bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elementary science education library resources in graduate and undergraduate teacher education programs of new England
Authors: Barrow Lloyd H.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to compare elementary science education library resources available in graduate and undergraduate teacher education institutions in New England. A 31‐item survey was sent to teacher education institutions certified to prepare elementary teachers. The survey had four components: (1) services (i.e., ERIC, computer search, etc.), (2) journal holdings/science (i.e., Science and Children, Science Education, etc.), and nonscience (i.e., Reading Teacher, Instructor, etc.), (3) resources available (i.e., elementary science textbooks, audio‐visual materials, computer software, etc.), and (4) an open‐ended question about what major resources were needed to help prepare preservice students to teach science. There was a 72% return rate from the 87 institutions. Data were analyzed by the FREQUENCIES and ONEWAY subprograms of SPSSX. Less than 34% of the non‐graduate libraries had ERIC microfiche available, Dissertation Abstracts, and computer search capabilities services. There was significant difference between graduate and nongraduate institutions journal holdings for science education journals and indexes. The surveyed libraries had more elementary science textbooks published prior to 1980 than those published after 1980 and were severely lacking in computer software.
The effects of computer‐assisted instruction and locus of control upon preservice elementary teachers' acquisition of the integrated science process skills
Authors: Wesley Beth Eddinger , Krockover Gerald H. , Devito Alfred
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of computer‐assisted instruction (CAI) versus a text mode of programmed instruction (PI), and the cognitive style of locus of control, on preservice elementary teachers' achievement of the integrated science process skills. Eighty‐one preservice elementary teachers in six sections of a science methods class were classified as internally or externally controlled. The sections were randomly assigned to receive instruction in the integrated science process skills via a microcomputer or printed text. The study used a pretest‐posttest control group design. Before assessing main and interaction effects, analysis of covariance was used to adjust posttest scores using the pretest scores. Statistical analysis revealed that main effects were not significant. Additionally, no interaction effects between treatments and loci of control were demonstrated. The results suggest that printed PI and tutorial CAI are equally effective modes of instruction for teaching internally and externally oriented preservice elementary teachers the integrated science process skills.
The language of science and preferential thinking styles: A comparison between hindi speaking students (in India) and english speaking students (in Tasmania)
Authors: Lynch P. P. , Chipman H. H. , Pachaury A. C.
Published: October 2006

A study of science textbooks and students' responses indicates that many key concepts are treated at different levels of meaning. As a consequence of these observations we have attempted to examine what we have termed students' “preferential thinking style.” To do this, the level of meaning that students preferred when thinking about each of 16 key concept definitions associated with the theme, the nature of matter, was measured for each concept. The same concept definitions had already been studied in respect to students' ability to recognize them. Each of the 16 concept terms was formulated at the three levels of meaning defined by us as: membership, partial association, and generalization. The resulting test of preferential thinking style was administered to representative samples of Hindi‐speaking high school students in India (826) and English‐speaking high school students in Tasmania (1635). Some marked changes in the relative development of preferential thinking styles for the two groups were observed which raises questions associated with the importance of this notion as an outcome of science teaching.
The student opinion survey in chemistry: Some cross‐national data
Authors: Schibeci R. A.
Published: October 2006

This paper reports data on student attitudes to chemistry obtained with the Student Opinion Survey in Chemistry (SOSC). These data were obtained as part of an evaluation of the Australian Academy of Science's School Chemistry Project, a project to develop chemistry curriculum materials for the last two years of high school in Australia. The results obtained in the present study are compared with those reported by Heikkinen (“A study of factors influencing student attitudes towards the study of high school chemistry,” Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland, 1973). The potential usefulness of using the same instrument in cross‐national studies is discussed.
Training science teachers to utilize better teaching strategies: A research synthesis
Authors: Yeany Russell H. , Padilla Michael J.
Published: October 2006

This study is a synthesis of practice and research related to the use of behavior analysis to train science teachers. An idealized model (derived from practice) for training science teachers is presented first. Then research related to the categories of the model is reviewed and synthesized. To do this, all available studies on the topic were classified by the type of treatment used to influence the teaching behaviors. The results were meta‐analyzed. The effectiveness of training procedures fell into the following order, from lowest to highest: (1) study of an analysis system and self analysis; (2) observing models; (3) analyzing models; and, (4) practice and analysis with feedback. Science educators are encouraged to use the procedures outlined in the model to train better teachers. These results support the idealized model.
High school science enrollment of black students
Authors: Goggins Ellen O. , Lindbeck Joy S.
Published: October 2006

How can the high school science enrollment of black students be increased? School and home counseling and classroom procedures could benefit from variables identified as predictors of science enrollment. The problem in this study was to identify a set of variables which characterize science course enrollment by black secondary students. The population consisted of a subsample of 3963 black high school seniors from The High School and Beyond 1980 Base‐Year Survey. Using multiple linear regression, backward regression, and correlation analyses, the US Census regions and grades mostly As and Bs in English were found to be significant predictors of the number of science courses scheduled by black seniors.
The influence of field experiences on stages of concern and attitudes of preservice teachers toward science and science teaching
Authors: Strawitz Barbara M. , Malone Mark R.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the field experience component of an undergraduate science methods course influenced teachers' concerns and attitudes toward science and science teaching. Age, grade‐point average, openmindedness, and school assignment were examined as factors which might explain some of the variance in the dependent measures. A one‐group pretest‐posttest design was used. Students were administered the Teacher Concerns Questionnaire, the Science Teaching Attitude Scales, and the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale approximately eight weeks after the pretest. Results indicated that field experiences did not significantly change student concerns about teaching science but significantly improved student attitudes toward science and science teaching. Students differing in age, grade‐point average, and openmindedness did not difer significantly in changes in concerns and changes in attitude toward science and science teaching. Students assigned to different schools differed significantly in changes in attitude toward science.
Meaning from curriculum analysis
Authors: Finegold Menahem , Mackeracher Dorothy
Published: October 2006

This paper reports on the analysis of science curricula carried out across Canada within the framework of the Second International Science Study (SISS). The organization of Canadian education in twelve autonomous educational jurisdictions is briefly described and problems are noted in relation to the analysis of curricula on a national scale. The international design for curriculum analysis is discussed and an alternative design, more suited to the diversity of science education in Canada, is introduced. The analysis of curriculum documents is described and three patterns which emerge from this analysis are identified. These derive from the concepts of commonality, specificity and prescriptiveness. Commonality relates to topics listed in curriculum guideline documents by a number of jurisdictions. Specificity refers to the richness of curriculum documents. Prescriptiveness is a measure of the extent to which jurisdictions do or do not make provision for local options in curriculum design. The Canadian analysis, using the concepts of the common curriculum, specificity and prescriptiveness, is described and research procedures are exemplified. Outcomes of curriculum analysis are presented in graphical form.
Children's strategies for discovering cause‐effect relationships
Authors: Rudnitsky Alan N. , Hunt Charles R.
Published: October 2006

This study describes strategies children use to solve a complex problem. The problem asked children to figure out how to control a “vehicle” that they “drove” by pressing particular keys on a computer. The problem can be viewed as scientific in that variables must be identified and hypotheses formulated and tested to discover cause‐effect relationships. Subjects were fifth and sixth graders sampled from public and private schools. The primary purpose of the study was to examine the transition between implicit, immature problem‐solving strategies and explicit, mature theorizing characteristic of scientific problem solving. The study manipulated the problem perspective subjects were given and the number of cause‐effect relationships in the problem. The study's description of children's problem solving highlights “focusing,” problem‐solving behavior that is aimed at forming a mental representation, model, or theory about the problem, as a key link between mature and immature reasoning. Subject's school and school X perspective interaction was found to affect problem‐solving performance.
The effects of problem format, number of independent variables, and their interaction on student performance on a control of variables reasoning problem
Authors: Staver John R.
Published: October 2006

This study was designed to investigate the effects of problem format and the number of independent variables in the problem on the responses of students to a control of variables reasoning task. The Bending Rods problem was used. A four times two factorial research design with four levels (2‐, 3‐, 4‐, 5‐variables) of the number of independent variables and two formats (essay and multiple choice) was set up for the investigation. 548 eighth graders in 24 science classes in a suburban public school district northwest of Chicago participated in the study. Students were administered the Bending Rods problem in groups in their science classes. Each classroom was randomly assigned to a cell in the research design. Initial analysis of the data indicated four separate levels (2‐, 3‐, 4‐, 5‐variables) of the independent variable number of independent variables in the problem' were unnecessary. The 2‐ and 3‐variable levels were pooled as were the 4‐ and 5‐variable levels to give two distinct levels of this variable. Analysis of variance indicated that: (1) task format had no effect on subject's scores; but (2) the differences between subjects' mean scores on the 2‐, 3‐variable essay versions and the 4‐, 5‐variable essay versions are significantly greater than the mean scores of corresponding multiple choice versions of the task, which exhibit rather uniform scores; and (3) the 2‐, 3‐variable forms together were significantly less difficult for students than were the 4‐, 5‐variable forms together. Discussion focuses on interpretations that include: (1) task demands on working memory; (2) Pascual‐Leone's M‐energy; and (3) the use of testwiseness strategies in solving essay and multiple choice tasks, respectively. Implications for science teachers are set forth in view of these discussion points and their relevance to test construction and classroom assessment of learning objectives in science.
Twenty questions about student errors
Authors: Fisher Kathleen M. , Lipson Joseph Isaac
Published: October 2006

Errors in science learning (errors in expression of organized, purposeful thought within the domain of science) provide a window through which glimpses of mental functioning can be obtained. Errors are valuable and normal occurrences in the process of learning science. A student can use his/her errors to develop a deeper understanding of a concept as long as the error can be recognized and appropriate, informative feedback can be obtained. A safe, non‐threatening, and nonpunitive environment which encourages dialogue helps students to express their conceptions and to risk making errors. Pedagogical methods that systematically address common student errors produce significant gains in student learning. Just as the nature‐nurture interaction is integral to the development of living things, so the individual‐environment interaction is basic to thought processes. At a minimum, four systems interact: (1) the individual problem solver (who has a worldview, relatively stable cognitive characteristics, relatively malleable mental states and conditions, and aims or intentions), (2) task to be performed (including relative importance and nature of the task), (3) knowledge domain in which task is contained, and (4) the environment (including orienting conditions and the social and physical context).

Several basic assumptions underlie research on errors and alternative conceptions. Among these are: Knowledge and thought involve active, constructive processes; there are many ways to acquire, organize, store, retrieve, and think about a given concept or event; and understanding is achieved by successive approximations. Application of these ideas will require a fundamental change in how science is taught.
Factors influencing teacher decisions on school, classroom, and curriculum
Authors: Crocker Robert K. , Banfield Helen
Published: October 2006

This article describes a study designed to explore sources of influence on the judgments made by science teachers on school characteristics, classroom features, and properties of a science curriculum. The study had its theoretical basis in the concept that members of a social organization operate under certain functional paradigms, which govern their approach to events within the organization, and particularly to the implementation of innovations. Empirically, the study formed part of the Canadian contribution to the Second International Science Study, and was based on a survey of some 2000 Canadian teachers. The survey used an adaptation of policy capturing methodology, in which teachers were presented with variations in a hypothetical scenario designed to simulate a decision‐making situation. Results suggest that teachers' judgments center around a number of factors, the primary ones being concern for student ability and interest, teaching methods, and school spirit and morale. On the other hand, variations in the scientific basis of a curriculum appear to exert little influence. The results are interpreted as indicators of the major elements of teacher functional paradigms.
A systematic procedure for constructing a valid microcomputer attitude scale
Authors: Abdel‐Gaid Samiha , Trueblood Cecil R. , Shrigley Robert L.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to design a system for constructing Likert attitude scales as supported by the sociopsychological and measurement literature, and (2) using the design to assemble a microcomputer attitude scale for inservice and preservice teachers (n = 281). The results of the study: (1) a 15‐step flow chart for designing reliable and valid attitude scales, and (2) a 23‐item microcomputer Likert attitude scale with the following characteristics: (a) coefficient alpha 0.89, (b) range of adjusted item‐total correlations from 0.29 to 0.62, (c) range of interitem correlations from 0.04 to 0.60, (d) correlation of 0.20 with a mathematics attitude scale and 0.02 with a reading attitude scale, and (e) favorable factor analysis and emotional intensity data.
Attitude of students in exemplary programs toward their science teachers
Authors: Vargas‐Gomez Raquel G. , Yager Robert E.
Published: October 2006

Student attitudes concerning their science teachers at third, seventh, and eleventh grade are compared. Samples of students were drawn from those enrolled in NSTA's exemplary programs and other students drawn from classrooms of a random selection of teachers who are also NSTA members. Some of the affective items from the Third Assessment of Science, National Assessment of Educational Progress, were used for the study. Results indicate significantly more positive attitudes of students from the exemplary programs in the following ways:

pleasure with student questions;

desire for students to explore their own ideas;

“liking” of science (at the elementary school level);

ability and “knowledge” of it to make science study exciting.
Measuring ambivalence to science
Authors: Gardner P. L.
Published: October 2006

Ambivalence is a psychological state in which a person holds mixed feelings (positive and negative) towards some psychological object. Standard methods of attitude measurement, such as Likert and semantic differential scales, ignore the possibility of ambivalence; ambivalent responses cannot be distinguished from neutral ones. This neglect arises out of an assumption that positive and negative affects towards a particular psychological object are bipolar, i.e., unidimensional in opposite directions. This assumption is frequently untenable. Conventional item statistics and measures of test internal consistency are ineffective as checks on this assumption; it is possible for a scale to be multidimensional and still display apparent internal consistency. Factor analysis is a more effective procedure. Methods of measuring ambivalence are suggested, and implications for research are discussed.
Predicting continued participation in college chemistry for men and women
Authors: Deboer George E.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a cognitive motivational model of course selection patterns to explain the continued participation of men and women in college science courses. A number of cognitive motivational constructs were analyzed in a path model and their effect on students' intention to continue in college chemistry was determined. Variables in the model included self‐perceived ability in science, future expectations, level of past success, effort expended, subjective interpretations of both past success and task difficulty, and the intention to continue in college chemistry.

The results showed no sex differences in course performance, the plan to continue in chemistry, perceived ability in science, or past achievement in science courses. The path analysis did confirm the usefulness of the cognitive motivational perspective to explain the intention of both men and women to continue in science. Central to that process appears to be a person's belief about their ability. Students who had confidence in their ability in chemistry expected to do well in the future and were more likely to take more chemistry. Ability ratings in turn were dependent on a number of past achievement experiences and the personal interpretation of those experiences.
Student attitudes toward science‐technology‐society resulting from visitation to a science‐technology museum
Authors: Finson Kevin D. , Enochs Larry G.
Published: October 2006

Are student attitudes toward science‐technology‐society (TSS) affected by visitation to science‐technology museums? The purpose of this study was to determine whether such visitations affected student STS attitudes, and in what ways particular factors of the visitation impacted these attitudes. Factors examined included prior classroom experience with STS, instructional methodology employed by teachers, grade level, socioeconomic status, school type (public or private), and gender. The subjects involved in the study were 194 Kansas students in grades 6‐8, and their 13 classroom teachers. Data were collected via a pretest‐posttest control group design by using study‐specific questionnaires and the Moore‐Sutman Scientific Attitudes Inventory. Results indicated that significant differences in attitudes were present between visiting and nonvisiting students and between grade levels. No significant differences were found between other factors. One possible conclusion is that sound pedagogy should be used prior to and during museum visitations as well as in the classroom.
Gender effects for student perception of the classroom psychosocial environment
Authors: Lawrenz Frances
Published: October 2006

A future shortage of science teachers has been predicted, and since women are presently underrepresented in the sciences, they are a good potential source for future science teachers. Unfortunately women appear to become less interested in science as they continue in school. Because the classroom psychosocial environment has been shown to be related to learning outcomes, it may contribute to women's lack of interest in sciences. This study compared the classroom environments perceived by fourth grade, seventh grade and high school boys and girls in classes taught by males and females to determine if any perceptual differences existed. The three, two factor MANOVAS (teacher gender by student gender) showed no differences for fourth grade students, one for seventh grade students and three for high school students. The seventh grade boys and girls perceived classes taught by females as having more friction than classes taught by males and high school boys and girls perceived classes taught by females as being more difficult than classes taught by males. Further, for the high school students it appears that classes are perceived more favorably when the opposite genders are combined. These perceptual differences combined with role modeling may contribute to the lack of women in science. More research is necessary to determine causal relationships.
Changes in perceived attitudes toward the goals for science instruction in schools
Authors: Yager Robert E. , Penick John E.
Published: October 2006

Four goal areas were identified by the Project Synthesis research team, including science for affecting daily living, science for resolving societal issues, career awareness in science/technology, and science necessary for further study. In 1976 15 science educators across the U.S. agreed to administer a short, one‐page assessment form to at least 50 members of service clubs or community groups in their respective communities. This survey asked the respondents about the relative importance for the four goal areas across the K‐12 curriculum (K‐3, 4–6, 7–9, and 10–12). The 1976 survey was repeated with similar respondents during 1980, 1984, and 1986. The results indicate that the view of the importance of science as preparation for studying science further is perceived as a most important goal which changes little across grade levels or time. During the 1976–86 period respondents rated the importance of science for improvement of daily living as significantly more important; in fact, its importance was perceived almost as great as academic preparation. Similarly, science for the resolution of societal issues and for meeting career‐awareness goals were viewed as significantly more important in 1986 than was the case in 1976. The respondents survey in 1984 and 1986 ranked science goals for resolving societal issues as more important than those associated with information useful in daily living. There is no way of determining how much of this change of perception is caused by professionals and/or forces at work at a given point in time. Nor is it clear how the information can or should be used to plan school programs.
Manipulation of M demand of chemistry problems and its effect on student performance: A neo‐piagetian study
Authors: Niaz Mansoor
Published: October 2006

It has been shown that student performance in chemistry problems decreases as the M demand of the problem increases, thus emphasizing the role of information processing in problem solving. It was hypothesized that manipulation (increase or decrease) of the M demand of a problem can affect student performance. Increasing the M demand of a problem would affect more the performance of subjects with a limited functional M capacity. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of manipulation (increase) of the M demand of chemistry problems, having the same logical structure, on performance of students having different functional M capacity, cognitive style, and formal operational reasoning patterns. As predicted the performance of one group of students was lower after the manipulation (increase) in the M demand of the problem. This shows how even small changes in the amount of information required for processing can lead to working memory overload, as a consequence of a poor capacity for mobilization of M power.
Teaching for understanding: Exemplary practice in high school chemistry
Authors: Garnett Patrick J. , Tobin Kenneth
Published: October 2006

The study is a component of a larger investigation that focused on exemplary practice in science and mathematics education. This case study involved an investigation of two chemistry teachers in high schools in Perth, Western Australia. The study utilized an interpretive methodology in which the questions emerged from intensive observations of chemistry lessons in classes taught by the two teachers. The principal finding was that the two teachers focused on teaching for understanding. One teacher tended to emphasize whole‐class activities while the other utilized more small‐group and individualized activities. The teachers were successful in their goal of teaching for understanding because they were effective classroom managers and they had strong science content knowledge that enabled them to focus on instructional strategies that facilitated student understanding. They asked appropriate questions, responded to student questions, and used effective cognitive monitoring strategies. The teachers were able to teach effectively because they had adequate content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.
Scientific reasoning during adolescence: The influence of instruction in science knowledge and reasoning strategies
Authors: Linn M. C. , Clement C. , Pulos S. , Sullivan P.
Published: October 2006

The mechanism linking instruction in scientific topics and instruction in logical reasoning strategies is not well understood. This study assesses the role of science topic instruction combined with logical reasoning strategy instruction in teaching adolescent students about blood pressure problems. Logical reasoning instruction for this study emphasizes the controlling‐variables strategy. Science topic instruction emphasizes variables affecting blood pressure. Subjects receiving logical reasoning instruction link their knowledge of blood pressure variables to their knowledge of controlling variables more effectively than those receiving science topic instruction alone—their specific responses show how they attempt to integrate their understanding.
Decision‐making theories as tools for interpreting student behavior during a scientific inquiry simulation
Authors: Aikenhead Glen S.
Published: October 2006

The study investigated the predictive ability of two sociological theories of group decision making, the social decision scheme (SDS) and the valence distribution (DV) model. The theories were applied to a normal classroom setting of grade‐9 and ‐10 students (N = 159) involved in a scientific inquiry—a simulation of scientific decision making. In their attempt to resolve conceptual conflicts concerning a pendulum's period, the students worked towards a consensus. It was discovered that student beliefs at the end of the simulation deviated from this group consensus. Neither the SDS or the DV theories could account for this result, except in one extreme case. The psychological state of the decision makers (vigilant, hypervigilant, etc.) was mildly associated with this deviation. The predictive function of the SDS and DV models was apparently severely hampered by the natural complexities common to classroom interactions. However, the study did illuminate factors that likely affect conceptual change in the context of classroom group decision making; and the study discovered strategies which students invented in order to maintain their alternative conceptions of motion related to the pendulum, in the face of conflicting evidence. These results are discussed in terms of the students' participation in the scientific inquiry.
Advancing research beyond the ruling theory stage
Authors: Lawson Anton E. , Reichert Elizabeth A. , Costenson Kenneth L. , Fedock Patricia M. , Litz Kathleen K.
Published: October 2006

Seldom do researchers in science education state causal hypotheses they seek to test. Even less often are alternative hypotheses stated, much less tested. Further, science education researchers as a rule confuse hypotheses with predictions. Thus, they stand little chance of conducting research which distinguishes among alternative explanations, and consequently stand little chance of advancing knowledge beyond the Ruling Theory Stage of thinking. The present article offers five research criteria and their rationale intended to help researchers avoid these problems and help them conduct higher‐quality research, which should in turn improve the quality of science teaching.
Relationships between formal‐operational thought and conceptual difficulties in genetics problem solving
Authors: Gipson Michael H. , Abraham Michael R. , Renner John W.
Published: October 2006

Seventy‐one college general biology students were taught a unit in Mendelian genetics by the traditional lecture method. Emphasis was placed on meiotic formation of gametes, the Law of Segregation, and the Law of Independent Assortment. The Punnett‐square model was used for all practice problems. Eight weeks later, a content‐validated retention test was given to evaluate the students' retention of problem‐solving skills. The test required students to use proportional reasoning (identifying ratios from the Punnett squares), combinatorial reasoning (identifying combinations of gametes from parental genotypes), and probabilistic reasoning (estimating gamete or offspring probabilities). Each of the 71 students was also given three Piagetian interview tasks to evaluate intellectual development in the areas of reasoning under question. The balance‐beam task, the electronic switch‐box task, and colored squares and diamonds were used to test for proportional reasoning, combinatorial reasoning, and probabilistic reasoning, respectively. Pearson correlations and factor analysis failed to show direct relationships among Piagetian tasks for the three kinds of reasoning and their corresponding occurrence in genetics problems. Some correlations were higher between different reasoning types than between similar types. Analysis of variance showed significant differences for all three reasoning types among concrete‐operational, transitional, and formal‐operational students with the retention test. Post‐hoc analysis of ANOVAs indicated that formal‐operational students had significantly more success in the three reasoning areas than transitional students, and transitional students had significantly more success than concrete‐operational students.
Science achievement in semester and all‐year courses
Authors: Bateson David J.
Published: October 2006

The study investigated the effects of full‐credit semester and all‐year timetables on science attitudes and science achievement of grade‐10 students in British Columbia. All grade‐10 students in British Columbia completed multiple matrix sampled assessment instruments in May of 1986. These instruments provided background information, affective scores, and cognitive scores which were used to compare the groups. It was found that, contrary to reported teacher perceptions of semester versus all‐year courses, students in the all‐year courses consistently outperformed both first‐ and second‐semester students in the cognitive domains tested, and there were no significant differences in the affective domains. The finding that second‐semester students out‐performed the first‐semester students casts doubt on the reported teacher perception that knowledge retention is of little concern under a semester system.
Determinants of middle school students' intention to enroll in a high school science course: An application of the theory of reasoned action
Authors: Crawley Frank E. , Coe Annette S.
Published: October 2006

The determinants of intentions to enroll in a high school science course were investigated, using the theory of reasoned action, among earth science students enrolled in a middle school located in a middle‐income, suburban community in central Texas. The sample consisted of 5 of 14 eighth‐grade earth science classes, randomly selected for this study. Classes contained Caucasian and minority students, male and female, of differing science abilities who were grouped according to general academic abilities—basic, average, and gifted and talented. The prediction of behavioral intention of sample participants was tested using four external variables, attitude, and subjective norm (Direct‐Full Effects Model), attitude and subjective norm alone (Direct‐Reduced Effects Model), and disaggregated data on attitude and subjective norm (Indirect Effects Model). Results of the study revealed attitude and subjective norm to be the sole predictors of behavioral intention for the aggregated data, but to be differentially effective for groups formed on the basis of sex, ethnicity, general ability, and science ability. Evidence is presented to show that the relative contributions of attitude and subjective norm to the prediction of behavioral intention varies among students depending upon their sex, ethnicity, general ability, and science ability. Results of the study are discussed in terms of increasing the enrollment of all students in elective science courses.
Neo‐piagetian predictors of achievement in physical science
Authors: Roth Wolff‐Michael
Published: October 2006

This article examines the predictive value of the cognitive variables of developmental level, mental capacity, cognitive style, short‐term storage space, and numerical inductive reasoning for student achievement in college science. Achievement was analyzed for each of the categories of pure recall, computational, complex items, and total score of a midterm exam as well as for the composite score on a final exam. The sample for this study consisted of a class of 32 nonscience majors enrolled in Physical Science I at the University of Southern Mississippi. The results showed that developmental level was the single best predictor of achievement. Short‐term storage space and mental capacity were significant predictors of achievement for computational and complex items, but, as expected from theoretical considerations, not for pure recall items. The degree of field dependence did not well predict performance on pure recall or computational items. The results also indicate that mental capacity and field dependence do not contribute significantly to the variance if developmental level is held constant. The pattern of the predictive power of numerical inductive reasoning parallels, in magnitude, that of mental capacity. The results of this study and its implications indicate that the construct of short‐term storage space has great potential to guide classroom practice and the development of instructional materials. A strategy is outlined that would guide curriculum planners and classroom teachers in the development of materials which would allow students to develop complex problem‐solving behaviors.
Use of reasoning to a contradiction in grades three to college
Authors: Lawson Anton E.
Published: October 2006

The primary purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that an important intellectual acquisition during adolescence is the ability to generate arguments that involve reasoning to contradiction. Students in grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and college were individually administered a four‐card selection task that required them to, among other things, reason to a contradiction to falsify a hypothesis. Virtually none of the students spontaneously utilized this reasoning pattern on the initial task. Minimal verbal instruction in use of the reasoning pattern was then given followed by a logically analogous selection task. Performance on this task improved significantly with age from 12% success among third graders to 52% success among college students, providing some support for the hypothesis. Performance on an evaluation task showed similar rates of success; however, most students were able to correctly evaluate falsifying evidence when presented. This result suggested that, contrary to Piagetian theory, students from grade 3 upward comprehend the logic of falsification. It is argued that reasoning to a contradiction is a reasoning pattern of central importance in testing alternative scientific hypotheses and its use in students grades 3 through college could be enhanced through proper instruction and, if done, should increase students' ability to generate and evaluate competing hypotheses.
Policy decisions on improving science education: A cost‐effectiveness analysis
Authors: Anderson Ronald D.
Published: October 2006

A form of policy analysis, cost‐effectiveness analysis, is described and applied to the question of the probable impact of a large number of actions advocated in professional and political circles for improving science education. After identifying the objectives sought, the costs and probable effectiveness of 69 widely advocated interventions were estimated. Because of the highly systemic nature of the situation, analysis of the 69 individual actions was only an intermediate step. Models of the interconnections among these actions were developed based on the research on effective schools and educational change. Clusters of interventions were identified which could be extended to recommendations for policy makers at various levels, e.g., local, state, and federal.
The science‐technology‐society movement in science education: A critique of the reform process
Authors: Hart E. P. , Robottom I. M.
Published: October 2006

Changes in society and in science and technology have forced a rethinking of what is “basic” in science education. A perceived disjuncture between school science and the realities of a scientifically and technologically oriented society has resulted in proposals for new directions in science teaching. It appears that science education is about to undergo another paradigm shift. One particularly visible movement, the “Science‐Technology‐Society” (STS) movement, exemplifies how such directional shifts tend to occur within the field of science education. This article critically examines the program and professional development process that has characterized past and current science curriculum reform effort in an attempt to illustrate fundamental educational reform problems. The need for new directions in science education is uncontested here. The issue is the problematic nature of the reform process itself. The article contends that new methods of reform must be researched— methods that directly involve practitioners in critical reflection, participatory research, and science curriculum development.
The inquiry level of junior high activities: Implications to science teaching
Authors: Pizzini Edward L. , Shepardson Daniel P. , Abell Sandra K.
Published: October 2006

An analysis of the inquiry level of science activities within junior high science textbooks and their accompanying supplemental activity guides was undertaken utilizing the inquiry analysis scheme developed by Tafoya et al. (1980). The inquiry level of activities was analyzed in relation to textbook series, supplemental activity guide, and discipline. Significance was determined using two‐way ANOVAs for inquiry level by publisher series activity guides, inquiry level by discipline activity guides, inquiry level by publisher textbook series, and inquiry level by discipline textbooks. Tukey's pairwise comparison was used to determine significance among two‐way ANOVA means. There was a significant difference in the frequency of inquiry level of activities among science textbooks, supplemental activity guides, and disciplines.
The effect of instruction on socio‐cultural beliefs hindering the learning of science
Authors: Jegede Olugbemiro J. , Okebukola Peter A. O.
Published: October 2006

Although recent studies have shown that the sociocultural characteristics which children in non‐western society bring into the classroom from their environment create a wedge between what they are taught and what they learn, very little has been done to solve the problem. A learner who is not positively disposed to, or has a socio‐cultural background that is indifferent to, learning science would find it hard to learn science effectively. This study investigated whether instruction through the use of the socio‐cultural mode has any significant effect on students' attitude towards the learning of science. The sample consisted of 600 senior secondary year‐one students (442 boys, 158 girls) from 15 secondary schools in Nigeria. The Socio‐Cultural Environment Scale (SCES) and the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) were used to measure the change in attitude and achievement of subjects in a pretest‐posttest situation after a six‐week treatment. Evidence was found to support the hypothesis that science instruction which deliberately involves the discussion of socio‐cultural views about science concepts engenders positive attitudes towards the study of science. The findings also indicate that anthropomorphic and mechanistic views can be presented in such a way as to promote positive attitudes towards the study of science in traditional cultures.
A procedure for determining the level of abstraction of science reading material
Authors: Vachon Myra K. , Haney Richard E.
Published: October 2006

The objectives of this study were to develop a method for scoring the level of abstraction (LOA) of science reading material and explore its relationship with other methods for assessing curriculum materials. LOA is defined as the ratio of the nonconcrete concepts to the total number of concepts in a written passage expressed as a percent. Using passages taken from life, earth, and physical science textbooks written at three different levels, data were collected to obtain preliminary agreement from science educators in the classification of concepts, determine interscorer reliability, and compare student and passage variables. Participants consisted of 24 science educators, 60 science teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools, and 425 urban students in Grades 5, 7, and 10. Instruments used were (a) the procedure to determine level of abstraction developed in this study, (b) the cloze procedure, and (c) “Reading Level: Programs for Teachers.” No significant correlations were found between (a) passage LOA and passage readability level, (b) student cloze scores and passage LOA, (c) passage LOA and teacher prediction of student success, and (d) student cloze scores and passage readability level. However, the lack of significant correlations between LOA and cloze scores combined with the fact that the LOA is based upon deep structure rather than surface structure of written material indicate the possible uniqueness of the LOA and highlight the importance of further investigation of the LOA in its relationship to student comprehension of written material.
Potential interaction and potential investigation of science center exhibits and visitors' interest
Authors: Busque Laurier
Published: October 2006

This research consisted of studying the characteristics of interaction and investigation potential present in museum or science center exhibits. Categories (strong and weak) for the characteristics of interaction potential and investigation potential were established. Fifteen exhibits were chosen from the Museum of Science (Ottawa) and from two science centers (Sudbury and Toronto); these were representative of the established characteristics and categories. A test was constructed that measured the interest in an exhibit in a museum or a science center. The final analysis of the test (20 items) reflects a coefficient of homogeneity (Cronbach alpha) of 0.97 (n = 278). In terms of the characteristics of interaction potential and investigation potential, a significant difference among the ranks of interest was not found once they were regrouped under the categories of strong and weak. The hypothesis of a relationship between the interaction potential and visitors' interest in an exhibit in a museum or science center and the hypothesis of a relationship between the investigation potential and the interest aroused were both rejected. In regards to the interaction potential, median ranks of interest in exhibits of 8.6 for the strong category and of 7.5 for the weak category were observed. In terms of the investigation potential, median ranks of interest of 7.0 for the strong category and of 9.1 for the weak category were observed. In the case of investigation potential, even if the difference is not significant, there is an indication that the strong investigation potential seems to have the effect of creating disinterest in the presentation of an exhibit in a museum or in a science center. In the context of new museum and science centers, the view of developing exhibits which are primarily objects which stimulate interest must be maintained. If this is done with exhibits that arc interactive and have an investigative approach, it is necessary for those in charge of museums and science centers to consider other characteristics in order to ensure capturing visitors' interest.
Can teachers predict their students' wait time preferences?
Authors: Altiere Mary A. , Duell Orpha K.
Published: October 2006

The study examined students' preferences for wait times of 3 seconds versus .9 second, teachers' ability to accurately predict their students' preferences, and the reasons both groups of participants gave for their choices. Thirty‐five middle school science classes watched two versions of a videotaped science review lesson. The versions differed only in length of time the teacher paused after questions before she called on students to respond. When asked which version would produce more learning and when asked which version they preferred (after being told how the two versions differed), significantly more students chose the one with the longer wait time. Significantly more teachers predicted these choices accurately than inaccurately. Students identified think time, time use, teacher helpfulness, and topic ease as reasons for their choices.