Associations between school-level environment and science classroom environment in secondary schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorman, Jeffrey P.; Fraser, Barry J.; McRobbie, Campbell J.

1995-09-01

This article describes a study of links between school environment and science classroom environment. Instruments to assess seven dimensions of school environment (viz., Empowerment, Student Support, Affiliation, Professional Interest, Mission Consensus, Resource Adequacy and Work Pressure) and seven dimensions of classroom environment (viz., Student Affiliation, Interactions, Cooperation, Task Orientation, Order & Organisation, Individualisati n and Teacher Control) in secondary school science classrooms were developed and validated. The study involved a sample of 1,318 students in 64 year 9 and year 12 science classes and 128 teachers of science in Australian secondary schools. Using the class mean as the unit of analysis for student data, associations between school and classroom environment were investigated using simple, multiple and canonical correlational analyses. In general, results indicated weak relationships between school and classroom environments and they reinforced the view that characteristics of the school environment are not transmitted automatically into science classrooms.

The impact of scienceware and foundations on students' attitudes towards science and science classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stratford, Steven J.; Finkel, Elizabeth A.

1996-03-01

In this paper, we describe changes in students' ideas about science classes, attitudes about science, and motivations for studying science, in a classroom designed to support projectbased science learing. Using a survey designed to provide a measure of students' attitudes towards science classes and science, we have compared students enrolled in a traditional high school biology course, with students enrolled in an integrated, project-based science course called Foundations I. Survey responses were analyzed to look at differences between and within two groups of students over the course of one school year. In general, the results of this study suggest that providing students with opportunities to collect and analyze their own data in science classes results in a change in students' ideas about science classrooms. Foundations I students' increased tendency to agree with statements about `using information,' `drawing conclusions,' and `thinking about problems,' implies a change in their understanding of what it means to do science in school. These students, in contrast to students in the traditional Biology course, no longer describe their science experience as one of memorization, textbook reading, and test taking. Instead they see science class as a place in which they can collect data, draw conclusions, and formulate and solve problems.

The Importance of Academic Challenge in College Preparation of High School Honor Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barber, Paul Linton

2011-01-01

High school honor graduates at a rural high school in the Southeastern United States of America have not been as prepared for science classes at the college level as their teachers expected. At the study site, which is located in one rural high school, honor graduates have been struggling with their freshman college science classes although these…

The Efficacy of Differentiated Instruction in Meeting the Needs of Gifted Middle School Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Light, Julie K.

2012-01-01

The research site is a middle school in a K-12 suburban public school district with heterogeneously grouped (mixed ability) middle school language arts, social studies, and science classes. It has been determined that the academic needs of its gifted or highly talented learners in these classes need to be better met. This action science research…

Pre-Teacher Case Study Analysis of Teaching Life and Earth Science in Multicultural Middle School Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGinnis, J. Randy

Intending teachers in two science education methods classes (Fall Quarter, n=27; Spring Quarter, n=21) read and discussed a qualitative study describing science teaching and learning in a culturally diverse middle school. The two primary participants in the qualitative study were a white female veteran life science teacher and a white male…

Interpreting the Relationships between Single Gender Science Classes and Girls' Academic Motivation and Interest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Sonya L.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how and to what extent single gender science classes affect motivation to learn scientific concepts, interest in science, and college major intent among high school and middle school girls. This study was designed to determine whether students' motivation to learn science changes when they are placed in a…

The cultural production of "science" and "scientist" in high school physics: Girls' access, participation, and resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlone, Heidi Berenson

2000-10-01

For over three decades, the gender gap in science and science education has received attention from teachers, policy makers, and scholars of various disciplines. During this time, feminist scholars have posited many reasons why the gender gap in science and science education exists. Early feminist discourse focused on girls' "deficits," while more recent work has begun to consider the problems with science and school science in the quest for a more gender inclusive science. Specifically, feminist scholars advocate a transformation of both how students learn science and the science curriculum that students are expected to learn. This study was designed to examine more deeply this call for a changed science curriculum and its implications for girls' participation, interest, and scientist identities. If we reinvisioned ways to "do" science, "learn" science, and "be a scientist" in school science, would girls come to see science as something interesting and worth pursuing further? This question framed my ethnographic investigation. I examined the culturally produced meanings of "science" and "scientist" in two high school physics classrooms (one traditional and one non-traditional class framed around real-world themes), how these meanings reproduced and contested larger sociohistorical (and prototypical) meanings of science and scientist, and how girls participated within and against these meanings. The results complicate the assumption that a classroom that enacts a non-traditional curriculum is "better" for girls. This study explained how each classroom challenged sociohistorical legacies of school science in various "spaces of possibility" and how prototypical meanings pushed the potential of these spaces to the margins. Girls in the traditional physics class generally embraced prototypical meanings because they could easily access "good student" identities. Girls in the non-traditional class, though attracted to alternative practices, struggled with the conflicting promoted student identities that did not allow them easy access to "good student" identities. In neither class were girls' perceptions of what it meant to do science and be a scientist challenged. And, in neither class did girls connect to a legitimate scientist identity. These findings leave unanswered the question of whether changes in pedagogy and curriculum alone will produce more gender fair school science.

A Case Study of Markdale High School's Implementation of Heterogeneously-Grouped Classes in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierre-Louis, Fred

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe Markdale High School's change from separate college preparatory and general level classes to heterogeneously-grouped classes in English, mathematics, science, and social studies, with particular emphasis on the principal's leadership style, change process, and teacher concerns (Hall & Hord, 2006)…

(re)producing Good Science Students: Girls' Participation in High School Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlone, Heidi B.

In this ethnographic study, the author describes the meanings of science and science student in a physics classroom in an upper-middle-class high school and the ways girls participated within these meanings. The classroom practices reproduced prototypical meanings of science (as authoritative) and science student (as "dutiful"). The results highlight girls' embrace of prototypical school science. Yet at the end of the school year, the girls did not consider themselves "science people," nor did they want to pursue physics further. The author's interpretation of these results takes seriously girls' agency in producing the meaning of the physics class (as a way to polish one's transcript) and draws attention to the promoted identities (prototypical good student identities) in the classroom. The author argues that students' agency in resisting or accepting the practices, identities, and knowledge of school science is worth understanding for the improvement of science education.

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.

Chemistry Teachers' Perceived Benefits and Challenges of Inquiry-Based Instruction in Inclusive Chemistry Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mumba, F.; Banda, A.; Chabalengula, V. M.

2015-01-01

Studies on inquiry-based instruction in inclusive science teaching have mainly focused on elementary and middle school levels. Little is known about inquiry-based instruction in high school inclusive science classes. Yet, such classes have become the norm in high schools, fulfilling the instructional needs of students with mild disabilities. This…

Construction and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Taiwanese Elementary Students' Attitudes toward Their Science Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tzu-Ling; Berlin, Donna

2010-12-01

The main purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the attitudes toward science class of fourth- and fifth-grade students in an Asian school culture. Specifically, the development focused on three science attitude constructs-science enjoyment, science confidence, and importance of science as related to science class experiences. A total of 265 elementary school students in Taiwan responded to the instrument developed. Data analysis indicated that the instrument exhibited satisfactory validity and reliability with the Taiwan population used. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.93 for the entire instrument indicating a satisfactory level of internal consistency. However, both principal component analysis and parallel analysis showed that the three attitude scales were not unique and should be combined and used as a general "attitudes toward science class" scale. The analysis also showed that there were no gender or grade-level differences in students' overall attitudes toward science class.

Undergraduate basic science preparation for dental school.

PubMed

Humphrey, Sue P; Mathews, Robert E; Kaplan, Alan L; Beeman, Cynthia S

2002-11-01

In the Institute of Medicines report Dental Education at the Crossroads, it was suggested that dental schools across the country move toward integrated basic science education for dental and medical students in their curricula. To do so, dental school admission requirements and recommendations must be closely reviewed to ensure that students are adequately prepared for this coursework. The purpose of our study was twofold: 1) to identify student dentists' perceptions of their predental preparation as it relates to course content, and 2) to track student dentists' undergraduate basic science course preparation and relate that to DAT performance, basic science course performance in dental school, and Part I and Part II National Board performance. In the first part of the research, a total of ninety student dentists (forty-five from each class) from the entering classes of 1996 and 1997 were asked to respond to a survey. The survey instrument was distributed to each class of students after each completed the largest basic science class given in their second-year curriculum. The survey investigated the area of undergraduate major, a checklist of courses completed in their undergraduate preparation, the relevance of the undergraduate classes to the block basic science courses, and the strength of requiring or recommending the listed undergraduate courses as a part of admission to dental school. Results of the survey, using frequency analysis, indicate that students felt that the following classes should be required, not recommended, for admission to dental school: Microbiology 70 percent, Biochemistry 54.4 percent, Immunology 57.78 percent, Anatomy 50 percent, Physiology 58.89 percent, and Cell Biology 50 percent. The second part of the research involved anonymously tracking undergraduate basic science preparation of the same students with DAT scores, the grade received in a representative large basic science course, and Part I and Part II National Board performance. Using T-test analysis correlations, results indicate that having completed multiple undergraduate basic science courses (as reported by AADSAS BCP hours) did not significantly (p < .05) enhance student performance in any of these parameters. Based on these results, we conclude that student dentists with undergraduate preparation in science and nonscience majors can successfully negotiate the dental school curriculum, even though the students themselves would increase admission requirements to include more basic science courses than commonly required. Basically, the students' recommendations for required undergraduate basic science courses would replicate the standard basic science coursework found in most dental schools: anatomy, histology, biochemistry, microbiology, physiology, and immunology plus the universal foundation course of biology.

Project Clarion: Three Years of Science Instruction in Title I Schools among K-Third Grade Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyung Hee; VanTassel-Baska, Joyce; Bracken, Bruce A.; Feng, Annie; Stambaugh, Tamra; Bland, Lori

2012-10-01

The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of higher level, inquiry-based science curricula on students at primary level in Title I schools. Approximately 3,300 K-3 students from six schools were assigned to experimental or control classes ( N = 115 total) on a random basis according to class. Experimental students were exposed to concept-based science curriculum that emphasized `deep learning' though concept mastery and investigation, whereas control classes learned science from traditional school-based curricula. Two ability measures, the Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised (BBCS-R, Bracken 1998) and the Naglieri Nonverbal Intelligence Test (NNAT, Naglieri 1991), were used for baseline information. Additionally, a standardized measure of student achievement in science (the MAT-8 science subtest), a standardized measure of critical thinking, and a measure for observing teachers' classroom behaviors were used to assess learning outcomes. Results indicated that all ability groups of students benefited from the science inquiry-based approach to learning that emphasized science concepts, and that there was a positive achievement effect for low socio-economic young children who were exposed to such a curriculum.

The effect of science-technology-society issue instruction on the attitudes of female middle school students toward science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mullinnix, Debra Lynn

An assessment of the science education programs of the last thirty years reveals traditional science courses are producing student who have negative attitudes toward science, do not compete successfully in international science and mathematics competitions, are not scientifically literate, and are not interested in pursuing higher-level science courses. When the number of intellectually-capable females that fall into this group is considered, the picture is very disturbing. Berryman (1983) and Kahle (1985) have suggested the importance of attitude both, in terms of achievement in science and intention to pursue high-level science courses. Studies of attitudes toward science reveal that the decline in attitudes during grades four through eight was much more dramatic for females than for males. There exists a need, therefore, to explore alternative methods of teaching science, particularly in the middle school, that would increase scientific literacy, improve attitudes toward science, and encourage participation in higher-level science courses of female students. Yager (1996) has suggested that science-technology-society (STS) issue instruction does make significant changes in students' attitudes toward science, stimulates growth in science process skills, and increases concept mastery. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect STS issue instruction had on the attitudes of female middle school students toward science in comparison to female middle school students who experience traditional science instruction. Another purpose was to examine the effect science-technology-society issue instruction had on the attitudes of female middle school students in comparison to male middle school students. The pretests and the posttests were analyzed to examine differences in ten domains: enjoyment of science class; usefulness of information learned in science class; usefulness of science skills; feelings about science class in general; attitudes about what took place in the science classroom; overall response to science class; perception of encouragement to enroll in science electives; future plans to enroll in science electives; reasons for not enrolling in science electives; and perception of restraints in achieving future goals.

Terra Firma: "Physics First" for Teaching Chemistry to Pre-Service Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

More, Michelle B.

2007-01-01

A pre-service elementary school teacher chemistry class that incorporates the physics first idea is described. This class is taught basic physics followed by introductory chemistry and the students' response indicates that both science literacy and science interest increase using this method.

Assessing High School Students’ Pro-Environmental Behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayah, N.; Agustin, R. R.

2017-09-01

This paper aims to reveal students’ pro-environmental behavior in a High School. Self-reported behavior assessment was administered in this study involving students with age range 15 to 18 years. Pro-environmental behavior in this study comprises six domains. Those are recycling, waste avoidance, consumerism, energy conservation, mobility and transportation, and vicarious conservation behavior. Pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of science class students was compared to behavior of non-science class students. Effect of students’ grade level and extracurricular activity on the behavior was evaluated. Study revealed that science could improve students’ PEB. It is because environmental topics are covered in science class. Student’s involvement in extracurricular activity may enhance PEB as well. In conclusion, students’ PEB is influenced by class program (science or non-science) but it is not influenced by time length in learning science. This finding could be consider by science educator in choosing strategy to enhance student’s pro-environmental behaviour.

Research on Same-Gender Grouping in Eighth Grade Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friend, Jennifer

2006-01-01

This study examined two hypotheses related to same-gender grouping of eighth grade science classes in a public middle school setting. The hypotheses were (a) male and female students enrolled in same-gender science classes demonstrate more positive science academic achievement than their peers enrolled in mixed-gender classes, and (b) same-gender…

Science Perceptions of Prospective Class Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulucinar Sagir, Safak

2017-01-01

The perceptions of class teachers, who will deliver science education at the elementary school, of information and science are significant as these affect the quality of education received by children. The aim of this research is to determine perceptions of prospective class teachers of science. The sample group of the research consists of 120…

Project Clarion: Three Years of Science Instruction in Title I Schools among K-Third Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Kyung Hee; VanTassel-Baska, Joyce; Bracken, Bruce A.; Feng, Annie; Stambaugh, Tamra; Bland, Lori

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of higher level, inquiry-based science curricula on students at primary level in Title I schools. Approximately 3,300 K-3 students from six schools were assigned to experimental or control classes (N = 115 total) on a random basis according to class. Experimental students were exposed to…

Building Science-Relevant Literacy with Technical Writing in High School

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

Girill, T R

2006-06-02

By drawing on the in-class work of an on-going literacy outreach project, this paper explains how well-chosen technical writing activities can earn time in high-school science courses by enabling underperforming students (including ESL students) to learn science more effectively. We adapted basic research-based text-design and usability techniques into age-appropriate exercises and cases using the cognitive apprenticeship approach. This enabled high-school students, aided by explicit guidelines, to build their cognitive maturity, learn how to craft good instructions and descriptions, and apply those skills to better note taking and technical talks in their science classes.

Strategies for Science Student Achievement & Productive School Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, William L.

2010-01-01

There is an increasing literature pertaining to student achievement and school productivity. This session will present school and classroom strategies used in high school science classes at Robert E. Lee High School (5A) in Tyler, Texas. This year, 84% of the students at Lee passed the science TAKS test. Lee is also ranked in the top 1500 high…

Space Science in the Kindergarten Classroom and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonett, D.

2000-12-01

With the advent of probes to our closest planet Mars and the multi-national construction of Earth's first International Space Station, it is not presumptive to introduce 5 year old school children to the space sciences. K. E. Little Elementary School is located in the community of Bacliff, Texas. It is the largest elementary school (950 students) in the Dickinson Independent School District. K. E. Little is a Title 1 school with a multi-ethnic student population. It's close proximity to the Johnson Space Center and the Lunar and Planetary Institute provide ample instructional support and material. Last fall, two kindergarten classes received space science instruction. Both were class sizes of 19 with one class predominantly children of Vietnamese immigrants. Our goal was to create curiosity and awareness through a year-long integrated space science program of instruction. Accurate information of the space sciences was conveyed through sources i.e. books and videos, as well as conventional song, movement, and artistic expression. Videotaping and photographs replaced traditional anecdotal records. Samples of student work were compiled for classroom and school display. This year, two fifth grade classes will receive space science instruction using the Jason Project XII curriculum. Students will engage in a year-long exploration of the Hawaiian Islands. Information will be conveyed via internet and live video presentations as well as traditional sources i.e. books and videos, as well as song, movement, and artistic expression. Comparison of volcanic activity in Hawaii to volcanoes on other planets will be one of several interplanetary correlations. Samples of student work will be compiled for classroom, school, and community display.

Creating Hybrid Spaces for Engaging School Science among Urban Middle School Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, Angela Calabrese; Tan, Edna; Rivet, Ann

2008-01-01

The middle grades are a crucial time for girls in making decisions about how or if they want to follow science trajectories. In this article, the authors report on how urban middle school girls enact meaningful strategies of engagement in science class in their efforts to merge their social worlds with the worlds of school science and on the…

School Engagement Mediates Well-Being Differences in Students Attending Specialized versus Regular Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orkibi, Hod; Tuaf, Hila

2017-01-01

The authors examined (a) differences in school engagement and the subjective well-being (SWB) of 330 Israeli students (Grades 7-10, 52% girls) in specialized school classes (arts and science) versus students in classes with no specialized subject and (b) the role of engagement as a mediator between class choice and SWB. A multivariate analysis of…

Introducing Science Experiments to Rote-Learning Classes in Pakistani Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pell, Anthony William; Iqbal, Hafiz Muhammad; Sohail, Shahida

2010-01-01

A mixed-methods sequential research design has been used to test the effect of introducing teacher science demonstrations to a traditional book-learning sample of 384 Grade 7 boys and girls from five schools in Lahore, Pakistan. In the quasi-experimental quantitative study, the eight classes of comparable ability were designated either…

Discarded Minds: How Gender, Race and Class Biases Prevent Young Women from Obtaining an Adequate Math and Science Education in New York City Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syron, Lisa

This study is a systematic investigation of female participation in mathematics and science classes in New York City schools. Six major findings reported include: (1) young women's low levels of participation in mathematics and science reflect the overall low levels of participation and reveal lack of attention to excellence in mathematics and…

Application of expert-notice dialogue (END) method to assess students’ science communication ability on biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sriyati, S.; Amelia, D. N.; Soniyana, G. T.

2018-05-01

Student’s science communication ability can be assessed by the Expert-Notice Dialogue (END) method which focusing on verbal explanations using graphs or images as a tool. This study aims to apply the END method to assess students’ science communication ability. The study was conducted in two high schools with each sample of one class at each school (A and B). The number of experts in class A is 8 students and 7 in class B, the number of notice in class A 24 students and 30 in class B. The material chosen for explanation by expert is Ecosystem in class A and plant classification in class B. Research instruments are rubric of science communication ability, observation rubric, notice concept test and notice questionnaire. The implementation recorded with a video camera and then transcribed based on rubric science communication ability. The results showed that the average of science communication ability in class A and B was 60% and 61.8%, respectively, in enough categories. Mastery of the notice concept is in good category with 79.10 averages in class A and 94.64 in class B. Through the questionnaire notice it is known that the END method generally helps notice in understanding the concept.

The Effects of Motivation on Student Performance on Science Assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glenn, Tina Heard

Academic achievement of public school students in the United States has significantly fallen behind other countries. Students' lack of knowledge of, or interest in, basic science and math has led to fewer graduates of science, technology, engineering, and math-related fields (STEM), a factor that may affect their career success and will certainly affect the numbers in the workforce who are prepared for some STEM jobs. Drawing from self-determination theory and achievement theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to determine whether there were significant relationships between high school academic performance in science classes, motivations (self-efficacy, self-regulation, and intrinsic and extrinsic goal orientation), and academic performance in an introductory online college biology class. Data were obtained at 2 points in time from a convenience multiethnic sample of adult male ( n =16) and female (n = 49) community college students in the southeast United States. Correlational analyses indicated no statistically significant relationships for intrinsic or extrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy, or self-regulation with high school science mean-GPA nor college biology final course grade. However, high school academic performance in science classes significantly predicted college performance in an entry-level online biology class. The implications of positive social change include knowledge useful for educational institutions to explore additional factors that may motivate students to enroll in science courses, potentially leading to an increase in scientific knowledge and STEM careers.

High School Physics Students' Personal Epistemologies and School Science Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alpaslan, Muhammet Mustafa; Yalvac, Bugrahan; Loving, Cathleen

2017-01-01

This case study explores students' physics-related personal epistemologies in school science practices. The school science practices of nine eleventh grade students in a physics class were audio-taped over 6 weeks. The students were also interviewed to find out their ideas on the nature of scientific knowledge after each activity. Analysis of…

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.

Teaching Science Courses In and Out of Area of Specialisation in a Single-Sex/Co-Educational Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogunsola-Bandele, Mercy F.

This study examined the differences and similarities experienced by secondary school science teachers when teaching science within and outside their area of specialization in single sex and co-educational schools. Interviews were conducted and audio taped for six experienced science teachers on their qualification, classes/subjects taught and…

Science Seminar: Science Capstone Research Projects as a Class in High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwebach, J. Reid

2008-01-01

Inquiry-based, student-lead research may be a pinnacle of high school science education, and the implementation of inquiry themes at all grades is of profound importance. At The Beacon High School in New York City, all seniors, regardless of their scientific proclivity or interest, completed original science research projects as a graduation…

Hidden Student Voice: A Curriculum of a Middle School Science Class Heard through Currere

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crooks, Kathleen Schwartz

2012-01-01

Students have their own lenses through which they view school science and the students' views are often left out of educational conversations which directly affect the students themselves. Pinar's (2004) definition of curriculum as a "complicated conversation" implies that the class' voice is important, as important as the teacher's voice, to the…

Gender-Based Education: Why It Works at the Middle School Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perry, William C.

1996-01-01

To counter gender bias effects and improve student learning, staff at a Virginia middle school decided to group eighth-grade students by gender for math and science instruction. Girls felt freer to speak out. Grade point averages in gender-based science and math classes for both girls and boys were higher than in coeducational classes. (MLH)

Gender Differences in School Achievement: A Within-Class Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cahan, Sorel; Barneron, Meir; Kassim, Suhad

2014-01-01

Relying on the results of the achievement tests in mathematics, science, native language (Hebrew/Arabic) and English, administered to 1430 5th-grade co-educational classes in Israel, this study examines the between-class variability of the within-class mean score gender differences and its class and school correlates. The four main results of the…

Construction and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Taiwanese Elementary Students' Attitudes toward Their Science Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Tzu-Ling; Berlin, Donna

2010-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the "attitudes toward science class" of fourth- and fifth-grade students in an Asian school culture. Specifically, the development focused on three science attitude constructs--science enjoyment, science confidence, and importance of science as…

The Dynamics of Learning Science in Everyday Contexts: A Case Study of Everyday Science Class in Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Mijung; Yoon, Heesook; Ji, Young Rae; Song, Jinwoong

2012-01-01

With recognition of the importance of scientific literacy for the nation and yet the increasing students' disinterest in science through school science curriculum, the Korea Science Foundation launched an innovative program called "Everyday Science Class (ESC)" in partnership with universities and local government offices in 2003. In…

Girls' and Boys' Academic Self-Concept in Science in Single-Sex and Coeducational Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Amber; Che, S. Megan; Bridges, William C., Jr.

2016-01-01

Recently, single-sex classes within public coeducational schools have proliferated across the USA; yet, we still know little about whether and how single-sex science classes influence adolescents' attitude and affect toward science. This exploratory study expands upon our current understanding by investigating the extent in which female and male…

An In-Class Discussion Activity on the Nature of Science and Intelligent Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Brian C.

2009-02-01

In this paper I describe an in-class discussion activity aimed at helping elementary education majors in a physical science course think about issues surrounding the inclusion of "Intelligent Design" in public school science standards. I discuss the background instruction given, the content of the activity, and some results from its use in class.

An In-Class Discussion Activity on the Nature of Science and Intelligent Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Brian C.

2009-01-01

In this paper I describe an in-class discussion activity aimed at helping elementary education majors in a physical science course think about issues surrounding the inclusion of "Intelligent Design" in public school science standards. I discuss the background instruction given, the content of the activity, and some results from its use in class.

Parent involvement and science achievement: A latent growth curve analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Ursula Yvette

This study examined science achievement growth across elementary and middle school and parent school involvement using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class of 1998--1999 (ECLS-K). The ECLS-K is a nationally representative kindergarten cohort of students from public and private schools who attended full-day or half-day kindergarten class in 1998--1999. The present study's sample (N = 8,070) was based on students that had a sampling weight available from the public-use data file. Students were assessed in science achievement at third, fifth, and eighth grades and parents of the students were surveyed at the same time points. Analyses using latent growth curve modeling with time invariant and varying covariates in an SEM framework revealed a positive relationship between science achievement and parent involvement at eighth grade. Furthermore, there were gender and racial/ethnic differences in parents' school involvement as a predictor of science achievement. Findings indicated that students with lower initial science achievement scores had a faster rate of growth across time. The achievement gap between low and high achievers in earth, space and life sciences lessened from elementary to middle school. Parents' involvement with school usually tapers off after elementary school, but due to parent school involvement being a significant predictor of eighth grade science achievement, later school involvement may need to be supported and better implemented in secondary schooling.

Class-first analysis in a continuum: an approach to the complexities of schools, society, and insurgent science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdiviezo, Laura Alicia

2010-06-01

This essay addresses Katherine Richardson Bruna's paper: Mexican Immigrant Transnational Social Capital and Class Transformation: Examining the Role of Peer Mediation in Insurgent Science, through five main points . First, I offer a comparison between the traditional analysis of classism in Latin America and Richardson Bruna's call for a class-first analysis in the North American social sciences where there has been a tendency to obviate the specific examination of class relations and class issues. Secondly, I discuss that a class-first analysis solely cannot suffice to depict the complex dimensions in the relations of schools and society. Thus, I suggest a continuum in the class-first analysis. Third, I argue that social constructions surrounding issues of language, ethnicity, and gender necessarily intersect with issues of class and that, in fact, those other constructions offer compatible epistemologies that aid in representing the complexity of social and institutional practices in the capitalist society. Richardson Bruna's analysis of Augusto's interactions with his teacher and peers in the science class provides a fourth point of discussion in this essay. As a final point in my response I discuss Richardson Bruna's idea of making accessible class-first analysis knowledge to educators and especially to science teachers.

Environmental Resource Guide: Air Quality. A Series of Classroom Activities for Grades 6-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Elizabeth W., Ed.

Many different types of air quality can be studied in middle school science classes using available supplies. This grade 6-8 activity guide was developed to provide opportunities for children to learn about the issue of air quality. Sixteen hands-on activities integrate the issue into middle school science classes. A chart categorizes the…

The Quality of Instruction in Urban High Schools: Comparing Mathematics and Science to English and Social Studies Classes in Chicago

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Valerie E.; Robinson, Shanta R.; Sebastian, James

2012-01-01

Is the quality of instruction systematically better in one subject than another? Teachers and students in the same Chicago high schools reported on one core-curriculum class (English, mathematics, science, or social studies) in 2007 surveys. Teachers commented on instructional demands and student participation. Students described engagement,…

High School Class for Gifted Pupils in Physics and Sciences and Pupils' Skills Measured by Standard and Pisa Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djordjevic, G. S.; Pavlovic-Babic, D.

2010-01-01

The "High school class for students with special abilities in physics" was founded in Nis, Serbia (www.pmf.ni.ac.yu/f_odeljenje) in 2003. The basic aim of this project has been introducing a broadened curriculum of physics, mathematics, computer science, as well as chemistry and biology. Now, six years after establishing of this specialized class, and 3 years after the previous report, we present analyses of the pupils' skills in solving rather problem oriented test, as PISA test, and compare their results with the results of pupils who study under standard curricula. More precisely results are compared to the progress results of the pupils in a standard Grammar School and the corresponding classes of the Mathematical Gymnasiums in Nis. Analysis of achievement data should clarify what are benefits of introducing in school system track for gifted students. Additionally, item analysis helps in understanding and improvement of learning strategies' efficacy. We make some conclusions and remarks that may be useful for the future work that aims to increase pupils' intrinsic and instrumental motivation for physics and sciences, as well as to increase the efficacy of teaching physics and science.

Gender Equity in Middle School Science Teaching: Being "Equitable" Should Be the Goal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subrahmanyan, Lalita; Bozonie, Heath

1996-01-01

Examines level at which gender issues are addressed in middle school science classes. Argues that in the crucial area of science education, particularly for girls at the middle school level, "equal" rather than "equitable" as a dominant teacher attitude may be inadequate to ensure that gender imbalances are rectified. (SD)

Evaluating Junior Secondary Science Textbook Usage in Australian Schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, Christine V.

2016-08-01

A large body of research has drawn attention to the importance of providing engaging learning experiences in junior secondary science classes, in an attempt to attract more students into post-compulsory science courses. The reality of time and resource constraints, and the high proportion of non-specialist science teachers teaching science, has resulted in an overreliance on more transmissive pedagogical tools, such as textbooks. This study sought to evaluate the usage of junior secondary science textbooks in Australian schools. Data were collected via surveys from 486 schools teaching junior secondary (years 7-10), representing all Australian states and territories. Results indicated that most Australian schools use a science textbook in the junior secondary years, and textbooks are used in the majority of science lessons. The most highly cited reason influencing choice of textbook was layout/colour/illustrations, and electronic technologies were found to be the dominant curricula material utilised, in addition to textbooks, in junior secondary science classes. Interestingly, the majority of respondents expressed high levels of satisfaction with their textbooks, although many were keen to stress the subsidiary role of textbooks in the classroom, emphasising the textbook was `one' component of their teaching repertoire. Importantly, respondents were also keen to stress the benefits of textbooks in supporting substitute teachers, beginning teachers, and non-specialist science teachers; in addition to facilitating continuity of programming and staff support in schools with high staff turnover. Implications from this study highlight the need for high quality textbooks to support teaching and learning in Australian junior secondary science classes.

STEM and Career Exploratory Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Darrell

2010-01-01

Districts face increasing pressure to improve students' mastery of curriculum in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Yet the number of students enrolling in science and math courses drops dramatically in middle and high school. At Sylvester Middle School, Chinook Middle School and Cascade Middle School of the…

Middle school girls: Experiences in a place-based education science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shea, Charlene K.

The middle school years are a crucial time when girls' science interest and participation decrease (Barton, Tan, O'Neill, Bautista-Guerra, & Brecklin, 2013). The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of middle school girls and their teacher in an eighth grade place-based education (PBE) science classroom. PBE strives to increase student recognition of the importance of educational concepts by reducing the disconnection between education and community (Gruenewald, 2008; Smith, 2007; Sobel, 2004). The current study provides two unique voices---the teacher and her students. I describe how this teacher and her students perceived PBE science instruction impacting the girls' participation in science and their willingness to pursue advanced science classes and science careers. The data were collected during the last three months of the girls' last year of middle school by utilizing observations, interviews and artifacts of the teacher and her female students in their eighth grade PBE science class. The findings reveal how PBE strategies, including the co-creation of science curriculum, can encourage girls' willingness to participate in advanced science education and pursue science careers. The implications of these findings support the use of PBE curricular strategies to encourage middle school girls to participate in advance science courses and science careers.

Children Making Sense of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, Clíona; Murphy, Colette; Kilfeather, Paula

2011-03-01

This study explored the effects that the incorporation of nature of science (NoS) activities in the primary science classroom had on children's perceptions and understanding of science. We compared children's ideas in four classes by inviting them to talk, draw and write about what science meant to them: two of the classes were taught by `NoS' teachers who had completed an elective nature of science (NoS) course in the final year of their Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree. The `non-NoS' teachers who did not attend this course taught the other two classes. All four teachers had graduated from the same initial teacher education institution with similar teaching grades and all had carried out the same science methods course during their B.Ed programme. We found that children taught by the teachers who had been NoS-trained developed more elaborate notions of nature of science, as might be expected. More importantly, their reflections on science and their science lessons evidenced a more in-depth and sophisticated articulation of the scientific process in terms of scientists "trying their best" and "sometimes getting it wrong" as well as "getting different answers". Unlike children from non-NoS classes, those who had engaged in and reflected on NoS activities talked about their own science lessons in the sense of `doing science'. These children also expressed more positive attitudes about their science lessons than those from non-NoS classes. We therefore suggest that there is added value in including NoS activities in the primary science curriculum in that they seem to help children make sense of science and the scientific process, which could lead to improved attitudes towards school science. We argue that as opposed to considering the relevance of school science only in terms of children's experience, relevance should include relevance to the world of science, and NoS activities can help children to link school science to science itself.

Aerospace-Related Life Science Concepts for Use in Life Science Classes Grades 7-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Mary H.; Rademacher, Jean

The purpose of this guide is to provide the teacher of secondary school life science classes with resource materials for activities to familiarize students with recent discoveries in bioastronautics. Each section introduces a life science concept and a related aerospace concept, gives background information, suggested activities, and an annotated…

The effects of contextual learning instruction on science achievement of male and female tenth-grade students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingram, Samantha Jones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the contextual learning method on science performance, attitudes toward science, and motivational factors that influence high school students to learn science. Gender differences in science performance and attitudes toward science were also investigated. The sample included four tenth-grade classes of African-American students enrolled in Chemistry I. All students were required to review for the Alabama High School Graduation Exam in Science. Students were administered a science pretest and posttest to measure science performance. A two-way analysis of covariance was performed on the test data. The results showed a main effect of contextual learning instruction on science achievement and no significant differences between females' and males' performance in science. The Science Attitude and the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE) Review Class Surveys were administered to assess students' beliefs and attitudes toward science. The Science Attitude Survey results indicated a control effect in three subscales: perception of guardian's attitude, attitude toward success in science, and perception of teacher's attitude. No significant differences resulted between males and females in their beliefs about science from the attitude survey. However, students' attitudes toward science were more favorable in the contextual learning classes based on the results of the Review Class Survey. The survey data revealed that both males and females in the contextual classes had positive attitudes toward science and toward being active participants in the learning process. Qualitative data on student motivation were collected to examine the meaningfulness of the contextual learning content and materials. The majority of the students in the treatment (96%) and the control groups (86%) reported high interest in the lesson on Newton's three laws of motion. Both the treatment and the control groups indicated their interest ratings were a result of their prior experiences. This study shows that contextual learning instruction positively influences student motivation, interest, and achievement in science. Student achievement in science improved in the contextual learning classes as a result of increased interest due to learning that emphasized relevancy and purposeful meaning.

High School Students' Attitudes and Beliefs on Using the Science Writing Heuristic in an Advanced Placement Chemistry Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putti, Alice

2011-01-01

This paper discusses student attitudes and beliefs on using the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) in an advanced placement (AP) chemistry classroom. During the 2007 school year, the SWH was used in a class of 24 AP chemistry students. Using a Likert-type survey, student attitudes and beliefs on the process were determined. Methods for the study are…

The Relationship between Academic Averages of Primary School Science and Technology Class and Test Sub-Test Scores of Placement Test of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzeller, Cem Oktay

2012-01-01

In this research, the relationship between written exam scores of science and technology class of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, project, participation in class activities and performance work, year-end academic success point averages and sub-test raw scores of LDT science of 6th, 7th and 8th grades. Academic success point averages were used as…

Confirmation and investigation of higher science curiosity in Juarez Middle School students compared to their peers in El Paso, Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmona Miranda, Karla

In the last 20 years attitudes towards science and science classes in K-12 education have been an important topic of investigation due to the decreasing number of students choosing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related careers, and the increasing need for STEM prepared workers to cover the job demands of the future. The purpose of this study is to confirm a previously measured difference in scientific curiosity between middle school students in El Paso and in Ciudad Juarez, and to collect additional data that might tell us what the possible factors or reasons for this difference are. Our sample consists of 156 middle school students from Juarez public schools, and 448 middle school students from El Paso public middle schools. The Children's Science Curiosity Scale of Harty & Beall (1984) will be used to measure the curiosity level. Additionally, the students will be asked to respond to "Why do you like or dislike science?" Our results show that those obtained by Ortiz (2006) in a similar study persist but with a reduction of standard deviations. The percentage of students that state that they do not like science in Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are 9% and 14%, respectively. The most common reason to like science among students in Ciudad Juarez was related to the topics covered in class, and among students in El Paso was related to the experiments and hands-on activities done in class. After analyzing contingency tables with chi-squared tests and calculating the respective contingency coefficients, it is safe to say that even though relationships between the reasons to like or dislike science and country exist, these relationships are not strong. Other results, limitations, and future research also are discussed.

Examine Middle School Students' Constructivist Environment Perceptions in Turkey: School Location and Class Size

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yigit, Nevzat; Alpaslan, Muhammet Mustafa; Cinemre, Yasin; Balcin, Bilal

2017-01-01

This study aims to examine the middle school students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment in the science course in Turkey in terms of school location and class size. In the study the Assessing of Constructivist Learning Environment (ACLE) questionnaire was utilized to map students' perceptions of the classroom learning environment.…

White Middle Class Identities and Urban Schooling. Identity Studies in the Social Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reay, Diane; Crozier, Gill; James, David

2011-01-01

This book examines experiences and implications of "against-the-grain" school choices, where white middle class families choose ordinary and "low performing" secondary schools for their children. It offers a unique view of identity formation, taking in matters like family history, locality and whiteness.

Enhancement of Elementary School Students' Science Learning by Web-Quest Supported Science Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Min-Hsiung, Chuang; Jeng-Fung, Hung; Quo-Cheng, Sung

2011-01-01

This study aimed to probe into the influence of implementing Web-quest supported science writing instruction on students' science learning and science writing. The subjects were 34 students in one class of grade six in an elementary school in Taiwan. The students participated in the instruction, which lasted for eight weeks. Data collection…

Social class and the STEM career pipeline an ethnographic investigation of opportunity structures in a high-poverty versus affluent high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikischer, Andrea B.

This research investigates science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) high school opportunity structures, including student experiences with math and science course sequences and progress, college guidance and counseling, and STEM extracurricular activities (Weis and Eisenhart, 2009), specifically related to STEM fields and career and college choice, for top-performing math and science students. Differences in these structures and processes as they play out in two representative high schools that vary by social class and racial/ethnic makeup are examined. This comparative ethnography includes 36 school and classroom observations, 56 semi-structured individual interviews, and a review of relevant documents, all gathered during the focal students' junior year of high school. Three data chapters are presented, discussing three distinct, yet interconnected themes. In the first, I examine the ways in which chronic attendance problems and classroom distractions negatively impact math and science instruction time and lead to an instruction (time) deficit. In the second, I compare the math and science course and extra-curricular offerings at each school, and discuss the significant differences between sites regarding available STEM exposure and experience, also known as "STEM educational dose" (Wai, et al., 2010). In the third, I investigate available guidance counseling services and STEM and college-linking at each site. Perceived failures in the counseling services available are discussed. This dissertation is grounded in the literature on differences in academic achievement based on school setting, the nature/distribution of knowledge based on social class, and STEM opportunity structures. The concepts of "social capital" and "STEM capital" are engaged throughout. Ultimately, I argue through this dissertation that segregation by race, and most importantly social class, both between and within districts, damages the STEM pipeline for high-performing math and science students located in high-poverty, low-performing schools. I further argue that both federal and state accountability-based school reform efforts are failing to improve outcomes for students with proficiency and interest in STEM learning and STEM fields, and in fact, these reforms are harming top performing students and high school STEM opportunity structures. Recommendations for changes in policy and practice, and for further research, are provided.

The Effect of Using Problem-Based Learning in Middle School Gifted Science Classes on Student Achievement and Students' Perceptions of Classroom Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horak, Anne Karen

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Problem Based Learning (PBL) units developed by a large suburban school district in the mid-Atlantic for the middle school gifted science curriculum on: a) students' performance on standardized tests in middle school Science, as measured by a sample of relevant test questions from a…

Creating a virtual community of practice to investigate legitimate peripheral participation by African American middle school girls in science activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, Leslie D.

How do teenage girls develop an interest in science? What kinds of opportunities can science teachers present to female students that support their engagement with learning science? I studied one aspect of this issue by focusing on ways students could use science to enhance or gain identities that they (probably) already valued. To do that I created technology-rich activities and experiences for an after school class in science and technology for middle school girls who lived in a low socio-economic urban neighborhood. These activities and experiences were designed to create a virtual community of practice whose members used science in diverse ways. Student interest was made evident in their responses to the activities. Four conclusions emerged. (1) Opportunities to learn about the lives and work of admired African American business women interested students in learning by linking it to their middle-class aspirations and their interest in things that money and status can buy. (2) Opportunities to learn about the lives and work of African American women experts in science in a classroom context where students then practiced similar kinds of actual scientific tasks engaged students in relations of legitimate peripheral participation in a virtual and diverse community of practice focused on science which was created in the after-school classes. (3) Opportunities where students used science to show off for family, friends, and supporters of the after-school program, identities they valued, interested them enough that they engaged in long-term science and technology projects that required lots of revisions. (4) In response to the opportunities presented, new and enhanced identities developed around becoming a better student or becoming some kind of scientist.

Science Achievement and Students' Self-Confidence and Interest in Science: A Taiwanese Representative Sample Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chun-Yen; Cheng, Wei-Ying

2008-01-01

The interrelationship between senior high school students' science achievement (SA) and their self-confidence and interest in science (SCIS) was explored with a representative sample of approximately 1,044 11th-grade students from 30 classes attending four high schools throughout Taiwan. Statistical analyses indicated that a statistically…

The Roles of Aesthetic Experience in Elementary School Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jakobson, Britt; Wickman, Per-Olof

2008-01-01

The role of aesthetic experiences for learning was examined in elementary school science. Numerous authors have argued for a science education also involving aesthetic experiences, but few have examined what this means empirically. Recordings of children’s talk with each other and with the teacher during hands-on activities in nine different science units were made. How the children and teachers used aesthetic judgements and how these judgements were part of aesthetic experiences of the science assignments were analysed. For the analysis a pragmatist perspective was used, especially drawing on Dewey and the later Wittgenstein. The results showed how aesthetic judgements occurred in moments of anticipation and moments when the science activities were brought to fulfilment. In this way children used aesthetic judgements normatively about what belonged in science class and what to include and exclude. In this way aesthetic judgements were an important part of learning how to proceed in science class. In using aesthetic judgements the children also talked about their own place in science class and whether they belonged there or not. In this way aesthetic experience is tightly related to learning science as participation. Learning science also meant learning a special kind of aesthetics, that is, learning how to distinguish the science context from other contexts. The fact that children liked or disliked something outside school did not necessarily mean that it was experienced aesthetically in the same way in school, but needed to be re-learnt. What these results mean for science education is discussed at length. The connection between aesthetics and learning to observe is also briefly discussed.

Results of Using the Take-Away Technique on Students' Achievements and Attitudes in High School Physics and Physical Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carifio, James; Doherty, Michael

2012-01-01

The Take-away Technique was used in High School Physics and Physical Science courses for the unit on Newtonian mechanics in a teacher (6) by grade level (4) partially crossed design (N = 272). All classes received the same IE instructional treatment. The experimental group (classrooms) did a short Take-away after each class summarizing the key…

An Examination of High School Social Science Students' Levels Motivation towards Learning Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Tahsin

2017-01-01

This aim of this research was to examine the levels of motivation among high school social science students towards learning geography. The study group consisted of 397 students from different classes at Aksaray Ahmet Cevdet Pasa High School in the College of Social Science. The research was carried out with a scanning model, with data obtained…

My Science Class and Expected Career Choices--A Structural Equation Model of Determinants Involving Abu Dhabi High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badri, Masood; Alnuaimi, Ali; Mohaidat, Jihad; Al Rashedi, Asma; Yang, Guang; Al Mazroui, Karima

2016-01-01

Background: This study is about Abu Dhabi high school students' interest in science in different contexts. The survey was conducted in connection with the international project, the Relevance of Science Education (ROSE). The sample consists of 5650 students in public and private schools. A structural equation model (SEM) is developed to capture…

Science for the People: High School Students Investigate Community Air Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marks-Block, Tony

2011-01-01

Over a year, a small group of high school students risked their afternoons and summer to participate in a science program that was "much different from science class." This was one of several after-school programs in Oakland and Richmond that the author was leading as an instructor with the East Bay Academy for Young Scientists (EBAYS). Students…

Teaching Evolution to Non-English Proficient Students by Using Lego Robotics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittier, L. Elena; Robinson, Michael

2007-01-01

This article describes a teaching unit that used Lego Robotics to address state science standards for teaching basic principles of evolution in two middle school life science classes. All but two of 29 students in these classes were native Spanish speakers from Mexico. Both classes were taught using Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol…

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.

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…

Diagramming the Never Ending Story: Student-generated diagrammatic stories integrate and retain science concepts improving science literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pillsbury, Ralph T.

This research examined an instructional strategy called Diagramming the Never Ending Story: A method called diagramming was taught to sixth grade students via an outdoor science inquiry ecology unit. Students generated diagrams of the new ecology concepts they encountered, creating explanatory 'captions' for their newly drawn diagrams while connecting them in a memorable story. The diagramming process culminates in 20-30 meter-long murals called the Never Ending Story: Months of science instruction are constructed as pictorial scrolls, making sense of all new science concepts they encounter. This method was taught at a North Carolina "Public" Charter School, Children's Community School, to measure its efficacy in helping students comprehend scientific concepts and retain them thereby increasing science literacy. There were four demographically similar classes of 20 students each. Two 'treatment' classes, randomly chosen from the four classes, generated their own Never Ending Stories after being taught the diagramming method. A Solomon Four-Group Design was employed: Two Classes (one control, one treatment) were administered pre- and post; two classes received post tests only. The tests were comprised of multiple choice, fill-in and extended response (open-ended) sections. Multiple choice and fill-in test data were not statistically significant whereas extended response test data confirm that treatment classes made statistically significant gains.

Grade six students' understanding of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cochrane, Donald Brian

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

STELR: Improving Science Retention Rates in Australian Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finkel, Alan; Pentland, Peter; Hubber, Peter; Blake, Damian; Tytler, Russell

2009-01-01

The Australian Federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has funded a rollout of the STELR (Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance) Stage One Project to 150 secondary schools in 2010. Participating schools will receive, at no cost, curriculum materials, class sets of supporting laboratory equipment, two…

Project Water Science. General Science High School Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Water Education Foundation, Sacramento, CA.

This teacher's guide presents 12 hands-on laboratory activities for high school science classes that cover the environmental issue of water resources in California. The activities are separated into three sections. Five activities in the section on water quality address the topics of groundwater, water hardness, bottled water, water purity, and…

Students' Perceptions of Single-Gender Science and Mathematics Classroom Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Sherri L.; Ronau, Robert R.

2012-01-01

While participating in single- and mixed-gender science and mathematics classes, ninth-grade urban high school students' (n = 118) academic self-concept, self-efficacy, and school climate perceptions were examined. Their perceptions were measured quantitatively from the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics (modified for Science) Attitude and the Patterns…

The Tension between Authoritative and Dialogic Discourse: A Fundamental Characteristic of Meaning Making Interactions in High School Science Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Philip H.; Mortimer, Eduardo F.; Aguiar, Orlando G.

2006-01-01

In this paper, we draw upon a framework for analyzing the discursive interactions of science classrooms (Mortimer & Scott, 2003, "Meaning Making in Secondary Science Classrooms," Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press), to probe the movement between authoritative and dialogic discourse in a Brazilian high school science class. More…

Understanding Korean Transnational Girls in High School Science Classes: Beyond the Model Minority Stereotype

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryu, Minjung

2015-01-01

This study examines six Korean transnational girls enrolled in two advanced placement (AP) biology classes to understand their experiences in science classrooms at the intersection of race, language, and gender. Confronting the model minority stereotype for Asian students, which is particularly salient in science, technology, engineering, and…

An Examination of Single-Gender and Coeducational Classes: Their Impact on the Academic Achievement of Middle School Students Enrolled in Mathematics and Science at Selected Schools in Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elam, Jeanette H.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic performance of students enrolled in coeducational instruction and single-gender instruction. Within this framework, the researcher examined class type, gender, and racial/ethnicity using the sixth grade CRCT scores of selected students in the areas of mathematics and science. The fifth-grade…

Accelerating the development of formal thinking in middle and high school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adey, Philip; Shayer, Michael

In an attempt to accelerate the development of formal operations in average young adolescents, intervention lessons relating to all formal schemata were designed in the context of school science courses. Over a period of two years, up to 30 intervention lessons were given by science teachers to their classes in eight schools. Boys who started the program aged 12+ showed a pre-posttest effect size on Piagetian tests of 0.89 SD compared with control classes. In terms of British norms for the development of operational thinking this was a mean change from the 51st to the 74th percentile. Neither the middle school students nor the 12+ girls showed greater gain than the controls. Gains were shown by girls in one 11+ class and in the two 11+ laboratory classes. In the laboratory school students given intervention lessons by the researchers maintained their gains over controls in formal operations at a delayed posttest one year after cessation of the program. There was no effect on tests of science achievement during the intervention. It was argued that the interventions needed to be accompanied by in-service training designed to enable teachers to change their teaching style in line with their students' increased operational thinking capacity.

Impacts of a Place-Based Science Curriculum on Student Place Attachment in Hawaiian and Western Cultural Institutions at an Urban High School in Hawai'i

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuwahara, Jennifer L. H.

2013-01-01

This study investigates how students' participation in a place-based science curriculum may influence their place attachment (dependence and identity). Participants attend an urban high school in Hawai'i and are members of different cultural institutions within the school. Students are either enrolled in an environmental science class within the…

Who Majors in Science? College Graduates in Science, Engineering, or Mathematics from the High School Class of 1980. Survey Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Henry A.

The number of college graduates majoring in science, engineering, or mathematics is widely perceived as vital to the future international competitiveness of the United States. This report examines the major fields of study of a representative sample of high school seniors from the 1980 High School and Beyond senior cohort survey who had graduated…

Utilizing Online Education in Florida to Meet Mandated Class Size Limitations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattox, Kari Ann

2012-01-01

With the passage of a state constitutional amendment in 2002, Florida school districts faced the challenge of meeting class size mandates in core subjects, such as mathematics, English, and science by the 2010-2011 school year, or face financial penalties. Underpinning the amendment's goals was the argument that smaller classes are more effective…

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.

The predictors of chemistry achievement of 12th grade students in secondary schools in the United Arab Emirates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalaf, Ali Khalfan

2000-10-01

The purpose of this study is to explore variables related to chemistry achievement of 12th grade science students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The focus is to identify student, teacher, and school variables that predict chemistry achievement. The analysis sample included 204 males and 252 females in 66 classes in 60 schools from 10 districts or bureaus of education in the UAE. Thirty-two male and 33 female chemistry teachers and 60 school principals were included. The Khalaf Chemistry Achievement Test, GALT, the Student Questionnaire, Teacher Questionnaire, and School Information Questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, correlations, analyses of variance, factor analysis, and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were done. The results indicate that demographic, home environment, prior knowledge, scholastic ability, attitudes and perceptions related to chemistry and science, and student perception of instructional practices variables correlated with student chemistry achievement. The amount of help teachers received from the supervisor, class size, and courses in geology were teacher variables that correlated with class chemistry achievement. Nine school variables involving school, division, and class sizes correlated with school chemistry achievement. Analyses of variance revealed significant interaction effects: district by school size and district by student gender. In two districts, students in small schools achieved better than those in large schools. Generally female students achieved equal to or better than males. Three factors from the factor analysis: School Size, Prior Student Achievement, and Student Perception of Teacher Effectiveness, correlated with school chemistry achievement. The results of the multiple linear regression indicated that the factors of Prior Student Achievement, Student Perception of Teacher Effectiveness, and Teacher Experience and Expertise accounted for 45% of the variance in school chemistry achievement. Results indicate that the strongest predictors of chemistry achievement are prior achievement in science, Arabic language, and mathematics; student perception of teacher effectiveness; and teacher experience and expertise. Females tend to achieve better in chemistry than males. No nationality differences were found and the relationship of school size to chemistry achievement was inconclusive. Recommendations related to chemistry and science are presented. These include curriculum, school practice, teacher professional development, and future research.

Changes in Student Science Interest from Elementary to Middle School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coutts, Trudi E.

This study is a transcendental phenomenological study that described the experience of students’ interest in science from elementary school through middle school grades and the identification of the factors that increase or decrease interest in science. Numerous researchers have found that interest in science changes among children and the change in interest seems to modulate student motivation, which ultimately leads to fewer children choosing not only science classes in the future but science careers. Research studies have identified numerous factors that affect student interest in science; however, this study incorporated the lived experience of the child and looked at this interest in science through the lens of the child. The study design was a collective cross-case study that was multi-site based. This study utilized a sample of children in fifth grade classes of three different elementary schools, two distinct seventh grade classes of different middle schools, and ninth grade children from one high school in the State of Illinois. The phenomenon was investigated through student interviews. The use of one-on-one semi-structured interviews limited to 45 minutes in length provided the researcher with data of each child’s description of science interest. All interviews were audio- recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data was collected and analyzed in order to identify themes, and finally checked for validity. The most significant findings of this study, and possible factors contributing to science interest in children as they progress from elementary to high school, were those findings relating to hands-on activities, the degree to which a student was challenged, the offering of new versus previously studied topics in the curriculum, the perceived relevance of the curricular materials to personal life, and the empowerment children felt when they were allowed to make choices related to their learning experiences. This study’s possible implications for practitioners, specifically the findings of this study’s relation to the 2011 National Research Council Science Framework and the forthcoming Common Core Science Standards, were examined. This study concluded with discussion of its limitations, a summary of the results, and recommendations for additional areas of investigation of the subject matter.

Teaching the History and Philosophy of Science in Secondary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frazier, Kenneth L.

1980-01-01

Lists educational objectives, course syllabus, audiovisual materials, and bibliography for a secondary school course on the history and philosophy of science. The class consists of discussions, lectures, use of film and filmstrips, and student research papers. (KC)

Beyond the One-Hour Outreach Talk: Introducing a Reading and Writing Program into a High School Science Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratay, Douglas L.; Schairer, Ashley; Garland, Catherine A.; Gomez-Martin, Cynthia

We present a discussion of a newly implemented one-year program that brings high-level science reading and writing into a remedial high school science class. In the program, articles from publications such as Scientific American and Astronomy magazines are used to teach current science topics and to reinforce reading and writing skills. These skills are critical for general knowledge, literacy, and for passing state standardized tests. Members of the astronomy community act as "writing coaches" to help guide the students through the reading and writing process. This program illustrates one way that astronomers can become involved with underserved populations.

Electrifying Engagement in Middle School Science Class: Improving Student Interest Through E-textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tofel-Grehl, Colby; Fields, Deborah; Searle, Kristin; Maahs-Fladung, Cathy; Feldon, David; Gu, Grace; Sun, Chongning

2017-08-01

Most interventions with "maker" technologies take place outside of school or out of core area classrooms. However, intervening in schools holds potential for reaching much larger numbers of students and the opportunity to shift instructional dynamics in classrooms. This paper shares one such intervention where electronic textiles (sewable circuits) were introduced into eighth grade science classes with the intent of exploring possible gains in student learning and motivation, particularly for underrepresented minorities. Using a quasi-experimental design, four classes engaged in a traditional circuitry unit while the other four classes undertook a new e-textile unit. Overall, students in both groups demonstrated significant learning gains on standard test items without significant differences between conditions. Significant differences appeared between groups' attitudes toward science after the units in ways that show increasing interest in science by students in the e-textile unit. In particular, they reported positive identity shifts pertaining to their perceptions of the beliefs of their friends, family, and teacher. Findings and prior research suggest that student-created e-textile designs provide opportunities for connections outside of the classroom with friends and family and may shift students' perceptions of their teacher's beliefs about them more positively.

Family Science Night: Changing Perceptions One Family at a Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pesnell, W. D.; Drobnes, E.; Mitchell, S.; Colina-Trujillo, M.

2007-01-01

If students are not encouraged to succeed in science, mathematics, and technology classes at school, efforts to improve the quality of content and teaching in these subjects may be futile. Parents and families are in a unique position to encourage children to enroll and achieve in these classes. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Family Science Night program invites middle school students and their families to explore the importance of science and technology in our daily lives by providing a venue for families to comfortably engage in learning activities that change their perception and understanding of science - making it more practical and approachable for participants of all ages. Family Science Night strives to change the way that students and their families participate in science, within the program and beyond.

Parent Engagement in Science with Ninth Graders and with Students in Higher Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shumow, Lee; Schmidt, Jennifer A.

2014-01-01

By high school, parent engagement is likely to differ not only by grade, but by subject. This study surveyed students enrolled in high school science classes and found that parents of freshmen (9th graders) are more involved at home, less involved at school, and equally involved in educational planning compared to parents of high school students…

The effect of trade books on the environmental literacy of 11th and 12th graders in aquatic science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Ann S.

The purpose of this study was to compare the environmental literacy of 11th and 12th graders who participated in an eighteen-week environmental education program using trade books versus 11 th- and 12th-graders who participated in an eighteen-week, traditional environmental education program without the use of trade books. This study was conducted using a quasi-experimental research technique. Four high school aquatic science classes at two suburban high schools were used in the research. One teacher at each high school taught one control class and one experimental class of aquatic science. In the experimental classes, four trade books were read to the classes during the eighteen-week semester. These four books were selected by the participating teachers before the semester began. The books used were A Home by the Sea, Sea Otter Rescue, There's a Hair in My Dirt, and The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo. The instrument used to measure environmental literacy was the Children's Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale. This test was given at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester. The scores at the end of the semester were analyzed by 2 x 2 mixed model ANOVA with the teacher as the random effect and the condition (trade books) as the fixed effect. The statistical analysis of this study showed that the students in the experimental classes did not score higher than the control classes on the Children's Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale or on a subset of "water" questions. Several limitations were placed on this research. These limitations included the following: (1) a small number of classes and a small number of teachers, (2) change from the original plan of using environmental science classes to aquatic science classes, (3) possible indifference of the students, and (4) restrictive teaching strategies of the teachers.

Effects of a Cognitive Acceleration Programme in a Low Socioeconomic High School in Regional Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Mary; Venville, Grady; Adey, Philip

2012-01-01

This paper presents research on the effects of a cognitive acceleration intervention in science lessons on low socioeconomic students in a government high school in regional Western Australia. "Thinking Science Australia" is a programme currently being implemented in Australian junior high school classes. The research was conducted for…

Parent Involvement and Science Achievement: A Latent Growth Curve Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Ursula Yvette

2011-01-01

This study examined science achievement growth across elementary and middle school and parent school involvement using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K). The ECLS-K is a nationally representative kindergarten cohort of students from public and private schools who attended full-day or half-day…

Motivation in High School Science Students: A Comparison of Gender Differences in Life, Physical, and Earth Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Britner, Shari L.

2008-01-01

The aims of this study were to examine self-efficacy and other motivation variables among high school science students (n = 502); to determine the degree to which each of the four hypothesized sources of self-efficacy makes an independent contribution to students' science self-efficacy beliefs; to examine possible differences between life,…

A Science-Technology-Society Paradigm and Cross River State Secondary School Students' Scientific Literacy: Problem Solving and Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umoren, Grace

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Science-Technology-Society (STS) curriculum on students' scientific literacy, problem solving and decision making. Four hundred and eighty (480) Senior Secondary two science and non-science students were randomly selected from intact classes in six secondary schools in Calabar Municipality of…

Understanding Science Achievement Gaps by Race/Ethnicity and Gender in Kindergarten and First Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran, F. Chris; Kellogg, Ann T.

2016-01-01

Disparities in science achievement across race and gender have been well documented in secondary and postsecondary school; however, the science achievement gap in the early years of elementary school remains understudied. We present findings from the recently released Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 that…

Using Inquiry-Based Interventions to Improve Secondary Students' Interest in Science and Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Potvin, Patrice; Hasni, Abdelkrim; Sy, Ousmane

2017-01-01

Nine secondary school teachers participated in a five day training program where they developed inquiry-based pedagogical interventions for their science classes. Student interest and self-concept in school science and technology were measured before and after the interventions. Increases in interest and self-concept were compared with the results…

Neuroscience in middle schools: a professional development and resource program that models inquiry-based strategies and engages teachers in classroom implementation.

PubMed

MacNabb, Carrie; Schmitt, Lee; Michlin, Michael; Harris, Ilene; Thomas, Larry; Chittendon, David; Ebner, Timothy J; Dubinsky, Janet M

2006-01-01

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5-8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite students about science, improve their understanding of neuroscience, and foster partnerships between scientists and educators. The program includes BrainU, a teacher professional development institute; Explain Your Brain Assembly and Exhibit Stations, multimedia large-group presentation and hands-on activities designed to stimulate student thinking about the brain; Class Activities, in-depth inquiry-based investigations; and Brain Trunks, materials and resources related to class activities. Formal evaluation of the program indicated that teacher neuroscience knowledge, self-confidence, and use of inquiry-based strategies and neuroscience in their classrooms have increased. Participating teachers increased the time spent teaching neuroscience and devoted more time to "inquiry-based" teaching versus "lecture-based teaching." Teachers appreciated in-depth discussions of pedagogy and science and opportunities for collegial interactions with world-class researchers. Student interest in the brain and in science increased. Since attending BrainU, participating teachers have reported increased enthusiasm about teaching and have become local neuroscience experts within their school communities.

Neuroscience in Middle Schools: A Professional Development and Resource Program That Models Inquiry-based Strategies and Engages Teachers in Classroom Implementation

PubMed Central

MacNabb, Carrie; Schmitt, Lee; Michlin, Michael; Harris, Ilene; Thomas, Larry; Chittendon, David; Ebner, Timothy J.

2006-01-01

The Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota have developed and implemented a successful program for middle school (grades 5–8) science teachers and their students, called Brain Science on the Move. The overall goals have been to bring neuroscience education to underserved schools, excite students about science, improve their understanding of neuroscience, and foster partnerships between scientists and educators. The program includes BrainU, a teacher professional development institute; Explain Your Brain Assembly and Exhibit Stations, multimedia large-group presentation and hands-on activities designed to stimulate student thinking about the brain; Class Activities, in-depth inquiry-based investigations; and Brain Trunks, materials and resources related to class activities. Formal evaluation of the program indicated that teacher neuroscience knowledge, self-confidence, and use of inquiry-based strategies and neuroscience in their classrooms have increased. Participating teachers increased the time spent teaching neuroscience and devoted more time to “inquiry-based” teaching versus “lecture-based teaching.” Teachers appreciated in-depth discussions of pedagogy and science and opportunities for collegial interactions with world-class researchers. Student interest in the brain and in science increased. Since attending BrainU, participating teachers have reported increased enthusiasm about teaching and have become local neuroscience experts within their school communities. PMID:17012205

Why do girls persist in science? A qualitative study of the decision-making processes of pre-adolescent and adolescent girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, Holly Mcdonnell

2002-09-01

Girls are often found to drop out of science in greater numbers and sooner than boys. Because previous research has focused on gender differences, rather than examining differences and similarities among girls, little is known about why some girls choose to pursue science, particularly the physical sciences, rather than drop it. Specifically, little is known about how and why girls make their decisions to persist or not in specific science careers and the courses leading up to them. Through the use of semi-structured, in-depth, qualitative, interviews conducted over the span of a year, this thesis explored the choice of classes and career decisions of twelve elementary through high school girls who participated in an engineering camp. The purpose was to gain an understanding of why these girls chose to persist or not in a science and engineering career over time. Age-related differences were found in the reasons the girls gave for wanting to take future classes. The elementary school girls believed that interest would be their only reason while the high school girls gave multiple reasons, including interest, utility, perceptions of ability, and who would be teaching the class. The implications of these findings for Eccles' model of academic choice are discussed. Overall, the girls in this study liked their science classes because they involved hands-on activities. By high school they showed a preference for and a greater knowledge of biology rather than physics. All of the girls were unsure about what kinds of science information they would need to know for future jobs. Half of the girls were considering biology-based careers, such as doctors and veterinarians, because they wanted to help and take care of people and animals. Only one girl was considering engineering, a physics-based career, and only because her parents required it. Despite believing that they were doing well in school in general, at least half of the girls believed they were doing poorly in math because they found the concepts difficult to understand. The implications of these findings for promoting all girls' interest in the sciences, and particularly the physical sciences, are discussed.

Linking Classroom Environment with At-Risk Engagement in Science: A Mixed Method Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Stephen Craig

This explanatory sequential mixed-method study analyzed how the teacher created learning environment links to student engagement for students at-risk across five science classroom settings. The learning environment includes instructional strategies, differentiated instruction, positive learning environment, and an academically challenging environment. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered in the form of self-reporting surveys and a follow-up interview. The researcher aimed to use the qualitative results to explain the quantitative data. The general research question was "What are the factors of the teacher-created learning environment that were best suited to maximize engagement of students at-risk?" Specifically explaining, (1) How do the measured level of teacher created learning environment link to the engagement level of students at-risk in science class? and (2) What relationship exists between the student perception of the science classroom environment and the level of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social engagement for students at-risk in science class? This study took place within a large school system with more than 20 high schools, most having 2000-3000 students. Participating students were sent to a panel hearing that determined them unfit for the regular educational setting, and were given the option of attending one of the two alternative schools within the county. Students in this alternative school were considered at-risk due to the fact that 98% received free and reduced lunch, 97% were minority population, and all have been suspended from the regular educational setting. Pairwise comparisons of the SPS questions between teachers using t-test from 107 students at-risk and 40 interviews suggest that each category of the learning environment affects the level of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social engagement in science class for students at-risk in an alternative school setting. Teachers with higher student perceptions of learning environment showed increased levels of all types of engagement over the teachers with a lower perception of learning environment. Qualitative data suggested that teachers who created a more positive learning environment had increased student engagement in their class. Follow-up questions also revealed that teachers who incorporated a wider variety of classroom instructional strategies increased behavioral engagement of students at-risk in science class.

The Role of STEM High Schools in Reducing Gaps in Science and Mathematics Coursetaking: Evidence from North Carolina. Research Report. RTI Press Publication RR-0025-1603

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glennie, Elizabeth; Mason, Marcinda; Dalton, Ben

2016-01-01

Some states have created science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) schools to encourage student interest and enhance student proficiency in STEM subjects. We examined a set of STEM schools serving disadvantaged students to see whether these students were more likely to take and pass advanced science and mathematics classes than…

"Comets, Origins, and Life:” Promoting Interdisciplinary Science in Secondary and Middle Schools in the Washington, DC and Saint Louis, MO Metro Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonev, Boncho; Gibb, E. L.; Brewer, G.; Novak, R.; Mandell, A. M.; Seaton, P.; Price, J.; Long, T.; Bahar, S.; Edwards, S. S.

2010-10-01

Developing a full-year program to support secondary and middle school science education is a key part of the "broader impact” component of NSF Grant AST- 0807939 (PI/Co-PI Bonev/Gibb). This program is realized at two stages: (1) a professional development course for teachers is offered during the summer; (2) during the subsequent academic year we collaborate with educators in lessons planning or curriculum development as demanded in their particular schools. We successfully offered the course “ Comets, Origins, and Life: Interdisciplinary Science in the Secondary Classroom ” (45 contact hours; 3 credits) in the summers of 2009 and 2010 at the Catholic University of America. This class demonstrates how a complex hypothesis - for the delivery of water and prebiotic organic matter to early Earth - is being tested by integrating astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and Earth and planetary science. Collaborations with participants from the 2009 class include curriculum development within the Earth Science program in Prince Georges county, MD and strengthening science in Washington DC public schools. Our next step is to offer our class in the Saint Louis, MO area. The main challenge in our work with educators is not to present them with "interesting information", but to fit what we offer within the very particular curriculum expectations of their school districts. These curriculum expectations often vary from district to district and sometimes from year to year. We gratefully acknowledge the support by the NSF, allowing to fully integrate our research area into education. We also gratefully acknowledge our collaborations with the Goddard Center for Astrobiology and the Howard B. Owens Science Center (both in MD) in developing our class curriculum. Educators interested in this program can contact Boncho Bonev (bonev@cua.edu; for the Washington DC and Baltimore, MD areas) and Erika Gibb (gibbe@umsl.edu; for the Saint Louis, MO area).

Photographs and Classroom Response Systems in Middle School Astronomy Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyunju; Feldman, Allan

2015-01-01

In spite of being readily available, photographs have played a minor and passive role in science classes. In our study, we present an active way of using photographs in classroom discussions with the use of a classroom response system (CRS) in middle school astronomy classes to teach the concepts of day-night and seasonal change. In this new…

The Effectiveness of Single-Gender Eighth-Grade English, History, Mathematics and Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Douglas Jeffrey

2009-01-01

Purpose, scope, and method of study. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of eighth-grade single-gender classes with coed classes across subject area, gender, at-risk status, and socioeconomic status (SES). The sample was drawn from one school, DeSoto West Junior High School, where enrollment averages 80% African American,…

An Evaluation of a Museum Science Education Project with Social Integration and Urban Environmental Problems as a Focus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, David W.

The Paired School Science Project (PSSP) conducted between public and parochial schools was evaluated over a period from 1968-71. A pilot program was carried out among fifth and sixth grade students of 30 schools in the 1967-68 school year. During the study period, these classes of the paired schools were bused to the Franklin Institute for…

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.

Block scheduling: Instructional practices in high school science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richelsoph, Barry

Proponents of block scheduling perceive this approach to be a 'structural lever' to invite and impel teachers to change their teaching (Marshak, 1997). This desired shift is supposed to be manifest in movement from the traditional classroom structure, focusing on the teacher as lecturer or transmitter of subject matter, to that of teacher as coach with students as active learners, engaged in a variety of activities involving them individually and collaboratively in their education (Canady & Rettig, 1995). Block scheduling changes the formal structure of the school day, but does it really change pedagogical practices in high school science classrooms? Fraser's Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ) the instrument used in this study of science classes in five block-scheduled high schools in Connecticut, incorporates the tenets for an enriched classroom environment in its five scales or constructs: Participation---Extent to which students are encouraged to participate rather than be passive learners; Personalization---Emphasis on opportunities for individual students to interact with the teacher and on concern for the personal welfare and social growth of the individual; Investigation---Emphasis on the skills and processes of inquiry and their use in problem solving and investigation. Independence---Extent to which students are allowed to make decisions and have control over their own learning environment and behavior; Differentiation---Emphasis on the selective treatment of students on the basis of ability, learning style, interests, and rate of working (Fraser, 1990). The results and conclusions from this research study suggested that the block-scheduled high school science classes that participated in this research do promote, to varying degrees, those tenets that define an enriched classroom environment. Both the teachers and their classes of students perceived opportunities for Participation, Personalization, and Investigation constructs as prevalent in science instruction. However, Independence and Differentiation, although existent to some extent, were perceived to occur less by both the teachers and the students in their classes. The provision of more class time alone was not enough to drive the tenets of these two constructs significantly.

Demonstration and Assessment of a Simple Viscosity Experiment for High School Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floyd­-Smith, T. M.; Kwon, K. C.; Burmester, J. A.; Dale, F. F.; Vahdat, N.; Jones, P.

2006-01-01

The demonstration of a simple viscosity experiment for high school classes was conducted and assessed. The purpose of the demonstration was to elicit the interest of high school juniors and seniors in the field of chemical engineering. The demonstration consisted of a discussion on both engineering and the concept of viscosity as well as a…

Enhancing students' science literacy using solar cell learning multimedia containing science and nano technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliyawati, Sunarya, Yayan; Mudzakir, Ahmad

2017-05-01

This research attempts to enhance students' science literacy in the aspects of students' science content, application context, process, and students' attitude using solar cell learning multimedia containing science and nano technology. The quasi-experimental method with pre-post test design was used to achieve these objectives. Seventy-two students of class XII at a high school were employed as research's subject. Thirty-six students were in control class and another thirty-six were in experiment class. Variance test (t-test) was performed on the average level of 95% to identify the differences of students' science literacy in both classes. As the result, there were significant different of learning outcomes between experiment class and control class. Almost half of students (41.67%) in experiment class are categorized as high. Therefore, the learning using solar cell learning multimedia can improve students' science literacy, especially in the students' science content, application context, and process aspects with n-gain(%) 59.19 (medium), 63.04 (medium), and 52.98 (medium). This study can be used to develop learning multimedia in other science context.

Transforming a School Learning Exercise into a Public Engagement Event: "The Good, the Bad and the Algae"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redfern, James; Burdass, Dariel; Verran, Joanna

2013-01-01

School science laboratory classes and hands-on public engagement activities share many common aims and objectives in terms of science learning and literacy. This article describes the development and evaluation of a microbiology public engagement activity, "The Good, the Bad and the Algae", from a school laboratory activity. The school…

Fueling the Car of Tomorrow: An Alternative Fuels Curriculum for High School Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schumack, Mark; Baker, Stokes; Benvenuto, Mark; Graves, James; Haman, Arthur; Maggio, Daniel

2010-01-01

It is no secret that many high school students are fascinated with automobiles. The activities in "Fueling the Car of Tomorrow"--a free high school science curriculum, available online--(see "On the web")--capitalize on this heightened awareness and provide relevant learning opportunities designed to reinforce basic physics, chemistry, biology,…

Learning in the Middle School Earth Science Classroom: Students Conceptually Integrate New Knowledge Using Intelligent Laserdiscs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freitag, Patricia K.; Abegg, Gerald L.

A study was designed to describe how middle school students select, link, and determine relationships between textual and visual information. Fourteen authoring groups were formed from both eighth-grade earth science classes of one veteran teacher in one school. Each group was challenged to produce an informative interactive laservideodisc project…

An Investigation of Experienced and Inexperienced Primary School Teachers' Teaching Process in Science and Technology Classes in Terms of Metacognitive Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doganay, Ahmet; Ozturk, Ayse

2011-01-01

This comparative case study aimed to investigate whether experienced elementary school teachers' science and technology teaching processes differed from inexperienced teachers' teaching processes in terms of using metacognitive strategies. 14 elementary school teachers, including 7 experienced and 7 inexperienced, participated in the study. The…

The Most Common Patterns of Classroom Dialogue Used by Science Teachers in Omani Cycle Two Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alshaqsi, Hanan; Ambusaidi, Abdullah

2018-01-01

This study aimed to identify the patterns of classroom dialogue used by science teachers in science classes at Omani schools with respect to their gender. The study sample consisted of science teachers: three males and three females. To achieve the aims of the study, mixed methods with three instruments were used. These are an observation card or…

The Role of Outside-School Factors in Science Education: A Two-Stage Theoretical Model Linking Bourdieu and Sen, with a Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gokpinar, Tuba; Reiss, Michael

2016-01-01

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…

Students' and Teachers' Understanding of the Nature of Science: A Reassessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lederman, Norman G.

1986-01-01

High school biology teachers (N=18), and one 10th-grade class of each teacher, were given the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Scale at the beginning and end of a school year to determine their conceptions of the nature of science. Results (such as students not possessing "adequate" conceptions of science) are reported and discussed. (JN)

Time on Text and Science Achievement for High School Biology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyss, Vanessa L.; Dolenc, Nathan; Kong, Xiaoqing; Tai, Robert H.

2013-01-01

The conflict between the amount of material to be addressed in high school science classes, the need to prepare students for standardized tests, and the amount of time available forces science educators to make difficult pedagogical decisions on a daily basis. Hands-on and inquiry-based learning offer students more authentic learning experiences…

How Are Science Fairs Fairing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schachter, Ron

2011-01-01

For more than half a century, the annual science fair has been a fixture in many a school's academic life, both for science teachers, who guide classes through the hands-on experience of researching topics of interest, and for students, who often hectically put the finishing touches on their work the night before it is exhibited in the school gym…

Bluffing Their Way into Science: Analyzing Students' Appropriation of the Research Article Genre.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, D. Kevin

This paper reports on research in the analysis of high school and middle school students' appropriation of the Research Article genre in science classes. The appropriation of this rhetorical form is proposed as a measure of students' understanding of adult argumentative practice in science and the effectiveness of a learning environment in…

Evolution and validation of a personal form of an instrument for assessing science laboratory classroom environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraser, Barry J.; Giddings, Geoffrey J.; McRobbie, Campbell J.

The research reported in this article makes two distinctive contributions to the field of classroom environment research. First, because existing instruments are unsuitable for science laboratory classes, the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) was developed and validated. Second, a new Personal form of the SLEI (involving a student's perceptions of his or her own role within the class) was developed and validated in conjunction with the conventional Class form (involving a student's perceptions of the class as a whole), and its usefulness was investigated. The instrument was cross-nationally fieldtested with 5,447 students in 269 senior high school and university classes in six countries, and cross-validated with 1,594 senior high school students in 92 classes in Australia. Each SLEI scale exhibited satisfactory internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, and factorial validity, and differentiated between the perceptions of students in different classes. A variety of applications with the new instrument furnished evidence about its usefulness and revealed that science laboratory classes are dominated by closed-ended activities; mean scores obtained on the Class form were consistently somewhat more favorable than on the corresponding Personal form; females generally held more favorable perceptions than males, but these differences were somewhat larger for the Personal form than the Class form; associations existed between attitudinal outcomes and laboratory environment dimensions; and the Class and Personal forms of the SLEI each accounted for unique variance in student outcomes which was independent of that accounted for by the other form.

The Promise of Single-Sex Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stotsky, Sandra

2012-01-01

Despite the enthusiasm and the absence of definitive research on the pros and cons of single-sex classes, a 2011 article in Science, titled "The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Schooling," by a new organization called American Council for CoEducational Schooling (ACCES) came out with the astonishing conclusion that single-sex education is…

It Pays to Go to School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shubin, Joanna

2004-01-01

This article describes a class project that engages students in a scientific dialogue almost immediately upon entering science class on the first day of school. The teacher's first announcement is that each student will receive one dollar. Student response will most likely be suspicion, amazement, and perplexity--all the attributes of scientists…

Engineering design activities and conceptual change in middle school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnittka, Christine G.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of engineering design classroom activities on conceptual change in science, and on attitudes toward and knowledge about engineering. Students were given a situated learning context and a rationale for learning science in an active, inquiry-based method, and worked in small collaborative groups. One eighth-grade physical science teacher and her students participated in a unit on heat transfer and thermal energy. One class served as the control while two others received variations of an engineering design treatment. Data were gathered from teacher and student entrance and exit interviews, audio recordings of student dialog during group work, video recordings and observations of all classes, pre- and posttests on science content and engineering attitudes, and artifacts and all assignments completed by students. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected concurrently, but analysis took place in two phases. Qualitative data were analyzed in an ongoing manner so that the researcher could explore emerging theories and trends as the study progressed. These results were compared to and combined with the results of the quantitative data analysis. Analysis of the data was carried out in the interpretive framework of analytic induction. Findings indicated that students overwhelmingly possessed alternative conceptions about heat transfer, thermal energy, and engineering prior to the interventions. While all three classes made statistically significant gains in their knowledge about heat and energy, students in the engineering design class with the targeted demonstrations made the most significant gains over the other two other classes. Engineering attitudes changed significantly in the two classes that received the engineering design intervention. Implications from this study can inform teachers' use of engineering design activities in science classrooms. These implications are: (1) Alternative conceptions will persist when not specifically addressed. (2) Engineering design activities are not enough to promote conceptual change. (3) A middle school teacher can successfully implement an engineering design-based curriculum in a science class. (4) Results may also be of interest to science curriculum developers and engineering educators involved in developing engineering outreach curricula for middle school students.

Frequency and Efficacy of Talk-Related Tasks in Primary Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braund, Martin; Leigh, Joanne

2013-04-01

Pupil talk and discussion are seen as having important social and cognitive outcomes. In science classes, pupils' collaborative talk supports the construction of meaning and helps examine the status of evidence, theory and knowledge. However, pupil interactive talk in groups is rare in science lessons. The research reported is part of a project to increase the amount of pupil-pupil talk in primary schools through a programme of teaching and professional development. Pupils' self-reports of the frequency and learning efficacies of talk related activities in science lessons were collected before and after a programme of teaching in 24 schools in one of the most socially and educationally deprived areas of England. Findings showed pupils valued talking about their ideas over listening to those of other pupils. Science talk frequency (STF) was closely correlated with science talk efficacy (STE) and both were positively correlated with pupils' attitudes to school science. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) of the correlation of STF with STE showed values were independent of gender and ability but that school experience was a significant factor. After the teaching programme and, contrary to expectations, the frequency of talk activities in science lessons appeared to have decreased but varied according to class grades. The degree of correlation between STF and STE was stronger after the teaching in over half of the schools. Schools where STF/STE strengthened most as a result of teaching were those involved in an additional initiative to use modelled talk related to industrial contexts.

Simple webs of natural environment theme as a result of sharing in science teacher training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tapilouw, M. C.; Firman, H.; Redjeki, S.; Chandra, D. T.

2018-03-01

Thematic learning is one type of integrated science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Science) in Science Education. This study is concerning about simple webs of natural environment theme in science learning, as one of training material in science teacher training program. Making simple web is a goal of first step in teacher training program. Every group explain their web illustration to other group. Twenty Junior High School science teacher above one education foundation participate in science teacher training program. In order to gather simple webs, sharing method was used in this first step of science teacher training. The result of this study is five different simple web of natural environment themes. These webs represent science learning in class VII/Semester I, class VII/Semester II, Class VIII, Class IX/Semester I, Class IX/Semester II based on basic competency in National Curriculum 2013. Each group discussed web of natural environment theme based on their learning experience in real class which basic competency and subject matters are linked with natural environment theme. As a conclusion, simple webs are potential to develop in the next step of science teacher training program and to be implemented in real class.

Free-Fall Sex and Golden Eggs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Michael C.

1978-01-01

Provides an annotated bibliography of science fiction literature suitable for use with secondary school students. Connections between science fiction and the science disciplines are viewed by the author as an excellent method by which to enrich science classes. (CP)

"You Get Lost When You Gotta Blimmin Watch the Damn Words." Another Look at Reading in the Junior Secondary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, Tom

A New Zealand study revealed that many secondary school reading tasks are both complex and potentially confusing for pupils. Researchers joined two classes at the junior high and high school levels, and followed the students to their major content area classes--English, math, science, and social studies--for two terms. Conversations with the 60…

The effectiveness of student team-achievement division (STAD) for teaching high school chemistry in the United Arab Emirates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balfakih, Nagib M. A.

2003-05-01

Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) faces major problems which may hinder its future development. These include low achievement in science and a negative attitude toward science subjects, which have resulted in a high number of student dropouts from the science track in high school. It is believed among UAE educators that the main reason is the way science that has been taught in its schools. A solution to this problem depends on finding effective teaching methods, which maintain student achievement, improve students' attitude and provide opportunities to develop essential scientific skills. The effectiveness of Student Team-Achievement Division (STAD) for teaching science to high school classes in the UAE was investigated. The sample was selected randomly. A representative group of UAE high school students was chosen from the northern province, which includes urban areas, and from the eastern province, which includes rural areas. The study involved sixteen tenth grade classes. During the second semester of the academic year 1998/1999, three units in the chemistry curriculum were covered. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of STAD in teaching high school chemistry in the UAE and to find out which groups, gender, area, and ability benefitted most.

Girls Disengage from High School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 2010

2010-01-01

High school girls are bored, disengaged, and stressed in science classes, according to preliminary results of a study led by Northern Illinois University researchers Jennifer Schmidt and M. Cecil Smith. The two professors in the College of Education's Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations studied 244 high school…

Preparing Pre-Service School Librarians for Science-Focused Collaboration with Pre-Service Elementary Teachers: The Design and Impact of a Cross-Class Assignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rawson, Casey H.

2015-01-01

Numerous authors in the library and information science (LIS) field have called for more authentic collaborative experiences for students in school librarian education programs, particularly experiences that partner school library students with pre-service teachers to collaboratively design instruction. The first-iteration, design-based study…

From Peripheral to Central, the Story of Melanie's Metamorphosis in an Urban Middle School Science Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Edna; Barton, Angela Calabrese

2008-01-01

Identity formation is a critical dimension of how and why students engage in science to varying degrees. In this paper, we use the lens of identity formation, and in particular identities in practice, to make sense of how and why Melanie, over the course of sixth grade, transformed from a marginalized member of the science class with a failing…

The Importance of Agriculture Science Course Sequencing in High Schools: A View from Collegiate Agriculture Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheelus, Robin P.

2009-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the importance of Agriculture Science course sequencing in high schools, as a preparatory factor for students enrolled in collegiate agriculture classes. With the variety of courses listed in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Agriculture Science, it has been possible for counselors,…

The Effects of Diagnosis, Remediation and Locus of Control on Achievement, Retention, and Attitudes of Middle School Science Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Ramona L.; Yeany, Russell H.

Reported is a study designed to determine the effects of diagnostic testing followed by prescribed remediation on the immediate and retained science achievement of middle school students, and to determine if effects of treatment were consistent across students' race and locus of control (LOC) levels. Three intact seventh-grade science classes were…

Local Text Cohesion, Reading Ability and Individual Science Aspirations: Key Factors Influencing Comprehension in Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Sophie S.; Kowalski, Rebecca; Paterson, Kevin B.; Basran, Jaskaran; Filik, Ruth; Maltby, John

2015-01-01

In response to the concern of the need to improve the scientific skills of school children, this study investigated the influence of text design (in terms of text cohesion) and individual differences, with the aim of identifying pathways to improving science education in early secondary school (Key Stage 3). One hundred and four secondary school…

The Implementation of Levels of Inquiry With Writing-To-Learn Assignment To Improve Vocational School Student’s Science Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amarulloh, R. R.; Utari, S.; Feranie, S.

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of writing-to-learn assignment in a levels of inquiry learning to improve vocational school student’s science literacy competence and knowledge on the subject of temperature and heat. This study used quasi experiment research methods. The data were obtained using 16 item of science literacy instrument with essay format. The result shows that there was a significant difference on the improvement of science literacy ability between the experimental class and control class. A significant difference occurred in the evaluating and designing experiments competency, interpretating data and science evidence competency, and procedural knowledge. Therefore it can be concluded that the implementation of levels of inquiry with writing-to-learn assignment can improve vocational student’s science literacy competence and knowledge.

Teacher practices and student science grades as indicators of performance on the Reading, Mathematics, and Science Reasoning subtests of the ACT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wade, Marilyn R.

In light of the federal mandates of standardized testing at all levels set in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, the purpose of this study was to determine if a significant relationship exists between high school science averages, the number of high school science courses taken, and the ACT Reading, Mathematics, and Science Reasoning subscores with consideration of the demographic characteristics of gender, ethnicity, and school attended. Further, this study examined the influence of the instructional practices and assessment methods used by the classroom teacher on students' ACT Science Reasoning subscores. The sample consisted of four public high schools in Northwest Tennessee, which provided data for students in the graduating classes of 2003 and 2004. Eight of 16 teachers at these schools who had taught students from both graduating classes completed a survey indicating instructional practices and assessment methods used in the classroom. Multiple regression results indicated positive significant relationships of white ethnicity, high school science average, and the number of high school courses taken to the three ACT subscores. Negative significant relationships were found for black ethnicity in relation to the three ACT subscores and for gender in relation to the ACT Mathematics and ACT Science Reasoning subscore. MANOVA results indicated no significant difference in instructional practices and Mann-Whitney U test results indicated no significant difference in assessment methods of teachers at lower- and higher-scoring schools. Further study is needed to determine the types of professional development activities that teachers need and desire to make positive changes in instructional practices and assessment methods to raise levels of achievement for all students.

Using immersive healthcare simulation for physiology education: initial experience in high school, college, and graduate school curricula.

PubMed

Oriol, Nancy E; Hayden, Emily M; Joyal-Mowschenson, Julie; Muret-Wagstaff, Sharon; Faux, Russell; Gordon, James A

2011-09-01

In the natural world, learning emerges from the joy of play, experimentation, and inquiry as part of everyday life. However, this kind of informal learning is often difficult to integrate within structured educational curricula. This report describes an educational program that embeds naturalistic learning into formal high school, college, and graduate school science class work. Our experience is based on work with hundreds of high school, college, and graduate students enrolled in traditional science classes in which mannequin simulators were used to teach physiological principles. Specific case scenarios were integrated into the curriculum as problem-solving exercises chosen to accentuate the basic science objectives of the course. This report also highlights the historic and theoretical basis for the use of mannequin simulators as an important physiology education tool and outlines how the authors' experience in healthcare education has been effectively translated to nonclinical student populations. Particular areas of focus include critical-thinking and problem-solving behaviors and student reflections on the impact of the teaching approach.

Note-taking skills of middle school students with and without learning disabilities.

PubMed

Boyle, Joseph R

2010-01-01

For middle school students with learning disabilities (LD), one major component of learning in content area classes, such as science, involves listening to lectures and recording notes. Lecture learning and note-taking are critical skills for students to succeed in these classes. Despite the importance of note-taking skills, no research has been reported on the problems that school-age students with LD encounter when recording notes during science lectures. Using a sample size of 90 middle school students, the performance of students with LD was compared to students with no learning disabilities (NLD). Results found that students with LD performed significantly worse than students with NLD in terms of the type and amount of notes recorded and test performance.

Female and male Hispanic students majoring in science or engineering: Their stories describing their educational journeys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Susan Wightman

National statistics clearly demonstrate an underrepresentation of minorities in the fields of science and engineering. Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, and Asians do not typically choose science or engineering as their college major; therefore, there is a very small representation of these minorities in the science and engineering labor force. The decision not to major in science and engineering may begin as soon as the child can begin to recognize role models in the media. News stories, magazine articles, television programs, teachers, parents, administrators, and other agencies have painted the picture of a scientist or engineer as being dominantly a White male. Schools have continued society's portrayal by using curriculum, textbooks, role models, instructional strategies, and counseling that continues to encourage the White male to succeed in science and engineering, but discourages the minority students, male and female, from succeeding in these fields. In this qualitative study, 22 Hispanic students, 12 female and 10 male, who are majoring in science or engineering, were interviewed using Seidman's in-depth interviewing technique. These students were shadowed in their college science or engineering classes; their high school and college transcripts were analyzed; and, a focus group was brought together at the end of the interviewing process in order to allow interaction between the participants. The goal was to explore the educational journeys of the 22 Hispanic students. What made a difference in the journeys of these 22 students so that they could succeed in majors that have historically discouraged minority students? Seven themes emerged: family support, honors program, challenging and interactive curriculum, college preparation in high school courses, caring and kind teachers, small class size, and small communities. Gender comparison of the educational journeys documents these differences between the females and males: college preparation, mentoring, special school and summer programs, and gender role conflicts. In Chapter Six, a picture is painted by these 22 Hispanic students of a school that would promote success for all minority students in science and engineering related classes. Science and math educators, and really all educators, should take note and changes need to be made in our schools in order to provide a learning environment for all students.

Teaching about teaching and instruction on instruction: a challenge for health sciences library education.

PubMed

Detlefsen, Ellen Gay

2012-10-01

This is a review of the master's-level curricula of the fifty-eight America Library Association-accredited library and information science programs and iSchools for evidence of coursework and content related to library instruction. Special emphasis is placed on the schools and programs that also offer coursework in medical or health sciences librarianship. Fifty-eight school and program websites were reviewed. Course titles and course descriptions for seventy-three separate classes were analyzed. Twenty-three syllabi were examined. All North American library education programs offer at least one course in the general area of library instruction; some programs offer multiple courses. No courses on instruction, however, are focused directly on the specialized area of health sciences librarianship. Master's degree students can take appropriate classes on library instruction, but the medical library profession needs to offer continuing education opportunities for practitioners who want to have specific instruction for the specialized world of the health sciences.

Experience and the Arts: An Examination of an Arts-Based Chemistry Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wunsch, Patricia Ann

2013-01-01

Many high school students are either intimidated or unmotivated when faced with science courses taught with a traditional teaching methodology. The focus of this study was the integration of the arts, specifically the Creative Arts Laboratory (CAL) approach, into the teaching methodology and assessment of a high school chemistry class, with…

Object-Oriented Programming in High Schools the Turing Way.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holt, Richard C.

This paper proposes an approach to introducing object-oriented concepts to high school computer science students using the Object-Oriented Turing (OOT) language. Students can learn about basic object-oriented (OO) principles such as classes and inheritance by using and expanding a collection of classes that draw pictures like circles and happy…

Supporting and Thwarting Autonomy in the High School Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patall, Erika A.; Vasquez, Ariana C.; Steingut, Rebecca R.; Trimble, Scott S.; Pituch, Keenan A.

2017-01-01

This investigation examined relations between adolescent students' daily and cumulative perceptions of teachers' practice and their experience of autonomy. Two-hundred and eighteen high school science students in 43 classes participated in a 6-week diary study. Multilevel modeling results suggested that perceptions of 8 out of 9 practices…

Middle School and pH?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herricks, Susan

2007-01-01

A local middle school requested that the Water Center of Advanced Materials for Purification of Water With Systems (WaterCAMPWS), a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, provide an introduction to pH for their seventh-grade water-based service learning class. After sorting through a multitude of information about pH, a…

From Skeletons to Bridges & Other STEM Enrichment Exercises for High School Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riechert, Susan E.; Post, Brian K.

2010-01-01

The national Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education Initiative favors a curriculum shift from the compartmentalization of math and science classes into discrete subject areas to an integrated, multidisciplinary experience. Many states are currently implementing programs in high schools that provide greater integration of math,…

Californian Science Students' Perceptions of Their Classroom Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

den Brok, Perry; Fisher, Darrell; Rickards, Tony; Bull, Eric

2006-01-01

This study utilised the "What Is Happening In this Class" (WIHIC) questionnaire to examine factors that influence Californian students' perceptions of their learning environment. Data were collected from 665 USA middle school science students in 11 Californian schools. Several background variables, such as gender, socioeconomic status,…

Language Use in Classrooms in Western Samoan Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo Bianco, Joseph; Liddicoat, Anthony

1991-01-01

To inform discussions of revising the curriculum of junior secondary schools in Western Samoa, a series of structured observations of classrooms was conducted. Data from 145 classes, covering Business/Commercial Studies, English Home Economics, Manual Arts, Mathematics, Samoan Studies, Science and Social Science, were analyzed. With the exception…

Group Investigation Teaching Technique in Turkish Primary Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksoy, Gokhan; Gurbuz, Fatih

2013-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of group investigation teaching technique in teaching "Light" unit 7th grade primary science education level. This study was carried out in two different classes in the Primary school during the 2011-2012 academic year in Erzurum, Turkey. One of the classes was the Experimental Group (group…

Using Blogs to Improve Elementary School Students' Environmental Literacy in Science Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saltan, Fatih; Divarci, Omer Faruk

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of blog activities on elementary students' environmental literacy in science class. The relationships between students' environmental literacy levels, their parents' interest in environmental activities and the frequency of outdoor activities they do have also been also examined. Pre-test…

The Bird Box Survey Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Patrick

2014-01-01

When high school students are asked what's the best part of science class, many will say it's the field trips. Students enjoy engaging in authentic, community-based science outside the classroom. To capitalize on this, Patrick Willis created the Bird Box Survey Project for his introductory field biology class. The project takes students…

Beating the numbers through strategic intervention materials (SIMs): Innovative science teaching for large classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alboruto, Venus M.

2017-05-01

The study aimed to find out the effectiveness of using Strategic Intervention Materials (SIMs) as an innovative teaching practice in managing large Grade Eight Science classes to raise the performance of the students in terms of science process skills development and mastery of science concepts. Utilizing experimental research design with two groups of participants, which were purposefully chosen, it was obtained that there existed a significant difference in the performance of the experimental and control groups based on actual class observation and written tests on science process skills with a p-value of 0.0360 in favor of the experimental class. Further, results of written pre-test and post-test on science concepts showed that the experimental group with the mean of 24.325 (SD =3.82) performed better than the control group with the mean of 20.58 (SD =4.94), with a registered p-value of 0.00039. Therefore, the use of SIMs significantly contributed to the mastery of science concepts and the development of science process skills. Based on the findings, the following recommendations are offered: 1. that grade eight science teachers should use or adopt the SIMs used in this study to improve their students' performance; 2. training-workshop on developing SIMs must be conducted to help teachers develop SIMs to be used in their classes; 3. school administrators must allocate funds for the development and reproduction of SIMs to be used by the students in their school; and 4. every division should have a repository of SIMs for easy access of the teachers in the entire division.

Impact of the 3-D model strategy on science learning of the solar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alharbi, Mohammed

The purpose of this mixed method study, quantitative and descriptive, was to determine whether the first-middle grade (seventh grade) students at Saudi schools are able to learn and use the Autodesk Maya software to interact and create their own 3-D models and animations and whether their use of the software influences their study habits and their understanding of the school subject matter. The study revealed that there is value to the science students regarding the use of 3-D software to create 3-D models to complete science assignments. Also, this study aimed to address the middle-school students' ability to learn 3-D software in art class, and then ultimately use it in their science class. The success of this study may open the way to consider the impact of 3-D modeling on other school subjects, such as mathematics, art, and geography. When the students start using graphic design, including 3-D software, at a young age, they tend to develop personal creativity and skills. The success of this study, if applied in schools, will provide the community with skillful young designers and increase awareness of graphic design and the new 3-D technology. Experimental method was used to answer the quantitative research question, are there significant differences applying the learning method using 3-D models (no 3-D, premade 3-D, and create 3-D) in a science class being taught about the solar system and its impact on the students' science achievement scores? Descriptive method was used to answer the qualitative research questions that are about the difficulty of learning and using Autodesk Maya software, time that students take to use the basic levels of Polygon and Animation parts of the Autodesk Maya software, and level of students' work quality.

The Impact of Achievement Goals on the Help-Seeking Attitudes, Perceptions, and Behaviors of Middle-School Science Students Participating in Inquiry-Based Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Kimi Lynn

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how mastery-oriented inquiry-based education influences the help-seeking attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of middle-school students after participating in a 5-week intervention program. Four eighth-grade science classes consisting of 123 students in one middle-school in the San Francisco Bay…

The Implementation of a Geospatial Information Technology (GIT)-Supported Land Use Change Curriculum with Urban Middle School Learners to Promote Spatial Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodzin, Alec M.

2011-01-01

This study investigated whether a geospatial information technology (GIT)-supported science curriculum helped students in an urban middle school understand land use change (LUC) concepts and enhanced their spatial thinking. Five 8th grade earth and space science classes in an urban middle school consisting of three different ability level tracks…

Training Master's-Level Graduate Students to Use Inquiry Instruction to Teach Middle-Level and High-School Science Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilman, Sharon Larimer; Hitt, Austin M.; Gilman, Craig

2015-01-01

Through the GK-12 program of the National Science Foundation, graduate student fellows in a coastal marine and wetland studies program were trained to present targeted science concepts to middle- and high-school classes through their own research-based lessons. Initially, they were taught to follow the 5-E learning cycle in lesson plan…

Year One of Project Pulse: Pupils Using Laptops in Science and English. A Final Report. Technical Report No. 26.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMillan, Katie; Honey, Margaret

A year-long study was conducted with a class of 25 eighth graders, their English and science teachers, and the school computer supervisor at a school in Roselle (New Jersey). The structure and goals of the project, called PULSE, for Pupils Using Laptops in Science and English, are described. Research questions focused on the development of…

The Impact of Participation in an Ancillary Science and Mathematics Program (SEMAA) on Engagement Rates of Middle School Students in Regular Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seaton, Daniel M.; Carr, Donna

2005-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of participation in a federally sponsored, short-term, cocurricular, mathematics and science program (Science Engineering Mathematics Aerospace Academy, SEMAA) on the engagement rates of sixth- and seventh-grade students in public school mathematics classes. Engagement was measured with the…

Story - Science - Solutions: A new middle school science curriculum that promotes climate-stewardship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero, E.; Centeno Delgado, D. C.

2017-12-01

Over the last five years, Green Ninja has been developing educational media to help motivate student interest and engagement around climate science and solutions. The adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offers a unique opportunity where schools are changing both what they teach in a science class and how they teach. Inspired by the new emphasis in NGSS on climate change, human impact and engineering design, Green Ninja developed a technology focused, integrative, and yearlong science curriculum (6th, 7th and 8th grade) focused broadly around solutions to environmental problems. The use of technology supports the development of skills valuable for students, while also offering real-time metrics to help measure both student learning and environmental impact of student actions. During the presentation, we will describe the design philosophy around our middle school curriculum and share data from a series of classes that have created environmental benefits that transcend the traditional classroom. The notion that formal education, if done correctly, can be leveraged as a viable climate mitigation strategy will be discussed.

At S.C. School, Behavior Is One of the Basics: A Charleston Middle School Joins the Growing Number Nationwide That Use PBIS Strategies to Teach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Nirvi

2012-01-01

Learning "how to be a Haut Gap student" is one of the basics at Charleston's Haut Gap Middle School. Along with reading, science, and mathematics classes, every student at Haut Gap Middle School takes a course in how to be a Haut Gap student. For most students, the class is 40 minutes a day for nine weeks. But it can last 18 weeks for…

Science Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, A. J. S.; And Others

1988-01-01

Presents 31 science activities for use with high school or college science classes. Topics included are: chromatography, ecology, invertebrates, enzymes, genetics, botany, creep, crystals, diffusion, computer interfaces, acid rain, teaching techniques, chemical reactions, waves, electric fields, rainbows, electricity, magnetic fields, and a Pitot…

Note-Taking Skills of Middle School Students with and without Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Joseph R.

2010-01-01

For middle school students with learning disabilities (LD), one major component of learning in content area classes, such as science, involves listening to lectures and recording notes. Lecture learning and note-taking are critical skills for students to succeed in these classes. Despite the importance of note-taking skills, no research has been…

Granddad Went Back to School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auty, Geoff

2013-01-01

It started with a letter home. Over one week, each class in turn would have a morning devoted to science, and children were invited to bring one adult to share practical activities with them. The author, a granddad, got the job. In this article, granddad reflects on that morning's primary school science activity topic--camping. Granddad shares…

Obstacles to Developing Digital Literacy on the Internet in Middle School Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colwell, Jamie; Hunt-Barron, Sarah; Reinking, David

2013-01-01

Obstacles, and instructional responses to them, that emerged in two middle school science classes during a formative experiment investigating Internet Reciprocal Teaching (IRT), an instructional intervention aimed at increasing digital literacy on the Internet, are reported in this manuscript. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that IRT enabled…

Jurassic Park as a Teaching Tool in the Chemistry Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jollis, W. Gary, Jr.

1996-01-01

Describes how the science fiction novel "Jurassic Park" has been used to provide the focus for summate discussions among gifted high school students participating in a state-sponsored, science-intensive summer program. Discusses adaptations of this approach for use in chemistry classes from the high school to intermediate college level. (JRH)

Is Your School a Dumping Ground?: Hidden Hazards You Can Identify and Eliminate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cronin-Jones, Linda L.

1992-01-01

Describes how teachers and students can conduct a schoolwide hazardous waste survey. The activity is an introduction to hazardous waste management and is useful in general physical science, chemistry, and environmental science classes. Two activity worksheets are provided. Explains how schools can clean up hazardous waste problems. (PR)

The Efficacy of Collaborative Strategic Reading in Middle School Science and Social Studies Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boardman, Alison G.; Klingner, Janette K.; Buckley, Pamela; Annamma, Subini; Lasser, Cristin J.

2015-01-01

This study investigated the efficacy of a multi-component reading comprehension instructional approach, Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), compared to business-as-usual instructional methods with 19 teachers and 1074 students in middle school social studies and science classrooms in a large urban district. Researchers collaborated with school…

An Analysis of Factors That Impact Secondary Science Outcomes in Tennessee

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South, Suzanne Lawson

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze school and district characteristics for 2005-2006 through 2007-2008 to determine which factors impacted science achievement for the graduating class of 2008-2009 in Tennessee. School size, socioeconomic status, per pupil instructional expenditures and rurality/urbanicity were predictor variables.…

Enhancing Students' NOS Views and Science Knowledge Using Facebook-Based Scientific News

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Hsi-Yu; Wu, Hui-Ling; She, Hsiao-Ching; Lin, Yu-Ren

2014-01-01

This study investigated how the different discussion approaches in Facebook influenced students' scientific knowledge acquisition and the nature of science (NOS) views. Two eighth- and two ninth-grade classes in a Taiwanese junior high school participated in the study. In two of the classes students engaged in synchronous discussion, and in the…

Attending to Student Epistemological Framing in a Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchison, Paul; Hammer, David

2010-01-01

Studies of learning in school settings indicate that many students frame activities in science classes as the production of answers for the teacher or test, rather than as making new sense of the natural world. A case study of an episode from a class taught by the first author demonstrates what productive and unproductive student framing can look…

Identifying Students' Expectancy-Value Beliefs: A Latent Class Analysis Approach to Analyzing Middle School Students' Science Self-Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelan, Julia; Ing, Marsha; Nylund-Gibson, Karen; Brown, Richard S.

2017-01-01

This study extends current research by organizing information about students' expectancy-value achievement motivation, in a way that helps parents and teachers identify specific entry points to encourage and support students' science aspirations. This study uses latent class analysis to describe underlying differences in ability beliefs, task…

The Nature of Science and Art

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chessin, Debby; Zander, Mary Jane

2006-01-01

A Mrs. Jefferson, a sixth-grade lead science teacher, wandered through her students' art show, she enjoyed the creative drawings that her students did in art class. Next year, due to budget cuts, the art teacher would be shared with several other schools and would not have time for weekly art classes for every grade. The principal understood the…

Concept Mapping in Science Class: A Case Study of Fifth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asan, Askin

2007-01-01

The purpose of this research project was to determine the effects of incorporating concept mapping on the achievement of fifth grade students in science class. The study was conducted with twenty-three students at Ata Elementary School, Trabzon, Turkey. The students were tested with teacher-constructed pre- and post tests containing 20…

Investigating Optimal Learning Moments in U.S. and Finnish Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Barbara; Krajcik, Joseph; Lavonen, Jari; Salmela-Aro, Katariina; Broda, Michael; Spicer, Justina; Bruner, Justin; Moeller, Julia; Linnansaari, Janna; Juuti, Kalle; Viljaranta, Jaana

2016-01-01

This study explores how often students are engaged in their science classes and their affective states during these times, using an innovative methodology that records these experiences "in situ". Sampling a subset of high schools in the U.S. and Finland, we collected over 7,000 momentary responses from 344 students over the course of a…

How science teachers balance religion and evolution in the science classroom: A case study of science classes in a Florida Public School District

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willems, Pierre Dominique

The purpose of this case study was to research how science teachers balance both religion and evolution in the science classroom with as little controversy as possible. In this study I attempted to provide some insight on how teachers are currently teaching evolution in their science classes in light of the religious beliefs of the students as well as their own. The case study was conducted in a school district in Florida where I attempted to answer the following questions: (a) How do science teachers in the Florida School District (FSD) approach the religion--evolution issue in preparing students for a career in a field of science? (b) How do science teachers in the FSD reconcile the subject of evolution with the religious views of their students? (c) How do science teachers in the FSD reconcile their own religious views with the teaching of evolution? (d) How do science teachers in the FSD perceive the relationship between religion and science? The data was collected through interviews with two high school teachers, and one middle school teacher, by observing each participant teach, by collecting site documents and by administering an exploratory survey to student volunteers. Analysis was conducted by open coding which produced four themes from which the research questions were answered and the survey answers were counted to produce the percentages displayed in the tables in chapter four. The teachers avoided discussion on religiously oriented questions or statements by the students and did not reveal their own religious orientation. The topic of microevolution appeared to reduce stress in the classroom environment, as opposed to addressing macroevolution.

Effects of Single-Gender Middle School Classes on Science Achievement and Attitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brooks, Tanisha

Many girls continue to achieve below their male counterparts and portray negative attitudes towards science classes. Some school districts are using single-gender education as a way to shrink the gender gap in school achievement and science related attitude. The purpose of this study was to compare achievement and science-related attitudes of 7th grade girls in single-gender education to 7th grade girls in mixed-gender education. The theoretical base for this study included knowledge from brain-based learning and assimilation, accommodation and age factors of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. The 12-week study included 48 7th grade girls, 21 in the single-gender classroom and 14 in each mixed-gender classroom. This quantitative randomized posttest only control group design utilized the TerraNova Science Assessment and the Test of Science Related Attitudes. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if significant differences existed in the achievement and attitudes of girls in single and mixed-gender science classes. ANOVA analyses revealed that the girls in the single-gender classroom showed a significantly higher achievement level when compared to girls in the mixed-gender classrooms. Results showed no significant difference in attitude between the two groups. The results of this study contribute to social change by raising awareness about gender issues in science achievement and attitude, addressing a deficiency in the single-gender science education literature, and assisting educational systems in decision making to address achievement gaps while moving toward adequate yearly progress and meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Investigations in Life Science, Junior High.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephenson, Robert L.

Developed for teachers of junior high school science classes, this unit presents ten investigations on plant growth, animal life, pond life, and general science interests. These investigations are designed to accompany any popular life science textbooks, may be used to supplement a year-long course in life science, are intended as a springboard…

Tailoring Inservice Training in Science to Elementary Teachers' Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bethel, Lowell J.

1982-01-01

Elementary school teachers feel inadequately prepared to teach science and spend little class time on science instruction. Until undergraduate science preparation improves, inservice training must take up the slack. An inservice program developed by the Science Education Center at the University of Texas' College of Education shows positive…

How Does the Science Writing Heuristic Approach Affect Students' Performances of Different Academic Achievement Levels? A Case for High School Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingir, Sevgi; Geban, Omer; Gunel, Murat

2012-01-01

This study investigates the effects of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH), known as an argumentation-based science inquiry approach, on Grade 9 students' performance on a post-test in relation to their academic achievement levels. Four intact classes taught by 2 chemistry teachers from a Turkish public high school were selected for the study; one…

A Study on Developing a Guide Material for Science Classes Supported by Out-of-School Learningi

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakioglu, Büsra; Karamustafaoglu, Orhan

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this research was to develop a guide material in line with learning outcomes of the unit for the 5th Graders titled Solving the Puzzle: Our Body in order to be utilized during out-of-school learning activities by science teachers. There is no guide material developed in our country for science teachers to be used in out-of…

Body talk: students' identity construction while discussing a socioscientific issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ideland, Malin; Malmberg, Claes

2012-06-01

Vision II school science is often stated to be a democratic and inclusive form of science education. But what characterizes the subject who fits into the Vision II school science? Who is the desirable student and who is constructed as ill-fitting? This article explores discourses that structure the Vision II science classroom, and how different students construct their identities inside these discourses. In the article we consider school science as an order of discourses which restricts and enables what is possible to think and say and what subject-positions those are available and non-available. The results show that students' talk about a SSI about body and health is constituted by several discourses. We have analyzed how school science discourse, body discourse and general school discourse are structuring the discussions. But these discourses are used in different ways depending on how the students construct their identities in relation to available subject positions, which are dependent on how students at the same time are "doing" gender and social class. As an example, middle class girls show resistance against SSI-work since the practice is threatening their identity as "successful students". This article uses a sociopolitical perspective in its discussions on inclusion and exclusion in the practice of Vision II. It raises critical issues about the inherited complexity of SSI with meetings and/or collisions between discourses. Even if the empirical results from this qualitative study are situated in specific cultural contexts, they contribute with new questions to ask concerning SSI and Vision II school science.

FCS and English: Dual Class Develops "Taste" for Other Cultures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caya, Billie Ann

2005-01-01

"Foods and Literature of the World" is a dual class taught at Bismarck High School in Bismarck, North Dakota. There are two components of the class--English and family and consumer sciences (FCS). (The English component fulfills the 12th grade English requirement.) Culture is explored through class discussion, essay writing, research,…

Using Teleducation and Field Experiences to further the Understanding of Coastal Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macko, S. A.; Szuba, T. A.; Shugart, H.

2007-05-01

This project is an outreach and education program with a partner in the K-12 schools at Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It endeavors to build a community knowledgeable of the importance the ocean plays daily in our lives, and our own impact on the ocean. It is an program built in stages that: 1) Establish high speed live interactive classes (teleducation) linkages with the Eastern Shore High Schools with earth science teachers enabling them to remotely participate in University of Virginia classes in Oceanography (designed on a faculty development basis or acquire NSTA certification in Earth Science Education, as well as participation by seniors in the Accomack Schools; 2) Establish field experiences for teachers and selected students that involve travel to both the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER) Center, UVA to observe first- hand the science programs at those locations and participate in cutting edge coastal marine research efforts. These experiences improve student understanding of the ocean-atmosphere biogeophysical system and encourage students to explore the sciences as a field of study and possible vocation. Advanced high school students and science teachers from Accomack County Public Schools participated in an experience involving field and laboratory methods employed in a NSF-sponsored study of the coupled natural-human dynamics on the Eastern Shore of Virginia over the past 500 years (NSF-Biocomplexity). Students and teachers worked with researchers of the VCR facility in Oyster, VA, collected sediment cores from Chesapeake Bay tributaries, and traveled to the Organic Geochemistry Laboratory at UVA, in Charlottesville, VA to prepare and analyze samples for isotopic and palynological information. In a first of its kind connectivity, in June/July, 2006, using high speed internet connections, a summer class in Oceanography was live, interactively broadcast (teleducation) from UVA to Arcadia High School on the Eastern Shore, allowing teachers in the Accomack School district to receive university credit without leaving their home classrooms 250 miles from UVA.

No Blue Ribbon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilsey, Matthew; Kloser, Matthew

2015-01-01

Imagine middle and high school science classes without a science fair. Participation in science fairs is declining (Harmon 2011), a trend that some teachers, parents, and students find disturbing. The authors opine that the decline in science fairs calls for critically reviewing the potential disconnect between the aims and outcomes of science…

Teacher and student perspectives on motivation within the high school science classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pickens, Melanie Turnure

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher and student perspectives on the motivation of high school science students and to explore specific motivational strategies used by teachers as they attempt to enhance student motivation. Four science teachers took part in an initial audio-taped interview, classroom observations with debriefing conversations, and a final audio-taped interview to discuss findings and allow member checking for data triangulation and interpretation. Participating teachers also took part in a final focus group interview. Student participants from each teacher's class were given a Likert style anonymous survey on their views about motivation and learning, motivation in science class, and specific motivational strategies that emerged in their current science class. This study focused on effective teaching strategies for motivation commonly used by the four teachers and on specific teaching strategies used by two of these four teachers in different tracks of science classes. The intent was to determine not only what strategies worked well for all types of science classes, but also what specific motivational approaches were being used in high and low tracked science classes and the similarities and differences between them. This approach provided insight into the differences in motivating tracked students, with the hope that other educators in specific tracks might use such pedagogies to improve motivation in their own science classrooms. Results from this study showed that science teachers effectively motivate their students in the following ways: Questioning students to engage them in the lesson, exhibiting enthusiasm in lesson presentations, promoting a non-threatening environment, incorporating hands-on activities to help learn the lesson concepts, using a variety of activities, believing that students can achieve, and building caring relationships in the classroom. Specific to the higher tracked classroom, effective motivational strategies included: Use of teacher enthusiasm, promoting a non-threatening class atmosphere, and connecting the adolescent world to science. In the lower tracked classroom, specific effective strategies were: Encouraging student-student dialogue, making lessons relevant using practical applications, building student self-confidence, and using hands-on inquiry activities. Teachers who incorporate such strategies into their classrooms regardless of the track will likely increase motivation and also enhance learning for all students.

Good Intentions: AN Experiment in Middle School Single-Sex Science and Mathematics Classrooms with High Minority Enrollment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Dale

This study examined the effects of single-sex middle school science and mathematics classrooms with high minority enrollment on achievement, affect, peer, and teacher-student interactions. All students earned higher grades in mathematics than in science. Girls earned higher grades than boys. The higher grades of girls were not clearly attributable to the singlesex environment, and aspects of the single-sex environment interfered with boys' achievement. The single-sex environment contributed to girls', but not boys', feelings of empowerment, peer support, and positive self-concept. The curriculum and pedagogy were better suited to girls than to boys, leading to discipline problems and hostile interactions. However, boys were more engaged in technology-based activities than girls. Overall, all-boy classes were less supportive learning environments than all-girl classes. Although the results replicate findings elsewhere, this is the only study to look at minority students in middle school.

Examining the Relationship of Textbooks and Labs on Student Achievement in Eighth-Grade Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugalan, Anacita Noromor

One of the most important objectives of teachers, parents, school administrators, and students is to improve student scores on standardized tests such as the State of Texas Assessment for Academic Readiness (STAAR) in eighth-grade science. This quasi experimental study examined the science achievement scores between schools that use textbooks and labs when delivering instruction. This study utilized a quantitative approach using archival data and survey design. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multiple regression were used to analyze the data while controlling STAAR eighth-grade reading scores to reveal significant differences between classes. The sample and population for this study were predominantly eighth-grade Hispanic students in South Texas. Analysis of covariance showed that classes that used high labs got higher science scores and that the reading scores were significantly related to science scores. Multiple regression findings indicated that textbooks and labs were significant predictors of student achievement on the STAAR eighth- grade science class result in South Texas for Spring 2015. The findings of this study may serve as a catalyst for improving student achievement in science through changes in textbook adoption and doing labs in science. The result suggests the need to research further to investigate other contributing factors of student achievement.

Mystery Box Marvels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Joel; Centurio, Tina

2012-01-01

What happens in the first week of school could very well set the stage for the rest of the school year. Setting high standards for science activities based in inquiry can start on the first day of science class and develop as the year unfolds. With the use of simple, readily available, inexpensive materials, an efficient mystery box lesson can be…

Teacher Use of Constructivism in High School Science Courses: Perception versus Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Alisha M.

2017-01-01

With all of the research devoted to the use and effectiveness of constructivist learning principles in high school science classes, it is somewhat surprising to find that there is very little research devoted to constructivism's use in international settings. The problem that this lack of research poses is that classrooms are increasingly diverse…

The Role of Motivating Tasks and Personal Goal Orientations in Students' Coping Strategies in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subasi, Münevver; Tas, Yasemin

2016-01-01

This study aims to investigate coping strategies of middle school students in science classes in relation to students' goal orientations and motivating tasks conducted in the classroom environment. The study was conducted in spring semester of 2015-2016 academic year. Sample of the study consists of 316 middle school students receiving education…

Implementing an Instructional Framework and Content Literacy Strategies into Middle and High School Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nixon, Sarah B.; Saunders, Georgianna L.; Fishback, John E.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this research study was to examine the usage and perceived benefits of the ERR (Evocation, Realization of Meaning, and Reflection; Meredith & Steele, 2011) instructional framework and content literacy strategies with middle and high school science teachers. Former students who had participated in an undergraduate or graduate content…

Sex, Grade-Level and Stream Differences in Learning Environment and Attitudes to Science in Singapore Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peer, Jarina; Fraser, Barry J.

2015-01-01

Learning environment research provides a well-established approach for describing and understanding what goes on in classrooms and has attracted considerable interest in Singapore. This article reports the first study of science classroom environments in Singapore primary schools. Ten scales from the What Is Happening In this Class?,…

Social Class and the STEM Career Pipeline an Ethnographic Investigation of Opportunity Structures in a High-Poverty versus Affluent High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nikischer, Andrea B.

2013-01-01

This research investigates science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) high school opportunity structures, including student experiences with math and science course sequences and progress, college guidance and counseling, and STEM extracurricular activities (Weis and Eisenhart, 2009), specifically related to STEM fields and career and…

Convergent Inquiry in Science & Engineering: The Use of Atomic Force Microscopy in a Biology Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Il-Sun; Byeon, Jung-Ho; Kwon, Yong-Ju

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to design a teaching method suitable for science high school students using atomic force microscopy. During their scientific inquiry procedure, high school students observed a micro-nanostructure of a biological sample, which is unobservable via an optical microscope. The developed teaching method enhanced students'…

The Impact of a Geospatial Technology-Supported Energy Curriculum on Middle School Students' Science Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulo, Violet; Bodzin, Alec

2013-02-01

Geospatial technologies are increasingly being integrated in science classrooms to foster learning. This study examined whether a Web-enhanced science inquiry curriculum supported by geospatial technologies promoted urban middle school students' understanding of energy concepts. The participants included one science teacher and 108 eighth-grade students classified in three ability level tracks. Data were gathered through pre/posttest content knowledge assessments, daily classroom observations, and daily reflective meetings with the teacher. Findings indicated a significant increase in the energy content knowledge for all the students. Effect sizes were large for all three ability level tracks, with the middle and low track classes having larger effect sizes than the upper track class. Learners in all three tracks were highly engaged with the curriculum. Curriculum effectiveness and practical issues involved with using geospatial technologies to support science learning are discussed.

A Sociocultural Reading of Reform in Science Teaching in a Secondary Biology Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barma, Sylvie

2011-01-01

Adopting activity theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, this case study illustrates how a teaching and learning situation is planned and implemented over a series of nine 75-min biology classes by a high school science teacher in the context of pedagogical reform. The object of this study emerges within a favourable context of…

Sex-role stereotyping by high school females in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vockell, Edward L.; Lobonc, Susan

Although the participation by females in upper-level occupations and positions has expanded considerably in recent years, science is still considered a masculine career field. The results of this study show that only the physical sciences in particular (not science in general) are clearly viewed as masculine academic areas. Furthermore, the results suggest that the perception by girls of the physical sciences as masculine is much more likely to occur in coed classes than in all-female classes. The results can best be explained by two factors: (1) the attitudes conveyed by teachers and by society may predispose students toward a greater acceptance of women in biology than in the physical sciences; and (2) when girls perceive themselves as a deviant minority in physical science classes, their performance and preference for the physical sciences is reduced, perhaps because of competition and comparison with males. In all-female classes, however, girls are not a deviant minority, and therefore they are able to perform and develop preferences without inhibition.

Science Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Science Review, 1987

1987-01-01

Describes 20 teaching activities and experiments appropriate for use with various secondary school science classes. Instructional activities include the study of catalase, raising bees, a game about equilibrium, spectrometers, lead iodide, resonance, graphing, and electromagnetic waves. (TW)

School physics teacher class management, laboratory practice, student engagement, critical thinking, cooperative learning and use of simulations effects on student performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riaz, Muhammad

The purpose of this study was to examine how simulations in physics class, class management, laboratory practice, student engagement, critical thinking, cooperative learning, and use of simulations predicted the percentage of students achieving a grade point average of B or higher and their academic performance as reported by teachers in secondary school physics classes. The target population consisted of secondary school physics teachers who were members of Science Technology, Engineeering and,Mathematics Teachers of New York City (STEMteachersNYC) and American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA). They used simulations in their physics classes in the 2013 and 2014 school years. Subjects for this study were volunteers. A survey was constructed based on a literature review. Eighty-two physics teachers completed the survey about instructional practice in physics. All respondents were anonymous. Classroom management was the only predictor of the percent of students achieving a grade point average of B or higher in high school physics class. Cooperative learning, use of simulations, and student engagement were predictors of teacher's views of student academic performance in high school physics class. All other variables -- class management, laboratory practice, critical thinking, and teacher self-efficacy -- were not predictors of teacher's views of student academic performance in high school physics class. The implications of these findings were discussed and recommendations for physics teachers to improve student learning were presented.

Evaluating Junior Secondary Science Textbook Usage in Australian Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Christine V.

2016-01-01

A large body of research has drawn attention to the importance of providing engaging learning experiences in junior secondary science classes, in an attempt to attract more students into post-compulsory science courses. The reality of time and resource constraints, and the high proportion of non-specialist science teachers teaching science, has…

Student conceptions of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talbot, Amanda L.

Research has shown that students from elementary school to college have major misconceptions about the nature of science. While an appropriate understanding of the nature of science has been an objective of science education for a century, researchers using a variety of instruments, continue to document students' inadequate conceptions of what science is and how it operates as an enterprise. Current research involves methods to improve student understanding of the nature of science. Students often misunderstand the creative, subjective, empirical, and tentative nature of science. They do not realize the relationship between laws and theories, nor do they understand that science does not follow a prescribed method. Many do not appreciate the influence culture, society, and politics; nor do they have an accurate understanding of the types of questions addressed by science. This study looks at student understanding of key nature of science (NOS) concepts in order to examine the impact of implementing activities intended to help students better understand the process of science and to see if discussion of key NOS concepts following those activities will result in greater gains in NOS understanding. One class received an "activities only" treatment, while the other participated in the same activities followed by explicit discussion of key NOS themes relating to the activity. The interventions were implemented for one school year in two high school anatomy and physiology courses composed of juniors and seniors. Student views of the nature of science were measured using the Views of the Nature of Science-Form C (VNOS-C). Students in both classes demonstrated significant gains in NOS understanding. However, contrary to current research, the addition of explicit discussion did not result in significantly greater gains in NOS understanding. This suggests that perhaps students in higher-level science classes can draw the correlations between NOS related activities and important aspects of "real" science. Or perhaps that a curriculum with a varied approach my expose students to more aspects of science thus improving their NOS understanding.

MAOS: An Innovative Way to Teach High School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harray, Nancy; And Others

1997-01-01

Describes an innovative high school program that uses oceanography, mathematics, and science as common threads in the instructional program. The program utilizes an innovative class structure, community involvement, and hands on activities. (DDR)

Science Fiction: Serious Reading, Critical Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zigo, Diane; Moore, Michael T.

2004-01-01

Science fiction deserves a greater respect, serious and critical reading and a better place in high school literature classes. Some of the science fiction books by Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Ray Bradbury and Octavia L. Butler and various activities for incorporating science fiction into the English language arts instruction classroom are…

Cultivating Attitudes and Trellising Learning: A Permaculture Approach to Science and Sustainability Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebo, Nelson; Eames, Chris

2015-01-01

This article reports on an inquiry that used permaculture design thinking to create a science and sustainability education intervention for a secondary science class. The aims were to cultivate student attitudes towards science, towards learning science in school, and towards the environment, and to trellis learning of science and sustainability.…

Expanding the Reach of the Coastal Ocean Science Classroom to Teachers through Teleducation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macko, S.; Szuba, T.

2007-12-01

In a first of its kind connectivity, using high speed internet connections, a summer class in Oceanography was live, interactively broadcast (teleducation) to Arcadia High School on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, allowing teachers in the Accomack County School District to receive university credit without leaving their home classrooms 250 miles from UVA. This project was an outreach and education program with a partner in the K-12 schools on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It endeavored to build a community knowledgeable of the importance the ocean plays daily in our lives, and our own impact on the ocean. By establishing teleducation linkages with the Eastern Shore High Schools we were rigorously testing the live-Internet-based classroom with earth science teachers enabling them to remotely participate in University of Virginia classes in Oceanography. The classes were designed on a faculty development basis or to allow the teachers to acquire NSTA certification in Earth Science Education. While not without small problems of interruptions in connectivity or the occasional transmission of hardcopies of materials, the approach was seen to be extremely successful. The ability to reach school districts and teachers that are in more remote locations and with fewer resources is clearly supported by this venture. Currently we are planning to link multiple classrooms in the next iteration of this work, intending to offer the expanded classroom in more distant college-based classrooms where Ocean Sciences is a desired portion of the curriculum, but is presently only occasionally offered owing to limited resources.

A Determination of Commonalities of Science Interests Held by Intermediate Grade Children in Inner-City, Suburban, and Rural Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Cleveland O.

1972-01-01

Investigates relationships between interests in particular areas of science and place of residence, intelligence quotient, social class, grade level, and sex. Other subject preferences and science achievement were also investigated. (AL)

Principles of Gestalt Psychology and Their Application to Teaching Junior High School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blosser, Patricia E.

1973-01-01

Discusses insightful learning, trace system,'' and laws of perception and Pragnanz in connection with problem solving and critical thinking in science teaching. Suggests 19 guidelines for sequencing curriculum and identifying activities for use in science classes. (CC)

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.

Research Experiences for Science Teachers: The Impact On Their Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubner, J.

2005-12-01

Deficiencies in science preparedness of United States high school students were recognized more than two decades ago, as were some of their underlying causes. Among the primary causes are the remoteness of the language, tools, and concepts of science from the daily experiences of teachers and students, and the long-standing national shortage of appropriately prepared science teachers. Secondary school science teachers are challenged each school year by constantly changing content, new technologies, and increasing demands for standards-based instruction. A major deficiency in the education of science teachers was their lack of experience with the practice of science, and with practicing scientists. Providing teachers with opportunities to gain hands-on experience with the tools and materials of science under the guidance and mentorship of leading scientists in an environment attuned to professional development, would have many beneficial effects. They would improve teachers' understanding of science and their ability to develop and lead inquiry- and standards-based science classes and laboratories. They would enable them to communicate the vitality and dynamism of science to their students and to other teachers. They would enhance their ability to motivate and guide students. From its inception, Columbia University's Summer Research Program for Science Teacher's goal has been to enhance interest and improve performance in science of students in New York City area schools. The program seeks to achieve this goal by increasing the professional competence of teachers. Our ongoing program evaluation shows that following completion of the program, the teachers implement more inquiry-based classroom and laboratory exercises, increase utilization of Internet resources, motivate students to participate in after school science clubs and Intel-type science projects; and create opportunities for students to investigate an area of science in greater depth and for longer periods of time than more conventionally trained teachers. Most importantly, the performance of their students improves; students of participating teachers have a higher pass rate on New York State Science Regents examinations than students in classes of non-participating teachers in the same schools. Student outcomes data will be presented for both Columbia's program and from a multi-site study, which Columbia's program headed up.

Rules of the Game: Effects of a Game-based Metaphor on Instructional Activity Design and the Use of Student Mentors on Learning Outcomes in a Middle School General Science Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dowling, Angie

This study investigated the effects of a game-like environment on instructional activity design and the use of student mentors on learning outcomes in a middle school general science class. The participants for this study were 165 students, ages 13-14 years old, who were enrolled in 8th grade at a mid-Atlantic middle school. Two research questions were used to conduct the research: 1. Can science content be designed and successfully delivered instructionally using a game-like learning environment? 2. Does the use of student mentors/assistants help direct and maintain the flow of the class away from the technological issues toward the necessary learning outcomes while also increasing the science content understanding acquired by the mentors while also increasing class and student engagement? For this study an introductory biology unit was designed using a game-like curricular structure. Student mentors were utilized in order to aid focus on the content and not the technology. The results indicated that the instructional design of the unit using a game-like environment was successful and students exhibited learning. The mentor students were instrumental in steering their fellow students away from the “Siren’s Call” of the instrument (in this case StarLogo) and enabled increased focus on the content. Keywords: Trivial games, Serious Games, Epistemic Games, Student Mentors, StarLogo, Elaboration Theory.

Secondary Science Teachers' Implementation of CCSS and NGSS Literacy Practices: A Survey Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drew, Sally Valentino; Thomas, Jeffrey

2018-01-01

Most middle and high school students struggle with reading and writing in science. This may be because science teachers are reluctant to teach literacy in science class. New standards now require a shift in the way science teachers develop students' literacy in science. This survey study examined the extent to which science teachers report…

Effectiveness of place-based science curriculum projects situated in Hawaiian and Western cultural institutions at an urban high school in Hawai'i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuwahara, Jennifer Leslie Hoof

Place-based education is a multidisciplinary and experiential approach to learning that utilizes a local environment or community. This study examined the influences of place attachment and cultural affiliation in the school on student experience and learning in a place-based science course, as well as the course's potential influence on environmentally responsible behaviors. The participants attended an urban high school on O'ahu, Hawai'i. By understanding student reaction to experience in both Western- and Hawaiian-centered classes, this study contributes to the literature on place-based education in relation to how differences in cultural affiliation in a school setting can have varying impacts on place attachment, science literacy, and environmental responsibility. A comparative case study was conducted with students enrolled in the Hawaiian Academy and non-academy students. Analysis of a pre- and post-survey and science content assessments, student documents, field notes, and interview transcripts suggested place-based science has both similar and different impacts on students depending on cultural affiliation within the school. Students in the Hawaiian Academy, as a whole, showed stronger science literacy and environmental responsibility than students in the non-Hawaiian Academy class. However, non-Hawaiian Academy students showed increased place attachment in a spiritual sense. Reactions from both groups suggest a need for smaller learning communities that promote a unity of knowledge rather than distinct courses and disciplines.

Do Polish Higher School Students Prefer Speaking in Person, Listening, Reading or Writing during EFL classes? A Brief Commentary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Norman L.; Davidson, Barry S.; Mroz, Liliana; Brown, Veda E.; Griffith, Kimberly Grantham; Kritsonis, Willam Allen

2007-01-01

The purpose of this brief commentary is to determine which language skill Polish higher school learners think ought to be practiced most frequently during EFL classes. Twenty-seven male and female undergraduate students who study at AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland were surveyed, and the authors found that most learners (70%)…

Novartis School Lab: bringing young people closer to the world of research and discovering the excitement of science.

PubMed

Michel, Christiane Röckl; Standke, Gesche; Naef, Reto

2012-01-01

The Novartis School Lab (http://www.novartis.ch/schullabor) is an institution with an old tradition. The School Lab reaches about 5000 students through internal courses and an additional 5000 children at public science events where they can enjoy hands-on science in disciplines of biomedical research. The subjects range from chemistry, physics, molecular biology and genetics to toxicology and medical topics. The Novartis School Lab offers a variety of activities for youngsters aged 10-20 ranging from lab courses for school classes, continuing education for teachers and development of teaching kits, support for individual research projects to outreach for public science events. Innovation and adaptation to changes of current needs are essential aspects for the Novartis School Lab. Ongoing activities to shape the Novartis Biomedical Learning Lab include design of new teaching experiments, exploration into additional disciplines of biomedical science and the creation of a fascinating School Lab of the future.

Science mentor program at Mission Hill Junior High School

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

Dahlquist, K.

Science graduate students from the University of California at Santa Cruz mentor a class of 7th graders from the Mission Hill Junior High School. The program`s purpose is: (1) to create a scientific learning community where scientists interact at different levels of the educational hierarchy; (2) to have fun in order to spark interest in science; and (3) to support girls and minority students in science. A total of seven mentors met with the students at least once a week after school for one quarter to tutor and assist with science fair projects. Other activities included a field trip tomore » a university earth science lab, judging the science fair, and assisting during laboratory exercises. Graduate students run the program with minimal organization and funding, communicating by electronic mail. An informal evaluation of the program by the mentors has concluded that the most valuable and effective activities have been the field trip and assisting with labs. The actual {open_quotes}mentor meetings{close_quotes} after school did not work effectively because they had a vaguely defined purpose and the kids did not show up regularly to participate. Future directions include redefining ourselves as mentors for the entire school instead of just one class and better coordinating our activities with the teachers` curriculum. We will continue to assist with the labs and organize formal tutoring for students having problems with math and science. Finally, we will arrange more activities and field trips such as an amateur astronomy night. We will especially target girls who attended the {open_quotes}Expanding Your Horizons{trademark} in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering{close_quotes} career day for those activities.« less

Effects of School Gardening Lessons on Elementary School Children's Physical Activity and Sedentary Time.

PubMed

Rees-Punia, Erika; Holloway, Alicia; Knauft, David; Schmidt, Michael D

2017-12-01

Recess and physical education time continue to diminish, creating a need for additional physical activity opportunities within the school environment. The use of school gardens as a teaching tool in elementary science and math classes has the potential to increase the proportion of time spent active throughout the school day. Teachers from 4 elementary schools agreed to teach 1 math or science lesson per week in the school garden. Student physical activity time was measured with ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers on 3 garden days and 3 no-garden days at each school. Direct observation was used to quantify the specific garden-related tasks during class. The proportion of time spent active and sedentary was compared on garden and no-garden days. Seventy-four children wore accelerometers, and 75 were observed (86% participation). Children spent a significantly larger proportion of time active on garden days than no-garden days at 3 of the 4 schools. The proportion of time spent sedentary and active differed significantly across the 4 schools. Teaching lessons in the school garden may increase children's physical activity and decrease sedentary time throughout the school day and may be a strategy to promote both health and learning.

Animal Welfare Groups Press for Limits on High School Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BioScience, 1979

1979-01-01

Discussions from the conference on "The Use of Animals in High School Biology Classes" are highlighted in this article. The list of science fair rules, which resulted from the conference, is included. (SA)

Forest Fire Ecology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zucca, Carol; And Others

1995-01-01

Presents a model that integrates high school science with the needs of the local scientific community. Describes how a high school ecology class conducted scientific research in fire ecology that benefited the students and a state park forest ecologist. (MKR)

Astrobiology: A pathway to adult science literacy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, C. A.; Fergusson, J.

2007-10-01

Adult science illiteracy is widespread. This is concerning for astrobiology, or indeed any other area of science in the communication of science to public audiences. Where and how does this scientific illiteracy arise in the journey to adulthood? Two astrobiology education projects have hinted that science illiteracy may begin in high school. This relationship between high school science education and the public understanding of science is poorly understood. Do adults forget their science education, or did they never grasp it in the first place? A 2003 science education project raised these questions when 24 16-year-olds from 10 Sydney high schools were brought into contact with real science. The unexpected results suggested that even good high school science students have a poor understanding of how science is really undertaken in the field and in the laboratory. This concept is being further tested in a new high school science education project, aimed at the same age group, using authentic astrobiology cutting-edge data, NASA Learning Technologies tools, a purpose-built research Information and Communication Technology-aided learning facility and a collaboration that spans three continents. In addition, a first year university class will be tested for evidence of science illiteracy immediately after high school among non-science oriented but well-educated students.

Cross Fertilization between Museums and Schools, Science and Art, History and Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falomo Bernarduzzi, Lidia; Albanesi, Gabriele

2015-01-01

In 2011 Pavia University celebrated its 650th birthday. This provided the opportunity to propose the Neverland project whose purpose was to overcome the division between formal and informal science education. A number of classes (various age groups) from a group of schools in the province of Pavia took part in the project. The University Museums…

Generalized Beliefs and Attitudes: Locus of Control and Science Attitudes in High School and College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuessy, Carol L.; Rowland, Paul McD.

Locus of control, a generalized belief about causality in one's personal life, was identified as a potential variable impinging upon the acquisition of science-related attitudes in classes of high school students from 10th grade biology, and 11th and 12th grade chemistry, and of college elementary education majors. Correlations of the…

Science Achievement and Occupational Career/Technical Education Coursetaking in High School: The Class of 2005. Statistics in Brief. NCES 2010-021

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levesque, Karen; Wun, Jolene; Green, Caitlin

2010-01-01

The definition of CTE (career/technical education) used by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) includes, at the high school level, family and consumer sciences education, general labor market preparation, and occupational education (Bradby and Hoachlander 1999; Bradby and Hudson 2007). Most researchers focus on occupational…

Effect of Computer-Based Multimedia Presentation on Senior Secondary Students' Achievement in Agricultural Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olori, Abiola Lateef; Igbosanu, Adekunle Olusegun

2016-01-01

The study was carried out to determine the use of computer-based multimedia presentation on Senior Secondary School Students' Achievement in Agricultural Science. The study was a quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test control group research design type, using intact classes. A sample of eighty (80) Senior Secondary School One (SS II) students was…

Does Applied STEM Course Taking Link to STEM Outcomes for High School Students with Learning Disabilities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottfried, Michael A.; Sublett, Cameron

2018-01-01

Over the most recent two decades, federal policy has urged high schools to embed applied science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses into the curriculum to reinforce concepts learned in traditional math and science classes as well as to motivate students' interests and long-term pursuits in STEM areas. While prior research has…

Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texley, Juliana; Kwan, Terry; Summers, John

2004-01-01

Just as high school science is more complex than it is at lower grade levels, so are the safety issues teachers face in their classes and labs. Reduce the risks to people and place with Investigating Safely, the third and most advanced and detailed volume in NSTA's unique series of safety guidebooks for science teachers. Some of the guides 11…

A Preliminary Examination of the Cost Savings and Learning Impacts of Using Open Textbooks in Middle and High School Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, David; Hilton, John Levi, III; Ellington, Shelley; Hall, Tiffany

2012-01-01

Proponents of open educational resources claim that significant cost savings are possible when open textbooks displace traditional textbooks in the classroom. Over a period of two years, we worked with 20 middle and high school science teachers (collectively teaching approximately 3,900 students) who adopted open textbooks to understand the…

Outside School Time: An Examination of Science Achievement and Non-Cognitive Characteristics of 15-Year Olds in Several Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suter, Larry E.

2016-01-01

Elementary and secondary students spend more hours outside of class than in formal school and thus have more time for interaction with everyday science. However, evidence from a large international survey, Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) (OECD 2012), found a negative relationship between number of hours attending after-school…

What Difference Does Art Make in Science? A Comparative Study of Meaning-Making at Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jakobson, Britt; Wickman, Per-Olof

2015-01-01

Here we examine the role art activities play in aesthetic experience and learning of science. We compare recordings of two sequential occurrences in an elementary school class. The purpose of the first sequence was scientific and involved the children in observing leaves with magnifiers. The second sequence had an artistic purpose, where the…

Streaking into Middle School Science: The Dell Streak Pilot Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Susan Eudy

2012-01-01

A case study is conducted implementing the Dell Streak seven-inch android device into eighth grade science classes of one teacher in a rural middle school in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. The purpose of the study is to determine if the use of the Dell Streaks would increase student achievement on standardized subject testing, if the…

An Evaluation of Local Teacher Support Strategies for the Implementation of Inquiry-Based Science Education in French Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delclaux, Monique; Saltiel, Edith

2013-01-01

This article presents the results of an evaluation of local teacher support strategies for implementing inquiry-based science education (IBSE) in French primary schools. The research objective was to determine which aspects of the French model of IBSE are implemented in class, and the efficiency of each teacher support strategy. Data were…

Integrating Quantitative Reasoning into STEM Courses Using an Energy and Environment Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, J. D.; Lyford, M. E.; Mayes, R. L.

2010-12-01

Many secondary and post-secondary science classes do not integrate math into their curriculum, while math classes commonly teach concepts without meaningful context. Consequently, students lack basic quantitative skills and the ability to apply them in real-world contexts. For the past three years, a Wyoming Department of Education funded Math Science Partnership at the University of Wyoming (UW) has brought together middle and high school science and math teachers to model how math and science can be taught together in a meaningful way. The UW QR-STEM project emphasizes the importance of Quantitative Reasoning (QR) to student success in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). To provide a social context, QR-STEM has focused on energy and the environment. In particular, the project has examined how QR and STEM concepts play critical roles in many of the current global challenges of energy and environment. During four 3-day workshops each summer and over several virtual and short face-to-face meetings during the academic year, UW and community college science and math faculty work with math and science teachers from middle and high schools across the state to improve QR instruction in math and science classes. During the summer workshops, faculty from chemistry, physics, earth sciences, biology and math lead sessions to: 1) improve the basic science content knowledge of teachers; 2) improve teacher understanding of math and statistical concepts, 3) model how QR can be taught by engaging teachers in sessions that integrate math and science in an energy and environment context; and 4) focus curricula using Understanding by Design to identify enduring understandings on which to center instructional strategies and assessment. In addition to presenting content, faculty work with teachers as they develop classroom lessons and larger units to be implemented during the school year. Teachers form interdisciplinary groups which often consist of math and science teachers from the same school or district. By jointly developing units focused on energy and environment, math and science curricula can be coordinated during the school year. During development, teams present their curricular ideas for peer-review. Throughout the school year, teachers implement their units and collect pre-post data on student learning. Ultimately, science teachers integrate math into their science courses, and math teachers integrate science content in their math courses. Following implementation, participants share their experiences with their peers and faculty. Of central interest during these presentations are: 1) How did the QR-STEM experience change teacher practices in the classroom?; and 2) How did the modification of their teaching practices impact student learning and their ability to successfully master QR? The UW QR-STEM has worked with Wyoming science and math teachers from across the state over the three year grant period.

Student Study Guide - Water Quality Monitoring Approach to Watershed Studies. Presumpscot River Education Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Dean B.; Zaitlin, Samuel

This guide is designed for both independent study and class use. It provides the basis for a unit in a science class for the secondary school level. At the undergraduate college level, it provides an outline of activities for a contract as part of an education or science course. The lessons in the guide concentrate on the application of science…

High School Physics Students' Personal Epistemologies and School Science Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alpaslan, Muhammet Mustafa; Yalvac, Bugrahan; Loving, Cathleen

2017-11-01

This case study explores students' physics-related personal epistemologies in school science practices. The school science practices of nine eleventh grade students in a physics class were audio-taped over 6 weeks. The students were also interviewed to find out their ideas on the nature of scientific knowledge after each activity. Analysis of transcripts yielded several epistemological resources that students activated in their school science practice. The findings show that there is inconsistency between students' definitions of scientific theories and their epistemological judgments. Analysis revealed that students used several epistemological resources to decide on the accuracy of their data including accuracy via following the right procedure and accuracy via what the others find. Traditional, formulation-based, physics instruction might have led students to activate naive epistemological resources that prevent them to participate in the practice of science in ways that are more meaningful. Implications for future studies are presented.

Research on same-gender grouping in eighth-grade science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friend, Jennifer Ingrid

This study examined two hypotheses related to same-gender grouping of eighth-grade science classes in a public middle-school setting in suburban Kansas City. The first hypothesis, male and female students enrolled in same-gender eighth-grade science classes demonstrate more positive science academic achievement than their male and female peers enrolled in mixed-gender science classes. The second hypothesis, same-gender grouping of students in eighth-grade science has a positive effect on classroom climate. The participants in this study were randomly assigned to class sections of eighth-grade science. The first experimental group was an eighth-grade science class of all-male students (n = 20) taught by a male science teacher. The control group used for comparison to the male same-gender class consisted of the male students (n = 42) in the coeducational eighth-grade science classes taught by the same male teacher. The second experimental group was an eighth-grade science class of all-female students (n = 23) taught by a female science teacher. The control group for the female same-gender class consisted of female students (n = 61) in the coeducational eighth-grade science classes taught by the same female teacher. The male teacher and the female teacher did not vary instruction for the same-gender and mixed-gender classes. Science academic achievement was measured for both groups through a quantitative analysis using grades on science classroom assessment and overall science course grades. Classroom climate was measured through qualitative observations and through qualitative and quantitative analysis of a twenty-question student survey administered at the end of each trimester grading period. The results of this study did not indicate support for either hypothesis. Data led to the conclusions that same-gender grouping did not produce significant differences in student science academic achievement, and that same-gender classes did not create a more positive classroom climate for male or female students. There is evidence in the literature to support further investigations in gender differences in science education to address the unique needs of male and female students in order to create gains in student science achievement and to encourage positive attitudes toward science.

Educational System for Enhancing the Creative Interest of Elementary School Students: A Case Study of a Science Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soe, Kumi; Motohashi, Mitsuya; Niwa, Masaaki; Tamaki, Akira

Abstract Our research group engages in activities for promoting science education among children. A characteristic of our science curriculum is that it comprises two parts. To elaborate, a requirement of our science curriculum is that before proceeding to a handcrafting activity, students take part in experiments and observe the physical phenomena related to the object that they construct in the second part. We believe that our science class, which comprises two phases of education, can further stimulate students' interest in science because they not only engage in handcrafting of objects, but also learn the underlying principles and structures of these objects.

Transforming Science Learning and Student Participation in Sixth Grade Science: A Case Study of a Low-Income, Urban, Racial Minority Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Edna; Calabrese Barton, Angela

2010-01-01

Recent criticisms of the goal of "science for all" with regard to minority students have alluded to the onerous culture of school science characterized by white, middle-class values that eschew personal everyday science experiences and nontraditional funds of knowledge, in addition to alienating science instruction. Using critically-oriented,…

What Kind of Boy Does Science? A Critical Perspective on the Science Trajectories of Four Scientifically Talented Boys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlone, Heidi B.; Webb, Angela W.; Archer, Louise; Taylor, Mandy

2015-01-01

The close association between science and masculinity has been widely discussed, yet few studies have focused on boys' negotiation with, and participation in, school science. This paper seeks to trouble monolithic notions of the link between science and masculinity, arguing that the "ideal science student" is a classed, racialized, and…

Improving Student Science Literacy through an Inquiry-Based, Integrated Science Curriculum and Review of Science Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bardeen, Karen

This project studied the effects of an inquiry-based, integrated science course on student science literacy. The course was aligned to state and national science standards. The target population consisted of sophomore, junior, and senior high-school students in an upper-middle class suburb of a major Midwestern city. Questionnaires, tests, and…

Learning Science through Computer Games and Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Honey, Margaret A., Ed.; Hilton, Margaret, Ed.

2011-01-01

At a time when scientific and technological competence is vital to the nation's future, the weak performance of U.S. students in science reflects the uneven quality of current science education. Although young children come to school with innate curiosity and intuitive ideas about the world around them, science classes rarely tap this potential.…

Digital Science Notebooks: Perspectives from an Elementary Classroom Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paek, Seungoh; Fulton, Lori A.

2017-01-01

This study investigates how tablet-based note-taking applications can be integrated into elementary science classes as digital science notebooks. A teacher with 20 students in Grades 4-5 from a public charter school in Hawaii participated in the study. The participating science teacher introduced a tablet-based note taking application (TNA) to her…

Humorous Cartoons Made by Preservice Teachers for Teaching Science Concepts to Elementary Students: Process and Product

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rule, Audrey C.; Sallis, Derek A.; Donaldson, J. Ana

2008-01-01

Elementary school science is an often-neglected subject in the current literacy-focused political atmosphere. However, reading informational trade books about science in literacy class can help children increase their science knowledge. Incorporating humor through content-related cartoons is an effective way to engage students in deeper…

History, Philosophy, and Science in a Social Perspective: A Pedagogical Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerra, Andreia; Braga, Marco; Reis, Jose Claudio

2013-01-01

Various studies have promoted instruction in the history and philosophy of science (HPS) in science classes, but the best way of putting this perspective into practice remains undetermined. To contribute to this issue, we developed a pedagogical project in some high schools in Brazil that aimed to present science content using an…

Visualisation Ability of Senior High School Students with Using GeoGebra and Transparent Mica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thohirudin, M.; Maryati, TK; Dwirahayu, G.

2017-04-01

Visualisation ability is an ability to process, inform, and transform object which suitable for geometry topic in math. This research aims to describe the influence of using software GeoGebra and transparent mica for student’s visualisation ability. GeoGebra is shortness of geometry and algebra. GeoGebra is an open source program that is created for math. Transparent mica is a tool that is created by the author to transform a geometry object. This research is a quantitative experiment model. The subject of this research were students in grade XII of science program in Annajah Senior High School Rumpin with two classes which one as an experiment class (science one) and another one as a control class (science two). Experiment class use GeoGebra and transparent mica in the study, and control class use powerpoint in the study. Data of student’s visualisation ability is collected from posttest with visual questions which are gifted at the end of the research to both classes with topic “transformation geometry”. This research resulted that studying with GeoGebra and transparent mica had a better influence than studying with powerpoint to student’s visualisation ability. The time of study in class and the habit of the students to use software and tool affected the result of research. Although, GeoGebra and transparent mica can give help to students in transformation geometry topic.

What I Wish I Had Learned in School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuttle, Jerome E.

1990-01-01

Discussed are some applications of mathematics involved in actuarial science which may be taught in high school mathematics classes. Described are the importance of approximate solutions, multiple answers, and selling the solution to a problem. (CW)

Teacher Use of Evidence to Customize Inquiry Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerard, Libby F.; Spitulnik, Michele; Linn, Marcia C.

2010-01-01

This study investigated how professional development featuring evidence-based customization of technology-enhanced curriculum projects can improve inquiry science teaching and student knowledge integration in earth science. Participants included three middle school sixth-grade teachers and their classes of students (N = 787) for three consecutive…

"Everything Could Be Just as Equal:" Working-Class Teachers in Privileged Nursery Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garavuso, Vicki

2007-01-01

This qualitative study offers an interpretation of the reported experiences of three working-class women of color who had just completed their student teaching placements in fulfillment of requirements for their Bachelor of Science degrees in Early Childhood Education. These working-class women's perspectives, traditionally underrepresented in the…

Bringing Real Solar Physics to the High School Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seaton, Daniel

2006-06-01

UNH's Partnership for Research Opportunities to Benefit Education (PROBE) project sends graduate students into high school classrooms across New Hampshire in order to help introduce students to authentic scientific inquiry. As one of ten graduate fellows, I worked with students in in ninth through twelfth grades in physical science, physics, earth science, and astronomy classes; helping students carry out individual and class projects on physics and solar physics. Projects related to solar physics included the production and analysis of plasma using a microwave oven, measurement of the solar constant, measurement of the solar rotation rate, solar spectroscopy, analysis of data from TRACE and SOHO, and the construction of various solar-powered devices. This work was generously supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation's GK-12 initiative (NSF#0338277).

A sociocultural reading of reform in science teaching in a secondary biology class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barma, Sylvie

2011-09-01

Adopting activity theory as a theoretical and methodological framework, this case study illustrates how a teaching and learning situation is planned and implemented over a series of nine 75-min biology classes by a high school science teacher in the context of pedagogical reform. The object of this study emerges within a favourable context of science education curricular reform in Quebec, Canada. By examining the interaction between the poles of an activity system sharing the same object, this case study illustrates how one teacher's teaching practice is redefined and how some aspects of her teaching personality orient the ways in which she contextually mobilizes new tools and members of her school community in order to implement an awareness campaign on the risks of tanning salons.

10 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Middle School

MedlinePlus

... dog (dinner) study for social studies test finish math worksheet read over science class notes put clothes ... number of tries to remember something correctly. In math or science, doing practice problems is a great ...

Learning the Language of Earth Science: Middle School Students' Explorations of Rocks and Minerals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid-Griffin, Angelia

2016-01-01

The approaches and interpretations of a class of 6th graders and a class of 8th graders in a U.S. middle school asked to engage in tasks that involved using observations to describe and classify samples is the subject of this paper. Overall 8th graders were better able to perform the tasks, suggesting a developmental advantage aspect. However, the…

DESIGNS FOR SMALL HIGH SCHOOLS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

NIMNICHT, GLENDON P.; PARTRIDGE, ARTHUR R.

BY MULTIPLE-CLASS TEACHING AND FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING, SMALL HIGH SCHOOLS CAN OFFER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS COMPARABLE TO THOSE OFFERED BY LARGE HIGH SCHOOLS. WITH ATTENTION TO FACILITY DESIGN, NOT ONLY CAN SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, FOREIGN LANGUAGE, ART, BUSINESS, INDUSTRIAL ARTS, HOMEMAKING, ENGLISH, AND SOCIAL STUDIES BE OFFERED TO TWO OR MORE GROUPS OF…

Analysis of student’s scientific literacy skills through socioscientific issue’s test on biodiversity topics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwani, L. D.; Sudargo, F.; Surakusumah, W.

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to describe student’s scientific literacy skills on biodiversity topics at grade X of senior high school. Dimension of scientific literacy that was asses is science’s competence and attitude towards science. The science competency tests and attitude rating scale based on biodiversity’s socio-scientific issue is used to measure scientific literacy skills. The result of study showed that student’s scientific literacy skills for science competence dimension are low (15.84% for class A and 19.50% for class B) and also for attitude toward science dimension (31.15% for class A and 37.05%). We concluded that student’s scientific literacy skills are low (23.49% and 28.55%).

An examination of single-gender and coeducational classes: Their impact on the academic achievement of middle school students enrolled in mathematics and science at selected schools in Georgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elam, Jeanette H.

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic performance of students enrolled in coeducational instruction and single-gender instruction. Within this framework, the researcher examined class type, gender, and racial/ethnicity using the sixth grade CRCT scores of selected students in the areas of mathematics and science. The fifth-grade mathematics and science scores for the same population were used to control for prior knowledge. This study examined the academic achievement of students based on class type, gender, and racial/ethnicity in relation to academic achievement. The study included the CRCT scores for mathematics and science of 6th-grade students at the middle school level who were tested during the 2007--2008 school year. Many studies conducted in the past have stressed females performed better in mathematics and science, while others have stated males performed better in the same areas. Yet, other studies have found conflicting results. A large Australian study (1996), compared the academic performance of students at single-gender and coeducational schools. The conclusion of this study indicated that both males and females who were educated in single-gender classrooms scored significantly higher than did males and females in coeducational classes. A study conducted by Graham Able (2003) documented superior academic performance of students in single-gender schools, after controlling for socioeconomic class and other variables. Able's most significant finding was that the advantage of single-gender schooling was greater for males in terms of academic results than for females. This directly contradicted the educational myth that males performed better in classrooms if females were present. The sample in this study consisted of CRCT scores for 304 sixth-grade students from four different middle schools. Due to the racial composition of the sample, the study only focused on black and white students. School 1 and School 2 involved single-gender instruction while Schools 3 and School 4 involved coeducational instruction. A sample of eighty students was taken from each of the middle schools with single-gender instruction and a sample of 72 students was taken from each of the middle schools with coeducational instruction. Prior to conducting the study, an extensive application was filed with the local board of education to request permission to conduct research in the county. This process involved a detail description of the sample, sampling procedures, sample size, staff members, grade levels, and background information for the study. The major findings in this study indicated that the coeducational students outperformed the single-gender students and the white students outperformed the black students. This study confirmed that white coeducational students performed significantly higher than the black coeducational students. It was also documented through this study that there was no significant difference between the performance of the single-gender black students and the single-gender white students. In contrast to the Australian study (1996), this study indicated that the coeducational students were outperforming the single-gender students. In comparison to the 2003 study by Able, the findings of this study showed single-gender instruction was greater for females in terms of higher academic achievement than for males. INDEX WORDS. Coeducational, Single-gender, Middle school students

DoD Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program for High School Students, 1995-󈨤 Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-06-01

University of Florida Sports Medicine Honor Roll Weightlifting , Swimming NAME: RACE: SEX: HIGH SCHOOL: ANTICIPATED COLLEGE: ANTICIPATED MAJOR...program. Three of the students took a Psychology course, one took a Nutritional Science class, one a Math course and two of them took a Meteorology...Awards and Scholarships: Honor Roll 13. Activities/Hobbies: Weightlifting , Swimming (Suggested Form) INFORMATION FOR EACH APPRENTICE

What's Language Got to Do with It?: A Case Study of Academic Language Instruction in a High School "English Learner Science" Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson Bruna, Katherine; Vann, Roberta; Perales Escudero, Moises

2007-01-01

This article presents a case study of academic language instruction in a high school "English Learner Science" course. It illustrates how a teacher's understanding of academic language affects her instruction and students' opportunities for learning. We examine a transcript of classroom discourse for the "didactic tension" that exists between this…

The Effects of the Use of Activities of Science - A Process Approach on the Oral Communication Skills of Disadvantaged Kindergarten Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huff, Phyllis Ester

Reported is a study of the effects of participation in the activities of Science - A Process Approach on the development of oral transmitting skills. This study was directed toward the instruction of 113 kindergarten children enrolled in four regularly scheduled classes, in an inner-city school. Two of the classes, one morning and one afternoon,…

Flipped Classrooms for Advanced Science Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomory, Annette; Watson, Sunnie Lee

2015-12-01

This article explains how issues regarding dual credit and Advanced Placement high school science courses could be mitigated via a flipped classroom instructional model. The need for advanced high school courses will be examined initially, followed by an analysis of advanced science courses and the reform they are experiencing. Finally, it will conclude with an explanation of flipped classes as well as how they may be a solution to the reform challenges teachers are experiencing as they seek to incorporate more inquiry-based activities.

Fostering Science Club: Creating a Welcoming Extra-Curricular Science Inquiry Space for ALL Learners that Seeks to Close the Science Experience Gap in a Predominantly Minority Urban Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayfield, K. K.

2017-12-01

BackgroundTo minority adolescents in urban centers science inquiry seems like an engagement completed by others with specialized skills (Alkon & Agyeman, 2012). When scientists teach science classes those spaces and pedagogy are underwritten by the science teachers' beliefs about how science happens (Southerland, Gess-Newsome & Johnston, 2002). Further, scientific inquiry is often presented as the realm of upperclass whiteness (Alkon & Agyeman, 2012; Mayfield, 2014). When science educators talk about the achievement gaps between raced and classed learners, accompanying that gap is also a gap in science experience. My high school students in a postindustrial school district: attend a school under state takeover (the lowest 5/5 rating (MA Executive Office of Education, 2017)); have a student body that is 70% Latinx; and 96% of whom receive Free and Reduced Lunch (a Federal marker of a family below the poverty line). Annual Yearly Progress is a goal set by state and federal governments for school populations by race, ability, and language. In 2016, the site has failed to make its goals for special education, black, hispanic, white, and English as a Second Language populations. As a high poverty district there is a paucity of extracurricular science experiences. This lack of science extensions make closing standardized test gaps difficult. Geoscience Skills & FindingsThis after school program does not replicate deficit narratives that keep certain bodies of students away from science inquiry (Mayfield, 2015; Ogbu, 1987). Instead, Science Club uses an array of student-centered science (physics, math, arts, chemistry, biology) projects to help students see themselves as citizen scientists who lead explorations of their world. We meet 1.5 hours a week in a 30 week school year. Science club helps students feel like powerful and capable science inquirers with 80% girls in attendance, and uses science experiments to cultivate essential inquiry skills like: Observation, Analysis, Reflection, and Laboratory Work in order to understand the phenomena we are exploring. This presentation discusses: the development of Science cCub as a student-centered inquiry space; how Sci Club addresses the inequities of the science experience gap; and student responses to pre and post test surveys about their growing science skills.

UCSF partnership to enrich science teaching for sixth graders in San Francisco's schools.

PubMed

Doyle, H J

1999-04-01

Increasing the diversity of students entering the health professions is a challenging goal for medical schools. One approach to this goal is to share the enthusiasm and energy of medical students with younger students, who may pursue medical education in the future. The MedTeach program, established in 1989 and coordinated by the Science & Health Education Partnership of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), does so by partnering volunteer medical students from UCSF with sixth-grade classes studying the human body. In 1997-98, around 350 sixth-graders in the San Francisco Schools benefitted from the program. Each team of medical student's visits its class ten to 12 times a year to present engaging, hands-on lessons on body systems and health. The medical students are also role models for the middle-school students. In addition, the diverse student population of San Francisco public schools provides a rich environment for the medical students to improve their communication and teaching skills.

Earth2Class: Bringing the Earth to the Classroom-Innovative Connections between Research Scientists, Teachers, and Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passow, M. J.

2017-12-01

"Earth2Class" (E2C) is a unique program offered through the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. It connects research scientists, classroom teachers, middle and high school students, and others in ways that foster broader outreach of cutting-edge discoveries. One key component are Saturday workshops offered during the school year. These provide investigators with a tested format for sharing research methods and results. Teachers and students learn more about "real"science than what is found in textbooks. They discover that Science is exciting, uncertain, and done by people not very different from themselves. Since 1998, we have offered more than 170 workshops, partnering with more than 90 LDEO scientists. E2C teachers establishe links with scientists that have led to participation in research projects, the LDEO Open House, and other programs. Connections developed between high school students and scientists resulted in authentic science research experiences. A second key component of the project is the E2C website, https://earth2class.org/site/. We provide archived versions of monthly workshops. The website hosts a vast array of resources geared to support learning Earth Science and other subjects. Resources created through an NSF grant to explore strategies which enhance Spatial Thinking in the NYS Regents Earth Science curriculum are found at https://earth2class.org/site/?page_id=2957. The site is well-used by K-12 Earth Science educators, averaging nearly 70k hits per month. A third component of the E2C program are week-long summer institutes offering opportunities to enhance content knowledge in weather and climate; minerals, rocks, and resources; and astronomy. These include exploration of strategies to implement NGSS-based approaches within the school curriculum. Participants can visit LDEO lab facilities and interact with scientists to learn about their research. In the past year, we have begun to create a "satellite" E2C program at UFVJM (Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequinhonha e Mucuri) in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brasil. The https://earth2class.org/site/?p=12652 page provides a platform to create similar postings of workshops and educational resources for the Brazilian audience. E2C can serve as a model for similar programs at other institutions.

An Ethnomethodological Perspective on How Middle School Students Addressed a Water Quality Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belland, Brian R.; Gu, Jiangyue; Kim, Nam Ju; Turner, David J.

2016-01-01

Science educators increasingly call for students to address authentic scientific problems in science class. One form of authentic science problem--socioscientific issue--requires that students engage in complex reasoning by considering both scientific and social implications of problems. Computer-based scaffolding can support this process by…

Circus of Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matkins, Juanita Jo; McDonnough, Jacqueline

2004-01-01

This article describes the light-based science circus the authors developed and tested with a fifth-grade class at Blackwell Elementary School in Richmond, Virginia. A science circus is a set of activities done in any order that together illustrate complementary properties of a science topic. As in a traditional circus, several "performances"…

Family Science Night

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Holly; Alderman, Helen Christine

2016-01-01

The goal of the Family Science Night (FSN) described in this article was to involve culturally and linguistically diverse families in school life so that students would be more vocal, successful, and interactive in science class. The project would also demonstrate to the students that their teacher valued their input in the classroom. The setting…

Teaching School Science within the Cognitive and Affective Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Kok Siang; Heng, Chong Yong; Tan, Shuhui

2013-01-01

In classrooms, science is usually taught within the cognitive domain while the psychomotor learning domain is achieved through performing science experiments in the laboratory. Although students attend civic and moral education and pastoral care classes where values and life skills are often taught directly, learning experiences in most school…

Marine Science Exploration. Practical Arts. Instructor's Manual. Competency-Based Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeton, Martha; McKinley, Douglas

This manual provides curriculum materials for implementing a career exploration class in marine science occupations within a Practical Arts Education program for middle/junior high school students. Introductory materials include the program master sequence, a list of marine science occupations, and an overview of the competency-based instructional…

The Radio JOVE Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, L.; Thieman, J.; Higgins, C.

1999-09-01

Radio JOVE is an interactive educational activity which brings the radio sounds of Jupiter and the Sun to students, teachers, and the general public. This is accomplished through the construction of a simple radio telescope kit and the use of a real-time radio observatory on the Internet. Our website (http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/) will contain science information, instruction manuals, observing guides, and education resources for students and teachers. Our target audience is high school science classes, but subjects can be tailored to college undergraduate physics and astronomy courses or even to middle school science classes. The goals of the project are: 1) Educate people about planetary and solar radio astronomy, space physics, and the scientific method 2) Provide teachers and students with a hands-on radio astronomy exercise as a science curriculum support activity by building and using a simple radio telescope receiver/antenna kit 3) Create the first ever online radio observatory which provides real-time data for those with internet access 4) Allow interactions among participating schools by facilitating exchanges of ideas, data, and observing experiences. Our current funding will allow us to impact 100 schools by partially subsidizing their participation in the program. We expect to expand well beyond this number as publicity and general interest increase. Additional schools are welcome to fully participate, but we will not be able to subsidize their kit purchases. We hope to make a wide impact among the schools by advertising through appropriate newsletters, space grant consortia, the INSPIRE project (http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/inspire/), electronic links, and science and education meetings. We would like to acknoledge support from the NASA/GSFC Director's Discretionary Fund, the STScI IDEAS grant program and the NASA/GSFC Space Science Data Operations Office.

Inquiry Learning in the Singaporean Context: Factors affecting student interest in school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jocz, Jennifer Ann; Zhai, Junqing; Tan, Aik Ling

2014-10-01

Recent research reveals that students' interest in school science begins to decline at an early age. As this lack of interest could result in fewer individuals qualified for scientific careers and a population unprepared to engage with scientific societal issues, it is imperative to investigate ways in which interest in school science can be increased. Studies have suggested that inquiry learning is one way to increase interest in science. Inquiry learning forms the core of the primary syllabus in Singapore; as such, we examine how inquiry practices may shape students' perceptions of science and school science. This study investigates how classroom inquiry activities relate to students' interest in school science. Data were collected from 425 grade 4 students who responded to a questionnaire and 27 students who participated in follow-up focus group interviews conducted in 14 classrooms in Singapore. Results indicate that students have a high interest in science class. Additionally, self-efficacy and leisure-time science activities, but not gender, were significantly associated with an increased interest in school science. Interestingly, while hands-on activities are viewed as fun and interesting, connecting learning to real-life and discussing ideas with their peers had a greater relation to student interest in school science. These findings suggest that inquiry learning can increase Singaporean students' interest in school science; however, simply engaging students in hands-on activities is insufficient. Instead, student interest may be increased by ensuring that classroom activities emphasize the everyday applications of science and allow for peer discussion.

Sighted and visually impaired students’ perspectives of illustrations, diagrams and drawings in school science

PubMed Central

McDonald, Celia; Rodrigues, Susan

2016-01-01

Background: In this paper we report on the views of students with and without visual impairments on the use of illustrations, diagrams and drawings (IDD) in science lessons. Method: Our findings are based on data gathered through a brief questionnaire completed by a convenience sample of students prior to trialling new resource material. The questionnaire sought to understand the students’ views about using IDD in science lessons. The classes involved in the study included one class from a primary school, five classes from a secondary school and one class from a school for visually impaired students. Results: Approximately 20% of the participants thought that the diagrams were boring and just under half (48%) of the total sample (regardless of whether they were sighted or visually impaired) did not think diagrams were easy to use. Only 14% of the participants felt that repeated encounters with the same diagrams made the diagrams easy to understand. Unlike sighted students who can ‘flit’ across diagrams, a visually impaired student may only see or touch a small part of the diagram at a time so for them ‘fliting’ could result in loss of orientation with the diagram. Conclusions: Treating sighted and visually impaired pupils equally is different to treating them identically. Sighted students incidentally learn how to interpret visual information from a young age. Students who acquire sight loss need to learn the different rules associated with reading tactile diagrams, or large print and those who are congenitally blind do not have visual memories to rely upon. PMID:27918598

An Implementation Study: An Analysis of Elementary Student and Teacher Attitudes toward Science in Process-Approach vs. Traditional Science Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyle, William C.; And Others

In anticipation of House Bill 246 (now Texas Administrative Code Chapter 75) which requires an inquiry-based, process-approach to the teaching of science, the Richardson Independent School District established the Elementary Science Pilot Project and adopted the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) as part of their new K-6 Science through…

Atom Surprise: Using Theatre in Primary Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peleg, Ran; Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet

2011-10-01

Early exposure to science may have a lifelong effect on children's attitudes towards science and their motivation to learn science in later life. Out-of-class environments can play a significant role in creating favourable attitudes, while contributing to conceptual learning. Educational science theatre is one form of an out-of-class environment, which has received little research attention. This study aims to describe affective and cognitive learning outcomes of watching such a play and to point to connections between theatrical elements and specific outcomes. "Atom Surprise" is a play portraying several concepts on the topic of matter. A mixed methods approach was adopted to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of children (grades 1-6) from two different school settings who watched the play. Data were gathered using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Analysis suggested that in both schools children's knowledge on the topic of matter increased after the play with younger children gaining more conceptual knowledge than their older peers. In the public school girls showed greater gains in conceptual knowledge than boys. No significant changes in students' general attitudes towards science were found, however, students demonstrated positive changes towards science learning. Theatrical elements that seemed to be important in children's recollection of the play were the narrative, props and stage effects, and characters. In the children's memory, science was intertwined with the theatrical elements. Nonetheless, children could distinguish well between scientific facts and the fictive narrative.

The effect of online collaborative learning on middle school student science literacy and sense of community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wendt, Jillian Leigh

This study examines the effects of online collaborative learning on middle school students' science literacy and sense of community. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pretest/posttest control group design was used. Following IRB approval and district superintendent approval, students at a public middle school in central Virginia completed a pretest consisting of the Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-Based Assessment Resources for Teachers (MOSART) Physical Science assessment and the Classroom Community Scale. Students in the control group received in-class assignments that were completed collaboratively in a face-to-face manner. Students in the experimental group received in-class assignments that were completed online collaboratively through the Edmodo educational platform. Both groups were members of intact, traditional face-to-face classrooms. The students were then post tested. Results pertaining to the MOSART assessment were statistically analyzed through ANCOVA analysis while results pertaining to the Classroom Community Scale were analyzed through MANOVA analysis. Results are reported and suggestions for future research are provided.

Enhancing the Understanding of Marine Ecosystems through Teleducation and Field Experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macko, S.

2006-12-01

This project is an outreach and education program with a partner in the K-12 schools at Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It endeavors to build a community more knowledgeable of the importance the ocean plays daily in our lives, and our own impact on the ocean. It is an program built in stages that: 1) Establish high speed teleducation linkages with Eastern Shore of Virginia High Schools, for live interactive, classes (teleducation) for earth science teachers enabling them to remotely participate in University of Virginia classes in Oceanography (designed on a faculty development basis or acquire NSTA certification in Earth Science Education, as well as participation by seniors in the Accomack Schools; 2) Establish field experiences for teachers and selected students that involve travel to both the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research (VCR/LTER) Center, UVA and the NOAA Beaufort, NC Laboratory to observe first- hand the science programs at those locations and participate in cutting edge coastal marine research efforts. These experiences will not only improve student understanding of the ocean-atmosphere biogeophysical system, but also encourage students to explore the sciences as a field of study and possible vocation. Advanced high school students and science teachers from Accomack County Public Schools participated in an experience involving field and laboratory methods employed in a NSF-sponsored study of the coupled natural-human dynamics on the Eastern Shore of Virginia over the past 500 years (NSF-Biocomplexity). Students and teachers worked with researchers of the VCR facility in Oyster, VA, collected sediment cores from Chesapeake Bay tributaries, and traveled to the Organic Geochemistry Laboratory at UVA, in Charlottesville, VA to prepare and analyze samples for isotopic and palynological information. In a first of its kind connectivity, in June/July, 2006, using high speed internet connections, a summer class in Oceanography was live, interactively broadcast (teleducation) from UVA to Arcadia High School on the Eastern Shore, allowing teachers in the Accomack School district to receive university credit without leaving their home classrooms 250 miles from UVA.

New Curricular Material for Science Classes: How Do Students Evaluate It?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freire, Sofia; Faria, Cláudia; Galvão, Cecília; Reis, Pedro

2013-02-01

Living in an unpredictable and ever changing society demands from its' citizens the development of complex competencies that challenges school, education and curriculum. PARSEL, a pan-European Project related to science education, emerges as a contribution to curricular development as it proposes a set of teaching-learning materials (modules) in order to make science classes more popular and relevant in the eyes of the students and as such to increase their interest with school science. The goal of this study was to understand how students evaluate those innovative modules. This paper presents data concerning 134 secondary students, collected through interviews, questionnaires and written documents. A quantitative analysis of the data collected through questionnaires was complemented by a qualitative analysis of the data collected by interviews and written documents. Results show that understanding the relationship between science and daily life, participating in practical activities based on problem solving and developing critical thinking and reasoning were the issues most valued by students.

Hooked on Science: How an Ohio Teacher is Training Students to Be Linked in to Forensics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technology & Learning, 2008

2008-01-01

This article features Ohio teacher Carol Fleck's use of videoconferencing in teaching Contemporary BioScience and Genetics. Fleck, who says her initial vision for the class was "science without classroom walls," covers such topics as emerging diseases, bioterrorism, and forensic science. Collaboration between schools is a key part of the…

Chemistry Lectures and Laboratories. A Model to Improve Preservice Elementary Science Teacher Development. Volume III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crosby, Glenn; And Others

A group of scientists and science educators of Washington State University has developed and pilot tested an integrated physical science program designed for preservice elementary school teachers. This document includes the syllabus and class materials for the Chemistry block of the physical science courses developed by the group. Included are…

Preservice Secondary Science Teachers' Experiences and Ideas about Bullying in Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raven, Sara; Jurkiewicz, Melissa A.

2014-01-01

Given the prevalence of bullying in schools, it is imperative that preservice secondary science teachers (PSSTs) know how to deal with this issue in the classroom. This is especially important in science, as the content covered in classes can sometimes lead to discussions of race, religion, and sexual orientation, which can be sensitive topics. In…

Geology Lectures and Laboratories. A Model to Improve Preservice Elementary Science Teacher Development. Volume IV.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, Gary

A group of scientists and science educators at Washington State University has developed and pilot tested an integrated physical science program designed for preservice elementary school teachers. This document includes the syllabus and class materials for the Geology block of the physical science courses developed by the group. Included are…

Astronomy Lectures and Laboratories. A Model to Improve Preservice Elementary Science Teacher Development. Volume I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lutz, Julie H.; Orlich, Donald C.

A group of scientists and science educators at Washington State University has developed and pilot tested an integrated physical science program designed for preservice elementary school teachers. This document includes the syllabus and class materials for the Astronomy block of the physical science courses developed by the group. Included are…

A Comparison of Single-Gender Classes and Traditional, Coeducational Classes on Student Academic Achievement, Discipline Referrals, and Attitudes toward Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Debra Messenger

2010-01-01

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in single gender education. Emerging science has proven that boys and girls learn differently. This study compared fifth grade single-gender classes to fifth grade traditional, coeducational classes in the same urban middle school. The following were compared: students' academic achievement;…

Not Driven by High-Stakes Tests: Exploring Science Assessment and College Readiness of Students from an Urban Portfolio Community High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleshman, Robin Earle

This case study seeks to explore three research questions: (1) What science teaching and learning processes, perspectives, and cultures exist within the science classroom of an urban portfolio community high school? (2) In what ways does the portfolio-based approach prepare high school students of color for college level science coursework, laboratory work, and assessment? (3) Are portfolio community high school students of color college ready? Is there a relationship between students' science and mathematics performance and college readiness? The overarching objectives of the study are to learn, understand, and describe an urban portfolio community high school as it relates to science assessment and college readiness; to understand how the administration, teachers, and alumni perceive the use of portfolios in science learning and assessment; and to understand how alumni view their preparation and readiness for college and college science coursework, laboratory work, and assessments. The theoretical framework of this study encompasses four theories: critical theory, contextual assessment, self-regulated learning, and ethic of care. Because the urban high school studied partnered with a community-based organization (CBO), it identifies as a community school. Therefore, I provide context regarding the concept, culture, and services of community schools. Case study is the research design I used to explore in-depth this urban portfolio community high school, which involved mixed methods for data collection and analysis. In total, six alumni/current college students, five school members (administrators and teachers), and three CBO members (administrators, including myself) participated in the study. In addition to school artefacts and student portfolios collected, classroom and portfolio panel presentation observations and 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand the portfolio-based approach as it pertains to science learning and assessment and college science readiness. Data from the transcripts of two graduating classes were analyzed and the interview transcripts were coded and analyzed as well. Analysis of qualitative data revealed key findings: (1) the school's Habits of Mind, authentic scientific inquiry, self-regulated learning triggers and strategies, and teacher feedback practices driven by an ethic of care supported students' science learning and portfolio assessment; and (2) the cyclical and extensive portfolio processes of writing, revision, and submission well prepared alumni for college science laboratory work and coursework, to a certain extent, but not for the traditional assessments administered in college science courses. Analysis of quantitative data revealed that, if based solely on the City University of New York's Regents score criteria for college readiness, the majority of students from these two graduating classes studied would not have been considered college ready even though all participants, including interviewed alumni, believed the school prepared them for college. The majority of these students, however, were transitioning to college readiness based on their Regents-level science and mathematics coursework. Findings of this study have implications for science assessment, professional development in science, education policy reform, and high school partnerships with CBOs and postsecondary institutions as they pertain to college and college science readiness for students of color in urban portfolio community high schools.

Preparing perservice teachers to teach elementary school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Amy D.

The development of scientifically literate citizens begins in the elementary school. Yet elementary school teachers are ill prepared to teach science (Trygstad, Smith, Banilower, Nelson, & Horizon Research, Inc., 2013). The research base on teacher preparation finds that programs designed to prepare elementary teachers are inadequate in providing both the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge necessary to teach science effectively (Baumgartner, 2010; Bodzin & Beerer, 2003; Bulunuz & Jarrett 2009). This mixed methods study examined what happened when a science methods course was interactively co-taught by an expert in elementary teaching methods and a physics expert. This study also aimed to discover what aspects of the curriculum pre-service teachers (PSTs) said helped them in developing their understanding of science content and scientific reasoning, and how to implement inquiry practices to teach science. A nested case study of three PSTs provided descriptive portraits of student experiences in the class. A whole class case analysis was used to examine what PSTs learned in terms of science, scientific reasoning skills, and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) from their experiences in the course. It was found that students often conflated science content with the experiences they had in learning the content. Although PSTs felt the interactive co-teaching model effectively created a balance between theory and practice, it was their experiences doing science--conducting physical experiments, developing and discussing scientific models, and the use of inquiry-based instruction--that they credited for their learning. Even with careful curriculum planning, and a course purposely designed to bridge the theory to practice gap, this study found one semester-long methods course to be insufficient in providing the vast content knowledge and PCK elementary school science teachers need.

Application of Model Project Based Learning on Integrated Science in Water Pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamin, Y.; Permanasari, A.; Redjeki, S.; Sopandi, W.

2017-09-01

The function of this research was to analyze the influence model Project Based Learning (PjBl) on integrated science about the concept mastery for junior high school students. Method used for this research constitutes the quasi of experiment method. Population and sample for this research are the students junior high school in Bandung as many as two classes to be experiment and control class. The instrument that used for this research is the test concept mastery, assessment questionnaire of product and the questionnaire responses of the student about learning integrated science. Based on the result of this research get some data that with accomplishment the model of PjBl. Learning authority of integrated science can increase the concept mastery for junior high school students. The highest increase in the theme of pollution water is in the concept of mixtures and the separation method. The students give a positive response in learning of integrated science for the theme of pollution of the water used model PjBL with questionnaire of the opinion aspect in amount of 83.5%, the anxiety of the students in amount of 95.5%, the profit learning model of PjBL in amount of 96.25% and profit learning of integrated science in amount of 95.75%.

The effectiveness of multi modal representation text books to improve student's scientific literacy of senior high school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakiya, Hanifah; Sinaga, Parlindungan; Hamidah, Ida

2017-05-01

The results of field studies showed the ability of science literacy of students was still low. One root of the problem lies in the books used in learning is not oriented toward science literacy component. This study focused on the effectiveness of the use of textbook-oriented provisioning capability science literacy by using multi modal representation. The text books development method used Design Representational Approach Learning to Write (DRALW). Textbook design which was applied to the topic of "Kinetic Theory of Gases" is implemented in XI grade students of high school learning. Effectiveness is determined by consideration of the effect and the normalized percentage gain value, while the hypothesis was tested using Independent T-test. The results showed that the textbooks which were developed using multi-mode representation science can improve the literacy skills of students. Based on the size of the effect size textbooks developed with representation multi modal was found effective in improving students' science literacy skills. The improvement was occurred in all the competence and knowledge of scientific literacy. The hypothesis testing showed that there was a significant difference on the ability of science literacy between class that uses textbooks with multi modal representation and the class that uses the regular textbook used in schools.

Enabling Wide-Scale Computer Science Education through Improved Automated Assessment Tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boe, Bryce A.

There is a proliferating demand for newly trained computer scientists as the number of computer science related jobs continues to increase. University programs will only be able to train enough new computer scientists to meet this demand when two things happen: when there are more primary and secondary school students interested in computer science, and when university departments have the resources to handle the resulting increase in enrollment. To meet these goals, significant effort is being made to both incorporate computational thinking into existing primary school education, and to support larger university computer science class sizes. We contribute to this effort through the creation and use of improved automated assessment tools. To enable wide-scale computer science education we do two things. First, we create a framework called Hairball to support the static analysis of Scratch programs targeted for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Scratch is a popular building-block language utilized to pique interest in and teach the basics of computer science. We observe that Hairball allows for rapid curriculum alterations and thus contributes to wide-scale deployment of computer science curriculum. Second, we create a real-time feedback and assessment system utilized in university computer science classes to provide better feedback to students while reducing assessment time. Insights from our analysis of student submission data show that modifications to the system configuration support the way students learn and progress through course material, making it possible for instructors to tailor assignments to optimize learning in growing computer science classes.

An evaluation of meaningful learning in a high school chemistry course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bross, April J.

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

Through the Lens of the Students: Using Narrative Inquiry to Evaluate an Innovative Urban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisblat, Gina; McClellan, Jeffrey

2013-01-01

MC Squared STEM High School is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. It has a project-based curriculum that focuses on the core stem skills: science, technology, engineering, and math. As the school celebrated its first graduating class in 2012, administrators felt it was the right time to look back and evaluate the school's…

The Nation's Report Card[TM]: America's High School Graduates. Results of the 2009 NAEP High School Transcript Study. NCES 2011-462

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nord, C.; Roey, S.; Perkins, R.; Lyons, M.; Lemanski, N.; Brown, J.; Schuknecht, J.

2011-01-01

This report presents information about the types of courses that high school graduates in the class of 2009 took during high school, how many credits they earned, and the grades they received. Information on the relationships between high school coursetaking records and performance in mathematics and science on the National Assessment of…

Social stratification and science education: A longitudinal analysis, 1981-1986, of minorities' integration into the scientific talent pool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulkey, Lynn M.; Ellis, Ronald S.

It is common knowledge that scientists are those persons who have the unique attributes required to perform in the role, but contrary to what is widely believed, scientists might also be those who have had access to resources of which other members of the population have been deprived. This study investigates the effectiveness of interventions designed to mediate the negative influence of ascription (race and ethnicity) on the scientific talent pool (students having interest and ability in science). Minorities refers to participants representing the major ethnic and racial groups in the New York City school system: Blacks and Hispanics. Cross-tabulations showed that urban underachieving public high school students take significantly more mathematics and science classes, more frequently graduate from high school and more often enroll in college as compared with students of the same population, who were not exposed to the program. These findings on the effectiveness of tutoring, career counseling, exposure to industrial and academic research sites and to scientist role models, and after-school and weekend classes in mathematics and science, reinforce the observations of Thomas (1986) of the importance of prerequisites for increasing participation of minorities in the natural and technical sciences and mathematics. They extend knowledge of factors which lessen the effects of ascription on educational attainment, and which promote meritocratic conditions for achieving a scientific occupation.

Outside school time: an examination of science achievement and non-cognitive characteristics of 15-year olds in several countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suter, Larry E.

2016-03-01

Elementary and secondary students spend more hours outside of class than in formal school and thus have more time for interaction with everyday science. However, evidence from a large international survey, Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) (OECD 2012), found a negative relationship between number of hours attending after-school science and science assessment scores in many countries, raising questions about why. The secondary analysis of the 2006, 2009, and 2012 PISA surveys found that in most Western countries the longer students attended after-school science programs (in a typical week), the lower their PISA standardized science test score, but the higher their positive attitudes toward future science careers, interest in science, and self-confidence in science. Several potential hypotheses for this relationship are examined and rejected. Further analysis of a causal relationship between frequent attendance in after-school programs and student achievement and attitudes should clearly identify the content of the program so that the analysis could distinguish experiences closely related to regular school curricula from the informal science activities that are not. A new analysis also should include carefully designed longitudinal surveys to test the effectiveness of informal experiences on later life choices in career and study. Revision of a Paper prepared for AERA meetings in Chicago, 19 April 2015.

Understanding Male Underachievement in Middle School Science: Challenging the Assumptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holbrooks, Marilyn Jane

The overall purpose of this collaborative action research study was to explore the experiences of eight middle school science teachers. This collaborative action research study concerned itself with male student underachievement in science at the middle school level. The study was conducted at Sherwood Forest Middle School (a pseudonym) with sixth through eighth grade science teachers with more than three years of experience, various teaching backgrounds within academic subjects as well as special education, and different grade levels. The interviews probed the teachers' personal experiences and insights regarding male underachievement in science. This collaborative action research study relied on qualitative data from interviews and other pieces of evidence that might support the teachers' observations, specifically standardized test data and class grades. In addition, four of the seven teachers participated in a focus group, developing strategies for more effective teaching in science for all students. Understanding the experiences of science educators for sixth through eighth grade students can assist local, state, and federal policymakers in educational decision-making processes for the future.

Science teacher improvement: A study of the change in preparation and qualifications of public middle school science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wickler, Nicole I. Z.

According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (1996), a teacher's professional preparation, their work conditions and sense of efficacy are fundamental to improving elementary and secondary education. These factors lie at the core of educational reforms that seek to raise standards, reshape curricula, and restructure the way schools operate. The call to reconceptualize the practice of teaching and the interaction between teachers and students ring hollow without a careful examination of actions that have taken place in the workplace of teachers themselves. A national profile that identifies key characteristics of the current status of public middle school science teachers preparation, teaching qualifications, and work environments can provide a context for better understanding the current conditions that confront science teachers. This study seeks to provide critical information in four major areas: (1) preservice learning and teaching assignment; (2) continued learning; (3) supportive work environment, and (4) teachers' sense of efficacy. This study is based on current efforts by the National Center for Education Statistics (LACES) to collect data of key indicators of teacher preparation and qualifications using a large-scale survey administered to a nationally representative sample of full-time public school teachers whose primary teaching assignment is in science. In this effort, the information reported in this study utilizes the NCES's Schools and Staffing Surveys (SASS) from 1987--88 and 1993--94. Significant change between 1987--77 and 1993--94 was determined using a t-test for independent means. In addition, frequency counts were analyzed using a chi-square statistic to determine if more "qualified middle school science teachers" were located in particular schools by urbanicity location or/and percent minority enrollment. In general, the quality of middle school science teachers across the country is declining. Teachers report they have less control in their classrooms, are less satisfied with their class size and have less influence on the content of inservice professional development. In addition, fewer hold degrees in a science content area, fewer hold any Masters degrees, and fewer are certified in their second assignment field. However, more teachers have taken four to six undergraduate biology, chemistry and physics classes.

Space Science Curricula

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Johnson High School, Huntsville, Alabama started an international magnet program in 1987. One of the courses in the curriculum was in space science. They appealed to Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) when they couldn't find a suitable textbook, nor locate other classes in space science to provide a guideline. MSFC agreed to help and placed the school under an official 'Adopt-A-School' program. MSFC's chief scientist and others at the space center helped prepare a very comprehensive space science program. Examples of the subjects covered include problems of space travel, materials processing in space, technology utilization, robotics, space colonization, etc. MSFC followed up by working with Johnson High to determine if the curriculum is generally usable and workable. If it is, MSFC may make it available to other schools. MSFC not only developed the space science curriculum; they continue to support the program by sponsoring hands- on activities and tours of space research facilities.

Single-sex middle school science classrooms: Separate and equal?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glasser, Howard M.

The U.S. Department of Education's amended regulations to Title IX have attempted to expand the circumstances in which single-sex classes are permissible in public schools. This ethnographic study uses grounded theory to investigate aspects of one single-sex offering at a public, coeducational middle school. Applying elements of postmodern, queer, and sociocultural lenses, it examines the perspectives for this offering, shedding insight into the cultures of two single-sex classrooms and what it meant to be a boy or girl in this setting. Additionally, it focuses attention on the all-boy and all-girl science classes that were taught by the same teacher and examines what it meant to learn science as boys and girls in this program. Although participants supplied financial, socio-emotional, and academic reasons for these classes, the initial motivation for these classes stemmed from the teachers' desire to curb the amount of sex talk and related behaviors that were exhibited in their classrooms. Through these conversations and classroom events, the girls were constructed as idealized students, academically and behaviorally, who needed to be protected from boys' behaviors---both boys' dominating classroom behaviors and aggressive (hetero)sexual behaviors. Conversely, boys were constructed as needing help both academically and behaviorally, but in the specific discipline of science boys were identified as the sex that was more interested in the content and gained greater exposure to skills that could assist them in future science courses and careers. Overall, boys and girls, and the culture of their two classrooms, were regularly defined relative to each other and efforts were made to maintain these constructed differences. As a result, the classes and students were hierarchically ranked in ways that often pitted one sex of students, or the entire class, as better or worse than the other. The theory emerging from this study is that single-sex policies arise and survive through an endorsement of exclusion, which perpetuates the construction of differences between the sexes. These single-sex settings construct identities and cultures that could have substantial effects on students' understanding of themselves and other students, their future academic and professional pursuits, and their relationships with other people.

Family science: What is it?

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

Whitlow, B.

Family science is an informal science education program designed to teach science skills by having children and parents learn and enjoy science together. Aimed at addressing the underrepresentation of women and ethnic and racial minorities in science-based careers, FAMILY SCIENCE involves parents and children in kindergarten through eighth grade in science activities that demonstrate the role science plays in their daily life and future. Family involvement is the key to the program`s effectiveness. Family classes are usually offered in a series of one- to two-hour class meetings for parents and their children after school, evenings, and weekends. During classes, parentsmore » and children work in pairs and small groups to solve problems, work cooperatively, and talk science. The activities provide experiences for the entire family that build skills, confidence, and interest in science. In addition, guest speakers and career activities illustrate for parents in the workforce the significance of math and science in their own jobs, and for kids, it highlights the diversity of jobs and the relevance of math and science.« less

Earth system science K-12 scientist-student partnerships using paleontological materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harnik, P. G.; Ross, R. M.; Chiment, J. J.; Sherpa, J. M.

2001-05-01

Reducing the discrepancy between the dynamic science that researchers experience and the static fact-driven science education in which k-12 students participate at school is an important component to national science education reform. Scientist-student partnerships (SSPs) involving whole classes in Earth systems research provide a solution to this problem, but existing models have often lacked rigorous scientific data quality control and/or evaluation of pedagogical effectiveness. The Paleontological Research Institution has been prototyping two SSPs with an eye toward establishing protocols to insure both scientific and educational quality of the partnership. Data quality analysis involves making statistical estimates of data accuracy and employing robust statistical techniques for answering essential questions with noisy data. Educational evaluation takes into account affective variables, such as student motivation and interest, and compares the relative pedagogical effectiveness of SSPs with more traditional hands-on activities. Paleontology is a natural subject for scientist-student partnerships because of its intrinsic appeal to the general public, and because its interdisciplinary content serves as a springboard for meeting science education standards across the physical and life sciences. The "Devonian Seas" SSP involves classes in identifying fossil taxa and assessing taphonomic characteristics from Devonian-aged Hamilton Group shales in Central New York. The scientific purpose of the project is to establish at high stratigraphic resolution the sequence of dysoxic biofacies composition, which will shed light on the sensitivity of epeiric sea communities to environmental (e.g., sea level) changes. The project is undertaken in upper elementary school and secondary school Earth science classes, and in some cases has involved field-based teacher training and collection of samples. Students in small teams collaborate to identify taxa within the samples, then group and analyze class data. Ultimately class data will be added to data generated by other schools, after which more synthetic questions can be asked about change in assemblages through time. One year of pilot tests in elementary and secondary schools reveals that with little training student accuracy of 75% can be achieved for 8 of 11 of the species in an artificial assemblage. Encouragingly, even with misidentification of 30% or more by the students, the Pearson correlation between "true" and student abundance data was 0.82 to 0.93, and student rank- order of abundance was very similar to the actual order (Spearman coefficient 0.60 - 0.90). Thus, in spite of noise generated by identification error, the apparent community structure is well-captured with student data. The "Mastodon Matrix" SSP involves classes in sorting biological particles from two recently excavated exquisitely preserved mastodons, one from Central New York and one from the Hudson River Valley. The goal is to reconstruct in detail the geological, climatological, and ecological history of the post-glacial kettle ponds in which the mastodons were found. Students find small bivalves and gastropods, twigs (some of which are beaver-chewed or possibly mastodon-bitten), pine cones, tiny bones and teeth, mastodon bone fragments, seeds, insect parts, and many other objects. The project is generally undertaken by sending 1.0 kg bags to interested classes, with a set of instructions and basic background materials for separating the matrix, filling out the enclosed data sheet, and shipping back the fossil remains. The class is then involved in reconstructing an ancient environment.

A Model for the Development of Web-Based, Student-Centered Science Education Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murfin, Brian; Go, Vanessa

The purpose of this study was to evaluate The Student Genome Project, an experiment in web-based genetics education. Over a two-year period, a team from New York University worked with a biology teacher and 33 high school students (N=33), and a middle school science teacher and a class of students (N=21) to develop a World Wide Web site intended…

Investigating the Influence of a Mixed Face-to-Face and Website Professional Development Course on the Inquiry-Based Conceptions of High School Science and Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuan, Hsiao-Lin; Yu, Chung-Chieh; Chin, Chi-Chin

2017-01-01

The purposes of this study are to report the influences of a mixed delivery professional development [PD] course involving face-to-face classes and the mentoring assisted inquiry-based teaching [MAIT] website that addressed the conceptual change and self-efficacy of high school mathematics and science teachers' conceptions of inquiry-based…

Biodiesel and Integrated STEM: Vertical Alignment of High School Biology/Biochemistry and Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burrows, Andrea C.; Breiner, Jonathan M.; Keiner, Jennifer; Behm, Chris

2014-01-01

This article explores the vertical alignment of two high school classes, biology and chemistry, around the core concept of biodiesel fuel production. High school teachers and university faculty members investigated biodiesel as it relates to societal impact through a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Teachers. Using an action…

Effects of Academic Coaching on Elementary and Secondary School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenny, Dianna T.; Faunce, Gavin

2004-01-01

The authors assessed the effects of out-of-school hours academic coaching on students' (at academic performance on end-of-year examinations in English, mathematics, and science; (b) attainment of academic scholarships; and (c) acceptance to Gifted and Talented (GT) classes and selective high schools. Participants were 1,724 elementary and…

Electrifying Engagement in Middle School Science Class: Improving Student Interest through E-Textiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tofel-Grehl, Colby; Fields, Deborah; Searle, Kristin; Maahs-Fladung, Cathy; Feldon, David; Gu, Grace; Sun, Chongning

2017-01-01

Most interventions with "maker" technologies take place outside of school or out of core area classrooms. However, intervening in schools holds potential for reaching much larger numbers of students and the opportunity to shift instructional dynamics in classrooms. This paper shares one such intervention where electronic textiles…

Rethinking library service to distance education students: analyzing the embedded librarian model.

PubMed

Sullo, Elaine; Harrod, Tom; Butera, Gisela; Gomes, Alexandra

2012-01-01

Since fall 2009, reference librarians at The George Washington University's Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library have been embedded in online classes through Blackboard within the School of Nursing and School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The authors sought to determine the types of questions asked of the librarian, with the goal of informing future interactions with distance education classes to help develop a standard "protocol" for working with this population of students. Eighty-two questions were categorized and qualitatively analyzed. The findings have prompted librarians to explore tools such as Elluminate Live!, a tool that allows librarians to provide synchronous instruction within the Blackboard environment. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Improving the teaching and learning of science in a suburban junior high school on Long Island: Achieving parity through cogenerative dialogues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Eileen Perman

The research in this dissertation focuses on ways to improve the teaching and learning of science in a suburban junior high school on Long Island, New York. The study is my attempt to find ways to achieve parity in my classroom in terms of success in science. I was specifically looking for ways to encourage Black female students in my classroom and in other classrooms to continue their science education into the upper grades. The participants were the 27 students in the class, a friend of one of the students, and I, as the teacher-researcher. In order to examine the ways in which structure mediates the social and historical contexts of experiences in relation to teacher and student practices in the classroom, I used collaborative research; autobiographical reflection; the sociology of emotions; immigration, racialization, and ethnicity, and cogenerative dialogues (cogens) as tools. Cogenerative dialogues are a way for students and teachers to accept shared responsibility for teaching and learning. This study is of importance because of my school's very diverse student body. The school has a large minority population and therefore shares many of the characteristics of urban schools. In my study I look at why there are so few Black female students in the advanced science courses offered by our district and how this problem can be addressed. I used a variety of qualitative approaches including critical ethnography and micro analysis to study the teaching and learning of science. In addition to the usual observational, methodological, and theoretical field notes, I videotaped and audiotaped lessons and had discussions with students and teachers, one-on-one and in groups. In the first year the cogenerative group consisted of two Black female students. In the second year of the study there were four Black and one White-Hispanic female students in the cogen group. In my research I studied the interactions of the students between lessons and during laboratory activities as well as the cogens themselves in order to get the data needed to identify the role of science cogens in the learning and teaching of science. The students both in my cogen and in my science class collaborated with me as we worked to create new culture through conversations. I also used cogens to examine the influence of immigration, race, ethnicity, and gender in my science class. The students in the cogen were native-born children of immigrants, known as the second generation and/or 1.5 generation. In the first year one of these students was the daughter of Jamaican-born parents and the other native Black. The students in the second year included one each of Haitian and Jamaican descent, one with Dominican parents, and two native Blacks. Interestingly enough, if I had not conducted the cogenerative dialogues, I might never have become aware of their ethnicities. The cogens helped me to become a better teacher by allowing me to understand what racialization was and how it impacted students as well as teachers. The cogens helped students voice their opinions in a manner and in a place that supported their understanding of both the similarities and differences among students in the class in addition to contradictions in their science class as well as in other nested fields. Contradictions are differences between people and groups that arise as a normal part of social life in the classroom (and elsewhere, of course), and I looked for ways to retain these differences as we learned to deal with them. I looked especially for contradictions that were evident between the larger culture of the school and that of the students in the cogen. I studied the dialectical relationship between agency and structure in my science class and within the cogenerative dialogue group. I found that as students gained agency, they were more successful in obtaining entry into accelerated science classes and succeeded in those classes. I found that some marginalized students were shut down in their classrooms. During the common planning time within the science department, we discussed the lack of minority students in our advanced science classes. I introduced the idea of cogens and described how they could encourage more students to become involved in the process of learning. Although my colleagues did not institute cogens with their students, they did listen to the ideas about culturally relevant teaching which I communicated, and I was told by some of my colleagues that they were trying to address the cultural mismatch found in their classrooms. The science faculty and I spoke to administrative personnel, and they saw how their goals and ours were aligned. Soon, all stakeholders were on board: my chairperson, the science department, and the administration. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Providing Students with Foundational Field Instruction within a 50 Minute Class Period: A Practical Example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Percy, M.

2014-12-01

There is a growing recognition among secondary educators and administrators that students need to have a science education that provides connections between familiar classes like biology, chemistry, and physics. Because of this waxing interest in an integrative approach to the sciences, there is a broader push for school districts to offer classes geared towards the earth sciences, a field that incorporates knowledge and skills gleaned from the three core science subjects. Within the contexts of a regular secondary school day on a traditional schedule (45- to 50-minute long classes), it is challenging to engage students in rigorous field-based learning, critical for students to develop a deeper understanding of geosciences content, without requiring extra time outside of the regular schedule. We suggest instruction using common, manmade features like drainage retention ponds to model good field practices and provide students with the opportunity to calculate basic hydrologic budgets, take pH readings, and, if in an area with seasonal rainfall, make observations regarding soils by way of trenching, and near-surface processes, including mass wasting and the effects of vegetation on geomorphology. Gains in student understanding are discussed by analyzing the difference in test scores between exams provided to the students after they had received only in-class instruction, and after they had received field instruction in addition to the in-class lectures. In an advanced setting, students made measurements regarding ion contents and pollution that allowed the classes to practice lab skills while developing a data set that was analyzed after field work was completed. It is posited that similar fieldwork could be an effective approach at an introductory level in post-secondary institutions.

Effects of Teacher Science Support on Student Science Support in Selected Tenth Grade Biology Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Ronald Dale

The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the effects of teacher science support, as measured by the Science Support Scale (Tri-S scale), on student science support and (2) to gain normative data on the Science Support Scale as an instrument for use with high school students. Twenty-four 10th grade biology teachers were given the Tri-S scale…

Promoting interest and performance in high school science classes.

PubMed

Hulleman, Chris S; Harackiewicz, Judith M

2009-12-04

We tested whether classroom activities that encourage students to connect course materials to their lives will increase student motivation and learning. We hypothesized that this effect will be stronger for students who have low expectations of success. In a randomized field experiment with high school students, we found that a relevance intervention, which encouraged students to make connections between their lives and what they were learning in their science courses, increased interest in science and course grades for students with low success expectations. The results have implications for the development of science curricula and theories of motivation.

Science Instruction through the Game and Physical Activities Course: An Interdisciplinary Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyraz, Celal; Serin, Gökhan

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of science instruction given through the game and physical activities course in accordance with interdisciplinary teaching approaches on students' science achievement and retention. The participants were 82 third grade students from a public elementary school. Three classes were chosen as…

32 CFR 242.8 - Academic, intellectual, and personal requirements for admission to the first-year class.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the humanities and/or the social and behavioral sciences, for these disciplines complement the study... FOR THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES § 242.8 Academic... Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is on a competitive basis, with...

Assessing Bilingual Knowledge Organization in Secondary Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Jason S.

2017-01-01

Improving outcomes for English language learners (ELLs) in secondary science remains an area of high need. The purpose of this study is to investigate bilingual knowledge organization in secondary science classrooms. This study involved thirty-nine bilingual students in three biology classes at a public high school in The Bronx, New York City.…

Far Out: Some Approaches to Teaching the Speculative Literature of Science Fiction and the Supernatural.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Los Angeles City Schools, CA. Div. of Instructional Planning and Services.

This curriculum guide contains course descriptions (for minicourses and semester-long courses), outlines, and class projects for teaching science fiction and the supernatural in junior and senior high schools. The eight course descriptions include objectives, methods, activities, and resources and materials. Lists of science fiction books and…

32 CFR 242.8 - Academic, intellectual, and personal requirements for admission to the first-year class.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the humanities and/or the social and behavioral sciences, for these disciplines complement the study... FOR THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES § 242.8 Academic... Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is on a competitive basis, with...

A Creative Science Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overton, Dave

2004-01-01

As a Teaching Awards Regional Winner in 2002, the author was recently awarded funding by Planet Science (NESTA) for projects to disseminate best practice. One of the things he had in mind was to organise a "creative science event." So last July year 4 children from Chiltern Primary School, Hull, joined a class of year 5 children from…

A Scientist Tells Why "Intelligent Design" Is NOT Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sprackland, Robert George

2006-01-01

One of the most confrontational issues before American school boards and administrators is the effort by some Christian fundamentalists to have their views on life and its origins taught in science classes as a scientifically valid alternative to biological evolution. The issue continues to plague science education, suggesting that few school…

Critical mass: Women in science

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

NONE

This report describes a video presentation designed to introduce science to middle and high school science classes as a field which is attractive to women. It is designed to facilitate thought and discussion on the issue of gender stereotypes and discrimination, and is intended for use as part of a curriculum plan which will discuss these issues.

Making Real Virtual Labs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Harry E.; Keller, Edward E.

2005-01-01

Francis Bacon began defining scientific methodology in the early 17th century, and secondary school science classes began to implement science labs in the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century, leading educators were suggesting that science labs be used to develop scientific thinking habits in young students, and at the beginning of the 21st…

Ideas for Integrating the Microcomputer into Science Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollard, Jim, Ed.

Much of the innovation in the use of microcomputers in education has come from classroom teachers who are using computers with students. In October, 1987, forums were held for secondary school science teachers who were using computers in their science classes. Within this document are some of the lesson plans that the participating teachers…

How Teaching Science Using Project-Based Learning Strategies Affects the Classroom Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hugerat, Muhamad

2016-01-01

This study involved 458 ninth-grade students from two different Arab middle schools in Israel. Half of the students learned science using project-based learning strategies and the other half learned using traditional methods (non-project-based). The classes were heterogeneous regarding their achievements in the sciences. The adapted questionnaire…

Teaching with Socio-Scientific Issues in Physical Science: Teacher and Students' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talens, Joy

2016-01-01

Socio-scientific issues (SSI) are recommended by many science educators worldwide for learners to acquire first hand experience to apply what they learned in class. This investigated experiences of teacher-researcher and students in using SSI in Physical Science, Second Semester, School Year 2012-2013. Latest and controversial news articles on…

How Do Interest in Sciences Vary with Gender?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gafoor, K. Abdul

2011-01-01

This study explores interest in physics, chemistry and biology among school students in Kerala. It used a sample of 3236 (1659 boys, 1577 girls) students studying in upper primary to higher secondary classes. Three separate versions of scale of interest in science were used to quantify interest in science of upper primary, secondary and higher…

Lessons Learned: Collaborative Symbiosis and Responsive Disciplinary Literacy Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilder, Phillip; Herro, Danielle

2016-01-01

This paper describes a case study of how a middle school literacy coach and a science teacher attempted to improve disciplinary literacy teaching in a sixth-grade science class. The collaborative inquiry exposed the disciplinary knowledge gap of the literacy coach (a former language arts teacher) and the science teacher's limited knowledge of…

Bringing CASE in from the Cold: The Teaching and Learning of Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Mary; Venville, Grady

2017-01-01

"Thinking Science" is a 2-year program of professional development for teachers and thinking lessons for students in junior high school science classes. This paper presents research on the effects of "Thinking Science" on students' levels of cognition in Australia. The research is timely, with a general capability focused on…

Earth and Space Science. A Guide for Secondary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolles, William H.; And Others

Designed for use in Pennsylvania secondary school science classes, this guide is intended to provide fundamental information in each of the various disciplines of the earth sciences. Some of the material contained in the guide is intended as background material for teachers. Five units are presented: The Earth, The Oceans, The Space Environment,…

Validity of Learning Module Natural Sciences Oriented Constructivism with the Contain of Character Education for Students of Class VIII at Yunior Hight School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktarina, K.; Lufri, L.; Chatri, M.

2018-04-01

Referring to primary data collected through observation and interview to natural science teachers and some students, it is found that there is no natural science teaching materials in the form of learning modules that can make learners learn independently, build their own knowledge, and construct good character in themselves. In order to address this problem, then it is developed natural science learning module oriented to constructivism with the contain of character education. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct valid module of natural science learning materials. This type of research is a development research using the Plomp model. The development phase of the Plomp model consists of 3 stages, namely 1) preliminary research phase, 2) development or prototyping phase, and 3) assessment phase. The result of the study shows that natural science learning module oriented to constructivism with the contain of character education for students class VIII of Yunior High School 11 Sungai Penuh is valid. In future work, practicality and effectiveness will be investigated.

The Costa Rica GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Project as a Learning Science Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro Rojas, María Dolores; Zuñiga, Ana Lourdes Acuña; Ugalde, Emmanuel Fonseca

2015-12-01

GLOBE is a global educational program for elementary and high school levels, and its main purpose in Costa Rica is to develop scientific thinking and interest for science in high school students through hydrology research projects that allow them to relate science with environmental issues in their communities. Youth between 12 and 17 years old from public schools participate in science clubs outside of their regular school schedule. A comparison study was performed between different groups, in order to assess GLOBE's applicability as a learning science atmosphere and the motivation and interest it generates in students toward science. Internationally applied scales were used as tools for measuring such indicators, adapted to the Costa Rican context. The results provide evidence statistically significant that the students perceive the GLOBE atmosphere as an enriched environment for science learning in comparison with the traditional science class. Moreover, students feel more confident, motivated and interested in science than their peers who do not participate in the project. However, the results were not statistically significant in this last respect.

“Markings” of a Class

PubMed Central

Mather, James M.; Anderson, Donald O.; Cox, Albert R.; Williams, Donald H.

1965-01-01

In 1954 the first class in medicine graduated from the University of British Columbia. This class of 57 men and three women left a statistical trail behind them which began before they entered medical school, and which now has extended 10 years into their professional postgraduate careers. This first class was made up largely of British Columbians of older age than subsequent classes. The overall achievement and aptitude of the class was high, as measured by premedical grades, intelligence tests and Medical College Admission Test scores. Interest tests at the time of admission indicated that the members of the class had major interest levels in the fields of science and social service or humanitarianism. The subsequent medical school performance of the class was exceptional. Of the class, 63.4% interned in teaching hospitals. By 1964 only 53.4% of the graduates were engaged in general practice. Most of the graduates are now practising in British Columbia. PMID:14278023

Informational Writing in High School Science: The Importance of Genre, Apprenticeship, and Publication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohnen, Angela M.

2013-01-01

As states continue to implement CCSS, science teachers will be asked to incorporate more discipline-specific reading and writing in their classes. Yet, according to national studies, few science teachers have previous experience to draw upon and most have little to no training in writing pedagogy. This article reports on one science teacher's…

Cultural Diversity in Science Education through "Novelization": Against the "Epicization" of Science and Cultural Centralization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Eijck, Michiel; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2011-01-01

Science educators are confronted with the challenge to accommodate in their classes an increasing cultural and linguistic diversity that results from globalization. Challenged by the call to work towards valuing and keeping this diversity in the face of the canonical nature of school science discourse, we propose a new way of thinking about and…

Is Soliciting Important in Science? an Investigation of Science Teacher-Student Questioning Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patrick, Ajaja O.; Urhievwejire, Eravwoke Ochuko

2012-01-01

The major purpose of this study was to determine the questioning patterns of teachers in science classes. The design employed for the study was a case study. To guide this study, five research questions were asked and answered. The samples of the study consisted of 20 senior secondary schools and 60 science teachers. The instruments used for data…

The Extent to Which Pupils Manipulate Materials and Attainment of Process Skills in Elementary School Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macbeth, Douglas Russell

Reported is a study of the importance of the direct manipulative experience in the attainment of science process skills for kindergarten and grade three pupils. Typical self-contained classes were selected to learn exercises from Science - A Process Approach. Some pupils were allowed to manipulate science materials in learning, while others were…

A multimedia educational program that increases science achievement among inner-city non-Asian minority middle-school students.

PubMed

Murray, Nancy G; Opuni, Kwame A; Reininger, Belinda; Sessions, Nathalie; Mowry, Melanie M; Hobbs, Mary

2009-06-01

To test the effectiveness of a middle school, multimedia health sciences educational program called HEADS UP in non-Asian-minority (Hispanic and African American), inner-city students. The program designers hope to increase the number of these students entering the health sciences pipeline. The program includes video role-model stories featuring minority scientists and students, hands-on activities, and teacher resources. Collaborators from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Spring Branch Independent School District, and the Health Museum developed the modules. From 2004 to 2007, the authors used a quasi-experimental, two-group pretest/posttest design to assess program effects on students' performance and interest in science, their science self-efficacy, their fear of science, and their science-related careers self-efficacy. An independent third party matched the intervention school to a comparison school by test scores, school demographics, and student demographics and then matched pairs of sixth-grade students (N = 428) by fifth-grade science scores, gender, ethnicity, and participation in the free or reduced lunch program. The authors collected data on these students for three years. At eighth grade (2007), the intervention school students scored significantly higher (F = 12.38, P < .001) on the Stanford Achievement Test 10 in science and reported higher interest in science (F = 11.08, P < .001) than their matched, comparison-school pairs. Students in neither group reported an increase in their confidence to choose a science-related career, but students in one high-implementing teacher's class reported decreased fear of science. HEADS UP shows potential for improving inner-city, non-Asian-minority middle school students' performance and interest in science.

A comparative study teaching chemistry using the 5E learning cycle and traditional teaching with a large English language population in a middle-school setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McWright, Cynthia Nicole

For decades science educators and educational institutions have been concerned with the status of science content being taught in K-12 schools and the delivery of the content. Thus, educational reformers in the United States continue to strive to solve the problem on how to best teach science for optimal success in learning. The constructivist movement has been at the forefront of this effort. With mandatory testing nationwide and an increase in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs with little workforce to fulfill these needs, the question of what to teach and how to teach science remains a concern among educators and all stakeholders. The purpose of this research was to determine if students' chemistry knowledge and interest can be increased by using the 5E learning cycle in a middle school with a high population of English language learners. The participants were eighth-grade middle school students in a large metropolitan area. Students participated in a month-long chemistry unit. The study was a quantitative, quasi-experimental design with a control group using a traditional lecture-style teaching strategy and an experimental group using the 5E learning cycle. Students completed a pre-and post-student attitude in science surveys, a pretest/posttest for each mini-unit taught and completed daily exit tickets using the Expert Science Teaching Educational Evaluation Model (ESTEEM) instrument to measure daily student outcomes in main idea, student inquiry, and relevancy. Analysis of the data showed that there was no statistical difference between the two groups overall, and all students experienced a gain in content knowledge overall. All students demonstrated a statistically significant difference in their interest in science class, activities in science class, and outside of school. Data also showed that scores in writing the main idea and writing inquiry questions about the content increased over time.

Integrating Rapid Prototyping into Graphic Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Renmei; Flowers, Jim

2015-01-01

Integrating different science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas can help students learn and leverage both the equipment and expertise at a single school. In comparing graphic communications classes with classes that involve rapid prototyping (RP) technologies like 3D printing, there are sufficient similarities between goals,…

Renewal through Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahearn, Sarah

2011-01-01

The author felt comfortably settled in her career. She had been teaching middle school science for seven years. She attended cutting-edge classes in college, received a master's degree in educational technology, earned a license in administration, and had attended a variety of classes and professional development workshops. Looking back, she…

Shrinking Your Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herron-Thorpe, Farren L.; Olson, Jo Clay; Davis, Denny

2010-01-01

Toys in the classroom was the result of a National Science Foundation grant that brought two engineering graduate students to a middle school math class. The graduate students and teachers collaborated in an effort to enhance students' mathematical learning. An engineering context was theorized as a way to further develop students' understanding…

When Silences Are Broken: An Out of Class Discussion with Asian Female Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Housee, Shirin

2010-01-01

This article reports on the views of seven Asian female Social Science students following a class seminar on religious issues and schooling at a university in the UK. It explores the importance of the post-class spontaneous student dialogue where participation in much teaching and learning is voluntary. The concern is with engaged pedagogy and…

Positionings of Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Minority Students in High School Biology Class: Implications for Science Education in Diverse Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryu, Minjung

2015-01-01

In the present study, I analyze ethnographic data from a year-long study of two Advanced Placement (AP) Biology classes that enrolled students with diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Specifically, I consider participation, positioning, and learning of newcomer Korean students in the focal classes. Building on the notion of figured…

Fabrication of taste sensor for education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiao; Tahara, Yusuke; Toko, Kiyoshi; Kuriyaki, Hisao

2017-03-01

In order to solve the unconcern to usefulness of learning science among high school students in Japan, we developed a simple fabricated taste sensor with sensitivity and selectivity to each taste quality, which can be applied in science class. A commercialized Teflon membrane was used as the polymer membrane holding lipids. In addition, a non-adhesive method is considered to combine the membrane and the sensor electrode using a plastic cap which is easily accessible. The taste sensor for education fabricated in this way showed a good selectivity and sensitivity. By adjusting the composition of trioctylmethylammonium chloride (TOMA) and phosphoric acid di(2-ethylhexyl) ester (PAEE) included in lipid solution, we improved the selectivity of this simple taste sensor to saltiness and sourness. To verify this taste sensor as a useful science teaching material for science class, we applied this taste sensor into a science class for university students. By comparing the results between the sensory test and the sensor response, humans taste showed the same tendency just as the sensor response, which proved the sensor as a useful teaching material for science class.

STEM Education: An Incongruous Approach A Proposed Reform Model for a Large Suburban High School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Patricia A.

It is unknown how the school can best influence the variables that determine pursuance of science study and career choice to bring about greater opportunity to learn challenging science curriculum for all students and promote Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Student decisions regarding the type of science class to elect in early secondary school years can impact their progression and academic success in subsequent rigorous and challenging offerings. Parents, counselors, peers, gender, socio-economic status and individual experience in previous coursework are variables of consideration. The purpose of this study is to examine these variables in a large suburban New Jersey School District aligned to STEM and Advanced Placement level course choice by students. Information regarding the influence of the variables can lead to a reform of the approach toward STEM education currently in place. The study will include a historical reflection of the approach to curriculum revision in the district. Increasing student enrollment in science courses beyond the required number stipulated for high school completion will open opportunities for entrance into STEM related careers or continued post secondary science study.

Neuromathematical Trichotomous Mixed Methods Analysis: Using the Neuroscientific Tri-Squared Test Statistical Metric as a Post Hoc Analytic to Determine North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Leadership Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osler, James Edward, II; Mason, Letita R.

2016-01-01

This study examines the leadership efficacy amongst graduates of The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) for the classes of 2000 through 2007 from a neuroscientific and neuromathematic perspective. NCSSM alumni (as the primary unit of analysis) were examined using a novel neuromathematic post hoc method of analysis. This study…

Learning about the Scientific Enterprise in Saskatchewan High School Chemistry Classes: An Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aikenhead, G. S.

1975-01-01

This study assessed the knowledge about science and scientists possessed by grade 11 and 12 Saskatchewan chemistry students and is a partial evaluation of CHEM Study and Modern Chemistry taught in Saskatchewan in the 1972-73 school year. (Author/RK)

Bringing an Ocean to School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacMillan, Mark W.

1997-01-01

Describes a school program in which two sixth-grade science classes researched, created, and put together an ocean museum targeted at kindergarten through eighth graders who are geographically distanced from the ocean. Details the process for investigating topical areas, organizing teams of students, researching, writing, creating displays, and…

In the Footsteps of Roger Revelle: Seagoing Oceanography for Middle School Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brice, D.; Foley, S.; Knox, R. A.; Mauricio, P.

2007-12-01

Now in its fourth year, "In the Footsteps of Roger Revelle" (IFRR) is a middle school science education program that draws student interest, scientific content and coherence with National Science Standards from real-time research at sea in fields of physical science. As a successful collaboration involving Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Naval Research (ONR), National Science Foundation (NSF), San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE), and San Marcos Middle School (SMMS), IFRR brings physical oceanography and related sciences to students at the San Marcos Middle School in real-time from research vessels at sea using SIO's HiSeasNet satellite communication system. With their science teacher on the ship as an education outreach specialist or ashore guiding students in their interactions with selected scientists at sea, students observe shipboard research being carried out live via videoconference, daily e-mails, interviews, digital whiteboard sessions, and web interaction. Students then research, design, develop, deploy, and field-test their own data-collecting physical oceanography instruments in their classroom. The online interactive curriculum encourages active inquiry with intellectually stimulating problem-solving, enabling students to gain critical insight and skill while investigating some of the most provocative questions of our time, and seeing scientists as role- models. Recent science test scores with IFRR students have shown significant increases in classes where this curriculum has been implemented as compared to other classes where the traditional curriculum has been used. IFRR has provided students in the San Diego area with a unique opportunity for learning about oceanographic research, which could inspire students to become oceanographers or at least scientifically literate citizens - a benefit for a country that depends increasingly on technically proficient personnel, and a benefit for society at large.

Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Performance of Senior High School Biology Students in Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owusu, K. A.; Monney, K. A.; Appiah, J. Y.; Wilmot, E. M.

2010-01-01

This study investigated the comparative efficiency of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and conventional teaching method in biology on senior high school students. A science class was selected in each of two randomly selected schools. The pretest-posttest non equivalent quasi experimental design was used. The students in the experimental group…

South Shore High School. Project VIBES. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1981-1982.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shore, Rima; And Others

In 1981-82, Project VIBES at South Shore High School in Brooklyn, New York, provided instruction in English as a second language (ESL) and French language arts, and bilingual mathematics, social studies, and science for Haitian high school students of limited English proficiency. The project also conducted classes in ESL, Hebrew, and Spanish…

ARO in Review 2012

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

promotes original research and experimentation in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics at the high school level and publicly recognizes students ...in programs that offered enrichment classes in engineering at universities through the UNITE program. 1,614 middle and high school students ...Research and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (REAP) REAP is designed to offer high school students the opportunity to expand their background and

Educational Economics: Where Do School Funds Go?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roza, Marguerite

2010-01-01

Imagine if a school were to spend more per pupil on ceramics electives than core science classes. What if a district were to push more funding to wealthy neighborhoods than to impoverished ones? Such policies would provoke outrage. Yet these schools and districts are real. Today's taxpayers spend almost $9,000 per pupil, roughly double what they…

Instructional and Career Guidance in STEM: An Improvement Initiative to Create Opportunities for Female High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belcher, Aaron Heath

2017-01-01

The purpose of this disquisition is to disseminate an improvement initiative in a public high school that addressed female Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disparity in STEM classes. In this high school current instructional and career guidance practices were inadequate in providing female STEM students opportunities to experience…

A Comparative Case Analysis of the Innovation in Five STEM Schools Based on Zhao's Framework for 21st Century World Class Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Patricia A.

2015-01-01

STEM Schools purport to prepare students to learn and work in the 21st Century by providing students with innovative learning experiences through the interdisciplinary integration of science, technology, engineering, and math (Tsupros, 2009). Advocates of STEM and innovative school models argue that the traditional school system does not and…

Perceptions and attitudes of formative assessments in middle-school science classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chauncey, Penny Denyse

No Child Left Behind mandates utilizing summative assessment to measure schools' effectiveness. The problem is that summative assessment measures students' knowledge without depth of understanding. The goal of public education, however, is to prepare students to think critically at higher levels. The purpose of this study was to examine any difference between formative assessment incorporated in instruction as opposed to the usual, more summative methods in terms of attitudes and academic achievement of middle-school science students. Maslow's theory emphasizes that individuals must have basic needs met before they can advance to higher levels. Formative assessment enables students to master one level at a time. The research questions focused on whether statistically significant differences existed between classrooms using these two types of assessments on academic tests and an attitude survey. Using a quantitative quasi-experimental control-group design, data were obtained from a sample of 430 middle-school science students in 6 classes. One control and 2 experimental classes were assigned to each teacher. Results of the independent t tests revealed academic achievement was significantly greater for groups that utilized formative assessment. No significant difference in attitudes was noted. Recommendations include incorporating formative assessment results with the summative results. Findings from this study could contribute to positive social change by prompting educational stakeholders to examine local and state policies on curriculum as well as funding based on summative scores alone. Use of formative assessment can lead to improved academic success.

Time for a Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCann, Florence; Millsap-Shobert, Katie; Schmidt, Sherland Ann; Falsarella, Carell

2010-01-01

Fifth graders in Mrs. Caldwell's class would soon experience a "change" as they made the transition from elementary to middle school. Participation in classroom inquiry investigations and schoolwide science enrichment events had already developed students' enthusiasm for science; here was an opportunity to solidify that enthusiasm. Guest science…

Where's the C in STEM?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heldman, Bill

2010-01-01

With few exceptions, students interact with technology in one way or another every day. And yet, in most U.S. schools, the term "computer science" (CS) refers only to generic skills classes, such as keyboarding and computer applications. Even most Web programming classes usually teach students only how to use conventional graphical user…

USE OF CASE HISTORIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

COOLEY, WILLIAM W.; KLOPFER, LEOPOLD E.

THE USE OF CASES DRAWN FROM THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE WAS EVALUATED AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE USING 108 SECONDARY SCHOOL CLASSES IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS LOCATED IN WIDELY DISTRIBUTED GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS. THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE CASES INSTRUCTION METHOD (HOSC) IN CHANGING…

Elementary Students Using a Tablet-Based Note-Taking Application in the Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paek, Seungoh; Fulton, Lori A.

2016-01-01

This exploratory study investigates the potential of a tablet-based note-taking application (TbNA) to serve as a digital notebook in support of students' classroom science practices. An elementary teacher (Grades 4-5) from a public charter school integrated a TbNA into her science class for one semester while participating in professional…

Science Anxiety: Relation with Gender, Year in Chemistry Class, Achievement, and Test Anxiety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wynstra, Sharon; Cummings, Corenna

The relationships of science anxiety to measures of achievement, test anxiety, year of chemistry taken, and gender were investigated for high school students; the study also attemped to establish reliability data on the Czerniak Assessment of Science Anxiety (CASA) of L. Chiarelott and C. Czerniak (1987). Subjects were 101 students (45 males and…

Trash Conflicts: A Science and Social Studies Curriculum on the Ethics of Disposal. An Interdisciplinary Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballin, Amy; And Others

Designed for middle school science and social studies classes, this document is a curriculum on waste disposal. Mathematics and language skills also are incorporated into many of the activities. In the study of trash disposal, science students benefit from understanding the social issues related to the problem. Social studies students need…

An Initial Needs Assessment of Science Inquiry Curriculum Practices at a Local Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cottingham, Susan M.

2010-01-01

Frequently, students learn in science classes taught like traditional reading courses in which reading texts and answering questions is the main activity. The problem at one southern middle school is that students are not developing an understanding of science concepts and are doing poorly on standardized testing. Students are seldom given the…

World-Class Ambitions, Weak Standards: An Excerpt from "The State of State Science Standards 2012"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Educator, 2012

2012-01-01

A solid science education program begins by clearly establishing what well-educated youngsters need to learn about this multifaceted domain of human knowledge. The first crucial step is setting clear academic standards for the schools--standards that not only articulate the critical science content students need to learn, but that also properly…

The Concept Mastery in the Perspective of Gender of Junior High School Students on Eclipse Theme in Multiple Intelligences-based of Integrated Earth and Space Science Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liliawati, W.; Utama, J. A.; Mursydah, L. S.

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study is to identify gender-based concept mastery differences of junior high school students after the implementation of multiple intelligences-based integrated earth and space science learning. Pretest-posttest group design was employed to two different classes at one of junior high school on eclipse theme in Tasikmalaya West Java: one class for boys (14 students) and one class of girls (18 students). The two-class received same treatment. The instrument of concepts mastery used in this study was open-ended eight essay questions. Reliability test result of this instrument was 0.9 (category: high) while for validity test results were high and very high category. We used instruments of multiple intelligences identification and learning activity observation sheet for our analysis. The results showed that normalized N-gain of concept mastery for boys and girls were improved, respectively 0.39 and 0.65. Concept mastery for both classes differs significantly. The dominant multiple intelligences for boys were in kinesthetic while girls dominated in the rest of multiple intelligences. Therefor we concluded that the concept mastery was influenced by gender and student’s multiple intelligences. Based on this finding we suggested to considering the factor of gender and students’ multiple intelligences given in the learning activity.

Alignment of Content and Pedagogy in an Earth Systems Course for Pre-Service Middle School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, T.; Teed, R.; Slattery, W.

2006-12-01

In 2003 the Ohio Department of Education developed the Ohio K-12 Science Content Standards. These new science standards substantially tracked the goals and objectives of The National Research Council's National Science Education Standards. The Ohio K-12 Science Content Standards followed the National Standards in the content areas of Physical Science, Life Science and Earth and Space Science. At the same time, the state's K-12 schools were gearing up for a new high school graduation requirement, the successful passing of a high-stakes Ohio Graduation Test, given during a student's tenth grade year. Earth and Space science questions make up approximately one third of the science test items. To make it more likely that teachers have the requisite science content knowledge Ohio has recently changed from certification of K-12 teachers to a more content rich licensure standard. This new licensure requirement splits the older certification designation of K-8 into the elementary and middle school licensure areas. Under the new licensure requirements middle school licensure candidates wishing to earn a science concentration now have to take 15 semester hours of content class work in Science. The Ohio Department of Education has strongly suggested that teacher preparation institutions develop new courses for middle school educators in all four areas of concentration, including science. In response to this call for new courses science education faculty in all science areas worked together to develop a comprehensive suite of courses that would target the science content standards guidelines in the state and national standards. The newly developed Earth and Space science course is titled Earth Systems. The course carries 4.5quarter hours of credit and is intended expressly for pre-service middle school (grades 4- 9) science teachers. The content is structured around three modules of study that are designed to develop interdisciplinary science content within the context of past, present and future Earth Systems science. Because the course is created for pre-service teachers, the class models the jigsaw teaching technique, an effective and age-appropriate method of science instruction. This enables pre-service teachers to experience a technique they can use in their own classroom. Course content is aligned with all state and national 4-10 Earth/Space Science standards, which supports pre- service Middle School Science teachers by covering the content areas tested in the Praxis Middle School Science test, a requirement for graduation with licensure from Wright State University. It also helps the pre- service teachers gain experience with the content that they will need to teach to their K-12 students, so they will be able to pass the high-stakes Ohio Graduation Test. Assessment of the Earth Systems course suggests that the course leads to increased science content knowledge that leads to success in passing the Praxis Middle Childhood Science Test, and that the pedagogy modeled in the course is used by the pre- service teachers in their own K-12 teaching upon graduation.

Other Worlds, Other Earths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunbury, Susan; Gould, R. R.

2011-05-01

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is developing a two-to-three week NSF-funded program for middle and high school students using telescope-based investigations of real world cutting edge scientific questions. The goal is to reveal and enhance students' understanding of core concepts in the physical sciences as well as to develop their proficiency in the practice of scientific inquiry. Specifically, students and teachers are joining scientists in the search for habitable worlds by exploring transiting exoplanets. Using robotic telescopes, image processing software and simulations, students take images and then measure the brightness of their target star to create a portrait of a transiting planet including how large it is; the tilt of its orbit; how far it is from its star and what its environment might be like. Once classes collect and analyze their own data, they can begin to compare, combine, and communicate their findings with others in the community. Interactive models help students predict what they might expect to find and interpret what they do find. During the past two years, the Center for Astrophysics has tested the concept in fifty middle-and high-school classrooms, enrichment classes and after school science clubs in 13 states across the United States. To date, astronomy, earth science, and physics students have successfully detected Jupiter-sized planets transiting stars such as TRES-3, HATP-10, and HATP-12. Preliminary results indicate that learning of core concept did occur. Gains in content were most significant in middle school students as this project delivered new information to them while it served primarily as a review of concepts and application of skills for advanced placement classes. A significant change also occurred in students’ self reported knowledge of exoplanets. There was also an increase in students’ awareness of exoplanets and attitudes about science after participating in this project.

Teaching strategies and student achievement in high school block scheduled biology classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louden, Cynthia Knapp

The objectives of this study included determining whether teachers in block or traditionally scheduled biology classes (1) implement inquiry-based instruction more often or with different methods, (2) understand the concept of inquiry-based instruction as it is described in the National Science Standards, (3) have classes with significantly different student achievement, and (4) believe that their school schedule facilitates their use of inquiry-based instruction in the classroom. Biology teachers in block and non-block scheduled classes were interviewed, surveyed, and observed to determine the degree to which they implement inquiry-based instructional practices in their classrooms. State biology exams were used to indicate student achievement. Teachers in block scheduled and traditional classes used inquiry-based instruction with nearly the same frequency. Approximately 30% of all teachers do not understand the concept of inquiry-based instruction as described by the National Science Standards. No significant achievement differences between block and traditionally scheduled biology classes were found using ANCOVA analyses and a nonequivalent control-group quasi-experimental design. Using the same analysis techniques, significant achievement differences were found between biology classes with teachers who used inquiry-based instruction frequently and infrequently. Teachers in block schedules believed that their schedules facilitated inquiry-based instruction more than teachers in traditional schedules.

How Effective Is the Jigsaw Method when Used to Introduce New Science Curricula in Middle School Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollard, Mark W.; Mahoney, Kate

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the Jigsaw method, a cooperative learning tool, on content knowledge and attitude toward learning science. A group of 64 students in an 8th grade physical science class located in rural western New York participated in this study. As an intervention for this action research study, science…

Using Psychological Constructs from the Music Model of Motivation to Predict Students' Science Identification and Career Goals: Results from the U.S. and Iceland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Brett D.; Sahbaz, Sumeyra; Schram, Asta B.; Chittum, Jessica R.

2017-01-01

We investigated students' perceptions related to psychological constructs in their science classes and the influence of these perceptions on their science identification and science career goals. Participants included 575 middle school students from two countries (334 students in the U.S. and 241 students in Iceland). Students completed a…

Student Intern Freed Competes at Intel ISEF, Two Others Awarded at Local Science Fair | Poster

Cancer.gov

Class of 2014–2015 Werner H. Kirsten (WHK) student intern Rebecca “Natasha” Freed earned a fourth-place award in biochemistry at the 2015 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the largest high school science research competition in the world, according to the Society for Science & the Public’s website. Freed described the event as “transformative

Case Studies of Secondary School Teachers Designing Socioscientific Issues-Based Instruction and Their Students' Socioscientific Reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karahan, Engin

Addressing socioscientific issues (SSI) has been one of the main focuses in science education since the Science, Technology, and Society (STS) movement in the 1970s (Levinson, 2006); however, teaching controversial socioscientific issues has always been challenging for teachers (Dillon, 1994; Osborne, Duschl, & Fairbrother, 2002). Although teachers exhibit positive attitudes for using controversial socioscientific issues in their science classrooms, only a small percentage of them actually incorporate SSI content into their science curricula on a regular basis (Sadler, Amirshokoohi, Kazempour, & Allspaw, 2006; Lee & Witz, 2009). The literature in science education has highlighted the signi?cant relationships among teacher beliefs, teaching practices, and student learning (Bryan & Atwater, 2002; King, Shumow, & Lietz, 2001; Lederman, 1992). Despite the fact that the case studies present a relatively detailed picture of teachers' values and motivations for teaching SSI (e.g. Lee, 2006; Lee & Witz, 2009; Reis & Galvao, 2004), these studies still miss the practices of these teachers and potential outcomes for their students. Therefore, there is a great need for in-depth case studies that would focus on teachers' practices of designing and teaching SSI-based learning environments, their deeper beliefs and motivations for teaching SSI, and their students' response to these practices (Lee, 2006). This dissertation is structured as three separate, but related, studies about secondary school teachers' experiences of designing and teaching SSI-based classes and their students' understanding of science and SSI reasoning. The case studies in this dissertation seek answers for (1) teachers' practices of designing and teaching SSI-based instruction, as well as its relation to their deeper personal beliefs and motivations to teach SSI, and (2) how their students respond to their approaches of teaching SSI in terms of their science understanding and SSI reasoning. The first paper presents case studies of three secondary science teachers within three high schools located along the Minnesota River Basin. The findings of this study documented the experiences of the participant teachers, as well as the contextual influences on those experiences. The second paper presents a case study of a science teacher and a social studies teacher which describes how these two teachers collaboratively designed and taught an environmental ethics class. The results of this study documented teachers' ways of sharing responsibilities, bringing their content and pedagogical expertise, and promoting the agency of their students in the environmental ethics class. The final paper in this dissertation presents case studies of secondary school students who were the participants in the SSI-based science classes described in the first two studies. The results of this study provided evidence for participant students' understanding of science and their socioscientific reasoning, as well as how they were influenced by the instructional decisions their teachers made.

Revisiting the silence of Asian immigrant students: The negotiation of Korean immigrant students' identities in science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, Minjung

This dissertation is a study about Korean immigrant students' identities, including academic identities related to science learning and identities along various social dimensions. I explore how Korean immigrant students participate in science classrooms and how they enact and negotiate their identities in their classroom discursive participation. My dissertation is motivated by the increasing attention in educational research to the intersectionality between science learning and various dimensions of identities (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, social networks) and a dearth of such research addressing Asian immigrant students. Asian immigrant students are stereotyped as quiet and successful learners, particularly in science and mathematics classes, and their success is often explained by cultural differences. I confront this static and oversimplified notion of cultural differences and Asians' academic success and examine the intersectionality between science learning and identities of Asian immigrant students, with the specific case of Korean immigrants. Drawing upon cultural historical and sociolinguistic perspectives of identity, I propose a theoretical framework that underscores multiple levels of contexts (macro level, meso level, personal, and micro level contexts) in understanding and analyzing students' identities. Based on a year-long ethnographic study in two high school Advanced Placement Biology classes in a public high school, I present the meso level contexts of the focal school and biology classes, and in-depth analyses of three focal students. The findings illustrate: (1) how meso level contexts play a critical role in these students' identities and science classroom participation, (2) how the meso level contexts are reinterpreted and have different meanings to different students depending on their personal contexts, and (3) how students negotiated their positions to achieve certain identity goals. I discuss the implications of the findings for the science education of racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students, particularly given the increasing number of immigrant students in U.S. classrooms, and for the education of Asian immigrant students.

Vallecito Middle School's Educational Television.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixie Elementary School District, San Rafael, CA.

Vallecito Middle School in San Rafael (California) has been using video production techniques since 1981, and the staff has observed many positive changes in learning, attitudes, and behavior resulting from the use of television. Videotaping has facilitated learning in science, physical education, English, and social studies classes. Guest experts…

Science education in urban settings: Seeking new ways of praxis through critical ethnography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calabrese Barton, Angela

2001-10-01

The challenges faced in urban science education are deeply rooted in the ongoing struggle for racial, class and gender equity. Part of this struggle is tied to huge differences in class and involves making more equitable the distribution of resources. Another part of this struggle is tied to the rich diversity of children who attend urban schools and involves generating new ways of understanding, valuing, and genuinely incorporating into school-based practices the culture, language, beliefs, and experiences that these children bring to school. Thus, this article argues that to address these two challenges - and indeed to achieve a more just science education for all urban students - explicitly political research methodologies must be considered and incorporated into urban education. One potential route for this is critical ethnography, for this kind of methodology emerges collaboratively from the lives of the researcher and the researched and is centrally about praxis and a political commitment to the struggle for liberation and in defense of human rights. In making this argument, I have drawn from stories from my own research with homeless children.

Engaging Adolescents' Interests, Literacy Practices, and Identities: Digital Collaborative Writing of Fantasy Fiction in a High School English Elective Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rish, Ryan M.

2011-01-01

This study investigates an elective English class, in which students in grades 10-12 collectively read and collaboratively wrote fantasy fiction in four groups. The purpose of the class was to have students consider the choices fantasy and science fictions writers, directors, and video game designers make when creating a fictional world. The…

Population Education in Science: Some Sample Lessons.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

This science teacher's manual contains nine sample population education lessons adapted from materials produced in several countries in Asia and Oceania. Activities are designed for lower primary through high school students. Included are class discussions, small group activities, and a role-playing situation. Food chains, human dependence upon…

Connecting with Local Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Roy; Probst, Craig

1995-01-01

In a small school off the Alaskan coast, students are learning to value their Aleut heritage. The third-grade class abandoned its traditional science text to study lessons organized around Alaska's Pribilof Islands, a natural science laboratory. Weekly projects involving debris cleanup, tourist brochures, rat alerts, and boat restoration engage…

Small Group/Seminar Format for Teaching Behavioral Sciences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goethe, John W.; Griffin, Phillip T.

1981-01-01

The design and implementation of the revised format of the freshman behavioral science course at Tulane University School of Medicine is described. The methods of evaluation utilized and the data from the first class of medical students to participate in the new curriculum are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Bringing Science out of the Lab into the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2006-03-01

Science is moving more rapidly than ever; one groundbreaking discovery chases the next at an incredible speed. School teachers have trouble keeping up with the pace, and many pupils call science classes "boring". Today, Europe's major research organisations launch Science in School, the first international, multidisciplinary journal for innovative science teaching, to provide a platform for communication between science teachers, practising scientists and other stakeholders in science education. ESO PR Photo 12/06 ESO PR Photo 12/06 First Issue! "Science is becoming increasingly international and interdisciplinary," says Eleanor Hayes, editor of the journal. "The most exciting development of the day may happen anywhere in any field: students may suddenly want to talk about a discovery on Mars, a medical breakthrough or a natural disaster. On such days it would be a shame not to put the textbooks aside and to capitalise on that curiosity." Published by EIROforum, a partnership between Europe's seven largest intergovernmental research organisations, Science in School will bridge the gap between the worlds of research and schools. One extremely powerful tool to achieve this is the journal's web-based discussion forum that will establish a direct dialogue between science teachers and researchers across national and subject boundaries. Science in School will appear quarterly online and in print and will feature news about the latest scientific discoveries, teaching materials, interviews with inspiring teachers and scientists, reviews of books, films and websites, suggestions for class trips, training opportunities and many other useful resources for science teachers. Contributors to the first issue include the world-renowned neurologist and author Oliver Sachs, and scientists and teachers from nine countries. "We urgently need to engage young people in science. This is why the research community and the European Commission are committed to outreach and education activities," says Bill Stirling, Director General of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), representing EIROforum at the launch event. "Scientists across Europe, including those in EIROforum labs, are continually making discoveries that they would be willing and able to explain to young people, but there's no central mechanism to help do so - we think that this new journal can help fulfil that function." "Motivating more young people to take an interest in understanding and learning science at school is important not only because science careers are exciting and rewarding, but also because young people need to know about how science and technology is changing our world - their world!," says Stephen Parker, Head of Education and Science of the European Commission. "Science in School is just one of the initiatives being supported by the Commission to take this forward." EIROforum sustains many other education activities including the Science on Stage festival, a sort of European teaching Olympics where teachers present their most inventive methods. The best projects from last year's Science on Stage festival will be featured in Science in School.

Using psychological constructs from the MUSIC Model of Motivation to predict students' science identification and career goals: results from the U.S. and Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Brett D.; Sahbaz, Sumeyra; Schram, Asta B.; Chittum, Jessica R.

2017-05-01

We investigated students' perceptions related to psychological constructs in their science classes and the influence of these perceptions on their science identification and science career goals. Participants included 575 middle school students from two countries (334 students in the U.S. and 241 students in Iceland). Students completed a self-report questionnaire that included items from several measures. We conducted correlational analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modelling to test our hypotheses. Students' class perceptions (i.e. empowerment, usefulness, success, interest, and caring) were significantly correlated with their science identification, which was correlated positively with their science career goals. Combining students' science class perceptions, science identification, and career goals into one model, we documented that the U.S. and Icelandic samples fit the data reasonably well. However, not all of the hypothesised paths were statistically significant. For example, only students' perceptions of usefulness (for the U.S. and Icelandic students) and success (for the U.S. students only) significantly predicted students' career goals in the full model. Theoretically, our findings are consistent with results from samples of university engineering students, yet different in some ways. Our results provide evidence for the theoretical relationships between students' perceptions of science classes and their career goals.

Opportunities to Learn in School and at Home: How can they predict students' understanding of basic science concepts and principles?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Su; Liu, Xiufeng; Zhao, Yandong

2012-09-01

As the breadth and depth of economic reforms increase in China, growing attention is being paid to equalities in opportunities to learn science by students of various backgrounds. In early 2009, the Chinese Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly sponsored a national survey of urban eighth-grade students' science literacy along with their family and school backgrounds. The present study focused on students' understanding of basic science concepts and principles (BSCP), a subset of science literacy. The sample analyzed included 3,031 students from 109 randomly selected classes/schools. Correlation analysis, one-way analysis of variance, and two-level linear regression were conducted. The results showed that having a refrigerator, internet, more books, parents purchasing books and magazines related to school work, higher father's education level, and parents' higher expectation of the education level of their child significantly predicted higher BSCP scores; having siblings at home, owning an apartment, and frequently contacting teachers about the child significantly predicted lower BSCP scores. At the school level, the results showed that being in the first-tier or key schools, having school libraries, science popularization galleries, computer labs, adequate equipment for teaching, special budget for teacher training, special budget for science equipment, and mutual trust between teachers and students significantly predicated higher BSCP scores; and having science and technology rooms, offering science and technology interest clubs, special budget for science curriculum development, and special budget for science social practice activities significantly predicted lower BSCP scores. The implications of the above findings are discussed.

An analysis of factors that impact secondary science outcomes in Tennessee

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

South, Suzanne Lawson

The purpose of this study was to analyze school and district characteristics for 2005--2006 through 2007--2008 to determine which factors impacted science achievement for the graduating class of 2008--2009 in Tennessee. School size, socioeconomic status, per pupil instructional expenditures and rurality/urbanicity were predictor variables. Achievement was represented by performance on the science and reasoning portion of the ACT. Correlational studies indicated that socioeconomic status had a significant impact on science achievement while the impact of school size and rurality/urbanicity was observed to be weak. Statistical analyses through multiple linear regression produced a model in which socioeconomic status and rurality/urbanicity explained 65.4% of the variance observed. Schools were segmented into quintiles based on socioeconomic status in an effort to control for poverty and correlational studies were repeated. School size and rurality/urbanicity appeared to have a more significant impact on achievement, particularly for students in the highest and lowest poverty bands.

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 needed. For all the countries investigated, with the exception of Singapore, the between-class variance was much smaller than the within-class variance. Japan had the smallest variation in science achievement among classrooms which indicates the homogeneity across classrooms in Japan. Increasing awareness and knowledge of gender neutral instructional techniques, providing a non-threatening, rich and supportive environment for both genders in classrooms by elementary teachers are to be encouraged. To improve students' self beliefs about science, it is recommended that teachers model science activities and accommodate students' needs and abilities (Bandura, 1997; Britner & Pajares, 2006). Schools and teachers are recommended to develop a successful home-school partnership for improved student learning and positive attitudes toward science (Eccles & Harold, 1996; Epstein & Salinas, 2004). Furthermore, developing a knowledge base for teachers regarding the influences of classroom and school composition is highlighted (Honig, Kahne, & McLaughlin, 2001; Murrel, 2001). At the classroom- and school-level, policy efforts could focus on the distribution of educational resources (Condron & Roscigno, 2003; Goesling, 2003) to compensate for poor family background.

Transformative Pedagogy, Leadership and School Organisation for the Twenty-First-Century Knowledge-Based Economy: The Case of Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dimmock, Clive; Goh, Jonathan W. P.

2011-01-01

Singapore has a high performing school system; its students top international tests in maths and science. Yet while the Singapore government cherishes its world class "brand", it realises that in a globally competitive world, its schools need to prepare students for the twenty-first-century knowledge-based economy (KBE). Accordingly,…

Model Debate for the Yellow Book Learning in Islamic Boarding School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apdoludin; Saidek, Abdul Rahim; Islami, Raisul

2016-01-01

This study aimed to determine the effect model of debate in the yellow book learning in schools to improve students' critical thinking skills so they can find a new science. This study was an experimental study with a control group. The study was conducted in classes XI Islamic Boarding School Al-Hidayah Jambi. This study uses two parallel…

Fashion Design: Designing a Learner-Active, Multi-Level High School Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Diane

2009-01-01

A high school fashion design teacher has much in common with the ringmaster of a three-ring circus. The challenges of teaching a hands-on course are to facilitate the entire class and to meet the needs of individual students. When teaching family and consumer sciences, the goal is to have a learner-active classroom. Revamping the high school's…

High School and College Biology: A Multi-Level Model of the Effects of High School Courses on Introductory Course Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loehr, John F.; Almarode, John T.; Tai, Robert H.; Sadler, Philip M.

2012-01-01

In a climate where increasing numbers of students are encouraged to pursue post-secondary education, the level of preparedness students have for college-level coursework is not far from the minds of all educators, especially high school teachers. Specifically within the biological sciences, introductory biology classes often serve as the…

Grow Science Achievement in Your Library with School Gardens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackey, Bonnie; Stewart, Jeniffer Mackey

2008-01-01

Over the past decade or so, gardens have been blossoming in schools all across the United States. These gardens are as varied as their schools and are as unique as each child who tends to them. Some are bountiful vegetable gardens, and others are arid natural habitat gardens. Some are acres of land with entire classes devoted to their teachings…

Who's Teaching What in High School Physics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Susan; Tyler, John

2015-01-01

During the 2012-13 school year, approximately 27,000 teachers taught at least one physics course in a U.S. high school. About one-third of those teachers have earned a degree in physics or physics education; the vast majority of the others have earned degrees in a variety of other science fields. About 53,000 physics classes were taught, ranging…

PREDICTING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE STUDENTS IN ISRAEL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PERLBERG, ARYE

A LONGITUDINAL STUDY (HIGH SCHOOL THROUGH COLLEGE) WAS CARRIED OUT AT THE TECHNION-ISRAEL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY TO INVESTIGATE ACADEMIC PREDICTORS AND PROBLEMS RELATED TO PREDICTION. FOR FOUR YEARS, THREE CLASSES OF 1,087 ENGINEERING STUDENTS WERE FOLLOWED. INTELLECTIVE PREDICTORS AND ACADEMIC CRITERIA ALONE WERE INVESTIGATED. HIGH SCHOOL AND…

Real-World Writing in a Secondary-School Earth-Science Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millette, Patricia Marie

1991-01-01

Author describes how 22 first-year high school students became politically active concerning coastal-zone management and wetlands protection. Students translated regulations of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection into plain English. Students wrote their opinions in a concise manner and appeared at a board meeting to influence its…

High Five: A Nutrition Program for High School Youth. Teacher Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Delores C. S.; Rienzo, Barbara A.

This teacher's guide is part of a multiculturally sensitive teaching package to promote health-enhancing nutrition concepts for Florida public high school students. These nutrition promotion materials are intended to be incorporated into life skills management, home economics, physical education, or life science classes. The guide includes…

Plastics in Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergandine, David R.; Holm, D. Andrew

The materials in this curriculum supplement, developed for middle school or high school science classes, present solid waste problems related to plastics. The set of curriculum materials is divided into two units to be used together or independently. Unit I begins by comparing patterns in solid waste from 1960 to 1990 and introducing methods for…

Towards a Professionalization of Pedagogical Improvisation in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Horin, Oded

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge about strategies and techniques for training primary school education pre-service teachers (PSTs) for Pedagogical Improvisation (PI). Data was collected during two iterations of cross-disciplinary art/science school interventions in Norwegian 3rd-grade classes, which provided…

Comparing Students' Individual Written and Collaborative Oral Socioscientific Arguments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Amanda M.; McNeill, Katherine L.

2015-01-01

Constructing and critiquing scientific arguments has become an increasingly important goal for science education. Yet, the differences in the ways students construct collaborative oral and individual written socioscientific arguments are not well established. Our research with one middle school class in an urban New England school district…

Girls and Computer Technology: Barrier or Key?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gipson, Joella

1997-01-01

Discusses the disparity in numbers of girls and boys taking math, science, and computer classes in elementary and secondary schools, and examines steps being taken to better prepare girls, especially minority girls, for an increasingly technical society. A program in Michigan is described that involved a school and business partnership. (LRW)

Single-gender mathematics and science classes and the effects on urban middle school boys and girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudler, Dawn M.

This study compared the differences in the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) mathematics and science achievement scores of boys and girls in Grade 7 at two urban middle schools. The data allowed the researcher to determine to what degree boys and girls in Grade 7 differ in their mathematics and science achievements within a single-gender environment versus a coeducational learning environment. The study compared any differences between boys and girls in Grade 7 within a single-gender environment in the subjects of mathematics and science, as measured by the CRCT assessments. The study also compared differences between boys and girls in Grade 7 within a coeducational environment in the subjects of mathematics and science, as measured by the CRCT assessments. Two middle schools were used within the study. One middle school was identified as a single-gender school (Middle School A); the other was identified as a coeducational school (Middle School B). This quantitative study applied the use of a descriptive research design. In addition, CRCT scores for the subjects of mathematics and science were taken during the spring of 2008 from both middle schools. Data were measured using descriptive statistics and independent t test calculations. The frequency statistics proceeded to compare each sample performance levels. The data were described in means, standard deviations, standard error means, frequency, and percentages. This method provided an excellent description of a sample scored on the spring 2008 CRCT mathematics and science assessments.

It is not known the impact or implications of a study skills class and its effect on high school students in relation to performance on math and science Georgia High School Graduation Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Mary E.

The Georgia State Board of Education has put in place requirements that high school students must meet in order to advance to a higher grade level and to achieve credits for graduation. Georgia requires all ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders to take an end-of-course test after completing class time for academic core subjects. The student's final grade in the end-of-course test course will be calculated using the course grade as 85% and the end-of-course test score as 15%. The student must have a final course grade of 70 or above to pass the course and to earn credit toward graduation. Students in Georgia are required to take the Georgia High School Graduation Test. The tests consist of five parts, writing, math, science, social studies and language arts. Students must make a minimum score of 500 which indicates the student was proficient in mastering the objectives for that particular section of the test. Not all students finish high school in four years due to obstacles that occur. Tutorial sessions are provided for those that wish to participate. High schools may offer study skills classes for students that need extra help in focusing their attention on academic courses. Study skill courses provide the student with techniques that he or she may find useful in organizing thoughts and procedures that direct the student towards success.

Doing, talking and writing science: A discourse analysis of the process of resemiotization in a middle school lab-based science class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Laura J.

This study examines students' sense making practices in a middle school science class from a discourse analytic perspective. Using Mediated Discourse Analysis (MDA) (Scollon 1998, 2001) and interactional sociolinguistics (Gumperz 1999, 2001, Schiffrin 1994), my research seeks to enrich findings from recent sociocultural studies of science classrooms that focus on doing, talking and writing science (Roth 2005, Kress, et al. 2002, Halliday & Martin 1993, Lemke 1990). Within a middle school science classroom, these fundamental activities form a nexus of practice (Scollon 1998, 2001) basic to science literacy (AAAS 1989) and reflective of the work of practicing scientists. Moreover, students' engagement in these practices provides insight into the cultural production and reproduction of science and scientist. I first examine how the students' curriculum text encourages these three scientific practices and then trace students' uptake; that is, how they subsequently do, talk, and write science throughout the course of the unit. I argue that learning science with this curriculum unit requires students to resemiotize (Iedema 2001, 2003) first hand experience so they can represent their knowledge cohesively and coherently in evaluable forms. Ultimately, students must transform language from the curriculum text and their teacher into action in their laboratory activities and action in their laboratory activities into language. In addition, I show how students are apprenticed to the conventionalized practices and voices (Bakhtin 1986) of science (i.e. the scientific register), and how their figures of personhood (Agha 2005) reflect the development of their scientific identities. Overall, I argue that the microanalytic methods I use illuminate how students draw upon curricular resources to become scientifically literate and develop scientific identities.

From Exploratory Talk to Abstract Reasoning: A Case for Far Transfer?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Paul; Whitlow, J. W., Jr.; Venter, Danie

2017-01-01

Research has shown improvements in science, mathematics, and language scores when classroom discussion is employed in school-level science and mathematics classes. Studies have also shown statistically and practically significant gains in children's reasoning abilities as measured by the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test when employing…

The Science Standards and Students of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strachan, Samantha L.

2017-01-01

In a 2014 report, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projected that by the year 2022, minority students will outnumber non-Hispanic white students enrolled in public schools. As the diversity of the student population in the United States increases, concerns arise about student performance in science classes, especially among…

HeteroGenius Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fiero, Alan

2012-01-01

"Science for all" is not just a theme that befits the democratic society. It also exemplifies the best methodology for teaching science to children at the middle school level. For many years, teachers have grappled with trying to determine what type of grouping would most benefit their students. This article presents a strategy that highlights why…

The Sounds of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, Julian

2017-01-01

In this article, Julian Grant, a Prep VI class teacher at Bridgewater School, Worsley, Manchester, explores the cross-curricular nature of language in scientific recording and how children can waken an audible science world with words. The ideas that came from what started as an applied vocabulary exercise demonstrated just how many…

An Engineer Does What Now?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbert, Amy; Wade, Katherine

2014-01-01

For an introductory engineering class at an all-girls urban high school in the Southeast, the authors planned an experience that would align with the engineering aspects of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013). The goal was to better relate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to everyday…

Pathfinders on Black Dance in America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Loriene, Ed.

This is a compilation of 18 pathfinders (i.e., a bibliographic instruction aid) on black dance in America, prepared by graduate students in the "Information Resources in the Humanities" and the "Information Resources in the Social Sciences" classes in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of…

Project MASTER, 1987-88. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Tomi D.; Hammack, Floyd

Project MASTER completed its 3-year funding cycle in 1987-88. The project aimed at providing enhanced science instruction to 575 Spanish-speaking limited-English-proficient students in 5 elementary schools. Project MASTER offered classes in English as a Second Language (ESL), mathematics, science, and computer skills with a hands-on, integrated…

Exploring Small Climates--An Outdoor Science Technique.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rillo, Thomas J.

The study of climates in small areas as an outdoor science teaching technique is described in this paper. It is suggested that, while teachers are presenting a weather unit to their elementary school classes, they should not overlook the opportunity to make learning more meaningful through outdoor teaching techniques. Explorations of temperatures…

Interview with a Wild Animal: Integrating Science and Language Arts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scarnati, James T.

1994-01-01

Using a unit on earthworms, this article shows how science and language arts can be successfully integrated in a middle school classroom through hands-on observation, interviewing, and writing exercises. The integration process engages students, uses class time more efficiently, encourages dialog, and improves outcomes and appreciation of the…

Decisions for Today and Tomorrow: Teaching Notes. Issues in Science-Technology-Society.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iozzi, Louis A.; Bastardo, Peter J.

This teacher's guide was designed to be used with senior high school level classes as a supplement to existing programs in the areas of science and social studies. Each of the 12 chapters included in the guide may be used independently or may be combined into a separate course on the relationships between science, technology, and society. The…

The Attitudes of First Year Senior Secondary School Students toward Their Science Classes in the Sudan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lado, Longun Moses

2011-01-01

This study examined the influence of a set of relevant independent variables on students' decision to major in math or science disciplines, on the one hand, or arts or humanities disciplines, on the other. The independent variables of interest in the study were students' attitudes toward science, their gender, their socioeconomic status, their…

Varying the Narration Presentation Format and On-Screen Character-Narrator Relationship in an Instructional Science Film.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherman, Greg

This study examined how learning, attitudes, and mental efforts are affected by changing the verbal information presentation format and relationship between the narrator and on-screen character in a junior high school-level science film. Twenty seventh-grade science classes (N=441) were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups. Each class…

Improving Science Instruction for Students with Disabilities: Proceedings. Working Conference on Science for Persons with Disabilities (Anaheim, California, March 28-29, 1994).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stefanich, Greg P.; Egelston-Dodd, Judy, Ed.

This proceedings report includes papers presented at a conference on teaching science to students with disabilities. In the first paper, "Family Pedigrees: A Model Lesson Illustrating Strategies for Teaching Students with Disabilities in a Mainstreamed High School Biology Class" (Kathleen Ball and Edward C. Keller, Jr.), strategies are described…

Designing an Earthquake-Proof Art Museum: An Arts- and Engineering-Integrated Science Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carignan, Anastasia; Hussain, Mahjabeen

2016-01-01

In this practical arts-integrated science and engineering lesson, an inquiry-based approach was adopted to teach a class of fourth graders in a Midwest elementary school about the scientific concepts of plate tectonics and earthquakes. Lessons were prepared following the 5 E instructional model. Next Generation Science Standards (4-ESS3-2) and the…

Gender Differences in the Effects of a Utility-Value Intervention to Help Parents Motivate Adolescents in Mathematics and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rozek, Christopher S.; Hyde, Janet S.; Svoboda, Ryan C.; Hulleman, Chris S.; Harackiewicz, Judith M.

2015-01-01

A foundation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is critical for students' college and career advancement, but many U.S. students fail to take advanced mathematics and science classes in high school. Research has neglected the potential role of parents in enhancing students' motivation for pursuing STEM courses.…

Analysis of strategies for teaching and learning of concepts related to Astronomy in the Elementary School II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Moraes E Poffo, Roberta Izabella

2011-12-01

The curricular proposed of the State of Sao Paulo, in the discipline of physical and biological sciences, has a content related to Earth and Universe, that are approached by Astronomy, in Elementary Education I, II and high school. Despite the importance of Astronomy and the public acceptance, it is notable that they have difficulties in this discipline. During the school year 2010 in a public school in Santo Andre, Sao Paulo, 89 students of three different classes in a sixth year of an elementary school II, responded to a questionnaire prepared and applied by the teacher based on the required contents of the curricular proposed by the State of Sao Paulo with ten essay questions related to Astronomy, with the propose to examine the previous knowledge. Only 19% of students hit 50% or more of the issues, the required content considered as the last satisfactory note. During the same year it was presented, but in each class a different strategy as applied. In the first class, an expositive class with audiovisual aids atrategy was used, in the second class an expositive class dialoged strategy and in the third class a textbook research. It was observed that after applying the same questionnaire, there was an improvement on the questions hit. The class where the expositive class dialoged strategy was used improved from 3% to 63% of hits, the class with audiovisual aids improved from 23% to 80% of hits and the class that used research on textbooks strategy improved from 31% to 76%. Thus, it was considered that after the application of the strategies there was a significant improvement in the student performance comparing to the required content. The expositive class dialoged strategy was considered as the most effective.

Societal Issues and Their Importance for Contemporary Science Education--A Pedagogical Justification and the State-of-the-Art in Israel, Germany, and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofstein, Avi; Eilks, Ingo; Bybee, Rodger

2011-01-01

One common theme underlying recent reports on science education is that the content of school science and its related pedagogical approaches are not aligned with the interests and needs of both society and the majority of the students. Most students do not find their science classes interesting and motivating. These claims are especially valid…

A New Breed of Teacher's Pet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Roxanne; Williams, Nancy

1995-01-01

Describes how a fourth-grade class developed a hands-on, integrated math, science, and literature unit about dogs and brought a dog into class for two weeks. The unit was so successful that the dog stayed for the year. School administration, teachers, parents, and students agreed that the impact of the dog's presence had been beneficial. (ET)

PBL Group Autonomy in a High School Environmental Science Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiss, D. Mark; Belland, Brian R.

2018-01-01

With increasing class sizes, teachers and facilitators alike hope for learning groups where students work together in self-contained and autonomous ways requiring reduced teacher support. Yet many instructors find the idea of developing independent learning in small groups to be elusive particularly in K-12 settings (Ertmer and Simons in…

Interest in STEM is contagious for students in biology, chemistry, and physics classes

PubMed Central

Hazari, Zahra; Potvin, Geoff; Cribbs, Jennifer D.; Godwin, Allison; Scott, Tyler D.; Klotz, Leidy

2017-01-01

We report on a study of the effect of peers’ interest in high school biology, chemistry, and physics classes on students’ STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)–related career intentions and course achievement. We define an interest quorum as a science class where students perceive a high level of interest for the subject matter from their classmates. We hypothesized that students who experience such an interest quorum are more likely to choose STEM careers. Using data from a national survey study of students‘ experiences in high school science, we compared the effect of five levels of peer interest reported in biology, chemistry, and physics courses on students‘ STEM career intentions. The results support our hypothesis, showing a strong, positive effect of an interest quorum even after controlling for differences between students that pose competing hypotheses such as previous STEM career interest, academic achievement, family support for mathematics and science, and gender. Smaller positive effects of interest quorums were observed for course performance in some cases, with no detrimental effects observed across the study. Last, significant effects persisted even after controlling for differences in teaching quality. This work emphasizes the likely importance of interest quorums for creating classroom environments that increase students’ intentions toward STEM careers while enhancing or maintaining course performance. PMID:28808678

Interest in STEM is contagious for students in biology, chemistry, and physics classes.

PubMed

Hazari, Zahra; Potvin, Geoff; Cribbs, Jennifer D; Godwin, Allison; Scott, Tyler D; Klotz, Leidy

2017-08-01

We report on a study of the effect of peers' interest in high school biology, chemistry, and physics classes on students' STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)-related career intentions and course achievement. We define an interest quorum as a science class where students perceive a high level of interest for the subject matter from their classmates. We hypothesized that students who experience such an interest quorum are more likely to choose STEM careers. Using data from a national survey study of students' experiences in high school science, we compared the effect of five levels of peer interest reported in biology, chemistry, and physics courses on students' STEM career intentions. The results support our hypothesis, showing a strong, positive effect of an interest quorum even after controlling for differences between students that pose competing hypotheses such as previous STEM career interest, academic achievement, family support for mathematics and science, and gender. Smaller positive effects of interest quorums were observed for course performance in some cases, with no detrimental effects observed across the study. Last, significant effects persisted even after controlling for differences in teaching quality. This work emphasizes the likely importance of interest quorums for creating classroom environments that increase students' intentions toward STEM careers while enhancing or maintaining course performance.

Girls and science education in Mauritius: a study of science class practices and their effects on girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naugah, Jayantee; Watts, Mike

2013-11-01

Background: The population of Mauritius consists of 52% females and scientific literacy is seen to be of vital importance for all young people if they are to be sufficiently equipped to meet the challenges of a fast changing world. Previous research shows, however, that science is not popular among girls. This paper explores one of many reasons why few girls opt for science subjects after compulsory schooling. Purpose: This study investigated the approaches to teaching in four science classrooms in Mauritius, with particular emphases on the preferences of girls as they learn science. Sample: A total of 20 student interviews and 16 teacher interviews were conducted in four schools in Mauritius. The four mixed-faith schools comprised two all-girl schools (one state, one fee-paying), and two mixed-sex schools (one state, one fee-paying), within urban, suburban and rural situations. Design and method: 80 non-participant lessons were observed, of which 60 were science lessons while the remaining 20 non-science lessons were in economics, accounts and commerce. Group interviews with five pupils in each of the four schools were conducted and 16 individual interviews with teachers in the four schools gave an insight into the pedagogic approaches used for the teaching and learning of science. Results: Transmissive approaches to teaching, giving little opportunity for collaborative or activity-based learning, were found to be the most important factors in alienating the girls from science. Conclusions: There need to be radical changes in approaches to teaching to retain young girls' interest in the sciences.

Twenty-first Century Space Science in The Urban High School Setting: The NASA/John Dewey High School Educational Outreach Partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fried, B.; Levy, M.; Reyes, C.; Austin, S.

2003-05-01

A unique and innovative partnership has recently developed between NASA and John Dewey High School, infusing Space Science into the curriculum. This partnership builds on an existing relationship with MUSPIN/NASA and their regional center at the City University of New York based at Medgar Evers College. As an outgrowth of the success and popularity of our Remote Sensing Research Program, sponsored by the New York State Committee for the Advancement of Technology Education (NYSCATE), and the National Science Foundation and stimulated by MUSPIN-based faculty development workshops, our science department has branched out in a new direction - the establishment of a Space Science Academy. John Dewey High School, located in Brooklyn, New York, is an innovative inner city public school with students of a diverse multi-ethnic population and a variety of economic backgrounds. Students were recruited from this broad spectrum, which covers the range of learning styles and academic achievement. This collaboration includes students of high, average, and below average academic levels, emphasizing participation of students with learning disabilities. In this classroom without walls, students apply the strategies and methodologies of problem-based learning in solving complicated tasks. The cooperative learning approach simulates the NASA method of problem solving, as students work in teams, share research and results. Students learn to recognize the complexity of certain tasks as they apply Earth Science, Mathematics, Physics, Technology and Engineering to design solutions. Their path very much follows the NASA model as they design and build various devices. Our Space Science curriculum presently consists of a one-year sequence of elective classes taken in conjunction with Regents-level science classes. This sequence consists of Remote Sensing, Planetology, Mission to Mars (NASA sponsored research program), and Microbiology, where future projects will be astronomy related. This program has been well received by both students and parents and has motivated some students to consider careers in the field of space science and related areas. [This program is partially supported by NASA MU-SPIN NCC5-330 and NASA Space Science/Minority Initiative NAG5-10142

Gender Differences in High-school Students' Views about Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Patricia H.; Slawinski Blessing, Jennifer; Schwartz, Stephanie

2006-03-01

This study examined gender differences in 79 high-school students’ attitudes towards their science classes, their perceptions of science and scientists, and their views about majoring in science. The study identified some of the subtleties underlying females’ low participation in, and interest in, science documented in previous research. Four themes emerged from responses on the rating scales and questionnaire. First, even when females planned to major in science, they were more interested than males in the people-oriented aspects of their planned majors. Second, biology was the one exception to females’ low interest in science. Third, females often planned a science major mainly because they needed a science background in order to enter a health profession such as medicine or physical therapy. Fourth, females generally found science uninteresting and the scientific lifestyle (as perceived by them) unattractive. Implications for teaching science were discussed.

The effects of computer-based dynamic visualization simulations on student learning in high school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moodley, Sadha

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of dynamic computer-based visualizations of the classical model of particle behavior helps to improve student understanding, performance, and interest in science when used by teachers as visual presentations to complement their traditional methods of teaching. The software, Virtual Molecular Dynamics Laboratory (VMDL), was developed at the Center for Polymer Studies at Boston University through funding from the National Science Foundation. The design of the study included five pairs of classes in four different schools in New England from the inner city and from advantaged suburbs. The study employed a treatment-control group design for testing the impact of several VMDL simulations on student learning in several content areas from traditional chemistry and physical science courses. The study employed a mixed qualitative and quantitative design. The quantitative part involved administering the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) as well as post-tests that were topic specific. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted on the test scores with the GALT scores serving as a covariate. Results of the ANCOVA showed that students' understanding and performance were better in classes where teachers used the computer-based dynamic visualizations to complement their traditional teaching. GALT scores were significantly different among schools but very similar within schools. They were significant in adjusting post-test scores for pre-treatment differences for only two of the schools. The treatment groups outscored the control groups in all five comparisons. The mean differences reached statistical significance at the p < .01 level in only four of the comparisons. The qualitative part of the study involved classroom observations and student interviews. Analysis of classroom observations revealed a shift in classroom dynamics to more learner-centeredness with greater engagement by students, especially in classes that tended to have little student participation without the simulations. Analysis of the student interviews indicated that the dynamic visualizations made learning more enjoyable, helped with remembering, and enhanced students abilities to make connections between the nanoscopic and macroscopic science.

What Kills Science in School?: Lessons from Pre-Service Teachers' Responses to Urban children's Science Inquiries.

PubMed

Matusov, Eugene

2018-06-01

This opportunistic case-study highlights striking differences in 6 urban children's and 12 preservice suburban middle-class teachers' perception of science and discuss consequences of science education and beyond. I found that all of the interviewed urban children demonstrated scientific inquiries and interests outside of the school science education that can be characterized by diverse simultaneous discourses from diverse practices, i.e., "heterodiscoursia" (Matusov in Culture & Psychology, 17(1), 99-119, 2011b), despite their diverse, positive and negative, attitudes toward school science. In contrast to the urban children's mixed attitudes to science, the preservice teachers view science negatively. They could not see science inquiries in the videotaped interviews of the urban children. There seemed to be many reasons for that. One of the possible reasons for that was that the preservice teachers tried to purify the science practice. Another reason was that they did not see a necessity to be interested and engaged in the curriculum that they are going to teach in future. The pedagogical consequences and remedies are discussed.

Let's do science with children

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paolini, Mara

2013-04-01

The school where I worked in 2011,was for primary school teachers-to-be. Classes were formed by a high number of students with a handicapped student in each class. The school was attended mainly by girls with low self-esteem and difficulties in fulfilling their homework. Moreover secondary school students often find science far from their world and rather boring. So helping them understand the relationship between science and everyday life, between chemistry and society was my main objective . Simple / elementary experiments were chosen : if presented and carried out with scientific method, they can prove very useful in the development of specific abilities, from simple observation to the more complex and vital ability to grasp cause and effect relation. I think that the direct observation of facts and phenomena is the foundation to stimulate the process of learning and abstracting experiments: A. The pressure as a force, the behavior of the hot and cold water. 1. the implosion of the can 2. the candle 3. the balloon and the bottle 4. the egg in the bottle Monitoring and evaluation The direct observation of students during operations and final written reports were the ways which was evaluated the project. Results of the project carried out: The students were able to use scientific language correctly, to explain the phenomenon to primary school children using their own ideas. they also devised a table where to list the experiments carried out

Science and religion in a high school physics class: revisiting the source materials of ``The interaction of scientific and religious discourses''

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Wolff-Michael

2010-03-01

In and with this text, I introduce the Forum that centers around a series of essays written by a high school student and an interview with his teacher all collected as part of a larger study about students' discourses with respect to (nature of) science, learning, and knowing. I provide a brief review of the original findings, which had been published in a study co-authored by the student and myself, his physics teacher.

Beams-becoming enthusiastic about math and science - A Department of Energy research laboratory/school district partnership program

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

Strozak, K.; Gagnon, S.

1994-12-31

BEAMS immerses fifth and sixth grade classes in CEBAF`s environment for a week of school. By exposing students and teachers to science`s excitement, challenges, and opportunities, BEAMS motivates students, enhances teachers, and involves parents, with the goal of improving scientific literacy and work force readiness. CEBAF and its school partners are extending BEAMS into a multi-year program, integrating educational partnerships active in the region. The planned focus emphasizes grades four through ten. A long-term evaluation model, incorporating measures of students attitudes, achievement, and academic course choices is being implemented. Three years of data on student attitudinal changes, referenced against controls,more » have been analyzed.« less

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 demonstrated the influence their own motivation placed on their goals. Survey data were also obtained about the students' test scores and academic achievement. Data collected from the statistical and interview components of the study developed a greater understanding for the lack of Latinos in the sciences as influenced by personal and familial factors.

Using the Process and Excitement of Science and Technology to Empower Teachers and Engage their Students

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crannell, Carol Jo

2002-01-01

Students United with NASA Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science (SUNBEAMS) is a Partnership between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). It empowers teachers and inspires students with the process and excitement of science and technology. SUNBEAMS is being developed as a model urban intervention program for sixth grade teachers and their students. The teachers come to Goddard for five weeks during the summer. They partner with Goddard mentors and work much the same way that summer students do. In addition, the teachers are responsible for developing lesson plans that they pilot at their schools and post on the SUNBEAMS web site. During the school year, each teacher brings one class to Goddard for a full week of total immersion in math and science.

Courses and Resources to Teach Space Physics to Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiff, P. H.

2008-12-01

We have created four courses for teachers, and inquiry-based materials to go with them, that embed space physics concepts while teaching Space Physics to National and State standards. The state of Texas recently adopted a "4x4" standard, which makes the "recommended" graduation requirement for high school students to include four science and four math courses. Space Physics is not specifically listed as a topic, but falls naturally as part of three of the Texas High School courses: "Physics", "Astronomy" and "Earth and Space Science", a new course whose syllabus is being decided now. The national standards which are most relevant at the high school level are "Change, Constancy and Measurement", "Motions and Forces", "Interactions of Energy and Matter" and "Natural and Human-induced hazards" [National Science Ed Standards, 1996]. The "Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills" includes circuits, electricity and magnetism, and waves in their Physics course syllabus, and include "describe the Sun's effects on the Earth" in the Astronomy class. In the new Earth and Space Science class we expect that additional heliospheric concepts will be included. At Rice we have four Astronomy courses (and four Earth Science courses) for teachers, two of which involve a substantial space physics content. By taking those eight courses, plus a research project and another content or education elective, the teachers can earn a "Masters of Science Teaching" degree. In "Teaching Earth and Space Science" (ASTR 402) we dedicate about 4 weeks on the Sun and the Earth and its environment. The "Physics of Ham Radio" course (PHYS 401) has an even more relevant focus. That class introduces electricity and magnetism, with hands-on activities on circuits and electromagnetic waves. The students earn their "Technician" class amateur license by making at least 75 per cent on the first quiz, which allows them VHF and UHF broadcast privileges. The second half of the course covers more space weather topics including the ionosphere, solar activity, radio propagation and absorption, antennas, etc. Some students pass the more detailed "General" amateur license by the end of the semester, which allows them to transmit at HF frequencies. Ham radio clubs are becoming more interesting to students as internet-based and digital modes allow more extensive communication even with minimum licensing, and amateur radio clubs are an excellent resource to teachers who want to set up a station in their school. A Technician license can also allow even communication with the Space Station.

The importance of teacher-student interpersonal relationships for Turkish students' attitudes towards science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Telli, Sibel; den Brok, Perry; Cakiroglu, Jale

2010-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between Turkish high school students' perceptions of their science teachers' interpersonal behaviour and their attitudes towards science. Students' perceptions of the teacher-student interpersonal relationship were mapped with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI), which uses two relational dimensions: influence and proximity. Data on Students' subject-related attitudes were collected with the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA). A total of 7484 students (Grades 9 to 11) from 278 science classes (55 public schools) in 13 major Turkish cities participated in the study. Multilevel analyses of variance indicated that influence was related with student enjoyment, while proximity was associated with attitudes towards inquiry and with enjoyment.

Big Fish in Little Ponds Aspire More: Mediation and Cross-Cultural Generalizability of School-Average Ability Effects on Self-Concept and Career Aspirations in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagengast, Benjamin; Marsh, Herbert W.

2012-01-01

Being schooled with other high-achieving peers has a detrimental influence on students' self-perceptions: School-average and class-average achievement have a negative effect on academic self-concept and career aspirations--the big-fish-little-pond effect. Individual achievement, on the other hand, predicts academic self-concept and career…

Capital Promises: Why NYC Children Don't Have the School Buildings They Need

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connell, Noreen

2007-01-01

The objective of this report is to answer the big questions about whether in the foreseeable future most school overcrowding in New York City will be eliminated and all city children will have class sizes and access to school libraries, science labs, art/music rooms, and physical fitness activities that are the norm for students in the rest of the…

Sleep variability and fatigue in adolescents: Associations with school-related features.

PubMed

Matos, M G; Gaspar, T; Tomé, G; Paiva, T

2016-10-01

This study aims to evaluate the influences of sleep duration and sleep variability (SleepV), upon adolescents' school-related situations. The Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) survey is based on a self-completed questionnaire. The participants were 3164 pupils (53.7% girls), attending the 8th and 10th grades, 14.9 years old, and were inquired about subjective sleep duration during the week and weekends, SleepV, fatigue, difficulties in sleep initiation, school achievement, feelings towards schools, pressure with school work and skipping classes. Multiple regression models used, as dependent variables: (a) school achievement, (b) disliking school, (c) pressure with school work and (d) skipping classes, using as independent variables, each of the remaining school-related variables, fatigue, total sleep duration and difficulties in sleep initiation. The average sleep duration in the week and during weekdays was lower than recommended for these age groups, and almost half of students had high SleepV between weekdays and weekends. A logistic model revealed that the absence of SleepV was associated with lower perception of school work pressure, less frequent skipping classes, more infrequent fatigue and more infrequent difficulties in sleep initiation. Poor sleep quality, SleepV and insufficient sleep duration affected negatively school-related variables. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Factors that contribute to Hispanic English Language Learners' high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas: A multicase study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elizondo, Antonio

The purpose of this multicase study was to discover factors that contribute to Hispanic English language learners' (ELL) high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Participants were high school seniors enrolled in college-level classes who had scored commended on the science exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and ranked toward the top of their class. One student from each of four different high schools in south Texas were selected to participate. Schools identified students meeting the participant criteria and provided consent documents. In this qualitative research study, students were interviewed on three different dates. Administrators and science teachers were also interviewed for triangulation. Significant findings showed that intrinsic qualities were mainly responsible for factors contributing to high academic performance. Hispanic ELL students need meaningful responsibilities to internalize self-esteem and self-efficacy to realize high academic performance. Self-motivation, a contributing factor, provides students with a positive outlook on high academic performance and the ability to defer more immediate undermining rewards. Students expect to contribute to society by helping others. This helps their self-esteem as well as their self-worth and supports high academic performance. Parental and teacher support are critical for high academic performance. Low socioeconomic status alone is not a causal factor for poor academic performance. School administrations should assign willing and enthusiastic teachers as mentors to target students and provide skills to parents that promote, inspire, and motivate students' intrinsic qualities. Future studies should examine different leadership styles that maximize teachers' ability to influence students' high academic performance. Finally, students should be given guidance in setting career goals and demonstrating that high academic achievement is attainable and beneficial for all students.

Science dual enrollment: An examination of high school students' post-secondary aspirations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berry, Chelsia

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in science dual enrollment courses influenced African American high school students' post-secondary aspirations that will lead to college attendance. The investigation examined the relationship between African American students' learning experiences and how their self-efficacy and outcome expectations impact their goal setting. The goal was to determine the impact of the following variables on African American students' plan to pursue a bachelor's or advanced degree: (a) STEM exposure, (b) Algebra 1 achievement, (c) level of science class, and (d) receiving science college credit for dual enrollment course. The social cognitive career theory framed this body of research to explore how career and academic interests mature, are developed, and are translated into action. Science dual enrollment participation is a strategy for addressing the lack of African American presence in the STEM fields. The causal comparative ex post facto research design was used in this quantitative study. The researcher performed the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric analysis of variance and Pearson's chi-square tests to analyze secondary data from the High School Longitudinal Study first follow-up student questionnaire. The results indicate that STEM exposure and early success in Algebra 1 have a statistically significant impact on African American students' ambition to pursue a bachelor's or advanced degree. According to the Pearson's chi-square and independent sample Kruskal-Wallis analyses, level of students' science class and receiving college credit for dual enrollment do not significantly influence African American students' postsecondary aspirations.

Enhancing Teacher Performance in Spanish Elementary Classes. Volume Two: Translated Units. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johansen, Barry-Craig P.; And Others

Spanish translations of 19 of the Minneapolis (Minnesota) Public Schools' elementary school science units are presented. The materials were translated for use in a partial immersion program. Unit topics include, among others: magnets, organisms (grade 1), seeds and plants (grade 1), butterflies (grade 2), electricity (grade 3), the food chain…

Einstein for Schools and the General Public

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johansson, K. E.; Kozma, C; Nilsson, Ch

2006-01-01

In April 2005 the World Year of Physics (Einstein Year in the UK and Ireland) was celebrated with an Einstein week in Stockholm House of Science. Seven experiments illustrated Einstein's remarkable work in 1905 on Brownian motion, the photoelectric effect and special relativity. Thirteen school classes with 260 pupils, 30 teachers and 25 members…

Robots Bring Math-Powered Ideas to Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Kasi C.

2013-01-01

What if every middle school student learned to create a robot in math class? What if every middle school had a robotics team? Would students view mathematics differently? Would they have a different relationship with technology? Might they see science and engineering as fields driven by innovation rather than memorization? As students find…

INSPIRE: A VLF Radio Project for High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Jill A.; Pine, Bill; Taylor, William W. L.

2007-01-01

Since 1988 the Interactive NASA Space Physics Ionospheric Radio Experiment, or INSPIRE, has given students the opportunity to build research-quality VLF radio receivers and make observations of both natural and stimulated radio waves in the atmosphere. Any high school science class is eligible to join the INSPIRE volunteer observing network and…

The Problem Is the Solution: Creating Original Problems in Gifted Mathematics Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsko, Vince; Thomas, Jerald

2014-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to assess the effect of a novel approach to mathematics instruction on gifted high school students' engagement, motivation, and metacognition. Participants in this study included gifted students who were enrolled in a 3-year, residential, specialized mathematics and science high school. Rather than respond…

An Evaluation of Instructor Qualifications for Teaching Dual Enrollment Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdul-Karim, Barbara Daaiyah

2010-01-01

This study examined instructor qualifications for teaching dual enrollment students, college-level work. This research focused on Maryland dual enrollment programs that offered both high school and college credit to high school students for each college Associate of Arts and Associate of Science transfer course taken. One significant goal of dual…

Aerospace-Oriented Units for Use in Secondary School Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Mary H.; And Others

This set of nine units is intended to furnish aerospace-oriented resource material to help teachers include recent scientific and technological advances in the secondary school science curriculum. The units provided are as follows: history of astronomy, the solar system, beyond the solar system, history of flight, spaceflight facts, aerology,…

The nature of culturally responsive pedagogy in two urban African American middle school science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondima, Michelle Harris

This ethnographic in nature study explores how two middle school science teachers who have classes populated by urban African Americans teach their students and how their students perceive their teaching. Since urban African American students continue to perform lower than desired on measures of science achievement, there is an urgent need to understand what pedagogical methodologies assist and hinder urban African American students in achieving higher levels of success in science. A pedagogical methodology that theorists posit assists subordinated school populations is culturally responsive pedagogy. Culturally responsive pedagogy is defined as a teaching methodology concerned with preparing students to question inequality, racism, and injustice. Teachers who use culturally responsive pedagogy respect the culture students bring to the class, and require that the teachers willingly do whatever is necessary to educate students (Nieto, 2000). The teacher participants were two female African Americans who were identified by their school supervisors as being highly effective with urban African American students. The researcher presented the teachers in separate case studies conducted over a data collection period of nine months. Data were collected by participant observation, interviews, and artifact collection. Data were analyzed by application of grounded theory techniques. Findings of the teachers' (and the students') beliefs about pedagogy that both assisted and hindered the students' performance in science were reported in a rich and nuanced storytelling manner based on multiple perspectives (teachers', students', and the researcher's). Pedagogical methodologies that the teachers used that assisted their students were the use of cultural metaphors and images in science and applications of motivational techniques that encouraged a nurturing relationship between the teacher and her students. Pedagogical methodologies that hindered students varied by teacher. Metaphorically, the teachers differed vividly. One was a nurturing mother, sister, and friend who assisted her students to cross the cultural line between the science classroom and their home and community. The other was a stern disciplinarian who painted a picture of order and hard work as keys for her students' success in school science. The researcher, who promotes a social justice ideology, made implications and recommendations for science teacher education and public policy.

Engineering Education in the Science Classroom: A Case Study of One Teacher's Disparate Approach with Ability-Tracked Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schnittka, Christine G.

2012-01-01

Currently, unless a K-12 student elects to enroll in technology-focused schools or classes, exposure to engineering design and habits of mind is minimal. However, the "Framework for K-12 Science Education," published by the National Research Council in 2011, includes engineering design as a new and major component of the science content…

1:1 Mobile Inquiry Learning Experience for Primary Science Students--A Study of Learning Effectiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Looi, C.-K.; Zhang, B.; Chen, W.; Seow, P.; Chia, G.; Norris, C.; Soloway, E.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the findings of a research project in which we transformed a primary (grade) 3 science curriculum for delivery via mobile technologies, and a teacher enacted the lessons over the 2009 academic year in a class in a primary school in Singapore. The students had a total of 21 weeks of the mobilized lessons in science, which were…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2015-01-01

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

Urban school leadership for elementary science education: Meeting the needs of English Language Learners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alarcon, Maricela H.

Science education reform and state testing accountability call upon principals to become instructional leaders in science. Specifically, elementary school principals must take an active role in science instruction to effectively improve science education for all students including English Language Learners. As such, the research questioned posed in this study centered on How are elementary school principals addressing the academic needs of Latino Spanish-speaking English language learners within science education? This study employed a qualitative research design to identify the factors contributing to the exemplary performance in science, as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), for English Language Learner students in three high poverty bilingual elementary schools based on a multiple case study. As part of the data collection process, interviews were conducted with three school principals, three science academic support teachers, and two 5th grade bilingual teachers. Additionally, observations were acquired through school principal shadowing. The findings revealed four attributes necessary for effective instructional leadership in science education. First, Positive School Culture was defined as the core that linked the other three instructional leadership attributes and thus increased their effectiveness. Second, Clear Goals and Expectations were set by making science a priority and ensuring that English language learners were transitioning from Spanish to English instruction by the fifth grade. Third, Critical Resourcing involved hiring a science academic support teacher, securing a science classroom on campus, and purchasing bilingual instructional materials. Fourth, principal led and supported Collaboration in which teachers met to discuss student performance based data in addition to curriculum and instruction. These research findings are vital because by implementing these best practices of elementary school principals, educators are positioned to lay the foundation for science needed for ELLs to continue their educational career with the tools needed to succeed in future science classes and in turn college, answering the call to effectively improve science within the educational system.

Vygotsky and the Socialization of Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doolittle, Peter E.

An activity has been used successfully for several years in a middle-school computer class to integrate writing instruction with computer science. Taking approximately five class periods, the activity consists of three phases: (1) the 6th-grade students use paper and pencil to write a story in any literary format; (2) 11th- and 12th-grade…

Attending and Responding to Student Thinking in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Daniel M.; Grant, Terrence; Hammer, David

2012-01-01

We present a class discussion that took place in the second author's high school biology class. Working from video data that we transcribed, studied, and analyzed closely, we recount how the question "Is air matter?" posed at the beginning of a unit on photosynthesis led to student-driven inquiry and learning. This case study illustrates what we…

A Comparative Study of a Research-Oriented High School Advanced Biology Class and a Conventional Textbook-Centered Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Alva Nelson

Two instructional methods were identified and compared to determine if any significant differences could be noted on three criterion measures. Measurements were conducted in the areas of achievement in biology, science attitudes, and critical thinking ability. Student ability was measured using pre-tests and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Students…

SRA Economics Materials in Grades One and Two. Evaluation Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaver, James P.; Larkins, A. Guy

A class of first graders and a class of second graders in four Salt Lake City schools comprised the experimental sample in a study whose objectives were (1) to develop a test for assessing learning with "Our Working World" materials, published by Science Research Associate (SRA), and (2) to determine if students using the materials made…

Teaching for Transformative Experience in Science: An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Two Instructional Elements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pugh, Kevin J.

2002-01-01

Examined the effectiveness of two teaching elements (the artistic crafting of content and the modeling and scaffolding of perception and value) at fostering transformative experiences among students in a high school zoology class. Student outcomes were compared to the outcomes of students in a class taught with a case-based method. Significantly…

Greenhouse Effect in the Classroom: A Project- and Laboratory-Based Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lueddecke, Susann B.; Pinter, Nicholas; McManus, Scott A.

2001-01-01

Tests a multifaceted curriculum for use in introductory earth science classes from the secondary school to the introductory undergraduate level. Simulates the greenhouse effect with two fish tanks, heat lamps, and thermometers. Uses a hands-on science approach to develop a deeper understanding of the climate system among students. (Contains 28…

32 CFR 242.8 - Academic, intellectual, and personal requirements for admission to the first-year class.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... FOR THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIFORMED SERVICES UNIVERSITY OF THE HEALTH SCIENCES § 242.8 Academic... Medicine of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is on a competitive basis, with...) Organic chemistry. 1 academic year including laboratory. (c) Mathematics. 1 academic year. (d) Physics. 1...

Space: The Final Frontier in the Learning of Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milne, Catherine

2014-01-01

In "Space", relations, and the learning of science", Wolff-Michael Roth and Pei-Ling Hsu use ethnomethodology to explore high school interns learning shopwork and shoptalk in a research lab that is located in a world class facility for water quality analysis. Using interaction analysis they identify how spaces, like a research…

Giving Students a Leg Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lund, Tony; Walker, Mimi

2015-01-01

To address the needs of the high population of students with learning disabilities at their school, the author and a colleague created an inclusion science class that focuses on active, hands-on science. The course prepares students of various learning abilities for the state-mandated end-of-course biology assessment. Many of their students have…

You, Too. The Social Science Newsletter for Secondary Teachers. Volume 3, Number 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Research Council of America, Cleveland, OH.

Published monthly during the school year, the newsletter disseminates ideas and suggestions concerning innovations and problem solutions for secondary social sciences. This issue focuses on teaching economic concepts in the classroom. The information is intended to help teachers deal knowledgeably with topics that crop up in classes such as…

Learning to Teach Computer Science: Qualitative Insights into Secondary Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubbard, Aleata Kimberly

2017-01-01

In this dissertation, I explored the pedagogical content knowledge of in-service high school educators recently assigned to teach computer science for the first time. Teachers were participating in a professional development program where they co-taught introductory computing classes with tech industry professionals. The study was motivated by…

Relating Aerospace to Physical Science Grades 7-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Mary H.; Rademacher, Jean

This guide is intended to provide the teacher of secondary school physical science classes with a source of information about recent applications, discoveries, and innovations in aerospace. Each section of the guide is subdivided into parts in which objectives are listed, background information for the use of the teacher and/or the student is…

32 CFR 242.8 - Academic, intellectual, and personal requirements for admission to the first-year class.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the humanities and/or the social and behavioral sciences, for these disciplines complement the study... undertake successfully the study of medicine. (1) Academic requirements. Recognizing that Service medicine... gaining admission to the School, but a strong foundation in the sciences basic to the study of medicine is...

32 CFR 242.8 - Academic, intellectual, and personal requirements for admission to the first-year class.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the humanities and/or the social and behavioral sciences, for these disciplines complement the study... undertake successfully the study of medicine. (1) Academic requirements. Recognizing that Service medicine... gaining admission to the School, but a strong foundation in the sciences basic to the study of medicine is...

New Curricular Material for Science Classes: How Do Students Evaluate It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freire, Sofia; Faria, Claudia; Galvao, Cecilia; Reis, Pedro

2013-01-01

Living in an unpredictable and ever changing society demands from its' citizens the development of complex competencies that challenges school, education and curriculum. PARSEL, a pan-European Project related to science education, emerges as a contribution to curricular development as it proposes a set of teaching-learning materials (modules) in…

The Land Is Like a Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Tom

2002-01-01

A 10-day summer science camp for high school students at an ecological research station in the Canadian tundra combines outdoor education and science education. Experiences with Dene elders led staff to implement their traditional teaching methods using the landscape as teacher. All classes are held outside, and a Dene couple complements the staff…

Developing a Scale on the Usage of Learner Control Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kutlu, M. Oguz

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a Likert-like scale in order to measure teachers' usage level of learner control strategy. This study was carried out with 219 State primary school teachers who were class teachers, Turkish teachers, English teachers, Mathematics teachers, Science teachers, Social Sciences teachers, Religion and Moral teachers…

Classroom Environment and Student Outcomes Associated with Using Anthropometry Activities in High School Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lightburn, Millard E.; Fraser, Barry J.

The study involved implementing and evaluating activities that actively engage students in the process of gathering, processing and analyzing data derived from human body measurements, with students using their prior knowledge acquired in science, mathematics, and computer classes to interpret this information. In the classroom activities…

Multiple Objectives Achieved with a Germination Experiment in a Science Education Biology Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergwerff, Ken; Warners, David

2007-01-01

In our college course, "Life Science for Elementary School Teachers," our investigation assesses the germination success of an invasive plant, purple loosestrife, compared to native wildflowers. Topics addressed include the scientific method, experimental design, seed dormancy, plant competition, ethno-botany, and success of non-native plants. The…

An Investigative Approach to Elementary School Science Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmiess, Elmer G.

This study was conducted to determine whether sixth grade students can successfully engage in scientific investigation. The success of the students' investigation was measured by their proficiency in solving selected problems, interest in science, and growth in solving new problems. One class of 34 sixth grade students was selected. A battery of…

Pre-college experiences in and out of the classroom lead to first-year barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reed, D. E.; Kaplita, E.; McKenzie, D. A.; Jones, R.; May, L. W.

2015-12-01

Students often enter college with preconceived notions about science. These misconceptions, coupled with a potential for a limited number of science classes during college for non-science majors, can make correcting misconceptions a very daunting challenge. In order to efficiently commutate climate science in a limited number of science classes, instructors need to understand the student experiences that have created their preconceived notions. In many cases, a lack of data about student's experiences leads to instructors simply guessing at how students are thinking about and interacting with science. Student surveys were used in our work to quantify pre-college experiences, both in and out of the classroom, in order to examine the connection to both academic major and choice of college or university students attended. Surveys were given to nearly 400 students across 4 different schools in the Oklahoma City Metro area. The location of students (rural or urban) affected science experiences as well as what types of actives (local libraries, museums, or parks) were available to the students. Connections between the timing of experience (elementary through high school) and the type of experience (in the classroom, with family/friends, or on their own) may influence choice of college or university as well as academic major. A better understating of positive student science experiences will allow instructors to better tailor their pedagogy and facilitate better connections between climate science and students.

The Impact of Length of Engagement in After-School STEM Programs on Middle School Girls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cupp, Garth Meichel

An underrepresentation of females exists in the STEM fields. In order to tackle this issue, work begins early in the education of young women to ensure they are interested and have the confidence to gain a career in the STEM fields. It is important to engage girls in STEM opportunities in and out of school to ignite their interest and build their confidence. Brigid Barron's learning ecology perspective shows that girls pursuing STEM outside of the classroom is critical to their achievement in the STEM pipeline. This study investigated the impact after-school STEM learning opportunities have on middle school girls by investigating (a) how the length of engagement in after-school programs can affect the confidence of female students in their science and math abilities; (b) how length of engagement in after-school programs can affect the interest of female students in attaining a career in STEM; (c) how length of engagement in after-school programs can affect interest in science and math classes; and (d) how length of engagement can affect how female students' view gender parity in the STEM workforce. The major findings revealed no statistical significance when comparing confidence in math or science abilities or the perception that gender plays a role in attaining a career in STEM. The findings revealed statistical significance in the areas when comparing length of engagement in the girls' interest in their math class and attaining a career in three of the four STEM fields: science, technology, and engineering. The findings showed that multiple terms of engagement in the after-school STEM programs appear to be an effective catalyst to maintain the interest of girls pursuing STEM-related careers, in addition to allowing their interest in a topic to provide a new lens for the way they see their math work during the school day. The implications of this study show that schools must engage middle school girls who are interested in STEM in a multitude of settings, including outside of the classroom in order to maintain engagement in the STEM pipeline.

Laboratory Procedures in Thermal Expansion and Viscosity of Liquids

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Paul Dow

1974-01-01

Describes the laboratory procedures for the measurement of thermal expansion and viscosity of liquids. These experiments require inexpensive equipment and are suitable for secondary school physical science classes. (JR)

The Pedagogical Orientations of South African Physical Sciences Teachers Towards Inquiry or Direct Instructional Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramnarain, Umesh; Schuster, David

2014-08-01

In recent years, inquiry-based science instruction has become widely advocated in science education standards in many countries and, hence, in teacher preparation programmes. Nevertheless, in practice, one finds a wide variety of science instructional approaches. In South Africa, as in many countries, there is also a great disparity in school demographic situations, which can also affect teaching practices. This study investigated the pedagogical orientations of in-service physical sciences teachers at a diversity of schools in South Africa. Assessment items in a Pedagogy of Science Teaching Test (POSTT) were used to identify teachers' science teaching orientations, and reasons for pedagogical choices were probed in interviews. The findings reveal remarkable differences between the orientations of teachers at disadvantaged township schools and teachers at more privileged suburban schools. We found that teachers at township schools have a strong `active direct' teaching orientation overall, involving direct exposition of the science followed by confirmatory practical work, while teachers at suburban schools exhibit a guided inquiry orientation, with concepts being developed via a guided exploration phase. The study identified contextual factors such as class size, availability of resources, teacher competence and confidence, time constraints, student ability, school culture and parents' expectations as influencing the methods adopted by teachers. In view of the recent imperative for inquiry-based learning in the new South African curriculum, this study affirms the context specificity of curriculum implementation (Bybee 1993) and suggests situational factors beyond the curriculum mandate that need to be addressed to achieve successful inquiry-based classroom instruction in science.

Trends in gender diversity American soil science classes: 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 academic years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindbo, David L.; Brevik, Eric C.; Vaughan, Karen L.; Parikh, Sanjai J.; Dilliver, Holly; Steffan, Joshua J.; Weindorf, David; McDaniel, Paul; Mbila, Monday; Edinger-Marshall, Susan; Thomas, Pamela

2017-04-01

A diverse workforce has been viewed for a long time as a healthy workforce. Traditionally however Soil Science has been seen as a male dominated field. The total number of female students enrolled showed increasing trends in all classes investigated during this study, but the percentage of female students showed a decline when analyzed by total students enrolled and also declined in four of the seven individual classes investigated. While both total enrollment and female enrollment increased during the study, male enrollment increased more rapidly than female enrollment. Soil biology/microbiology classes had a trend of more than 45% female enrollment throughout the study period, but many classes had less than 40% female enrollment, especially after the 2008-2009 academic year, and some hovered around only 35% female enrollment. The percentage of female soil science students had increased in the USA and Canada from 1992 to 2004 (Baveye et al., 2006) and Miller (2011) reported an increase in the number of female students at Iowa State University in the early 2000s. Therefore, the decrease in percentage of female soil science students found in our study was disappointing, even though absolute numbers of female students increased. It appears there is still a need to find ways to better market soil science coursework to female students. One possible way to accomplish this is to take advantage of the fact that many schools are now focusing efforts on STEM training specifically for females in grades 5-12, whereby science projects, after school programs, and mentorship can substantively influence females to pursue science-based fields in college. Another possibility is to promote the trends in female employment. As an example female employment within the Soil Science Division of the USDA-NRCS has increased over the same period. It should also be noted that the number of females in leadership roles has also increased. As a profession, soil science should look to take advantage of these types of opportunities. Baveye, P., A.R. Jacobson, S.E. Allaire, J.P. Tandarich, and R.B. Bryant. 2006. Whither goes soil science in the United States and Canada? Soil Sci. 171:501-518. Miller, B.A. 2011. Marketing and branding the agronomy major at Iowa State University. J. Nat. Res. Life Sci. Educ. 40:1-9. doi:10.4195/jnrlse.2009.0037u.

The Implementation of Integrated Natural Science Textbook of Junior High School be Charged on Character-based Shared Models to Improve the Competence of Learners' Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmiwati, S.; Ratnawulan; Yohandri

2018-04-01

The process of science learning can take place if there is an attempt to create an active learning atmosphere and can improve the knowledge competence of learners. One of the efforts made is to use learning resources. Textbooks are a learning resource used by learners. This study aims to describe the increase of knowledge’s competence of learners with integrated Natural Science (IPA) textbook of Junior High School (SMP) be charged on character-based shared model. The method used pre-test, post-test design with one group using the class as a research subject. Pre-test was given before treatment to measure student’s initial understanding of the problem, while the post-test was given to measure student’s final understanding.The subject of this research is students of class VII SMP N 13 Padang. Result of gain score is 0,73. The result showed competence student’s knowledge increased significantly and high categorized.

Progressing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in North Dakota with near-space ballooning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saad, Marissa Elizabeth

The United States must provide quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in order to maintain a leading role in the global economy. Numerous initiatives have been established across the United States that promote and encourage STEM education within the middle school curriculum. Integrating active learning pedagogy into instructors' lesson plans will prepare the students to think critically - a necessary skill for the twenty first century. This study integrated a three-week long Near Space Balloon project into six eighth grade Earth Science classes from Valley Middle School in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was hypothesized that after the students designed, constructed, launched, and analyzed their payload experiments, they would have an increased affinity for high school science and math classes. A pre- and post-survey was distributed to the students (n=124), before and after the project to analyze how effective this engineering and space mission was regarding high school STEM interests. The surveys were statistically analyzed, comparing means by the Student's t-Test, specifically the Welch-Satterthwaite test. Female students displayed a 57.1% increase in math and a 63.6% increase in science; male students displayed a 46.6% increase in science and 0% increase in math. Most Likert-scale survey questions experienced no statistically significant change, supporting the null hypothesis. The only survey question that supported the hypothesis was, "I Think Engineers Work Alone," which experienced a 0.24% decrease in student understanding. The results suggest that integrating a three-week long Near Space Balloon project into middle school curricula will not directly influence the students' excitement to pursue STEM subjects and careers. An extensive, yearlong ballooning mission is recommended so that it can be integrated with multiple core subjects. Using such an innovative pedagogy method as with this balloon launch will help students master the scientific process and experience real team collaboration, as they did in this successful mission.

Alien or Alike? How the Perceived Similarity Between the Typical Science Teacher and a Student's Self-Image Correlates with Choosing Science at School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessels, Ursula; Taconis, Ruurd

2012-12-01

By applying the self-to-prototype matching theory to students' academic choices, this study links the unpopularity of science in many industrialized countries with the perceived gap between typical persons representing science (e.g. physics teachers) on the one hand and students' self-image on the other. A sample of N = 308 Dutch and German students described both themselves and typical teachers representing different school subjects using 65 trait adjectives. The following hypotheses were tested: The typical hard sciences teacher and the typical languages teacher will be perceived as differing in their personal characteristics. The typical physics teachers will be perceived as being less similar to students' own self-image than teachers representing languages. Actual choices students make during secondary school should correlate with the perceived fit between students' self-image and the prototype of teachers representing different school subjects, especially in the less frequent and less popular choices of a math or physics major/profile. The findings supported these hypotheses. The discussion stresses that students acquire not only knowledge about science but also about science culture (sensu Aikenhead) in their science classes and that students' image of science teachers can influence their academic choices.

Nontraditional inheritance: Genetics and the nature of science, now titled, The puzzle of inheritance: Genetics and the methods of science. Final report

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

McInerney, J.D.

1998-08-31

This project led to the development of an instructional module designed for use in high school biology classes. The module contains two major components. The first is an overview for teachers, which introduces the module, describes the Human Genome Project, and addresses issues in the philosophy of science and some of the ethical, legal, and social implications of research in genetics. It provides a survey of fundamental genetics concepts and of new, nontraditional concepts of inheritance. The second component provides six instructional activities appropriate for high school or introductory college students.

Box Cello Middle School Science Clubs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandegrift, Guy

1998-10-01

The Box Cello is a middle school science club which is attempting to (1) understand the cello and (2) design a low-cost starter instrument. We can support and justify this research by adding a third goal: (3) to help supply local science classes with equipment. My policy of spending one entire day each week away from the university, out in a local school is essential to this project. This schedule also permits me to conduct lessons on optics and music in the schools. And, it permits circulation of tools and equipment. A simple calculation demonstrates the great economy achieved by combining science clubs with academic year school visits. Consider the cost of letting 10,000 students in 10 middle schools each learn about and play with a pair of "upside-down" glasses for one hour. A visit to each school for three consecutive weeks would easily permit such a circulation if only 30 pairs were constructed. Assume rhetorically, that the construction of 30 pairs of glasses were to consume the entire estimated annual budget of $100,000. The cost per student would be only ten dollars! The visits, guest lectures, and equipment loans permit informal networking (including lunch) with math, science and music teachers in 10 schools. For more information, visit the http://www.utep.edu/boxcello/

Girls, girls, girls: Gender composition and female school choice.

PubMed

Schneeweis, Nicole; Zweimüller, Martina

2012-08-01

Gender segregation in employment may be explained by women's reluctance to choose technical occupations. However, the foundations for career choices are laid much earlier. Educational experts claim that female students are doing better in math and science and are more likely to choose these subjects if they are in single-sex classes. One possible explanation is that coeducational settings reinforce gender stereotypes. In this paper, we identify the causal impact of the gender composition in coeducational classes on the choice of school type for female students. Using natural variation in the gender composition of adjacent cohorts within schools, we show that girls are less likely to choose a traditionally female dominated school type and more likely to choose a male dominated school type at the age of 14 if they were exposed to a higher share of girls in previous grades.

Collaborative Science Work in the Elementary Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kersey, Denise A.

Not all students with disabilities receive special education accommodations in science class. Without special education support, students with disabilities are unable to comprehend and apply science concepts. Implementing a co-teaching model could be a remedy for this lack of supports. Framed by constructivist theory, this study sought to determine if there was a difference in science assessment scores between students in a co-taught science class and those in a regular education science class. Following a pretest-posttest control group design, this study examined the relation between two teaching models and achievement in science. Using a convenience sample of 84 students drawn from a population of 144 fourth grade special education students in a public school district located in the Southeastern United States, analysis of variance was used to compare the mean growth of the two groups. The data revealed no statistically significant difference in mean gain scores between the two groups. Additional studies using a larger sample and longer trial are needed. Implications for social change include understanding instructional strategies that allow educators to differentiate for diverse learners in mainstreamed classrooms as well as removing barriers for underrepresented groups, thereby allowing equal access to science related professions.

How Things Work, an Enrichment Class for Middle School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goller, Tamara; Watson, Nancy; Watson, James

1998-05-01

Middle School students are curious about their surroundings. They are always asking questions about how things work. So this semester two middle school science teachers and a physicist combined their strengths and taught HOW THINGS WORK, THE PHYSICS OF EVERYDAY LIFE (a book by Louis A. Bloomfield). The students studied the physics behind everyday objects to see how they worked. They read, discussed the physics, and completed laboratory exercises using lasers, cameras, and other objects. Each student then picked an inventor that interested him/her and used the INTERNET to research the inventor and made a class presentation. For the final project, each students use the physics they learned and became an inventor and made an invention.

The personal is professional: Connecting white urban middle school science teachers' biographies to their teaching of all students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oey, Esther Ruth

The purpose of this study was to examine if and in what ways white, urban middle school science teachers use experiences of being marginalized or feeling different to connect to students coming from backgrounds unlike their own---especially students who are racially, culturally, linguistically and otherwise different from them, the school culture and the dominant society. Personal biography was used to frame this study. Data consisted of structured and semi-structured interviews and classroom observations of one female and two male science teachers gathered over one academic year. Results indicated that experiences with difference may be used to inform teachers' practices, but personal biography alone was insufficient to enable the teachers to reflect on their experiences with race, class, gender, and difference. Also, attending to emotions appeared to be an important factor in helping students develop cognitive skills in science classrooms.

Life histories of female elementary teachers and their science/teacher role construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramseur, Aletha Johnson

The research conducted in this study focuses on life histories of female elementary teachers and their science/teacher role construction. Identity theorists argue that the self consists of a collection of identities founded on occupying a particular role. Who we are depends on the roles we occupy. These roles are often referred to as "role identities". In the case of these participants, many role identities (mother, wife, sibling, and teacher) exist. This study focuses primarily on their (science) teacher role identity. Literature on women's lives, as learners and teachers, suggest that women's experiences, currently and throughout history influenced their teacher role construction. There is however, little knowledge of women's lives as elementary teachers of science and the affect of their experiences, currently and throughout history, on their (science) teacher identity construction. Schools delineated by race, class, and gender relations, are similar to other sectors of society's, social and cultural spheres within which race, class, and gender identities are constructed. Using in-depth-interviews female elementary teachers were encouraged to actively reconstruct their life and work-life experiences focusing on family, school and science interactions. They addressed the intellectual and emotional connections between their life and work experiences by focusing on details of their past and present experiences and examining the meaning of those experiences. It was the scrutiny of these connections between their life and work experiences, the meaning derived from them and historical events, and the constraints imposed on their personal choices by broader power relations, such as those of class, race, and gender that informed why we teach, how we teach, and what we teach.

One-Celled Creatures From the Black Lagoon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClellan, Ray E.

1974-01-01

Describes methods of developing and using cultures of microoganisms suitable for use in elementary school science classes. Emphasis is placed upon the characteristics and culturing of amoeba, paramecia, euglena, rotifers, and algae. (JR)

An analysis of the arguments for intelligent design creationism to be taught in science classes, in the public education system of the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godden, Paul

Teaching creationism, also called creation science, intelligent design (ID), and evidence against evolution--a religious doctrine, holding that life and the universe were created by a supernatural actor out of nothing--contravenes the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and is illegal in U.S. public science classes. Nevertheless many U.S. high school science teachers continue to teach creationist doctrine as part of an undocumented, or hidden, curriculum. The arguments advanced in this study propose that creationism--as opposed to evolution--cannot be defined as science, and seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What arguments have been put forward by advocates of creationism, to make the case for creationist ideology in U.S. public school science classes? (2) What impact have the arguments of proponents of intelligent design creationism had, on American public education policy and the law? Data has been collected from precedent-setting U.S. Supreme Court rulings and associated texts, e.g., expert witness testimony under oath, cross-examination, and published works referred to in the proceedings. Testimony was analysed for its content--content analytic--to address specific creationist arguments with regard to scientific rigour, honesty and empirical reasoning. Judicial opinion proved to be more relevant in terms of commentary--context analytic. Judges as decision makers have given clear accounts of how creationist arguments have swayed their ruling, and thus U.S. law and government education policy, thereby directly addressing this study's second research question. In addressing these questions, this research has provided a summative analysis of the arguments presented for ID to be taught in the science classrooms of U.S. public schools, and the counter arguments which have convinced U.S. Supreme Court Judges to deny consistent attempts to include its doctrine in science curricula. In doing so, this study provides a detailed baseline to which future arguments can be compared to highlight new--or simply recycled--points in the debate, and to identify any potential strategies for alleviating this on-going and costly dispute.