bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of instruction using students' prior knowledge and conceptual change strategies on science learning
Authors: Hewson Mariana G. , Hewson Peter W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractOne of the factors affecting students' learning in science is their existing knowledge prior to instruction. The students' prior knowledge provides an indication of the alternative conceptions as well as the scientific conceptions possessed by the students. This study is concerned primarily with students' alternative conceptions and with instructional strategies to effect the learning of scientific conceptions; i.e., to effect conceptual change from alternative to scientific conceptions. The conceptual change model used here suggests conditions under which alternative conceptions can be replaced by or differentiated into scientific conceptions and new conceptions can be integrated with existing conceptions. The instructional strategy and materials were developed for a particular student population, namely, black high school students in South Africa, using their previously identified prior knowledge (conceptions and alternative conceptions) and incorporate the principles for conceptual change. The conceptions involved were mass, volume, and density. An experimental group of students was taught these concepts using the special instructional strategy and materials. A control group was taught the same concepts using a traditional strategy and materials. Pre‐ and posttests were used to assess the conceptual change that occurred in the experimental and control groups. The results showed a significantly larger improvement in the acquisition of scientific conceptions as a result of the instructional strategy and materials which explicitly dealt with student alternative conceptions.
Is it formal if it's not physics? (the influence of content on formal reasoning)
Authors: Linn Marcia C. , Clement Cathy , Pulos Steven 
Published: October 2006

AbstractFormal reasoning has been studied extensively with tasks that have physics or laboratory content. This study compares laboratory and naturalistic content influences on formal reasoning tasks. Ninety 13‐, 15‐, and 17‐year olds received both laboratory and naturalistic content tasks which required ability to control variables. Expectations about the variables in each task were measured. Results revealed that 8 to 20% of the variance in performance was associated with task content. Content effects were shown to reflect expectations about task variables.
Status of science education in state departments of education: An initial report
Authors: Dowling Kenneth W. , Yager Robert E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe past five years have been characterized as times of assessment in science education. One aspect of the profession where little information has been reported is the service and leadership provided by the various Departments of Education that exist as a part of the 50 state governments. Information was collected from the 50 states concerning the professional preparation of state science consultants, the nature of the positions, number of workers employed in such units, changes in support staff, facilities, and budget for each five year interval between 1960‐1980. Science consultants are 46 years of age, have completed more than 10 years of classroom teaching, have been supervisors at the last level, have been in state positions for one‐eight years, and have a Master's degree (half have the Ph.D.). Science consultants in the state department of education work in local schools, write proposals, assist with other administrative duties, work as members of evaluation teams. They spend two‐thirds of their time in science education per se. The duties have become more general with less time spent exclusively on science education duties. The positions have become more involved with regulations, evaluations; the consultants enjoying less flexibility in their jobs. There has been a decline in terms of numbers of consultants, budget for science education; and general support for science education projects in state departments of education during the 20‐year period surveyed.
Student control ideology and the science classroom environment in urban secondary schools of sudan
Authors: Harty Harold , Hassan Hassan A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAn examination was made concerning the relationships between Sudanese secondary science teachers' pupil control ideology and their students' perceptions/observations of the psychosocial environment of their science classrooms. One hundred secondary science teachers were classified as possessing humanistic (N = 20) or custodial (N = 20) control ideologies. A class (N = 40) of students was randomly selected for every teacher in both groups. The findings revealed that no significant relationships existed between the control ideologies of the teachers and their students' perceptions/observations of the classroom environment. Custodialism in control ideology was significantly related to the classroom environment psychosocial aspect of low “support.” Discussion and implications of the findings have been approached from both Sudanese and American perspectives.
A qualitative approach to the study of a teacher's beliefs
Authors: Munby Hugh 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article describes a qualitative study of the beliefs and principles of one science teacher. The study employs the Repertory Grid Technique of Kelly (The psychology of personal constructs, New York: Norton, 1955). This technique is illustrated thoroughly by the case study, and ample segments from an interview with the teacher concerned are provided. All relevant information obtained from working with this teacher is used to establish the dominant beliefs held by her. The significance of the study is argued within the framework of curriculum and instructional innovation and implementation.
The effects of computer use in science and mathematics education upon the computer literacy of preservice elementary teachers
Authors: Battista Michael T. , Krockover Gerald H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study investigated the effects of computer use upon the computer literacy of preservice elementary teachers using two methods of instruction: computer assisted instruction in an earth science course and computer programming in a mathematics education course. Computer literacy was measured by the Minnesota Computer Literacy and Awareness Assessment (MCLAA). For each component of computer literacy, differences in group posttest scores were compared using an analysis of covariance with pretest scores used as the covariate. Pre‐ to posttest increases in scores for each group were also examined. The results indicated that the treatment given to the computer programming group had little or no effect upon the students' computer literacy, while the treatment given to the computer assisted instruction group had a significant effect upon the affective subscale of the MCLAA. A positive effect was also indicated on the cognitive subscale of the MCLAA. Thus, it appears that an effective method for improving preservice elementary teachers' computer literacy is to involve them in computer assisted instruction, possibly through a science course.
Proportional reasoning and the linguistic abilities required for hypothetico‐deductive reasoning
Authors: Lawson Anton E. , Lawson David I. , Lawson Chester A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe hypothesis is advanced that a necessary, though not sufficient, condition for the acquisition of proportional reasoning during adolescence is the prior internalization of key linguistic elements of argumentation, essentially those used in hypothetico‐deductive reasoning. This hypothesized internalization, which does not occur in all individuals, results in some who have acquired the ability to reflect upon the correctness of self‐generated answers in a hypothetico‐deductive manner, and others who have not. As an initial test of the hypothesis, 46 subjects (Ss) (mean age = 21.03 years) were classified into additive, transitional, or proportional reasoning categories based upon responses to a proportions task. Group differences were found in which proportional Ss performed better than transitional Ss who in turn performed better than additive Ss on a number of items testing Ss' abilities to identify, generate, and use the linguistic elements of argumentation. Further it was found that some Ss who were successful on the linguistic items failed the proportions task, but no Ss who were successful on the proportions task failed the linguistic items. This result supports the hypothesis that the internalization of linguistic elements of argumentation is a prerequisite for proportional reasoning and by inference other advanced reasoning schemata as well. Implications for science instruction are drawn.
A research methodology for studying how people think
Authors: Larkin Jill H. , Rainard Barbara 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAlthough science education intends to help students learn to think, research in this area does not usually use psychological research on how people think. The purpose of this article is to describe one type of research, commonly called information‐processing psychology. Its goal is understanding how people think while doing complex tasks. It uses detailed data, usually from individual subjects, and develops precise yet powerful models of human performance, often by using a computer. After describing information‐processing research, we illustrate it with two studies. The first shows how computer models are used to explain thinking. A computer program models the knowledge needed to understand and use a physics textbook. The second study shows how information‐processing approaches can be used systematically but more simply. This study clarifies why students find it so difficult to master the “factor‐label” method for converting chemical units. The article concludes with a discussion of guidelines and suggestions for using information‐processing ideas.
Scientific problem solving by expert systems
Authors: Good Ron 
Published: October 2006

AbstractHuman expert problem solving in science is defined and used to account for scientific discovery. These ideas, attributed largely to Herbert Simon, are used in a description of BACON.5, a machine expert problem solver that discovers scientific laws using data‐driven heuristics and “expectations” such as symmetry. Trial‐and‐error search of data‐driven scientific discovery is drastically reduced when the BACON.5 system is altered to include expectations, such as symmetry, which have been influential in “real” (i.e., human) discoveries of scientific laws. A discussion of the implications of BACON.5‐type research for traditional science education research recognizes the importance of a qualitative understanding of the relationships among “pieces” of a physical or biological system.
Attitudes toward science of gifted and nongifted fifth graders
Authors: Harty Harold , Beall Dwight 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this investigation has been to explore whether differences existed between gifted and nongifted fifth graders and between genders and related subgroups with respect to attitudes toward science. Both groups (N = 25) were matched on the demographic characteristics of school‐site, race, sex, and socio‐economic background. Gifted students were found to have more positive attitudes toward science than nongifted students; however, no significant differences were found. In all cases, boys (all boys, gifted boys, and nongifted boys) exhibited more positive attitudes toward science; again, no significant differences were uncovered between the boys and their counterpart group or subgroups. The item which consistently reflected the most positive rating (gifted students, all boys and gifted boys, and all girls and nongifted girls) was “usefulness of things done in science class.” Items where discrepancies surfaced included “usefulness of science when playing at home” where nongifted students and gifted girls were significantly more positive than their counterparts, and “spending more time doing science experiments” where all boys and gifted boys were significantly more positive than their counterparts.
The effect of changes in item sequence on student performance in a multiple‐choice chemistry test
Authors: Hodson Derek 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIt is standard practice to arrange items in objective tests in order of increasing difficulty, on the assumption that such an arrangement increases student motivation and produces more reliable tests. The validity of this assumption was investigated in the context of a multiplechoice chemistry test. Fifty items were arranged in three sequences of difficulty: random (R), easy‐to‐hard (E‐H) and hard‐to‐easy (H‐E). The mean test score was significantly higher for the test sequenced E‐H than for the test sequenced H‐E. Item difficulty index was raised by placement of the easier items toward the beginning of the test and lowered by placement of these items toward the end of the test. Test reliability was largely independent of item sequence.
The development of formal thought during pretertiary science courses in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Wilson Audrey Hendry , Wilson James Michael 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAll students beginning either the two‐year National High School or the one‐year Preliminary Year program in Papua New Guinea in 1980 undertook a test of formal operational thought at the beginning of their programs. At the end of the programs they undertook the same test again. Piagetian cognitive levels obtained were compared with grades in science courses. Results showed: (1) considerable numbers of students at a “transitional” level on each occasion, (2) low correlations between cognitive level and science grades, and (3) significant development in levels of cognitive thought during the National High School program. It is suggested that a knowledge of the cognitive level of students could be of particular value to teachers at this stage.
Predictive validity of five cognitive skills tests among women receiving engineering training
Authors: Wittig Michele Andrisin , Sasse Sharon Hennix , Giacomi Jean 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article addresses two sets of theoretical and practical issues related to increasing the percentage of women engineers. First, the measurement of women's aptitude for and changes in skills during engineering training was assessed. Five cognitive skills tests were administered in a one‐group pretest‐posttest design to 24 baccalaureate women enrolled in an eleven‐month engineering training course. Significant increases in skills were shown on three of the five assessments. Scores on a mathematics anxiety scale and a measure of conservation of horizontality are also reported. Second, the relationship of academic and demographic information and cognitive skills to degree of success in the program is reported. Pretraining spatial visualization scores predicted posttraining GPA group membership. The results are compared and contrasted with those of studies of male undergraduates. Implications are drawn concerning the ways in which evaluations of such programs can contribute to our understanding of the changes in skills that occur with training in engineering and of the factors that predict success in such programs.
TCIQ: An identification by intensity and frequency of “potent” testing cues in science
Authors: Kermis William J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractEveryone experiences some anxiety while taking an examination. High‐test‐anxious (HTA) and low‐test‐anxious (LTA) students are described by two characteristic differences: frequency and intensity of anxious responses and attentional direction to testing cues. The purposes of this study were threefold: (1) to report “potent” testing cues (i.e., 90% response agreement for both intensity and frequency) that were identified by HTA and LTA students; (2) to report differences between HTA and LTA students for frequencies and intensities of responses to testing cues; and (3) to report differences between HTA and LTA students of attentional direction to testing cues. A pool of 396 males and females who were enrolled in physical geology completed the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory. A random sample consisting of 93 HTA and 40 LTA subjects completed the Test Cues Identification Questionnaire (TCIQ). The TCIQ consists of 28 disruptive items and 27 helpful items. Subjects responded with both frequency and intensity ratings for all of the 55 items in the TCIQ. Results revealed that 22 items were viewed by subjects as “potent” testing cues. Empirical evidence obtained did not support previous theoretical reports of differences between HTA and LTA students for either frequency and intensity of anxious responses or attentional direction to the set of disruptive and helpful testing cues. Although test anxiousness did not appear to be associated with those two characteristics differences, a discriminant analysis revealed 24 items in the TCIQ which significantly, χ2 (24) = 47.59, p < 0.004, separated HTA and LTA subjects responses. Apparently, HTA and LTA students differ in their responses to specific disruptive and helpful cues but not in their responses to the set of testing cues as was previously postulated.
Measuring thinking with standardized science tests
Authors: Morgenstern Carol Faltin , Renner John W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAccording to the Educational Policies Commission, the central purpose of education in this country is to lead students to develop the ability to think. No standard way exists to measure whether or not the schools are achieving that purpose. The EPC identified 10 rational powers as constituting the essence of the ability to think. The research reported here was done to ascertain which rational powers are measured by commercially‐available, standardized tests in science. A universe of standardized tests was defined and 12 specific tests were randomly selected for analysis. All instruments were validated by a panel of experts, as was a training program for the four teacher‐evaluators who applied previously‐evaluated criteria to each test item to determine which rational powers had to be used in responding to the item. Seven of the 12 standardized tests analyzed in the research required that students use only the rational power of recall in responding. In fact, approximately 90% of the items analyzed from all tests required only recall. Students were required to use other rational powers only rarely when responding to a test item and the use of the rational powers of comparing, imagining, and analyzing was not necessary on any of the test items examined. The conclusion was drawn that the producers of standardized tests are not concerned with measuring student achievement of the rational powers.The purpose which runs throught and strengthens all other educational purposes—; the common thread of education—; is the development of the ability to think.
Changing attitudes toward energy conservation: The effect of development advancement on the salience of one‐sided and two‐sided persuasive communications
Authors: Koballa Thomas R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTested was the effect of a one‐sided and two‐sided persuasive message on the attitudes toward energy conservation of 85 preservice elementary teachers categorized as developmentally or nondevelopmentally advanced with respect to the topic of the message. The study addressed the following questions: (1) Are one‐sided and two‐sided systematically designed communications more effective in persuading nondevelopmentally advanced and developmentally advanced persons, respectively? (2) Do positive attitude gains between pre‐ and posttests, if any, dissipate within four weeks following the treatment? The important finding was that the two‐sided communication was more effective than the one‐sided communication regardless of subjects' level of developmental advancement when attitude change is measured immediately following the treatment. Secondly, positive attitude change dissipated four weeks after exposure to the two‐sided communication for developmentally and nondevelopmentally advanced subjects, alike. Thirdly, while the attitudes of nondevelopmentally and developmentally advanced subjects exposed to the one‐sided communication did not change immediately after exposure, the nondevelopmentally advanced subjects exhibited a positive shift in attitude four weeks following the presentation of the communication.
The effect of grouping of laboratory students on selected educational outcomes
Authors: Lawrenz Frances , Munch Theodore W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to discover if grouping students in the laboratory on the basis of their formal reasoning ability affected (1) their science content achievement, (2) their formal reasoning ability, (3) the learning environment in the laboratory, and (4) the relationships between individuals in a particular group. The laboratory groups for three physical science classes for preservice elementary teachers were arranged as follows: (1) one class with students of unequal reasoning ability grouped together, i.e., one highly developed formal reasoner per group (the heterogeneous group), (2) one class with students of similar reasoning ability grouped together (the homogeneous group), and (3) one class arranged in groups according to the desires of the class members (the student choice group). The three classes were compared using pre‐and post‐scores on content and formal reasoning instruments and scores for classroom environment and social relationships. Results indicated that the groupings as described had significantly different effects on science content achievement but not on any of the other questions posed above. The students in the class with laboratory teams grouped by student choice had significantly lower science content scores than the students in the classes with teams formed using either the heterogeneous or homogeneous grouping procedures. The difference between the heterogeneously and homogeneously grouped classes was not significant at the 0.05 level.
The effects of cognitive development and age on elementary students' science achievement for structured inductive and semi‐deductive inquiry strategies
Authors: Yore Larry D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study explored Morine and Morine's (Discovery: A challenge to teachers. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice‐Hall, 1973) assumptions regarding age and cognitive development of learners successfully utilizing two types of inquiry, specifically structured inductive and semi‐deductive. Two groups of elementary school students from grades one, three and five were individually assessed on six conservation tasks and a multiplicative classification task. The two groups were instructed on two different science topics utilizing different inquiry strategies. Achievement data from topic specific tests were analyzed by an ANOVA technique. The results indicated that age made a significant difference on achievement for both inquiry strategies. The significant contributions were due to the differences between grade one and grades three and five. The differences between grade three and grade five were not significant. The effect of cognitive development was more noticeable in the less structured semi‐deductive strategy in which four conservation tasks and the multiplicative classification tasks were significant.