bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparison of a biological sciences curriculum study (BSCS) laboratory and a traditional laboratory on student achievement at two private liberal arts colleges
Authors: Hall Donald A. , McCurdy Donald W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this experiment was to compare an inquiry‐oriented Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) style laboratory approach with a more directive traditional approach on student outcomes in the cognitive and affective domains of learning at two private, midwestern liberal‐arts colleges. The BSCS approach emphasized basic and integrated science processes, concept development through extensive questioning, and increased student discretion, while the traditional approach contained highly structured, more prescriptive, teacher‐oriented activities. Intact laboratory sections of students enrolled in introductory general biology at two private liberal‐arts colleges were randomly selected into two treatment groups. Pretest and posttest measures were taken on three dependent variables: (1) biological content achievement, measured with a researcher‐generated Test on Biology Laboratory Concepts, (2) reasoning ability, measured with the Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, and (3) attitude toward biology, measured with the Biology Student Behavior Inventory. Analysis of covariance indicated the experimental group (n = 60) using the BSCS‐style laboratory approach scored significantly higher than the comparison group (n = 59) in levels of performance on biology content achievement, F(1, 114) = 4.07, p < 0.05. There were no significant differences between the two groups in performance levels on attitude toward biology or on reasoning ability. However, both groups experienced a 15‐percent increase in the number of formal thinkers as indicated by pretest‐posttest gain scores on the reasoning ability test. These results lend support to the hypothesis that a BSCS‐style laboratory approach fosters desired learner outcomes at the postsecondary level. In addition, these findings support the notion that the science laboratory may be used as a primary vehicle to promote formal reasoning skills.
Eco‐cultural influences upon students' concept attainment in science
Authors: Okebukola Peter Akinsola , Jegede Olugbemiro J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIt is becoming increasingly evident that the nature of the environment (ecology) influences the culture of a people. The prediction that such eco‐cultural variables could exert influence on students' concept attainment in science was tested in this study using a 2 (general environment) × 2 (reasoning pattern) × 2 (nature of home) × 2 (goal structure) fixed‐effect ANOVA design. The results showed that (1) students who live in a predominantly automated environment did better than those in a predominantly manual environment; (2) students whose reasoning patterns were predominantly magical and superstitious performed significantly lower than those who were empirical in reasoning; (3) rural dwellers were predominantly cooperative in outlook; (4) students who expressed preference for cooperative learning did significantly better than those who expressed preference for competitive and individual work; and (5) students from authoritarian homes achieved less well on the science concept test when compared with those from permissive homes. A number of important implications from these findings are drawn.
The effects of immediate achievement and retention of middle school students involved in a metric unit designed to promote the development of estimating skills
Authors: Jones Michael L. , Rowsey Robert E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThree hundred nintey‐seven seventh‐grade students were studied to determine the effect on immediate achievement and retention of a unit designed to promote the development of estimating skills involved in metric measurement. The study involved five teachers with a total of 15 average‐ or advanced‐level classes divided into the reference and treatment groups. A five‐day metric unit was designed so that both groups received exactly the same instruction in metric length, mass, and capacity with the exception of the treatment group's participation in activities relating to the development of estimation skills. Data collected from the Metric Application Instrument and analyzed with analysis of covariance indicated that students in the experimental group did retain significantly more of their improved metric application skills than the students in the reference group. The analysis of the main effects of race, sex, and ability indicated that white students achieved significantly more than black students and that males achieved significantly more than females. Analysis of significant race/ability and sex/race interactions indicated that (a) white students in the advanced group attained significantly greater achievement in metric application skills than black students of equal status and (b) white males significantly retained their metric applications achievement when compared to black males or black or white females.
Teacher awareness of student alternate conceptions about rotational motion and gravity
Authors: Berg Terrance , Brouwer Wytze 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwenty high school physics teachers were interviewed to determine their awareness of student alternate conceptions in the areas of force and gravity. The teachers were also asked to indicate preferred teaching strategies dealing with alternate conceptions. Teacher predictions of student responses were compared to alternate conceptions held by 315 grade‐nine students and published findings from other research studies. Edmonton students were found to possess nearly every alternate conception identified in previous research, in similar proportions. A few previously undocumented alternate conceptions were also identified. At times, students were observed to arrive at the currently acceptable conclusion by using alternate conceptions. The high school physics teachers, as a group, identified nearly all the alternate conceptions used by the students. However, individual teachers were generally aware of only a few alternate conceptions, with fully one third of them possessing alternate conceptions themselves in one or more of the tasks. The teachers were also unable to predict with any accuracy the different types of student responses or the proportion of students choosing each alternative. The teaching strategies outlined by the teachers would be considered only partially effective according to current research findings.
Enhancing learning using questions adjunct to science charts
Authors: Holliday William G. , Benson Garth 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study supported two hypotheses. First, adjunct questions interacted with a science chart so powerfully that content established as difficult to learn in the pilot and in this study's control groups became easier to learn when charted. Second, students familiar with the chart test before instruction (test exposure) were better prepared to take this test after instruction. This adjunct‐question study examined the generalizability of selective‐attention and academic‐studying hypotheses to a modified science chart medium. About 300 high school students were randomly assigned to four conditions each including a vitamin chart (chart only, test exposure, importance of questions emphasized to students by teachers, and combinational conditions–‐test exposure and question importance) across 16 biology classrooms. Then these same students were again randomly assigned within each classroom to a control and to four question treatments (no questions, questions focusing on easy‐to‐learn charted content, questions focusing on difficult‐to‐learn charted content, and a combinational treatment).
The importance of reflection in improving science teaching and learning
Authors: Baird John R. , Fensham Peter J. , Gunstone Richard F. , White Richard T. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this three‐year naturalistic case study was to see whether collaborative reflection could enhance teaching and learning of science by generating desirable cognitive, metacognitive, and affective outcomes. Reflection was both individual and in groups, and involved reflection on practice in the classroom and phenomenological reflection on the nature of science teaching and learning. The study had two components. The preservice component involved 13 student teachers and teacher educators. The in‐service component involved 14 novice and experienced science teachers and 350 of their students. The authors worked with both groups to devise ways of changing classroom attitudes and behaviors of teachers and students. The voluminous data collected include records of many interviews, questionnaires, and written evaluations. Findings from the study illuminate aspects of the nature of science teaching and learning, processes by which individuals improve the quality of their practice, and methods for exploring teaching and learning mechanisms and facilitating change. Central to these findings is the importance of each of the two types of reflection for fostering personal and professional development. For both teachers and students, both types of reflection acted to improve their knowledge, awareness, and control of themselves and their classroom practice.
Testing the ecological validity of teacher‐provided versus student‐generated postquestions in reading college science text
Authors: Pearson Joseph Adam 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study compared the achievement of high‐ and low‐reading‐ability students in two classes of a one‐semester introductory college biology course after they either received and used teacher‐provided questions posed at various taxonomic levels on textual reading assigned over a five‐week period (Group 1) or learned via training to generate and use their own questions at the identical taxonomic levels based on the same text over the same period of time (Group 2). Independent variables included (a) form of questioning (teacher provided and self‐generated), (b) reading ability (low and high), and (c) question type (referent, literal, interpretive, inferential, and self‐critical). Dependent variables included scores from weekly quizzes and from a summative examination. Results indicated that (a) training students to generate and answer their own questions based on text reading had a favorable effect on their midrange (weekly quiz) performance; (b) relative to long‐range (summative exam) performance, training students to generate and answer their own questions based on study reading was no more efficacious than providing students with questions based on the same text; and (c) teacher‐provided questions at the literal level facilitated the acquisition of intended and incidental discrimination material better than teacher‐provided questions at any other taxonomic level.
Enhancing chemistry problem‐solving achievement using problem categorization
Authors: Bunce Diane M. , Gabel Dorothy L. , Samuel John V. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe enhancement of chemistry students' skill in problem solving through problem categorization is the focus of this study. Twenty‐four students in a freshman chemistry course for health professionals are taught how to solve problems using the explicit method of problem solving (EMPS) (Bunce & Heikkinen, 1986). The EMPS is an organized approach to problem analysis which includes encoding the information given in a problem (Given, Asked For), relating this to what is already in long‐term memory (Recall), and planning a solution (Overall Plan) before a mathematical solution is attempted. In addition to the EMPS training, treatment students receive three 40‐minute sessions following achievement tests in which they are taught how to categorize problems. Control students use this time to review the EMPS solutions of test questions. Although problem categorization is involved in one section of the EMPS (Recall), treatment students who received specific training in problem categorization demonstrate significantly higher achievement on combination problems (those problems requiring the use of more than one chemical topic for their solution) at (p = 0.01) than their counterparts. Significantly higher achievement for treatment students is also measured on an unannounced test (p = 0.02). Analysis of interview transcripts of both treatment and control students illustrates a “Rolodex approach” to problem solving employed by all students in this study. The Rolodex approach involves organizing equations used to solve problems on mental index cards and flipping through them, matching units given when a new problem is to be solved. A second phenomenon observed during student interviews is the absence of a link in the conceptual understanding of the chemical concepts involved in a problem and the problem‐solving skills employed to correctly solve problems. This study shows that explicit training in categorization skills and the EMPS can lead to higher achievement in complex problem‐solving situations (combination problems and unannounced test). However, such achievement may be limited by the lack of linkages between students' conceptual understanding and improved problem‐solving skill.
The effects of infusing STS vignettes into the genetics unit of biology on learner outcomes in STS and genetics: A report of two investigations
Authors: Rubba Peter A. , McGuyer Michael , Wahlund Thomas M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe use of STS vignettes with class discussions is a popular way for science teachers to integrate STS in science courses. Two studies were conducted to test the effects of infusing short STS vignettes with periodic class discussions into the genetics unit of high school biology, on students' awareness of current STS issues, the importance students assign to current STS issues, and their achievement in the genetics unit. The nonequivalent control‐group quasiexperimental design was employed in each study, with the frequency with which the vignettes and discussions were used during a six‐week period differing across them. In neither study were the control groups exposed to the STS vignettes and discussions. The data did not allow the three null hypotheses to be rejected in either experiment. Recommendations are made on the use of STS vignettes by science teachers, and for further research.
Is Piaget's epistemic subject dead?
Authors: Lawson Anton E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractNiaz (1990) presents arguments in favor of the retention of Piaget's epistemic subject as a theoretical construct to guide research and practice in science education and psychology. The intent of this article is to point out the weaknesses of those arguments and to suggest that the weight of evidence argues against the existence of the logical thinker postulated by Piaget. Therefore, contrary to Niaz's conclusion that the acceptance of Piaget's epistemic subject will facilitate the development of cognitive theories with greater explanatory power, the conclusion is reached that Piaget's epistemic subject is dead and that continued acceptance of this aspect of Piagetian theory would be counterproductive.
How do students' views of science influence knowledge integration?
Authors: Songer Nancy Butler , Linn Marcia C. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study characterized students' views of science as falling into three groups: static, mixed, and dynamic. Those who view science as static assert that science consists of a group of facts that are best memorized. Those who view science as dynamic believe that scientific ideas develop and change and that the best way to learn these ideas is to understand what they mean and how they are related. Students with mixed beliefs hold some static and some dynamic views. This study also examined the relationship between views of science and acquisition of integrated understanding of thermodynamics. We found that students with dynamic views acquired more integrated understanding than those with static views. Participants were 153 middle school students following the Computer as Lab Partner (CLP) curriculum. Students conducted both simulated and real‐time experiments using an electronic notebook during the 12 weeks of instruction. Interventions encouraging students to integrate their experiences resulted in 89% of students successfully predicting the outcome of an everyday situation and 77% of students being able to succcessfully explain their prediction. We investigated how students preferred to integrate their experiences and found that some students preferred a concrete prototypic locus for integration while others preferred a more abstract principled locus of integration.
Persuasion and attitude change in science education
Authors: Koballa Thomas R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMany strategies used to induce the occurrence of desirable science‐related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors involve the use of persuasive messages. Science educators need to become acquainted with persuasion in the context of social influence and learning theory to be able to evaluate its usefulness in the science education milieu. Persuasion is the conscious attempt to bring about a jointly developed mental state common to both source and receiver through the use of symbolic cues, and it can be distinguished from other forms of social influence. Propaganda is a type of persuasion directed toward a mass audience. Coercion relies on reinforcement control, whereas persuasion is prompted by information. Brainwashing involves coercive techniques used to obtain cooperation and compliance. Persuasion and instruction are much alike; both require conscious cognitive activity by the recipient and involve communication which includes giving arguments and evidence for the purpose of getting someone to do something or to believe something.Persuasion research is anchored in learning theory. Early efforts were based on information processing. Studies following an information process approach focused on the effect of the variables harbored within the question “Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?” on belief and attitude change. Cognitive processing and social exchange approaches to persuasion represent extensions to information process. Cognitive processing is concerned specifically with how people personally process the arguments presented in a persuasive message. Social exchange emphasizes the interchange that takes place between the message source and recipient. These approaches seem to be fruitful areas for future persuasion research in science education.Science educators' unfamiliarity with persuasion research stems from the fact that it is largely reported in the social psychology literature and has not been integrated into a framework familiar to educators.
A comparison of student performance following instruction by interactive videodisc versus conventional laboratory
Authors: Leonard William H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis experimental study compared an interactive computer/videodisc learning approach to the conventional laboratory approach for learning biology concepts and science process skills. Students at a large midwestern university were randomly assigned to instruction on respiration and biogeography by interactive videodisc or a traditional laboratory investigation teaching the same concepts. The videodisc delivery system consisted of a TRS‐80 Model III microcomputer interfaced to a Pioneer laser disc player and a color TV monitor. Results show no statistically significant differences between the two approaches for student grades on laboratory quizzes, laboratory reports, and the laboratory final exam. However, the interactive videodisc group required approximately one‐half the classroom time used by the conventional laboratory group. The two approaches appear equivalent when evaluated by traditional learning outcomes, but the interactive videodisc strategy was significantly more time efficient than a traditional laboratory approach.
Students' conceptions of chemical change
Authors: Hesse Joseph J. , Anderson Charles W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractOne hundred high school chemistry students who had completed a unit on chemical change were given a written instrument in which they were shown three oxidation‐reduction reactions and were asked to explain them. Eleven students representing a range of achievement levels were chosen for more intensive clinical interviews in which they explained their responses, evaluated the quality of their responses, and compared them to other hypothetical responses. Interview results revealed that students commonly experienced difficulties at three different epistemological levels:1. Chemical knowledge. Most students failed to invoke atoms and molecules as explanatory constructs, even though they had been emphasized in their chemistry course. Some students also listed “substances” such as heat, cold, or decay as reactants or products.2. Conservation reasoning. Many students could not predict or explain mass changes in the chemical reactions. Their most common problems included (a) a tendency to treat chemical changes such as rusting as physical changes in form or state, and (b) failure to understand the role of invisible (in this case gaseous) reactants or products in the reactions.3. Explanatory ideals. Many students demonstrated a preference for explanations based on superficial analogies with everyday events (e.g., rusting is like decay) over explanations based on chemical theories.Only one of the 11 students interviewed demonstrated mastery of the unit's contents at all three levels. Results of this and other research indicate a need for substantial revision in chemistry teaching practice.
Verbal explanations given by science teachers: Their nature and implications
Authors: Dagher Zoubeida , Cossman George 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore the nature of explanations used by science teachers in junior high school classrooms. Studies on explanation in education, philosophy of science, and everyday discourse were consulted. Twenty public school teachers participated in the study. The analysis was based on observations of 40 class periods during which the classroom discourse was audiotaped and later transcribed. Using the constant comparative method in analyzing the transcripts, 10 types of explanations were generated. These explanations were labeled analogical, anthropomorphic, functional, genetic, mechanical, metaphysical, practical, rational, tautological, and teleological. These 10 types were conceptually related to one another by subsuming them under more encompassing literature‐based categories.
Teaching about the nature of science through history: Action research in the classroom
Authors: Solomon Joan , Duveen Jonathan , Scot Linda , McCarthy Susan 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article reports on 18 months of action research that monitored British pupils' learning about the nature of science, using some aspects of history of science for the purpose. The action research took place within five classrooms and involved practicing teachers who used a set of historical materials specially written for this study. Preliminary findings about the common perceptions of the nature of science held by middle school pupils (age 11–14 years) guided the work, which was carried out using a variety of methodologies. The results obtained show some areas of substantial progress in the pupils' understanding of the nature of science, and others where little change seems to have been effected.