bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Manipulation of logical structure of chemistry problems and its effect on student performance
Authors: Niaz Mansoor , Robinson William R.
Published: October 2006

It has been shown previously that manipulation of the M demand (amount of information needed for processing) of chemistry problems affects student performance, which suggests that manipulation of logical structure of chemistry problems could also lead to significant changes in performance. The objective of this study is to investigate the following: Given the opportunity for training, what is the effect of increasing (manipulation) the complexity of logical structure of chemistry problems on student performance, and to what extent can cognitive variables explain changes in performance. Results obtained show that (a) even a small increase in the logical structure of a problem can change the role of cognitive variables (mental capacity and formal reasoning) to the extent that increase in logical complexity outweighs the advantage students may have gained through training on a similar problem; (b) the use of algorithms and training on particular types of chemistry problems could lead to a situation in which formal reasoning is the only cognitive variable that explains variance in performance significantly; and (c) after having solved very similar problems on two different occasions with improving performance, the improvement is not retained if the logical structure of a third problem increases considerably. It is concluded that when dealing with significant changes in logical complexity of chemistry problems, developmental level of students is the most consistent predictor of success. A model for the qualitative analysis of logical complexity of chemistry problems is presented.
Race in biology and anthropology: A study of college texts and professors
Authors: Lieberman Leonard , Hampton Raymond E. , Littlefield Alice , Hallead Glen
Published: October 2006

Information about social issues is underemphasized in college science education. This article takes the race concept as an example of this neglect. We review the history of the race concept and report the current status of the concept in textbooks and among professors. Responses to surveys of faculty at Ph.D.‐granting departments indicate that 67% of biologists accept the concept of biological races in the species Homo sapiens, while only 50% of physical anthropologists do so. Content analysis of college textbooks indicates a significant degree of change over time (1936–1984) in physical anthropology but a lesser degree in biology. We suggest several reasons for the dissimilarity in the two disciplines. We propose continued use of the concept for some infrahuman species, while abandoning its application to Homo sapiens. For those biologists and anthropologists who continue to use the concept, scientific accuracy can be achieved by the presentation in lecture and text of the following ideas: first, consensus among scientists on the race concept's utility and accuracy does not exist; second, there is more variation within than between so‐called races; third, discordant gradations due to natural selection, drift, and interbreeding make consistent racial boundary lines impossible to identify; fourth, past use of the race concept has had harmful consequences; fifth, the most precise study of human hereditary variation maps one trait at a time; and sixth, racial labels are misleading, especially as most populations have a cultural designation.
Biology content cognitive structure: From science student to science teacher
Authors: Hauslein Patricia L. , Good Ronald G. , Cummins Catherine L.
Published: October 2006

The F‐Sort of Biology Concepts was used to assess understanding of the relationships among 37 biology concepts by five groups: Preservice secondary science teachers, in‐service biology teachers with 1–3 years of teaching experience, in‐service biology teachers with 5 or more years of experience, scientists in any biological science field, and college seniors majoring in biology. Data collected from the F‐sort were analyzed using latent partition analysis and alpha factor analysis with additional interpretation from multidimensional scaling. The subjects were asked to think aloud as they performed the F‐sort and each session was audiotaped for later analysis. These analyses indicated that the biology major and experienced secondary science teachers were separated from the scientists by a dimension based on a deep‐versus‐surface structure understanding of the concepts. A second axis shows that scientists are separated from other groups by a fluid‐versus‐fixed cognitive structure dimension. That is, both experienced teachers and scientists were found to have well‐constructed and ordered cognitive structures, but scientists were much more likely to see an item having a place in two or more categories, whereas experienced teachers tended to focus on only one aspect of an item, and therefore understanding that it rightfully belonged in only one category. It appears that teachers restructure their science knowledge as they become more experienced. There is an apparent transition from poorly organized to highly organized cognitive structures for biology concepts when comparing preservice, novice, and experienced teachers, respectively. The transition does not seem to be one achieving a deeper understanding of the biology concepts or to a greater degree of integration of the concepts, but rather a transition from a fairly large, loosely organized pool of biology concepts to one which is highly structured but limited to the expectations of the established curriculum. The results have implications for the well‐known conjecture that teaching helps one better understand the content being taught.
What do tests of “formal” reasoning actually measure?
Authors: Lawson Anton E.
Published: October 2006

Tests of formal operational reasoning derived from Piagetian theory have been found to be effective predictors of academic achievement. Yet Piaget's theory regarding the underlying nature of formal operations and their employment in specific contexts has run into considerable empirical difficulty. The primary purpose of this study was to present the core of an alternative theory of the nature of advanced scientific reasoning. That theory, referred to as the multiple‐hypothesis theory, argues that tests of formal operational reasoning actually measure the extent to which persons have acquired the ability to initiate reasoning with more than one specific antecedent condition, or if they are unable to imagine more than one antecedent condition, they are aware that more than one is possible; therefore conclusions that are drawn are tempered by this possibility. As a test of this multiple‐hypothesis theory of advanced reasoning and the contrasting Piagetian theory of formal operations, a sample of 922 college students were first classified as concrete operational, transitional, or formal operational, based upon responses to standard Piagetian measures of formal operational reasoning. They were then administered seven logic tasks. Actual response patterns to the tasks were analyzed and found to be similar to predicted response patterns derived from the multiple‐hypothesis theory and were different from those predicted by Piagetian theory. Therefore, support was obtained for the multiple‐hypothesis theory. The terms intuitive and reflective were suggested to replace the terms concrete operational and formal operational to refer to persons at varying levels of intellectual development.
The effectiveness of take‐home science kits at the elementary level
Authors: Gennaro Eugene , Lawrenz Frances
Published: October 2006

A major reason for the lack of scientific and technological literacy in this country is the lack of emphasis on high‐quality science education at the elementary school level. The National Science Board Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology states in its report (1983) that formal study of science must be reinforced by a wide range of activities outside the school. Learning in the home appears to be an excellent way to enhance elementary school science programs. Students who study with their parents or whose parents are involved in school activities achieve more in school. This study describes and presents evaluation data for a program that encourages elementary school students and their parents to study science topics in a hands‐on, inquiry fashion in their own homes. The analyses of the data indicate that the program is viewed very positively by both the students and their parents, that there are gender and grade‐level differences in the students, and that the program seems to be more effective for girls, a group at risk for continuing in science.
Children's alternative frameworks: Should they be directly‐addressed in science instruction?
Authors: Muthukrishna Nithi , Carnine Doug , Grossen Bonnie , Miller Sam
Published: October 2006

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of in‐depth, conceptually integrated instruction delivered via a videodisc program in eliminating children's alternative frameworks in science. Prior to instruction, pupils in two eighth‐grade science classes, one of higher ability and one of lower ability, were interviewed to document their alternative frameworks (informal knowledge) for explaining two science phenomena. Interviews after instruction showed that students of both ability groups did not retain their alternative frameworks. This contradicts other research findings that children's alternative frameworks are extremely resistant to change and must be directly addressed during instruction for conceptual change to occur. A well‐designed science curriculum that was intelligible, plausible, and fruitful, but did not directly address alternative frameworks during instruction, changed 92% of the alternative frameworks held by students to scientific understandings.
Self‐generated analogies as a tool for constructing and evaluating explanations of scientific phenomena
Authors: Wong E. David
Published: October 2006

How can students be taught to develop explanations for scientific phenomena on their own when their background knowledge is incomplete or poorly organized? Evidence from historical accounts of scientific discovery suggest that self‐generated analogies—analogies produced by the learners themselves—are a tool by which individuals can generate, evaluate, and modify their own explanations. The central research questions for this study were: Can students use a series of self‐generated analogies to bring about change in their understanding of a given scientific phenomenon, and what is the nature of the change in understanding? Participants were asked to create, apply, and modify their own analogies—as opposed to applying a specific analogy provided by an outsider—as a heuristic for constructing, evaluating, and modifying their own explanations for a given scientific phenomena. Nontrivial changes in explanation facilitated by the use of generative analogies were observed. Changes in understanding ranged from the emergence of new explanations to the raising of important questions about the nature of the phenomenon.
Predicting and understanding Korean high school students' science‐track choice: Testing the theory of reasoned action by structural equation modeling
Authors: Myeong Jeon‐Ok , Crawley Frank E.
Published: October 2006

The theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) was used to predict and understand Korean high school students' track choice for college entrance. First‐year high school students (N = 665) from four representative regions of Korea participated in the study. The survey instruments were questionnaires developed according to the guidelines of the TRA. The target behavior of interest in this study was Korean students' choice of the science track when they completed the track application forms during the first year of high school. Predictors included TRA model and external variables. Multiple regression and the structural equation modeling with LISREL (Jöreskog & Sörbom, 1986) were used to analyze the data. The TRA was found to be applicable for understanding and predicting track choice, with minor modifications. Subjective norm was found to exert a direct influence on personal beliefs and the target behavior.
The impact of science curricula on student views about the nature of science
Authors: Meichtry Yvonne J.
Published: October 2006

This review of the literature focused on three decades of research related to precollege student understandings about the nature of science. Various interpretations of what aspects characterize the nature of science were examined, revealing an agreement among scientists, science educators, and those involved in policy‐making arenas that the nature of science is multifaceted and an important component of scientific literacy. A summary of the research regarding the adequacies of student conceptions about the nature of science revealed inconsistent results. Although the majority of studies show that student understandings are less than desirable, there is research that indicates that student conceptions are acceptable. Research on the impact of instructional materials and techniques on student understandings was also reviewed. The effects of language in science instruction, the content emphasis of instructional materials, integrated science curricula, and instruction in general were curricular variables found to have a negative impact on student understandings about the nature of science. Empirical evidence about the success of innovative instructional materials and techniques designed to facilitate more adequate understandings of the nature of science is needed.
The interplay of scientific epistemological views, learning strategies, and attitudes of college students
Authors: Edmondson Katherine M. , Novak Joseph D.
Published: October 2006

This paper focuses on research that illustrates the important interplay between students' scientific epistemological views and their learning strategies. We address the problem of facilitating meaningful science learning as contrasted to rote memorization, which is practiced by many students and encouraged by instructional and evaluation practices. We show that when metacognitive tools are used to facilitate meaningful learning, positive consequences in learning of subject matter, attitudes toward science, and epistemological views can emerge. Positivistic epistemology continues to be the subtle enemy to encouraging meaningful learning and constructivist views of the nature of science and knowing.

If you're a scientist, you can say that all knowledge is scientific and everything can be based on fact and experiment. I've taken so many science classes that I've started to believe that.
School science as a rite of passage: A new frame for familiar problems
Authors: Costa Victoria Brookhart
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this article is twofold: to characterize and describe school science as a rite of passage, and to expose problems in school science that are made visible through the use of this metaphor. Like other rite‐of‐passage studies by van Gennep, Turner, and White, school‐science‐as‐a‐rite‐of‐passage follows the classic model: First, science students are separated from other students through their enrollment in introductory science classes and laboratory (the phase of separation). Science students are then secluded in the classroom and laboratory where a specialized body of knowledge unique to the scientific community is transmitted to them (the phase of transition). Eventually, students are presented via graduation ceremonies to the ordinary world with accompanying changes in their status and rights (the phase of reincorporation). However, unlike traditional passage rites, school science is a lengthy and ambiguous process that muddles the points of separation and reincorporation and fails to clarify the value of transition rituals.
A study of changes in middle school teachers' understanding of selected ideas in science as a function of an in‐service program focusing on student preconceptions
Authors: Shymansky James A. , Woodworth George , Norman Obed , Dunkhase John , Matthews Charles , Liu Chin‐Tang
Published: October 2006

This article examines the impact of a specially designed in‐service model on teacher understanding of selected science concepts. The underlying idea of the model is to get teachers to restructure their own understanding of a selected science topic by having them study the structure and evolution of their students' ideas on the same topic. Concepts on topics from the life, earth, and physical sciences served as the content focus and middle school Grades 4–9 served as the context for this study. The in‐service experience constituting the main treatment in the study occurred in three distinct phases. In the initial phase, participating teachers interviewed several of their own students to find out what kinds of preconceptions students had about a particular topic. The teachers used concept mapping strategies learned in the in‐service to facilitate the interviews. Next the teachers teamed with other teachers with similar topic interests and a science expert to evaluate and explore the scientific merit of the student conceptual frameworks and to develop instructional units, including a summative assessment during a summer workshop. Finally, the student ideas were further evaluated and explored as the teachers taught the topics in their classrooms during the fall term. Concept maps were used to study changes in teacher understanding across the phases of the in‐service in a repeated‐measures design. Analysis of the maps showed significant growth in the number of valid propositions expressed by teachers between the initial and final mappings in all topic groups. But in half of the groups, this long‐term growth was interrupted by a noticeable decline in the number of valid propositions expressed. In addition, analysis of individual teacher maps showed distinctive patterns of initial invalid conceptions being replaced by new invalid conceptions in later mappings. The combination of net growth of valid propositions and the patterns of evolving invalid conceptions is discussed in constructivist terms.
Performance‐based assessment of biology teachers: Promises and pitfalls
Authors: Collins Angelo
Published: October 2006

BioTAP, the biology component of the Teacher Assessment Project, explored three modes of performance‐based teacher assessment: portfolios, simulations, and portfolio‐based simulations. Assessments were designed by a team of university‐based researchers and classroom teachers. Assessments were completed by 15 high school biology teachers from a variety of teaching contexts. Portfolios are defined as collections of evidence gathered on site, such as videotapes of instruction. The portfolios had four sections: planning, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Simulation exercises are replications of critical tasks of teaching in a standardized setting, for example, an interview about adapting a textbook. Portfolio‐based simulations take advantage of the contextual aspects of portfolios and the standardization of simulations, for example, an interview on student misconceptions about the laboratory experience that was presented in the portfolio. Using a holistic process, teachers were rated in categories derived from the five core propositions of teacher knowledge and skill proposed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers reported that the assessments had a high degree of fidelity to teaching and provided stimuli to improving teaching. The description presented in this article provides a foundation for those who wish to advance the research in science teacher assessment.
Examining the development of scientific reasoning in ninth‐grade physical science students
Authors: Westbrook Susan L. , Rogers Laura N.
Published: October 2006

This study‐was designed to test the hypothesis that descriptive learning cycles are neither sufficient to stimulate students to reason at a formal operational level nor to encourage facility with the processes of scientific investigation. A 6‐week long, three‐investigation unit on simple machines drawn from a ninth‐grade physical science curriculum was selected for the study. Students in the course were assigned to one of three instructional groups: descriptive group (DE), question design group (QD), and hypothesis testing group (HT). Each group completed identical exploration and invention activities. Each group participated in qualitatively distinct activities during the expansion phase. The DE students completed the activities outlined in the curriculum (a descriptive learning cycle). The QD group designed and conducted experiments to answer a question posed by the teacher. The HT group generated hypotheses concerning a problem, then designed and conducted experiments to test those hypotheses (a hypothetico‐deductive expansion). The effects of the treatments were assessed in a pretest–posttest format using Lawson's Seven Logic‐Tasks, the Test of Integrated Process Skills, and Lawson's Revised Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning. Analyses of the data indicated that the HT group exhibited a significant increase on the Test of Integrated Process Skills and on Task 1 of the Seven Logic Tasks during the 6‐week period.
Ability grouping and science education reform: Policy and research base
Authors: Lynch Sharon
Published: October 2006

This article reviews current policy trends concerning the practice of ability grouping in K–12 science education. Relevant statements of key policy‐making, policy‐influencing organizations such as the NSTA, AAAS, NSF, the National Research Council, the U.S. Office of Education Department of Civil Rights, NAACP, the National Governors' Association, programs related to the Jacob Javits Grants for the Gifted and Talented, and others are summarized. The author's interpretation of the various positions are presented herein. The article also explores the research base supporting the various policies on grouping by examining selected general research literature on grouping, followed by research that is science education specific. Methodological issues color the research findings. The ethical and pragmatic implications of developing research and policy are discussed. The conclusions are that there is a dearth of recent empirical research specifically related to ability grouping in science, and that the time is ripe for the concerted development of a research agenda by key players in science education reform. Moreover, as controversial and value‐laden as the topic is, it should be noted that grouping practices alone are unlikely to influence science education reform unless considered in the context of comprehensive restructuring efforts at the local school level.
Mathematization of experience in a grade 8 open‐inquiry environment: An introduction to the representational practices of science
Authors: Roth Wolff‐Michael , Bowen G. Michael
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this classroom study was to investigate the use of mathematical representations in three Grade 8 general science classes that engaged in a 10‐week open inquiry about the correlations between biological and physical variables in the environment. A constructivist perspective was used to design the study and to assemble the data sources. These data sources included videotapes of students in their work, audiotapes of teacher–student interactions and teacher interviews, the transcripts of these tapes, the students' field notebooks, field reports, special problem assignments, examinations, and the teachers' curriculum guides, field notes, and reflective journal. An interpretive method was used to construct assertions and the supporting data. In the setting provided, students increasingly used mathematical representations such as graphs and data tables to support their claims in a convincing manner; the use of abstract equations and percent calculations did not change over the course of the study. Representations such as graphs, maps, averages, and equations were not only useful as inscriptions (representations in some permanent medium, usually paper), but also as conscription devices in the construction of, and through which, students engaged each other to collaboratively construct meaning. This study demonstrates the use of representations as conscription devices, and illustrates how the use and understanding of inscriptions changes over time. Understanding representations as inscription and conscription devices focuses on the social aspects of knowing, which has important implications for teachers' conceptualization of learning and their organization of science classrooms.
The effects of a combination of text structure awareness and graphic postorganizers on recall and retention of science knowledge
Authors: Spiegel George F. , Barufaldi James P.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a self‐regulated strategy on immediate recall and retention of science knowledge in community‐college anatomy and physiology students who participated in a 14‐hour (8 weeks) study skills class. The class emphasized the recognition of five common science textbook text structures (cause and effect, classification, enumeration, generalization, and sequence) and the construction of graphic postorganizers of the text structures. A pretest, two immediate posttests, and a retention posttest were used to measure recall and retention. Results indicated that on immediate posttests students who actively constructed graphic postorganizers of the test structure recalled significantly more content than did the control students who simply underlined, reread, or highlighted. On a 3‐week retention posttest, those students in the study skills class retained significantly more of the material studied than did the control group of students.
A review of writing to learn in science: Implications for practice and research
Authors: Rivard Lé Onard P.
Published: October 2006

The published literature on writing to learn in science was reviewed in order to develop a conceptual framework for readers of this special issue and an agenda for future research. Professional journals, books, ERIC documents, and doctoral dissertations were consulted in this review process. Research on writing to learn has been hindered because studies have not always been well designed or clearly reported, and few have been conducted in authentic classroom environments. Furthermore, the links between writing to learn and conceptual change, and writing to learn and critical thinking have not received sufficient attention. Carefully designed studies, both qualitative and quantitative, are still required to provide data from a variety of perspectives. Because the reported studies at the college level outnumber those at other levels, research is still required to generalize the findings across a variety of science classrooms and to elucidate principles for guiding effective teacher use of writing‐to‐learn strategies.
Considering science and language arts connections: A study of teacher cognition
Authors: Baker Linda , Saul Wendy
Published: October 2006

The Elementary Science Integration Project (ESIP) brought together teachers knowledgeable about, and committed to, whole‐language instruction with their science‐oriented counterparts to explore connections between the disciplines and build from teachers' strengths. By recognizing commonalities, that both hands‐on science and whole language center on inquiry and focus on children's learning processes, ESIP was designed to reveal the issues both groups of teachers see as important as they go about making classroom decisions. The ultimate goal of the project was to promote science as central to cross‐curricular study, thus increasing the comfort level of teachers, the amount of time devoted to science in the classroom, and an interest in inquiry. This article described the project and identified the considerations teachers used to evaluate science–language‐arts connections. Twenty expert and 7 novice teachers worked together over a 2‐year period to construct and elaborate their own understandings of curricular integrátion, designing action research projects to explore their newfound understandings. Teachers kept journals and participated in extensive group discussions and interviews that provided the data sources for this article. Results revealed the influence of teachers' scholarly and pedagogical orientations on the way they think about science–language‐arts connections and the influence of personal experiences in convincing teachers that science–language‐arts connections are worth fostering in the classroom.
Integrating instruction of science, reading, and writing: Goals, teacher development, and assessment
Authors: Gaskins Irene W. , Guthrie John T. , Satlow Eric , Ostertag Joyce , Six Linda , Byrne Janice , Connor Beth
Published: October 2006

This article describes the interplay of goals, teacher development, and assessment in the context of a yearlong research and development project. The aim of the project was to integrate the teaching of science, reading, and writing processes in a conceptually based, constructivist curriculum for middle school students who read below grade level. A performance‐based assessment was designed and implemented to determine the level of student awareness and control over the processes taught during a unit of instruction. Interviews with science teachers and supervisors revealed the important interaction of curricular goals, the performance assessment, and instructional practice.
Effects of cooperative incentives and heterogeneous arrangement on achievement and interaction of cooperative learning groups in a college life science course
Authors: Watson Scott B. , Marshall James E.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of cooperative incentives and heterogeneous grouping as elements of cooperative learning in a college life science course. Cooperative learning may be defined as a classroom learning environment in which students work together in heterogeneous groups toward completion of some task. Cooperative incentive structures provide some type of group reward based on group products or individual learning. In heterogeneous grouping, students are arranged in order to maximize variety within groups. A 2 × 2 design was utilized in this study. The independent variables considered included (a) use of cooperative incentives in learning groups, and (b) use of heterogeneous grouping in cooperative learning groups. Dependent variables for all treatment groups were scores from a multiple‐choice instrument developed for an earlier, related study, along with direct observational data on frequency of cooperative interactions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used as the data analysis procedure for the achievement portion of the study, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for analysis of the cooperative interaction portion of the study. No significant differences were found between the treatment groups.
Students' conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution: Cases of replication and comparison
Authors: Demastes Sherry S. , Settlage John , Good Ron
Published: October 2006

The work of Bishop and Anderson (1990) plays a major role in educators' understanding of evolution education. Their findings remind us that the majority of university students do not understand the process of evolution but that conceptual change instruction can be moderately effective in promoting the construction of a scientific understanding. The present article details two studies that represent an effort to focus on and define the limits of the Bishop and Anderson (1990) study. Study A describes a close replication of the work of Bishop and Anderson (1990) using the same conceptual‐change teaching module to teach a unit on evolution to students enrolled in a biology course for nonmajors. Study B, a case of comparison, used the same evaluation instrument used in Bishop and Anderson (1990) and Study A, but high school students were the participants and the instruction was based on the inquiry approach to science. Like Bishop and Anderson (1990), Study A showed that the amount of prior instruction and students' beliefs in evolution were not found to be large factors in students' use of scientific conceptions. Unlike the original study, the students in Study A showed only a meager increase in their use of scientific conceptions for evolution. In Study B, students in the experimental group showed significant increases in their use of scientific conceptions. These findings suggest a need to investigate more closely the teachers' theories of learning, their reliance on instructional conversations, and the amount of time devoted to the topic of evolution as we study conceptual change in this area.
Skills needed for reading comprehension of physics texts and their relation to problem‐solving ability
Authors: Koch Adina , Eckstein Shulamith G.
Published: October 2006

This article reports an investigation of some of the skills needed for the critical reading of physics texts. To assess these skills a reading comprehension test was developed that combines features of errordetection and true–false–unreported tests. This test was administered to college students of physics, and the results were analyzed statistically to determine the separability of the skills and their hierarchical ranking. It was found that the skill required to comprehend texts in continuous format is of a higher level than and separable from the skill required to comprehend texts in the form of a separated list of statements. The skill required to discriminate unreported statements from the others (true and false) was found to be of a higher level than and separable from the skills required to make the other discriminations. The relation between the students' reading comprehension skills and their problem‐solving ability was also investigated. Students' scores on reading comprehension of texts that require a very low problem‐solving ability were found to be uncorrelated to their grades on solving problems that require a very low decoding ability. This implies that the two abilities are independent.
Teacher epistemology and scientific inquiry in computerized classroom environments
Authors: Maor Dorit , Taylor Peter Charles
Published: October 2006

A 20‐week classroom‐based study was conducted to investigate the extent to which a computerized learning environment could facilitate students' development of higher‐level thinking skills associated with scientific inquiry. In two classes students' interactions with a scientific data base—Birds of Antarctica—were closely monitored, and the mediating roles of the teachers' epistemologies were examined. Interpretive data were generated and analyzed in relation to a constructivist perspective on learning. In the class where the teacher implemented a constructivist‐oriented pedagogy, students took advantage of enhanced opportunities to generate creative questions and conduct complex scientific investigations. These higher‐level thinking skills were much less evident in the class in which a more transmissionist‐oriented pedagogy prevailed. The results of the study suggest that it is not the computer itself that facilitates inquiry learning; the teacher's epistemology is a key mediating influence on students' use of the computer as a tool of scientific inquiry.
Student understanding of the volume, mass, and pressure of air within a sealed syringe in different states of compression
Authors: De Berg Kevin Charles
Published: October 2006

Problem‐solving strategies in the physical sciences have been characterized by a dependence on algorithmic techniques often devoid of any reasoning skills. The purpose of this study was to examine student responses to a task relating to Boyle's Law for gases, which did not demand the use of a mathematical equation for its solution. Students (17‐ to 18‐year‐olds) in lower sixth form from two colleges in the Leeds district of Yorkshire in England were asked to respond to a task relating to pressure and volume measurements of air within a sealed syringe in different states of compression. Both qualitative and quantitative tasks for the sealed syringe system were examined. It was found that 34% to 38% of students did not understand the concepts of volume and mass, respectively, of a gas under such circumstances. Performance on an inverse ratio (2:1) task was shown to depend on gender and those students who performed well on the 2:1 inverse ratio task did not necessarily perform well on a different inverse ratio task when an arithmetic averaging principle was present. Tasks which draw upon qualitative knowledge as well as quantitative knowledge have the potential to reduce dependence on algorithms, particularly equation substitution and solution. The implications for instructional design are discussed.
Scientific Research and Oncoming Vehicles: Can Radical Constructivists Embrace One and Dodge the Other?
Authors: Staver John R.
Published: October 2006

The author's purpose in this article was to respond to two questions raised by Roth and Lawson in the September, 1993, issue of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching. Question 1: Would a radical constructivist step out of the path of an approaching vehicle? Question 2: In the conduct of inquiry, would a radical constructivist employ a controlled experiment, test a hypothesis, and quantitatively analyze the data? The author answers each question affirmatively, using selected work of Heinz von Foerster, Ernst von Glasersfeld, and others in developing the answers. Issues central to the development include the nature of truth and knowledge, the concept of fit versus match, and the notion that inquiry is driven by questions, with methods as subordinate to questions.
A simulation study of three methods for estimating selective values and survival rates from recapture data
Authors: Manly B. F. J.
Published: October 2006

The methods ofManly (1973),Manly (1975) andManly (1977) for estimating survival rates and relative survival rates from recapture data have been compared by computer simulation. In the simulations batches of two types of animal were “released” at one point in “time” and recapture samples were taken at “daily” intervals from then on. The various methods of estimation were then used to estimate, the daily survival rates of type 1 and type 2 animals, and also the survival rate of the type 2 animals relative to the type 1 animals.

Simulation experiments were designed to examine (a) the bias in estimates, (b) the relative precision of different methods of estimation, (c) the validity of confidence intervals for true parameter values, and (d) the effect on estimates of the failure of certain assumptions.
A distance measure of spatial pattern in a biological population
Authors: Shiyomi Masae , Kubo Sachio
Published: October 2006

Suppose that n individuals locate independently and randomly on a segment of line of finite length (habitat). Let the theoretical and observed ranges of the sites of the individuals on the segment be μn‐1 and rn‐1, respectively. Then, the degree of dispersion of the individual sites is measured by the ratio, Tn=nn‐1/μn‐1, as follows: A random spatial pattern for Ir−1=1 An aggregated spatial pattern for 0≤Ir<1 A uniform spatial pattern for (n+1)/(n−1)≥Ir>1.

Another method was derived. Let the probability that an observed range is less than rn−1 be Ip, under the hypothesis of a Beta distribution. Then indicates A random spatial pattern for Ip=1/2 An aggregated spatial pattern for Ip<1/2 A uniform spatial pattern for Ip>1/2.

The first index can be used for comparing populations having the same number of individuals, whereas the second one can be used for comparing populations with different numbers of individuals.
Relation between exploitation and production in experimental populations of Poecilia reticulata
Authors: Nagoshi Makoto , Kanda Takeshi , Horiya Kenji
Published: October 2006

In order to make researches on the effect of exploitation upon fish populations, six populations of guppy were maintained during a period of 331 weeks under conditions of space, light, temperature, pH, and food controlled as much as possible. The six populations were divided into three groups two by two: a control group without exploitation, a 10% rate of exploitation group and a 20 and 33% rate of exploitation group.

All the populations repeated an increase and a decrease in number and in biomass about once a year. The exploitation affected the age composition in the populations: in the non‐exploited population adults occupied the largest part, and the more intensive the exploitation the larger the part fry occupied. The exploitation decreased the biomass of exploited populations, but productivity increased with increasing of of rate of exploitation. The relationship between adult and fry could be represented byRicker's reproduction curve. The form of the curve was changed by an intensity of exploitation. It was thought that exploitation acts as a preventer of aging of populations by removing old fish and results increasing number of fry and productivity.
Effect of aggregation on the reproductive rate of populations
Authors: Yamamura Kohji
Published: October 2006

The effect of spatial distribution on the reproductive rate of a population was examined by applying an approximate equation to several data based on the entomological literature. This study suggests that aggregation generally reduces the equilibrium level of the population density if the population density is not very high.
Scramble competition polygyny in the coreid bug (Colpula lativentris)
Authors: Nishida Takayoshi
Published: October 2006

The mating system of the coreid bug, Colpula lativentris, was studied, and compared with those in other hemipteran bugs. Copulating pairs formed a compact aggregation on a shoot of the Japanese knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum, and there continued copulation and feeding for more than one day. This aggregation was defined as “a shoot aggregation”. Other than this aggregation composed of copulating pairs, there were loose aggregations on the ground composed of males and females not in copula. This loose aggregation was defined as “a ground aggregation”. Males searched for receptive females mostly in a ground aggregation.

Sex ratio was constant and variance of sex ratio was also very small in any shoot aggregations and in large ground aggregations. However, in small ground aggregations, sex ratio was strongly male biased and variance of sex ratio was fairly large. This was because receptive females tended to leave a small ground aggregation and join a large one. These results suggest that a male can attain higher mating success in a larger ground aggregation.
A comparison of three maximum likelihood models for stage‐frequency data
Authors: Manly Bryan F. J. , Seyb Allyson
Published: October 2006

A comparison has been made between the estimates obtained from maximum likelihood estimation of gamma, inverse normal, and normal distribution models for stage‐frequency data. Results have been compared for six of sets of test data, and from many sets of simulated data. It is concluded that (1) some estimates may differ substantially between the models, (2) estimates from the correct model have little bias, and estimated standard errors are generally close to theoretical values, (3) there are problems in determining degrees of freedom for chi‐squared goodness of fit tests, so that it is best to compare test statistics with simulated distributions, and (4) goodness of fit tests may not discriminate well between the three models.
Combining methods of insect pest control: Partitioning mortality and predicting complementarity
Authors: Barclay Hugh J.
Published: October 2006

An age‐structured population model is used as a vehicle for presenting a method for the analysis of interactions between pairs of insect pest control methods. This analysis is based on partitioning the total mortality acting on a population into its constituent components from all known sources. Pairwise critical mortality curves are then constructed which represent the combined mortality required for eradicating the pest population. Effort curves are then constructed from computing the mortality resulting from a given amount of control effort. The convolution of the critical mortality curves and the effort curves then yields the isoclines formed by the effort required of two control methods in combination to achieve eradication. This analysis allows the prediction of either synergism or interference between the control methods and also helps explain patterns observed in previous modelling of such combinations of pest control methods.
Food limitation of population density in the orb‐wed spider, Nephila clavata
Authors: Miyashita Tadashi
Published: October 2006

Field studies were conducted to clarify whether variation in food availability among habitats influences population density, and whether population density has a negative effect on foraging success in the orb‐web spider, Nephila clavata.

Lifetime food consumption per individual (i.e., foraging success) strongly correlated with mean body size of adult females and mean fecundity in populations. Also, there was a positive correlation between foraging success and population density. Since foraging success reflected potential prey availability in the habitat, food resource appeared to be a limiting factor for populations in this spider. Mean fecundity per individual correlated with population density of the following year, suggesting that decreased reproduction is a major component of food limitation on population density. Consistent defferences in mean body size between particular sites were observed over years, while such difference was less obvious in density. Thus, ranking of food abundance among habitats seems to be predictable between years. A field experiment revealed that an artificial increase in population density had no negative effect on the feeding rate of individuals, suggesting that intraspecific competition for food is not important in this species.
Models of the spatial pattern of egg population of Ranunculus leaf mining fly, Phytomyza ranunculi (Diptera: Agromyzidae), in host leaves
Authors: Sugimoto Tuyosi
Published: October 2006

This paper considers two kinds of model of the spatial pattern of egg distribution of the Ranunculus leaf mining fly, Phytomyza ranunculiSchrank, as a step to determining the effect of the distribution upon the parasitism of this species by the eulophid parasite, Kratochviliana sp.. Each model incorporates submodels in several important stages of both the processes of visiting and subsequent oviposition by the fly. Model 2 is more general than model 1, because the former also includes the effect of oviposition restraint. Both models fitted well the egg distribution on fresh plants and on exploited plants. The fitting similarity on exploited plants is due to the fact that there were not so many heavily exploited leaves which lead to oviposition restraint, owing to the low density of mature larvae contained in the leaves. These models will be applicable to the distribution of larvae as well as eggs, because most larvae remain in the leaf where they occurred as eggs, until emerging just before pupation.

This paper also discusses by use of these models the fact that this fly tends to effectively avoid excessive oviposition in leaves by laying fewer eggs per visit and visiting leaves more sparsely and also by refraining from further oviposition on leaves exploited heavily by mature larvae.