bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparison of the classroom dynamics of a problem‐solving and traditional laboratory model of instruction using path analysis
Authors: Pizzini Edward L. , Shepardson Daniel P. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe classroom dynamics (class setting, lesson structure, student interactions, and student behaviors) of a traditional laboratory and a problem‐solving Search, Solve, Create, and Share (SSCS) model of instruction were compared using path analysis. Class setting was based on small‐group/large‐group settings. Lesson structure variables were problem finding/refining, research designing, data collecting, data analyzing, and evaluating. The student‐student interactions variable was determined by student‐student responding, student‐student initiating, and student (self‐) interaction; while the teacher‐student interaction variable was based on teacher‐student initiating and teacher‐student responding. The dependent variables of student behavior consisted of attending, responding, following, soliciting, and giving. A causal model was hypothesized for both instructional models based on the independent and dependent variables. The hypothesized causal model was tested using path‐analysis procedures described by Pedhazur (1982). The hypothesized causal models were adjusted based on path coefficients with levels of significance greater than p = 0.05. While the descriptive data indicated a similarity in the classroom dynamics of the two instructional models, path analysis indicated a difference in the classroom dynamics. In the traditional laboratory model, student behaviors did not correlate to lesson structure, class setting, or student interactions, whereas in the SSCS problem‐solving model student behaviors correlated to aspects of the lesson structure, class setting, and student interactions.
Teaching evolution: Understanding and applying the nature of science
Authors: Scharmann Lawrence C. , Harris William M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe influence of a 3‐week institute upon secondary biology and earth science teachers regarding their experiences with respect to the teaching of evolution was investigated. The institute directors, with National Science Foundation (NSF) funding, hoped to foster an understanding of the nature of science, provide enhanced content, and support a forum for teachers to discuss problems common to the teaching of evolution. Analysis of data indicated statistically significant increases in participants' acceptance of the theory of evolution and their understanding of both applied evolutionary principles and the applied nature of science. In addition, a significant reduction in participants' perceived anxieties regarding the teaching of evolution was achieved. Further, a qualitative examination of Stages of Concern (SoC) profiles indicated a slight shift by participants toward the use of more student‐centered instruction. Finally, data were collected from 9 of the original 19 participants at a voluntary follow‐up session, 8 months after the formal institute. Scores from all of the data‐collection instruments (with the exception of SoC profiles) exhibited a slight decline. These decreases were not, however, statistically significant. Examination of SoC profiles, however, indicated a much stronger adoption by follow‐up participants for the use of student‐centered instructional strategies for the teaching of evolution.
The historicality of cognition: Implications for science education research
Authors: Wandersee James H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article discusses the growing consensus across diverse educational research domains that the historical aspects of cognition are important for understanding not only how individuals but also disciplines know what they know. After proposing and defining the new superordinate concept of historicality, fundamental interrelationships between time, events, memory, meaning, personal knowledge, public knowledge, and the histories of the sciences are explored. Relevant research findings that demonstrate the confluence of scholarly thought concerning historicality across five educationally important domains are presented for the reader's consideration. Using the historicality concept, it is suggested that the histories of the sciences be considered as “the collective mind of scientists” and viewed as vital to developing students' knowledge about science by building upon the critical distinctions drawn by Duschl (1990). The author's science teaching technique, based upon construction of historical vignettes, is introduced here because of the relationship between history and story and the documented educational effectiveness of the story format. Finally, the author adds several cautionary notes about the validity of explanations based upon historicality and anticipates future advances in our understanding of the historicality of cognition.
The beginning science teacher: Classroom narratives of convictions and constraints
Authors: Brickhouse Nancy , Bodner George M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article is a case study of a second‐year middle school science teacher's beliefs about science and science teaching and how these beliefs influenced—or failed to influence—classroom instruction. It illustrates how beginning teachers struggle to reconcile (a) conflicting beliefs about what is desirable, and (b) conflicts between what they believe is desirable and what is possible within the constraints of their preparation and the institutions in which they work. This teacher, for example, struggled to reconcile his view of science as a creative endeavor with his belief that students need to be provided with a high degree of structure in order to learn within the context of formal schooling. He also had difficulty resolving the conflict between the informal (“messing about”) type of science learning that he believed was desirable and the personal and institutional constraints he faced in the classroom.
A quantitative and qualitative inquiry into the attitudes toward science of nonscience college students
Authors: Gogolin Luanne , Swartz Fred 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe attitudes toward science of nonscience college students were investigated using quantitative and qualitative forms of inquiry. Quantitative methods were used to determine (a) how attitudes toward science of nonscience college students compare with attitudes of science majors, and (b) whether attitudes toward science change with instruction. Qualitative assessment was used to investigate attitude development as it relates to science. The subjects were 102 nonscience students and 81 science students. Six attitudinal variables were investigated using the Attitudes Toward Science Inventory (ATSI) as the quantitative instrument. Hotelling's T2 showed a significant difference (p = 0.0001) in attitudes between the two groups. T tests revealed significant differences between the two groups for all six variables. A significant difference (p = 0.0001) was found between pretest and posttest results for the nonscience students. T tests showed significant differences between the two sets of scores for all six variables, indicating a favorable change in attitudes. An interview questionnaire was used to investigate factors contributing to attitude development. The interview results suggested that attitudes toward science are formed by interactions of both school and nonschool variables.
Grade‐12 students' misconceptions relating to fundamental characteristics of atoms and molecules
Authors: Griffiths Alan K. , Preston Kirk R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAn understanding of the concepts of atom and molecule is fundamental to the learning of chemistry. Any misconceptions and alternative conceptions that students harbor about these concepts will impede further learning. This article identifies misconceptions related to the fundamental characteristics of atoms and molecules which Grade‐12 students hold. Data were obtained by administration of semistructured interviews to a stratified, random sample of 30 students of differing abilities and backgrounds in science. Fifty‐two misconceptions were observed and are reported. These are grouped into 11 categories. Six relate to the structure, composition, size, shape, weight, bonding, and energy of molecules; five relate to the structure, shape, size, weight, and animistic perceptions of atoms. Some of the misconceptions identified parallel the historical development of scientific concepts.
Cognitive development, genetics problem solving, and genetics instruction: A critical review
Authors: Smith Mike U. , Sims O. Suthern 
Published: October 2006

AbstractRecent studies have analyzed the cognitive demands of solving problems in genetics, focusing primarily on the Piagetian schemas of combinations, proportions, and probability. Based on data from these primarily correlational studies, some authors have argued for the elimination of classical genetics from the high school curriculum. The critical review of the literature presented in this article reaffirms that formal‐operational thought is conducive to successful genetics problem solving. The weight of the evidence to date, however, does not support the position that formal operational thought is strictly required for solving typical genetics problems. Arguments are therefore presented in support of the inclusion of genetics and genetics problem solving in high school biology. Implications of this analysis for the selection of appropriate content, problems, and instructional techniques for genetics instruction for nonformal students are presented.
Some interrelationships between constructivist models of learning and current neurobiological theory, with implications for science education
Authors: Anderson O. Roger 
Published: October 2006

AbstractRecent advances in the neurosciences have begun to elucidate how some fundamental mechanisms of nervous system activity can explain human information processing and the acquisition of knowledge. Some of these findings are consistent with a cognitive view of constructivist models of learning and provide additional theoretical support for constructivist applications to science education reform. Current thought at the interface between neurocognitive research and constructivist philosophy is summarized here and discussed in a context of implications for scientific epistemology and conceptual change processes in science education.
Conceptual difficulties experienced by senior high school students of electrochemistry: Electrochemical (galvanic) and electrolytic cells
Authors: Garnett Pamela J. , Treagust David F. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis research investigated students' understanding of electrochemistry following a 7–9‐week course of instruction. A list of conceptual and propositional knowledge statements was formulated, and this provided the framework for semistructured interviews that were conducted with 32 students in their final year of high school chemistry, following instruction in electrochemistry. Three misconceptions identified in this study and five which have been reported earlier are incorporated into an alternative framework about electric current. The framework is grounded on the notion that a current always involves drifting electrons, even in solution. Another area where students' misconceptions were prevalent was in relation to the sign of the anode and cathode. Students who thought the anode was negatively charged believed cations would move toward it, and those who thought it was positively charged were unable to explain why electrons move away from it. Electrolytic cells also proved troublesome for students. Many students did not associate the positions of the anode and cathode with the polarity of the applied electromotive force (e.m.f.). Other students attempted to reverse features of electrochemical cells and apply the reversals to electrolytic cells. The implications of the research relate to students' interpretation of the language that is used to describe scientific phenomena and the tendency for students to overgeneralize, due to comments made by teachers or statements in textbooks.
Accelerating the development of formal thinking in middle and high school students III: Testing the permanency of effects
Authors: Shayer Michael , Adey Philip S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwo years after the end of a two‐year intervention program intended to promote formal operational thinking, the achievement of students initially 12 years of age was tested by their results in British National examinations, taken at age 16. The intervention methodology was set within the context of science learning, so the difference between experimental and control classes was examined first in terms of their science results. The boys achieved an average of 40% more grades of C or above than the controls. This grade is the minimum criterion for higher education in Britain. The achievement was not found equally in all students: About 40% of the boys and 25% of the girls showed effect sizes of two standard deviations in relation to comparable controls, whereas the others did not differ from the controls. Both boys and girls showed significantly higher achievement in English than comparable controls, with an effect size about half that for science. The boys—but not the girls—also showed higher achievement in mathematics. It is argued that this evidence supports the interpretation that the students' increased science achievement was caused by increased general intellectual capacity, and not just by improved domain‐specific skills.
Empirical versus subjective procedures for identifying gender differences in science test items
Authors: Sudweeks Richard R. , Tolman Richard R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWhen judgmental and statistical procedures are both used to identify potentially gender‐biased items in a test, to what extent do the results agree? In this study, both procedures were used to evaluate the items in a statewide, 78‐item, multiple‐choice test of science knowledge. Only one item was flagged by the sensitivity reviewers as being potentially biased, but this item was not flagged by the statistical procedure. None of the nine items flagged by the Mantel‐Haenszel procedure were flagged by the sensitivity reviewers. Eight of the nine statistically flagged items were differentially easier for males. Four of these eight measured the same category of objectives. The authors conclude that both judgmental and statistical procedures provide useful information and that both should be used in test construction. They caution readers that content‐validity issues need to be addressed when making decisions based on the results of either procedure.
Accelerating the development of formal thinking in middle and high school students IV: Three years after a two‐year intervention
Authors: Shayer Michael , Adey Philip S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThree years after the end of a two‐year intervention program intended to promote formal operational thinking, the achievement of students initially 11 years of age was tested by their results in British National examinations, taken at age 16. Although the intervention was set within the context of science learning, the effects were found in science, mathematics, and English. In contrast to results reported earlier for the older cohort aged 12 years initially, where the boys showed greater achievement than girls in science and mathematics, here the effect was limited to girls. In comparison with control classes the effect sizes were science, 0.67σ mathematics, 0.72σ, and English, 0.69σ. Although half of the students showed increased achievement in science, which was consistent with the Piagetian model used in the intervention, the achievement of some in science, mathematics, and English was not associated with gains on Piagetian tests above those of control students. These results were attributed to aspects of the intervention methodology intended to enhance metacognition. The distinction between intervention and instruction was discussed in relation to normative data on Piagetian development in adolescents.
Teacher knowledge and discourse control: Quantitative evidence from novice biology teachers' classrooms
Authors: Carlsen William S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article describes the effects of science teacher subject‐matter knowledge on classroom discourse at the level of individual utterances. It details one of three parallel analyses conducted in a year‐long study of language in the classrooms of four new biology teachers. The conceptual framework of the study predicts that when teaching unfamiliar subject matter, teachers use a variety of discourse strategies to constrain student talk to a narrowly circumscribed topic domain. This article includes the results of an utterance‐by‐utterance analysis of teacher and student talk in a 30‐lesson sample of science instruction. Data are broken down by classroom activity (e.g., lecture, laboratory, group work) for several measures, including mean duration of utterances, domination of the speaking floor by the teacher, frequency of teacher questioning, cognitive level of teacher questions, and student verbal participation. When teaching unfamiliar topics, the four teachers in this study tended to talk more often and for longer periods of time, ask questions frequently, and rely heavily on low cognitive level questions. The rate of student questions to the teacher varied with classroom activity. In common classroom communicative settings, student questions were less common when the teacher was teaching unfamiliar subject matter. The implications of these findings include a suggestion that teacher knowledge may be an important unconsidered variable in research on the cognitive level of questions and teacher wait‐time.
The concept map as a tool for the collaborative construction of knowledge: A microanalysis of high school physics students
Authors: Roth Wolff‐Michael , Roychoudhury Anita 
Published: October 2006

AbstractAlthough concept mapping has been shown to help students in meaningful learning, particularly when done as a collaborative activity, little has been done to understand the microprocesses during the activity itself. However, in order to be able to improve the activity as a teaching and learning heuristic, we have to know more about the microprocesses that constitute concept mapping as process and as product. This study was designed to investigate concept mapping as a means of assessing the quality of student understanding from two perspectives: the analysis of the process of constructing meaning and the analysis of the products of this cognitive activity. An interpretive research methodology was adopted for the construction of meaning from the data. Twenty‐nine students from two sections of a senior level high school physics course participated in the study. The data sources included videotapes, their transcripts, and all concept maps produced. Students worked in collaborative groups during all of the concept mapping sessions. Individual concept mapping was assessed twice, once delayed by a week, another time delayed by 6 weeks. To assess what happened to the cognitive achievement as the context of concept mapping changed from collaborative to individual activity, we used a tracer. A tracer is some bit of knowledge, procedure, or action that allows the researcher to follow a task through various settings. The concept maps as products differed in their hierarchical organization, the number of links, and the benefit to the individual students. Three major processes emerged, which students used to arrive at suitable propositions. Students mediated propositions verbally and nonverbally, they took adversarial positions and appealed to authority, and they formed temporary alliances based on presumed expertise. Both product and process hold promise but also show some limitations. On the positive side, concept mapping led to sustained discourse on the topic and improved the declarative knowledge of several students both in terms of the hierarchical organization and “local” configuration of the concepts. In contrast, concept mapping also let unintended and scientifically incorrect notions become ingrained and go unchallenged. On the basis of the outcomes of our study we formulated specific recommendations for the use of concept maps in the classroom. These include continued instruction in establishing proper hierarchies and cross‐links to increase the quality of the concept maps' structure and the number of high quality links. Then, instruction should facilitate students' attempts to reflect on the nature of the relationships expressed in their maps. And finally, specific roles could be assigned to individual students to improve the overall quality of the process of constructing the map and, thus, of the final product.
Subdivision processes in mathematics and science
Authors: Stavy Ruth , Tirosh Dina 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn the course of a research project now in progress, three successive division problems were presented to students in Grades 7–12. The first problem concerned a geometrical line segment, while the other two dealt with material substances (copper wire and water). All three problems involved the same process: successive division. Two of the problems (line segment and copper wire) were also figurally similar. Our data indicate that the similarity in the process had a profound effect on students' responses. The effect of the similarity in process suggests that the repeated process of division has a coercive effect, imposing itself on students' responses and encouraging then to view successive division processes as finite or infinite regardless of the content of the problem.It is possible to trace out, step by step, a more or less parallel process of development for the ideas of points and continuity and those dealing with atoms and physical objects in the child's conception of the ideal world. The only difference between these two processes is that to the child's way of thinking physical points or atoms still possess surface and volume, whereas mathematical points tend to lose all extension (though during the stages of development which concerns us here, this remains only a tendency.) (Piaget & Inhelder, 1948, pp. 126).Our first naive impression of nature and matter is that of continuity. Be it a piece of matter or a volume of liquid we invariably conceive it as divisible into infinity, and even so small a part of it appears to us to possess the same properties as the whole. (Hilbert, 1925, pp. 162).
Does physics instruction foster university students' cognitive processes?: A descriptive study of teacher activities
Authors: Ferguson‐Hessler Monica G. M. , De Jong Ton 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study aims at giving a systematic description of the cognitive activities involved in teaching physics. Such a description of instruction in physics requires a basis in two models, that is, the cognitive activities involved in learning physics and the knowledge base that is the foundation of expertise in that subject. These models have been provided by earlier research. The model of instruction distinguishes three main categories of instruction process: presenting new information, integrating (i.e., bringing structure into) new knowledge, and connecting elements of new knowledge to prior knowledge. Each of the main categories has been divided into a number of specific instruction processes. Hereby any limited and specific cognitive teacher activity can be described along the two dimensions of process and type of knowledge. The model was validated by application to lectures and problem‐solving classes of first year university courses. These were recorded and analyzed as to instruction process and type of knowledge. Results indicate that teachers are indeed involved in the various types of instruction processes defined. The importance of this study lies in the creation of a terminology that makes it possible to discuss instruction in an explicit and specific way.