bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender Differences in Mathematics Achievement Among High School Students in the United Arab Emirates, 1991–2000
Authors: Alkhateeb Haitham M.
Published: March 2010

This study explored gender differences in mathematics achievement of students in the last grade of high school and changes in these differences over a 10‐year period in United Arab Emirates. A random sample of 2,000 students, 100 males and 100 females for each of the 10 academic years, was taken from Ministry of Education records, and achievement results for males and females were compared. Findings indicated no significant overall differences. In the last 6 years, females scored higher, although effect sizes were small. Results are discussed in the light of cultural differences.
An Experiment in Three Approaches to Teaching Average to Elementary School Children
Authors: Baker John D. , Beisel Raymond W.
Published: March 2010

The types of experiences children should encounter to best understand average were investigated in this study. Using a traditional approach with problem solving, a concrete approach with manipulatives, or a visual approach with computer spreadsheets, similar lessons on the arithmetic mean were taught to 22 children in grades 4–6, in three multiage groups. Differences among pretest, posttest, and interview performances suggest some advantage in the use of a visual instructional style. Continued gains in performance were found after 4 months without further instruction. An algorithmic‐like definition of average corresponded to better long‐term performance than less precise definitions. Collaborative deliberations resulted in positive implications for the researchers' teaching.
A Model for Extending Hands‐On Science to Be Inquiry Based
Authors: Huber Richard A. , Moore Christopher J.
Published: March 2010

Many popular hands‐on science activities, as traditionally implemented, fail to support inquiry‐based science instruction, because the activities direct teachers to terminate lessons prematurely. This paper presents a model describing one approach for extending seemingly limited hands‐on activities into full‐inquiry science lessons. The strategy involves (a) discrepant events to engage students in direct inquiry; (b) teacher‐supported brainstorming activities to facilitate students in planning investigations; (c) effective written job performance aids to provide structure and support; (d) requirements that students provide a product of their research, which usually includes a class presentation and a graph; and (e) class discussion and writing activities to facilitate students in reflecting on their activities and learning. The paper presents the model as a tool for facilitating science teachers' efforts to understand and implement the type of powerful, effective, and manageable inquiry‐based science instruction called for in the National Science Education Standards.
Teacher Rationales for Scoring Students' Problem Solving Work
Authors: Vásquez‐Levy Dorothy , Garofalo Joe , Timmerman Maria A. , Drier Hollylynne Stohl
Published: March 2010

This article presents the scores teachers assigned to samples of actual students' problem‐solving work and the rationales teachers provided for these scores. These rationales may reflect teachers' values relative to aspects of mathematical problem solving. It may be that when teachers can express rationales for scoring students' work, they are able to justify their evaluation of what students can “know and do” in mathematics.
Exploring Graduate‐Level Scientists' Participation in a Sustained K‐12 Teaching Collaboration
Authors: Thompson Stephen L. , Collins Angelo , Metzgar Vicki , Joeston Melvin D. , Shepherd Virginia
Published: March 2010

To increase scientific literacy in America, the National Science Foundation has implemented the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K‐12 Initiative (GK‐12). In these programs graduate level scientists, known as Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs), act as resources for science teachers (Partner Teachers). This research examines the influence of participation in this program on the GTFs involved in one GK‐12 sustained collaboration that emphasizes the codevelopment and co‐implementation of hands‐on, inquiry‐based activities. Qualitative data in the form of interviews and observations were collected from a single cohort of Partner Teachers, GTFs, and the academic advisors of the GTFs for one academic year. The GTFs identified three benefits they received from working in the GK‐12 program: enhanced understanding of science content, fuller understanding of the complexities of teaching science, and understanding of inquiry‐based science teaching and its value. At the same time the GTFs experienced tensions related to differing views of science and science teaching held by the GTFs and the Partner Teachers. The GTFs also experienced professional risks in at least two ways due to their involvement in this program. One risk was the result of the time commitment required to be a GTF. The other was the result of what was termed competing foci. Illustrated in this case by the difficulties encountered as GTFs attempted to learn how to teach in a secondary science classroom while still learning to become research scientists.
Reforming and Assessing Undergraduate Science Instruction Using Collaborative Action‐Based Research Teams
Authors: Krockover Gerald H. , Shepardson Daniel P. , Adams Paul E. , Eichinger David , Nakhleh Mary
Published: March 2010

Faculty members at Purdue University in the departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Chemistry conducted a reform effort for the undergraduate curriculum utilizing action‐based research teams. These action‐based research teams developed, implemented, and assessed constructivist approaches to teaching undergraduate science content in each department. This effort utilized a partnership of scientists, science educators, master teachers, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Results indicated that the project partners were able to (a) implement more inquiry‐based teaching that emphasized conceptual understanding, (b) provide opportunities for cooperative learning experiences, (c) use models as an ongoing theme, (d) link concepts and models to real‐world situations, e.g., field trips, (e) provide a more diverse range of assessment strategies, and (f) have students present their understandings in a variety of different forms. Further, we found that we were able to (a) involve graduate and undergraduate students, classroom teachers, scientists, and science educators together to work on the reform in a collaborative manner, (b) bring multiple perspectives for teaching and for science to support instruction and, (c) provide scientists and graduate science students (who will become university professors) with more effective teaching models. We also found that the collaborative action‐based research process was effective for contributing to the reform of undergraduate teaching.
Building Bridges and Crossing Borders: Using Service Learning to Overcome Cultural Barriers to Collaboration Between Science and Education Departments
Authors: Carr Kevin
Published: March 2010

Powerful preparation of elementary educators in teaching science involves significant contributions from both scientists and teacher educators. Ironically, faculty and students in science and teacher education departments are often isolated from one another not only across the physical boundaries of the university, but across the cultural boundaries of academe. Coordination and collaboration between science and education faculty and students requires a careful negotiation of these cultural boundaries. This paper presents several illustrations of both successful and unsuccessful collaborative episodes documented during the creation of an interdepartmental service learning project, Science Outreach. The illustrations are interpreted in terms of a cultural difference model, and recommendations are made for successful interdepartmental collaboration.
Using Emerging Technologies to Help Bridge the Gap Between University Theory and Classroom Practice: Challenges and Successes
Authors: Barnett Michael , Harwood William , Keating Thomas , Saam Julie
Published: March 2010

This article describes and illuminates the challenges that the authors faced as we integrated a web‐supported professional development system into elementary science methods courses housed at three different universities. Using a design experiment framework, the challenges and difficulties encountered while attempting to develop and sustain effective discussions about inquiry‐based teaching are discussed. Three main issues were identified through this analysis: (a) creating meaningful interactions for preservice teachers, (b) supporting preservice teacher reflection and articulation of their belief systems, and (c) technical, social, and institutional challenges of using a World Wide Web based professional development system. The article closes with recommendations concerning the implementation of a web‐based professional development system into elementary methods science courses and describes what appear to be successful strategies for fostering a collaborative atmosphere between teacher educators, preservice teachers, and in‐service teachers.
Intended Treatments of Arithmetic Average in U.S. and Asian School Mathematics Textbooks
Authors: Cai Jinfa , Lo Jane Jane , Watanabe Tad
Published: March 2010

This study examined how selected U.S. and Asian mathematics curricula are designed to facilitate students' understanding of the arithmetic average. There is a consistency regarding the learning goals among these curriculum series, but the focuses are different between the Asian series and the U.S. reform series. The Asian series and the U.S. commercial series focus the arithmetic average more on conceptual and procedural understanding of the concept as a computational algorithm than on understanding the concept as a representative of a data set; however, the two U.S. reform series focus the concept more on the latter. Because of the different focuses, the Asian and the U.S. curriculum series treat the concept differently. In the Asian series, the concept is first introduced in the context of “equal‐sharing” or “per‐unit‐quantity,” and the averaging formula is formally introduced at a very early stage. In the U.S. reform series, the concept is discussed as a measure of central tendency, and after students have some intuitive ideas of the statistical aspect of the concept, the averaging algorithm is briefly introduced.
The Effect of Calculator‐Based Ranger Activities on Students' Graphing Ability
Authors: Kwon Oh Nam
Published: March 2010

Middle school students can learn to communicate with graphs in the context of appropriate Calculator‐Based Ranger (CBR) activities. Three issues about CBR activities on graphing abilities were addressed in this study: (a) the effect of CBR activities on graphing abilities; (b) the extent to which prior knowledge about graphing skills affects graphing ability; (c) the influence of instructional styles on students' graphing abilities. Following the use of CBR activities, students' graphing abilities were significantly more developed in three components _ interpreting, modeling, and transforming. Prior knowledge of graphing skills on the Cartesian coordinate plane had little effect on students' understanding of graphs. Significant differences, however, were found in students' achievement, depending on instructional styles related to differentiation, which is closely connected to transforming distance‐time graphs to velocity‐time graphs. The result of this study indicates that the CBR activities are pedagogically promising for enhancing graphing ability of physical phenomena.
Mathematics Anxiety and Learning Styles: What Is the Relationship in Elementary Preservice Teachers?
Authors: Sloan Tina , Daane C. J. , Giesen Judy
Published: March 2010

The study investigated the relationship between elementary preservice teachers' mathematics anxiety levels and learning style preferences. Subjects included 72 preservice teachers at a midsized southeastern U.S. university who were at the end of their third year of study. The subjects completed the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale and the Style Analysis Survey (SAS). Scores obtained on the two instruments were analyzed using Pearson product‐moment correlations. Eleven of the SAS subscales were examined. The global subscale was the only one related to mathematics anxiety at the p < .05 level of significance. Findings revealed a low (r= .28) but significant (p < .05) positive correlation between mathematics anxiety and a global (right‐brain dominant) learning style. As global orientation scores increased, mathematics anxiety scores increased as well. This study indicated that there is tendency for global learners to possess higher levels of mathematics anxiety.
Taiwanese Gifted Students' Views of Nature of Science
Authors: Liu Shiang‐Yao , Lederman Norman G.
Published: March 2010

This study examined the conceptions of nature of science (NOS) possessed by a group of gifted seventh‐grade students from Taiwan. The students were engaged in a 1‐week science camp with emphasis on scientific inquiry and NOS. A Chinese version of a NOS questionnaire was developed, specifically addressing the context of Chinese culture, to assess students' views on the development of scientific knowledge. Pretest results indicated that the majority of participants had a basic understanding of the tentative, subjective, empirical, and socially and culturally embedded aspects of NOS. Some conflicting views and misconceptions held by the participants are discussed. There were no significant changes in students' views of NOS after instruction, possibly due to time limitations and a ceiling effect. The relationship between students' cultural values and development of NOS conceptions and the impact of NOS knowledge on students' science learning are worth further investigation.
Impact of the Science and Technology for Children Curriculum in the Oshkosh Area School District
Authors: Joseph Lattery Mark , Lemberger John , Herzog Barbara
Published: March 2010

This study examines the instructional impact of National Science Resources Center's Science and Technology for Children curriculum in the Oshkosh Area School District. Specifically, the instructional effectiveness of four physical‐science units for grades 1‐4 were investigated. Students were pre‐ and posttested using a multiple‐choice exam containing items adapted from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, National Association of Educational Progress, TerraNova, and other widely recognized sources. Results were compared with existing instructional materials. Extensive resources for data interpretation include audiotaped lessons, classroom observations, interviews with students and teachers, student‐attitude surveys, and observations of teacher training. Results suggest that the adoption of this curriculum among experienced teachers in the district will provide little or no immediate gains on student achievement and potentially a slight decrease in student attitudes toward science.
Exploring the Link Between Preservice Teachers' Conception of Proof and the Use of Dynamic Geometry Software
Authors: Pandiscio Eric A.
Published: March 2010

This case study investigated how secondary preservice mathematics teachers perceive the need for and the benefits of formal proof when given geometric tasks in the context of dynamic geometry software. Results indicate that preservice teachers are concerned that after using dynamic software high school students will not see the need for proofs. The participants stated that multiple examples are not equivalent to a proof but, nonetheless, questioned the value of formal proof for high school students. Finally, preservice teachers found the greatest value of geometric software to be in helping students understand key relationships within a problem or theorem. Participants also tended to study a problem more deeply with the software than without it.
Changes in Students' Science Ability Produced by Multimedia Learning Environments: Application of the Linear Logistic Model for Change
Authors: Dimitrov Dimiter M. , McGee Steven , Howard Bruce C.
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this study was to measure changes in students' science proficiency produced by a multimedia learning environment, Astronomy Village: Investigating the Solar System, developed at Wheeling Jesuit University's Center for Educational Technologies with funding from the National Science Foundation. The inquiry‐based design of Astronomy Village supports middle school students in learning fundamental concepts in life, earth, and physical science. Astronomy Village was compared to an alternative treatment that simulated elements of traditional science instruction using web site access to background materials and content in Astronomy Village. The results indicate sizable treatment effects for two groups of Astronomy Village students, as well as for the alternative treatment group. Differences in the treatment effect sizes among the three treatment groups reveal the relative merits of different approaches to using technology. The Linear Logistic Model for Change applied in this study is beneficial for comparing alternative uses of technology, since it separates effects due to treatments from natural trend effects and eliminates drawbacks of traditional statistical designs for pretest‐posttest changes.
“The Square Thing” as a Context for Understanding, Reasoning and Ways of Knowing Mathematics
Authors: Erchick Diana B.
Published: March 2010

This paper introduces The Square Thing, a lesson that engages and invites student development of problem solving and reasoning skills, understanding through connections within the content, and mathematics voice. A background for the lesson, an enrichment topic that allows the teacher to set the stage for the problem, is described first. Next, The Square Thing is introduced, along with a discussion of student solutions and pedagogical notes grouped in sections as Estimation Approaches, Coordinate Geometry Approaches, and Parallel Line Approaches. A pedagogical discussion ends the paper, in which components for successful pedagogy and benefits for students experiencing this and similar mathematics pedagogies are described.
The Role Knowledge Frameworks Play in the Ability of Preservice Elementary Teachers to Explain the Operation of a St. Louis Motor
Authors: Bischoff Paul J.
Published: March 2010

Preservice elementary teachers (n= 30) described the operation of a St. Louis motor before and after studying a laboratory unit on magnetism and electricity. Knowledge frameworks were identified using the flow map method, and the data were further analyzed for quality of the content. The results show that knowledge framework interconnectedness of the post‐unit interview was positively correlated (r= 0.36, p < 0.10) with higher quality descriptions of the St. Louis motor. This article describes an in‐depth analysis of the lowest and highest performing students and compares their performance to the mean of the larger sample. The research provides insights into the roles that knowledge frameworks play in students' ability to explain abstract scientific phenomena.
The Mathematics Writer's Checklist: The Development of a Preliminary Assessment Tool for Writing in Mathematics
Authors: Stonewater Jerry K.
Published: March 2010

The use of writing as a pedagogical tool to help students learn mathematics is receiving increased attention at the college level (Meier & Rishel, 1998), and thePrinciples and Standards for School Mathematics(NCTM, 2000)built a strong case for including writing in school mathematics, suggesting that writing enhances students' mathematical thinking. Yet, classroom experience indicates that not all students are able to write well about mathematics. This study examines the writing of a two groups of students in a college‐level calculus class in order to identify criteria that discriminate “;successful” vs. “;unsuccessful” writers in mathematics. Results indicate that “;successful” writers are more likely than “;unsuccessful” writers to use appropriate mathematical language, build a context for their writing, use a variety of examples for elaboration, include multiple modes of representation (algebraic, graphical, numeric) for their ideas, use appropriate mathematical notation, and address all topics specified in the assignment. These six criteria result inThe Mathematics Writer's Checklist, and methods for its use as an instructional and assessment tool in the mathematics classroom are discussed.
Learning to Teach: Prospective Teachers' Evaluation of Students' Written Responses on a 1992 NAEP Graphing Task
Authors: Timmerman Maria A.
Published: March 2010

This article describes how prospective elementary teachers examined, analyzed, and evaluated four students' written responses on a graphing task for an end‐of‐course performance assessment in a mathematics methods course. Also, they described teaching strategies that built on what students know and do not know, as shown in the fourth‐grade students' work. This course assessment provided evidence of the prospective teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. Two themes emerged in the context of this final course project: the importance of process and correct answers and the usefulness of creating rubrics.
Nontraditional College Students and the Role of Collaborative Learning as a Tool for Science Mastery
Authors: Lundberg Carol A
Published: March 2010

This study investigates the way collaborative learning that occurs primarily outside the classroom affects college students' understanding of science. Collaborative learning is particularly important for the increasing number of nontraditional students who have limited time available for study groups and other peer learning activities occurring outside of class time. Using a national study of 4,644 college students of various academic majors, multiple linear regression was used to identify variables that enhance science learning. Time spent in peer learning settings, such as teaching science to peers and discussing science with peers, were the strongest predictors of understanding science; moreover, this finding was consistent even for nontraditional students who reported less frequency of engagement in such activities. The study suggests that science educators can enhance learning when they structure their courses to include peer learning that engages students with each other over science issues outside the classroom.
Exploring the Use of New Representations as a Resource for Teacher Learning
Authors: Izsák Andrew , Sherin Miriam Gamoran
Published: March 2010

An important goal of mathematics education reform is to support teacher learning. Toward this end, researchers and teacher educators have investigated ways in which teachers learn about mathematical content, pedagogical strategies, and student thinking as they implement reform. This study extends such work by examining how one elementary school and one high school teacher learned from students' interpretations of new conceptually based representations contained in instructional materials aligned with the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000). Results indicated that teaching with new representations provided a rich context for teacher learning at both the elementary and high school level, and three dimensions were identified along which such learning occurred. The results suggest that pedagogical content knowledge with respect to representations is an important facet of teacher cognition that should be studied in greater depth.
Traditional vs. Retrospective Pretests for Measuring Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs in Preservice Teachers
Authors: Cantrell Pamela
Published: March 2010

The difference in gain scores produced by traditional pretests and those produced by retrospective pretests when compared to posttest scores on the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument for preservice teachers was investigated in this study. Results indicated that gain scores using the traditional pretest produced significant improvement in one factor, but not in the other, which is congruent with most other results for this instrument found in the literature. However, gain scores produced by using retrospective pretests produced a greater magnitude of significance for the first factor, and also produced significant gains for the second factor. Follow‐up interviews with participants provided evidence for greater internal validity for the retrospective pretest. Findings support the notion that retrospective pretests may produce gain scores with greater validity and greater statistical power.
An In‐depth Analysis of Achievement Gaps Between Seventh and Eighth Grades in the TIMSS Database
Authors: Wang Jianjun , Zhu Chunying
Published: March 2010

Middle school data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are analyzed in this article to compare achievement difference between seventh and eighth grades. The statistical computing involves a selective subtraction of item scores in more than 40 countries. The research findings indicate that not all TIMSS items have resulted in a higher mean score at the upper grade level. Item features are discussed to characterize part of the released TIMSS instrument that generates a higher average score at the lower grade. This empirical study may help enrich understanding of the TIMSS benchmark among mathematics and science educators.
Constructivist Beliefs About the Science Classroom Learning Environment: Perspectives From Teachers, Administrators, Parents, Community Members, and Students
Authors: Haney Jodi J. , Lumpe Andrew T. , Czerniak Charlene M.
Published: March 2010

This study examines the perceptions of teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and high school students about the science learning environment. The participants were active members of a grant project aimed at creating community action teams. Varrella and Burry‐Stock's (1997) Beliefs About Learning Environments (BALE) Instrument was used as a theoretical model for constructivist belief identification and comparison. Two primary questions were explored: (a) What are the beliefs of the teachers and other school community members about the science learning environment? and (b) How do these belief structures compare? Analysis of the BALE responses indicated that, although beliefs varied greatly, the administrators and teachers possessed the most constructivist beliefs. The authors suggest that identifying the beliefs of teachers, as well as those of the entire school community, is crucial. If the school community does not believe in (or understand) the recommendations, the chance for long‐lasting reform is improbable.
Gender Equity in Mathematics: Beliefs of Students, Parents, and Teachers
Authors: Leedy M. Gail , LaLonde Donna , Runk Kristen
Published: March 2010

The attitudes about mathematics held by girls and boys participating in a regional mathematics contest, their parents, teachers, and mathematics coaches were investigated. Quantitative data regarding mathematics as a male domain, perception of importance of mathematics, confidence in learning mathematics, effectance motivation, and usefulness of mathematics were obtained. It was found that the traditional gender‐based differences in the beliefs regarding mathematics persist even in these mathematically talented students. Furthermore, parents' responses to the questions regarding the role of mathematics revealed that mothers, more than fathers, focused on the computational aspects of mathematics, while fathers more than mothers mentioned the role of mathematics in science or as a language. Boys, fathers, and certain mathematics teachers admitted to a low level of gender stereotyping, as evidenced by their scores on the Mathematics as a Male Domain subscale. However, the girls, mothers, and mathematics coaches did not endorse this stereotyping. Unsolicited responses of girls and mothers, in fact, emphatically denied that gender stereotyping exists. These findings are discussed in terms of the need to resolve the essential conflicts between students', parents', and teachers' deeply held beliefs regarding the nature of mathematics, gender differences in mathematical abilities, and the desire for equity within mathematics education.
Confronting and Changing Middle School Teachers' Perceptions of Scientific Methodology
Authors: Weinburgh Molly
Published: March 2010

The reform documents of the 1990s stressed that science is not practiced by a rigid scientific method, but science texts continue to describe the process as if it were rigid and linear. The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (a) to explore middle school in‐service teachers' perceptions of scientific methodology and (b) to explore ways in which their perceptions change as they engage in reflective activities. Thirty‐two masters‐level students participated in an 8‐week summer course, entitled Concepts and Issues in Middle School Science. One ongoing assignment woven throughout the term involved a series of activities designed to help students reflect on their own understanding of science and the scientific enterprise. Data from the initial activity suggested that all students began the course believing that science is done in a simplistic, linear way, as depicted by many textbooks in the review of the scientific methods. However. by the end of the course, many students held a less rigid and more realistic view of the scientific enterprise. This research documents change in teachers' views over time and discusses the implications for science teacher education.
Middle Grades Students' Algebraic Understanding in a Reform Curriculum
Authors: Krebs Angela S.
Published: March 2010

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Curriculum and Evaluation Standards in 1989 was pivotal in mathematics reform. The National Science Foundation funded several curriculum projects to address the vision described in the Standards. This study investigates students' learning in one of these Standards‐based curricula, the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP). The authors of CMP believe that the teaching and learning of algebra is an ongoing activity woven through the entire curriculum, rather than being parceled into a single grade level. The content of the study investigates students' ability to symbolically generalize functions. The data regards the solutions of four performance tasks dealing with three different types of relationships—linear, quadratic, and exponential situations—completed by five pairs of eighth‐grade students. The major finding claims that middle to high achieving students who had 3 years in the CMP curriculum demonstrated achievement in five strands of mathematical proficiency of a significant piece of algebra.
Institutional Norms and Policies That Influence College Mathematics Professors in the Process of Changing to Reform‐Based Practices
Authors: McDuffie Amy Roth , Graeber Anna O.
Published: March 2010

This case study was an investigation of the role of the institutional culture of a university in the process of changing to reform‐based practices for two college mathematics professors. A framework is presented for identifying and analyzing institutional norms and policies that are present and those lacking in supporting faculty efforts toward reform. The primary categories considered in the framework are the teaching and learning context, the professional community, and the university's reward system. This framework is applied to the cases, and findings indicate that institutional norms in the forms of priorities for how time is allocated to professional responsibilities (as part of the teaching context), and colleagues and administrators who understood and shared the professors' goals for reform (as part of the professional community) strongly influenced the professors' efforts toward change. Additionally, a reward system that recognized efforts to improve teaching and learning was critical in establishing a culture that promoted change. However, despite the fact that both professors were in the same mathematics department, the nature of the influence of these factors was not uniform. The institutional culture indeed had multiple layers that required examination for each professor's individual context. The findings help highlight the importance of institutional context for both K‐12 and college level teaching and learning. The nature of these influential factors and the institutional layers were discussed for each case, along with implications for other institutions.
Relationships Between Inquiry‐Based Teaching and Physical Science Standardized Test Scores
Authors: Tretter Thomas R. , Jones M. Gail
Published: March 2010

This exploratory case study investigates relationships between use of an inquiry‐based instructional style and student scores on standardized multiple‐choice tests. The study takes the form of a case study of physical science classes taught by one of the authors over a span of four school years. The first 2 years were taught using traditional instruction with low levels of inquiry (non‐inquiry group), and the last 2 years of classes were taught by inquiry methods. Students' physical science test scores, achievement data, and attendance data were examined and compared across both instructional styles. Results suggest that for this teacher the use of an inquiry‐based teaching style did not dramatically alter students' overall achievement, as measured by North Carolina's standardized test in physical science. However, inquiry‐based instruction had other positive effects, such as a dramatic improvement in student participation and higher classroom grades earned by students. In additional inquiry‐based instruction resulted in more uniform achievement than did traditional instruction, both in classroom measures and in more objective standardized test measures.
The Development of Comprehension of Chance Language: Evaluation and Interpretation
Authors: Watson Jane M. , Moritz Jonathan B.
Published: March 2010

Comprehension of chance language, such as is found in newspapers, is a fundamental aspect of statistical literacy. In this study, students' understandings of chance language were explored through responses to two items in surveys administered to 2,726 students from grades 5 to 11. One item involved evaluating the chance expressed in phrases from newspaper headlines using a number line, and responses were described in four levels of chance language evaluation. The other item involved interpreting, in context, an expression of percent chance, and responses were described in four levels of chance language interpretation. Students in higher grades were more likely to demonstrate higher levels of both evaluation and interpretation. The association between levels of evaluation and interpretation was further explored generally and in relation to one of the headlines involving percent. Implications for mathematics educators in relation to chance language in the curriculum across the years of schooling are discussed.
Fuzzy Logic, Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms: Views of Three Artificial Intelligence Concepts Used in Modeling Scientific Systems
Authors: Sunal Cynthia Szymanski , Karr Charles L. , Sunal Dennis W.
Published: March 2010

Students' conceptions of three major artificial intelligence concepts used in the modeling of systems in science, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms were investigated before and after a higher education science course. Students initially explored their prior ideas related to the three concepts through active tasks. Then, laboratories, project work, use of computer modeling of scientific systems, and cooperative group work were used to help students construct key characteristics of each concept. Finally, they applied each concept in contexts different from that in which it had been previously studied. In postcourse interviews using a set of scenarios for each of the major course concepts, 49% of students' applications included key characteristics of the concepts studied versus an application of 5% in precourse interviews. Students' post interview applications were inconsistent even though they were more frequent, indicating a state of transition in their conceptual change. Applications were most consistent when used with scenarios deemed very familiar to the students, indicating the effects of context in conceptual change.
Wearing the Letter Jacket: Legitimate Participation in a Collaborative Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education Reform Project
Authors: Davis Kathleen S. , Feldman Allan , Irwin Chris , Pedevillano Elizabeth Dolly , Capobianco Brenda , Weiss Tarin , Bray Paige M.
Published: March 2010

This study examines one NSF‐funded Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation and describes the complexities of such a science education reform effort. A theoretical model based in community, culture, and identity is used to address key questions: How did institutional ideologies, structures, policies, and practices influence the Collaborative's success? What unique problems were associated with the university and school partnership? How did K‐12 teachers' participation affect their development and the success of the Collaborative? Findings indicate that though K‐12 participants were deemed as “pedagogy experts” and shared the inquiry‐based culture espoused in the Collaborative, they felt both as project insiders and outsiders. This was due to issues of status between university faculty and K‐12 teachers; teachers' less‐than‐active role in the Collaborative; and the constraints and narrow focus that resulted from long‐established institutional, social, and political structures and that marginalized, delegitimized, excluded, and proved unattractive to teachers.
Using Descriptive Drawings as a Conceptual Change Strategy in Elementary Science
Authors: Edens Kellah M. , Potter Ellen
Published: March 2010

This research was conducted to examine the conditions under which learner‐generated illustrations serve as an instructional strategy promoting conceptual change. Specifically, the nature of students' misconceptions and the effects of student‐generated descriptive drawings on conceptual understanding of scientific principles associated with the law of conservation of energy were studied. Students were randomly assigned to groups in which they copied an illustration, generated a drawing, or wrote a description about the principles. A statistically significant difference on a posttest conceptual understanding measure was found between students who generated descriptive drawings and those who wrote in a science log. Students who copied an illustration also scored higher than the writing group, but not at a significant level. Also, the quality and number of concept units present in the drawing/writing log were significantly correlated with posttest and delay test scores. Findings suggest that under certain conditions, descriptive drawing is a viable way for students to learn scientific concepts, a finding which supports the use of generative drawings as a conceptual change strategy.
Preparing Middle Level Preservice Teachers to Integrate Mathematics and Science: Problems and Possibilities
Authors: Koirala Hari P. , Bowman Jacqueline K.
Published: March 2010

Many members of the mathematics and science education community believe that the integration of mathematics and science enhances students' understanding of both subjects. Despite this belief, attempts to integrate these subjects have frequently been unsuccessful. This study examines the development and implementation of a team‐taught integrated middle level mathematics and science methods course. The data presented in this study were collected from three groups of preservice teachers who were enrolled in a grades 5–8 middle level teacher certification program in Connecticut from 1998–2000. The data analysis indicates that preservice teachers appreciated the emphasis on integration used in the course, but at the same time when concepts did not integrate easily they were frustrated. Despite this frustration, the preservice teachers' understanding of integration was enhanced as a result of the course.
An Illumination of the Roles of Hands‐On Activities, Discussion, Text Reading, and Writing in Constructing Biology Knowledge in Seventh Grade
Authors: Wallace Carolyn S.
Published: March 2010

A previous study (Wallace, Yang, Hand, & Hohenshell, 2001) indicated that seventh‐grade life science students using a learning tool known as the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) performed significantly better on conceptual test questions than did a control group. In the present study, the researcher studied more deeply how students utilized a variety of knowledge sources while engaged in the SWH, including textbook, teacher‐led discussions, laboratory activities, peer group discussion, and writing (including their cognitive mechanisms and the nature of their written explanations). Six case students were selected based on a range of high to low achievement according to grades. An interpretive analysis of interview and document data was conducted. Of the 6 students, 3 relied on firsthand observations from laboratory activities as their major source of understanding; these students used listening, explaining, and writing most frequently. One student relied solely on textbook and teacher statements and actively rejected laboratory observations, relying primarily on reading and synthesis. Two students integrated laboratory observations with canonical information found in the textbook and other reading sources. They were able to bridge between the different epistemological bases for firsthand observations and authoritative text and blended these into rich and detailed explanations for biology concepts.
Beliefs and Perspectives of First‐Year, Alternative Preparation, Elementary Teachers in Urban Classrooms
Authors: Hart Lynn C.
Published: March 2010

Results from an earlier study (Hart, 2002) suggested that a group of 14 teachers participating in an alternative preparation program for elementary teachers had developed beliefs that were consistent with current thinking in mathematics education. The current study follows 8 of those teachers into their first year of teaching in an urban classroom. Qualitative data were collected from three sources: reflection logs, mathematics case discussions, and field notes made during classroom observations. This provided a triangulation of perspectives: the teachers' views of themselves, the teachers' views of others, and the university faculty member's view of them. Also, teachers completed the Standards Belief Instrument (Zollman & Mason, 1996) at the end of Phase I and at the end of Phase II. Results from the instrument and the qualitative analysis suggest that the teachers maintained a strong reform perspective in their beliefs, but they were unable to consistently implement pedagogy that was consistent with those beliefs.
Students' Perceptions of Environmental‐Based Inquiry Experiences
Authors: Wee Bryan , Fast Juli , Shepardson Dan , Harbor Jon , Boone William
Published: March 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of inquiry‐based pedagogy within the context of learning about environmental concepts and issues. The study was descriptive in nature and employed a single group, pretest‐posttest design, surveying 367 students. The chi‐square analysis indicated that 17 of the 29 survey items were answered in a statistically different manner. This suggests that students perceived the environmental inquiry‐based experiences to be nontraditional in the approach to teaching and assessment and to emphasize scientific investigations. Students, however, did not perceive science learning to be different from that of past science experiences. Implications to science instruction and teacher professional development are discussed.
Indexing Distributions of Data: Preservice Teachers' Notions of Representativeness
Authors: Leavy Aisling M.
Published: March 2010

The purpose of the study was to identify strategies used by preservice elementary teachers to index distributions of data. A secondary purpose of the study was to investigate whether representational form influenced the type of representative values constructed. Two hundred eighty‐three preservice teachers were administered a selection of tasks requiring them to construct representative values for a variety of distributional shapes. Participants were asked to provide justifications for their chosen representative measures. Data were analyzed from two perspectives: nature and adequacy of representative measure. Results indicated that when presented with skewed data sets, over half of the participants constructed poorly representative values. Symmetric data sets were best indexed with 67% of participants constructing highly representative values. Representational form played a significant role in determining representative values. Data presented graphically were more likely to be represented using measures of variability than were those presented nongraphically. Conversely, measures of central tendency were more frequently used to represent nongraphical data. The information arising from this study indicates that many preservice teachers construct poorly representative values to index data sets and utilize identical measures of representativeness regardless of distributional shape. The findings of the study highlight the need for exploratory data activities at the preservice level, call for provision of experiences affording insights into construction of representative values, and thus, have implications for the design of preservice mathematics education curricula.
How Students Use Physics to Reason About Calculus Tasks
Authors: Marrongelle Karen A.
Published: March 2010

The present research study investigates how undergraduate students in an integrated calculus and physics class use physics to help them solve calculus problems. Using Zandieh's (2000) framework for analyzing student understanding of derivative as a starting point, this study adds detail to her “paradigmatic physical” context and begins to address the need for a theoretical basis for investigating learning and teaching in integrated mathematics and science classrooms. A case study design was used to investigate the different ways students use physics ideas as they worked through calculus tasks. Data were gathered through four individual interviews with each of 8 ICP students, classroom participant‐observation, and triangulation of the data through student homework and exams. The main result of this study is the Physics Use Classification Scheme, a tool consisting of four categories used to characterize students' uses of physics on tasks involving average rate of change, derivative, and integral concepts. Two of the categories from the Physics Use Classification Scheme are elucidated with contrasting student cases in this paper.
Lessons From Experts: Improving College Science Instruction Through Case Teaching
Authors: Bilica Kim
Published: March 2010

The overall aim of this article is to introduce case teaching to college professors who may wish to increase their students' level of engagement with science, mathematics, and engineering. Case teaching is an incredibly adaptable instructional method able to involve students in higher levels of cognitive processing. The explicit purposes of this article are (a) to answer some of the basic questions about case teaching and (b) to show how other science and engineering professors have employed cases in their college courses. The basic questions addressed in the article include the following: What is case teaching? What can case teaching do for college science classrooms? and Where can I go to get more information on case teaching? Information from the National Center for Case Teaching in Science website is referenced. The second half of this article illustrates how cases are used in college science and engineering courses based upon interviews with expert case teachers. Several descriptive vignettes and “lessons” from these experts are available to show how case teaching can be applied in diverse contexts.