bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The science support scale: Its appropriateness with high school students
Authors: Simpson Ronald D. , Shrum John W. , Rentz R. Robert 
Published: October 2006

AbstractImplementing the idea that more emphasis should be placed on student achievement in the affective domain is contingent upon the concurrent development of suitable instruments for the assessment of prescribed criteria. One such instrument, the Schwirian Science Support Scale (Tri‐S scale), was reported in a recent NSTA publication as a promising tool for measuring student science support.Recent research using the Tri‐S scale with high school pupils showed that scores on this instrument did not increase after the students had taken a tenth grade introductory course in biology. Further analysis indicated students of teachers scoring “high” in science support did not produce higher scores on the Tri‐S scale than students studying biology from teachers “low” in science support. Reliability estimates using high school student scores were well below previous estimates using scores from college undergraduates. Factor analysis of inter‐item correlations indicated that student interpretation of item meaning did not correspond to the five subtest structure of the Tri‐S scale.Findings from this study demonstrate that the Tri‐S scale is not an appropriate instrument for measuring attitudinal changes of tenth grade high school students. This study is suggestive of the fact that went and future instruments that purport to measure achievement in noncognitive areas should be carefully analyzed before they are recommended for use with specific populations.
The effects of response format of a structured learning sequence on third grade children's classification achievement
Authors: Popp Leonard , Raven Ronald 
Published: October 2006

AbstractClassification was selected for use in this investigation because of the central position of process factors in teaching and learning. A twelve section classification program which was based on 12 rules derived from Piaget's analysis of classification was used in the study. The program was produced in both a constructed response (CR) format and in a matching multiple choice (MC) response format. The 36‐item classification test was similarly produced in both response modes.Criterion scores on both the CR test and the MC test were collected from each of the 239 grade three subjects following treatment with the CR program, the MC program, or with drawing activities (control).The results of the multivariate and univariate analyses of variance indicated that the program in both response modes enhanced classification achievement although the effects on MC test scores were not consistent across classes, and that each program format enhanced achievement to a greater degree on the test which matched the program response mode.
Verbal predictive ability and performance on selected science process tasks
Authors: Neie Van E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study investigated the relationships between verbal predictive ability, as measured by a word deletion technique called the “cloze procedure,” and performance on selected science process tasks. The results of the study confirmed a highly significant relationship between the two variables, but failed to show that verbal predictive ability is a significantly better predictor of process task achievement than is a standardized test of verbal ability. It is suggested that the results could be utilized in the design of teacher education programs in science if these programs focus primarily on the processes of science.
Earth science concept list for grades K‐12 curriculum construction and evaluation
Authors: Janke Delmar L. , Pella Milton O. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe problem for this study was the identification of earth science concepts recommended by scholars in earth science for inclusion in the R‐12 science curriculum. Three panels of earth science scholars assisted in the study. The third panel was selected in such a manner as to insure that the judgement of the entire memberships of five major professional organizations within the earth sciences would be represented within specified limits. The final concept list contained fifty‐two earth science concepts.The claim is not made that the concept list which was developed is a complete list of earth science concepts which earth science scholars believe to be important for inclusion in the K‐12 science program; the list is to be regarded as a sample of those concepts which would form a complete list. However, it would seem that due to the method of compiling the list that a majority of the earth science concepts which earth science scholars rate as most important for inclusion in the K‐I2 science program would be present.
A study of the use of “invitations to enquiry” and student attitude
Authors: Starr Robert J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study was designed to isolate the attitude of high ability ninth grade BSCS students toward instruction utilizing “Invitations to Enquiry.” Both control and experimental groups received similar instruction with the addition of twenty “Invitations” to the experimental classes over an eight week period.No significant differences in attitudinal scores as measured by Remmer's A Scale to Measure Attitude Toward Any School Subject was found when the poststudy scores were adjusted for prestudy attitude, IQ and mid‐study attitude or when the attitude at the end of four weeks of the study was adjusted using prestudy attitude and IQ.
An investigation of introductory physical science using the test of science process
Authors: Butzow John W. , Sewell Leyton E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe hypotheses tested were that there would be differentially, significant improvement in scores on the Test of Science Processes (TSP) for four homogeneous divisions of an eight grade class during the period they studied the first five chapters of Introductory Physical Science (IPS). Results indicated significant improvement in at least one process subscore for each division of the class. A hierarchy of processes was suggested as a topic for further study.
The influence of selected physical science study committee (PSSC) films on certain learning outcomes in the teaching of high school physics
Authors: Woodman Charles A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe study was initiated to determine whether students who saw selected PSSC films, in conjunction with the PSSC high school physics course, differed in their achievement of the subject matter of physics or in their understanding of science from similar students who did not see the films. The criterion tests were the PSSC Achievement Test Series and the Test on Understanding Science (TOUS).A total of 486 students in nine high schools in the eastern Massachusetts area participated in the study. Analysis of covariance was used to determine differences between treatment groups. It was concluded that for the particular group of students involved in the study the use of PSSC films in conjunction with the PSSC course did not influence student scores on the PSSC achievement tests or the Test on Understanding Science.
Ease of grading and enrollment in secondary school science. II. A test of the model
Authors: Bridgham Robert 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA proposed model of the effects of ease of grading in science on enrollments is tested with data gathered in 27 high schools. Grades were transcribed for students in the 1968 graduating class; they were coded A = 7, B+ = 6, B = 5, …, F = 0.East of grading was calculated for each science teacher and course in each school. In addition the proportion of non‐senior students who moved from one science to the next in the typical sequence was determined.Analyses of variance indicated that teachers were the major distinguishable source of variance in ease of grading. Analysis of teachers' ease of grading indicated that female students were graded more severely than male students, and grading in the physical sciences was more severe than grading in biology.Analyses of the effects of ease of grading on students' transitions from course to course indicated that experienced ease or severity of grading was more important for female students than for male students, while anticipated ease or severity of grading was important for all transitions, except that of male students into physics.These results are taken as evidence supporting the first three propositions of the model, though it appears that some modification to account for sex differences will be appropriate. Estimates from the data suggest that an increase in science enrollments of practical significance would follow an effort to bring science grades to “par” with other academic grades. Finally it is noted that efforts to achieve effective general education in the sciences through attention to grading practices alone will probably be inadequate.
Verbal explanation in physics classes
Authors: Ivany J. W. George , Oguntonade Christopher B. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis investigation was based on the assumption that a study of prevailing explanatory styles in science classrooms is a necessary, and hitherto much neglected, starting point in any attempt to improve teacher education programs in science.Fourteen high school physics teachers were requested to handle the explanation of some physics problems to their students in microteaching situations. A study of 70 such explanations revealed that universal laws, constructs, analogies, and historical accounts were frequently used as explanatory criteria. By far the most prevalent criterion was the use of constructs.A verbal explanation analysis instrument was developed to study the transcripts in terms of verbal styles and interpretation of physics as enquiry. Frequency counts of verbal communication units revealed a high predominance of teachers' lecturing behavior. Chi‐square tests also revealed interactions among some explanatory approaches and physics content, while intercorrelation coefficients showed associations among various verbal factors.It was recommended that specific training in a number of technical skills should form part of physics teachers' education programs.
Effects of performance objectives on achievement
Authors: Bryant Napoleon , Anderson Hans A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this investigation was to determine (1) the effects of performance objectives on the achievement level of low achieving black inner city pupils and (2) the effects of giving the students performance objectives prior to beginning instruction The population used in this study was selected from four predominantly black inner city schools. The results of the study show that training teachers to use performance objectives had a significant effect on student cognitive achievement. Although providing students copies of the objectives prior to study did not significantly affect their cognitive achievement, performance objectives, as an instructional technique, seem as effective as traditional methods of instruction currently used with low achievers.
Discussion strategies and learning science principles
Authors: Nelson Miles A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractPost‐Sputnik science curricula stress the importance of teaching science as scientists might practice it. This has been vividly illustrated in the laboratory‐oriented curricula generated in the past ten years. Even more important has been the emphasis on applying learning theories to their construction. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has implemented the ideas of Robert Gagné in order to develop Science—A Process Approach. Jean Piaget's theory of intellectual development has been integrated into the Science Curriculum Improvement Study. It has been the investigator's observation that many teachers who use the newer science curricula fail to utilize to the fullest the methods implicit in a development theory; consequently, the objectives which include the products as well as the processes of science may not be achieved. This paper will report on an investigation of two types of postlaboratory discussion strategies and their effects on sixth grade children's learning of some science principles. The effects these discussion strategies had on the learning of four science processes are reported elsewhere.
Life‐science concept development among beginning kindergarten children from three different community settings
Authors: Riechard Donald E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwo basic questions were investigated. (1) Do beginning kindergarten children from three different community settings (inner‐urban, outer‐urban, and rural‐farm) vary significantly in performance on a Life‐Science Concept Acquisition Test (L‐SCAT)? (2) What independent variables are the most useful predictors of performance on the L‐SCAT?The L‐SCAT was developed by the investigator. It was administered to seventeen subjects from each of the three community settings (N = 51).Among the results were the following: (1) there were significant differences (p < .05) among the scores made by the subjects; (2) a major source of significance was between outer‐urban and inner‐urban subjects' mean scores; (3) when all physical, mental, and sociocultural variables were used as predictors, a subject's I.Q. and his chronological age were the most useful predictors of L‐SCAT performance; and (4) when sociocultural variables alone were used as predictors, the number of years education of a subject's mother was the most useful predictor of L‐SCAT performance.
The effect of verbalizers on the achievement of non‐verbalizers in an enquiring classroom
Authors: Renne Thomas , Kass Heidi , Nay Marshall A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of verbal participation during enquiry sessions on achievement. Other factors examined included intelligence characteristics of participants and non‐participants and question categories for each treatment group. The Suchman questioning procedure was used.Twelve eighth grade science classes were assigned to three treatment groups of four classes each. Treatment A consisted of a film, a pretest on the film, the enquiry session, and a posttest. Subjects in treatment B were not administered the pretest but engaged in unguided discovery. Treatment C students submitted five questions each on paper after having viewed the film. Three such enquiry sessions were conducted. Each class was also administered an I.Q. test, a reading test, a sociogram, and an academiogram.In all treatment groups the mean I.Q. of the participants exceeded that of the non‐participants. With I.Q. controlled, significant differences in mean achievement were found between the participants and non‐participants in the higher categories (3:00 to 6:00) of the Bloom taxonomy but not on the lower (1:00 to 2:00) categories. With adjustment for ability, the highest mean achievement in both the composite and higher category was attained by the group given maximum guidance by means of the pretest.Participation was found to be independent of sociometric position in the classroom but not of academiometric position. Sex and participation were found to be dependent upon each other, with more boys and fewer girls participating than was expected.In the analysis of questions written by students in treatment C, it was found that the participants wrote a substantially higher percentage of “directed” questions than did the non‐participants. No significant difference in the distribution of questions was evident between treatment groups A and C but group B differed significantly from both. It would appear that student verbal participation in the classroom is associated with achievement at the higher cognitive levels.
Measuring specific interests in biological, physical and earth sciences in intermediate grade levels
Authors: Skinner Ray , Barcikowski Robert S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe Science Activities Checklist which was revised from the Reed activities checklist shows promise of providing science teachers with an instrument to measure interest in biological, earth, and physical science. If teachers are sincere in their efforts to foster interest in their specific science field, this instrument, or the revision the writers are currently committed to, should help them measure behavioral objectives involving science interests.
Critical thinking ability, open‐mindedness, and knowledge of the processes of science of chemistry and non‐chemistry students
Authors: Seymour Lowell A. , Sutman Frank X. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe Chemistry Curriculum Committee of the Philadelphia school district developed a chemistry course guide for use in the city's comprehensive high schools. Instruction based on this guide was intended, in part, to develop critical thinking ability, open‐mindedness, and knowledge of the processes of science. Critical thinking ability and open‐mindedness appears to have been developed; but only when pretesting was part of the teaching process. Knowledge of the processes of science has not been developed by students in chemistry classes following the Guide, perhaps because of a lack of strict adherence to the intent and content of the chemistry guide.
Checklist for assessment of science teachers and its use in a science preservice teacher education project
Authors: Brown William R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purposes of this study were to develop instruments to assess the nature of student‐teacher relations and classroom activities, and the personal adjustment of preservice science teachers in two concurrent programs and to see if the two groups differed significantly in the three areas measured by the Checklist for Assessment of Science Teachers (CAST). The CAST was completed by university supervisors, cooperating teachers, and classroom pupils in terms of 92 secondary student teachers at the completion of three student teaching quarters. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to detect differences between treatment groups.The major differences between the two groups of science student teachers were the types of classroom activities used and the nature of their student‐teacher (teacher‐pupil) relations.
A consideration of direct and indirect teaching styles with respect to achievement and retention of learning in science classes
Authors: Wolfson Morton L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractStudents taught by teachers of science with a higher I/D ratio, according to Flanders scale, will achieve more and retain more information than will students of teachers with a lower I/D ratio. This study tested students in high school chemistry and junior high school general science at the end of a year of study in their respective classes. They were then retested four months later. The teachers were scaled according to their I/D ratio. It was found that the I/D ratio of a teacher could be a guide toward determining the success of students so taught in a particular class.
Cognitive style and inquiry strategy: A five‐year study
Authors: Scott Norval C. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose was to determine the longitudinal effects of the inquiry strategy method on the pupil's styles of categorization. Two groups of inquiry students (experimentals) and noninquiry pupils (comparisons) were administered the Sigel Cognitive Style Test (SCST). The longitudinal groups of experimentals and comparisons had the SCST in 1966 (seventh grade) and in 1971 (high school seniors). The cross‐sectional groups had the SCST in 1970 (high school seniors). Chi‐square indicated that both inquiry groups were significantly more analytical in styles of categorization than were the comparison groups. Implications for analytical style are discussed.
A comparison of the quality and sequence of television and classroom science questions with a proposed strategy of science instruction
Authors: Beisenherz Paul C. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study was part of a research project designed to measure the utilization and effectiveness of a locally televised science series in 54 classrooms in the Seattle metropolitan area. A design was selected that provided a treatment variable representing four degrees of utilization of TV science and non‐TV science, and four grade levels.One measure of effectiveness of TV and non‐TV science instruction involved the use of a multiple question category system in analyzing questions asked by studio and classroom teachers. All questions asked by these teachers were categorized into a modified Gallagher‐Aschner system. All questions asked by classroom teachers were also categorized into the Science Lesson Category System designed by the project investigators. In addition, all questions asked by studio teachers and classroom teachers utilizing TV science instruction, grades three and four, were categorized into the Instructional Strategy Category System, designed by the writer and patterned after the instructional strategy found in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study.With a curriculum containing preplanned scripts and Teachers' Manuals with suggested activities, teachers utilizing TV science instruction asked a higher proportion of convergent questions than teachers not using TV instruction. These questions were found, for the most part, in the post‐TV period and in the discovery phase of the model instructional strategy. Comparisons of these findings with those proportions of questions asked during the non‐TV period indicated differences in questioning behavior between treatment groups using TV and non‐TV science instruction. It was concluded that these differences resulted from the influence of the TV science series.
Students' growth as a result of studying bscs biology for several years
Authors: Tamir P. , Jungwirth E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAbstract A battery of tests was administered to three trial groups who studied the Israel BSCS Adaptation Program for several years. Compared with non‐BSCS students the performance and progress of the BSCS students in three cognitive areas, namely biological knowledge, inquiry skills and the understanding of science, demonstrates the feasibility of the BSCS adaptation program for students in academic city schools as well as for those in the Kibbutz rural schools. It is less adequate for most students in agricultural schools as well as for a considerable number of students of non‐European descent. The results indicate that achievement in biology is not unidimensional and that different students reach different levels of achievement with different measures. The implications of the findings regarding program revision, teacher training, adoption as well as further research are discussed. The study may be helpful to other countries which either have adapted or considered the adaptation of programs such as the BSCS.
Reporting explained variance
Authors: Good Ron , Fletcher Harold J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe importance of reporting explained variance (sometimes referred to as magnitude of effects) in ANOVA designs is discussed in this paper. Explained variance is an estimate of the strength of the relationship between treatment (or other factors such as sex, grade level, etc.) and dependent variables of interest to the researcher(s). Three methods that can be used to obtain estimates of explained variance in ANOVA designs are described and applied to 16 studies that were reported in recent volumes of this journal. The results show that, while in most studies the treatment accounts for a relatively small proportion of the variance in dependent variable scores., in., some studies the magnitude of the treatment effect is respectable. The authors recommend that researchers in science education report explained variance in addition to the commonly reported tests of significance, since the latter are inadequate as the sole basis for making decisions about the practical importance of factors of interest to science education researchers.