bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Collaborative Teams in a University Statistics Course: A Case Study of How Differing Value Structures Inhibit Change
Authors: Davis Nancy T. , Blanchard Margaret R.
Published: March 2010

In a rapidly changing world, individuals need the intellectual agility, problem‐solving skills, and increased interdependence that are not developed in a traditional classroom. Despite years of reform efforts, little change in practice has been observed. This is a case study of the efforts of a statistics professor who used collaborative learning to prepare his students for the challenges of the 21st century. The nature of the statistics course, the intentions of the professor, and the interactions and feedback of his students are analyzed in terms of their underlying value structures (Beck & Cowan, 1996). Conflicting expectations and experiences, particularly with assessment, resulted in dissatisfaction and frustrations for the professor and the students.
The Influences of Three Interventions on Prospective Elementary Teachers' Beliefs About the Knowledge Base Needed for Teaching Mathematics
Authors: Timmerman Maria A.
Published: March 2010

To meet the challenge to reform mathematics education, effective opportunities to learn are needed to promote prospective elementary school teachers' development of the knowledge base that supports teaching for mathematical proficiency. This article describes three professional development interventions and their influence on prospective teachers' beliefs about mathematics, how children learn mathematics, and mathematics teaching. The three interventions consisted of problem‐solving journals, structured interviews, and peer teaching that were integrated in a PreK‐6 mathematics methods course. Results of precourse and postcourse survey data are included that measured 24 prospective teachers' beliefs about the knowledge base needed to teach elementary school mathematics. Data indicated that using these interventions and other course experiences facilitated change in the prospective teachers' beliefs, with a shift toward reform‐oriented mathematics education perspectives.
Revisiting the STEBI‐B: Measuring Self‐Efficacy in Preservice Elementary Teachers
Authors: Bleicher Robert E.
Published: March 2010

The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument‐Preservice (STEBI‐B) has been used in many studies to measure science teaching self‐efficacy and outcome expectancy in preservice elementary teachers. Since its development in 1990, there have been no studies that have re‐examined its internal validity and reliability. The purpose of this study was to do so. Two hundred ninety preservice elementary teachers participated in this study. The STEBI‐B was administered at the beginning of science methods courses. A factor analysis established that the two subscales, Personal Science Teaching Efficacy Belief (PSTE) and Science Teaching Outcome Expectancy (STOE), on the STEBI‐B were homogeneous, and loadings were comparable to those reported by Enochs and Riggs (1990). Two items on the STOE were found to exhibit cross‐loading on the factor analysis, as well as low item‐total correlations. These two items were modified and the revised instrument administered to 86 new participants. Both revised items loaded more clearly on the STOE subscale, and item‐total correlations were stronger. Comparison of means analyses showed that gender, number of science courses taken, and school science experiences had significant associations with PSTE. The STEBI‐B continues to be employed in hundreds of studies to measure science teaching self‐efficacy. It is important to continue to monitor its reliability and validity, as well as check on associations with various background variables. The modified STEBI‐B is included in an appendix with this article.
Using Teacher Portfolios to Enrich the Methods Course Experiences of Prospective Mathematics Teachers
Authors: Hartmann Christopher
Published: March 2010

This paper illustrates ways to employ teacher portfolios to improve the quality of methods course experiences for prospective mathematics teachers. Based upon research conducted in an undergraduate teacher preparation program, this case study describes how the author used teacher portfolios to mentor prospective teachers in new ways. The case describes the author's experiences through a case study of his assessment of and response to one prospective teacher's portfolio. This portfolio illustrated themes that were present in other teachers' portfolios, but did so in ways that highlighted strategies for change to the methods course. Through the lens of this teacher's portfolio the author identified specific ways that the prospective teacher's beliefs were impacting her teaching practice, a result that enabled him to better help all of the teachers in the methods course reflect on their teaching. By providing a detailed account of the feedback process that led to this result, this paper illustrates how mathematics teacher educators can use prospective teachers' portfolios to enrich the quality of their methods courses.
Describing and Evaluating an Exemplary Mathematics Elementary Staff Development Project
Authors: Mittag Kathleen Cage , Shoho Alan , Lien Violetta
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this paper is to describe the model of a mathematics and science staff development cooperative and focus on the evaluation of the mathematics component. The Mathematics and Science Education Cooperative (MSEC) was a comprehensive, long‐range staff development program to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science at the elementary school level. The special features of MSEC were (a) it provided year‐round, multiyear involvement, and (b) each year an affective strand was included. Statistically significant student mathematics results from the years 1998–2000 are presented.
Using Form and Function Analogy Object Boxes to Teach Human Body Systems
Authors: Rule Audrey C. , Furletti Charles
Published: March 2010

This study compares the use of form and function analogy object boxes to more traditional lecture and worksheet instruction during a 10th‐grade unit on human body systems. The study was conducted with two classes (N= 32) of mixed ability students at a high‐needs rural high school in central New York State. The study used a pretest/posttest design, in which the two classes alternated between conditions for the four systems (skeletal, digestive, immune, nervous). Both conditions involved students in quality instruction addressing the same concepts for the same amount of time. Additionally, all students participated in hands‐on labs. The experimental condition presented students with a set of objects analogous in form and function to parts of a human body system. Students matched objects with cards describing body system parts, mapped the analogies on a chart, generated alternative objects that could be used for the analogy, and finally, created new analogies for other body system parts. Students made significantly higher posttest and gain scores on material learned in the experimental condition, with a mean gain score average of 12.4 points out of 25, compared to 6.2 points in the control condition. Cohen's Effect Size was large, 1.36.
Reform Teaching Strategies Used by Student Teachers
Authors: Morrell Patricia D. , Wainwright Camille , Flick Lawrence
Published: March 2010

The purposes of this study were to observe the teaching practices occurring in student teachers' science and mathematics K‐12 classrooms, compare the student teachers' perceptions of their teaching with what was actually occurring in their classrooms, and determine which college faculty members and courses these student teachers felt contributed to the teaching methods they used. Data on each student teacher were gathered via field notes of three classes, an observation protocol completed after each lesson, and an interview. Composites were written for each of the students. The total data set of all composites was examined to see if any patterns generalizable to the whole were evident. Differences between and among grade levels and content areas surfaced and are discussed.
Change in Preservice Teachers' Beliefs: An Evaluation of a Mathematics Methods Course
Authors: Wilkins Jesse L. M. , Brand Brenda R.
Published: March 2010

This study investigated and evaluated the potential impact of an elementary mathematics methods course in promoting teacher beliefs and attitudes that are consistent with the underlying philosophy of current reform efforts in mathematics education. Using the Mathematics Beliefs Instrument (MBI; Hart, 2002), data from 89 preservice teachers were used to evaluate the course. Findings from the study suggest a positive relationship between participating in the mathematics methods course and change in teacher beliefs and attitudes. This study also provided additional validation of the MBI.
Integrating Science and Mathematics Education: Historical Analysis
Authors: Berlin Donna F. , Lee Hyonyong
Published: March 2010

A number of national science and mathematics education professional associations, and recently technology education associations, are united in their support for the integration of science and mathematics teaching and learning. The purpose of this historical analysis is two‐fold: (a) to survey the nature and number of documents related to integrated science and mathematics education published from 1901 through 2001 and (b) to compare the nature and number of integrated science and mathematics documents published from 1990 through 2001 to the previous 89 years (1901–1989). Based upon this historical analysis, three conclusions have emerged. First, national and state standards in science and mathematics education have resulted in greater attention to integrated science and mathematics education, particularly in the area of teacher education, as evidenced by the proliferation of documents on this topic published from 1901–2001. Second, the historical comparison between the time periods of 1901–1989 versus 1990–2001 reveals a grade‐level shift in integrated instructional documents. Middle school science continues to be highlighted in integrated instructional documents, but surprisingly, a greater emphasis upon secondary mathematics and science education is apparent in the integration literature published from 1990–2001. Third, although several theoretical integration models have been posited in the literature published from 1990–2001, more empirical research grounded in these theoretical models is clearly needed in the 21st century.
Inquiry Teaching and Learning: The Best Math Class Study
Authors: Stonewater Jerry K.
Published: March 2010

This research reports on prospective middle school teachers' perceptions of a “best mathematics class” during their involvement in an inquiry‐designed mathematics content course. Grounded in the prestigious Glenn Commission report (U.S. Department of Education, 2000), the study examined the prospective teachers' perceptions of effective mathematics instruction both prior to and after completing the inquiry course. Pre‐essay analysis revealed that students could be grouped into one of two categories: the Watch‐Learn‐Practice view and the Self as Initiator view. Post‐essay analysis indicated that over two thirds of all students involved in the study changed their views of a best math class after the inquiry courses. The Watch‐Learn‐Practice group's changes focused on developing reasoning skills and learning how one “knows” in mathematics. The Self as Initiator group noted expanded roles for the students, particularly emphasizing the importance of going beyond basic requirements to think deeply about the why and how of mathematics and expanded views of the benefits of group learning.
Learning the Learning Cycle: The Differential Effect on Elementary Preservice Teachers
Authors: Lindgren Joan , Bleicher Robert E.
Published: March 2010

This study examined the difficulties and factors that led to understanding the learning cycle teaching strategy. Participants included 83 preservice elementary teachers (PTs) enrolled in multiple sections of a science methods course taught by the same professor, one of the authors of this study. Analysis revealed that there were four categories of PTs, ranging from Enthusiastic to Fearful students, distinguished by their science content background and attitudes to science. High achieving students, successful in science courses, felt confused by the learning cycle that was so different from their previous science learning experiences and formed mindsets against learning it. Average students who expressed disinterest or even fear of science embraced it as their first successful science learning experience. Multiple exposures to the learning cycle were necessary to overcome these mindsets. Most PTs in all categories increased in their understanding of the learning cycle and perceived it as an effective method for allowing students to construct their understanding of science.
Algebra Teachers' Utilization of Problems Requiring Transfer Between Algebraic, Numeric, and Graphic Representations
Authors: Cunningham Robert F.
Published: March 2010

For students to develop an understanding of functions, they must have opportunities to solve problems that require them to transfer between algebraic, numeric, and graphic representations (transfer problems). Research has confirmed student difficulties with certain types of transfer problems and has suggested instructional factors as a possible cause. Algebra teachers (n= 28) were surveyed to determine the amount of class time they devote to different types of transfer problems and how many times these problems appear on their teacher‐made assessments. Results suggest that teachers dedicate less class time to graphic to numeric transfer problems than to any other type of transfer problem and that these problems appear less frequently on assessments. These are exactly the types of transfer problems that pose the most difficulty for students. It is conjectured that teachers' familiarity with these problems, combined with assumed student mastery, contribute to this mismatch.
Relationship Between Science and Mathematics Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers
Authors: Utley Juliana , Moseley Christine , Bryant Richard
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in teacher efficacy beliefs about mathematics and science teaching during participation in methods courses and student teaching, as well as the relationship between mathematics and science teaching efficacy. Data revealed that, as science and mathematics teacher education in a methods course progressed, science and mathematics teaching efficacy significantly increased. This effect appeared to decrease slightly by the end of student teaching. Analysis of data indicated a significant difference in both the personal mathematics and personal science teaching efficacy scores, as well as mathematics outcome expectancy. Additionally, preservice teachers' personal mathematics and science teaching efficacies were directly related, as were their mathematics and science teaching outcome expectancies.
Interpreting Middle School Students' Proportional Reasoning Strategies: Observations From Preservice Teachers
Authors: Hines Ellen , McMahon Mary T.
Published: March 2010

This paper reports the findings of an investigation of 11 preservice secondary school teachers' interpretations of the development of proportional reasoning strategies used by middle school students. The preservice teachers examined samples of solution strategies generated by middle school students in proportional reasoning situations and prepared written responses of their views concerning the developmental levels indicated in the students' work. Each preservice teacher also participated in an hour‐long interview, in which the researchers asked for elaboration and clarification of the written responses and, in some cases, challenged the preservice teachers to consider alternative interpretations for the middle school students' work. The interviews were audiotaped for later analysis by the investigators, and key aspects of both the written and audiotaped responses were entered into a spreadsheet and later tabulated into categories indicating trends in the preservice teachers' interpretations. Some implications for the preparation of preservice middle school science and mathematics teachers are included.
“I Am Science and the World Is Mine”: Embodied Practices as Resources for Empowerment
Authors: Elmesky Rowhea
Published: March 2010

Those who are most marginalized, both culturally and economically, in society are concentrated in the nation's largest urban centers and have the least opportunities to be successful in school science or to pursue higher education and career trajectories in science, mathematics, or engineering. This article shares the results of a study in which African American economically disadvantaged high school students living in Philadelphia were hired as student researchers and had the opportunity to develop a curriculum enhancer — a movie entitled Sound in the City. The findings reveal that the students' capacity to act, or their sense of agency, expanded both through the process of making the movie and with the final movie product. During the production of the movie, the youth accessed multiple resources (both physical and human) to represent abstract physics facts in contextualized ways. Specifically, this article illuminates how they drew upon embodied practices that included rhythm, verbal fluency, and high energy in creating and filming the movie segments, as well as behind the scenes as they worked to understand the physics content. This study urges the science education community to consider how students' embodied practices can connect them to science in empowering ways that expand their capacity for action in multiple spaces.
Using Prompted Praxis to Improve Teacher Professional Development in Culturally Diverse Schools
Authors: Rodriguez Alberto J. , Zozakiewicz Cathy , Yerrick Randy
Published: March 2010

Recent science and teacher education reports continue to stress the need for radical changes in the way teachers are prepared to teach science to diverse learners. In response, a three‐year intervention project was developed to help teachers in culturally diverse schools transform their science teaching practices using learning technologies. Many challenges arose that called for strategies to further manage the progress of the project. This paper describes how one of those strategies, “prompted praxis,” was used to manage two of the main challenges encountered, the teachers' following through with their professional development goals and our own sense of urgency to effect change.
Biomedical Engineering and Cognitive Science as the Basis for Secondary Science Curriculum Development: A Three Year Study
Authors: Klein Stacy S. , Sherwood Robert D.
Published: March 2010

This study reports on a multiyear effort to create and evaluate cognitive‐based curricular materials for secondary school science classrooms. A team of secondary teachers, educational researchers, and academic biomedical engineers developed a series of curriculum units that are based in biomedical engineering for secondary level students in physics and advanced biology classes. These units made use of an instructional design based upon recent cognitive science research called the Legacy Cycle. Over a 3‐year period, comparison of student knowledge on written questions related to central concepts in physics and/or biology generally favored students who had worked with the experimental materials over students in control classrooms. In addition, experimental students were better able to solve applications type problems, as well as unit‐specific near transfer problems.
Analyzing Student Work as a Professional Development Activity
Authors: Krebs Angela S.
Published: March 2010

When worthwhile mathematical tasks are used in classrooms, they should also become a crucial element of assessment. For teachers, using these tasks in classrooms requires a different way to analyze student thinking than the traditional assessment model. Looking carefully at students' written work on worthwhile mathematical tasks and listening carefully while students explore these worthwhile tasks can contribute to a teacher's professional development. This paper reports on a professional development activity in which teachers analyzed mathematical tasks, predicted students' achievement on tasks, evaluated students' written work, listened to students' reasoning, and assessed students' understanding. Teachers' engagement in this way can help them develop flexibility and proficiency in the evaluation of their own students' work. These experiences allow teachers the opportunity to recognize students' potential, strengthen their own mathematical understanding, and engage in conversations with peers about assessment and instruction.
The Role of Teachers' Beliefs and Knowledge in the Adoption of a Reform‐Based Curriculum
Authors: Roehrig Gillian H. , Kruse Rebecca A.
Published: March 2010

Science as inquiry is a key content standard in the National Science Education Standards; however, few secondary science teachers successfully and consistently implement inquiry‐based instruction in their classrooms. This research examines the role of reform‐based curricular materials in influencing the classroom practices of 12 high school chemistry teachers and investigates the role of the teachers' knowledge and beliefs in their implementation of the reform‐based chemistry curriculum. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in the form of beliefs interviews and classroom observations. The teachers' classroom practices were measured prior to and during the field test of the reform‐based chemistry curriculum. Analysis of the data revealed that teachers' classroom practice became more reform‐based in the presence of the new curriculum; however, the degree of change is related to the teachers' beliefs about teaching and learning, depth of chemistry knowledge, and years of teaching experience. Experienced, out‐of‐discipline teachers with transitional or student‐centered teaching beliefs demonstrated the most growth in reform‐based teaching practices. This study reinforces the need for reform‐based curriculum to assist teachers in implementing the intent of the National Science Education Standards.
The Impact of Participation in an Ancillary Science and Mathematics Program (SEMAA) on Engagement Rates of Middle School Students in Regular Mathematics Classrooms
Authors: Seaton Daniel M. , Carr Donna
Published: March 2010

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 Student Record of Behavior at three time intervals. Results of a 22.3 ANOVA investigating three main effects (participation, level of access to technology, and time) and their primary and secondary interactions reflected no discernable impact of the SEMAA program on student engagement rates. Ancillary programs designed to compensate for deficiencies in daily instructional programs may represent engagement opportunities vastly different from the daily instructional programs they support. Consequently, ancillary programs may not impact engagement in regular classrooms and subsequently improve achievement outcomes, especially when implemented in low‐performing schools and high‐stakes accountability settings. Recommendations include alignment of ancillary programs with the daily instructional programs they support and with ongoing professional development activities and that further study include broadened samples, settings, and variables.
Uncovering Student Ownership in Science Learning: The Making of a Student Created Mini‐Documentary
Authors: O'Neill Tara
Published: March 2010

An important challenge in urban science education is finding ways to engage all students in the learning of science. However, research in this area has consistenly shown that around middle school student engagement in science wanes. Using critical ethnographic methods this study reveals how students cultivate a sense of ownership in an informal science video project. Student ownership of what they they learn plays an important role in how they engage in the learning environment. In this study ownership is characterized by five themes, and the notion of student ownership science is challenged as an outcome. Ownership is defined as a complex, multifaceted process that captures the relationships that students build between themselves, as youth and as learners, with science as the subject they aspire to participate in and with the context in which that participation takes place.
Boundary Spanners as Bridges of Student and School Discourses in an Urban Science and Mathematics High School
Authors: Buxton Cory A. , Carlone Heidi B. , Carlone David
Published: March 2010

A key to improving urban science and mathematics education is to facilitate the mutual understanding of the participants involved and then look for strategies to bridge differences. Educators need new theoretical tools to do so. In this paper the argument is made that the concept of “boundary spanner” is such a tool. Boundary spanners are individuals, objects, media, and other experiences that link an organization to its environment. They serve critical communicative roles, such as bridges for bringing distinct discourses together, cultural guides to make discourses of the “other” more explicit, and change agents for potentially reshaping participants' discourses. This ethnographic study provides three examples of boundary spanners found in the context of an urban public high school of science, mathematics, and technology: boundary media, boundary objects, and boundary experiences. The analysis brings to the foreground students' and teachers' distinct discourses about “good student identity,”“good student work,” and “good summer experience” and demonstrates how boundary spanners shaped, were shaped by, and sometimes brought together participants' distinct discourses. An argument is made for boundary spanners' practical and theoretical utility: practically, as a tool for enhancing meaning‐making between diverse groups, and theoretically, as a heuristic tool for understanding the reproductive and transformative aspects of urban science education.
The Winds Are Variable: Student Intuitions About Variation
Authors: Watson Jane M. , Kelly Ben A.
Published: March 2010

This study uses the context of the weather to explore the development of students' intuitive ideas of variation from pre‐Grade 1 to Grade 9. Three aspects of understanding these intuitions associated with variation are explored in individual videotaped interviews with 73 students: explanations, suggestions of data, and graphing. The development of these three aspects across grades is explored, as well as the associations among them. Fifty‐eight of the students also answered a general question on the definitions of “variation” and “variable,” and these responses are discussed and compared with responses to the weather task. The interview protocol may prove useful for teachers, particularly with younger children, to appreciate students' developing understanding of variation and provide starting points for classroom work of a more specific nature, either with respect to weather or other contextual topics.
Content Analysis of Gender‐related Differential Item Functioning TIMSS Items in Mathematics in Jordan
Authors: Innabi Hanan , Dodeen Hamzeh
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this study is to analyze items that exhibit gender‐related Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in Mathematics in Jordan. Data was taken from the TIMSS 1999 of Jordan, which includes responses of 5,299 eighth grade students. Mantel‐Haenszel (MH) DIF procedure was applied to 124 multiple‐choice items. The results showed that 37 items exhibited gender‐related DIF. The analysis of the content of these items reflected some patterns that need further investigation. All the DIF items in measurement content favored male students while most of the DIF items in algebraic and data analysis contents favored female students. Most of the DIF items that negatively impacted on females were unfamiliar items that required some risk taking such as estimation, expectation, or approximation. On the other hand, most of the DIF items that favored females were familiar items which have one specific correct answer. Some implications for both research and teaching practice are provided.
Issues and Challenges for Middle School Mathematics Teachers in Inclusion Classrooms
Authors: DeSimone Janet R. , Parmar Rene S.
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate typical middle school general education mathematics teachers' beliefs and knowledge of students with learning disabilities and inclusive instruction and to gain an understanding of the process of inclusion as it is implemented in middle school classrooms. In‐depth interviews, surveys, and classroom observations were conducted with seven teachers. The constant comparative method was used to analyze all interview and observation data. The findings reveal that even teachers who believe that inclusion is being successfully implemented are unclear about their responsibilities towards included students and the learning characteristics and specific mathematics teaching approaches that would be effective. The general educators feel that they were grossly under‐prepared during preservice and inservice for the realities of inclusion teaching. The study provides insights that can be used to enhance preservice and inservice programs for teachers and underscores the necessity for building teamwork and collaboration among general and special education middle school teachers.
An Evaluation of a Master's Degree in K‐8 Mathematics and Science: Classroom Practice
Authors: Lewis Nancy S. , Jeanpierre Bobby
Published: March 2010

“Evaluation as a particular kind of investigated discipline is distinguished from, for example, traditional empirical research in the social sciences or from literary criticism, criminalistics, or investigative reporting, partly by its extraordinary multidisciplinarity” (Scrivens, 1991, p. 141). It is this unique multidisciplinary feature of evaluation that adds usefulness when determining the effectiveness of programs seeking to integrate mathematics and science teaching and learning across elementary and middle grade levels.

In 2005, a K‐8 mathematics and science program celebrated its 15th year of service. The program was the result of education, business, and community partnership efforts focused on improving mathematics and science teaching and learning in schools throughout a metropolitan region in the southeastern United States. To date, over 350 K‐8 teachers have completed a master's degree through this mathematics and science education program. The director realized that an evaluation of the program would likely provide insights that would benefit not only the efforts of the program but the broader mathematics and science teaching and learning community. Hence, the National Science Foundation (award No. 9815931), which had provided start‐up funds for the program responded to this need and provided funding for a longitudinal evaluation of the program. The evaluation was conducted from 1999 to 2004.

This article focuses on the evaluation results for years 1 and 2 and addresses the question related to changes in teachers' classroom practice.
Bridging Engineering and Science Teaching: A Collaborative Effort to Design Instruction for College Students
Authors: Schneider Rebecca , Pickett Mark
Published: March 2010

Reformers seeking to increase student understanding and interest are looking to collaborative partnerships to support improved science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching. At the college level, partnerships across colleges are encouraged by reformers in order to provide all students with strong content understanding, model recommended practices for future teachers, and increase participation by underrepresented groups in STEM careers. Collaborative curriculum development, however, is not a trivial undertaking and success is not guaranteed. A better understanding of how partners with different backgrounds interact and what types of instructional changes can be expected from initial attempts will facilitate this potentially powerful approach to instructional change. In this project, 2 engineers and 2 science educators worked jointly to develop a design‐based core engineering course to meet the needs and interests of future engineers and science educators. Interaction among planners and development progress were documented by written meeting records and reflections, emails, and records of planning stages and products. Analysis characterized interactions between engineers and educators and the resulting instructional changes. In spite of a strong interest in partners' topics and mutual goals, specialized language and professional cultural differences presented obstacles to understanding and development progress. Also described are the types of instructional changes reasonable to expect in initial development efforts.
Teaching through Interactive Engagement: Communication is Experience
Authors: Ezrailson Cathy , Kamon Teruki , Loving Cathleen C. , McIntyre Peter M.
Published: March 2010

“If you hold a cat by the tail you learn things you can not learn any other way.”‐ Mark Twain
Exploring Problem‐based Learning in the Context of High School Science: Design and Implementation Issues
Authors: Goodnough Karen , Cashion Marie
Published: March 2010

This paper reports on the experiences of a small collaborative inquiry group consisting of a high school science teacher, Deidre, and two university researchers, the authors of this paper, as they explored an active, inquiry‐based approach to teaching and learning referred to as Problem‐Based Learning or PBL (Barrows, 1994; Barrows & Tamblyn, 1980). Although PBL is not new and has an established tradition in medical education and other professional schools, the use and scholarship of PBL at the secondary level is only starting to emerge. This small‐scale collaboration allowed the co‐inquirers to delve into the complexities of PBL and to examine its feasibility as a curriculum and instructional approach in the context of high school science teaching and learning.

The three collaborators adopted an action‐based inquiry method referred to as Collaborative Inquiry (CI), a “process consisting of repeated episodes of reflection and action through which a group of peers strives to answer a question of importance to them” (Bray, Lee, Smith, & Yorks, 2000, p. 6). Data collection methods and sources included student‐generated work, classroom observation, student interviews, and audio‐taped planning meetings. The outcomes of the study focus on the issues that arose during PBL design and implementation, such as selecting a PBL topic, determining the level of structure to be incorporated into the PBL experience, selecting appropriate assessment approaches, facilitating groups, and providing optimal student feed‐back. In addition, outcomes related to student perceptions of PBL indicated that the majority liked learning through PBL because it promoted active learning, made science relevant, provided variety in learning, and supported group work. The authors discuss implications for the adoption of PBL in K‐12 settings.
The Effectiveness of Substituting Locally Available Materials in Teaching Chemistry in Nigeria: A Case for Science Education in Developing Countries
Authors: DomNwachukwu Nkechi S. , DomNwachukwu Chinaka S.
Published: March 2010

This article investigates the effectiveness of improvising locally available materials for teaching chemistry in Nigeria, as a case for a culture of improvisation for teaching the sciences in developing countries. The scarcity and cost of imported materials for teaching science has remained a major challenge to teaching sciences in developing countries, and the fact that many teachers from developing countries tend to wait for these imported materials before they can teach continues to present a set‐back for science education in many non‐Western nations. In this experimental study, second year students in 3 Nigerian Senior Secondary schools in the state of Lagos, Nigeria, were sampled to determine whether there will be a significant difference in their performance when taught using imported materials compared to when taught using local substitutes. The study reveals that whereas their attitudes towards local materials may not be as positive as their attitudes towards imported materials, their performances did not differ when taught with either, as long as they were unaware of which material was local or imported. The result of this study proved that science education will flourish if teachers in Nigeria, and probably other developing countries, can begin to improvise local materials for science instruction.
Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Teacher Efficacy: What is the Relationship in Elementary Preservice Teachers?
Authors: Swars Susan Lee , Daane C.J. , Giesen Judy
Published: March 2010

The study investigated the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics teacher efficacy among elementary preservice teachers. Participants included 28 elementary preservice teachers at a mid‐size university in the southeastern United States who had just completed a mathematics methods course. Data sources included the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale. Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument, and clinical interviews. Findings revealed a significant, moderate negative relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics teacher efficacy (r = ‐.440, p < .05). In general, the preservice teachers with the lowest degrees of mathematics anxiety had the highest levels of mathematics teacher efficacy. The interviews indicated that efficaciousness toward mathematics teaching practices, descriptions of mathematics, and basis for mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs were associated with mathematics anxiety.
Changes in Preservice Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs: The Net Impact of Two Mathematics Education Units and Intervening Experiences
Authors: Beswick Kim
Published: March 2010

Preservice teachers in a bachelor of education (Primary and ECE) program were surveyed about their beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics and its teaching and learning, at the beginning of their first mathematics curriculum unit and again at the end of their second mathematics education unit, approximately 18 months later. Significant differences were found for several items. However, in comparison to previously noted changes in the beliefs of similar cohorts from the beginning to end of a single unit, the changes were relatively small. Aspects of the course that students considered valuable and which may have contributed to the changes are also reported.
Mathematics Anxiety and Preservice Elementary Teachers' Confidence to Teach Mathematics and Science
Authors: Bursal Murat , Paznokas Lynda
Published: March 2010

Sixty‐five preservice elementary teachers' math anxiety levels and confidence levels to teach elementary mathematics and science were measured. The confidence scores of subjects in different math anxiety groups were compared and the relationships between their math anxiety levels and confidence levels to teach mathematics and science were investigated. The results suggest that low math anxious preservice teachers are more confident to teach elementary mathematics and science than are their peers having higher levels of math anxiety. Negative correlations were found between preservice teachers' math anxiety and their confidence scores to teach elementary mathematics (r = −.638) and between preservice teachers' math anxiety and their confidence scores to teach elementary science (r = ‐.417). Also, personal math and science teaching self‐efficacy scores of participants were found to be correlated at .01 level (r =.549).
Pulling Back the Curtain: Uncovering and Changing Students' Perceptions of Scientists
Authors: Painter Jason , Jones M. Gail , Tretter Thomas R. , Kubasko Dennis
Published: March 2010

Although there have been numerous scientists‐in‐the‐classroom initiatives in recent years, there is little research that documents whether or not these initiatives make an impact on students. This study examined 27 seventh‐grade and 27 tenth‐grade students' perceptions of scientists before and after a weeklong educational experience on nanotechnology, where students interacted with scientists. The data from this project included student interviews (pre and post intervention), field notes, student stories, and follow‐up interviews conducted 1 year after the project. Results showed that fewer than 10% of participants reported ever interacting with scientists in school settings prior to this project, despite attending schools in areas surrounded by a high density of scientists. Students' perceptions of scientists changed as a result of the project. The implications for science instruction are discussed.
From the Written to the Enacted Curricula: The Intermediary Role of Middle School Mathematics Teachers in Shaping Students' Opportunity to Learn
Authors: Tarr, James E. , Chávez, Óscar , Reys Robert E. , Reys Barbara J.
Published: March 2010

In this paper is reported the extent of textbook use by 39 middle school mathematics teachers in six states, 17 utilizing a textbook series developed with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF‐funded) and 22 using textbooks developed by commercial publishers (publisher‐generated). Results indicate that both sets of teachers placed significantly higher emphasis on Number and Operation, often at the expense of other content strands. Location of topics within a textbook represented an oversimplified explanation of what mathematics gets taught or omitted. Most teachers using an NSF‐funded curriculum taught content intended for students in a different (lower) grade, and both sets of teachers supplemented with skill‐building and “practice” worksheets. Implications for documenting teachers' “fidelity of implementation” (National Research Council, 2004) are offered.
The Impact of Problem Posing on Elementary Teachers' Beliefs About Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching
Authors: Barlow Angela T. , Cates Janie M.
Published: March 2010

This study investigated the impact of incorporating problem posing in elementary classrooms on the beliefs held by elementary teachers about mathematics and mathematics teaching. Teachers participated in a year‐long staff development project aimed at facilitating the incorporation of problem posing into their classrooms. Beliefs were examined via pre‐ and postsurvey. Results indicated a positive impact on their beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction. Data from open‐ended written responses verified the impact of problem posing on the teachers and their classrooms. Based on these findings, it is recommended that problem posing be incorporated into all professional learning and undergraduate education programs.
Cross‐Cultural Issues Arising for Four Science Teachers During Their International Migration to Teach in U.S. High Schools
Authors: Hutchison Charles B.
Published: March 2010

U.S. schools have experienced a perennial shortage of teachers. Recently, many school districts have been inviting foreign veteran teachers to help mitigate such teacher shortages. This study describes the initial cross‐cultural issues four international science teachers encountered when they immigrated to teach in U.S. high schools. In‐depth, semistructured interviews of four science teachers (from Ghana, Britain, and Germany) produced the main source of data. The international teachers faced a variety of support system problems, which were not directly classroom related, but nevertheless had an impact on their instructional effectiveness. They also faced teaching‐related issues, including differences in school organization and structure, assessment and philosophical beliefs, communication, textbooks, teaching methods, and teacher‐student relations. They all expressed a need to become active learners in order to function effectively in their new teaching contexts. The implications are discussed based on the findings.
Challenging Preservice Teachers' Mathematical Understanding: The Case of Division by Zero
Authors: Crespo Sandra , Nicol Cynthia
Published: March 2010

Preservice elementary school teachers' fragmented understanding of mathematics is widely documented in the research literature. Their understanding of division by 0 is no exception. This article reports on two teacher education tasks and experiences designed to challenge and extend preservice teachers' understanding of division by 0. These tasks asked preservice teachers to investigate division by 0 in the context of responding to students' erroneous mathematical ideas and were respectively structured so that the question was investigated through discussion with peers and through independent investigation. Results revealed that preservice teachers gained new mathematical (what the answer is and why it is so) and pedagogical (how they might explain it to students) insights through both experiences. However, the quality of these insights were related to the participants' disposition to justify their thinking and (or) to investigate mathematics they did not understand. The study's results highlight the value of using teacher learning tasks that situate mathematical inquiry in teaching practice but also highlight the challenge for teacher educators to design experiences that help preservice teachers see the importance of, and develop the tools and inclination for, mathematical inquiry that is needed for teaching mathematics with understanding.
How Do Students Know What They Learn in Middle School Mathematics Is True?
Authors: Flores Alfinio
Published: March 2010

This article presents ways in which students ascertain that what they have learned in mathematics is true. Students in the middle school (and a few from other grades) were interviewed by prospective and in‐service teachers. Students were asked what they had learned recently in mathematics and how they knew it was true. The answers were grouped by the author according to the justification schemes used by the students in their explanations. Students interviewed used three kinds of justification schemes: externally based, empirical, and analytic. For each kind, examples are provided of students' justifications. Additional insights are included from the reflections of the interviewers. Some suggestions are offered regarding how teachers can help increase their students' ability to give convincing arguments in mathematics.
A Comparative Model of Field Investigations: Aligning School Science Inquiry with the Practices of Contemporary Science
Authors: Windschitl Mark , Dvornich Karen , Ryken Amy E. , Tudor Margaret , Koehler Gary
Published: March 2010

Field investigations are not characterized by randomized and manipulated control group experiments, however most school science and high‐stakes tests recognize only this paradigm of investigation. Scientists in astronomy, genetics, field biology, oceanography, geology, and meteorology routinely select naturally occurring events and conditions and look for descriptive, correlative, or causal trends. Field investigations contribute to scientific knowledge by describing natural systems, noting differences in habitats, and identifying environmental trends and issues; they are designed to answer an investigative question through the systematic collection of evidence and the communication of results. This paper describes the range of field investigations conducted by scientists and K‐12 students and elaborates a comparative model of three different types of field investigations (descriptive studies, comparative studies, correlative studies). These forms of investigation are more representative of current scientific practice and provide rigorous and engaging inquiry experiences for young learners.