bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of different sources of verbalized information on performance at a science‐related cognitive task
Authors: Ogunyemi E.'Lanre 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe study simulated some aspects of science classroom verbal interaction and experimentally investigated their cognitive effects on 159 4th graders divided into 12 experimental groups by stratified random sampling. Subject‐determined verbalization of correct information [2 levels] about a science oriented task situation was crossed with subjects' exposure to external sources of verbalized correct information [3 levels] about the task situation in a 2 × 3 × 2 factorial design in which sex was treated as an organismic independent variable. The dependent variable was the subjects' performance at a matrix multiple ordering task. The data were analyzed by a 3‐way ANOVA using .05 alpha level. The results showed that the female subjects significantly profited from teacher‐supplied information. The males seemed to make a better use of information gained directly from the materials. Teachers might therefore use a flexible approach in the classroom that would give the female students verbal hints about materials while training them to be more independent in collecting, organizing and using information.
Evaluation of an attempt to teach scientific inquiry and criticism in a working class high school
Authors: Case Robbie , Fry Cathy 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA group of 15 low SES 14‐year‐olds, who had not yet reached Piaget's stage of “formal operations”, were taught to design controlled experiments and to criticize poorly controlled experiments. As judged by performance on a nonstandardized text, they learned to do this well, and significantly outperformed matched controls. (p <.001). The results were interpreted with reference to Inhelder and Piaget's work on the origins of scientific thinking.
The effects of training on the development of the ability to control variables
Authors: Bredderman Theodore A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractBased on a criterion test 27 fifth and sixth grade students were selected who could not control variables. Three groups were formed. The control group received no training; a second group received training relying upon external reinforcement, and the third group, training designed to induce internal cognitive conflict. The groups receiving training did only slightly better than the control group on the posttest. On the retention test one month later, all three groups had almost identical scores. The mean combined retention test score was found to be significantly greater than the pretest score. The improvement of the control and conflict groups supports Smedslund's8 finding that external reinforcement may not always be necessary for behavioral changes to occur.A further analysis of test scores led to the classification of students according to Piaget's developmental stages. During the course of the study a significant number of students improved in their stage placement. Based on retention test performance nearly half of the students having a mean age 11.8 years could be classed in late formal operations with regard to their ability to control variables. Inhelder and Piaget12 reported that this level was not normally reached until 14 or 15 years of age. In conclusion, the results support the possibility that while development of the ability to control variables can be accelerated by training at the fifth and sixth grade level some children are surprisingly unaffected regardless of whether the training is based on external reinforcement or cognitive conflict procedures.
The Emperor's clothes phenomenon in science education
Authors: Raths James 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIt is with great trepidation that I have come this morning to address scientists about science—especially with the rather condescending title I elected to use in a weak moment. My being here can only be justified on the basis that, analogously speaking, fish are the last to discover water. (How we have the audacity to suggest that fish haven't discovered water is really the crux of my talk).
Differential response to structure of advance organizers in science instruction
Authors: Koran John J. , Koran Mary Lou 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn an experiment designed to investigate individual differences in learning from written materials preceded by advance organizers, 89 fourth‐grade subjects were randomly assigned to treatment conditions in which programmed material on insects was preceded by one of three introductory passages containing: (1) higher level generalizations and specific examples; (2) higher level generalizations without examples; or (3) a control passage. Membership in treatment groups was determined by random assignment. Criterion performances were immediate and delayed posttest performance and errors during instruction.Analysis of variance results of treatment effects showed that the three treatments were about equally effective in terms of promoting retention and program errors. Simple regression analysis of Aptitude × Treatment interactions disclosed that Otis‐Lennon IQ scores interacted significantly with instructional treatments for program errors showing a negative relationship between IQ scores and the degree of structure provided by the advance organizers.
An investigation of verbal behamor and learning climate in undergraduate engineerimg clmsrooms
Authors: Hager W. R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe verbal behavioral patterns of twenty university professors instructing undergraduate engineering classes have been investigated utilizing a fourteen category modification of Flanders' system of interaction analysis. On the basis of an internal evaluation criteria, these instructors were divided into three groups: those receiving the highest, middle, and lowest evaluations. The verbal instructional patterns and classroom climates of these three groups are compared. Several significant findings are reported.
Cognitive style and developing scientific attitudes in the SCIS classroom
Authors: Wareing Carol 
Published: October 2006

AbstractCognitive style refers to an individual's way of perceiving and processing information. Field‐dependence‐independence is one dimension of cognitive style. Field‐dependence and field‐independence respectively refer to a global in contrast to an analytical way of perceiving.Global versus analytical cognitive styles have been studied with respect to their differential influence on attitude development in ESS by Walters and Sieben (1974).The present investigator sought to examine whether a relationship existed between field‐dependence‐independence and scientific attitudes of sixth‐grade students in SCIS. Findings indicate that such a relationship is not statistically significant.
Ability and science learning: A quantitative synthesis
Authors: Boulanger F. David 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe quantitative relationship of measured ability to measured science learning was synthesized from the reported correlations in 34 studies on grade 6‐12 students over a 16‐year period. The findings indicate a stable central tendency and deviation of correlations across ability and cognitive learning outcome categories and across several study variables such as sample size. Reliability of measures had the greatest and only statistically significant influence on ability‐cognitive outcome correlations. Ability was found to account for an average of 23% of the variance in science learning.
Actual and perceived teacher clarity ‐ relations to student achievement in science
Authors: Land Michael L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractCollege students (N = 41) were randomly assigned to one of two groups defined by the teacher's clarity in the lesson, i.e., high‐clarity versus low‐clarity presentation on genetics. After the lesson the subjects completed a test on the contents of the lesson and then rated the lesson presentation. Students in the high‐clarity group achieved more (although not significantly) than students in the low‐clarity group. Students perceived the high‐clarity lesson as significantly clearer than the low‐clarity lesson. These findings are discussed in relation to previous research on teacher clarity.
Sex‐role stereotyping by high school females in science
Authors: Vockell Edward L. , Lobonc Susan 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAlthough the participation by females in upper‐level occupations and positions has expanded considerably in recent years, science is still considered a masculine career field. The results of this study show that only the physical sciences in particular (not science in general) are clearly viewed as masculine academic areas. Furthermore, the results suggest that the perception by girls of the physical sciences as masculine is much more likely to occur in coed classes than in all‐female classes. The results can best be explained by two factors: (1) the attitudes conveyed by teachers and by society may predispose students toward a greater acceptance of women in biology than in the physical sciences; and (2) when girls perceive themselves as a deviant minority in physical science classes, their performance and preference for the physical sciences is reduced, perhaps because of competition and comparison with males. In all‐female classes, however, girls are not a deviant minority, and therefore they are able to perform and develop preferences without inhibition.
Correlation between performance in physics and prior mathematics knowledge
Authors: Hudson H. T. , Rottmann Ray M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe final grade of 1403 students enrolled in the first semester of the introductory, pre‐professional physics course has been correlated with performance on a precourse diagnostic test of mathematical skills. The students were from a total of eight different sections taught by six separate instructors over a three year time span. The student population has been separated into two groups, those who completed the course (913 students) and those who dropped (490 students). The drops were assigned a “projected final grade”based on performance up to date of withdrawal. The Pearson product‐moment correlation for students who completed the course is 0.418 and correlation for the drops is 0.232. Both correlations are significant at the p < 0.001 level. This study suggests that prior mathematical ability is a primary influence on performance in the course, and has a secondary influence on the tendency to drop out of the course.
The effects of a problem solving strategy on the achievement of earth science students
Authors: Russell J. Michael , Chiappetta Eugene L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA review of the stated goals for education reveals a consistent emphasis on problem solving. Problem solving is compatible with the investigative nature of science and with higher order thinking. Consequently, a problem solving strategy was developed to improve the achievement of eighth grade students enrolled in earth science. The sample consisted of 287 eighth grade students randomly assigned to fourteen sections taught by four teachers. This resulted in seven control sections and seven experimental sections. The students in the treatment groups received approximately six weeks of instruction with the experimental groups receiving a variety of problem solving activities. A forty item posttest consisting of four subtests was administered to all students. The results indicate that the problem solving approach was useful in improving the overall achievement of students. It was particular effective in facilitating application of earth science subject matter. This problem solving approach appears to be a feasible strategy to use in most secondary science classrooms.
How do college students solve proportion problems?
Authors: Thornton Melvin C. , Fuller Robert G. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractProblems which could be solved using proportional reasoning were administered nationwide by college faculty to their own science classes during a three year period. The reasoning of more than 8000 students covering three sections of the country was classified as concrete, transitional, or formal using Piagetian categories. Data from the West closely replicated that from the Midwest on similar metric conversion tasks. Student performance changed noticeably with a different problem format. The percentages of students using a ratio formula, ratio attempt, or intuitive methods of solution held approximately constant over time, task, and section of the country. The data shows the use of additive and conversion methods of solution depends upon the problem presentation.
Hypothesis testing in students: Sequences, stages, and instructional strategies
Authors: Moshman David , Thompson Pat A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractSix sequences in the development of hypothesis‐testing conceptions are proposed, involving (a) interpretation of the hypothesis; (b) the distinction between using theories and testing theories; (c) the consideration of multiple possibilities; (d) the relation of theory and data; (e) the nature of verification and falsification; and (f) the relation of truth and falsity. An alternative account is then provided involving three global stages: concrete operations, formal operations, and a postformal “metaconstructive”stage. Relative advantages and difficulties of the stage and sequence conceptualizations are discussed. Finally, three families of teaching strategy are distinguished, which emphasize, respectively: (a) social transmission of knowledge; (b) carefully sequenced empirical experience by the student; and (c) self‐regulated cognitive activity of the student. It is argued on the basis of Piaget's theory that the last of these plays a crucial role in the construction of such logical reasoning strategies as those involved in testing hypotheses.
The effects of teacher anxiety and modeling on the acquisition of a science teaching skill and concomitant student performance
Authors: Koran John J. , Koran Mary Lou 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn a study designed to explore the effects of teacher anxiety and modeling on acquisition of a science teaching skill and concomitant student performance, 69 preservice secondary teachers and 295 eighth grade students were randomly assigned to microteaching sessions. Prior to microteaching, teachers were given an anxiety test, then randomly assigned to one of three treatments; a transcript model, a protocol model, or a control condition. Subsequently both teacher and student performance was assessed using written and behavioral measures. Analysis of variance indicated that subjects in the two modeling treatments significantly exceeded performance of control group subjects on all measures of the dependent variable, with the protocol model being generally superior to the transcript model. The differential effects of the modeling treatments were further reflected in student performance. Regression analysis of aptitude‐treatment interactions indicated that teacher anxiety scores interacted significantly with instructional treatments, with high anxiety teachers performing best in the protocol modeling treatment. Again, this interaction was reflected in student performance, where students taught by highly anxious teachers performed significantly better when their teachers had received the protocol model. These results were discussed in terms of teacher concerns and a memory model of the effects of anxiety on performance.
Pupil engagement in learning tasks: A fertile area for research in science teaching
Authors: Capie William , Tobin Kenneth G. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis synthesis of research in academic engagement addresses studies in several academic areas. A general relationship of teacher performance and student engagement in learning tasks is noted. More importantly, a substantial relationship between degree of engagement and achievement has been reported in numerous studies. The paucity of engagement studies in science is surprising given the variation in engagement rates in science classrooms. Numerous research questions are suggested for science education researchers. A particularly fertile area for investigation is the categorization of engagement.
Qualitative and quantitative differences in learning associated with multiple‐choice testing
Authors: Fisher K. , Williams S. , Roth J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study assesses some effects of the Computer‐Assisted Self‐Evaluation (CASE) system of frequent multiple‐choice testing with immediate computer feedback; it is part of a larger project aiming to combine the principal strengths of individualized instruction with lecture teaching (Fisher, 1979). Learning and retention are examined in two equivalent groups of undergraduates enrolled in an upper division science course. One group (N =34) received 24 CASE quizzes with immediate feedback and the other (N=30) received two CASE‐generated midterms with delayed feedback. Quiz students significantly outperformed Midterm students on the posttest; the Quiz section scored nine percentage points higher on rote items and fourteen points higher on meaningful items. Quiz students also had more positive attitudes toward and were more involved in the course. On a retention test given two years later, the Quiz Group scored eight percentage points higher than the Midterm Group on meaningful items. This study suggests that, contrary to popular opinion, multiple‐choice questions promote meaningful learning at least as well as, and possibly better than, rote learning. The CASE system appears to be about as effective as other forms of frequent testing and immediate feedback in enhancing learning, and it provides a simple, cost‐effective means of individualized testing in large lecture classes.
Evaluating an individualized science program for community college students
Authors: Tuckman Bruce W. , Waheed Mohammed A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwo classes of community college students having less than the usual minimal preparation required for admission were taught half of a basic science course using individualized instruction and half using traditional instruction. The course was divided into chemistry and physics segments and random halves of each class received the individualized treatment in one segment and the traditional treatment in the other. The individualized treatment was found to yield superior achievement gains and more positive attitudes toward science than the traditional treatment while both resulted in equivalent student satisfaction. No differences between segments were obtained. Of the four treatment‐segment combinations, individualized physics appeared to yield the greatest achievement. Individualized instruction was concluded to be effective.
Volume, conservation and instruction: A classroom based solomon four group study of conflict
Authors: Rowell J. A. , Dawson C. J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe research reported is an attempt to widen the applicability of Piagetian theory‐based conflict methodology from individual situations to whole classes. A Solomon four group experimental design augmented by a delayed posttest, was used to provide a controlled framework for studying the effects of conflict instruction on Grade 8 students' ability to conserve volume of noncompressible matter, and to apply that knowledge to gas volume. The results, reported for individuals and groups, show the methodology can be effective, particularly when instruction is preceded by a pretest. Immediate posttest differences in knowledge of gas volume between spontaneous (pretest) conservers and instructed conservers of volume of noncompressible matter were no longer in evidence on the delayed posttest. This observation together with the effects of pretesting and of the instructional sequence are shown to have a consistent Piagetian interpretation. Practical implications are discussed.
An analysis of prospective science teachers' understanding of the nature of science
Authors: Ogunniyi M. B. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractProspective science teachers involved in this study did not endorse viewpoints about the language of science associated with any philosopher of science to the exclusion of others. Their preference, however, appeared to be with Hempel. Although to some degree, both prospective science teachers and science majors subscribed to an inductive notion of science, the former leaned more towards the currently acceptable deductive notion of the nature of science after offering a science methods course emphasizing that logic.
The relationship between attitudes toward science and science achievement
Authors: Hough Linda W. , Piper Martha K. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study investigated the relationship between elementary pupils' attitudes toward science and their science achievement. Residualized gain scores were used to analyze the data. By using residualized gain scores, the effects of individual differences can be minimized. In addition to controlling for these differences, residualized gain scores do not possess the measurement errors that are normally associated with simple change scores. The subjects of this study were 583 intermediate elementary pupils. The average class size was 21. A pretest‐posttest design was used. To insure consistency in the teaching of the lesson, each teacher was given an identical detailed science lesson that included all the instructions and materials needed for the activity. The pupils were pre‐ and posttested. The pupils' science achievement was assessed by a test, the “Hough Pupil Process Test.” It consisted of multiple choice and fill‐in questions. The attitude instrument, the “Hough Attitude Inventory,” was given to the elementary pupils involved in this study. It was field tested and found to discern attitudes. The instrument consisted of six statements to which the subjects responded by circling either yes, I don't know, or no. The analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between the pupils' residualized gain scores on the “Hough Pupil Process Test” and their residualized gain scores on the “Hough Attitude Inventory” (r = 0.45).
The role of diagrammatic representation in learning sequences, identification and classification as a function of verbal and spatial ability
Authors: Winn William 
Published: October 2006

AbstractGrade 9 subjects learned the evolutionary sequence of dinosaurs and to classify them by type. Instruction was by menas of flow diagrams that showed the evolutionary sequence running across the page either from left to right or reversed from right to left, with or without drawings of dinosaurs. It was found that subjects seeing left‐right ordered diagrams scored better on tests of sequence and classification than those seeing reversed diagrams. Also, the addition of drawings helped subjects identify dinosaurs by type. Verbal ability predicted learning as a function of treatment. Spatial ability did not. However, some evidence was found that high‐spatial low‐verbal subjects could classify the animals equally well from normal‐order or reversed diagrams, while high‐verbal subjects who were also low‐spatial could classify them better if they had seen normal‐order diagrams. These results suggest that diagrams provide different types of information and that learners may process each type differently.