bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Models and procedures: Teaching for transfer of pendulum knowledge
Authors: Wollman Warren 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIn an exploratory study, education majors in a physical science course were given a set of tasks analogous to a given, solved prototype‐task to see how transfer items were handled. Some students were given a conceptual model along with the solved prototype. Others were given a general procedure for applying the conceptual model to the transfer items. The procedure helped considerably for the transfer items least like the prototype item. The model alone was also effective for certain items. In the absence of both model and procedure, students' problem solving was usually incoherent or self‐contradictory. Presenting additional solved items helped marginally on an exceptionally novel item. Students' main source of difficulty, given the model and procedure, was that they were distracted by prior, concrete experience and thus failed to follow the procedure. For most students, this difficulty could readily be overcome. A small proportion (10–15%) of students had more profound difficulties.
Effects of method and format on subjects' responses to a control of variables reasoning problem
Authors: Staver John R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractExcessive time and training demands have rendered Piaget's clinical method of reasoning assessment impractical for researchers and science teachers who work with large numbers of students. The published literatureSee: Lawson, A. E. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1978, 15(1), 11‐24; Shayer, M., Adey, P., & Wylam, H. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1981, 18(2), 157‐168; Staver, J. R., & Gabel, D. L. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1979, 16(6), 534‐544; Tobin, K. G., & Capie, W. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1981, 41(2), 413‐424.
indicates that reliable, valid alternatives to clinical assessment are feasible. However, the overestimate/underestimate of reasoning for different methods and formats remains unresolved through research. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various methods and formats on subjects' responses to a Piagetian reasoning problem requiring control of variables. The task chosen for this investigation was the Mealworm problem.See: Karplus, R., Lawson, A., Wollman, W., Appel, M., Bernoff, R., Howe, A., Rusch, J., & Sullivan, F. Science teaching and the development of reasoning. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 1977.
The task was presented by three methods: (1) individual clinical interview; (2) group presentation of task followed by paper‐and‐pencil problem with illustration; and (3) group administration of paper‐and‐pencil instrument with illustration. Each method included four formats: (1) completion answer with essay justification; (2) completion answer with multiplechoice justification; (3) multiple‐choice answer with essay justification; and (4) multiple‐choice answer with multiple‐choice justification. Two hundred and fifty‐three (253) students who were enrolled in a freshman level biological science class participated in the study. The research design was a 3 × 4 factorial design with method and format of assessment as the main effects. The participants were in 12 randomly selected laboratory or discussion sections, and each section was randomly assigned to a cell in the research design. Regression analysis with the individual as the unit of analysis showed that format but not method of assessment accounted for a significant amount of variance in student performance. The overall interaction was nonsignificant. Regression analysis with sections as the unit of analysis revealed nonsignificant findings for both method and format. The interrater agreement in the scoring of the Mealworm task was 82.1%. The principal conclusion is that format but not method of task administration influenced the performance of subjects, and the influence is similar for various combinations of method and format. Discussion is focused on the relative importance of the nonsignificant and significant findings for using alternative methods of Piagetian assessment. The results are also discussed with respect to earlier work, and suggestions for future research as well as implications for teachers are set forth.
The effects of an environmental studies course on the defensibility of environmental attitudes
Authors: Kinsey Thomas G. , Wheatley Jack H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwo different study sites (University of Maryland at College Park and State University College at Buffalo) were examined to see if the completion of an environmental studies course affected the defensibility of environmental attitudes. The general trend was toward a more defensible attitude (one with more informational supports). These observations support a hypothetical connection between the cognitive and affective domain and suggest that after being exposed to environment content, student attitudes should be examined for stronger attitudinal supports rather than large changes in attitudes.
Cultural diversity and differences in formal reasoning ability
Authors: Lawson Anton E. , Bealer Jonathan M. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTo test the hypothesis that cultural diversity contributes to the development of formal reasoning, samples of adolescents from three predominately white middle‐class communities located in areas that varied in the extent to which they offered cultural diversity (i.e., rural, suburan homogeneous, suburban heterogeneous) were administered a test of formal reasoning and a test of analytical intelligence. Results showed significant differences in formal reasoning in favor of the suburban heterogeneous sample on complex reasoning items. The suburban groups showed equal performance (but superior to the rural Ss) on the test of analytical intelligence. On the less complex reasoning items and on one item embedded in a rural farming context, the rural Ss showed relatively better performance. Implications for using science instruction to promote formal reasoning are discussed.
Concerns based adoption model (CBAM): Basis for an elementary science methods course
Authors: Malone Mark R. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study assessed the effectiveness of conducting an elementary science methods course based on the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) upon the concerns and attitudes of pre‐service elementary teachers (PSTs). PSTs were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. The three groups included a traditional science methods course, a course based on the theoretical development of concerns, and a course based on the actual measured concerns about teaching an elementary science methods course. Hypotheses were tested to determine if the traditional or either concerns based science methods course was more effective in improving attitudes or advancing PST concerns about teaching science. Two instruments—; The Stages of Concern Questionnaire and the Science Teacher Attitude Scales—; were used to gather pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest data. Analysis of study results indicated that PST attitude toward science and science teaching improved and concerns about teaching science shifted from lower to higher stages of concern in all three treatment groups as predicted by Concerns Theory. However, none of the methods courses proved superior in affecting concerns or attitudes of pre‐service teachers. The study concludes that either one semester is too short a time to affect the desired shifts in attitudes and concerns, or that the diagnostic instruments currently available to measure concerns and attitudes are not sensitive or specific enough to measure subtle changes of interest in a research study. The author suggests that research instruments be developed specifically for preservice teachers for this purpose.
Aptitude‐treatment interaction research in science education
Authors: Koran Mary Lou , Koran John J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractIndividual differences among learners constitute an important class of variables for research on instruction. Their study has been of interest because measures of these variables usually predict learning outcome. There is renewed interest in this fact today because aptitudes now often appear to interact with instructional outcomes, relating differently to learning outcomes under different instructional treatments. Practical interest for science educators stems from the possibility that such interactions may be used to adapt science instruction to fit different learners optimally. Aptitude‐treatment interactions (ATI) have been the subject of many studies in recent years and a wide variety of ATI findings are now in hand establishing the existence of ATI as a phenomena. Continuing research in this area will hopefully lead toward improved theory and practice to explain and to use aptitude for science instructional purposes. This article identifies promising areas of ATI research as well as general methodological guidelines for interested science educators.
Using propositions from clinical interviews as variables to compare student knowledge
Authors: Finley Fred N. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractDuring the past several years interest in using clinical interviews to assess students conceptual knowledge has increased. However, using clinical interviews when research questions require quantitative comparisons has been difficult. The central difficulty is to construct variables that can be used to quantify and statistically compare the results of interviews while maintaining exactly what student conceptions are associated with each variable. The purpose of this article is to present a technique for constructing variables that overcomes this difficulty. The technique involves the representation of each proposition a student uses in terms of a standard set of underlying predicates, concepts, and relationships among concepts. Each proposition represented in these standard terms can be used as a variable to quantitatively compare the knowledge of students as expressed in clinical interviews.
Social issues in high school biology textbooks: 1963– 1983
Authors: Rosenthal Dorothy B. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractTwenty‐two high school biology textbooks published between 1963 and 1983 were analyzed for their treatment of social issues. Textbooks were selected from among those used most frequently by teachers and/or having the highest sales. The textbooks were read in random order and the amount of space, to the nearest tenth of a page, devoted to each social issue was expressed as a percentage of total length of text. The results showed that attention to social issues decreased between 1963 and 1983 in the textbooks studied. The implications of these results for biology education in the 1980s are discussed.
The relationship between science process abilities of teachers and science achievement of students: An experimental study
Authors: Aiello‐Nicosia M. L. , Sperandeo‐Mineo R. M. , Valenza M. A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe objective of this experimental study is to investigate the relationships among science teacher characteristics and student outcomes. The selected characteristics of teachers are their understanding of science processes and their ability to control variables, and the outcomes of students are the achievement in science contents and processes. The results support the hypothesized relationships and show that the teacher ability to control variables is a more valuable characteristic than the understanding of science processes for student achievement. Conclusions are drawn about the implications for the education of science teachers.
Comparison of anxiety levels of students in introductory earth science and geology courses
Authors: Westerback Mary E. , Gonzalez Clemencia , Primavera Louis H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractStudents in geology and earth science courses were not anxious about taking these courses as measured by the State‐Triat Anxiety Inventory. Students in each course were split into two grade groups. It was shown that students whose grades were in the higher group had low anxiety, which continued to be reduced during the course. Students in the lower grade group had high anxiety, which increased during the course. There was no difference between anxiety scores of males and females. In general, students who planned to elect additional courses had lower state anxiety and higher grades than students who did not plan to elect additional courses in geology and earth science.
Meta‐analysis of cognitive preferences and learning
Authors: Tamir Pinchas 
Published: October 2006

AbstractMost of the articles and dissertations dealing with cognitive preferences which were written since the invention of the construct in the early 1960s have been reviewed. Fifty‐four of them were found suitable for meta‐analysis. The meta‐analysis presents means and standard deviations of reliabilities, correlations, standard scores, and effect sizes. The effects and relationships of cognitive preferences and important school and learning related variables were studied. The results provide base line data for comparative purposes and offer empirical evidence which support the construct validity of cognitive preferences.
Identification and description of the momentum effect in studies of learning: An abstract science concept
Authors: Kwon Jae‐Sool , Mayer Victor J. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractSeveral studies of the validity of the intensive time series design have revealed a post‐intervention increase in the level of achievement data. This so called “momentum effect” has not been demonstrated through the application of an appropriate analysis technique. The purpose of this study was to identify and apply a technique that would adequately represent and describe such an effect if indeed it does occur, and to use that technique to study the momentum effect as it is observed in several data sets on the learning of the concept of plate tectonics. Subsequent to trials of several different analyses, a segmented straight line regression analysis was chosen and used on three different data sets. Each set revealed similar patterns of inflection points between lines with similar time intervals between inflections for those data from students with formal cognitive tendencies. These results seem to indicate that this method will indeed be useful in representing and identifying the presence and duration of the momentum effect in time series data on achievement. Since the momentum effect could be described in each of the data sets and since its presence seems a function of similar circumstances, support is given for its presence in the learning of abstract scientific concepts for formal cognitive tendency students. The results indicate that the duration of the momentum effect is related to the level of student understanding tested and the cognitive level of the learners.
The importance of the form of student acquisition of data in physics learning cycles
Authors: Renner John W. , Abraham Michael R. , Birnie Howard H. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe learning cycle is a method of teaching–it is also a curriculum organization principle. Although Jean Piaget contributed to its formation (Piaget, 1973), its present structure has to be attributed to Dr. Robert Karplus and the persons who developed the materials of the Science Curriculum Improvement Study. It was through the SCIS activities that many of us learned how to develop curricula and teach with the learning cycle.
The effects of reasoning, use of models, sex type, and their interactions on posttest achievement in chemical bonding after constant instruction
Authors: Staver John R. , Halsted Douglas A. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe purpose of the authors in this study was to determine the effects of reasoning, use of models during testing, and sex type on posttest achievement in chemical bonding under controlled instruction. Eighty‐four high school students taking chemistry were randomly assigned within their classes to models and no models groups for the posttest. Reasoning capabilities were assessed by the Piagetian Logical Operations Test (PLOT) (Staver & Gabel, JRST, Vol. 16, No. 6, 1979), prior to instruction. All students then received the same instruction on chemical bonding which included teacher demonstrations of concepts with three‐dimensional molecular models, interspersed teacher questions during the introduction and development of concepts, student manipulation of three‐dimensional molecular models during laboratory experiments, and text reading assignments on concepts prior to their instruction in class. The posttest on molecular geometry and shape contained three sections requiring memory and application (Bloom, Taxonomy of educational objective, handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay, 1956). Data were analyzed by regression (Nie et al., Statistical package for the social sciences, 2nd ed. New York: McGraw‐Hill, 1975). Results indicate that reasoning accounted for a significant portion (p < 0.05) of the variance in the total score, memory score, and application score, but not on the synthesis score of the posttest. Use of models and sex type did not account for a significant (p > 0.05) portion of the variance on total scores or any section of posttest. The three‐way interaction of reasoning, model usage, and sex type accounted for a significant portion (p < 0.05) of the variance in total scores, and in the memory and application sections of the posttest. Discussion focused on the results, conclusions, and implications for science teaching.
Science education journal/periodical reading patterns of senior level undergraduate education students at the university of Oklahoma, 1973‐1982
Authors: Butler Charles E. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThis study analyzed 103 articles from journals/periodicals related to science education submitted to the author over a period often years. This study sought to determine which journals/ periodicals were most popular, as indicated by frequency of reportings. It, secondarily, attempted to verify or refute the paucity of research data currently available related to journal/ periodical reading patterns on the part of teachers, specifically those in secondary schools. Finally, it attempted to study reading patterns within specific secondary school teaching areas, about which this author was unable to find any research. The findings indicated that there were several popular science education‐related journals/periodicals. American Biology Teacher, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Science Education were the top three journals/ periodicals reported. Most of the findings of earlier research were confirmed.
A comparison of the development of spatial conceptual abilities of students from two cultures
Authors: Cohen Herbert G. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractEfforts are underway to determine if there are any ways unique to Navajo thinking and thus to the way that they might learn. Studies have shown a consistent lag in achievement levels for Native Americans. The purpose of this investigation was to examine spatial thinking abilities of sixth and tenth grade students from 2 locales—a school on the Navajo Reservation and schools in Mesa, Arizona. A battery of 10 Piagetian‐type tasks were administered individually to the subjects. A chi‐square one sample procedure was used to test for significant differences between subsamples at each grade level. Significant differences were detected for two of the tasks at the sixth grade level, and one task at the tenth grade level. The overall findings of this study support the contention that there were no substantial time delays or advances in the development of selected spatial abilities of Navajo sixth and tenth grade students compared to those of parallel non‐American Indian students. The concern of modifying instruction in science courses in order to adapt them to supposed 'different' spatial structures possessed by Navajo students appears to be unfounded.
Classroom factors related to changes in students' conceptions of the nature of science
Authors: Lederman Norman , Druger Marvin 
Published: October 2006

AbstractScientific literacy implies an adequate understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge. However, little is known about classroom factors that can influence students' conceptions of the nature of science. In the present study, classroom variables that were related to changes in students' conceptions of science were identified. Particular attention was directed toward students' overall conceptions of scientific knowledge and their views of its tentative nature. Twenty‐five classroom variables were found to be significantly related to both overall and tentative conceptions, while 12 variables were found to be scale‐specific. A comparison between teacher and student conceptions of science did not support the prevalent assumption that a teacher's conception of science is significantly related to changes in students' conceptions of science. “Successful” classes were defined as those exhibiting the greatest student conceptual changes toward the viewpoint held by the teacher, irrespective of the “adequacy” of the teacher's viewpoint. In general, these classes were typified by frequent inquiry‐oriented questioning with little emphasis on rote memory. Implicit references to the nature of science were commonly observed. Furthermore, where greatest changes in student conceptions of science were observed, the teachers were pleasant, supportive, and frequently used anecdotes to promote instruction and establish rapport. Emphasis on the depth, breadth, and accuracy of content statistically differentiated between “successful” and “unsuccessful” classes with respect to students' overall conceptions. However, this emphasis on content presentation did not differentiate classes with respect to students' conceptions of the tentative nature of science.
Responsibility for student success/failure and observed verbal behavior among secondary science and mathematics teachers
Authors: Pratt Donald L. 
Published: October 2006

AbstractThe study compared selected teacher beliefs and verbal behaviors among secondary science and mathematics teachers. Teacher beliefs included teacher responsibility for student success and failure. These beliefs were measured by the Responsibility for Student Achievement (RSA) Questionnaire which has the locus of control construct as a theoretical basis. Teacher verbal behavior included (1) indirect and (2) direct behaviors and (3) praise and (4) criticism. These behaviors were measured with the Reciprocal Category System (RCS) which is consistent with the methodology of interaction analysis. Comparisons were made on the basis of the following teacher classifications: (1) science/mathematics, (2) junior high/senior high, and (3) teachers of advanced classes/basic classes. Teacher beliefs were not significantly different except for the advanced/basic comparisons. These comparisons produced significant differences in both teacher beliefs and behaviors. Teachers of basic students assumed more responsibility for student success, less responsibility for failure, and were more direct in verbal behavior. In gender comparisons, female teachers were significantly higher in incidences of indirect behavior and combined indirect‐direct behavior. These findings suggest that further study of “self‐fulfilling prophecy” in terms of these variables may be fruitful. Also, verbal behavior may sometimes be inadequately represented by the common practice of using ratios.