects of Earth and Astronomy remain very lightly approached. In Portugal, after the mandatory class period from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., a complementary Experimental Sciences class of 1 or 2 hours per week has been introduced. In the past two years, through a partnership with the Lagos City Hall, the Lagos Ciência Viva Science Centre (CCVL) has been responsible for these classes in 8 primary schools engaging roughly 500 students in STEM activities that aim to support students to better understand and explore general scientific (and geosciences) subjects. But what is the impact of these classes in their knowledge and thinking procedure? What competencies and skills are gained, if any? And what is the background of our students regarding scientific literacy and habits? To answer these questions, we used questionnaires and personal meaning mapping to characterize our primary school population concerning scientific literacy and habits, assess the impact in their knowledge and identify potential caveats in our teaching and evaluation methods.

The Societal Impact of Extraterrestrial Life: The Relevance of History and the Social Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dick, Steven J.

This chapter reviews past studies on the societal impact of extraterrestrial life and offers four related ways in which history is relevant to the subject: the history of impact thus far, analogical reasoning, impact studies in other areas of science and technology, and studies on the nature of discovery and exploration. We focus particularly on the promise and peril of analogical arguments, since they are by necessity widespread in the field. This chapter also summarizes the relevance of the social sciences, particularly anthropology and sociology, and concludes by taking a closer look at the possible impact of the discovery of extraterrestrial life on theology and philosophy. In undertaking this study we emphasize three bedrock principles: (1) we cannot predict the future; (2) society is not monolithic, implying many impacts depending on religion, culture and worldview; (3) the impact of any discovery of extraterrestrial life is scenario-dependent.

Game Immersion Experience: Its Hierarchical Structure and Impact on Game-Based Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, M.-T.; She, H.-C.; Annetta, L. A.

2015-01-01

Many studies have shown the positive impact of serious educational games (SEGs) on learning outcomes. However, there still exists insufficient research that delves into the impact of immersive experience in the process of gaming on SEG-based science learning. The dual purpose of this study was to further explore this impact. One purpose was to…

Adolescents' Motivation to Select an Academic Science-Related Career: The Role of School Factors, Individual Interest, and Science Self-Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taskinen, Päivi H.; Schütte, Kerstin; Prenzel, Manfred

2013-01-01

Many researchers consider a lacking interest in science and the students' belief that science is too demanding as major reasons why young people do not strive for science-related careers. In this article, we first delineated a theoretical framework to investigate the importance of interest, self-concept, and school factors regarding students'…

The Impact of a Cryogenics-Based Enrichment Programme on Attitude Towards Science and the Learning of Science Concepts. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caleon, Imelda; Subramaniam, R.

2005-01-01

This study explores the impact of a cryogenics-based enrichment programme, which involves demonstrations that use liquid nitrogen, on attitudes towards science and the learning of science concepts. The findings presented in this paper are based on a sample of 214 fifth-grade students from two schools in Singapore who had their enrichment lesson in…

Advancing Climate Change and Impacts Science Through Climate Informatics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenhardt, W.; Pouchard, L. C.; King, A. W.; Branstetter, M. L.; Kao, S.; Wang, D.

2010-12-01

This poster will outline the work to date on developing a climate informatics capability at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The central proposition of this effort is that the application of informatics and information science to the domain of climate change science is an essential means to bridge the realm of high performance computing (HPC) and domain science. The goal is to facilitate knowledge capture and the creation of new scientific insights. For example, a climate informatics capability will help with the understanding and use of model results in domain sciences that were not originally in the scope. From there, HPC can also benefit from feedback as the new approaches may lead to better parameterization in the models. In this poster we will summarize the challenges associated with climate change science that can benefit from the systematic application of informatics and we will highlight our work to date in creating the climate informatics capability to address these types of challenges. We have identified three areas that are particularly challenging in the context of climate change science: 1) integrating model and observational data across different spatial and temporal scales, 2) model linkages, i.e. climate models linked to other models such as hydrologic models, and 3) model diagnostics. Each of these has a methodological component and an informatics component. Our project under way at ORNL seeks to develop new approaches and tools in the context of linking climate change and water issues. We are basing our work on the following four use cases: 1) Evaluation/test of CCSM4 biases in hydrology (precipitation, soil water, runoff, river discharge) over the Rio Grande Basin. User: climate modeler. 2) Investigation of projected changes in hydrology of Rio Grande Basin using the VIC (Variable Infiltration Capacity Macroscale) Hydrologic Model. User: watershed hydrologist/modeler. 3) Impact of climate change on agricultural productivity of the Rio Grande

Goodbye genome paper, hello genome report: the increasing popularity of 'genome announcements' and their impact on science.

PubMed

Smith, David Roy

2017-05-01

Next-generation sequencing technologies have revolutionized genomics and altered the scientific publication landscape. Life-science journals abound with genome papers-peer-reviewed descriptions of newly sequenced chromosomes. Although they once filled the pages of Nature and Science, genome papers are now mostly relegated to journals with low-impact factors. Some have forecast the death of the genome paper and argued that they are using up valuable resources and not advancing science. However, the publication rate of genome papers is on the rise. This increase is largely because some journals have created a new category of manuscript called genome reports, which are short, fast-tracked papers describing a chromosome sequence(s), its GenBank accession number and little else. In 2015, for example, more than 2000 genome reports were published, and 2016 is poised to bring even more. Here, I highlight the growing popularity of genome reports and discuss their merits, drawbacks and impact on science and the academic publication infrastructure. Genome reports can be excellent assets for the research community, but they are also being used as quick and easy routes to a publication, and in some instances they are not peer reviewed. One of the best arguments for genome reports is that they are a citable, user-generated genomic resource providing essential methodological and biological information, which may not be present in the sequence database. But they are expensive and time-consuming avenues for achieving such a goal. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

The potential impact of microgravity science and technology on education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wargo, M. J.

1992-01-01

The development of educational support materials by NASA's Microgravity Science and Applications Division is discussed in the light of two programs. Descriptions of the inception and application possibilities are given for the Microgravity-Science Teacher's Guide and the program of Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Microgravity Science and Technology. The guide is intended to introduce students to the principles and research efforts related to microgravity, and the undergraduate program is intended to reinforce interest in the space program. The use of computers and electronic communications is shown to be an important catalyst for the educational efforts. It is suggested that student and teacher access to these programs be enhanced so that they can have a broader impact on the educational development of space-related knowledge.

Science anxiety and social cognitive factors predicting STEM career aspirations of high school freshmen in general science class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skells, Kristin Marie

Extant data was used to consider the association between science anxiety, social cognitive factors and STEM career aspirations of high school freshmen in general science classes. An adapted model based on social cognitive career theory (SCCT) was used to consider these relationships, with science anxiety functioning as a barrier in the model. The study assessed the following research questions: (1) Do social cognitive variables relate in the expected way to STEM career aspirations based on SCCT for ninth graders taking general science classes? (2) Is there an association between science anxiety and outcomes and processes identified in the SCCT model for ninth graders taking general science classes? (3) Does gender moderate these relationships? Results indicated that support was found for many of the central tenants of the SCCT model. Science anxiety was associated with prior achievement, self-efficacy, and science interest, although it did not relate directly to STEM career goals. Gender was found to moderate only the relationship between prior achievement and science self-efficacy.

Impacting university physics students through participation in informal science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinko, Kathleen; Finkelstein, Noah D.

2013-01-01

Informal education programs organized by university physics departments are a popular means of reaching out to communities and satisfying grant requirements. The outcomes of these programs are often described in terms of broader impacts on the community. Comparatively little attention, however, has been paid to the influence of such programs on those students facilitating the informal science programs. Through Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) at the University of Colorado Boulder, undergraduate and graduate physics students coach elementary and middle school children during an inquiry-based science afterschool program. As part of their participation in PISEC, university students complete preparation in pedagogy, communication and diversity, engage with children on a weekly basis and provide regular feedback about the program. We present findings that indicate these experiences improve the ability of university students to communicate in everyday language and positively influence their perspectives on teaching and learning.

Perceived impact on student engagement when learning middle school science in an outdoor setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbatiello, James

Human beings have an innate need to spend time outside, but in recent years children are spending less time outdoors. It is possible that this decline in time spent outdoors could have a negative impact on child development. Science teachers can combat the decline in the amount of time children spend outside by taking their science classes outdoors for regular classroom instruction. This study identified the potential impacts that learning in an outdoor setting might have on student engagement when learning middle school science. One sixth-grade middle school class participated in this case study, and students participated in outdoor intervention lessons where the instructional environment was a courtyard on the middle school campus. The outdoor lessons consisted of the same objectives and content as lessons delivered in an indoor setting during a middle school astronomy unit. Multiple sources of data were collected including questionnaires after each lesson, a focus group, student work samples, and researcher observations. The data was triangulated, and a vignette was written about the class' experiences learning in an outdoor setting. This study found that the feeling of autonomy and freedom gained by learning in an outdoor setting, and the novelty of the outdoor environment did increase student engagement for learning middle school science. In addition, as a result of this study, more work is needed to identify how peer to peer relationships are impacted by learning outdoors, how teachers could best utilize the outdoor setting for regular science instruction, and how learning in an outdoor setting might impact a feeling of stewardship for the environment in young adults.

Factors Associated with Interest in Science of West African Students in Washington, D.C.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onwere, Godfrey O.

1980-01-01

Describes a study designed to identify factors which students from Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone associated with precollege interest in science and factors which influenced or contributed to the choice of a science major or dissuaded students from entering a scientific field. (Author/GC)

An Assessment of the Impact of a Science Outreach Program, Science In Motion, on Student Achievement, Teacher Efficacy, and Teacher Perception

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herring, Phillip Allen

2009-01-01

The purpose of the study was to analyze the science outreach program, Science In Motion (SIM), located in Mobile, Alabama. This research investigated what impact the SIM program has on student cognitive functioning and teacher efficacy and also investigated teacher perceptions and attitudes regarding the program. To investigate student…

The Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission: Science Proximity Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnouin, Olivier; Bellerose, Julie; Carnelli, Ian; Carrol, Kieran; Ciarletti, Valérie; Cheng, Andrew F.; Galvez, Andres; Green, Simon F.; Grieger, Bjorn; Hirabayashi, Masatoshi; Herique, Alain; Kueppers, Michael; Minton, David A.; Mellab, Karim; Michel, Patrick; Rivkin, Andrew S.; Rosenblatt, Pascal; Tortora, Paolo; Ulamec, Stephan; Vincent, Jean-Baptiste; Zannoni, Marco

2016-10-01

The moon of the near-Earth binary asteroid 65803 Didymos is the target of the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission. This mission is a joint effort between NASA and ESA to investigate the effectiveness of a kinetic impactor in deflecting an asteroid. The mission is composed of two components: the NASA-led Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) that will impact Didymos' moon (henceforth Didymos B), and the ESA-led Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) that will survey the Didymos system. Both will undertake proximity operations to characterize the physical and dynamical properties of the Didymos system that are of maximum importance in the joint AIDA mission to understand the factors at play when assessing the mometum transfer that follows DART's impact into Didymos B. Using much of ESA's Rosetta experience, the AIM mission will undertake proximity operations both before and after DART's impact. AIM's chracterization includes measuring the precise orbital configuration, masses, internal properties, surface geology and regolith properties of the primary and secondary, using visible and thermal imaging, radar measurements and radio science data. AIM will also release the small MASCOT-2 lander, as well as a suite of a CubeSats to help achieve these objectives. DART proximity observations include two phases of imaging. The first makes use of a suite of long range images that will add light curve data to what will be collected from Earth. These data will refine the orbit period of Didymos B, and provide constraints for modeling the shape of both Didymos A and B. The second phase begins just under an hour before impact when resolved imaging of the Didymos system provides further shape model constraints for the visble parts of both Didymos A and B, some possible constraints on the mass of Didymos B and key geological information of both objects and the impact site. In this presentation, we will summarize the proximity operations undertaken by both DART and AIM

Thomas Kuhn's impact on science education: What lessons can be learned?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, Michael R.

2004-01-01

Thomas Kuhn has had an impact in all academic fields. In science education, Kuhnian themes are especially noticeable in conceptual change research, constructivist theorizing, and multicultural education debates. Unfortunately the influence is frequently compromised by researchers having a limited understanding of Kuhn's original ideas, little exposure to the tradition of philosophical opposition to Kuhn's theories, and minimal appreciation of how Kuhn progressively qualified his initial irrationalist'' views of scientific development. One lesson to be learnt is that the science education community should more seriously and effectively engage with on-going debates and analysis in the history and philosophy of science. This is the same lesson that was learnt from the science education community's wholesale embrace of logical empiricism during the 1950s and 1960s. Another lesson is that there are powerful disciplinary, institutional, and subcultural barriers that mitigate against science educators seriously engaging with historical and philosophical scholarship.

Evaluating the impact of implementation factors on family-based prevention programming: methods for strengthening causal inference.

PubMed

Crowley, D Max; Coffman, Donna L; Feinberg, Mark E; Greenberg, Mark T; Spoth, Richard L

2014-04-01

Despite growing recognition of the important role implementation plays in successful prevention efforts, relatively little work has sought to demonstrate a causal relationship between implementation factors and participant outcomes. In turn, failure to explore the implementation-to-outcome link limits our understanding of the mechanisms essential to successful programming. This gap is partially due to the inability of current methodological procedures within prevention science to account for the multitude of confounders responsible for variation in implementation factors (i.e., selection bias). The current paper illustrates how propensity and marginal structural models can be used to improve causal inferences involving implementation factors not easily randomized (e.g., participant attendance). We first present analytic steps for simultaneously evaluating the impact of multiple implementation factors on prevention program outcome. Then, we demonstrate this approach for evaluating the impact of enrollment and attendance in a family program, over and above the impact of a school-based program, within PROSPER, a large-scale real-world prevention trial. Findings illustrate the capacity of this approach to successfully account for confounders that influence enrollment and attendance, thereby more accurately representing true causal relations. For instance, after accounting for selection bias, we observed a 5% reduction in the prevalence of 11th grade underage drinking for those who chose to receive a family program and school program compared to those who received only the school program. Further, we detected a 7% reduction in underage drinking for those with high attendance in the family program.

Impact of Initiatives to Implement Science Inquiry: A Comparative Study of the Turkish, Israeli, Swedish and Czech Science Education Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heinz, Jana; Enghag, Margareta; Stuchlikova, Iva; Cakmakci, Gultekin; Peleg, Ran; Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet

2017-01-01

This empirical study investigates factors that influence the implementation of science inquiry in the education systems of Turkey, Israel, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Data was collected by means of recordings of science experts' discussions as part of an EU-funded project called Science-Teacher Education Advanced Methods (2009-2012). Results of…

Curriculum-Dependent and Curriculum-Independent Factors in Preservice Elementary Teachers' Adaptation of Science Curriculum Materials for Inquiry-Based Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forbes, Cory T.

2013-01-01

In this nested mixed methods study I investigate factors influencing preservice elementary teachers' adaptation of science curriculum materials to better support students' engagement in science as inquiry. Analyses focus on two "reflective teaching assignments" completed by 46 preservice elementary teachers in an undergraduate elementary science…

Young Women in Science: Impact of a Three-Year Program on Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumacher, Mitzi M.; Johnson, Michelle Natasya; Floyd, Sondra R.; Reid, Caroline E.; Noland, Melody Powers; Leukefeld, Carl G.

Addressing the factors that discourage high school girls from pursuing careers in science, this intervention targeted young women from rural Appalachia, urging them to pursue scientific careers in drug and alcohol research. This three-year program, for 49 young women entering ninth grade in 12 southeastern Kentucky counties, included a summer camp, Saturday Academies (educational seminars held in their communities), and mentoring by university faculty and community leaders. As hypothesized, findings from analyses of baseline and postsummer session data show a reduction in participants' anxiety regarding science. Participants' scientific knowledge also increased. In turn, their science knowledge scores correlated with their third summer posttest confidence in their ability to learn science and motivation for science as well as the belief that teachers can help. The success of such a program demonstrates that the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can be ameliorated. Participants' first steps toward successful scientific careers included improving their attitudes toward science as well as increasing their knowledge.

Impact of initiatives to implement science inquiry: a comparative study of the Turkish, Israeli, Swedish and Czech science education systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinz, Jana; Enghag, Margareta; Stuchlikova, Iva; Cakmakci, Gultekin; Peleg, Ran; Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet

2017-09-01

This empirical study investigates factors that influence the implementation of science inquiry in the education systems of Turkey, Israel, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Data was collected by means of recordings of science experts' discussions as part of an EU-funded project called Science-Teacher Education Advanced Methods (2009-2012). Results of the qualitative analysis reveal that the following general indicators provide insight into the extent of implementation of inquiry-based science education (IBSE): (1) curriculum (2) assessment (3) policy and (4) teacher professionalization systems. In a second step comparative analyses of the four countries' education systems were conducted with regard to these indicators. To compare these factors we refer to both the framework of neo-institutional theories that explore the emergence of isomorphic educational models and to results from comparative studies emphasizing the influence of the countries' individual structure and cultural practices on modifying global pressure to convergence. Results show that in each of the countries these indicators influence the implementation of science inquiry to varying degrees. Moreover, as a result of the comparative analyses further country specific factors important for implementing science inquiry were found: (5) the need to improve existing teaching methods, (6) predominant teaching patterns, (7) infrastructure that enables changes in education and (8) education system's general goals that correlate with reforms.

Mentoring for Inclusion: The Impact of Mentoring on Undergraduate Researchers in the Sciences.

PubMed

Haeger, Heather; Fresquez, Carla

Increasing inclusion of underrepresented minority and first-generation students in mentored research experiences both increases diversity in the life sciences research community and prepares students for successful careers in these fields. However, analyses of the impact of mentoring approaches on specific student gains are limited. This study addresses the impact of mentoring strategies within research experiences on broadening access to the life sciences by examining both how these experiences impacted student success and how the quality of mentorship affected the development of research and academic skills for a diverse population of students at a public, minority-serving institution. Institutional data on student grades and graduation rates (n = 348) along with postresearch experience surveys (n = 138) found that students mentored in research had significantly higher cumulative grade point averages and similar graduation rates as a matched set of peers. Examination of the relationships between student-reported gains and mentoring strategies demonstrated that socioemotional and culturally relevant mentoring impacted student development during mentored research experiences. Additionally, extended engagement in research yielded significantly higher development of research-related skills and level of independence in research. Recommendations are provided for using mentoring to support traditionally underrepresented students in the sciences. © 2016 H. Haeger and C. Fresquez. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2016 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Assessing the Impact Participation in Science Journalism Activities Has on Scientific Literacy among High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrar, Cathy

2012-01-01

As part of the National Science Foundation Science Literacy through Science Journalism (SciJourn) research and development initiative (http://www.scijourn.org; Polman, Saul, Newman, and Farrar, 2008) a quasi-experimental design was used to investigate what impact incorporating science journalism activities had on students' scientific literacy.…

NASA 2014 The Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) - Science Impact of Deploying Instruments on Separate Platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turpie, Kevin; Veraverbeke, Sander; Wright, Robert; Anderson, Martha; Prakash, Anupma; Quattrochi, Dale

2014-01-01

The Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) mission was recommended for implementation by the 2007 report from the U.S. National Research Council Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond, also known as the Earth Science Decadal Survey. The HyspIRI mission is science driven and will address a set of science questions identified by the Decadal Survey and broader science community. The mission includes a visible shortwave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometer, a multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) imager and an intelligent payload module (IPM). The IPM enables on-board processing and direct broadcast for those applications with short latency requirements. The science questions are organized as VSWIR-only, TIR-only and Combined science questions, the latter requiring data from both instruments. In order to prepare for the mission NASA is undertaking pre-phase A studies to determine the optimum mission implementation, in particular, cost and risk reduction activities. Each year the HyspIRI project is provided with feedback from NASA Headquarters on the pre-phase A activities in the form of a guidance letter which outlines the work that should be undertaken the subsequent year. The 2013 guidance letter included a recommendation to undertake a study to determine the science impact of deploying the instruments from separate spacecraft in sun synchronous orbits with various time separations and deploying both instruments on the International Space Station (ISS). This report summarizes the results from that study. The approach taken was to evaluate the impact on the combined science questions of time separations between the VSWIR and TIR data of <3 minutes, <1 week and a few months as well as deploying both instruments on the ISS. Note the impact was only evaluated for the combined science questions which require data from both instruments (VSWIR and TIR). The study concluded the impact of a separation of <3 minutes was

The impact of economic issues on Nigerian health sciences libraries.

PubMed Central

Belleh, G S; Akhigbe, O O

1991-01-01

Economic issues are among the most important factors affecting health sciences libraries in Nigeria. These issues are influenced by the political, cultural, geographic, and demographic characteristics of the country. Significant economic issues are the dependence of the national economy on a single commodity, large foreign debt and spiraling inflation, stringent foreign exchange control measures, and inadequate realization by authorities of the role and importance of health sciences libraries. With shrinking budgets, resources, and staff, health sciences libraries can neither grow nor afford library automation. Health sciences librarians must take initiatives for cooperative activities to increase and make the most of resources, pursue nontraditional methods of fund-raising, educate authorities about the role and importance of libraries, and develop and implement a plan for the development and growth of health sciences libraries in the country. PMID:1884083

An examination of the association between demographic and educational factors and African American achievement in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottledge, Michael Christopher

Objective of the Study: The objective of this research study was to investigate whether an association exists between teacher demographic factors (years of teaching experience and gender), 2 educational factors (certification type and certification pathway) and the percent passing rate of tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS. Answers to the following questions were sought: 1. Is there an association between teacher demographic factors and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS? 2. Is there an association between teacher educational factors and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS? 3. Is there an association between teacher demographic factors, educational factors and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African American male students on the 2010 science TAKS? Status of the Question: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), science and engineering jobs in the U.S. have increased steadily over recent years and by the year 2016 the number of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs will have grown by more than 21 percent. This increase in science and engineering jobs will double the growth rate of all other workforce sectors combined. The BLS also reports that qualified minority applicants needed to fill these positions will be few and far between. African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities constitute 24 percent of the U.S. population but only 13 percent of college graduates and just 10 percent of people with college degrees who work in science and engineering (Education Trust, 2009). Drawing on the above information, I proposed the following hypotheses to the research questions: H01: There will be no significant statistical association between the demographic factors teacher gender and years of teaching experience and the percent passing rate of their tenth grade African

Science identity construction through extraordinary professional development experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLain, Bradley David

/or embedded within the more holistic physical, intellectual, and emotional impacts. Rather than only targeting specific learning goals, as traditional professional development programs often do, this immersive experiential learning program integrated a wide range of human experience that were important factors, most notably, risk, social connections, permission and agency, and emotions in connection with more targeted science learning. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Factors influencing exemplary science teachers' levels of computer use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakverdi, Meral

This study examines exemplary science teachers' use of technology in science instruction, factors influencing their level of computer use, their level of knowledge/skills in using specific computer applications for science instruction, their use of computer-related applications/tools during their instruction, and their students' use of computer applications/tools in or for their science class. After a relevant review of the literature certain variables were selected for analysis. These variables included personal self-efficacy in teaching with computers, outcome expectancy, pupil-control ideology, level of computer use, age, gender, teaching experience, personal computer use, professional computer use and science teachers' level of knowledge/skills in using specific computer applications for science instruction. The sample for this study includes middle and high school science teachers who received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching Award (sponsored by the White House and the National Science Foundation) between the years 1997 and 2003 from all 50 states and U.S. territories. Award-winning science teachers were contacted about the survey via e-mail or letter with an enclosed return envelope. Of the 334 award-winning science teachers, usable responses were received from 92 science teachers, which made a response rate of 27.5%. Analysis of the survey responses indicated that exemplary science teachers have a variety of knowledge/skills in using computer related applications/tools. The most commonly used computer applications/tools are information retrieval via the Internet, presentation tools, online communication, digital cameras, and data collection probes. Results of the study revealed that students' use of technology in their science classroom is highly correlated with the frequency of their science teachers' use of computer applications/tools. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that personal self-efficacy related to

AGU journals continue to rank highly in Impact Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sears, Jon; Warner, Mary

2012-07-01

AGU journals continue to rank highly in the 2011 Journal Citation Reports (JCR), which was released by Thomson Reuters on 28 June. The impact factor of several AGU journals increased significantly, continuing their trend over the previous 5 years, while others remained consistent with the previous year's ranking. Paleoceanography is an outstanding performer in both the Paleontology and Oceanography categories. Since 1995, Paleoceanography has been the top-ranked journal in the Paleontology category (of 49 titles in 2011), with an Impact Factor of 3.357. In the Oceanography group (59 journals total), Paleoceanography ranks third in Impact Factor. Reviews of Geophysics, with an Impact Factor of 12.364 (an increase of 2.826 from the prior year's score of 9.538), ranks second in Geochemistry and Geophysics out of a total of 77 journals in this cohort. Water Resources Research comes in at second place in the Limnology group, with 19 titles, and third place in the Water Resources group, which has a cohort of 78 titles.

Enhanced science-stakeholder communication to improve ecosystem model performances for climate change impact assessments.

PubMed

Jönsson, Anna Maria; Anderbrant, Olle; Holmér, Jennie; Johansson, Jacob; Schurgers, Guy; Svensson, Glenn P; Smith, Henrik G

2015-04-01

In recent years, climate impact assessments of relevance to the agricultural and forestry sectors have received considerable attention. Current ecosystem models commonly capture the effect of a warmer climate on biomass production, but they rarely sufficiently capture potential losses caused by pests, pathogens and extreme weather events. In addition, alternative management regimes may not be integrated in the models. A way to improve the quality of climate impact assessments is to increase the science-stakeholder collaboration, and in a two-way dialog link empirical experience and impact modelling with policy and strategies for sustainable management. In this paper we give a brief overview of different ecosystem modelling methods, discuss how to include ecological and management aspects, and highlight the importance of science-stakeholder communication. By this, we hope to stimulate a discussion among the science-stakeholder communities on how to quantify the potential for climate change adaptation by improving the realism in the models.

Publication Rate and Impact Factor for Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons. Annual Meeting Presentations, 2009-2013.

PubMed

Orr, Justin; Dunn, John C; Kusnezov, Nicholas; Fares, Austin B; Waterman, Brian R; Garcia, E'stephan; Pallis, Mark

2017-11-01

The Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS) is a robust academic organization with more than 1,000 members and has held annual academic scientific meetings since 1958. Currently, there is a paucity of data regarding the volume and quality of orthopaedic surgery presentations accepted for peer-reviewed publication. The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: (1) What is the publication acceptance rate for abstract presented at SOMOS meetings? (2) What is the distribution by orthopaedic subspecialty for SOMOS presentations accepted for publication? (3) What is the overall quality of these publications? Abstracts of podium presentations at SOMOS were reviewed from 2009 to 2013. Author institutional information was obtained. Abstracts were then queried in PubMed to obtain publication status, time to publication, and impact factor of the journal in which the manuscript was successfully published. From 2009 to 2013, 592 abstracts were presented at the SOMOS conference. Overall, 59% of abstracts went on to publication at a mean of 18.1 months. Published manuscripts appeared in 59 journals with a mean impact factor of 2.6. The subspecialties of spine (67%) and basic science (66%) achieved the highest abstract publication rate while sports had the highest mean impact factor (3.3). The annual SOMOS meeting is a productive academic event, producing quality presentations resulting in a high manuscript publication rate in every orthopaedic surgery subspecialty. This is the first series to demonstrate overall productivity of a general orthopaedic surgery scientific meeting as well as the subspecialty-specific impact factors of published investigations. Reprint & Copyright © 2017 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

The impact of management science on political decision making

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, M. J.

1971-01-01

The possible impact on public policy and organizational decision making of operations research/management science (OR/MS) is discussed. Criticisms based on the assumption that OR/MS will have influence on decision making and criticisms based on the assumption that it will have no influence are described. New directions in the analysis of analysis and in thinking about policy making are also considered.

Factors associated with staff development processes and the creation of innovative science courses in higher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodges, Jeanelle Bland

1999-11-01

The purpose of the study was to determine factors associated with staff development processes and the creation of innovative science courses by higher education faculty who have participated in a model staff development project. The staff development program was designed for college faculty interested in creating interdisciplinary, constructivist-based science, mathematics, or engineering courses designed for non-majors. The program includes workshops on incorporating constructivist pedagogy, alternative assessment, and technology into interdisciplinary courses. Staff development interventions used in the program include grant opportunities, distribution of resource materials, and peer mentoring. University teams attending the workshops are comprised of faculty from the sciences, mathematics, or engineering, as well as education, and administration. A purposeful and convenient sample of three university teams were subjects for this qualitative study. Each team had attended a NASA Opportunities for Visionary Academics (NOVA) workshop, received funding for course development, and offered innovative courses. Five questions were addressed in this study: (a) What methods were used by faculty teams in planning the courses? (b) What changes occurred in existing science courses? (c) What factors affected the team collaboration process? (d) What personal characteristics of faculty members were important in successful course development? and (e) What barriers existed for faculty in the course development process? Data was collected at each site through individual faculty interviews (N = 11), student focus group interviews (N = 15), and classroom observations. Secondary data included original funding proposals. The NOVA staff development model incorporated effective K--12 interventions with higher education interventions. Analysis of data revealed that there were four factors of staff development processes that were most beneficial. First, the team collaborative processes

The Impact of Open Textbooks on Secondary Science Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, T. Jared; Fischer, Lane; Wiley, David; Hilton, John, III

2014-01-01

Given the increasing costs associated with commercial textbooks and decreasing financial support of public schools, it is important to better understand the impacts of open educational resources on student outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative study is to analyze whether the adoption of open science textbooks significantly affects science…

Project Mapping to Build Capacity and Demonstrate Impact in the Earth Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemmings, S. N.; Searby, N. D.; Murphy, K. J.; Mataya, C. J.; Crepps, G.; Clayton, A.; Stevens, C. L.

2017-12-01

Diverse organizations are increasingly using project mapping to communicate location-based information about their activities. NASA's Earth Science Division (ESD), through the Earth Science Data Systems and Applied Sciences' Capacity Building Program (CBP), has created a geographic information system of all ESD projects to support internal program management for the agency. The CBP's NASA DEVELOP program has built an interactive mapping tool to support capacity building for the program's varied constituents. This presentation will explore the types of programmatic opportunities provided by a geographic approach to management, communication, and strategic planning. We will also discuss the various external benefits that mapping supports and that build capacity in the Earth sciences. These include activities such as project matching (location-focused synergies), portfolio planning, inter- and intra-organizational collaboration, science diplomacy, and basic impact analysis.

Policy impacts of ecosystem services knowledge

PubMed Central

Posner, Stephen M.; McKenzie, Emily; Ricketts, Taylor H.

2016-01-01

Research about ecosystem services (ES) often aims to generate knowledge that influences policies and institutions for conservation and human development. However, we have limited understanding of how decision-makers use ES knowledge or what factors facilitate use. Here we address this gap and report on, to our knowledge, the first quantitative analysis of the factors and conditions that explain the policy impact of ES knowledge. We analyze a global sample of cases where similar ES knowledge was generated and applied to decision-making. We first test whether attributes of ES knowledge themselves predict different measures of impact on decisions. We find that legitimacy of knowledge is more often associated with impact than either the credibility or salience of the knowledge. We also examine whether predictor variables related to the science-to-policy process and the contextual conditions of a case are significant in predicting impact. Our findings indicate that, although many factors are important, attributes of the knowledge and aspects of the science-to-policy process that enhance legitimacy best explain the impact of ES science on decision-making. Our results are consistent with both theory and previous qualitative assessments in suggesting that the attributes and perceptions of scientific knowledge and process within which knowledge is coproduced are important determinants of whether that knowledge leads to action. PMID:26831101

THE IMPACT OF CHANGING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ON SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1850.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DEL GIORNO, BETTE JOYCE

ANALYZED WAS THE IMPACT OF CHANGING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE ON SCIENCE EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1850 THROUGH 1954. THE OBJECTIVES WERE TO IDENTIFY (1) MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN SCIENCE, (2) IMPORTANT EVENTS IN EDUCATION, (3) THE PHILOSOPHICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE, (4) THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM AND SUBJECT MATTER, AND (5) THE APPROACH TO…

Turkish Students' Science Performance and Related Factors in PISA 2006 and 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topçu, Mustafa Sami; Arikan, Serkan; Erbilgin, Evrim

2015-01-01

The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) enables participating countries to monitor 15-year old students' progress in reading, mathematics, and science literacy. The present study investigates persistent factors that contribute to science performance of Turkish students in PISA 2006 and PISA 2009. Additionally, the study…

Women with doctorates in science: Perceptions of facilitative factors and obstacles to their success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guimond, Pamela S.

In the past thirty years there has been a significant increase in the number of women pursuing careers in the biological sciences, yet similar increases have not been seen in the physical sciences or engineering. Research suggests that societal, educational, and personal factors may be the cause. This study was designed to validate factors previously identified as being influential on the learning of science by women, as well as to discover factors not previously identified and to gain an understanding of the degree to which each of these factors is perceived to relate to their academic success. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to identify factors that facilitated the success of or presented obstacles to women as they pursued doctoral degrees in physical science and engineering. Sixty-four women scientists completed surveys. Of these, twelve participated in telephone interviews. The data collected from these methodologies, when taken together, allowed for both a generalizability of results and in-depth understanding of the factors identified. Three major themes were identified. First was the importance of people in these women's lives. Second was each woman's expression of personality traits including passion, determination, and resilience. Third was the importance of support from a variety of sources. All of the scientists considered support necessary for their success. Implications for practice include: providing girls with a wide variety of experiences in mathematics and science, including both in-school and out-of-school activities; providing girls with role models and mentors; utilizing a variety of teaching strategies aimed at girls' preferred learning styles; providing a variety of kinds of support girls need to feel welcome and valued; developing in girls personal characteristics associated with the culture of science; minimizing the use of high-stakes exams; and maximizing schedule flexibility so women can combine scientific careers and

[The impact factor and those who dislike it].

PubMed

Schubert, András

2015-06-28

Since its introduction in 1976, the impact factor is permanently a subject of both criticism and glorification. This paper gives an overview on what actually the reservations and objections attack. A closer look often reveals that the criticisms are not against the specific substantial features of the impact factor. They may formulate much more general doubts or, on the other hand, superficial technical details, easily remediable flaws or inconsistensies resulting erroneous use.

The story of fake impact factor companies and how we detected them.

PubMed

Jalalian, Mehrdad

2015-01-01

Beginning about three years ago, the world of academic publishing has become infected by fake impact factors and misleading metrics that are launched by bogus companies. The misleading metrics and fake impact factors have damaged the prestige and reliability of scientific research and scholarly journals. This article presents the in-depth story of some of the main bogus impact factors, how they approached the academic world, and how the author identified them. Some names that they use are Universal Impact Factor (UIF), Global Impact Factor (GIF), and Citefactor, and there even is a fake Thomson Reuters Company.

Impact of an informal learning science camp on urban, low socioeconomic status middle school students and participating teacher-leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Votaw, Nikki L.

Studies suggest that students have difficulty connecting science to their own lives (Lee & Fradd, 1998; Aikenhead, 1996). This difficulty results in a decline in students' attitudes toward science, leading to low science achievement. These factors result in fewer students interested in careers related to science, specifically for urban, minority students. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that a ten day informal learning immersion science camp had on the participants, both urban, low-socioeconomic status middle school students and teacher-leaders. The students were incoming seventh grade students involved in a community-based scholar program designed to recruit and support socioeconomically disadvantaged, academically talented students. The teacher-leaders were professional educators working toward an advanced degree. This ten day camp included seven visits to different sites and complementary classroom-based activities. The purpose of the camp was to immerse the students in informal learning environments that affect their daily lives. Students and teacher-leaders visited facilities that provide public utility services (i.e. power plant, sewage treatment facility, and water company), zoo, large commercial cave system, planetarium, university based electrooptics and nanotechnology center, and forest and arboretum. These site visits were supported by activities that were provided by teacher-leaders. A model used as a framework for studying learning in the context of this ten day camp as Falk and Dierking's (2000) Contextual Model for Learning. This model described three basic intersecting elements that contributed to learning within the given context. The three contexts (personal, sociocultural, and physical) intersect affecting the learning that takes place. A mixed methodology design was employed to determine the impact of the camp on students' content knowledge and attitudes toward science. Qualitative data were collected to determine the impact

The effectiveness of an American science camp for Taiwanese high school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Pi-Chu

The purposes of this study were: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of an American science camp for Taiwanese high school students in terms of student attitudes toward science; (2) to understand the factors that affect student attitudes toward science in the American science camp. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed to answer my research questions: (1) How did the influence of the abroad science camp differ from the local one in terms of student attitudes toward science? (2) How did gender, grade level, and personality affect student attitudes toward science in the abroad science camp? An Attitudes toward Science Inventory was used in this study to measure student attitudes. The results of factor analysis suggested that the attitudes measured in this study include five common factors: science as school subjects (SC), science in society (SS), value of science (VS), science in laboratory (SL), and nature of science (NS). Significant improvements were found in SS, VS, and NS after the experiences of the abroad science camp. In the local science camp, only NS was non-significant comparing before and after the camp. The results from the comparisons between the two science camps show that different program designs have different impacts on student attitudes toward science. Furthermore, whether the science camps are designed based on learning theory or not, and regardless of how much time the campers spend in science-related activities during science camps, science camps can motivate students' interests in learning science. The results of mixed-design ANOVA for gender, grade level, and personality suggest that most of these personal factors did not significantly affect student attitudes. However, extraversion/introversion and sensing/intuition had impacts on the persuasibility of the abroad science camp.

Building a List of Journals with Constructed Impact Factors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stegmann, Johannes

1999-01-01

Describes the building of a list of constructed-impact factors (CIF) for biomedical journals not included in the 1996 editions of the "Journal Citation Reports." The online retrieval from the host DIMDI of the data needed for impact-factor calculation is described. The top 100 (of 338 titles, ranked according to their CIFs) are…

Strategic science for eating disorders research and policy impact.

PubMed

Roberto, Christina A; Brownell, Kelly D

2017-03-01

Scientific research often fails to have relevance and impact because scientists do not engage policy makers and influencers in the process of identifying information needs and generating high priority questions. To address this scholarship-policy gap, we have developed a model of Strategic Science. This research approach involves working with policy makers and influencers to craft research questions that will answer important and timely policy-related questions. The goal is to create tighter links between research and policy and ensure findings are communicated efficiently to change agents best positioned to apply the research to policy debates. In this article, we lay out a model for Strategic Science and describe how this approach may help advance policy research and action for eating disorders. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Factors Influencing Science Content Accuracy in Elementary Inquiry Science Lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowicki, Barbara L.; Sullivan-Watts, Barbara; Shim, Minsuk K.; Young, Betty; Pockalny, Robert

2013-06-01

Elementary teachers face increasing demands to engage children in authentic science process and argument while simultaneously preparing them with knowledge of science facts, vocabulary, and concepts. This reform is particularly challenging due to concerns that elementary teachers lack adequate science background to teach science accurately. This study examined 81 in-classroom inquiry science lessons for preservice education majors and their cooperating teachers to determine the accuracy of the science content delivered in elementary classrooms. Our results showed that 74 % of experienced teachers and 50 % of student teachers presented science lessons with greater than 90 % accuracy. Eleven of the 81 lessons (9 preservice, 2 cooperating teachers) failed to deliver accurate science content to the class. Science content accuracy was highly correlated with the use of kit-based resources supported with professional development, a preference for teaching science, and grade level. There was no correlation between the accuracy of science content and some common measures of teacher content knowledge (i.e., number of college science courses, science grades, or scores on a general science content test). Our study concluded that when provided with high quality curricular materials and targeted professional development, elementary teachers learn needed science content and present it accurately to their students.

77 FR 46748 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests; Institute of Education Sciences; Impact...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-06

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests; Institute of Education Sciences; Impact Evaluation of Teacher and Leader Evaluation Systems SUMMARY: This study provides important implementation and impact information on the kinds of performance evaluation systems currently discussed in...

Evaluating the Impact of Implementation Factors on Family-Based Prevention Programming: Methods for Strengthening Causal Inference

PubMed Central

Crowley, D. Max; Coffman, Donna L.; Feinberg, Mark; Greenberg, Mark; Spoth, Richard

2013-01-01

Despite growing recognition of the important role implementation plays in successful prevention efforts, relatively little work has sought to demonstrate a causal relationship between implementation factors and participant outcomes. In turn, failure to explore the implementation-to-outcome link limits our understanding of the mechanisms essential to successful programming. This gap is partially due to the inability of current methodological procedures within prevention science to account for the multitude of confounders responsible for variation in implementation factors (i.e., selection bias). The current paper illustrates how propensity and marginal structural models can be used to improve causal inferences involving implementation factors not easily randomized (e.g., participant attendance). We first present analytic steps for simultaneously evaluating the impact of multiple implementation factors on prevention program outcome. Then we demonstrate this approach for evaluating the impact of enrollment and attendance in a family program, over and above the impact of a school-based program, within PROSPER, a large scale real-world prevention trial. Findings illustrate the capacity of this approach to successfully account for confounders that influence enrollment and attendance, thereby more accurately representing true causal relations. For instance, after accounting for selection bias, we observed a 5% reduction in the prevalence of 11th grade underage drinking for those who chose to receive a family program and school program compared to those who received only the school program. Further, we detected a 7% reduction in underage drinking for those with high attendance in the family program. PMID:23430578

Teen Science Cafés: A Model for Addressing Broader Impacts, Diversity, and Recruitment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, M.; Mayhew, M. A.

2017-12-01

Teen Science Café programs (TeenScienceCafe.org) are a free and fun way for teens to explore science and technology affecting their lives. Through lively presentations, conversation, and activities to explore a topic deeply, Café programs open doors for teens to learn from experts about exciting and rewarding STEM career pathways. The programs are local and led by teens with the help of an adult mentor. The Teen Science Café Network (teensciencecafe.org) provides mentoring and resources, including small grants, to help organizations get started with and then maintain successful "teen café" programs. Through membership in the Network, more than 80 Teen Science Cafés have sprung up across the country, from rural towns to major cities. They serve a critical need for teens - meeting and engaging with STEM professionals, learning about their career paths, and seeing their passion for the work they do. Teen Science Café programs can offer geoscience departments a substantive, yet low cost, way to meet the challenges many of them face: finding ways to increase enrollment, helping faculty satisfy the broader impacts requirements of funding agencies, connecting with the surrounding communities, and providing opportunities for faculty and graduate students to learn how to communicate their science effectively to the public audience. The typical experience of scientists who have presented in teen cafés throughout the Network is that the communication skills learned spill over into their courses, proposals, and presentations to administrators and program officers. A department might partner with one or more organizations in their surrounding communities—libraries, for example—and engage its faculty and its graduate students—and even its undergraduates—in providing geoscience programming across multiple disciplines to local teens. Besides the internal benefits to the department's personnel and the value of establishing connections with community organizations

An Assessment of Factors Relating to High School Students' Science Self-Efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibson, Jakeisha Jamice

This mixed-methods case study examined two out-of-school (OST) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs at a science-oriented high school on students' Self-Efficacy. Because STEM is a key for future innovation and economic growth, Americans have been developing a variety of approaches to increase student interest in science within the school curriculum and in OST programs. Nationwide, many OST programs are offered for students but few have engaged in an in-depth assessment. This study included an assessment of two different types of OST programs and direct observations by the researcher. This study involved two advisors (one male, one female), 111 students, and their parents during 2016. Student participants completed two standardized surveys, one to determine their Science Self-Efficacy and another to assess their engagement in science during their OST programs. Parents described their parental involvement and their child's interest in the OST program(s). The OST program advisors participated in lengthy interviews. Additionally, the advisors rated their perceived interest level of the enrolled students and recorded attendance data. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1997a) provided the theoretical framework. This theory describes the multidirectional influence of behavioral factors, personal factors, and environmental factors have on a student's Self-Efficacy. Compiled data from the teachers, students, and parents were used to determine the relationship of selected variables on Science Self-Efficacy of students. A correlational analysis revealed that students who participated in these OST programs possessed a high Mindset for the Enjoyment of science and that teacher ratings were also positively correlated to Mindset and Enjoyment of Science. Descriptive analyses showed that (a) girls who chose to participate in these OST programs possessed higher school grades in their in-school coursework than boys, (b) that parents of girls participated in more

Human factors issues in performing life science experiments in a 0-G environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzalez, Wayne

1989-01-01

An overview of the environmental conditions within the Spacelab and the planned Space Station Freedom is presented. How this environment causes specific Human Factors problems and the nature of design solutions are described. The impact of these problems and solutions on the performance of life science activities onboard Spacelab (SL) and Space Station Freedom (SSF) is discussed. The first area highlighted is contamination. The permanence of SSF in contrast to the two-week mission of SL has significant impacts on crew and specimen protection requirements and, thus, resource utilization. These requirements, in turn impose restrictions on working volumes, scheduling, training, and scope of experimental procedures. A second area is microgravity. This means that all specimens, materials, and apparatus must be restrained and carefully controlled. Because so much of the scientific activity must occur within restricted enclosures (gloveboxes), the provisions for restraint and control are made more complex. The third topic is crewmember biomechanics and the problems of movement and task performance in microgravity. In addition to the need to stabilize the body for the performance of tasks, performance of very sensitive tasks such as dissection is difficult. The issue of space sickness and adaption is considered in this context.

The Self-Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers in Kuwaiti Science Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebrahim, Ali H.

2012-01-01

This study examined educational factors that positively influenced the confidence of students training to be elementary science educators (self efficacy). Specifically, it compared the impacts of a science method course and a practicum teaching course on Kuwait University students. Using a pre/post design, The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief…

Impact of Life Factors upon Attitudes toward Death.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franke, Kevin J.; Durlak, Joseph A.

1990-01-01

Investigated impact of life factors on college students' (N=47) feelings about death. Most important life factors clustered into three categories: Death of Significant Other, Religious Upbringing, and Near-Death Experiences. Although factors had mixed effects across individuals, they were significant predictors of current feelings about death.…

Increasing the Impact of Materials in and beyond Bio-Nano Science.

PubMed

Björnmalm, Mattias; Faria, Matthew; Caruso, Frank

2016-10-19

This is an exciting time for the field of bio-nano science: enormous progress has been made in recent years, especially in academic research, and materials developed and studied in this area are poised to make a substantial impact in real-world applications. Herein, we discuss ways to leverage the strengths of the field, current limitations, and valuable lessons learned from neighboring fields that can be adopted to accelerate scientific discovery and translational research in bio-nano science. We identify and discuss five interconnected topics: (i) the advantages of cumulative research; (ii) the necessity of aligning projects with research priorities; (iii) the value of transparent science; (iv) the opportunities presented by "dark data"; and (v) the importance of establishing bio-nano standards.

Evaluating Indicator-Based Methods of "Measuring Long-Term Impacts of a Science Center on Its Community"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Eric Allen

2016-01-01

This article addresses some of the challenges faced when attempting to evaluate the long-term impact of informal science learning interventions. To contribute to the methodological development of informal science learning research, we critically examine (Falk and Needham (2011) "Journal of Research in Science Teaching," 48: 1-12.) study…

Scientific Knowledge and Attitude Change: The Impact of a Citizen Science Project. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brossard, Dominique; Lewenstein, Bruce; Bonney, Rick

2005-01-01

This paper discusses the evaluation of an informal science education project, The Birdhouse Network (TBN) of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. The Elaboration Likelihood Model and the theory of Experiential Education were used as frameworks to analyse the impact of TBN on participants' attitudes toward science and the environment, on their…

Teacher Learning in Technology Professional Development and Its Impact on Student Achievement in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyunju; Longhurst, Max; Campbell, Todd

2017-01-01

This research investigated teacher learning and teacher beliefs in a two-year technology professional development (TPD) for teachers and its impact on their student achievement in science in the western part of the United States. Middle-school science teachers participated in TPD focused on information communication technologies (ICTs) and their…

Thomas Kuhn's Impact on Science Education: What Lessons Can Be Learned?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Michael R.

2004-01-01

Thomas Kuhn has had an impact in all academic fields. In science education, Kuhnian themes are especially noticeable in conceptual change research, constructivist theorizing, and multicultural education debates. Unfortunately the influence is frequently compromised by researchers having a limited understanding of Kuhn's original ideas, little…

Hierarchical Effects of School-, Classroom-, and Student-Level Factors on the Science Performance of Eighth-Grade Taiwanese Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Liang-Ting; Yang, Chih-Chien

2015-05-01

This study was conducted to understand the effect of student-, classroom-, and school-level factors on the science performance of 8th-grade Taiwanese students in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 by using multilevel analysis. A total of 5,042 students from 153 classrooms of 150 schools participated in the TIMSS 2011 study, in which they were required to complete questionnaires. A 3-level multilevel analysis was used to assess the influence of factors at 3 levels on the science performance of 8th-grade Taiwanese students. The results showed that the provision of education resources at home, teachers' level of education, and school climate were the strongest predictor of science performance at the student, classroom, and school level, respectively. It was concluded that the science performance of 8th-grade Taiwanese students is driven largely by individual factors. Classroom-level factors accounted for a smaller proportion of the total variance in science performance than did school-level factors.

What factors help or hinder the achievement of low SES students? An international comparison using TIMSS 2011 8th grade science data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruner, Justin L.

be expected given their SES?" Investigating these questions will help to understand, in a global context, where disadvantaged students are being successful in their science classes, under what conditions, and as a result help to inform educational policy. The results suggest that there are clearly inequities in achievement and that these inequities may be further increased by other factors. These factors are present at all levels of analysis: the student level, the teacher/classroom level, and the school level. There are also variables that consistently had no impact at all levels with respect to student science achievement and there are also variables that were impactful but only within specific countries. Overall, there are no silver bullets present in these data that can do much on their own to help low SES students overcome their predicted achievement disadvantage. However there does appear to be the potential for a combination of factors being able to do more.

Impact of Informal Science Education on Children's Attitudes About Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulf, Rosemary; Mayhew, Laurel M.; Finkelstein, Noah D.

2010-10-01

The JILA Physics Frontier Center Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) provides informal afterschool inquiry-based science teaching opportunities for university participants with children typically underrepresented in science. We focus on the potential for this program to help increase children's interest in science, mathematics, and engineering and their understanding of the nature of science by validating the Children's Attitude Survey, which is based on the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey [1] and designed to measure shifts in children's attitudes about science and the nature of science. We present pre- and post-semester results for several semesters of the PISEC program, and demonstrate that, unlike most introductory physics courses in college, our after-school informal science programs support and promote positive attitudes about science.

Impact of product-related factors on immunogenicity of biotherapeutics.

PubMed

Singh, Satish Kumar

2011-02-01

All protein therapeutics have the potential to be immunogenic. Several factors, including patient characteristics, disease state, and the therapy itself, influence the generation of an immune response. Product-related factors such as the molecule design, the expression system, post-translational modifications, impurities, contaminants, formulation and excipients, container, closure, as well as degradation products are all implicated. However, a critical examination of the available data shows that clear unequivocal evidence for the impact of these latter factors on clinical immunogenicity is lacking. No report could be found that clearly deconvolutes the clinical impact of the product attributes on patient susceptibility. Aggregation carries the greatest concern as a risk factor for immunogenicity, but the impact of aggregates is likely to depend on their structure as well as on the functionality (e.g., immunostimulatory or immunomodulatory) of the therapeutic. Preclinical studies are not yet capable of assessing the clinically relevant immunogenicity potential of these product-related factors. Simply addressing these risk factors as part of product development will not eliminate immunogenicity. Minimization of immunogenicity has to begin at the molecule design stage by reducing or eliminating antigenic epitopes and building in favorable physical and chemical properties. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Examining the factor structure of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Shawn M; Li, Jian; Rumrill, Phillip D; Merchant, William; Bishop, Malachy

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) to assess its suitability for modeling the impact of MS on a nation-wide sample of individuals from the United States. Investigators completed a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to examine the two-factor structure proposed by Hobart et al. [17]. Although the original MSIS-29 factor structure did not fit the data exactly, the hypothesized two-factor model was partially supported in the current data. Implications for future instrument development and rehabilitation practice are discussed.

Weighing the impact (factor) of publishing in veterinary journals.

PubMed

Christopher, Mary M

2015-06-01

The journal in which you publish your research can have a major influence on the perceived value of your work and on your ability to reach certain audiences. The impact factor, a widely used metric of journal quality and prestige, has evolved into a benchmark of quality for institutions and graduate programs and, inappropriately, as a proxy for the quality of individual authors and articles, affecting tenure, promotion, and funding decisions. As a result, despite its many limitations, publishing decisions by authors often are based solely on a journal's impact factor. This can disadvantage journals in small disciplines, such as veterinary medicine, and limit the ability of authors to reach key audiences. In this article, factors that can influence the impact factor of a journal and its applicability, including precision, citation practices, article type, editorial policies, and size of the research community will be reviewed. The value and importance of veterinary journals such as the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology for reaching relevant audiences and for helping shape disciplinary specialties and influence clinical practice will also be discussed. Lastly, the efforts underway to develop alternative measures to assess the scientific quality of individual authors and articles, such as article-level metrics, as well as institutional measures of the economic and social impact of biomedical research will be considered. Judicious use of the impact factor and the implementation of new metrics for assessing the quality and societal relevance of veterinary research articles will benefit both authors and journals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differential workload calculation and its impact on lab science instruction at the community college level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, Beth Nichols

The calculation of workload for science instructors who teach classes with laboratory components at the community college level is inconsistent. Despite recommendations from the National Research Council (1996) and the large body of evidence which indicates that activity-based instruction produces greater learning gains than passive, lecture-based instruction, many community colleges assign less value to the time spent in science lab than in lecture in workload calculations. This discrepancy is inconsistent with both current state and nation-wide goals of science excellence and the standards set by the American Chemical Society (2009) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (2002). One implication of this differential lab-loading policy is that the science instructors must teach more hours per week to make the same workload as their colleagues in other disciplines which have no formal laboratory activities. Prior to this study, there was no aggregate data regarding the extent of this policy at the community college level nor of its possible impact upon instruction. The input of full-time two-year college members of four different professional science organizations was solicited and from their responses, it is clear that differential loading of lab hours is common and widely variable. A majority of the respondents to this study had their hours in lab assigned less credit than their hours in lecture, with multiple perceived impacts upon lab preparation, assistance, revision, and follow-up activities. In combination with open-ended comments made by study participants, the results suggest that science instructors do perceive impacts upon their ability to teach science labs in a pedagogically current and challenging manner when their hours spent in lab instruction are counted for less than their hours in lecture. It is hoped that the information from this study will be used to implement improvements in the working conditions needed to advance science

Factors that encourage females to pursue physical science careers: Testing five common hypotheses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazari, Zahra; Potvin, Geoff; Lock, Robynne M.; Lung, Florin; Sadler, Philip M.; Sonnert, Gerhard

2012-03-01

There are many hypotheses regarding factors that may encourage female students to pursue careers in the physical sciences. Using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) on national data (n=7505) drawn from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering (PRiSE) project, we test five commonly held beliefs including having a single-sex physics class, having a female physics teacher, having female scientist guest speakers in physics class, discussing the work of women scientists in physics class, and discussing the under-representation of women in physics class. The effect of these experiences is compared for female students who are matched on several factors, including parental education, prior science/math interests, and academic background, thereby controlling for the effect of many confounding variables.

Integrated Impacts of environmental factors on the degradation of fumigants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.; Yates, S. R.

2007-12-01

Volatilization of fumigants has been concerned as one of air pollution sources. Fumigants are used to control nematodes and soil-born pathogens for a pre-plant treatment to increase the production of high-cash crops. One of technologies to reduce the volatilization of fumigants to atmosphere is to enhance the degradation of fumigants in soil. Fumigant degradation is affected by environmental factors such as moisture content, temperature, initial concentration of injected fumigants, and soil properties. However, effects of each factor on the degradation were limitedly characterized and integrated Impacts from environmental factors has not been described yet. Degradation of 1,3- dichloropropene (1,3-D) was investigated in various condition of temperatures (20-60 °C), moisture contents (0 ¡V 30 %) and initial concentrations (0.6 ¡V 60 mg/kg) with Arlington sandy loam soil. Abiotic and biotic degradation processes were distinguished using two sterilization methods with HgCl2 and autoclave and impacts of environmental factors were separately assessed for abiotic and biotic degradations. Initially, degradation rates (k) of cis and trans 1,3-D isomers were estimated by first-order kinetics and modified depending on impacts from environmental factors. Arrhenius equation and Walker¡¦s equation which were conventionally used to describe temperature and moisture effects on degradation were assessed for integrated impacts from environmental factors and logarithmical correlation was observed between initial concentrations of applied fumigants and degradation rates. Understanding integrated impacts of environmental factors on degradation will help to design more effective emission reduction schemes in various conditions and provide more practical parameters for modeling simulations.

[Rating and ranking of medical journals: a randomised controlled evaluation of impact factor and number of listed journals].

PubMed

Göbel, U; Niem, V

2012-01-01

The impact factor is a purely bibliometric parameter built on a number of publications and their citations that occur within clearly defined periods. Appropriate interpretation of the impact factor is important as it is also used worldwide for the evaluation of research performance. It is assumed that the number of medical journals reflects the extent of diseases and patient populations involved and that the number is correlated with the level of the impact factor. 174 category lists (Subject Categories) are included in the area Health Sciences of the ISI Web of Knowledge of Thomson Reuters, 71 of which belong to the field of medicine and 50 of which have a clinical and/or application-oriented focus. These alphabetically arranged 50 category lists were consecutively numbered, randomized by odd and even numbers, respectively, into 2 equal-sized groups and then grouped according to organ specialities, sub-specialities and cross-disciplinary fields. By tossing up a coin it was decided which group should be evaluated first. Only then the category lists were downloaded and the number of journals, as well as the impact factors of journals ranking number 1 and 2, as well as the impact factors of journals at the end of the first third and at the end of the first half of each category list were compared. The number of journals per category list varies considerably between 5 and 252. The lists of organ specialties and cross-disciplinary fields include more than three times as many journals as those of the sub-specialities; the highest numbers of journals are listed for the cross-disciplinary fields. The level of impact factor of journals that rank number 1 in the lists varies considerably and ranges from 3,058 to 94,333; a similar variability exists for the journals at rank 2. On the other hand, the impact factor of journals at the end of the first third of the lists varies from 1,214 and 3,953, and for those journals at the end of the first half of a respective category

The Impact of Microcomputer-Based Science Labs on Children's Graphing Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mokros, Janice R.

Microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL), the use of microcomputers for student-directed data acquisition and analysis, represents a promising new development in science laboratory instruction. This descriptive study determined the impact of MBLs on middle school students' understanding of graphs of distance and velocity. The study was based on the…

The impact of creative tendency, academic performance, and self-concept on creative science problem-finding.

PubMed

Liu, Mingxin; Hu, Weiping; Adey, Philip; Cheng, Li; Zhang, Xingli

2013-04-01

This study was designed to address the impacts of science performance, science self-concept, and creative tendency on the creative science problem-finding (CSPF) ability of a sample of Chinese middle-school students. Structural equation modeling was used to indicate that CSPF could be directly predicted by creative tendency and academic performance, and indirectly predicted by science self-concept. The findings strongly support the idea that curiosity, imagination, and domain-specific knowledge are important for CSPF, and science self-concept could be mediated by knowledge that affects CSPF. © 2012 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Perceived Impact on Student Engagement When Learning Middle School Science in an Outdoor Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbatiello, James

2014-01-01

Human beings have an innate need to spend time outside, but in recent years children are spending less time outdoors. It is possible that this decline in time spent outdoors could have a negative impact on child development. Science teachers can combat the decline in the amount of time children spend outside by taking their science classes…

Factors influencing research productivity among health sciences librarians.

PubMed Central

Fenske, R E; Dalrymple, P W

1992-01-01

Secondary analysis was performed of data collected in 1989 from a random sample of members of the Medical Library Association. Results show that about half the sample had at least one publication; academic health sciences librarians were much more likely than hospital librarians to have published. Almost half the sample had taken formal courses in research, but only a small percentage had taken continuing education (CE) courses in research. Institutional support services for research were most available in academic settings. The combination of institutional support, CE training, and research courses explained 31.1% of the variation in research productivity among academic librarians; these factors were less important in hospitals and other institutional settings. The authors suggest that health sciences librarians working outside academia should seek support for research from sources outside the employing institution. PMID:1422506

Clarifying anti-reflexivity: conservative opposition to impact science and scientific evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunlap, Riley E.

2014-01-01

The recent study reported by McCright et al (2013 Environ. Res. Lett. 8 044029) extends current research on conservatives’ distrust of science by distinguishing between public trust in production versus impact scientists (i.e. those whose work yields new technologies and marketable products versus those assessing the health and environmental impacts of such technologies and products). As expected, they find that conservatives are significantly less trustful of impact scientists but somewhat more trustful of production scientists. In the process they provide support for the Anti-Reflexivity Thesis, a perspective that attributes conservatives’ (and Republicans’) denial of anthropogenic climate change (ACC) and other environmental problems and attacks on climate/environmental science to their staunch commitment to protecting the current system of economic production. McCright et al’s innovative study deserves replication, and their approach should prove useful in accounting for divergent views of ACC. It is also important to keep in mind that anti-reflexivity is an institutional and structural issue, becoming more consequential when it is employed by political elites such as the George W Bush Administration in the US. Institutional anti-reflexivity is further illustrated by the widespread denial of ACC and a range of other problems among current Republican members of the US Congress.

The Potential Impacts of Upcoming High-Stakes Testing on the Teaching of Science in Elementary Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pringle, Rose M.; Martin, Sarah Carrier

2005-09-01

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education in the United States issued a report called A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. This report and other policy initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Legislation recommended that the individual states institute assessments to hold schools accountable. This research explored the potential impact of impending standardised testing on teaching science in elementary schools in one school district in Florida. We explored the teachers' concerns about the upcoming high-stakes tests in science, possible impact on their curriculum and what changes, if any, will be made in the approach to science teaching and learning in their classrooms. As the teachers look toward the implementation of high-stakes testing in science, they have recognised the need to teach science. This recognition is not borne out of the importance of science learning for elementary school children, but rather out of fear of failure and the effects of tangible rewards or punishments that accompany high-stakes testing. In anticipation, the teachers are preparing to align their teaching to the science standards while aggressively searching for test preparatory materials. Schools are also involved in professional development and structural changes to facilitate teaching of science.

Science Teacher Efficacy and Extrinsic Factors Toward Professional Development Using Video Games in a Design-Based Research Model: The Next Generation of STEM Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annetta, Leonard A.; Frazier, Wendy M.; Folta, Elizabeth; Holmes, Shawn; Lamb, Richard; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

2013-02-01

Designed-based research principles guided the study of 51 secondary-science teachers in the second year of a 3-year professional development project. The project entailed the creation of student-centered, inquiry-based, science, video games. A professional development model appropriate for infusing innovative technologies into standards-based curricula was employed to determine how science teacher's attitudes and efficacy where impacted while designing science-based video games. The study's mixed-method design ascertained teacher efficacy on five factors (General computer use, Science Learning, Inquiry Teaching and Learning, Synchronous chat/text, and Playing Video Games) related to technology and gaming using a web-based survey). Qualitative data in the form of online blog posts was gathered during the project to assist in the triangulation and assessment of teacher efficacy. Data analyses consisted of an Analysis of Variance and serial coding of teacher reflective responses. Results indicated participants who used computers daily have higher efficacy while using inquiry-based teaching methods and science teaching and learning. Additional emergent findings revealed possible motivating factors for efficacy. This professional development project was focused on inquiry as a pedagogical strategy, standard-based science learning as means to develop content knowledge, and creating video games as technological knowledge. The project was consistent with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) framework where overlapping circles of the three components indicates development of an integrated understanding of the suggested relationships. Findings provide suggestions for development of standards-based science education software, its integration into the curriculum and, strategies for implementing technology into teaching practices.

A Perspective of Middle Schools and the Motivating Factors that will Influence Students to Pursue Careers in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollins-Miller, Cornelia B.

This dissertation project will determine what factors are being used to engage students to obtain careers in science. It will explore factors and other theories that contribute to persuading students to think about careers in science after college. The participants of the study included counselors, parents, principals, middle school students and teachers. All of the participants were surveyed. Information from the participants was collected and analyzed according to their responses. The results indicated that there were many contributing factors that the participants thought changed their attitudes about science and engaging in a science career.

Chinese life cycle impact assessment factors.

PubMed

Yang, J X; Nielsen, P H

2001-04-01

The methodological basis and procedures for determination of Chinese normalization references and weighting factors according to the EDIP-method is described. According to Chinese industrial development intensity and population density, China was divided into three regions and the normalization references for each region were calculated on the basis of an inventory of all of the region's environmental emissions in 1990. The normalization reference was determined as the total environmental impact potential for the area in question in 1990 (EP(j)90) divided by the population. The weighting factor was determined as the normalization reference (ER(j)90) divided by society's target contribution in the year 2000 based on Chinese political reduction plans, ER(j)T2000. This paper presents and discuss results obtained for eight different environmental impact categories relevant for China: global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, acidification, nutrient enrichment, photochemical ozone formation and generation of bulk waste, hazardous waste and slag and ashes.

Ensuring Effective Impact of Continuing Professional Development: Saudi Science Teachers' Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qablan, Ahmad; Mansour, Nassar; Alshamrani, Saeed; Aldahmash, Abdulwali; Sabbah, Saed

2015-01-01

Many researchers critique that continuing professional development programs in Saudi Arabia are neither well organized nor are systematic. This study came to assess the impact of CPD opportunities in the country to better suit the professional needs of Saudi science teachers and support them in implementing the reformed instructional practices.…

Factors That Impact the Ethical Behavior of College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Jacob; Berry, Kevin

2010-01-01

This study examines factors impacting ethical behavior of 182 college students in the midwestern and northwestern United States. Ethical behavior of peers had the most significant impact on ethical behavior of students. Success (in terms of grade point average) of students, and gender of the respondents, also significantly impacted ethical…

Perceived Factors Impacting School Music Programs: The Teacher's Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abril, Carlos R.; Bannerman, Julie K.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary music teachers' perceptions of factors impacting their music programs and teaching positions as well as the actions these teachers take in response to those factors. The following research questions guided the study: (1) What factors are perceived to impact music programs and teaching…

Factors Influencing Science Content Accuracy in Elementary Inquiry Science Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nowicki, Barbara L.; Sullivan-Watts, Barbara; Shim, Minsuk K.; Young, Betty; Pockalny, Robert

2013-01-01

Elementary teachers face increasing demands to engage children in authentic science process and argument while simultaneously preparing them with knowledge of science facts, vocabulary, and concepts. This reform is particularly challenging due to concerns that elementary teachers lack adequate science background to teach science accurately. This…

Impact of the Science and Technology for Children Curriculum in the Oshkosh Area School District.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lattery, Mark Joseph; Lemberger, John; Herzog, Barbara

2002-01-01

Examines the instructional impact of National Science Resources Center's Science and Technology for Children curriculum in the Oshkosh Area School District. Results suggest that the adoption of this curriculum among experienced teachers in the district will provide little or no immediate gains on student achievement and potentially a slight…

The perceived impact of No Child Left Behind on third- through fifth-grade elementary science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinsler, Angela V.

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived impact of No Child Left Behind on elementary science classrooms in 3 Northeast Tennessee school districts. Quantitative descriptive methodology was used to document how No Child Left Behind impacts instructional methodology, professional development, administrative support, materials and resources, and assessment in 3rd through 5th grades. Data were collected using a survey developed by the researcher. The survey consisted of a demographic section, 28 statements, and 2 open-ended questions. The 51 participants included elementary-school science teachers in 8 schools in 3 upper East Tennessee school districts. Data analysis was based on the following demographics: differing levels of teaching experience, No Child Left Behind school status, and small and large schools. Findings included: The 3 greatest concerns of the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act were the pressures felt by teachers to increase test scores, the manner in which it impacted at-risk or disadvantaged students, and the lack of inservice, specifically for science. Findings also revealed that low-scoring schools or grades were receiving extra assistance and teachers reported they feel that their school or district fosters and supports change. An analysis of the open-ended questions emphasized the stress teachers reported feeling along with the loss of science instruction time to math and language arts.

Impact of SCALE-UP on science teaching self-efficacy of students in general education science courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassani, Mary Kay Kuhr

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two pedagogical models used in general education science on non-majors' science teaching self-efficacy. Science teaching self-efficacy can be influenced by inquiry and cooperative learning, through cognitive mechanisms described by Bandura (1997). The Student Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) model of inquiry and cooperative learning incorporates cooperative learning and inquiry-guided learning in large enrollment combined lecture-laboratory classes (Oliver-Hoyo & Beichner, 2004). SCALE-UP was adopted by a small but rapidly growing public university in the southeastern United States in three undergraduate, general education science courses for non-science majors in the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. Students in these courses were compared with students in three other general education science courses for non-science majors taught with the standard teaching model at the host university. The standard model combines lecture and laboratory in the same course, with smaller enrollments and utilizes cooperative learning. Science teaching self-efficacy was measured using the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument - B (STEBI-B; Bleicher, 2004). A science teaching self-efficacy score was computed from the Personal Science Teaching Efficacy (PTSE) factor of the instrument. Using non-parametric statistics, no significant difference was found between teaching models, between genders, within models, among instructors, or among courses. The number of previous science courses was significantly correlated with PTSE score. Student responses to open-ended questions indicated that students felt the larger enrollment in the SCALE-UP room reduced individual teacher attention but that the large round SCALE-UP tables promoted group interaction. Students responded positively to cooperative and hands-on activities, and would encourage inclusion of more such activities in all of the

The Journal Impact Factor is under attack - use the CAPCI factor instead.

PubMed

Diamandis, Eleftherios P

2017-01-16

The uses and misuses of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) have been thoroughly discussed in the literature. A few years ago, I predicted that JIF would soon be replaced, while another colleague argued the opposite. Over the past few months, attacks on JIF have intensified, with some publishing organizations gradually removing the indicator from their journals' websites. Here, I argue that most, if not all of the misuses of JIF are related to its name. The word "impact" should be removed, since it implies an influential attribute, either for the journals, their published papers, or their authors. I propose instead the use of a new name, the "CAPCI factor", standing for Citation Average Per Citable Item, which accurately describes what is represented by this measure.

Civic Engagement, Graduate Education, and the Broader Impacts Criterion of the National Science Foundation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lima, Marybeth

2017-01-01

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research proposals on the basis of two review criteria: intellectual merit (IM) and broader impacts (BI). The intellectual merit criterion is well-established and understood, but the broader impacts criterion, which is focused on the ways in which research can benefit society and/or meet NSF-identified…

National scientific facilities and their science impact on nonbiomedical research

PubMed Central

Kinney, A. L.

2007-01-01

The “h index” proposed by Hirsch [Hirsch JE (2005) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:16569–16573] is a good indicator of the impact of a scientist's research and has the advantage of being objective. When evaluating departments, institutions, or laboratories, the importance of the h index can be further enhanced when it is properly calibrated for the size of the group. Particularly acute is the issue of federally funded facilities whose number of actively publishing scientists frequently dwarfs that of academic departments. Recently, Molinari and Molinari [Molinari JF, Molinari A (2008) Scientometrics, in press] developed a methodology that shows that the h index has a universal growth rate for large numbers of papers, allowing for meaningful comparisons between institutions. An additional challenge when comparing large institutions is that fields have distinct internal cultures, with different typical rates of publication and citation; biology is more highly cited than physics, for example. For this reason, the present study has focused on the physical sciences, engineering, and technology and has excluded biomedical research. Comparisons between individual disciplines are reported here to provide a framework. Generally, it was found that the universal growth rate of Molinari and Molinari holds well across the categories considered, testifying to the robustness of both their growth law and our results. The goal here is to set the highest standard of comparison for federal investment in science. Comparisons are made of the nation's preeminent private and public institutions. We find that many among the national science facilities compare favorably in research impact with the nation's leading universities. PMID:17991781

Virtual photon impact factors with exact gluon kinematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialas, A.; Navelet, H.; Peschanski, R.

2001-06-01

An explicit analytic formula for the transverse and longitudinal impact factors ST, L( N, γ) of the photon using kT factorization with exact gluon kinematics is given. Applications to the QCD dipole model and the extraction of the unintegrated gluon structure function from data are proposed.

Conflicts of interest at medical journals: the influence of industry-supported randomised trials on journal impact factors and revenue - cohort study.

PubMed

Lundh, Andreas; Barbateskovic, Marija; Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn; Gøtzsche, Peter C

2010-10-26

transparency in reporting of conflict of interest is an increasingly important aspect of publication in medical journals. Publication of large industry-supported trials may generate many citations and journal income through reprint sales and thereby be a source of conflicts of interest for journals. We investigated industry-supported trials' influence on journal impact factors and revenue. we sampled six major medical journals (Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine [NEJM]). For each journal, we identified randomised trials published in 1996-1997 and 2005-2006 using PubMed, and categorized the type of financial support. Using Web of Science, we investigated citations of industry-supported trials and the influence on journal impact factors over a ten-year period. We contacted journal editors and retrieved tax information on income from industry sources. The proportion of trials with sole industry support varied between journals, from 7% in BMJ to 32% in NEJM in 2005-2006. Industry-supported trials were more frequently cited than trials with other types of support, and omitting them from the impact factor calculation decreased journal impact factors. The decrease varied considerably between journals, with 1% for BMJ to 15% for NEJM in 2007. For the two journals disclosing data, income from the sales of reprints contributed to 3% and 41% of the total income for BMJ and The Lancet in 2005-2006. publication of industry-supported trials was associated with an increase in journal impact factors. Sales of reprints may provide a substantial income. We suggest that journals disclose financial information in the same way that they require them from their authors, so that readers can assess the potential effect of different types of papers on journals' revenue and impact.

The Role of Human Factors/Ergonomics in the Science of Security: Decision Making and Action Selection in Cyberspace.

PubMed

Proctor, Robert W; Chen, Jing

2015-08-01

The overarching goal is to convey the concept of science of security and the contributions that a scientifically based, human factors approach can make to this interdisciplinary field. Rather than a piecemeal approach to solving cybersecurity problems as they arise, the U.S. government is mounting a systematic effort to develop an approach grounded in science. Because humans play a central role in security measures, research on security-related decisions and actions grounded in principles of human information-processing and decision-making is crucial to this interdisciplinary effort. We describe the science of security and the role that human factors can play in it, and use two examples of research in cybersecurity--detection of phishing attacks and selection of mobile applications--to illustrate the contribution of a scientific, human factors approach. In these research areas, we show that systematic information-processing analyses of the decisions that users make and the actions they take provide a basis for integrating the human component of security science. Human factors specialists should utilize their foundation in the science of applied information processing and decision making to contribute to the science of cybersecurity. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Emergency medicine journal impact factor and change compared to other medical and surgical specialties.

PubMed

Reynolds, Joshua C; Menegazzi, James J; Yealy, Donald M

2012-11-01

A journal impact factor represents the mean number of citations per article published. Designed as one tool to measure the relative importance of a journal, impact factors are often incorporated into academic evaluation of investigators. The authors sought to determine how impact factors of emergency medicine (EM) journals compare to journals from other medical and surgical specialties and if any change has taken place over time. The 2010 impact factors and 5-year impact factors for each journal indexed by the Thomson Reuters ISI Web of Knowledge Journal Citation Reports (JCR) were collected, and EM, medical, and surgical specialties were evaluated. The maximum, median, and interquartile range (IQR) of the current impact factor and 5-year impact factor in each journal category were determined, and specialties were ranked according to the summary statistics. The "top three" impact factor journals for each specialty were analyzed, and growth trends from 2001 through 2010 were examined with random effects linear regression. Data from 2,287 journals in 31 specialties were examined. There were 23 EM journals with a current maximum impact factor of 4.177, median of 1.269, and IQR of 0.400 to 2.176. Of 23 EM journals, 57% had a 5-year impact factor available, with a maximum of 4.531, median of 1.325, and IQR of 0.741 to 2.435. The top three EM journals had a mean standard deviation (±SD) impact factor of 3.801 (±0.621) and median of 4.142 and a mean (±SD) 5-year impact factor of 3.788 (±1.091) and median of 4.297, with a growth trend of 0.211 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.177 to 0.245; p < 0.001). By any criterion analyzed, EM journals ranked no higher than 24th among 31 specialties. Emergency medicine journals rank low in impact factor summary statistics and growth trends among 31 medical and surgical specialties. © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Facilitymetrics for Big Ocean Science: Towards Improved Measurement of Scientific Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juniper, K.; Owens, D.; Moran, K.; Pirenne, B.; Hallonsten, O.; Matthews, K.

2016-12-01

Cabled ocean observatories are examples of "Big Science" facilities requiring significant public investments for installation and ongoing maintenance. Large observatory networks in Canada and the United States, for example, have been established after extensive up-front planning and hundreds of millions of dollars in start-up costs. As such, they are analogous to particle accelerators and astronomical observatories, which may often be required to compete for public funding in an environment of ever-tightening national science budget allocations. Additionally, the globalization of Big Science compels these facilities to respond to increasing demands for demonstrable productivity, excellence and competitiveness. How should public expenditures on "Big Science" facilities be evaluated and justified in terms of benefits to the countries that invest in them? Published literature counts are one quantitative measure often highlighted in the annual reports of large science facilities. But, as recent research has demonstrated, publication counts can lead to distorted characterizations of scientific impact, inviting evaluators to calculate scientific outputs in terms of costs per publication—a ratio that can be simplistically misconstrued to conclude Big Science is wildly expensive. Other commonly promoted measurements of Big Science facilities include technical reliability (a.k.a. uptime), provision of training opportunities for Highly Qualified Personnel, generation of commercialization opportunities, and so forth. "Facilitymetrics" is a new empirical focus for scientometrical studies, which has been applied to the evaluation and comparison of synchrotron facilities. This paper extends that quantitative and qualitative examination to a broader inter-disciplinary comparison of Big Science facilities in the ocean science realm to established facilities in the fields of astronomy and particle physics.

Facilitymetrics for Big Ocean Science: Towards Improved Measurement of Scientific Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juniper, K.; Owens, D.; Moran, K.; Pirenne, B.; Hallonsten, O.; Matthews, K.

2016-02-01

Cabled ocean observatories are examples of "Big Science" facilities requiring significant public investments for installation and ongoing maintenance. Large observatory networks in Canada and the United States, for example, have been established after extensive up-front planning and hundreds of millions of dollars in start-up costs. As such, they are analogous to particle accelerators and astronomical observatories, which may often be required to compete for public funding in an environment of ever-tightening national science budget allocations. Additionally, the globalization of Big Science compels these facilities to respond to increasing demands for demonstrable productivity, excellence and competitiveness. How should public expenditures on "Big Science" facilities be evaluated and justified in terms of benefits to the countries that invest in them? Published literature counts are one quantitative measure often highlighted in the annual reports of large science facilities. But, as recent research has demonstrated, publication counts can lead to distorted characterizations of scientific impact, inviting evaluators to calculate scientific outputs in terms of costs per publication—a ratio that can be simplistically misconstrued to conclude Big Science is wildly expensive. Other commonly promoted measurements of Big Science facilities include technical reliability (a.k.a. uptime), provision of training opportunities for Highly Qualified Personnel, generation of commercialization opportunities, and so forth. "Facilitymetrics" is a new empirical focus for scientometrical studies, which has been applied to the evaluation and comparison of synchrotron facilities. This paper extends that quantitative and qualitative examination to a broader inter-disciplinary comparison of Big Science facilities in the ocean science realm to established facilities in the fields of astronomy and particle physics.

A Closer Look at the Impact of Globalization on Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clothey, Rebecca; Mills, Michelle; Baumgarten, Jacqueline

2010-01-01

This paper provides a historical overview of globalisation in order to illustrate how globalisation both shapes and is shaped by external forces. The authors use this perspective to generate a dialogue about the science education project "The Case of Sustainability by the Bay", and raise some questions to further the discussion on the impact of…

Assessing the Impact of Gender and Race on Earnings in the Library Science Labor Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeper, Darren; Smith, Steven A.

2010-01-01

Using data from the 2003 National Survey of College Graduates, this paper examines earnings in the library science labor market and assesses the impact of gender on the income attainment process. We use this cross-sectional dataset to determine if there are significant income differences between male and female library science professionals. The…

An Agenda for Climate Impacts Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaye, J. A.

2009-12-01

The report Global Change Impacts in the United States released by the US Global Change Research Program in June 2009 identifies a number of areas in which inadequate information or understanding hampers our ability to estimate likely future climate change and its impacts. In this section of the report, the focus is on those areas of climate science that could contribute most towards advancing our knowledge of climate change impacts and those aspects of climate change responsible for these impacts in order to continue to guide decision making. The Report identifies the six most important gaps in knowledge and offers some thoughts on how to address those gaps: 1. Expand our understanding of climate change impacts. There is a clear need to increase understanding of how ecosystems, social and economic systems, human health, and the built environment will be affected by climate change in the context of other stresses. 2. Refine ability to project climate change, including extreme events, at local scales. While climate change is a global issue, it has a great deal of regional variability. There is an indisputable need to improve understanding of climate system effects at these smaller scales, because these are often the scales of decision-making in society. This includes advances in modeling capability and observations needed to address local scales and high-impact extreme events. 3. Expand capacity to provide decision makers and the public with relevant information on climate change and its impacts. Significant potential exists in the US to create more comprehensive measurement, archive, and data-access systems that could provide great benefit to society, which requires defining needed information, gathering it, expanding capacity to deliver it, and improving tools by which decision makers use it to best advantage. 4. Improve understanding of thresholds likely to lead to abrupt changes in climate or ecosystems. Potential areas of research include thresholds that could

The Impact of Language Factors on Learner Achievement in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prinsloo, C. H.; Rogers, S. C.; Harvey, J. C.

2018-01-01

South African learner achievement remains poor, despite large investment in schooling over the last two decades. Literature and research findings offer no single explanation or solution. In this article, the authors explored the relative contribution of specific language factors such as the role of home- and school-language equivalence, cultural…

Evaluation of Science.

PubMed

Usmani, Adnan Mahmmood; Meo, Sultan Ayoub

2011-01-01

Scientific achievement by publishing a scientific manuscript in a peer reviewed biomedical journal is an important ingredient of research along with a career-enhancing advantages and significant amount of personal satisfaction. The road to evaluate science (research, scientific publications) among scientists often seems complicated. Scientist's career is generally summarized by the number of publications / citations, teaching the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students, writing or reviewing grants and papers, preparing for and organizing meetings, participating in collaborations and conferences, advising colleagues, and serving on editorial boards of scientific journals. Scientists have been sizing up their colleagues since science began. Scientometricians have invented a wide variety of algorithms called science metrics to evaluate science. Many of the science metrics are even unknown to the everyday scientist. Unfortunately, there is no all-in-one metric. Each of them has its own strength, limitation and scope. Some of them are mistakenly applied to evaluate individuals, and each is surrounded by a cloud of variants designed to help them apply across different scientific fields or different career stages [1]. A suitable indicator should be chosen by considering the purpose of the evaluation, and how the results will be used. Scientific Evaluation assists us in: computing the research performance, comparison with peers, forecasting the growth, identifying the excellence in research, citation ranking, finding the influence of research, measuring the productivity, making policy decisions, securing funds for research and spotting trends. Key concepts in science metrics are output and impact. Evaluation of science is traditionally expressed in terms of citation counts. Although most of the science metrics are based on citation counts but two most commonly used are impact factor [2] and h-index [3].

Science Cafés: Transforming citizens to scientific citizens-What influences participants' perceived change in health and scientific literacy?

PubMed

Ahmed, Syed M; DeFino, Mia; Connors, Emily; Visotcky, Alexis; Kissack, Anne; Franco, Zeno

2017-04-01

Science Cafés facilitated by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin seek to increase health and scientific literacy through informal conversation between researchers and community members. The goal was to understand what factors have the greatest influence on attendees' perceived changes in health and science literacy levels (PCHSL) to increase impact. Previous research established the evaluation used in the Science Cafés to measure PCHSL. In this study, comparisons were made between (1) 2 different approaches to Science Cafés (Genomics Science Cafés or Health Science Cafés) and (2) regression models to show which factors best predicted PCHSL. The approach of the Genomics Science Cafés series to Science Cafés showed a larger impact on PCHSL. Regression models suggest SES and education significantly contributes to PCHSL. Insights for program development to have greater impact on PCHSL were identified. Continuing to optimize dissemination of research findings to the public is essential for improving community health and well-being.

The Impact of the Next Generation Science Standards on Future Professional Development and Astronomy Education Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn

2013-06-01

The Next Generation Science Standards will have a profound impact on the future science education of students and professional development for teachers. The science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas laid out in the Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2011) will change the focus and methods of how we prepare teachers to meet these new standards. Extending beyond just the use of inquiry in the classroom, teachers will need support designing and implementing integrated experiences for students that require them to apply knowledge of content and practices. Integrating the three dimensions central to the new standards will pose curricular challenges and create opportunities for innovative space science projects and instruction. The science research and technology community will have an important role in supporting authentic classroom practices as well as training and support of teachers in these new ways of presenting science and technology. These changes will require a new focus for teacher professional development and new ways to research impacts of teacher training and changes in classroom practice. In addition, new and innovative tools will be needed to assess mastery of students’ knowledge of practices and the ways teachers effectively help students achieve these new goals. The astronomy education community has much to offer as K-12 and undergraduate level science educators rethink and redefine what it means to be scientifically literate and figure out how to truly measure the success of these new ways of teaching science.

Impacts of Contextual and Explicit Instruction on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Understandings of the Nature of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Randy L.; Matkins, Juanita Jo; Gansneder, Bruce M.

2011-01-01

This mixed-methods investigation compared the relative impacts of instructional approach and context of nature of science instruction on preservice elementary teachers' understandings. The sample consisted of 75 preservice teachers enrolled in four sections of an elementary science methods course. Independent variables included instructional…

The impact of science notebook writing on ELL and low-SES students' science language development and conceptual understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huerta, Margarita

This quantitative study explored the impact of literacy integration in a science inquiry classroom involving the use of science notebooks on the academic language development and conceptual understanding of students from diverse (i.e., English Language Learners, or ELLs) and low socio-economic status (low-SES) backgrounds. The study derived from a randomized, longitudinal, field-based NSF funded research project (NSF Award No. DRL - 0822343) targeting ELL and non-ELL students from low-SES backgrounds in a large urban school district in Southeast Texas. The study used a scoring rubric (modified and tested for validity and reliability) to analyze fifth-grade school students' science notebook entries. Scores for academic language quality (or, for brevity, language ) were used to compare language growth over time across three time points (i.e., beginning, middle, and end of the school year) and to compare students across categories (ELL, former ELL, non-ELL, and gender) using descriptive statistics and mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA). Scores for conceptual understanding (or, for brevity, concept) were used to compare students across categories (ELL, former ELL, non-ELL, and gender) in three domains using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. A correlational analysis was conducted to explore the relationship, if any, between language scores and concept scores for each group. Students demonstrated statistically significant growth over time in their academic language as reflected by science notebook scores. While ELL students scored lower than former ELL and non-ELL students at the first two time points, they caught up to their peers by the third time point. Similarly, females outperformed males in language scores in the first two time points, but males caught up to females in the third time point. In analyzing conceptual scores, ELLs had statistically significant lower scores than former-ELL and non-ELL students, and females outperformed males in

Examination of factors which may contribute to the underrepresentation of African American teachers certified in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Rita C. F.

Throughout this country the student population is becoming increasingly diverse, yet the teacher population does not reflect this diversity. This lack of diversity in the teacher population deprives students of color from having role models of the same race/ethnicity who look like them and who might have experiences which are similar to theirs (Epstein, 2005; Nettles & Perna, 1997). Having role models from their own race in the classroom could have a positive impact on students' attitudes about science (Perine, 2003), and facilitate their learning of the subject matter, and give students an incentive to do well in school (Vegas, Murnane, & Willett, 2001). In 2000, a national survey study of math and science teachers was conducted (Horizon Research, 2001). The majority of biology (90%), chemistry (93%), and physics (94%) teachers who participated in the study were White. Findings of the study revealed that only 55% to 60% of these teachers considered themselves well prepared to effectively teach a culturally diverse student population (Banilower, 2002; Smith, 2002; Wood, 2002). The majority of the teacher pool, which is White, prefer not to teach in urban communities as they have a preference for teaching jobs in the nonurban communities that are similar to those in which they were raised (Boyd, Lankford, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2005; Epstein, 2005). The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine factors that may contribute to the underrepresentation of African American teachers certified in science. More specifically, it was decided to examine the high school experiences of in-service teachers. Study participants were teachers and other certificated faculty in two school districts located in the southern portion of the United States. Findings of the study revealed a statistically significant relationship between a teacher's decision to become certified in science and the following high school experiences: teachers and guidance counselors encouraging students to

Quantifying the negative impact of brain drain on the integration of European science

PubMed Central

Doria Arrieta, Omar A.; Pammolli, Fabio; Petersen, Alexander M.

2017-01-01

The 2004/2007 European Union (EU) enlargement by 12 member states offers a unique opportunity to quantify the impact of EU efforts to expand and integrate the scientific competitiveness of the European Research Area (ERA). We apply two causal estimation schemes to cross-border collaboration data extracted from millions of academic publications from 1996 to 2012, which are disaggregated across 14 subject areas and 32 European countries. Our results illustrate the unintended consequences following the 2004/2007 enlargement, namely, its negative impact on cross-border collaboration in science. First, we use the synthetic control method to show that levels of European cross-border collaboration would have been higher without EU enlargement, despite the 2004/2007 EU entrants gaining access to EU resources incentivizing cross-border integration. Second, we implement a difference-in-difference panel regression, incorporating official intra-European high-skilled mobility statistics, to identify migration imbalance—principally from entrant to incumbent EU member states—as a major factor underlying the divergence in cross-border integration between Western and Eastern Europe. These results challenge central tenets underlying ERA integration policies that unifying labor markets will increase the international competitiveness of the ERA, thereby calling attention to the need for effective home-return incentives and policies. PMID:28439544

Quantifying the negative impact of brain drain on the integration of European science.

PubMed

Doria Arrieta, Omar A; Pammolli, Fabio; Petersen, Alexander M

2017-04-01

The 2004/2007 European Union (EU) enlargement by 12 member states offers a unique opportunity to quantify the impact of EU efforts to expand and integrate the scientific competitiveness of the European Research Area (ERA). We apply two causal estimation schemes to cross-border collaboration data extracted from millions of academic publications from 1996 to 2012, which are disaggregated across 14 subject areas and 32 European countries. Our results illustrate the unintended consequences following the 2004/2007 enlargement, namely, its negative impact on cross-border collaboration in science. First, we use the synthetic control method to show that levels of European cross-border collaboration would have been higher without EU enlargement, despite the 2004/2007 EU entrants gaining access to EU resources incentivizing cross-border integration. Second, we implement a difference-in-difference panel regression, incorporating official intra-European high-skilled mobility statistics, to identify migration imbalance-principally from entrant to incumbent EU member states-as a major factor underlying the divergence in cross-border integration between Western and Eastern Europe. These results challenge central tenets underlying ERA integration policies that unifying labor markets will increase the international competitiveness of the ERA, thereby calling attention to the need for effective home-return incentives and policies.

School factors affecting postsecondary career pursuits of high-achieving girls in mathematics and science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Hyunsil

This study examined the influences of secondary school experiences of high-achieving girls in math and science on their postsecondary career pursuits in science fields. Specifically, using the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), the study investigated how science class experiences in high school affect science career persistence of high-achieving girls over and above personal and family factors. Selecting the top 10% on the 8 th grade math and science achievement tests from two panel samples of 1988--1994 and 1988--2000, this study examined which science instructional experiences (i.e., lecture-oriented, experiment-oriented, and student-oriented) best predicted college major choices and postsecondary degree attainments in the fields of science after controlling for personal and family factors. A two-stage test was employed for the analysis of each panel sample. The first test examined the dichotomous career pursuits between science careers and non-science careers and the second test examined the dichotomous pursuits within science careers: "hard" science and "soft" science. Logistic regression procedures were used with consideration of panel weights and design effects. This study identified that experiment-oriented and student-oriented instructional practices seem to positively affect science career pursuits of high-achieving females, while lecture-oriented instruction negatively affected their science career pursuits, and that the longitudinal effects of the two positive instructional contributors to science career pursuits appear to be differential between major choice and degree attainment. This study also found that the influences of instructional practices seem to be slight for general females, while those for high-achieving females were highly considerable, regardless of whether negative or positive. Another result of the study found that only student-oriented instruction seemed to have positive effects for high-achieving males. In

Assessing the influence of Environmental Impact Assessments on science and policy: an analysis of the Three Gorges Project.

PubMed

Tullos, Desiree

2009-07-01

The need to understand and minimize negative environmental outcomes associated with large dams has both contributed to and benefited from the introduction and subsequent improvements in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. However, several limitations in the EIA process remain, including those associated with the uncertainty and significance of impact projections. These limitations are directly related to the feedback between science and policy, with information gaps in scientific understanding discovered through the EIA process contributing valuable recommendations on critical focus areas for prioritizing and funding research within the fields of ecological conservation and river engineering. This paper presents an analysis of the EIA process for the Three Gorges Project (TGP) in China as a case study for evaluating this feedback between the EIA and science and policy. For one of the best-studied public development projects in the world, this paper presents an investigation into whether patterns exist between the scientific interest (via number of publications) in environmental impacts and (a) the identification of impacts as uncertain or priority by the EIA, (b) decisions or political events associated with the dam, and (c) impact type. This analysis includes the compilation of literature on TGP, characterization of ecosystem interactions and responses to TGP through a hierarchy of impacts, coding of EIA impacts as "uncertain" impacts that require additional study and "priority" impacts that have particularly high significance, mapping of an event chronology to relate policies, institutional changes, and decisions about TGP as "events" that could influence the focus and intensity of scientific investigation, and analysis of the number of publications by impact type and order within the impact hierarchy. From these analyses, it appears that the availability and consistency of scientific information limit the accuracy of environmental impact

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AS DEVELOPMENT FACTORS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LENGYEL, PETER

PROCEEDINGS FROM A MEETING OF UNESCO'S ADVISORY COUNCIL TO ITS OFFICE OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND ITS DIVISION OF SCIENCE POLICY ARE REPORTED. THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE CONFERENCE IS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AN INTRODUCTORY PAPER DEALS WITH RESOURCES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, THE INFLUENCE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON…

Longitudinal Nanotechnology Development (1991-2002): National Science Foundation Funding and its Impact on Patents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zan; Chen, Hsinchun; Yan, Lijun; Roco, Mihail C.

2005-10-01

Nanotechnology holds the promise to revolutionize a wide range of products, processes and applications. It is recognized by over sixty countries as critical for their development at the beginning of the 21st century. A significant public investment of over 1 billion annually is devoted to nanotechnology research in the United States. This paper provides an analysis of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funding of nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) and its relationship to the innovation as reflected in the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) patent data. Using a combination of bibliometric analysis and visualization tools, we have identified several general trends, the key players, and the evolution of technology topics in the NSF funding and commercial patenting activities. This study documents the rapid growth of innovation in the field of nanotechnology and its correlation to funding. Statistical analysis shows that the NSF-funded researchers and their patents have higher impact factors than other private and publicly funded reference groups. This suggests the importance of fundamental research on nanotechnology development. The number of cites per NSF-funded inventor is about 10 as compared to 2 for all inventors of NSE-related patents recorded at USPTO, and the corresponding Authority Score is 20 as compared to 1.8.

Enrolling in Science and Engineering Academic Programs—Motivating and Deterring Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pomazan, Valentina; Mihalaşcu, Doina; Petcu, Lucian C.; Gîrtu, Mihai A.

2010-01-01

We report the results of the student responses to a survey aiming to determine the factors influencing the young generation in choosing a career in science and technology. The goal of the study is twofold: to identify the motives that determine students to enroll in university programs in science and technology and to engage in applied science and engineering careers and to discover the barriers that manifest at different age levels, preventing students from making such choices. The study was conducted at the Ovidius University and the "Energetic" Technical High School, both in Constanta, Romania, with samples of 257 and 106 students respectively, based on a 38 item online questionnaire. The samples selected from the student population allow for a wide range of analyses with respect to gender, family and educational background, field of study, etc. We discuss the role of the raw models, parents, educators, and we comment on ways to increase student enrollment in science and engineering.

The impact of federal policy on teachers' use of science manipulatives: A survey of teacher philosophy and practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helgoe, Catherine A.

Recently, educators in public K-12 schools have added testing of science knowledge to the measures of Adequate Yearly Progress required by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Research of the impact of NCLB policy on general teaching practices had credited the policy with improving instruction; however, negative impacts noted included the concern that teachers "teach to the test," narrowing the curriculum. Testing as an assessment strategy was not advocated by the professional educators and scientists responsible for the National Science Education Standards (NSES). Results from previous studies pointed to a potential conflict between the NCLB reforms and the National Science Education Standards science standards, in which teachers might reduce or eliminate hands-on activities and other constructivist practices in order to focus class time on other topics and tasks. Most research on NCLB policy, however, had not evaluated instructional practices regarding science education. This study examined the relationship among teacher beliefs, specifically the strength of their constructivist versus traditional beliefs, teachers' responses to NCLB policy, and teachers' use of constructivist practices in the form of manipulatives. This study showed that national policy did have an impact on teachers; however, that impact was not specific to the hands-on practices in science education. Teachers who responded to this survey had found many benefits in student learning using manipulatives and those positive impacts on their students justified the increased use of manipulatives in the classroom. The strength of teachers' constructivist beliefs showed a weak positive correlation to choices related to curriculum priorities, learning goals and advantages in using manipulatives. However, a relationship to beliefs was not found in the changes teachers made to various instructional practices, or in how they viewed certain manipulative materials, or in how they viewed

The citation impact of hydrology journals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Martyn P.; Hanson, R. Brooks

2017-06-01

We examine a suite of journal-level productivity and citation statistics for six leading hydrology journals in order to help authors understand the robustness and meaning of journal impact factors. The main results are (1) the probability distribution of citations is remarkably homogenous across hydrology journals; (2) hydrology papers tend to have a long-lasting impact, with a large fraction of papers cited after the 2 year window used to calculate the journal impact factor; and (3) journal impact factors are characterized by substantial year-to-year variability (especially for smaller journals), primarily because a small number of highly cited papers have a large influence on the journal impact factor. Consequently, the ranking of hydrology journals with respect to the journal impact factor in a given year does not have much information content. These results highlight problems in using citation data to evaluate hydrologic science. We hope that this analysis helps authors better understand journal-level citation statistics, and also helps improve research assessments in institutions and funding agencies.

Science Identity in Informal Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schon, Jennifer A.

The national drive to increase the number of students pursuing Science Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers has brought science identity into focus for educators, with the need to determine what encourages students to pursue and persist in STEM careers. Science identity, the degree to which students think someone like them could be a scientist is a potential indicator of students pursuing and persisting in STEM related fields. Science identity, as defined by Carlone and Johnson (2007) consists of three constructs: competence, performance, and recognition. Students need to feel like they are good at science, can perform it well, and that others recognize them for these achievements in order to develop a science identity. These constructs can be bolstered by student visitation to informal education centers. Informal education centers, such as outdoor science schools, museums, and various learning centers can have a positive impact on how students view themselves as scientists by exposing them to novel and unique learning opportunities unavailable in their school. Specifically, the University of Idaho's McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) focuses on providing K-12 students with the opportunity to learn about science with a place-based, hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum that hopes to foster science identity development. To understand the constructs that lead to science identity formation and the impact the MOSS program has on science identity development, several questions were explored examining how students define the constructs and if the MOSS program impacted how they rate themselves within each construct. A mixed-method research approach was used consisting of focus group interviews with students and pre, post, one-month posttests for visiting students to look at change in science identity over time. Results from confirmatory factor analysis indicate that the instrument created is a good fit for examining science identity and the associated

Staff development and secondary science teachers: Factors that affect voluntary participation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corley, Theresa Roebuck

2000-10-01

A researcher-designed survey assessed the perceptions of Alabama secondary science public school teachers toward the need for staff development and toward certain staff development strategies and programs. Factors that encouraged or discouraged attendance at voluntary staff development programs and opinions regarding effective and ineffective features of programs were identified. Data were analyzed using descriptive techniques. Percentages and frequencies were noted. Average rankings were computed for the staff development techniques considered most and least effective and for the preferred designs of future staff development offerings. Chi squares were computed to respond to each of the 4 research hypotheses. Narrative discussions and tables were utilized to report the data and provide clarification. This study related demographic information to the research hypotheses. Analysis of the research hypotheses revealed that experienced teachers agree more strongly about the features of staff development programs that they consider effective and about the factors that may affect participation in staff development programs. Analysis of the research questions revealed that secondary science teachers in Alabama agree that staff development is a personal responsibility but that the school systems are responsible for providing staff development opportunities. Teachers believe that staff development is needed annually in both science content and teaching strategies and favor lengthening the school year for staff development. Teachers identified interest level, graduate credit, ability to implement material, scheduling factors, and the reputation of the organizer as the most important factors in determining participation in voluntary staff development programs. Hands-on workshops were identified as the most effective type of voluntary staff development and teachers requested that future staff development experiences include hands-on workshops, networking, curriculum

STEREO-IMPACT Education and Public Outreach: Sharing STEREO Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craig, N.; Peticolas, L. M.; Mendez, B. J.

2005-12-01

The Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) is scheduled for launch in Spring 2006. STEREO will study the Sun with two spacecrafts in orbit around it and on either side of Earth. The primary science goal is to understand the nature and consequences of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). Despite their importance, scientists don't fully understand the origin and evolution of CMEs, nor their structure or extent in interplanetary space. STEREO's unique 3-D images of the structure of CMEs will enable scientists to determine their fundamental nature and origin. We will discuss the Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program for the In-situ Measurement of Particles And CME Transients (IMPACT) suite of instruments aboard the two crafts and give examples of upcoming activities, including NASA's Sun-Earth day events, which are scheduled to coincide with a total solar eclipse in March. This event offers a good opportunity to engage the public in STEREO science, because an eclipse allows one to see the solar corona from where CMEs erupt. STEREO's connection to space weather lends itself to close partnerships with the Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF), The Exploratorium, and UC Berkeley's Center for New Music and Audio Technologies to develop informal science programs for science centers, museum visitors, and the public in general. We will also discuss our teacher workshops locally in California and also at annual conferences such as those of the National Science Teachers Association. Such workshops often focus on magnetism and its connection to CMEs and Earth's magnetic field, leading to the questions STEREO scientists hope to answer. The importance of partnerships and coordination in working in an instrument E/PO program that is part of a bigger NASA mission with many instrument suites and many PIs will be emphasized. The Education and Outreach Porgram is funded by NASA's SMD.

The Impact of Soft Factors on Quality Improvement in Manufacturing Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Shiau Wei; Fauzi Ahmad, Md; Kong, Mei Wan

2017-08-01

Nowadays, soft factors have become the key factors of success in quality improvement of an organisation. Many organisations have neglected the importance of soft factors, this may influence the organisational performance. Hence, the purpose of this research is to examine the impact of soft factors on quality improvement in manufacturing industries. Six hypotheses were examined while considering six dimensions of soft factors including management commitment, customer focus, supplier relationship, employee involvement, training and education, and reward and recognition that have a positive impact on quality improvement. In this study, eighty one managers from the quality department were randomly selected in the manufacturing industry in Batu Pahat, Johor. The questionnaires were distributed to them. The researcher analysed the quantitatively collected data using descriptive analysis and correlation analysis. The findings of this study revealed that all soft factors are correlated to the quality improvement in an organisation with a high significant value but the regression analysis shows that the supplier relationship and employee involvement has more significant impact on quality improvement as compared to other soft factors which contributes of this study.

Factors Influencing Persistence/Achievement in the Sciences and Health Professions by Black High School and College Women. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Henrie M.; And Others

This paper reports on a study which investigated socioeconomic, academic, and psychosocial factors that might affect enrollment and persistence rates of black women in science and health careers. An overview is presented of women in science, black women's status in science, role models and support groups, other factors affecting persistence, and…

Impacts of an Inquiry Teaching Method on Earth Science Students' Learning Outcomes and Attitudes at the Secondary School Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mao, Song-Ling; Chang, Chun-Yen

This paper summarizes two companion studies that were designed to investigate the impacts of an inquiry teaching method on Earth science students' achievement and attitudes towards Earth science in secondary schools. Subjects were 557 students (9th grade) enrolled in 14 Earth science classes. Two Earth science units, including topics of astronomy…

Differences within: A comparative analysis of women in the physical sciences --- Motivation and background factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabney, Katherine Patricia Traudel

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has become a critical focus in the United States due to economic concerns and public policy (National Academy of Sciences, 2007; U.S. Department of Education, 2006). Part of this focus has been an emphasis on encouraging and evaluating career choice and persistence factors among underrepresented groups such as females in the physical sciences (Hill et al., 2010; National Academy of Sciences, 2007). The majority of existing STEM research studies compare women to men, yet a paucity of research exists that examines what differentiates female career choice within the physical sciences. In light of these research trends and recommendations, this study examines the following questions: 1. On average, do females who select chemistry or physics doctoral programs differ in their reported personal motivations and background factors prior to entering the field? 2. Do such variables as racial and ethnic background, age, highest level of education completed by guardians/parents, citizenship status, family interest in science, first interest in general science, first interest in the physical sciences, average grades in high school and undergraduate studies in the physical sciences, and experiences in undergraduate physical science courses explain a significant amount of variance in female physical scientists' years to Ph.D. completion? These questions are analyzed using variables from the Project Crossover Survey dataset through a subset of female physical science doctoral students and scientists. Logistic regression analyses are performed to uncover what differentiates women in the physical sciences based on their background, interest, academic achievement, and experiences ranging prior to elementary school through postsecondary education. Significant variables that positively predict a career choice in chemistry or physics include content specific high school and undergraduate academic achievement and positive

Soft Skills and the Science Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ediger, Marlow

2017-01-01

Care must be given to align curricular goal and instructional methods, materials, and assessments. Student effort, student interest in science and pupil perseverance are key factors that impact the learning process. Educators must be aware of the interactions among these critical concepts to assist students in attaining desired outcomes.

Hurricane Sandy science plan: coastal topographic and bathymetric data to support hurricane impact assessment and response

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stronko, Jakob M.

2013-01-01

Hurricane Sandy devastated some of the most heavily populated eastern coastal areas of the Nation. With a storm surge peaking at more than 19 feet, the powerful landscape-altering destruction of Hurricane Sandy is a stark reminder of why the Nation must become more resilient to coastal hazards. In response to this natural disaster, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received a total of $41.2 million in supplemental appropriations from the Department of the Interior (DOI) to support response, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. These funds support a science plan that will provide critical scientific information necessary to inform management decisions for recovery of coastal communities, and aid in preparation for future natural hazards. This science plan is designed to coordinate continuing USGS activities with stakeholders and other agencies to improve data collection and analysis that will guide recovery and restoration efforts. The science plan is split into five distinct themes: • Coastal topography and bathymetry • Impacts to coastal beaches and barriers • Impacts of storm surge, including disturbed estuarine and bay hydrology • Impacts on environmental quality and persisting contaminant exposures • Impacts to coastal ecosystems, habitats, and fish and wildlife This fact sheet focuses on coastal topography and bathymetry. This fact sheet focuses on coastal topography and bathymetry.

The impact of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) professional development on the self-efficacy of science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akella, Somi Devi M.

In 2012, the National Research Council introduced the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which were created to improve the K-12 education in the U.S. and stress the importance of providing professional development (PD) to acquire the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy to design lessons to meet high standards of teaching and learning. Bandura's (1977) theory of self-efficacy posits that people are motivated to perform an action if they are confident that they can perform the action successfully. The purpose of this survey research was to investigate the impact of professional development on the self-efficacy of science teachers with regard to the NGSS practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data as well as to probe teachers' perceptions of barriers to their self-efficacy in applying this practice. The study found that focused and targeted PD helped improve participants' self-efficacy in incorporating the NGSS practices and addressed several barriers to teacher self-efficacy. In response to findings, Akella's Science Teaching Efficacy Professional Development (ASTEPD) model is proposed as a tool to guide PD practice and, thus, helps improve teacher self-efficacy.

Are we allowing impact factor to have too much impact: The need to reassess the process of academic advancement in pediatric cardiology?

PubMed

Loomba, Rohit S; Anderson, Robert H

2018-03-01

Impact factor has been used as a metric by which to gauge scientific journals for several years. A metric meant to describe the performance of a journal overall, impact factor has also become a metric used to gauge individual performance as well. This has held true in the field of pediatric cardiology where many divisions utilize impact factor of journals that an individual has published in to help determine the individual's academic achievement. This subsequently can impact the individual's promotion through the academic ranks. We review the purpose of impact factor, its strengths and weaknesses, discuss why impact factor is not a fair metric to apply to individuals, and offer alternative means by which to gauge individual performance for academic promotion. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of "JOBM": ISI Impact Factor Places the "Journal of Organizational Behavior Management" Third in Applied Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hantula, Donald A.

2006-01-01

The ISI Impact Factor for "JOBM" is 1.793, placing it third in the JCR rankings for journals in applied psychology with a sharply accelerating linear trend over the past 5 years. This article reviews the Impact Factor and raises questions regarding its reliability and validity and then considers a citation analysis of "JOBM" in light of the…

The Impacts of Professional Learning Communities on Science Teachers' Knowledge, Practice and Student Learning: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dogan, Selcuk; Pringle, Rose; Mesa, Jennifer

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide a review of empirical studies investigating the impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) on science teachers' practices and knowledge. Across 14 articles that satisfied the definition we embraced, most were devoted to the change in science teaching practices, disciplinary content knowledge (DCK)…

The Status of Secondary Science Education in the United States: Factors That Predict Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Adrienne A.; Banilower, Eric R.; Nelson, Michele M.; Smith, P. Sean

2013-01-01

New K-12 science education standards emphasize teaching and learning grounded in authentic scientific practices. A first step toward supporting teachers' adoption of scientific practice-based pedagogies is to develop a clear picture of how teachers are currently teaching science, and what factors predict their pedagogical choices. A recently…

Evaluating impact level of different factors in environmental impact assessment for incinerator plants using GM (1, N) model.

PubMed

Pai, T Y; Chiou, R J; Wen, H H

2008-01-01

In this study, the impact levels in environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports of 10 incinerator plants were quantified and discussed. The relationship between the quantified impact levels and the plant scale factors of BeiTou, LiZe, BaLi, LuTsao, RenWu, PingTung, SiJhou and HsinChu were constructed, and the impact levels of the GangShan (GS) and YongKong (YK) plants were predicted using grey model GM (1, N). Finally, the effects of plant scale factors on impact levels were evaluated using grey model GM (1, N) too. According to the predicted results of GM, the relative errors of topography/geology/soil, air quality, hydrology/water quality, solid waste, noise, terrestrial fauna/flora, aquatic fauna/flora and traffic in the GS plant were 17%, 14%, 15%, 17%, 75%, 16%, 13%, and 37%, respectively. The relative errors of the same environmental items in the YK plant were 1%, 18%, 10%, 40%, 37%, 3%, 25% and 33%, respectively. According to GM (1, N), design capacity (DC) and heat value (HV) were the plant scale factors that affected the impact levels significantly in each environmental item, and thus were the most significant plant scale factors. GM (1, N) was effective in predicting the environmental impact and analyzing the reasonableness of the impact. If there is an EIA for a new incinerator plant to be reviewed in the future, the official committee of the Taiwan EPA could review the reasonableness of impact levels in EIA reports quickly.

Implementation Science and Employer Disability Practices: Embedding Implementation Factors in Research Designs.

PubMed

Main, Chris J; Nicholas, Michael K; Shaw, William S; Tetrick, Lois E; Ehrhart, Mark G; Pransky, Glenn

2016-12-01

Purpose For work disability research to have an impact on employer policies and practices it is important for such research to acknowledge and incorporate relevant aspects of the workplace. The goal of this article is to summarize recent theoretical and methodological advances in the field of Implementation Science, relate these to research of employer disability management practices, and recommend future research priorities. Methods The authors participated in a year-long collaboration culminating in an invited 3-day conference, "Improving Research of Employer Practices to Prevent Disability", held October 14-16, 2015, in Hopkinton, MA, USA. The collaboration included a topical review of the literature, group conference calls to identify key areas and challenges, drafting of initial documents, review of industry publications, and a conference presentation that included feedback from peer researchers and a question/answer session with a special panel of knowledge experts with direct employer experience. Results A 4-phase implementation model including both outer and inner contexts was adopted as the most appropriate conceptual framework, and aligned well with the set of process evaluation factors described in both the work disability prevention literature and the grey literature. Innovative interventions involving disability risk screening and psychologically-based interventions have been slow to gain traction among employers and insurers. Research recommendations to address this are : (1) to assess organizational culture and readiness for change in addition to individual factors; (2) to conduct process evaluations alongside controlled trials; (3) to analyze decision-making factors among stakeholders; and (4 ) to solicit input from employers and insurers during early phases of study design. Conclusions Future research interventions involving workplace support and involvement to prevent disability may be more feasible for implementation if organizational decision

The impact of technology on the enactment of inquiry in a technology enthusiast's sixth grade science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waight, Noemi; Abd-El-Khalick, Fouad

2007-01-01

This study investigated the impact of the use of computer technology on the enactment of inquiry in a sixth grade science classroom. Participants were 42 students (38% female) enrolled in two sections of the classroom and taught by a technology-enthusiast instructor. Data were collected over the course of 4 months during which several inquiry activities were completed, some of which were supported with the use of technology. Non-participant observation, classroom videotaping, and semi-structured and critical-incident interviews were used to collect data. The results indicated that the technology in use worked to restrict rather than promote inquiry in the participant classroom. In the presence of computers, group activities became more structured with a focus on sharing tasks and accounting for individual responsibility, and less time was dedicated to group discourse with a marked decrease in critical, meaning-making discourse. The views and beliefs of teachers and students in relation to their specific contexts moderate the potential of technology in supporting inquiry teaching and learning and should be factored both in teacher training and attempts to integrate technology in science teaching.

Studying Overseas: Factors Impacting Intention of Female Students in Mainland China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yi; Sun, Jie; Hagedorn, Linda Serra

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact Chinese female students' intention to study overseas. This study also aimed to understand how these factors impact female students' decision making process. Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 96 female undergraduates who enrolled in a 4-year public university…

Development of preservice elementary teachers' science self- efficacy beliefs and its relation to science conceptual understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menon, Deepika

Self-efficacy beliefs that relate to teachers' motivation and performance have been an important area of concern for preservice teacher education. This study used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the changes in preservice elementary teachers' science self-efficacy beliefs and the factors associated in a specialized elementary physics content course. In addition, the study is one of few to investigate the relationship between the changes in science self-efficacy beliefs and changes in physical science conceptual understanding. Participants included fifty-one preservice elementary teachers enrolled in two term of the physical science content course. Data collection and analysis procedures included both qualitative and quantitative measures. Data collection included implementation of Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-B (STEBI-B) (Bleicher, 2004) and Physical Science Concept Test as pre- and post-test, two semi-structured interviews with 18 participants (nine each semester), classroom observations and artifacts. A pre-post, repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) design was used to test the significance of differences between the pre- and post-surveys across time. Results indicated statistically significant gains in participants' science self-efficacy beliefs on both scales of STEBI-B - personal science teaching beliefs and outcome expectancy beliefs. Additionally, a positive moderate relationship between science conceptual understandings and personal science teaching efficacy beliefs was found. Post-hoc analysis of the STEBI-B data was used to select 18 participants for interviews. The participants belonged to each group representing the low, medium and high initial levels of self-efficacy beliefs. Participants' responses indicated positive shifts in their science teacher self-image and confidence to teach science in future. Four categories that represented the course-related factors contributing towards science self

Schooling girls in a rural community: An examination of female science identity and science career choices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler, Melisa Diane Creasy

There is a gap in existence between the number of males and females entering science careers. Research has begun to focus largely on how identity impacts the selection of such careers. While much research has been done to examine the factors that impact student identity, little work has been done to examine what happens to female students who have been successful in science in a rural K-12 school once they leave high school and enter the world of academia. Thus, this study examined the following questions: (1) How do three recent female high school graduates from rural K-12 high schools narrate their identity? (2) How do the females narrate their experiences in a rural community and high school in relation to their science identity? (3) What do the participants describe as influencing their academic and career choices as they transition into the life of a college student? This study involved three female participants from a small rural community in a southeastern state. Each female has lived their entire life in the community and has attended only one K-12 school. All three females ranked in the top ten of their senior class and excelled in their science coursework. Additionally, each female elected to attend college locally and to live at home. The study utilized the qualitative methodology of interpretive biography. The researcher used a guided interview protocol with participants which served as the basis for the creation of their narrative biographies. The biographies were then analyzed for emergent themes. Sociocultural theory, identity theory, and critical feminism provided the theoretical frameworks utilized in data analysis. Findings from this study suggested that there were many differing factors influencing the science identity and career choices of the females under study. However, the most salient factor impacting their choices was their desire to remain in their hometown. Directions for future research suggestions involve exploring female students who

Factors associated with the academic success of first year health science students.

PubMed

Mills, Christina; Heyworth, Jane; Rosenwax, Lorna; Carr, Sandra; Rosenberg, Michael

2009-05-01

The academic success of students is a priority for all universities. This study identifies factors associated with first year academic success (performance and retention) that can be used to improve the quality of the student learning experience. A retrospective cohort study was conducted with a census of all 381 full time students enrolled in the Bachelor of Health Science at The University of Western Australia since the inception of the course in the year 2000. Factors found to be associated with successful academic performance were high matriculation score, female sex, non-Indigenous status, attendance at a government secondary school, upfront payment of university fees and completion of secondary school English Literature. The most influential factor on first year academic performance was a high matriculation score. Retention into second year was found to be influenced by participation in the university mentor scheme, non-Indigenous status and first year university marks. The factor of most influence on student retention was first year university marks. Valuable information about the performance and retention of first year Bachelor of Health Science students is provided in this study which is relevant to the operational priorities of any university.

Investigation of Primary Education Second Level Students' Motivations toward Science Learning in Terms of Various Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sert Çibik, Ayse

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the primary education second level students' motivations towards science learning in terms of various factors. Within the research, the variation of the total motivational scores in science learning according to the gender, class, socio-economic levels, success in science-technology course and…

U.S. Science and Technology--Its Impact on Trade and Industry Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelletier, Alfred W.

Vocational education must train students in a way that capitalizes on their potential while preparing them with the skills needed for the jobs being created through advances in science and technology. The impact of technological change has been to challenge education to ease the transition of displaced workers and to accommodate entries.…

A systems theory approach to career development: Exploring factors that affect science as a career choice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liskey, Brian K.

This research project was designed to examine the factors that affect students' choice in a career. Specifically, the factors of (a) achievement, (b) interest, (c) self-efficacy, (d) perceived preparation for a career, and (e) being informed about a career will be under investigation. Of key importance to the study is how these factors can affect a student's perception about choosing a science career. A quantitative analysis of secondary data from the 2006 and 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) international assessment and attitudinal questionnaire provided data on student perceptions and aptitude in science. The sample from PISA included over 400,000 15 year-old students from 57 countries. From the 57 countries, 30 countries, comprised by Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development (OECD), were isolated for analysis. Within this group of 30, 11 were selected for comparison based on their questionnaire response to expectations for a career in science at age 30. The Institute for Educational Science's, International Data Explorer was utilized to acquire and analyze data from the 2006 and 2009 PISA international tests and questionnaires to determine significance between scaled scores and PISA indices. Variables were chosen as factors affecting student's perception on various systems outlined by the Systems Theory of Career Development (Patton & McMahon, 1997) and the Systems Theory of Career Development Framework (Patton & McMahon, 1999). Four country groups were established based on student responses to question 30a from the 2006 PISA attitudinal questionnaire, which asks what career students expected to have at age 30. The results from comparing country groups showed that countries in Group A, which showed the highest values for students expecting a career in science, also had the highest average values for achievement on the PISA science literacy assessment. Likewise, countries that had the lowest values for expecting a career in

Students as 'catalysts' in the classroom: the impact of co-teaching between science student teachers and primary classroom teachers on children's enjoyment and learning of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, Colette; Beggs, Jim; Carlisle, Karen; Greenwood, Julian

2004-08-01

This study is an investigation of the impact of collaborative teaching by student-teachers and classroom teachers on children's enjoyment and learning of science. The paper describes findings from a project in which undergraduate science specialist student-teachers were placed in primary schools where they 'co-taught' investigative science and technology with primary teachers. Almost six months after the student placement, a survey of children's attitudes to school science revealed that these children enjoyed science lessons more and showed fewer gender or age differences in their attitudes to science than children who had not been involved in the project. The authors discuss how this model of collaborative planning, teaching and evaluation can both enhance teacher education and improve children's experience of science.

Promoting Translational Research Among Movement Science, Occupational Science, and Occupational Therapy.

PubMed

Sainburg, Robert L; Liew, Sook-Lei; Frey, Scott H; Clark, Florence

2017-01-01

Integration of research in the fields of neural control of movement and biomechanics (collectively referred to as movement science) with the field of human occupation directly benefits both areas of study. Specifically, incorporating many of the quantitative scientific methods and analyses employed in movement science can help accelerate the development of rehabilitation-relevant research in occupational therapy (OT) and occupational science (OS). Reciprocally, OT and OS, which focus on the performance of everyday activities (occupations) to promote health and well-being, provide theoretical frameworks to guide research on the performance of actions in the context of social, psychological, and environmental factors. Given both fields' mutual interest in the study of movement as it relates to health and disease, the authors posit that combining OS and OT theories and principles with the theories and methods in movement science may lead to new, impactful, and clinically relevant knowledge. The first step is to ensure that individuals with OS or OT backgrounds are academically prepared to pursue advanced study in movement science. In this article, the authors propose 2 strategies to address this need.

The Impacts of Upward Bound Math-Science on Postsecondary Outcomes 7-9 Years after Scheduled High School Graduation: Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seftor, Neil S.; Calcagno, Juan Carlos

2010-01-01

This final report updates the report "Upward Bound Math-Science: Program Description and Interim Impact Estimates" published in 2007 (Olsen et al. 2007). The 2007 interim report contained descriptive findings from a survey of Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) grantees from the late 1990s at the time of the study's initiation and impact estimates…

What Factors Impact Consumer Perception of the Effectiveness of Health Information Sites? An Investigation of the Korean National Health Information Portal.

PubMed

Choung, Ji Tae; Lee, Yoon Seong; Jo, Heui Sug; Shim, Minsun; Lee, Hun Jae; Jung, Su Mi

2017-07-01

Lay public's concerns around health and health information are increasing. In response, governments and government agencies are establishing websites to address such concerns and improve health literacy by providing better access to validated health information. Since 2011, the Korean government has constructed the National Health Information Portal (NHIP) website run in collaboration with the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences (KAMS). This study therefore aimed to 1) examine consumer use of NHIP, with respect to the usage patterns, evaluation on health information provided, and perceived effectiveness of the site; and 2) identify factors that may impact perceived effectiveness of the site. An online survey was conducted with 164 NHIP users, recruited through a popup window on the main screen of the portal website from October to November 2015. The significant predicting factors supported by the data include the relevance of health information on the site, the usefulness of information in making health decisions, and the effective visualization of information. These factors can inform future efforts to design more effective health information websites, possibly based on metadata systems, to further advance the lay public's information seeking and health literacy. © 2017 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

Responsible research and innovation indicators for science education assessment: how to measure the impact?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heras, Maria; Ruiz-Mallén, Isabel

2017-12-01

The emerging paradigm of responsible research and innovation (RRI) in the European Commission policy discourse identifies science education as a key agenda for better equipping students with skills and knowledge to tackle complex societal challenges and foster active citizenship in democratic societies. The operationalisation of this broad approach in science education demands, however, the identification of assessment frameworks able to grasp the complexity of RRI process requirements and learning outcomes within science education practice. This article aims to shed light over the application of the RRI approach in science education by proposing a RRI-based analytical framework for science education assessment. We use such framework to review a sample of empirical studies of science education assessments and critically analyse it under the lenses of RRI criteria. As a result, we identify a set of 86 key RRI assessment indicators in science education related to RRI values, transversal competences and experiential and cognitive aspects of learning. We argue that looking at science education through the lenses of RRI can potentially contribute to the integration of metacognitive skills, emotional aspects and procedural dimensions within impact assessments so as to address the complexity of learning.

Simple analysis of the effect of construction materials on bridge impact factors

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-06-01

The purpose of this research is to study the influence of different construction materials on the dynamic impact factor of bridges. Initially, introduction of the dynamic impact factor and some evaluation methods are presented. A comparison of the re...

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Oral Health Impact Profile.

PubMed

John, M T; Feuerstahler, L; Waller, N; Baba, K; Larsson, P; Celebić, A; Kende, D; Rener-Sitar, K; Reissmann, D R

2014-09-01

Previous exploratory analyses suggest that the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) consists of four correlated dimensions and that individual differences in OHIP total scores reflect an underlying higher-order factor. The aim of this report is to corroborate these findings in the Dimensions of Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (DOQ) Project, an international study of general population subjects and prosthodontic patients. Using the project's Validation Sample (n = 5022), we conducted confirmatory factor analyses in a sample of 4993 subjects with sufficiently complete data. In particular, we compared the psychometric performance of three models: a unidimensional model, a four-factor model and a bifactor model that included one general factor and four group factors. Using model-fit criteria and factor interpretability as guides, the four-factor model was deemed best in terms of strong item loadings, model fit (RMSEA = 0·05, CFI = 0·99) and interpretability. These results corroborate our previous findings that four highly correlated factors - which we have named Oral Function, Oro-facial Pain, Oro-facial Appearance and Psychosocial Impact - can be reliably extracted from the OHIP item pool. However, the good fit of the unidimensional model and the high interfactor correlations in the four-factor solution suggest that OHRQoL can also be sufficiently described with one score. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Study of Turkish Preschool Teachers' Attitudes toward Science Teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erden, Feyza T.; Sönmez, Sema

2011-05-01

This study aims to explore preschool teachers' attitudes toward science teaching and its impact on classroom practices through the frequency of science activities provided in the classroom. In addition, the study investigates if their attitudes are related to factors such as educational level, years of teaching experience, and the school type they work in. The present research was conducted with 292 preschool teachers who work in public and private schools in different districts of Ankara, Turkey. The data were collected by administering the Early Childhood Teachers' Attitudes toward Science Teaching Scale. Our analyses indicate that there is a significant but weak link between preschool teachers' attitudes toward science teaching and the frequency of science activities that they provide in the classroom. Further, while teachers' characteristics such as educational level and experience are found to play an insignificant role on the overall measures of the scale, type of school appears to be a major factor in explaining the attitudes toward science teaching.

Exploratory factor analysis of the Oral Health Impact Profile.

PubMed

John, M T; Reissmann, D R; Feuerstahler, L; Waller, N; Baba, K; Larsson, P; Celebić, A; Szabo, G; Rener-Sitar, K

2014-09-01

Although oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) as measured by the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) is thought to be multidimensional, the nature of these dimensions is not known. The aim of this report was to explore the dimensionality of the OHIP using the Dimensions of OHRQoL (DOQ) Project, an international study of general population subjects and prosthodontic patients. Using the project's Learning Sample (n = 5173), we conducted an exploratory factor analysis on the 46 OHIP items not specifically referring to dentures for 5146 subjects with sufficiently complete data. The first eigenvalue (27·0) of the polychoric correlation matrix was more than ten times larger than the second eigenvalue (2·6), suggesting the presence of a dominant, higher-order general factor. Follow-up analyses with Horn's parallel analysis revealed a viable second-order, four-factor solution. An oblique rotation of this solution revealed four highly correlated factors that we named Oral Function, Oro-facial Pain, Oro-facial Appearance and Psychosocial Impact. These four dimensions and the strong general factor are two viable hypotheses for the factor structure of the OHIP. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Teen Science Cafés: A Vehicle for Scientists Seeking Broader Impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, M.; Mayhew, M. A.

2015-12-01

Teen Science Cafés are a global phenomenon where scientists and teenagers engage in lively conversations about current, relevant, and intriguing science. In the past two years, Teen Café programs have been initiated in 41 sites in 18 U.S. states via the Teen Science Cafe Network, teensciencecafe.org. Other such programs are growing in the UK, eastern Africa, South Africa, and Singapore. The events are a free, informal, and low risk way for scientists to share their science with a receptive audience much focused on future careers. The success of a Café depends on the core principle that rich conversation occurs; a Café program is not a lecture series. Engaging teen participants brings out different perspectives and new dimensions to the topic; this has typically given scientists new ways of thinking about their own research! Presenting the event as a conversation and inviting the teens to bring in questions and points of view is key to fostering a dynamic Café. Scientists report that the training provided for these engagements has changed the way they talk about their science to peers, managers, and funding agencies. Teen Cafés have been shown to significantly change teens' view of the importance of science in their lives, positively influence teens' understanding of science in the news, and increase their ability and confidence to use facts to support scientific points of view. The Café events also positively influenced teens' interest in science and science careers, and revealed to them the true nature of scientific research and the interesting lives that scientists lead. Cafés are an excellent vehicle for scientists to have broader impact on the current generation of students, our future adult citizens. The Teen Science Café Network is an open community of practice committed to helping others implement Teen Cafés.

Motivating factors influencing choice of major in undergraduates in communication sciences and disorders.

PubMed

Keshishian, Flora; McGarr, Nancy S

2012-04-01

The purposes of this study were to determine: (1) whether background factors influence the choice of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) as an academic major; (2) what motivates students to major in CSD; (3) the relationship between motivation to pursue CSD as a major and the attractiveness of the major; and (4) whether motivation influences the perceived value of a career in CSD. A survey of 143 undergraduates was created and administered to assess motivational factors that influence the choice of major. The participants had diverse ethnic/racial and cultural backgrounds and were enrolled in CSD courses in the Liberal Arts College of St John's University, a US American Institution in Queens, New York. Preliminary analyses indicated that ethnic/racial background and family income had no statistically significant relationship to motivations, attractiveness of CSD as a major, or career value of CSD as a major. Students scored highest on Intrinsic motivation factor (e.g., enjoy interacting with people) and the lowest on Science motivation (e.g., interested in science). Student confidence (e.g., in reaching career goals) was an important predictor in the perception of the career value of a CSD. Results of this study provide further insight into curriculum development and recruiting strategies.

Links between Teachers' Beliefs and Their Practices in a Science and Technology Museum Visit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karnezou, Maria; Avgitidou, Sofia; Kariotoglou, Petros

2013-01-01

There is a growing body of research examining the impact of science field trips on pupils' learning in science education and the factors that influence their success. However, there is a limited number of studies that focus on the way teachers' beliefs influence their practices in an informal science-learning venue. This research aimed to…

Equity in Elementary Science Education: A Study of Institutional and Policy Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, Kathryn N.

Despite recognition that the foundation for interest in science is laid down at the elementary level (Tai, et al., 2006), in the last ten years elementary science instruction time has declined in K-6 schooling (Center on Education Policy, 2007). A lack of access to excellent science education is exacerbated for low-income students, prompting significant questions regarding inequities within the science education pipeline (Maulucci, 2010). The critical factors needed to address these inequities include teacher preparation, access to resources, and instructional leadership, as well as a supportive policy and institutional milieu. However, although the former three have been studied extensively, the role of policy and institutions in creating the conditions for equity in science education are little understood despite their likely significant role (Lemke, 2001). This mixed methods study addressed this gap by examining the role the policy and institutional milieu play in constraining or supporting equitable elementary science education. Institutional theory provides the framework for understanding how various institutional logics and regulatory pressures permeate schools and districts across contexts, influencing science education implementation (Scott, 2014). Two distinct approaches were used to first quantitatively examine the predictors of differentiation in elementary science education instructional time and methods, and second qualitatively analyze the nature and process by which these mechanisms exert influence. Data for the first two papers was derived from a case study of a purposively sampled district, including surveys of 200 teachers and embedded case studies of four schools. Analysis consisted of multi-level models of teacher attributes and school and policy factors in predicting differential distribution of science education instructional time and methods (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002). Data for the third paper arose out of a series of principal, administrator

Ethnic Minorities and Achievements: The Black Hole in Science Ranks. Part 2: Post-16 Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasekoala, Elizabeth

1997-01-01

Discusses the overrepresentation of ethnic minority postsecondary students into the arts and humanities instead of science and technical coursework and its impact on employability. The factors that impact this trend are highlighted. (GR)

Impact of a Sophomore Seminar on the Desire of STEM Majors to Pursue a Science Career

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeder, Ryan D.; Strong, Philip E.

2012-01-01

This study focuses on the impact of a sophomore seminar on STEM majors desire to pursue a science career. This seminar was a component in a broader scholarship program and focused on helping students gain a broader understanding of the process of science, expose students to a range of career options and provide opportunities for outside of class…

A quantitative study of the summer slide in science of elementary school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donovan, Giovanna Guadagno

Concerned parents and educators agree children learn best when the rhythm of instruction is continuous with practice and application of skills. Long summer breaks may interrupt the flow of formal school learning leading some students to forget previous instruction. A review of the previous school work is generally required in the fall upon return from the summer vacation. Investigating summer vacation and equity issues, Jamar (1994) noted that more affluent students may "return to school in the fall with a considerable educational advantage over their less advantaged peers as a result of either additional school-related learning, or lower levels of forgetting, over the summer months (p. 1)". The population of 402 fifth grade students from a suburban New England school district participated in this study. The district administered the science subtest of the TerraNova 2 (TN2) assessment in late May 2007 (pre-test data) and in September 2007 (post-test data). These archived data, including gender and student socioeconomic status (SES) levels (as referenced by free or reduced lunch status), were analyzed for an ex-post facto causal comparison study to identify the phenomenon of summer slide in science of fifth graders enrolled in six elementary schools. The ANOVA statistical model was used calculating the repeated measures factor of time (pre/post summer vacation) on the science content area. Subsequent two-way ANOVAS, with one repeated-measures factor (time of testing) explored the existence of similar/different patterns by gender and by SES levels. Two questions guided this study. First, does the summer slide phenomenon exist in science education? Second, if the summer slide in science phenomenon exists in science education, then does SES impact it? Does the summer slide in science phenomenon differ between genders? Findings suggest that the summer slide phenomenon exists in science; SES and gender does not affect the overall science test scores. However, SES impacts

Determining the Factors That Affect the Objectives of Pre-Service Science Teachers to Perform Outdoor Science Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karademir, Ersin; Erten, Sinan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine whether pre-service teachers have an aim to perform outdoor education activities within the scope of science and technology course; by which factors this aim is affected, through The Theory of Planned Behaviour and the opinions of pre-service teachers. Accordingly, the study was designed as mixed research…

Employing citizen science to study defoliation impacts on arthropod communities on tamarisk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruse, Audrey L.

The invasive tamarisk tree is widespread across the southwestern landscape of the United States and has been dominant in regulated river reaches, outcompeting native vegetation and impacting trophic webs in riparian ecosystems. The changes in riparian habitat and recreation opportunities along southwestern rivers, like the San Juan River in Utah, led to the implementation of a biocontrol program in the form of the tamarisk leaf beetle (Diorhabda spp.). It is unknown what the long term effects on riparian ecosystems are as a result of the beetles' defoliation of tamarisk each summer. This study sought to identify the current arthropod community composition and abundance over one growing season on the San Juan River between Bluff and Mexican Hat, UT and second, to involve the public in this research through a citizen science component. I found that non-native insects, including the tamarisk leaf beetle, dominated the arboreal arthropod communities within the tamarisk and there are relatively few native arthropods residing in tamarisk throughout the summer season. Foliation levels (the quantity of leaves in the canopy of tamarisk) were inconclusive predictors of arthropod abundances but varied by species and by feeding guild. This may indicate that the defoliation of the tamarisk is not necessarily negatively impacting trophic interactions in tamarisk. I incorporated youth participants on educational river rafting trips to assist in data collection of arthropods from tamarisk trees as a way to educate and bring attention to the issue of invasive species in the Southwest. After completing my own citizen science project and after doing a literature review of other, similar citizen science projects, I found that striving for both rigorous scientific data and quality educational programming is challenging for a small scale project that does not target broad spatial, geographic, or temporal data. Citizen science project developers should clearly identify their objectives

Prioritization of factors impacting on performance of power looms using AHP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dulange, S. R.; Pundir, A. K.; Ganapathy, L.

2014-08-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical success factors influencing the performance of power loom textiles, to evaluate their impact on the organizational performance and to find out the effect of these factors on the organizational performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Solapur (Maharashtra) industrial sector using AHP. In the methodology adopted, factors are identified through the literature survey and finalization of these factors is done by taking the opinion of experts in the Indian context. By cognitive map, the relation between these factors (direct and indirect effect) is determined and cause and effect diagram is prepared. Then these factors are arranged hierarchically and tree diagram is prepared. A questionnaire was designed and distributed among the experts; data is collected. Using expert choice software data is filled to quantify by pair-wise comparison of these factors and are prioritized. The weights demonstrate several key findings: local and global priority reveals that there is a substantial effect of the human resource, product style, and volume on the organizational performance. The skills and technology upgradation impact on organizational performance. Maintenance plays an important role in improving the organizational performances of the SMEs. Overall, the results showed the central role of the operational factors are important. The research is subject to the normal limitations of AHP. The study is using perceptual data provided by Experts which may not provide clear measures of impact factors. However, this can be overcome using more experts to collect data in future studies. Interestingly, the findings here may be generalisable outside Solapur like Ichalkarnji, Malegaon, and Bhiwadi (Maharashtra). Solapur power loom SMEs should consider AHP as an innovative tool for quantification of factors impacting on performance and improving operational and organizational performance in today's dynamic

Mentoring for Inclusion: The Impact of Mentoring on Undergraduate Researchers in the Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haeger, Heather; Fresquez, Carla

2016-01-01

Increasing inclusion of underrepresented minority and first-generation students in mentored research experiences both increases diversity in the life sciences research community and prepares students for successful careers in these fields. However, analyses of the impact of mentoring approaches on specific student gains are limited. This study…

Student attitudes toward science-technology-society resulting from visitation to a science-technology museum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finson, Kevin D.; Enochs, Larry G.

Are student attitudes toward science-technology-society (TSS) affected by visitation to science-technology museums? The purpose of this study was to determine whether such visitations affected student STS attitudes, and in what ways particular factors of the visitation impacted these attitudes. Factors examined included prior classroom experience with STS, instructional methodology employed by teachers, grade level, socioeconomic status, school type (public or private), and gender. The subjects involved in the study were 194 Kansas students in grades 6-8, and their 13 classroom teachers. Data were collected via a pretest-posttest control group design by using study-specific questionnaires and the Moore-Sutman Scientific Attitudes Inventory. Results indicated that significant differences in attitudes were present between visiting and nonvisiting students and between grade levels. No significant differences were found between other factors. One possible conclusion is that sound pedagogy should be used prior to and during museum visitations as well as in the classroom.

The Synergistic Effect of Affective Factors on Student Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jack, Brady Michael; Lin, Huann-shyang; Yore, Larry D.

2014-01-01

This study investigates how affective and self-related factors impact participation in science learning and environmental awareness and responsibility. Using PISA 2006 datasets from Taiwan and Canada having similar level of science competency, the model for this study verifies and expands an earlier model by examining the relationships among…

Cumulative Environmental Impacts: Science and Policy to Protect Communities.

PubMed

Solomon, Gina M; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Zeise, Lauren; Faust, John B

2016-01-01

Many communities are located near multiple sources of pollution, including current and former industrial sites, major roadways, and agricultural operations. Populations in such locations are predominantly low-income, with a large percentage of minorities and non-English speakers. These communities face challenges that can affect the health of their residents, including limited access to health care, a shortage of grocery stores, poor housing quality, and a lack of parks and open spaces. Environmental exposures may interact with social stressors, thereby worsening health outcomes. Age, genetic characteristics, and preexisting health conditions increase the risk of adverse health effects from exposure to pollutants. There are existing approaches for characterizing cumulative exposures, cumulative risks, and cumulative health impacts. Although such approaches have merit, they also have significant constraints. New developments in exposure monitoring, mapping, toxicology, and epidemiology, especially when informed by community participation, have the potential to advance the science on cumulative impacts and to improve decision making.

Psychosocial factors and health status of employees at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Ziemska, Beata; Klimberg, Aneta; Marcinkowski, Jerzy T

2013-01-01

New opportunities in the labour market, competition in services and globalization have contributed to the increase in load factors in the psychosocial work environment. Availability, readiness to help, work with the sick, the suffering patient--night shifts, overtime, workaholic (as a new form of addiction), and bullying--are becoming more pronounced causes of stress, fatigue and burnout in medicine. Thus, difficult working conditions are largely the cause of unhealthy lifestyles in the medical professions and foster the development of various types of addiction and physical illness. The negative effects of psychosocial factors--in the form of immune disorders, increased incidence of mental and somatic diseases, and metabolic and hormonal disorders--more often cause increase absence through sickness and the shortening of working life. The main aim of the presented study was to provide results concerning the health state of employees of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), and also to analyze relations between selected psychosocial risks factors and the state of health of PUMS employees. The results of research conducted in 2009-2010 which covered 2,468 employees of the PUMS and the results of studies using an anonymous own questionnaire survey, evaluating exposure to psychosocial factors, which included the 1,096th members of staff of the PUMS. There was a clear effect of psychosocial risk factors for health workers. The greatest burden of these factors was observed among workers with higher education, mostly doctors. This occupational group also worked in several places of work more often than other employees of the university. These workers often complained of chronic fatigue, recurrent respiratory infections, hypertension, sleep disorders, neurotic disorders and depression. The complaints quite often diagnosed were immune disease, allergies, skin diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and disorders of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, which clearly

Integrating Technology, Curriculum, and Online Resources: A Multilevel Model Study of Impacts on Science Teachers and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ye, Lei

2013-01-01

This scale-up study investigated the impact of a teacher technology tool (Curriculum Customization Service, CCS), curriculum, and online resources on earth science teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and practices and on students' achievement and engagement with science learning. Participants included 73 teachers and over 2,000 ninth-grade students…

Impact of a Professional Development Program Using Data-Loggers on Science Teachers' Attitudes towards Inquiry-Based Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tosa, Sachiko; Martin, Fred

2010-01-01

This study examined how a professional development program which incorporates the use of electronic data-loggers could impact on science teachers' attitudes towards inquiry-based teaching. The participants were 28 science or technology teachers who attended workshops offered in the United States and Japan. The professional development program…

Trends in Social Science: The Impact of Computational and Simulative Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conte, Rosaria; Paolucci, Mario; Cecconi, Federico

This paper discusses current progress in the computational social sciences. Specifically, it examines the following questions: Are the computational social sciences exhibiting positive or negative developments? What are the roles of agent-based models and simulation (ABM), network analysis, and other "computational" methods within this dynamic? (Conte, The necessity of intelligent agents in social simulation, Advances in Complex Systems, 3(01n04), 19-38, 2000; Conte 2010; Macy, Annual Review of Sociology, 143-166, 2002). Are there objective indicators of scientific growth that can be applied to different scientific areas, allowing for comparison among them? In this paper, some answers to these questions are presented and discussed. In particular, comparisons among different disciplines in the social and computational sciences are shown, taking into account their respective growth trends in the number of publication citations over the last few decades (culled from Google Scholar). After a short discussion of the methodology adopted, results of keyword-based queries are presented, unveiling some unexpected local impacts of simulation on the takeoff of traditionally poorly productive disciplines.

A review of major factors influencing plant responses to recreation impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuss, Fred R.

1986-09-01

This article reviews some of the more important factors found to influence the susceptibility of plants to trampling impacts associated with recreational use of natural areas. A three-way interaction mediates plant responses to impacts: plant x environment x stress level(s). Plant responses vary in part according to the genetic constitution of the plant, life and growth form, the adaptive flexibility of the plant, and anatomical differences inherent to growth habit and morphology. Other factors that influence plant sensitivities to impacts are the habitat environments in which plants grow, since a number of conditions such as moisture excesses or deficiencies, nitrogen or oxygen starvation, late frosts, etc., cause physiological injury and may increase plant sensitivity to impacts. Among the environmental factors that may increase or lessen plant sensitivities to impacts are soil moisture levels, canopy density, elevation, aspect, microclimate, soil drainage, texture, fertility and productivity. Seasonal influences also bear consideration since environmental changes and phonological and physiological events are mediated by time of year. Stresses are caused by both direct and indirect forms of impact and vary according to season of use, frequency and amount of use, and the type of activity. These interactions are further complicated by evidence that inter- and intraspecific competition, antagonism, and commensalism may influence differences in the sensitivity of plant communities to impacts.

Public Reception of Climate Science: Coherence, Reliability, and Independence.

PubMed

Hahn, Ulrike; Harris, Adam J L; Corner, Adam

2016-01-01

Possible measures to mitigate climate change require global collective actions whose impacts will be felt by many, if not all. Implementing such actions requires successful communication of the reasons for them, and hence the underlying climate science, to a degree that far exceeds typical scientific issues which do not require large-scale societal response. Empirical studies have identified factors, such as the perceived level of consensus in scientific opinion and the perceived reliability of scientists, that can limit people's trust in science communicators and their subsequent acceptance of climate change claims. Little consideration has been given, however, to recent formal results within philosophy concerning the relationship between truth, the reliability of evidence sources, the coherence of multiple pieces of evidence/testimonies, and the impact of (non-)independence between sources of evidence. This study draws on these results to evaluate exactly what has (and, more important, has not yet) been established in the empirical literature about the factors that bias the public's reception of scientific communications about climate change. Copyright © 2015 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

[Does impact factor influence the ethics of the instructions provided to journal authors?].

PubMed

Teixeira, Renan Kleber Costa; Yamaki, Vitor Nagai; Gonçalves, Thiago Barbosa; Botelho, Nara Macedo; Silva, José Antonio Cordero da

2013-01-01

Verify whether a journal's impact factor is a mechanism that modifies the ethical requirements described in the instructions provided to authors of articles published in Brazilian medical journals. 48 selected journals were divided into two groups: impact-factor (n=24), and no-impact-factor (n=24). The number of ethical requirements was compared between both groups based on a specific research protocol, ranging from zero to six points, analyzing the presence of an approval by a research ethics committee; reference to the fact that the research follows the precepts of the Declaration of Helsinki and the rules of Resolution 196/96; use of an informed consent; information about the authors' conflicts of interest; and a request for registration of clinical trials in the Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry. The average score of the impact-factor group was significantly higher than that of the no-impact-factor group (3.12 ± 1.03 vs. 2.08 ± 1.64, p=0.0121). When each ethical requirement was compared between the groups, there was significant difference only between the requirement of an informed consent and the disclosure of conflicts of interest (p < 0.05). The impact factor is a determinant factor on the ethics included in the instructions to authors of articles in scientific journals, showing that higher-quality journals seek better-designed articles that are conscientious at the beginning of the research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Factors that Affect the Physical Science Career Interest of Female Students: Testing Five Common Hypotheses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazari, Zahra; Potvin, Geoff; Lock, Robynne M.; Lung, Florin; Sonnert, Gerhard; Sadler, Philip M.

2013-01-01

There are many hypotheses regarding factors that may encourage female students to pursue careers in the physical sciences. Using multivariate matching methods on national data drawn from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering (PRiSE) project ("n" = 7505), we test the following five commonly held beliefs regarding what…

Where civics meets science: building science for the public good through Civic Science.

PubMed

Garlick, J A; Levine, P

2017-09-01

Public understanding of science and civic engagement on science issues that impact contemporary life matter more today than ever. From the Planned Parenthood controversy, to the Flint water crisis and the fluoridation debate, societal polarization about science issues has reached dramatic levels that present significant obstacles to public discussion and problem solving. This is happening, in part, because systems built to support science do not often reward open-minded thinking, inclusive dialogue, and moral responsibility regarding science issues. As a result, public faith in science continues to erode. This review explores how the field of Civic Science can impact public work on science issues by building new understanding of the practices, influences, and cultures of science. Civic Science is defined as a discipline that considers science practice and knowledge as resources for civic engagement, democratic action, and political change. This review considers how Civic Science informs the roles that key participants-scientists, public citizens and institutions of higher education-play in our national science dialogue. Civic Science aspires to teach civic capacities, to inform the responsibilities of scientists engaged in public science issues and to inspire an open-minded, inclusive dialogue where all voices are heard and shared commitments are acknowledged. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Voice Matters: Buffering the Impact of a Negative Climate for Women in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Settles, Isis H.; Cortina, Lilia M.; Stewart, Abigail J.; Malley, Janet

2007-01-01

The current study examined whether women scientists' perceptions of voice moderate the impact of poor workplace climates on job satisfaction and whether effective leadership and mentoring promote women's voice. Survey data were collected from 135 faculty women in the natural sciences. The results from multiple regression analyses indicated that…

Impact of Host Factors on Robotic Partial Nephrectomy Outcomes: Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Cacciamani, Giovanni; Gill, Tania S; Medina, Luis; Ashrafi, Akbar; Winter, Matthew; Sotelo, Renè; Artibani, Walter; Gill, Inderbir

2018-05-03

Host factors (tumor size/complexity, patient comorbidities) impact outcomes of robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN). We report a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to critically evaluate impact of host factors on operative, peri-operative, functional, oncological and survival outcomes of RPN. All full-text English-language publications on RPN comparing host factors were evaluated. We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) guidelines to evaluate Pubmed®, Scopus® and Web of Science® (01/01/2000-31/06/2017). Weighted mean difference (WMD) and odds ratio (OR) compared continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. Sensitivity analyses were performed as needed. To condense the sheer volume of analyses, data are presented using novel summary forest plots. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017062712. Our meta-analysis evaluated 41 papers including 10,506 patients. Tumor factors: Compared to patients with complex tumors, those with non-complex tumors had lesser OR-time (WMD: -44.95; p=0.003), EBL (WMD: -160; p< 0.003), warm ischemia time (WIT) (WMD:-8.56 ; p≤ 0.00001) and post-operative complications (OR:0.42; p=0.01). Tumors > 4 cm were associated with higher OR-time (WMD: 30.11; p≤ 0.00001), EBL (WMD: 39.26, 95% CI 28.77, 49.74; p≤ 0.00001), WIT (WMD: 5.17; p≤ 0.00001), transfusions (OR: 3.15; p=0.003), postoperative complications (OR:1.88; p=0.004) and LOS (WMD:0.56; p=0.0004). Hilar tumors reported greater EBL (WMD:51.34; p=0.03), WIT (WMD: 8.17; p≤ 0.00001) and conversion to OPN (OR: 14.14; p=0.006). Tumor location, anterior versus posterior, did not impact RPN outcomes. Patient factors: Older patients (> 70 years) trended non-significantly towards greater %eGFR decrease and overall mortality. Abnormal BMI cohort reported greater OR-time (WMD:13.47; p<0.001), EBL(WMD:45.44; p<0.0001) and postoperative complications (OR:1

Honorary Authorship Practices in Environmental Science Teams: Structural and Cultural Factors and Solutions.

PubMed

Elliott, Kevin C; Settles, Isis H; Montgomery, Georgina M; Brassel, Sheila T; Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Soranno, Patricia A

2017-01-01

Overinclusive authorship practices such as honorary or guest authorship have been widely reported, and they appear to be exacerbated by the rise of large interdisciplinary collaborations that make authorship decisions particularly complex. Although many studies have reported on the frequency of honorary authorship and potential solutions to it, few have probed how the underlying dynamics of large interdisciplinary teams contribute to the problem. This article reports on a qualitative study of the authorship standards and practices of six National Science Foundation-funded interdisciplinary environmental science teams. Using interviews of the lead principal investigator and an early-career member on each team, our study explores the nature of honorary authorship practices as well as some of the motivating factors that may contribute to these practices. These factors include both structural elements (policies and procedures) and cultural elements (values and norms) that cross organizational boundaries. Therefore, we provide recommendations that address the intersection of these factors and that can be applied at multiple organizational levels.

STEM development: A study of 6th--12th grade girls' interest and confidence in mathematics and science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heaverlo, Carol Ann

Researchers, policymakers, business, and industry have indicated that the United States will experience a shortage of professionals in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Several strategies have been suggested to address this shortage, one of which includes increasing the representation of girls and women in the STEM fields. In order to increase the representation of women in the STEM fields, it is important to understand the developmental factors that impact girls' interest and confidence in STEM academics and extracurricular programs. Research indicates that greater confidence leads to greater interest and vice versa (Denissen et al., 2007). This study identifies factors that impact girls' interest and confidence in mathematics and science, defined as girls' STEM development. Using Bronfenbrenner's (2005) bioecological model of human development, several factors were hypothesized as having an impact on girls' STEM development; specifically, the macrosystems of region of residence and race/ethnicity, and the microsystems of extracurricular STEM activities, family STEM influence, and math/science teacher influence. Hierarchical regression analysis results indicated that extracurricular STEM involvement and math teacher influence were statistically significant predictors for 6--12th grade girls' interest and confidence in mathematics. Furthermore, hierarchical regression analysis results indicated that the only significant predictor for 6--12th grade girls' interest and confidence in science was science teacher influence. This study provides new knowledge about the factors that impact girls' STEM development. Results can be used to inform and guide educators, administrators, and policy makers in developing programs and policy that support and encourage the STEM development of 6--12th grade girls.

Impact of Practice-Based Instruction on Graduate Programs in the Pharmaceutical Sciences--Another Response.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerald, Michael C.

1979-01-01

The impact of practice-based programs on graduate education in pharmaceutical science is discussed. It is suggested that graduate programs remain flexible in order to accommodate the role of the pharmacist-scientist and to help in attracting qualified students. (SF)

Examining Factors Affecting Science Achievement of Hong Kong in PISA 2006 Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Terence Yuk Ping; Lau, Kwok Chi

2014-01-01

This study uses hierarchical linear modeling to examine the influence of a range of factors on the science performances of Hong Kong students in PISA 2006. Hong Kong has been consistently ranked highly in international science assessments, such as Programme for International Student Assessment and Trends in International Mathematics and Science…

The role of outside-school factors in science education: a two-stage theoretical model linking Bourdieu and Sen, with a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gokpinar, Tuba; Reiss, Michael

2016-05-01

The literature in science education highlights the potentially significant role of outside-school factors such as parents, cultural contexts and role models in students' formation of science attitudes and aspirations, and their attainment in science classes. In this paper, building on and linking Bourdieu's key concepts of habitus, cultural and social capital, and field with Sen's capability approach, we develop a model of students' science-related capability development. Our model proposes that the role of outside-school factors is twofold, first, in providing an initial set of science-related resources (i.e. habitus, cultural and social capital), and then in conversion of these resources to science-related capabilities. The model also highlights the distinction between science-related functionings (outcomes achieved by individuals) and science-related capabilities (ability to achieve desired functionings), and argues that it is necessary to consider science-related capability development in evaluating the effectiveness of science education. We then test our theoretical model with an account of three Turkish immigrant students' science-related capabilities and the role of outside-school factors in forming and extending these capabilities. We use student and parent interviews, student questionnaires and in-class observations to provide an analysis of how outside-school factors influence these students' attitudes, aspirations and attainment in science.

Conflicts of Interest at Medical Journals: The Influence of Industry-Supported Randomised Trials on Journal Impact Factors and Revenue – Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Lundh, Andreas; Barbateskovic, Marija; Hróbjartsson, Asbjørn; Gøtzsche, Peter C.

2010-01-01

Background Transparency in reporting of conflict of interest is an increasingly important aspect of publication in medical journals. Publication of large industry-supported trials may generate many citations and journal income through reprint sales and thereby be a source of conflicts of interest for journals. We investigated industry-supported trials' influence on journal impact factors and revenue. Methods and Findings We sampled six major medical journals (Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, The Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine [NEJM]). For each journal, we identified randomised trials published in 1996–1997 and 2005–2006 using PubMed, and categorized the type of financial support. Using Web of Science, we investigated citations of industry-supported trials and the influence on journal impact factors over a ten-year period. We contacted journal editors and retrieved tax information on income from industry sources. The proportion of trials with sole industry support varied between journals, from 7% in BMJ to 32% in NEJM in 2005–2006. Industry-supported trials were more frequently cited than trials with other types of support, and omitting them from the impact factor calculation decreased journal impact factors. The decrease varied considerably between journals, with 1% for BMJ to 15% for NEJM in 2007. For the two journals disclosing data, income from the sales of reprints contributed to 3% and 41% of the total income for BMJ and The Lancet in 2005–2006. Conclusions Publication of industry-supported trials was associated with an increase in journal impact factors. Sales of reprints may provide a substantial income. We suggest that journals disclose financial information in the same way that they require them from their authors, so that readers can assess the potential effect of different types of papers on journals' revenue and impact. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:21048986