bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research data necessary for meaningful review of grade ten high school genetics curricula
Authors: Hackling Mark W. , Treagust David
Published: October 2006

Grade 10 high school students' understanding of the mechanisms of inheritance was explored following a course of instruction. A partially standardized interview procedure was developed based on inheritance concepts and propositions which were considered necessary for an understanding of inheritance. Concepts and propositions that were understood, not understood, or misunderstood were identified. Analysis of interviews from 48 students revealed several important implications for science curriculum writers and science teachers of grade 10 genetics topics.
Identifying potential “dropouts” from college physics classes
Authors: Wollman Warren , Lawrenz Frances
Published: October 2006

Hudson and Rottman (1981) established that mathematics ability is probably a secondary factor influencing dropout from college physics courses. Other factors remain to be found for predicting who will drop out or at least have difficulty with the course. When mathematics ability is coupled with general indicators of performance (total GPA and ACT natural science), prediction of performance for those who complete the course is substantially improved. Moreover, discriminant analyses reveal who will have at least some difficulty, but not who will drop out. The problem of isolating specific weaknesses of students who have difficulty persists. Physics achievement appears to depend on mathematics ability only to the extent that students possess the ability to utilize mathematics knowledge for solving physics problems. Identification of the specific aspects of this ability as well as the specific deficiencies leading to dropout should be the object of future research. For the present, interviews might be more revealing than group testing methods.
Toward the development of a children's science curiosity measure
Authors: Harty Harold , Beall Dwight
Published: October 2006

Based on the need for, suggestions about the construction, and existing measures serving as models found in the literature both inside and outside of science education, the “Children's Science Curiosity Scale” has undergone six versions using four different samples of fifth graders. Respectable internal consistency (alpha) and test‐retest reliabilities have been calculated. Concurrent validity has been demonstrated by significant positive correlations with another recognized curiosity measure, and by way of significant differences between students who were interested in science and students uncertain about interest in science. Somewhat weak predictive validity has been decided by way of significant positive correlations with students' semester science grades. Construct validity has been described and established by eight judges using six criteria, and supported through the use of factor analysis where four underlying factors were hypothesized as characteristics of science curiosity. Sex differences were also explored where significant differences were not found between the genders. Suggestions have been made concerning future attempts at instrument refinement, establishing conceptual validity, future research involving other variables, and classroom use in a variety of contexts.
An evaluation of the effect of two different lengths of inservice training on teacher attitudes
Authors: Lawrenz Frances P.
Published: October 2006

This investigation compares the effectiveness of two types of inservice training offered through the Arizona Portal School Program. Both methods were designed to provide teachers with positive attitudes toward activity‐centered energy education. The methods differed in length and energy‐related content with one course running for 5 sessions and the other for 15 sessions. The longer course placed more emphasis on content knowledge. Three types of attitudes were assessed: attitudes toward curricular change, opinions on energy concepts, and beliefs about science education. Although the longer course had a more positive effect on the participants' views of and willingness to participate in curricular change and the shorter course had a more positive effect on the participants' views of teaching activity‐oriented science, both courses produced the same type of change in the participants' views of energy issues.
The development of a group test of formal operational logic in the content area of environmental science
Authors: Texley Juliana T. , Norman John
Published: October 2006

An instrument was developed to assess the logical reasoning capacity of adolescents in the content area of environmental science. Characterized as a group test, the instrument consisted of five concrete experiences related to environmental concepts, to which pencil‐and‐paper responses were made. The instrument was validated through (1) logical analysis of items from the standpoint of Piagetian theory, (2) correlation with clinical interviews and group test results in physical science, and (3) factor analysis. The results indicated an acceptable level of validity for the instrument in each category. Concurrently, the results of the study indicated that the reasoning level of the subjects was well below the theoretical levels predicted for them by theory. The results also suggested that reasoning ability in environmental science was lower than in areas associated with the physical concepts usually tested. The data suggested the presence of a horizontal decalage, or time lag, between the development of logical reasoning skills in areas of familiarity, such as physical science, and areas of content less familiar to the subject or those in which logical structures may be less frequently used in the development of evaluation instruments.
Plants as producers: A case study of elementary science teaching
Authors: Smith Edward L. , Anderson Charles W.
Published: October 2006

This case study is part of a larger study of teachers' use of curriculum materials in planning and teaching fifth‐grade science. This case study focuses on one of the nine teachers observed teaching an activity‐based unit on plant growth and photosynthesis. Although the teacher became aware that her students held certain misconceptions about plant growth, she was unsuccessful in helping them replace their misconceptions with the scientific conceptions she wanted them to learn. The analysis revealed several factors that contributed to this disappointing result. The teacher and the curriculum developers held different views about learning and the nature of science, and several problems surfaced about the content and organization of the teacher's guide.
Effects of extended wait time on discourse characteristics and achievement in middle school grades
Authors: Tobin Kenneth
Published: October 2006

The study was conducted in 20 intact classes in grades 6 and 7 from suburban schools in Perth, Australia. The study investigated changes in discourse attributable to the use of an extended teacher wait time in a sequence of seven lessons related to probabilistic reasoning. A wait time feedback group of 10 classes obtained a significantly higher summative achievement mean than a control group that utilized a normal wait time. The results indicated that teacher wait time increased significantly over a seven lesson sequence from an average of 1.9 seconds to an average of 4.4 seconds. Discourse patterns in whole class settings also changed throughout the study. Although the total number of utterances decreased, the average length of pupil utterances increased. Changes were also observed in the teacher discourse. The most notable of these related to the type of teacher talk that followed a pupil response to a question. Teachers tended to probe to obtain further pupil input rather than mimicking pupil responses. The average length of student discourse and the proportion of student reacting were significantly related to summative achievement. The results of the study have indicated that the use of an extended teacher wait time in whole class settings can improve teacher and pupil discourse characteristics. However, the changes that occur are different to those that occur when an extended wait time is used in work groups. Teachers may need to be sensitized to the differing effects of longer wait time in whole class, work group, and individualized settings.
Analyzing difficulties with mole‐concept tasks by using familiar analog tasks
Authors: Gabel Dorothy , Sherwood Robert D.
Published: October 2006

This study was conducted to determine which skills and concepts students have that are prerequisites for solving moles problems through the use of analog tasks. Two analogous tests with four forms of each were prepared that corresponded to a conventional moles test. The analogs used were oranges and granules of sugar. Slight variations between test items on various forms permitted comparisons that would indicate specific conceptual and mathematical difficulties that students might have in solving moles problems. Different forms of the two tests were randomly assigned to 332 high school chemistry students of five teachers in four schools in central Indiana. Comparisons of total test score, subtest scores, and the number of students answering an item correctly using appropriate t‐test and chi square tests resulted in the following conclusions: (1) the size of the object makes no difference in the problem difficulty; (2) students understand the concepts of mass, volume, and particles equally well; (3) problems requiring two steps are harder than those requiring one step; (4) problems involving scientific notation are more difficult than those that do not; (5) problems involving the multiplication concept are easier than those involving the division concept; (6) problems involving the collective word “bag” are easier to solve than those using the word “billion”; (7) the use of the word “a(n)” makes the problem more difficult than using the number “1”.
Development of an integrated process skill test: TIPS II
Authors: Burns Joseph C. , Okey James R. , Wise Kevin C.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this project was to develop a valid and reliable science process skill test for middle and high school students. Multiple‐choice items were generated for each of five objectives. Following pilot testing and revision, the test was administered to middle and high school students in the northeastern United States. The 36‐item test can be completed in a normal class period. Results yielded a mean score of 19.14 and a total test reliability of 0.86. Mean difficulty and discrimination indices were 0.53 and 0.35, respectively. Split‐test correlations coefficients between TIPS II and the original TIPS items were 0.86 and 0.90. TIPS II provides another reliable instrument for measuring process skill achievement. Additionally, it increases the available item pool for measuring these skills.
Rule‐governed approaches to physics: Conservation of mechanical energy
Authors: Maloney David P.
Published: October 2006

This article reports on a study conducted to investigate the methods individuals use to make predictions about five situations involving the conservation of mechanical energy. The subjects in the study came from two different populations—science majors and nonscience majors. The technique used to determine the strategies subjects employed was a paper‐and‐pencil version of Siegler's Rule‐Assessment technique. Each subject worked five task sets, although the order in which they did the sets varied. The task sets had simple situations involving carts moving on inclines or horizontal paths. The situations had energy transformations from: (1) kinetic energy to thermal energy via work against friction, (2) potential energy to thermal energy via work against friction, (3) potential energy to potential energy, (4) potential energy to kinetic energy, and (5) kinetic energy to potential energy. The major findings of the study were: (a) the subjects did employ identifiable strategies in over 97% of the cases, (b) the sequencing of the task sets did affect the way subjects worked the problems, (c) there was a difference in the way science majors and nonscience majors worked the problems, and (d) the effect of the variation in sequence differed for the two populations.
The portrayal of minorities and women in selected elementary science series
Authors: Powell Richard R. , Garcia Jesus
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to determine the quantitative and qualitative portrayal of females and minorities in the illustrations of seven contemporary elementary science textbook series. An evaluation instrument was devised to determine the current status of the targeted groups. Illustrations were evaluated on the basis of minority/nonminority and male/female repesentation. The activity and assumed role of the individuals were also tabulated. More than 5900 human illustrations were evaluated. The results reveal that female children as a group are represented with greater frequency than are other child groups. Minority children are represented less often than nonminority children and female and minority adults are depicted less often than nonminority male adults. The textbooks evaluated in this study display science positively for most societal groups. However, minorities are underrepresented and illustrated in a limited number of career roles. Implications and suggestions for teachers, supervisors, and teacher educators are provided.
The effect of writing assignments on achievement in college general chemistry
Authors: Horton Phillip B. , Fronk Robert H , Walton Raymond W.
Published: October 2006

This study was designed to determine if student learning in college general chemistry could be increased through the addition of required writing assignments. Sixty‐four students enrolled in the same section of a general chemistry II course were randomly assigned to two groups. Treatment group members were required to turn in written summaries of 8 class lectures. These summaries were graded and returned with mistakes in chemistry and writing noted. Feedback concerning errors in chemical content was shared with the entire class prior to the posttest. Analysis of covariance of the posttest results showed that the treatment group members scored significantly higher than the students who did not write the summaries (F = 6.78, p < .05). No interaction was observed between group membership and pretest scores. These results indicate that student achievement in chemistry may be enhanced through required writing assignments. The study results are inconclusive as to whether the gains in achievement were due to the processes involved in organizing and writing the summaries, or due to the additional study time required to write the summaries.
Examining a mathematical model of mastery learning in a classroom setting
Authors: Johnston Karen L. , Aldridge Bill G.
Published: October 2006

The purpose of mathematical models in any discipline is to describe accurately the relationships among significant variables of a system. The use of mathematical models is widespread in the sciences, but has rarely found its way into educational research. In developing a mathematical model for mastery learning, empirical research has shown that prior learning, motivation, and time on task are part of the significant variables that work together in some way in a determination of student achievement. A mathematical model that shows the relationship among these variables has been developed. To test the appropriateness of this mathematical model, carefully designed and controlled experiments must be conducted to collect numerical data on the significant variables. Using the model, the accuracy of its predictions can be compared with actual results. This is the technique used in testing mathematical models in the sciences and should be applicable to mathematical models of learning.
A review of research on formal reasoning and science teaching
Authors: Lawson Anton E.
Published: October 2006

A central purpose of education is to improve students' reasoning abilities. The present review examines research in developmental psychology and science education that has attempted to assess the validity of Piaget's theory of formal thought and its relation to educational practice. Should a central objective of schools be to help students become formal thinkers? To answer this question research has focused on the following subordinate questions: (1) What role does biological maturation play in the development of formal reasoning? (2) Are Piaget's formal tasks reliable and valid? (3) Does formal reasoning constitute a unified and general mode of intellectual functioning? (4) How does the presence or absence of formal reasoning affect school achievement? (5) Can formal reasoning be taught? (6) What is the structural or functional nature of advanced reasoning? The general conclusion drawn is that although Piaget's work and that which has sprung from it leaves a number of unresolved theoretical and methodological problems, it provides an important background from which to make substantial progress toward a most significant educational objective.

All our dignity lies in thought. By thought we must elevate ourselves, not by space and time which we can not fill. Let us endeavor then to think well; therein lies the principle of morality. Blaise Pascal 1623‐1662.
Concept mapping, vee mapping, and achievement: Results of a field study with black high school students
Authors: Lehman James D. , Carter Charlotte , Kahle Jane Butler
Published: October 2006

This article reports on the results of a project that studied the effectiveness of two specific learning heuristics, concept mapping and Vee mapping, in helping black, inner‐city, high school students learn biology concepts meaningfully. The project sought to assess the effects on achievement of the use of these two heuristics as part of a carefully designed sequence of instruction. Two instructional treatments were compared, one that utilized the two experimental heuristics as study aids and one that utilized outlining as a comparison study aid. The instructional treatments were administered over approximately a one semester period. Two hundred and fifty subjects, nearly all black, from two urban high schools in Indiana took part in the study. Achievement instruments designed to measure meaningful (higher order) learning were developed. Analysis of variance of the achievement test means failed to reveal statistically significant differences between the experimental and comparison treatment at the 0.05 alpha level. However, there were suggestions of a tendency toward an effect of the experimental treatment, and several factors contributing to the difficulty in distinguishing achievement differences were identified.
A study of the relationship among type and quality of implementation of science teaching strategy, student formal reasoning ability, and student engagement
Authors: Roadrangka Vantipa , Yeany Russell H.
Published: October 2006

The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between the type and quality of science teaching strategy and student engagement. Teachers and their students in middle and high schools were observed on ten occasions. A total of 60 observations were made of all teachers and ten of each of their students. During each observation period, the type and quality of implementation of teaching strategy was identified and student engagement was rated. Data collected were examined by regression analyses. The results indicated that the type and quality of implementation of teaching strategies did significantly and positively relate to student engagement. Analyzed individually, the type of teaching strategy predicted 12 per cent of the variance in engagement, while the quality of teaching strategy predicted 35 per cent. Overall, the type and quality of teaching strategy predicted 37 per cent of the variance in engagement. The data also showed that the more indirect the teaching strategy, the greater the students' involvement in learning tasks.
Effect of instruction using microcomputer simulations and conceptual change strategies on science learning
Authors: Zietsman Aletta I. , Hewson Peter W.
Published: October 2006

This article describes an investigation into the effects of instruction using microcomputer simulations and conceptual change strategies. The microcomputer program was designed in accord with a model of conceptual change to diagnose and remediate an alternative conception of velocity. Results show that, first, the microcomputer simulations are credible representations of reality, and second, that the remedial part of the program produced significant conceptual change in students holding the alternative conception.
The sequence of learning cycle activities in high school chemistry
Authors: Abraham Michael R. , Renner John W.
Published: October 2006

The sequence of the three phases of two high school learning cycles in chemistry was altered in order to: (I ) give insights into the factors which account for the success of the learning cycle, (2) serve as an indirect test of the association between Piaget's theory and the learning cycle, and (3) to compare the learning cycle with traditional instruction. Each of the six sequences (one n o d and five altered) was studied with content and atritudc measures. The outcomes of the study supported the contention that the normal learning cycle sequence is the optimum sequence for achievement of content knowledge.
Trends in teachers' recommendations for changing elementary and junior‐high school science programs
Authors: Stronck David R.
Published: October 2006

Since 1978 many studies have called for changes in the practices of science teaching. These changes in instruction will occur only when the teachers decide to change their practices. This study uses surveys to consider the question of what were the trends in the teachers' recommendations for changes in elementary and junior‐high school science programs between the years of 1978 and 1982. Large samples of teachers in British Columbia, Canada, responded anonymously to questionnaires in these years: 3040 teachers in 1978 and 1631 in 1982, with return rates ranging from 77.5% to 85%. These teachers described themselves as shifting their classroom practices toward ones that emphasize passive learning and memorization. The British Columbia Science Assessments recommend more inservice programs to stop this trend. There were very few differences in the teachers' recommendations for changes in the schools. The elementary‐school teachers had major changes in their rankings of only two activities: they increased their ranking of “activity‐centered learning” and reduced their ranking of “outdoor education.”
On narrative method, personal philosophy, and narrative unities in the story of teaching
Authors: Connelly F. Michael , Clandinin D. Jean
Published: October 2006

This article outlines a narrative method for the study of classrooms. The main feature of the method is the reconstruction of classroom meaning in terms of narrative unities in the lives of classroom participants. The theoretical character of the work is introduced through comparison and contrast with Schön's The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action (1983). The empirical basis of the work is drawn from an in‐depth, long term, case study with selected science teachers in schools. Paradigmatic material drawn from studies with two teachers is used to illustrate the narrative method in this article and to develop the notions of personal philosophy and narrative unities as part of participants' personal practical knowledge. The article concludes with possibilities of the narrative method for the study of teaching and outlines how the notion of participants' narrative unities contributes to our understanding of science classrooms and of school improvement.
Plants or animals—which do junior high school students prefer to study?
Authors: Wandersee James H.
Published: October 2006

This research addressed the following questions: (1) Which science topic do junior high school students prefer to study—plants or animals? (2) Is their preference related to the variables of grade level and sex of student? Public school students from grades 7, 8, and 9 in Avoca, New York participated in the study. Findings show that 9th grade students have a greater interest in biological science topics than do students in the other grades studied. Girls are more interested in biological science topics than boys are. Girls also showed a significant preference for animals over plants. As a group, junior high school students revealed that they prefer animal study over plant study. About half of the student responses categorized as “biological science” did not express a clear‐cut preference for either plants or animals. A caution about generalizability is expressed. Interviews of students suggest that the following characteristics of animals are important determinants of preferences: Animals move, eat, have eyes for sight, communicate by sound, exhibit behaviors that are fun to watch, have short and observable live cycles, interact with humans, can learn, have mates, give birth, and raise their young. It was obvious that most students think of mammals when they hear the term “animal.”
Learning environmental science from text aided by a diagnostic and prescriptive instructional strategy
Authors: Farragher Pierce , Szabo Michael
Published: October 2006

Learning from text aided by information‐processing techniques of embedded questions and increasingly complex prescriptive feedback was examined relative to achievement, time‐on‐task, and efficiency. Undergraduates (n = 150) were randomly assigned to one of five treatments which varied along a feedback complexity range. After pretesting, Ss completed a selfpaced text unit of soil ecology, followed by a posttest and delayed retention test. Significant differences in instructional time and learning efficiency were observed which were not linearly related to feedback complexity. Between group and achievement differences were marginally significant. Knowledge of human information processing and/or how to apply it to learning from text requires further refinement.
The construction and validation of the test of graphing in science (togs)
Authors: McKenzie Danny L. , Padilla Michael J.
Published: October 2006

The objective of this project was to develop a multiple choice test of graphing skills appropriate for science students from grades seven through twelve. Skills associated with the construction and interpretation of line graphs were delineated, and nine objectives encompassing these skills were developed. Twenty‐six items were then constructed to measure these objectives. To establish content validity, items and objectives were submitted to a panel of reviewers. The experts agreed over 94% of the time on assignment of items to objectives and 98% on the scoring of items. TOGS was first administered to 119 7th, 9th, and 11th graders. The reliability (KR‐20) was 0.81. Poorly functioning items were rewritten based on the item difficulty and discrimination data. The revised version of the test was given to 377 7th through 12th grade students. Total scores ranged from 2 to 26 correct (X = 13.3, S.D. = 5.3). The reliability (KR‐20) was 0.83 for all subjects and ranged from 0.71 for eighth graders to 0.88 for ninth graders. Point biserial correlations showed 24 of the 26 items above 0.30 with an average value of 0.43. It was concluded from this and other data that TOGS was a valid and reliable instrument for measuring graphing abilities.
Influence of resequencing general science content on the science achievement, attitudes toward science, and interest in science of sixth grade students
Authors: Hamrick Linda , Harty Harold
Published: October 2006

This study was designed to determine the influence of resequencing general science content on sixth grade students' science achievement, attitudes toward science, and interest in science. Resequencing content was accomplished for experimental group students through revising the order of textbook chapters in a general science course, in order to clarify content structure and establish interrelationships among major concepts. The subjects were 203 sixth grade learners randomly assigned to the two treatment groups of resequenced content and nonresequenced content. The findings revealed that students for whom content structure was clarified through resequencing general science chapters exhibited significantly higher science achievement, significantly more positive attitudes toward science, and significantly greater interest in science than students for whom general science content was not resequenced.
Factors which deter potential science/math teachers from teaching; changes necessary to ameliorate their concerns
Authors: Evans Robert H.
Published: October 2006

In light of the perceived national need for more science and math teachers, this study was conceived to:

Identify “teaching oriented” students among freshmen at a mid‐western engineering school, who have chosen NOT to become teachers;

Find out what reasons these “potential” science and math teachers have for deciding not to pursue teaching careers;

Determine what amelioration of these problems would be necessary for them to no longer be factors which would inhibit students from becoming teachers.

Of a random sample of 110 students drawn from a freshman class, 98 participated fully in the study. Each participant took Holland's Self‐Directed Search to determine “teaching orientation” and author‐constructed instruments to assess their concerns about teaching.

Results showed “teaching oriented” students avoided teaching due to low starting salaries, lack of job security, low maximum salaries, not wanting to do the work teacher's do, poor job availability and discouragement by family and friends. Starting salaries of $21,693 and salaries of $32,600 for a teacher with a B.A. and 10 years experience were among the changes deemed necessary to make teaching attractive.
A crosscultural validation of a test of science related attitudes
Authors: Khalili Khalil Y.
Published: October 2006

A test for measuring science attitudes, named Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA), was initially developed in Australia by Fraser (1977, 1978). This study investigated the crosscultural validity of this instrument when used with American high school students. Three hundred and thirty‐six students (12th and 11th graders) in three high schools in suburban Chicago took the test. The results of the study, confirming previous validation of the test, revealed that the seven subscales of TOSRA were, in general, highly reliable. The discriminant validity of each of these scales, however, was found to be generally low. The item/scale correlation for all but four items of the test met Shrigley's (Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20(1), 87–89, 1983) criterion of being more than 0.30. The results of the principal components with varimax rotation did not support the distinctiveness of the subscale structure of the test.
Gender differences in national assessment of educational progress science items: What does “i don't know” really mean?
Authors: Linn Marcia C. , De Benedictis Tina , Delucchi Kevin , Harris Abigail , Stage Elizabeth
Published: October 2006

The National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Assessment has consistently revealed small gender differences on science content items but not on science inquiry items. This assessment differs from others in that respondents can choose “I don't know” rather than guessing. This paper examines explanations for the gender differences including (a) differential prior instruction, (b) differential response to uncertainty and use of the “I don't know” response, (c) differential response to figurally presented items, and (d) different attitudes towards science. Of these possible explanations, the first two received support. Females are more likely to use the “I don't know” response, especially for items with physical science content or masculine themes such as football. To ameliorate this situation we need more effective science instruction and more gender‐neutral assessment items.
The impact of microcomputer‐based labs on children's ability to interpret graphs
Authors: Mokros Janice R. , Tinker Robert F.
Published: October 2006

Graphing represents a key symbol system for scientific communication. Widely‐reported low graphing skills notwithstanding, middle school students can learn to communicate with graphs in the context of appropriate microcomputer‐based laboratory (MBL) investigations. Two preliminary studies and a longitudinal study are reported that support this conclusion. In the three‐month longitudinal study of MBL, students showed a significant gain on 16 graphing items, even though the instruction targeted science topics, not graphing skills. The first preliminary study attempted to locate graph‐related misconceptions. Although graph‐as‐picture errors and slope/height confusions were identified, the ease with which MBL removes these problems calls into question the appropriateness of labeling them misconceptions. Four features of MBL seem to contribute to its success in facilitating graphical communication: MBL uses multiple modalities; it pairs, in real time, events with their symbolic graphical representations; it provides genuine scientific experiences; and it eliminates the drudgery of graph production.
Evaluations of science laboratory data: The role of computer‐presented information
Authors: Nachmias Rafi , Linn Marcia C.
Published: October 2006

The present study examines how students currently evaluate information acquired in the science laboratory, especially computer‐presented information. We examine the effect of the use of microcomputer‐based laboratory and of an explicit instruction on students' critical evaluation skills. Finally we contrast the activities in a science laboratory with current thinking about epistemology in the philosophy of science.
The effectiveness of using computer simulated experiments on junior high students' understanding of the volume displacement concept
Authors: Choi Byung‐Soon , Gennaro Eugene
Published: October 2006

Several researchers have suggested that the computer holds much promise as a tool for science teachers for use in their classrooms (Bork, 1979, Lunetta & Hofstein, 1981). It also has been said that there needs to be more research in determining the effectiveness of computer software (Tinker, 1983).

This study compared the effectiveness of microcomputer simulated experiences with that of parallel instruction involving hands‐on laboratory experiences for teaching the concept of volume displacement to junior high school students. This study also assessed the differential effect on students' understanding of the volume displacement concept using sex of the students as another independent variable. In addition, it compared the degree of retention, after 45 days, of both treatment groups.

It was found that computer simulated experiences were as effective as hands‐on laboratory experiences, and that males, having had hands‐on laboratory experiences, performed better on the posttest than females having had the hands‐on laboratory experiences. There were no significant differences in performance when comparing males with females using the computer simulation in the learning of the displacement concept. This study also showed that there were no significant differences in the retention levels when the retention scores of the computer simulation groups were compared to those that had the hands‐on laboratory experiences. However, an ANOVA of the retention test scores revealed that males in both treatment conditions retained knowledge of volume displacement better than females.
Development and validation of a path analytic model of students' performance in chemistry
Authors: Anamuah‐Mensah Jophus , Erickson Gaalen , Gaskell Jim
Published: October 2006

This article reports the development and validation of an integrated model of performance on a chemical concept ‐ volumetric analysis. From the chemical literature a path‐analytic model of performance on volumetric analysis calculation was postulated based on studies utilizing the proportional reasoning schema of Piaget and the Cumulative learning theory of Gagne. This integrated model hypothesized some relationships among the variables: direct proportional reasoning, inverse proportional reasoning, prerequisite concepts (content) and performance on volumetric analysis calculations. This model was postulated for the two groups of students involved in the study ‐ that is those who use algorithms with understanding and those who use algorithms without understanding. Two hundred and sixty‐five grade twelve chemistry students in eight schools (14 classes) in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada participated fully in the study. With the exception of the test on volumetric analysis calculations all the other tests were administered prior to the teaching of the unit on volumetric analysis. The results of the study indicate that for subjects using algorithms without understanding, their performance on VA problems is not influenced by proportional reasoning strategies while for those who use algorithms with understanding, their performance is influenced by proportional reasoning strategies.
Effects of group size and advance organizers on learning parameters when using microcomputer tutorials in kinematics
Authors: Carnes Ernest R. , Lindbeck Joy S. , Griffin C. Frank
Published: October 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the use of CAI tutorial programs, incorporating advance organizers and involving various sizes of groups of subjects, would affect students' achievement scores, retention scores, and rates of learning. Used as subjects were 100 suburban high school physics students running interactive tutorial physics programs focusing on strobe simulation and displacement‐time and velocity‐time graphs. For fifty students (experimental group) an advance organizer program preceded each tutorial. The remaining fifty students (control group) had an advance non‐organizer program preceding each tutorial. While pursuing the tutorials the students worked individually or together in groups of two, three, or four. Five days were allocated for the students to repeat the four tutorials until 90% competency level was attained. Achievement and retention were measured by individually administered paper‐pencil teacher‐made tests sampling the content of all four tutorials. Rate of learning was determined for groups by the number of times the first three tutorial programs were executed in order to attain 90% competency. In the two‐way analysis of variance the only significant result at the 0.05 level pertained to group size. Results of the Tukey Test revealed that students working in groups of three and four on CAI tutorials had significantly better rates of learning than students working alone. No significant differences in achievement or retention were observed for the various groups. The implications for using CAI tutorials in physics point to grouping students in fours as a time saving and economic method of presenting material without significant loss of achievement or retention.
Conceptions of french pupils concerning electric circuits: Structure and evolution
Authors: Dupin Jean‐Jacques , Johsua Samuel
Published: October 2006

A wide investigation on French pupils, ranging from the start of secondary school (grade 6, 12 years old) up to the fourth year of university has enabled the effect of the teaching of conceptions of basic electricity to be evaluated. The simplest ones disappear with teaching, but other stronger ones (“exhaustion” of current, constant current generator) resist even after many years of teaching. The authors propose the hypothesis that certain misconceptions could be produced by the very way in which pupils overcome in part the first difficulties they meet, which poses a difficult problem for physics teaching.
An implementation study: An analysis of elementary students' and teachers' attitudes toward science in process‐approach vs. traditional science classes
Authors: Kyle William C. , Bonnstetter Ronald J. , Gadsden Thomas
Published: October 2006

In 1983, the Richardson Independent School District conducted an internal audit to assess the status of science education. The audit was in anticipation of Texas Administrative Code Chapter 75 which requires an inquiry‐oriented, process‐approach to the teaching of science. In response to the data, and to national reports advocating a broadening of the science education curriculum to address the needs of all students, the district established a committee to implement and evaluate their new K‐6 SCIENCE THROUGH DISCOVERY curriculum. The Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIIS) was adopted as the focal component of the overall curriculum with subsequent, planned innovations to occur in accordance with the Concerns‐Based Adoption Model.

The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes toward science of students who had completed one year of SCIIS compared to students in non‐SCIIS classes. In addition, the attitudes of teachers who received inservice education and who had instructed SCIIS were compared to non‐SCIIS teachers. While SCIIS and non‐SCIIS teachers possess similar perceptions of science, drastic attitudinal differences were observed between SCIIS and non‐SCIIS students. The results indicate that the nature of the curriculum, in conjunction with the necessary implementation support including inservice education, greatly enhances students perceptions of science.
A research strategy for the dynamic study of students' concepts and problem solving strategies using science software
Authors: Krajcik Joseph S. , Simmons Patricia E. , Lunetta Vincent N.
Published: October 2006

Microcomputers and appropriate software have the potential to help students learn. They can also serve as appropriate media for investigating how students learn. In this article we describe a research strategy examining learning and behavior when students interacted with microcomputers and software. Results from two preliminary studies illustrate the strategy.

A major feature of the strategy included recording students interacting with microcomputer software interfaced with a VCR. The VCR recorded the video output from a microcomputer and students' verbal commentary via microphone input. This technique allowed students' comments about their observations, perceptions, predictions, explanations, and decisions to be recorded simultaneously with their computer input and the display on the microcomputer monitor.

The research strategy described can provide important information about cognitive and affective behaviors of students engaged in using instructional software. Research studies utilizing this strategy can enhance our understanding of how students develop and employ important concepts and scientific relationships, how students develop problem‐solving skills and solve problems, and how they interact with instructional software. Results of such studies have important implications for teaching and for the design of instructional software.
Features which separate least effective from most effective science teachers
Authors: Yager Robert E. , Hidayat Eddy M. , Penick John E.
Published: October 2006

Sixty‐one science supervisors identified 321 teachers, 162 most effective and 159 least effective, in their respective districts. Information was then sought concerning age, gender, teaching field(s), number of preparations, amount of preparation, time, semester hours of undergraduate science preparation, quantity of graduate science preparation, type of teacher education programs, number of weeks of NSF workshop experience, and number of workshops elected for participation. Comparisons of the information gathered between least and most effective teachers were made. There were no differences in any categories except for gender, quantity of NSF institute experiences, and elected in‐service experiences in excess of a single day's duration. Many of the factors frequently used to differentiate among teachers do not provide any explanation of the differences between least and most effective teachers of science.
The acquisition of biological knowledge during childhood: Cognitive conflict or tabula rasa?
Authors: Lawson Anton E.
Published: October 2006

Clinical interviews were conducted with three elementary school children, who varied in age but not in family or school environment, to determine the extent to which they held naive misconceptions about important biological topics and to determine agewise trends in the development of biological knowledge. Does early biological knowledge acquisition follow a pattern of spontaneous naive theory construction and cognitive conflict or does it follow a pattern of gradual accretion to an initially blank slate? Contrary to findings in the physical sciences, little evidence was found for biological “misconceptions” as knowledge acquisition appeared to more directly follow the gradual accretion hypothesis with the primary source of that knowledge adult authority rather than personal experience. However, “conceptual change teaching” is still advocated due to its ability to provoke students to consider and test alternative conceptions (even if they are not their own) as a means of encouraging the development of important general reasoning patterns utilized in the testing of causal hypotheses.
An analysis of four ways of assessing student beliefs about sts topics
Authors: Aikenhead Glen S.
Published: October 2006

The study investigated the degree of ambiguity harbored by four different response modes used to monitor student beliefs about science‐technology‐society topics: Likert‐type, written paragraph, semistrue tured interview, and empirically developed multiple choice. The study also explored the sources of those beliefs. Grade‐12 students in a Canadian urban setting responded, in each of the four modes, to statements from Views on Science‐Technology‐Society. It was discovered that TV had far more influence on what students believed about science and its social, technological context than did numerous science courses. The challenge to science educators is to use the media effectively in combating naive views about science. Regarding ambiguity in student assessment, the Likert‐type responses were the most inaccurate, offering only a guess at student beliefs. Such guesswork calls into question the use of Likert‐type standardized tests that claim to assess student views about science. Student paragraph responses contained significant ambiguities in about 50% of the cases. The empirically developed multiple choices, however, reduced the ambiguity to the 20% level. Predictably, the semistructured interview was the least ambiguous of all four response modes, but it required the most time to administer. These findings encourage researchers to develop instruments grounded in the empirical data of student viewpoints, rather than relying solely on instruments structured by the philosophical stances of science educators.