bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Attitude and behavior are correlates
Authors: Shrigley Robert L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractScience attitude scales can be expected to predict science‐related behavior. But A‐B correspondence can seldom be expected to approach the r value of 1.00. Attitude and behavior covary to the degree that valid measurement and mediating variables are considered: Individual differences of subjects (e.g., high versus low self‐monitoring); the social situation (e.g., direct experience); cognitive factors (e.g., attitude accessibility in memory). Attitude and behavior are reciprocal; that is, attitude can follow behavior. Variables other than attitude, e.g., behavioral intention, previous behavior, and habit, may under some conditions better predict behavior. Also, a viable alternative to attitude testing may be direct appraisal of some science classroom behaviors through ethnomethodology.
On the concept “chemical equilibrium”: The associative framework
Authors: Gussarsky Esther , Gorodetsky Malka 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWord associations were used to map the conception of high school students concerning the concepts “chemical equilibrium” and “equilibrium.” It was found that the preconception of the two concepts was differentiated on noncritical dimensions; “equilibrium” being associated with everyday life experiences and “chemical equilibrium” with general chemical concepts. After studying the subject of chemical equilibrium at school the two concepts merged towards one, i.e., becoming synonymous. This can provide an explanation for misconceptions associated with chemical equilibrium via the transfer of static attributes from “equilibrium” to the dynamic “chemical equilibrium”.
Interaction of intuitive physics with computer‐simulated physics
Authors: Flick Lawrence B. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractHow do children solve force and motion problems in computer simulations without explicit knowledge of the underlying physics? This question was addressed by saving the keystroke input of 19 sixth‐grade children in computer memory as each interacted with a simulated, frictionless object using Logo turtle‐graphics. The keystroke sequences were first used to determine subject performance on the gamelike features of the simulation. A second analysis used the Newtonian structure of the program to investigate alternative methods for controlling turtle velocity. Five boys and five girls were interviewed during the simulation concerning the perceived relationship between keyboard input and turtle behavior. Subjects who could clearly state some keyboard effects did not score high on either computer analysis, yet achieved the most general solutions of the computer problem. They did so by exploring turtle behavior under a greater variety of conditions than the subjects who achieved partial solutions. For the successful subjects, the turtle was related by analogy to useful information from existing conceptions of motion.
Student conceptions of natural selection and its role in evolution
Authors: Bishop Beth A. , Anderson Charles W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractPretests and posttests on the topic of evolution by natural selection were administered to students in a college nonmajors' biology course. Analysis of test responses revealed that most students understood evolution as a process in which species respond to environmental conditions by changing gradually over time. Student thinking differed from accepted biological theory in that (a) changes in traits were attributed to a need‐driven adaptive process rather than random genetic mutation and sexual recombination, (b) no role was assigned to variation on traits within a population or differences in reproductive success, and (c) traits were seen as gradually changing in all members of a population. Although students had taken an average of 1.9 years of previous biology courses, performance on the pretest was uniformly low. There was no relationship between the amount of previous biology taken and either pretest or posttest performance. Belief in the truthfulness of evolutionary theory was also unrelated to either pretest or posttest performance. Course instruction using specially designed materials was moderately successful in improving students' understanding of the evolutionary process.
Establishing an epistemological base for science teaching in the light of contemporary notions of the nature of science and of how children learn science
Authors: Cleminson Andrew 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe quality of science education is a pervasive concern in educational improvement efforts. This article examines two aspects of science education that have been identified as being of concern: Is the material presented in science classrooms representative of science “as it really is” and, secondly, what is the bearing of notions of “children's science” on curriculum reform? A review of the literature in both areas shows that educational theory has, so far, had little effect on classroom practice. An attempt is made to synthesize contemporary views on the tentative nature of science with a generative model of learning in science in order to establish a common epistemological base which could be used as a template for curriculum reform efforts.
Comprehension evaluation and regulation in learning from science texts
Authors: Otero Jose C. , Campanario Juan M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMetacognitive variables influence students' learning from science texts. This article deals with the comprehension monitoring abilities of secondary school science students, one of the areas of metacognition which has drawn considerable attention from researchers. The aims of the study are, in particular: (a) to know the extent to which comprehension is monitored by secondary science students as revealed by inconsistency detection in manipulated science texts, and (b) to identify the strategies used to regulate comprehension by the students who detect the inconsistencies. The results indicate that knowing that one understands or fails to understand science texts could be as important a problem as understanding proper. Besides, some incorrect regulatory strategies used by students who notice the inconsistencies in the texts are identified. These could also have an annoying influence in the regulatory behavior of students when studying regular science texts.
Teachers' perceptions of the effects of a scientific literary course on subsequent learning in biology
Authors: Baker Dale R. , Piburn Michael D. , Piburn Michael D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractFive teachers were interviewed as to their perceptions of the effect of an intervention to teach scientific literacy on learning in subsequent biology courses. The sample consisted of 450 students who had a literacy course in ninth grade and had completed tenth‐grade biology. At the end of the academic year the biology teachers were interviewed and asked to compare the biology students who had the literacy course to students they had taught in earlier years. The biology teachers concluded that the literacy course did have an effect on students' subsequent ability to learn biology. The strength of the effect varied according to level of biology. Students had a better understanding of the nature of science and better laboratory and process skills. They were also better at analyzing data. The advanced and intermediate biology students were more creative, more likely to take risks, and engage in hypothetical thinking than other groups of students that the teachers had taught. Although the purpose of the literacy course was to teach literacy skills the advanced students retained a substantial amount of content material that was applicable to biology.
The rejection of nonscientific beliefs about life: Effects of instruction and reasoning skills
Authors: Lawson Anton E. , Weser John 
Published: October 2006

AbstractNine hundred fifty‐four students in a large university nonmajors biology course were pretested to determine the extent to which they held nonscientific beliefs in creationism, orthogenesis, the soul, nonreductionism, vitalism, teleology, and nonemergentism. To test the hypothesis that hypothetico‐deductive reasoning skills facilitate movement away from nonscientific beliefs, the degree to which those nonscientific beliefs were initially held and the degree to which they were modified during instruction were compared to student reasoning level (intuitive, transitional, reflective). As predicted, the results showed that the less skilled reasoners were more likely to initially hold the nonscientific beliefs and were less likely to change those beliefs during instruction. It was also discovered that less skilled reasoners were less likely to be strongly committed to the scientific beliefs.
Effects of conceptual systems and instructional methods on general chemistry laboratory achievement
Authors: Jackman Lance E. , Moellenberg Wayne P. , Brabson G. Dana 
Published: October 2006

AbstractConceptual systems theory predicts four system orientations. System 1 individuals are highly concrete in their reasoning ability and beliefs. System 2 individuals are strongly negative toward authority and institutions and tend to be autonomous and rebellious. System 3 individuals are more abstract than System 1 or System 2 individuals and have strong need to maintain secure relationships. System 4 individuals have the most abstract, flexible, and open‐minded orientation and have an analytical approach to problem solving. Conceptual systems orientations of subjects taking a general chemistry laboratory were determined using the “This I Believe” test. Subjects were classified into Systems 1, 2, 3, 4, or admixtures. Laboratory sections were assigned randomly to three instructional methods (traditional approach, learning cycle, computer simulation) for teaching a three‐hour laboratory covering spectrophotometry principles. Factorial analysis of covariance indicated no significant conceptual system by instructional method interaction. The main effect for conceptual system was significant, and pairwise comparisons of adjusted mean posttest scores indicated that System 4 subjects as well as System 3 subjects scored significantly higher than System 1 subjects. There was no significant difference in scores between System 4 and System 3 individuals. Conceptual systems orientation is an attribute variable that may influence chemistry learning.
The development of a science process assessment for fourth‐grade students
Authors: Smith Kathleen A. , Welliver Paul W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn this study, a multiple‐choice test entitled the Science Process Assessment was developed to measure the science process skills of students in grade four. Based on the Recommended Science Competency Continuum for Grades K to 6 for Pennsylvania Schools, this instrument measured the skills of (1) observing, (2) classifying, (3) inferring, (4) predicting, (5) measuring, (6) communicating, (7) using space/time relations, (8) defining operationally, (9) formulating hypotheses, (10) experimenting, (11) recognizing variables, (12) interpreting data, and (13) formulating models. To prepare the instrument, classroom teachers and science educators were invited to participate in two science education workshops designed to develop an item bank of test questions applicable to measuring process skill learning. Participants formed “writing teams” and generated 65 test items representing the 13 process skills. After a comprehensive group critique of each item, 61 items were identified for inclusion into the Science Process Assessment item bank. To establish content validity, the item bank was submitted to a select panel of science educators for the purpose of judging item acceptability. This analysis yielded 55 acceptable test items and produced the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 1. Pilot 1 was administered to 184 fourth‐grade students. Students were given a copy of the test booklet; teachers read each test aloud to the students. Upon completion of this first administration, data from the item analysis yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.73. Subsequently, 40 test items were identified for the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2. Using the test‐retest method, the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2 (Test 1 and Test 2) was administered to 113 fourth‐grade students. Reliability coefficients of 0.80 and 0.82, respectively, were ascertained. The correlation between Test 1 and Test 2 was 0.77. The results of this study indicate that (1) the Science Process Assessment, Pilot 2, is a valid and reliable instrument applicable to measuring the science process skills of students in grade four, (2) using educational workshops as a means of developing item banks of test questions is viable and productive in the test development process, and (3) involving classroom teachers and science educators in the test development process is educationally efficient and effective.
The effect of simultaneous motion presentation and graph generation in a kinematics lab
Authors: Beichner Robert J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractReal‐time microcomputer‐based Lab (MBL) experiments allow students to “see” and, at least in kinematics exercises, “feel” the connection between a physical event and its graphical representation. In Brasell's (1987) examination of the sonic ranger MBL, a delay of graphing by only 20 seconds diminished the impact of the MBL exercises. This article describes a study where kinesthetic feedback was completely removed by only giving students visual replications of a motion situation. Graph production was synchronized with motion reanimation so that students still saw a moving object and its kinematics graph simultaneously. Results indicate that this technique did not have a substantial educational advantage over traditional instruction. Since Brasell and others have demonstrated the superiority of microcomputer‐based labs, this may indicate that visual juxtaposition is not the relevant variable producing the educational impact of real‐time MBL. Immediate student control of the physical event and its graphical representation might be what makes MBL effective and, in the case of kinematics laboratories, kinesthetic feedback could be the most important component of the MBL learning experience. Further studies are needed in order to clarify this point.
Gender differences in teacher‐student interactions in science classrooms
Authors: Jones M. Gail , Wheatley Jack 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThirty physical science and 30 chemistry classes, which contained a total of 1332 students, were observed using the Brophy‐Good Teacher‐Child Dyadic Interaction System. Classroom interactions were examined for gender differences that may contribute to the underrepresentation of women in physics and engineering courses and subsequent careers. The Brophy‐Good coding process allows for examination of patterns of interactions for individuals and groups of pupils. An analysis of variance of the data yielded a significant main effect for teacher praise, call outs, procedural questions, and behavioral warnings based on the sex of the student and a significant teacher‐sex main effect for direct questions. Significant two‐way interactions were found for the behavioral warning variable for teacher sex and subject by student sex. Female teachers warned male students significantly more than female students. Male teachers warned both genders with similar frequency. Male students also received significantly more behavioral warnings in physical science classes than female students. In chemistry classes, both male and female students received approximately the same number of behavioral warnings.
The logic of university students' misunderstanding of natural selection
Authors: Greene Edgar D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMisunderstanding of the idea of evolution (natural selection) was assumed to occur because students were basing their explanations on the following mistaken assumptions: (1) variations in a population have little importance in its change process; (2) when nature changes, it is not at random. From these assumptions, hypotheses were developed and tested by analyzing the responses of 322 university sophomores (education majors) on an evolution problem “How could the bat have evolved wings?”. A classification system that was developed required judgments on whether a population or typological focus was used, whether the change process was open or closed to environmental information and how the selection process functioned. The contention that misunderstanding is logical was supported by acceptance of the following hypotheses: (1) students adopting a population focus also used a closed‐change process; (2) students seeing change as more directed used less functional selection processes, with one exception; (3) students using acquired traits did not use a functional idea of selection.
Reasoning about logical propositions and success in science
Authors: Piburn Michael D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractStudents display a number of misconceptions when asked to reason about logical propositions. Rather than being random, these misconceptions are stereotypic, and relate to age, ability, and success in science. The grades in science achieved by tenth‐grade general science students from two parochial single‐sex schools in Australia correlated with their scores on the Propositional Logic Test. The students' ability level was consistently related to the pattern of errors they committed on that measure. Mean scores were lowest on a subtest of ability to use the biconditional and implication, higher on the disjunction, and highest on the conjunction. Success in science was predicted most strongly by the disjunction and biconditional subtests. Knowledge of the way in which a person reasons about logical propositions provides additional insights into the transformations information is subjected to as it is integrated into mental schemata.
The effect of laboratory and lecture teaching methods on cognitive achievement in integrated science
Authors: Odubunmi Olagunju , Balogun T. A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA sample of 210 class‐two (grade 8) students from six randomly selected classes from six Nigerian schools was divided into two (experimental and control) groups. Using materials from some units of the Nigerian Integrated Science Project (NISP), the experimental group was taught by a laboratory method while the control group was taught by the lecture method. Data were collected using an Achievement Test for Integrated Science Students developed by the authors and student ability was measured by tests secured from the Department of Teacher Education, University of Ibadan. In analyzing the data, an analysis of covariance was employed. T‐test statistics were also used to determine significant difference between means of different groups.High achievers of both groups had identical achievement, but the low achievers in the experimental group performed better than their counterparts in the control group. While the study showed that males in this study prefer laboratory method to lecture method when compared with their female counterparts, the study also revealed that females in the control classes performed better than males of the same group.
Science teacher beliefs and their influence on curriculum implementation: Two case studies
Authors: Cronin‐Jones Linda L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe influence of teacher beliefs on curriculum implementation was explored in two different contexts. Two middle‐level teachers implemented a 20‐lesson curriculum package in the presence of participant observers. Data sources included field notes and interview transcripts. The data were reviewed daily and tentative assertions were developed. Assertions and their accompanying evidence were examined weekly for recurring patterns. Case studies of the belief structures of each teacher were then prepared. In both cases, four major categories of beliefs appeared to influence curriculum implementation. These included beliefs about how students learn, a teacher's role in the classroom, the ability levels of students in a particular age group, and the relative importance of content topics. Both teachers believed that the most important student outcome is factual knowledge, that middle‐grade students learn through repeated drill and practice, and that middle school students require a great deal of direction. The teachers' beliefs differed in other areas, including beliefs about a teacher's role in the classroom and beliefs regarding the curriculum and its content topics. Although certain components of both teachers' belief structures enhanced the success of curriculum implementation, overall their existing belief structures were incongruent with the underlying philosophy of the intended curriculum, thus hampering successful implementation.
The roots of gender inequity in technical areas
Authors: Campbell James Reed 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article describes a study of the academic self‐concepts, attributions and achievements of male and female Asian American and Caucasian students who won Westinghouse Awards in 1984 and 1985. The results of the study showed that fewer Caucasian female recipients anticipated college majors in the technical areas. Furthermore, this group of females scored lower on both parts of the SAT, scored lower on all of the self‐concept scales, and also scored lower on both attribution scales. In contrast, the Asian females optimized courses for the gifted and specialized research courses to distance themselves from the American females in almost all areas. The author linked these ethnic, gender differences to underlying psychological and sociological forces that are responsible for the self‐concept and attribution differences. It is these forces that must be altered for Caucasian females to rectify the gender inequalities that exist in the technical areas.
Formal operational reasoning modes: Predictors of critical thinking abilities and grades assigned by teachers in science and mathematics for students in grades nine through twelve
Authors: Bitner Betty L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTo test the hypothesis that formal operational reasoning modes are predictors of critical thinking abilities and grades assigned by teachers in science and mathematics, in September 1986 the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking (GALT) and in December 1986 the Watson‐Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) were administered to 101 rural students in Grades 9 through 12. The grades assigned by teachers were collected in May 1987. Construct and criterion‐related validities and internal‐consistency reliability using Cronbach's alpha method were established on the GALT. On the WGCTA, content and construct validities and internal consistency reliability using the split‐half procedure, coefficient of stability, and coefficient of equivalence were established. The five formal operational reasoning modes in the GALT were found to be significant predictors of critical thinking abilities and grades assigned by teachers in science and mathematics. The variance in the five critical thinking abilities attributable to the five formal operational reasoning modes ranged between 28% and 70%. The five formal operational reasoning modes explained 29% of the variance in mathematics achievement and 62% of the variance in science achievement.