bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Policy decisions on improving science education: A cost‐effectiveness analysis
Authors: Anderson Ronald D. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA form of policy analysis, cost‐effectiveness analysis, is described and applied to the question of the probable impact of a large number of actions advocated in professional and political circles for improving science education. After identifying the objectives sought, the costs and probable effectiveness of 69 widely advocated interventions were estimated. Because of the highly systemic nature of the situation, analysis of the 69 individual actions was only an intermediate step. Models of the interconnections among these actions were developed based on the research on effective schools and educational change. Clusters of interventions were identified which could be extended to recommendations for policy makers at various levels, e.g., local, state, and federal.
The science‐technology‐society movement in science education: A critique of the reform process
Authors: Hart E. P. , Robottom I. M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractChanges in society and in science and technology have forced a rethinking of what is “basic” in science education. A perceived disjuncture between school science and the realities of a scientifically and technologically oriented society has resulted in proposals for new directions in science teaching. It appears that science education is about to undergo another paradigm shift. One particularly visible movement, the “Science‐Technology‐Society” (STS) movement, exemplifies how such directional shifts tend to occur within the field of science education. This article critically examines the program and professional development process that has characterized past and current science curriculum reform effort in an attempt to illustrate fundamental educational reform problems. The need for new directions in science education is uncontested here. The issue is the problematic nature of the reform process itself. The article contends that new methods of reform must be researched— methods that directly involve practitioners in critical reflection, participatory research, and science curriculum development.
The inquiry level of junior high activities: Implications to science teaching
Authors: Pizzini Edward L. , Shepardson Daniel P. , Abell Sandra K. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAn analysis of the inquiry level of science activities within junior high science textbooks and their accompanying supplemental activity guides was undertaken utilizing the inquiry analysis scheme developed by Tafoya et al. (1980). The inquiry level of activities was analyzed in relation to textbook series, supplemental activity guide, and discipline. Significance was determined using two‐way ANOVAs for inquiry level by publisher series activity guides, inquiry level by discipline activity guides, inquiry level by publisher textbook series, and inquiry level by discipline textbooks. Tukey's pairwise comparison was used to determine significance among two‐way ANOVA means. There was a significant difference in the frequency of inquiry level of activities among science textbooks, supplemental activity guides, and disciplines.
The effect of instruction on socio‐cultural beliefs hindering the learning of science
Authors: Jegede Olugbemiro J. , Okebukola Peter A. O. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAlthough recent studies have shown that the sociocultural characteristics which children in non‐western society bring into the classroom from their environment create a wedge between what they are taught and what they learn, very little has been done to solve the problem. A learner who is not positively disposed to, or has a socio‐cultural background that is indifferent to, learning science would find it hard to learn science effectively. This study investigated whether instruction through the use of the socio‐cultural mode has any significant effect on students' attitude towards the learning of science. The sample consisted of 600 senior secondary year‐one students (442 boys, 158 girls) from 15 secondary schools in Nigeria. The Socio‐Cultural Environment Scale (SCES) and the Biology Achievement Test (BAT) were used to measure the change in attitude and achievement of subjects in a pretest‐posttest situation after a six‐week treatment. Evidence was found to support the hypothesis that science instruction which deliberately involves the discussion of socio‐cultural views about science concepts engenders positive attitudes towards the study of science. The findings also indicate that anthropomorphic and mechanistic views can be presented in such a way as to promote positive attitudes towards the study of science in traditional cultures.
A procedure for determining the level of abstraction of science reading material
Authors: Vachon Myra K. , Haney Richard E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe objectives of this study were to develop a method for scoring the level of abstraction (LOA) of science reading material and explore its relationship with other methods for assessing curriculum materials. LOA is defined as the ratio of the nonconcrete concepts to the total number of concepts in a written passage expressed as a percent. Using passages taken from life, earth, and physical science textbooks written at three different levels, data were collected to obtain preliminary agreement from science educators in the classification of concepts, determine interscorer reliability, and compare student and passage variables. Participants consisted of 24 science educators, 60 science teachers from elementary, middle, and high schools, and 425 urban students in Grades 5, 7, and 10. Instruments used were (a) the procedure to determine level of abstraction developed in this study, (b) the cloze procedure, and (c) “Reading Level: Programs for Teachers.” No significant correlations were found between (a) passage LOA and passage readability level, (b) student cloze scores and passage LOA, (c) passage LOA and teacher prediction of student success, and (d) student cloze scores and passage readability level. However, the lack of significant correlations between LOA and cloze scores combined with the fact that the LOA is based upon deep structure rather than surface structure of written material indicate the possible uniqueness of the LOA and highlight the importance of further investigation of the LOA in its relationship to student comprehension of written material.
Potential interaction and potential investigation of science center exhibits and visitors' interest
Authors: Busque Laurier 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis research consisted of studying the characteristics of interaction and investigation potential present in museum or science center exhibits. Categories (strong and weak) for the characteristics of interaction potential and investigation potential were established. Fifteen exhibits were chosen from the Museum of Science (Ottawa) and from two science centers (Sudbury and Toronto); these were representative of the established characteristics and categories. A test was constructed that measured the interest in an exhibit in a museum or a science center. The final analysis of the test (20 items) reflects a coefficient of homogeneity (Cronbach alpha) of 0.97 (n = 278). In terms of the characteristics of interaction potential and investigation potential, a significant difference among the ranks of interest was not found once they were regrouped under the categories of strong and weak. The hypothesis of a relationship between the interaction potential and visitors' interest in an exhibit in a museum or science center and the hypothesis of a relationship between the investigation potential and the interest aroused were both rejected. In regards to the interaction potential, median ranks of interest in exhibits of 8.6 for the strong category and of 7.5 for the weak category were observed. In terms of the investigation potential, median ranks of interest of 7.0 for the strong category and of 9.1 for the weak category were observed. In the case of investigation potential, even if the difference is not significant, there is an indication that the strong investigation potential seems to have the effect of creating disinterest in the presentation of an exhibit in a museum or in a science center. In the context of new museum and science centers, the view of developing exhibits which are primarily objects which stimulate interest must be maintained. If this is done with exhibits that arc interactive and have an investigative approach, it is necessary for those in charge of museums and science centers to consider other characteristics in order to ensure capturing visitors' interest.
Can teachers predict their students' wait time preferences?
Authors: Altiere Mary A. , Duell Orpha K. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe study examined students' preferences for wait times of 3 seconds versus .9 second, teachers' ability to accurately predict their students' preferences, and the reasons both groups of participants gave for their choices. Thirty‐five middle school science classes watched two versions of a videotaped science review lesson. The versions differed only in length of time the teacher paused after questions before she called on students to respond. When asked which version would produce more learning and when asked which version they preferred (after being told how the two versions differed), significantly more students chose the one with the longer wait time. Significantly more teachers predicted these choices accurately than inaccurately. Students identified think time, time use, teacher helpfulness, and topic ease as reasons for their choices.
Manipulation of logical structure of chemistry problems and its effect on student performance
Authors: Niaz Mansoor , Robinson William R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIt has been shown previously that manipulation of the M demand (amount of information needed for processing) of chemistry problems affects student performance, which suggests that manipulation of logical structure of chemistry problems could also lead to significant changes in performance. The objective of this study is to investigate the following: Given the opportunity for training, what is the effect of increasing (manipulation) the complexity of logical structure of chemistry problems on student performance, and to what extent can cognitive variables explain changes in performance. Results obtained show that (a) even a small increase in the logical structure of a problem can change the role of cognitive variables (mental capacity and formal reasoning) to the extent that increase in logical complexity outweighs the advantage students may have gained through training on a similar problem; (b) the use of algorithms and training on particular types of chemistry problems could lead to a situation in which formal reasoning is the only cognitive variable that explains variance in performance significantly; and (c) after having solved very similar problems on two different occasions with improving performance, the improvement is not retained if the logical structure of a third problem increases considerably. It is concluded that when dealing with significant changes in logical complexity of chemistry problems, developmental level of students is the most consistent predictor of success. A model for the qualitative analysis of logical complexity of chemistry problems is presented.
Race in biology and anthropology: A study of college texts and professors
Authors: Lieberman Leonard , Hampton Raymond E. , Littlefield Alice , Hallead Glen 
Published: October 2006

AbstractInformation about social issues is underemphasized in college science education. This article takes the race concept as an example of this neglect. We review the history of the race concept and report the current status of the concept in textbooks and among professors. Responses to surveys of faculty at Ph.D.‐granting departments indicate that 67% of biologists accept the concept of biological races in the species Homo sapiens, while only 50% of physical anthropologists do so. Content analysis of college textbooks indicates a significant degree of change over time (1936–1984) in physical anthropology but a lesser degree in biology. We suggest several reasons for the dissimilarity in the two disciplines. We propose continued use of the concept for some infrahuman species, while abandoning its application to Homo sapiens. For those biologists and anthropologists who continue to use the concept, scientific accuracy can be achieved by the presentation in lecture and text of the following ideas: first, consensus among scientists on the race concept's utility and accuracy does not exist; second, there is more variation within than between so‐called races; third, discordant gradations due to natural selection, drift, and interbreeding make consistent racial boundary lines impossible to identify; fourth, past use of the race concept has had harmful consequences; fifth, the most precise study of human hereditary variation maps one trait at a time; and sixth, racial labels are misleading, especially as most populations have a cultural designation.
Biology content cognitive structure: From science student to science teacher
Authors: Hauslein Patricia L. , Good Ronald G. , Cummins Catherine L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe F‐Sort of Biology Concepts was used to assess understanding of the relationships among 37 biology concepts by five groups: Preservice secondary science teachers, in‐service biology teachers with 1–3 years of teaching experience, in‐service biology teachers with 5 or more years of experience, scientists in any biological science field, and college seniors majoring in biology. Data collected from the F‐sort were analyzed using latent partition analysis and alpha factor analysis with additional interpretation from multidimensional scaling. The subjects were asked to think aloud as they performed the F‐sort and each session was audiotaped for later analysis. These analyses indicated that the biology major and experienced secondary science teachers were separated from the scientists by a dimension based on a deep‐versus‐surface structure understanding of the concepts. A second axis shows that scientists are separated from other groups by a fluid‐versus‐fixed cognitive structure dimension. That is, both experienced teachers and scientists were found to have well‐constructed and ordered cognitive structures, but scientists were much more likely to see an item having a place in two or more categories, whereas experienced teachers tended to focus on only one aspect of an item, and therefore understanding that it rightfully belonged in only one category. It appears that teachers restructure their science knowledge as they become more experienced. There is an apparent transition from poorly organized to highly organized cognitive structures for biology concepts when comparing preservice, novice, and experienced teachers, respectively. The transition does not seem to be one achieving a deeper understanding of the biology concepts or to a greater degree of integration of the concepts, but rather a transition from a fairly large, loosely organized pool of biology concepts to one which is highly structured but limited to the expectations of the established curriculum. The results have implications for the well‐known conjecture that teaching helps one better understand the content being taught.
What do tests of “formal” reasoning actually measure?
Authors: Lawson Anton E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTests of formal operational reasoning derived from Piagetian theory have been found to be effective predictors of academic achievement. Yet Piaget's theory regarding the underlying nature of formal operations and their employment in specific contexts has run into considerable empirical difficulty. The primary purpose of this study was to present the core of an alternative theory of the nature of advanced scientific reasoning. That theory, referred to as the multiple‐hypothesis theory, argues that tests of formal operational reasoning actually measure the extent to which persons have acquired the ability to initiate reasoning with more than one specific antecedent condition, or if they are unable to imagine more than one antecedent condition, they are aware that more than one is possible; therefore conclusions that are drawn are tempered by this possibility. As a test of this multiple‐hypothesis theory of advanced reasoning and the contrasting Piagetian theory of formal operations, a sample of 922 college students were first classified as concrete operational, transitional, or formal operational, based upon responses to standard Piagetian measures of formal operational reasoning. They were then administered seven logic tasks. Actual response patterns to the tasks were analyzed and found to be similar to predicted response patterns derived from the multiple‐hypothesis theory and were different from those predicted by Piagetian theory. Therefore, support was obtained for the multiple‐hypothesis theory. The terms intuitive and reflective were suggested to replace the terms concrete operational and formal operational to refer to persons at varying levels of intellectual development.
The effectiveness of take‐home science kits at the elementary level
Authors: Gennaro Eugene , Lawrenz Frances 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA major reason for the lack of scientific and technological literacy in this country is the lack of emphasis on high‐quality science education at the elementary school level. The National Science Board Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology states in its report (1983) that formal study of science must be reinforced by a wide range of activities outside the school. Learning in the home appears to be an excellent way to enhance elementary school science programs. Students who study with their parents or whose parents are involved in school activities achieve more in school. This study describes and presents evaluation data for a program that encourages elementary school students and their parents to study science topics in a hands‐on, inquiry fashion in their own homes. The analyses of the data indicate that the program is viewed very positively by both the students and their parents, that there are gender and grade‐level differences in the students, and that the program seems to be more effective for girls, a group at risk for continuing in science.
Children's alternative frameworks: Should they be directly‐addressed in science instruction?
Authors: Muthukrishna Nithi , Carnine Doug , Grossen Bonnie , Miller Sam 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of in‐depth, conceptually integrated instruction delivered via a videodisc program in eliminating children's alternative frameworks in science. Prior to instruction, pupils in two eighth‐grade science classes, one of higher ability and one of lower ability, were interviewed to document their alternative frameworks (informal knowledge) for explaining two science phenomena. Interviews after instruction showed that students of both ability groups did not retain their alternative frameworks. This contradicts other research findings that children's alternative frameworks are extremely resistant to change and must be directly addressed during instruction for conceptual change to occur. A well‐designed science curriculum that was intelligible, plausible, and fruitful, but did not directly address alternative frameworks during instruction, changed 92% of the alternative frameworks held by students to scientific understandings.
Self‐generated analogies as a tool for constructing and evaluating explanations of scientific phenomena
Authors: Wong E. David 
Published: October 2006

AbstractHow can students be taught to develop explanations for scientific phenomena on their own when their background knowledge is incomplete or poorly organized? Evidence from historical accounts of scientific discovery suggest that self‐generated analogies—analogies produced by the learners themselves—are a tool by which individuals can generate, evaluate, and modify their own explanations. The central research questions for this study were: Can students use a series of self‐generated analogies to bring about change in their understanding of a given scientific phenomenon, and what is the nature of the change in understanding? Participants were asked to create, apply, and modify their own analogies—as opposed to applying a specific analogy provided by an outsider—as a heuristic for constructing, evaluating, and modifying their own explanations for a given scientific phenomena. Nontrivial changes in explanation facilitated by the use of generative analogies were observed. Changes in understanding ranged from the emergence of new explanations to the raising of important questions about the nature of the phenomenon.
Predicting and understanding Korean high school students' science‐track choice: Testing the theory of reasoned action by structural equation modeling
Authors: Myeong Jeon‐Ok , Crawley Frank E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) was used to predict and understand Korean high school students' track choice for college entrance. First‐year high school students (N = 665) from four representative regions of Korea participated in the study. The survey instruments were questionnaires developed according to the guidelines of the TRA. The target behavior of interest in this study was Korean students' choice of the science track when they completed the track application forms during the first year of high school. Predictors included TRA model and external variables. Multiple regression and the structural equation modeling with LISREL (Jöreskog & Sörbom, 1986) were used to analyze the data. The TRA was found to be applicable for understanding and predicting track choice, with minor modifications. Subjective norm was found to exert a direct influence on personal beliefs and the target behavior.
The impact of science curricula on student views about the nature of science
Authors: Meichtry Yvonne J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis review of the literature focused on three decades of research related to precollege student understandings about the nature of science. Various interpretations of what aspects characterize the nature of science were examined, revealing an agreement among scientists, science educators, and those involved in policy‐making arenas that the nature of science is multifaceted and an important component of scientific literacy. A summary of the research regarding the adequacies of student conceptions about the nature of science revealed inconsistent results. Although the majority of studies show that student understandings are less than desirable, there is research that indicates that student conceptions are acceptable. Research on the impact of instructional materials and techniques on student understandings was also reviewed. The effects of language in science instruction, the content emphasis of instructional materials, integrated science curricula, and instruction in general were curricular variables found to have a negative impact on student understandings about the nature of science. Empirical evidence about the success of innovative instructional materials and techniques designed to facilitate more adequate understandings of the nature of science is needed.