bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Students' conceptions about the vector characteristics of three physics concepts
Authors: Aguirre Jose , Erickson Gaalen 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article reports on a study of grade ten students' understanding, prior to formal instruction, of three vector concepts: position, displacement, and velocity. Three aspects of the study are discussed and reported. The first aspect is the conceptual analysis of the subject matter which was used to devise appropriate interview questions; the second aspect is the rule assessment methodology which was used in the compression of the interview data, and the third aspect is the substantive results obtained from interviews with the participating students. The conceptual analysis yielded ten “implicit vector characteristics” around which interviews were constructed. From these interviews a number of inferred rules were developed using a technique similar to that reported by Siegler.See: The origins of scientific reasoning. In Children's thinking: what develops? Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1978, and Developmental sequences within and between concepts. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
The rules so derived suggest that while a majority of respondents appeared to be using rules similar to the physicists' model for a few vector characteristics, for most characteristics they used rules which are only a partial description of the phenomena from a physicist's point of view. But these rules are only tentative descriptions of students' frameworks and need to be tested in subsequent studies to examine both their validity and generality in other contexts involving these vector concepts.
Qualitative research: Data analysis framework generating grounded theory applicable to the crisis in science education
Authors: Spector Barbara S. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe shortage of qualified teachers, and the quality and quantity of the science taught in precollege institutions are two focal issues in today's national crisis in science education. This article delineates aspects of qualitative research having the potential of providing guidance to change agents in designing effective strategies to mitigate the crisis. A discursive approach to qualitative research involving the method of collecting and simultaneously analyzing data known as “grounded theory” is described. Role theory and schools as organizations composed of interactive subsystems are defined as suitable frameworks within which to analyze data.
Spatial ability and achievement in introductory physics
Authors: Pallrand George J. , Seeber Fred 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis research was undertaken to clarify the nature of the relationship between visual‐spatial abilities and achievement in science courses. A related purpose was to determine what influence visual‐spatial abilities have on the high attribution rate characteristic of many introductory college‐level science courses. Three sections of introductory college level physics (S = 136) and one nonscience liberal arts section (S = 52) received pre‐ and postmeasures of visual‐spatial ability in the areas of perception, orientation, and visualization. Increases in visual‐spatial abilities were greatest with an experimental section that received a spatial intervention. These gains were related to test items that utilized graphical form and to laboratory work. Substantial gains in visual‐spatial ability were also registered by a placebo and by control sections. These increases suggest that taking introductory physics improves visual‐spatial abilities. Although students who withdrew from the course demonstrated mathematics skills comparable to those of students who completed the course, their scores on perception tests were appreciably lower. Visual‐spatial scores of the liberal arts group were lower than those of the physics sections, suggesting that visual‐spatial ability influences course selection.
Two‐year study relating adolescents' self‐concept and gender role perceptions to achievement and attitudes toward science
Authors: Handley Herbert M. , Morse Linda W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTo assess the developmental relationship of perceptions of self‐concept and gender role identification with adolescents' attitudes and achievement in science, a two‐year longitudinal study was conducted. A battery of instruments assessing 16 dimensions of self‐concept/gender role identifications was employed to predict students' achievement and attitudes toward science. Specific behaviors studied included self‐concept in school and science and mathematics, attitudes toward appropriate gender roles in science activities and careers, and self‐perceptions of masculine and feminine traits. One hundred and fifty‐five adolescents, enrolled, respectively, in the seventh and eighth grades, participated in the study. Through Fisher z transformations of correlation coefficients, differences in relationships between these two sets of variables were studied for males and females during the two years. Results indicated that students' self‐concepts/gender role perceptions were related to both achievement and attitudes toward science, but more related to attitudes than achievement. These relationships became more pronounced for students as they matured from seventh to eighth graders.
Adding results to a meta‐analysis: Theory and example
Authors: Willson Victor L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMeta‐analysis has been used as a research method to describe bodies of research data. It promotes hypothesis formation and the development of science education laws. A function overlooked, however, is the role it plays in updating research. Methods to integrate new research with meta‐analysis results need explication. A procedure is presented using Bayesian analysis. Research in science education attitude correlation with achievement has been published after a recent meta‐analysis of the topic. The results show how new findings complement the previous meta‐analysis and extend its conclusions. Additional methodological questions adddressed are how studies are to be weighted, which variables are to be examined, and how often meta‐analysis are to be updated.
Designing a likert‐type scale to assess attitude toward energy conservation: A nine step process
Authors: Koballa Thomas R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA nine‐step process was used as a multilevel screening mechanism in developing a Likert‐type scale that measures that attitudes of teachers toward energy conservation. Following the assemblage of a 71 statement item pool, the statements were analyzed via qualitative criteria (i.e., presence of authoritative appeals, use of double negatives, statements irrelevant to the attitude object, etc.). The 60 statements meeting the qualitative criteria were then pilotted using a sample of 93 preservice elementary teachers. One of the 60 statements was modified as a result of respondent feedback. Data collected from respondents were anlayzed using the Likert Attitude Scale Analysis Main Program (LIKRT) and the emotional intensity of each statement was judged by the criteria: discrimination index, bipolar data, and neutral data. Nineteen statements that were part of the initial item pool met all the criteria set forth by the nine‐step process; as a result, these statements composed the Attitude Toward Energy Conservation Scale. Coefficient alpha for the scale was reported at 0.81 by LIKRT with an average adjusted item‐total correlation of 0.48. Initial validity data collected suggests the scale to be a valid measure of preservice teachers' attitudes toward energy conservation.
A study of the relationship between concept emphasis in high school biology textbooks and achievement levels
Authors: Cho Hee‐Hyung , Kahle Jane Butler 
Published: October 2006

AbstractA two part study investigated any relationship between student achievement and textbook content as well as any impact of a national project's recommendations on textbook content. First, analyses of student responses to biological items on the 1977 National Assessment of Educational Progress's survey of science showed a direct, linear relationship between achievement level and concept emphasis in biology textbooks. Second, a comparison between biology textbooks, published a decade apart, indicated significant changes in the degree of emphasis placed on 10 commonly accepted conceptual areas. Closer examination revealed that change in the amount of emphasis in one conceptual area, Growth and Development, was responsible for the significant difference found. Generally, the recommendations of the biology project were not reflected in the newer textbooks.
Cooperative, competitive, and individualistic science laboratory interaction patterns—effects on students' achievement and acquisition of practical skills
Authors: Okebukola Peter A. , Ogunniyi Meshach B. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractUsing 1025 junior secondary class three (ninth grade) students and twelve science teachers, this study investigated the effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic science laboratory interaction patterns on students' achievement in science and the level of acquisition of practical skills. A 3 × 3 (interaction pattern by ability) factorial model was employed for data gathering. Significant main and interaction effects were found for both dependent measures. The cooperative group was found to be superior on the achievement measure with no difference between the competitive and individualistic groups. The competitive group, however, outperformed the others in practical skills. Additional data indicated that the mixed ability cooperative group did significantly better than the mixed ability competitive group in achievement but not in practical skills. In sum these data are supportive of the differential effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures on cognitive and psychomotor tasks. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for more productive science laboratory work.
Interaction of learner characteristics with learning from three models of the periodic table
Authors: Lehman Jeffrey R. , Koran John J. , Koran Mary Lou 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study was designed to explore the effects on learning of: (1) structural modifications to the periodic table, (2) the location of a periodic table within instructional materials, and (3) the presence of a two‐page schema showing relationships between the topics explained in the written materials and the periodic table. One hundred and sixty high school students were randomly assigned to one of eight treatments. A 28‐item posttest (KR –; 21 = 0.72), consisting of multiple choice and constructed answer items, was designed to measure subjects' ability to use their periodic tables to obtain factual information and to solve qualitative chemistry problems. Regression analyses using the multiple choice portion of the posttest as a dependent variable and table type as an independent variable revealed that for subjects with minimal experience with the periodic table, those who received the table with added visual data performed significantly better than subjects who received either of the other two tables (df 3,93; F = 2.72; p < 0.05). For subjects familiar with the periodic table, significant vocabulary X table (df 3,49; F = 3.22; p < 0.05) and vocabulary X location (df 1,49; F = 4.46; p < 0.05) interactions were detected. Subjects high in verbal comprehension tended to take advantage of the modified tables, while those low in verbal comprehension processed the traditional table with less information most effectively. These latter students also benefited more from having the periodic table alongside their written materials.
Problem solving and classical genetics: Successful versus unsuccessful performance
Authors: Smith Mike U. , Good Ron 
Published: October 2006

AbstractExpert‐novice problem‐solving research is extended in this study to include classical genetics. Eleven undergraduates (novices) and nine graduate students and instructors (experts) were videotaped as they solved moderately complex genetics problems. Detailed analysis of these “think aloud” protocols resulted in 32 common tendencies that could be used to differentiate between successful and unsuccessful problem solvers. Experts perceive a problem as a task requiring analysis and reasoning and they tend to use a knowledge‐development (forward‐working) approach. They make frequent checks on the correctness of their work, use accurate and detailed bookkeeping procedures, and have a broader range of heuristics to apply to the problem. It is clear that studying problem solving using the expert/novice design requires that the problems be difficult enough to require more than more recall and yet simple enough to allow novices a chance for solution. Applying elementary probability concepts seemed to be the most difficult aspect of many of the genetics problems, even for the experts.
The Israeli “bagrut” examination in biology revisited
Authors: Tamir Pinchas 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe Israeli paper‐and‐pencil matriculation examination in biology has been one of the most powerful means for implementing an inquiry oriented high school biology program based on the U.S. BSCS. The first version of this examination was described and analyzed in JRST in 1972. This article describes the changes and effects of this examination during the years and compares the examination of the year 1982 with that of 1969. Implications for upgrading science education are discussed.
Balancing chemical equations: The role of developmental level and mental capacity
Authors: Niaz Mansoor , Lawson Anton E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWhy are some students able to learn to use the trial and error method to balance chemical equations while others are not? To test the hypothesis that formal reasoning is required to balance even simple one‐step equations, while formal reasoning and a sufficiently large mental capacity are required to balance more complex many‐step equations, a sample of science students was tested to determine level of intellectual development, mental capacity, and degree of field dependence/field independence. Students were then given classroom instruction in using trial and error to balance equations. As predicted, a posttest revealed significant correlations between developmental level and equation balancing ability for both simple and complex equations. Also, as predicted, mental capacity correlated significantly with complex equations but not with simple equations. Field dependence/field independence played no significant role in performance. Educational implications are drawn.
Comparison of preservice elementary teachers anxiety about teaching students to identify minerals and rocks and students in geology courses anxiety about identification of minerals and rocks
Authors: Westerback Mary E. , Gonzalez Clemencia , Primavera Louis H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractStudents were given clearly defined, characteristics for the identification of minerals and rocks. This system requires visual identification of decisive characteristics, not rote memorization. In addition, this classification system differs from the usual method of first grouping rocks into the igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic categories. In this study the initial grouping of rocks was crystalline or noncrystalline. Two groups of students (preservice elementary teachers & students in geology courses) were tested on their ability to identify, the characteristics listed in Figure 1. The preservice teachers were anxious about teaching students to identify minerals and rocks. This initial high anxiety was reduced by completion of the task of identification. Students in geology classes were given the same task as the preservice teachers. However, the students in geology courses were not anxious about identifying minerals and rocks. Further analysis of the geology students showed that students whose grades on the lab exam were above the mean had low initial anxiety and the level of anxiety was reduced after the exam. Geology students with grades below the mean had high initial anxiety and the anxiety level was elevated after the exam. This indicates an inverse relationship between anxiety and performance in these students, and supports the work of researchers in the field of psychology.
Predictive value of attitude, cognitive ability, and personality to science achievement in the middle school
Authors: Baker Dale R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis article examines the factors of attitude toward science, spatial ability, mathematical ability, and the scientific personality, as measured by the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator, in a sample of middle school students. Males and females with science grades of A and B were found to have several characteristics of the scientific personality, good grades in mathematics, but negative attitudes toward science. Males and females with science grades of C and D had a more positive attitude toward science, but poor mathematical and spatial abilities and few characteristics of the scientific personality. There were no sex differences except on the Thinking/Feeling (TF) scale of the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator. As expected females portrayed themselves as preferring the (F) scale, the use of personal values when making decisions and males portrayed themselves as preferring the (T) scale, the use of logical analysis when making decisions.
Relative effectiveness of classroom and documentary film presentations on marine mammals
Authors: Fortner Rosanne W. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractWhen questioned regarding their sources of environmental information, many people cite television as the major contributor. Recent research has in fact identified a relationship between scores on aquatic information tests and the reported number of Cousteau documentaries seen on television. This study assesses the knowledge and attitude changes resulting from home viewing of a Cousteau Society documentary on marine mammals and compares these changes with those resulting from a science teacher's presentation of the documentary's script. A pretest‐posttest‐delayed posttest comparison group design utilized an instrument based on specific program content. Results indicate that comparable presentations in either medium can result in increased and retainable knowledge. Attitude changes were apparent in the television treated group but not among those receiving classroom treatment.
Effects of single‐sex and mixed‐sex cooperative interaction on science achievement and attitudes and cross‐handicap and cross‐sex relationships
Authors: Johnson Roger T. , Johnson David W. , Scott Linda E. , Ramolae Beverly A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractSingle‐sex cooperative, mixed‐sex cooperative, and individualistic learning situations were compared to determine if they promoted systematic differences in relationships between male and female students and handicapped and nonhandicapped students. One‐hundred‐fifty‐four 5th‐and 6th‐grade students were assigned to conditions on a stratified random basis controlling for ability, sex, grade level, homerooms, and handicap. They participated in a study for 45 minutes a day for 21 days in science class. The results indicate that cooperative learning situations, compared with individualistic ones, promoted more positive cross‐sex and cross‐handicap relationships. Males achieved higher and had more positive attitudes toward science than did females.
Professional equity as reported by biology teachers
Authors: Douglas Claudia B. , Matyas Marsha Lakes , Kahle Jane Butler 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn 1982, the National Association of Biology Teachers surveyed its membership in order to assess the role and status of women in biology education. Items describing roles, salaries, assignments, professional activities, and sexual bias were included in the survey. This paper compares the responses of male and female biology educators, draws conclusions from the data, and suggests implications for the science education profession. Inequality in several professional areas was revealed. More women than men were single and reported no dependent children. Women exceeded men in both the lower and upper ends of the distribution of years of experience. However, the percentage of men exceeded that of women in most salary brackets beyond $20,000 and more men reported paid consulting opportunities. Men tended to teach at larger institutions and, at all academic levels, more men taught “advanced” classes. More men than women were involved with research activities. However, neither sex felt that the other one received preferential treatment in regard to salary and promotion. The majority of education administrators as well as science and biology faculties were male. However, the recent influx of women into science education positions may produce important changes. It is recommended that a comparative study be conducted in five years.
Relationship between affective determinants and achievement in science for seventeen‐year‐olds
Authors: Napier John D. , Riley Joseph P. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractData collected in the 1976‐1977 NAEP survey of seventeen‐year‐olds was used to reanalyze the hypothesis that there are affective determinates of science achievement. Factor and item analysis procedures were used to examine affective and cognitive items from Booklet 4. Eight affective scales and one cognitive achievement scale were identified. Using stepwise multiple regression procedures, the four affective scales of Motivation, Anxiety, Student Choice, and Teacher Support were found to account for the majority of the correlation between the affective determinants and achievement.
An assessment of the impact of science experiences on the career choices of male and female biology students
Authors: Kahle Jane Butler , Matyas Marsha Lakes , Cho Hee‐Hyung 
Published: October 2006

AbstractEarlier studies of gender differences in science courses and careers have identified three probable causes: numbers of mathematics courses, level of science achievement, and attitudes toward science. Recently, differential science experiences have been suggested as a factor contributing to the gender differences found in science interest and achievement. A study of science activities, both within and outside of school, has been conducted. Although both boys and girls report similar classroom experiences, boys more often than girls report extracurricular science activities. The findings suggest that equal experiences within science classrooms do not overcome the advantage that boys hold due to more extracurricular science activities. Increased experiences in science, however, have led to more positive attitudes toward science among the girls in this study.