ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Influences on Students' Environmental Self Determination and Implications for Science Curricula
Author: Darner, Rebekka
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Determination,Social Environment,Educational Environment,Psychological Needs,Environmental Education,Problem Solving,Interviews,Competence,Personal Autonomy,Community Colleges,Two Year College Students,Curriculum Design,Problem Sets,Cooperation,Difficulty Level,Teaching Methods,Science and Society,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Group Dynamics,Science Curriculum,Motivation

According to self-determination theory, social contexts that support students' basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness foster motivation toward behaviors that are valued in that social context. This study investigated the socio-contextual elements of a learning environment that support or undermine students' basic psychological needs as they relate to solving environmental problems. Individual stimulated-recall interviews were conducted with a student group after they participated in environmental problem-solving tasks over the course of a semester. Data were taken on students' reported feelings of competence, relatedness, and autonomy, and the classroom features to which they attributed those feelings. Six features of the instructional environment were inferred to be supportive of students' basic psychological needs. These are referred to as &quot;curricular interconnectivity,&quot; &quot;conceptualization problem sets,&quot; &quot;instructional guidance,&quot; &quot;socio-scientific integration&quot; throughout the curriculum, &quot;student-guided lecture,&quot; and &quot;cohesive group dynamics.&quot; One feature of the instructional environment seemed to undermine students' basic psychological needs; it is referred to as the &quot;'anything-goes' norm.&quot; These features are explained with supporting evidence and consequences regarding students' needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. The article concludes with a discussion of considerations when constructing science curricula, given the impacts on environmental motivation.
Discussing Sustainable Development among Teachers: An Analysis from a Conflict Perspective
Author: Hasslof, Helen
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Sustainable Development,Teacher Attitudes,Secondary School Teachers,Conflict,Reflection,Climate,Relevance (Education),Language Usage,Group Discussion,Inservice Teacher Education,Foreign Countries,Books,Discourse Analysis,Environmental Education,Economic Factors,Social Influences,Biology,Ecological Factors

Education for Sustainable Development has been discussed as problematic, as a top down directive promoting an--&quot;indoctrinating&quot; education. The concept of the intertwined dimensions (economic, social-cultural, and environmental) of sustainable development is seen both as an opportunity and as a limitation for pluralistic views of sustainability. In this paper we study possibilities that allow different perspectives of sustainability to emerge and develop in discussions. We focus on the conflicting perspectives of the intertwined dimensions in some main theoretical models in combination with the use of Wertsch's function of speech framework to construct a &quot;conflict reflection tool.&quot; As an illustrative case, we apply this conflict reflection tool to an analysis of a discussion among seven secondary school teachers on climate change. The results in this particular example show the dynamics of speech genre and content in developing different perspectives. We conclude our paper with a discussion of the conflicting view of the integrated dimensions of sustainability in relation to an agonistic pluralistic approach, and we consider its relevance in an educational context.
The Liberal Arts and Environmental Awareness: Exploring Endorsement of an Environmental Worldview in College Students
Author: Rideout, Bruce E.
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Freshmen,College Seniors,World Views,Student Attitudes,Climate,Conservation (Environment),Student Surveys,Gender Differences,Liberal Arts,Private Colleges,Economic Climate,Majors (Students),Environmental Education,Comparative Analysis,Public Opinion

The purpose of this research was to explore student endorsement of an environmental worldview during the college years through a sampling of freshmen and seniors. Nine independent samples of freshman and senior class undergraduates (N = 779) were surveyed over a five year period in a small, independent liberal arts college. The survey instrument included the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, demographic items, and other measures, such as knowledge of, and worry over, climate change, and perceived priority for environmental issues. In general, NEP endorsement was weakly pro-environmental and was higher among women. Endorsement was stable during the years of the study, except for a temporary, significantly lower level during the recession. Class status had no effect on either NEP endorsement or responses to two questions assessing knowledge of global warming. Knowledge of climate change was comparable to that shown in samples of the public taken by other researchers.
I Can't Teach Science! A Case Study of an Elementary Pre-Service Teacher's Intersection of Science Experiences, Beliefs, Attitude, and Self-Efficacy
Author: Kazempour, Mahsa
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Preservice Teacher Education,Preservice Teachers,Self Efficacy,Correlation,Beliefs,Case Studies,Negative Attitudes,Methods Courses,Attitude Change,Interviews,Epistemology,Elementary School Teachers,Student Teacher Attitudes,Student Experience

The case study reported in this paper is part of a larger multiple cross case analysis focusing on pre-service teachers with various initial confidence and attitudes toward science and science teaching. In this paper, the focus will be on one elementary teacher candidate, Lisa, who began the science methods course with a negative attitude and low self-efficacy. An in-depth description of her beliefs, attitude, and self-efficacy, before and after the course, the impact of her prior science experience and the science methods course on shaping these domains, and the possible interrelationship between the three variables are discussed. The findings revealed the impact of Lisa's prior science experiences on all three domains and shed light on the interrelationship between her beliefs, attitude, and self-efficacy. Her course experiences allowed for changes in her beliefs about science and science teaching, and an improved attitude toward and a stronger sense of confidence toward learning and teaching science.
Optimising Inter-Disciplinary Problem-Based Learning in Postgraduate Environmental and Science Education: Recommendations from a Case Study
Author: Redshaw, Clare H
Date: 2014-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Case Studies,Problem Based Learning,Interdisciplinary Approach,Environmental Education,Science Education,Graduate Students,Part Time Students,Teamwork,Semi Structured Interviews,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Vignettes,Group Activities

As the value of multi-disciplinary working in the business and research worlds is becoming more recognised, the number of inter-disciplinary postgraduate environmental and health sciences courses is also increasing. Equally, the popularity of problem-based learning (PBL) is expected to grow and influence instructional approaches in many disciplines. However, very limited research has been conducted to explore the perception of students of PBL in inter- or multi-disciplinary environments; particularly wide-ranging multi-disciplinary courses which cross the natural-social science barrier. The findings from this case study evidence the difficulties and benefits students derive from group PBL, many of which stem from working in multi-disciplinary and multi-skilled groups on a part-time basis. Acknowledging, accepting and overcoming conflicts based upon prior experience that influences epistemological and ontological beliefs may be key to the development of effective PBL in inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary programmes. Recommendations for good pedagogic practice to maximise learning in postgraduate environmental and science education are made.
Long-Term Educational Programs in Nature Parks: Characteristics, Outcomes and Challenges
Author: Morag, Orly
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Parks,Outdoor Education,Environmental Education,Field Trips,Case Studies,Elementary School Students,Elementary School Teachers,Facilitators (Individuals),Interviews,Observation,Experiential Learning,Teacher Role,Educational Cooperation,Learning Activities,Student Attitudes,Foreign Countries,Qualitative Research

In this study on long-term educational programs (LTP) in nature, facilitated by an environmental agency we followed two distinct programs enacted in schools and in nature parks as case studies. Data were collected through observations of activities in schools and in the outdoors and through interviews with students, teachers and facilitators. In one program there were more student-centered and hands on activities and substantial environmental action. In the other program it was the students' first experience with outdoor and environmental education, and the teachers were more active in the outdoors as &quot;story tellers&quot; and role models. In this program, the students brought up their own concern of littering rather than following the environmental agency's concern of illegal herb harvesting. In general, in both programs the participant students expressed high satisfaction, and indicated learning about the environment. We found as well limited collaboration between the operating environmental organization and the schools and no connection to the school curriculum. Post priori, teachers as well as the environmental educators acknowledged the need to address the school curriculum and to better involve the teachers.
&quot;Primary Connections&quot; in a Provincial Queensland School System: Relationships to Science Teaching Self-Efficacy and Practices
Author: Albion, Peter R.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Elementary School Teachers,Self Efficacy,Science Instruction,STEM Education,Faculty Development,Teaching Models,Educational Resources,Elementary School Science,Expectation,Workshops,Teacher Effectiveness,Time Factors (Learning)

The teaching of science is important, both to meet the need for future workers in fields requiring scientific capability and to equip students for full participation in modern societies where many decisions depend upon knowledge of science. However, many teachers in Australian primary schools do not allocate science education sufficient amounts of time to achieve these outcomes. This study reports data obtained from 216 teachers in the primary schools in a provincial Australian school system. The purpose of the study was to assess the effects of existing strategies using &quot;Primary Connections&quot; for promoting science teaching and to inform future professional development strategies. Teachers reported moderate levels of self-efficacy for teaching science and a proportion reported allocating little or no time to teaching science. Both self-efficacy for science teaching and the amount of science taught were higher for teachers who had used &quot;Primary Connections&quot; curriculum materials.
Science Investigation That Best Supports Student Learning: Teachers' Understanding of Science Investigation
Author: Moeed, Azra
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary School Teachers,Science Teachers,Secondary School Science,Investigations,Teacher Surveys,Teacher Characteristics,Questionnaires,Semi Structured Interviews,Qualitative Research

Internationally, learning science through investigation is promoted as a preferred pedagogical approach. Research presented takes a view that such learning depends on how teachers understand science investigation. Teachers' understanding of science investigation was an aspect of an interpretive case study of the phenomenon of science investigation exploring the links between learning, motivation and assessment in year 11 science. Data were collected through a population survey of year 11 science teachers (n = 165) in the greater Wellington region through a postal questionnaire (response rate 61%). In addition, all year 11 science teachers in a typical coeducational, middle size, urban secondary school were interviewed (n = 10). Findings suggest that science investigation that best supported student learning was understood to include experiments, scientific method, and fair testing, and that few teachers demonstrated understanding of an open-ended science investigation. Teachers' responses indicated the influence of assessment requirements of a linear and sequential fair testing type of investigation. This has implications for teaching investigation as required by the curriculum, and student learning for assessment rather than an understanding of the nature of scientific investigation.
A Conceptual Model for Teaching the Relationship of Daily Life and Human Environmental Impact to Ecological Function
Author: Wyner, Yael
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Ecology,Environmental Education,Biology,Secondary School Science,Grade 9,Secondary School Teachers,Public School Teachers,Science Teachers,Urban Schools,Teacher Surveys,Lesson Plans,Content Analysis,Curriculum Implementation,Science Instruction,Focus Groups

In the general activity of daily life, it is easy to miss our dependency on the Earth's ecology. At the same time that people are living apparently separate from the environment, our impact on the Earth is increasing. This study seeks to understand how teachers can bridge this persistent disconnect of daily life from ecology and human impact. Specifically, this study addresses teachers' use of a conceptual model for teaching ecology and human impact units that link daily life, human impact and ecological function. Thirty-six ninth grade biology teachers implemented curriculum that was grounded in an explicit conceptual model for teaching the relationship between ecological function, human impact, and daily life. Pre and post implementation, teachers completed detailed descriptions of their lesson plans for teaching ecology and human impact topics. Content analysis of teacher lesson plan descriptions shows that teachers have a greater difficulty integrating daily life and human impact into ecological topics than they do in integrating daily life and ecology into human impact topics. This study also documented the difficulty of applying a conceptual model that overtly connects daily life and human impact to ecological function. Despite this, the implementation of curriculum grounded in an explicit conceptual model for linking daily life, human environmental impact and ecology helped teachers articulate those connections in ways that could enable students to understand the unintended consequences of daily life activities on specific ecological function.
Can Elementary Students Gather Information from Concept Maps?
Author: Marulcu, Ismail
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Concept Mapping,Elementary School Students,Teaching Methods,Cognitive Structures,Foreign Countries,Science Education,Technology Education,Light,Acoustics,Age Differences,Grade 4,Grade 5,Grade 6,Questionnaires,Knowledge Level,Elementary School Science,Scientific Concepts

In this study, we investigated whether concept maps were used as often and as effectively in elementary science and technology classrooms as recommended by the National Ministry of Education (MEB) in the new curricula in Turkey. In the new elementary science and technology curricula, the MEB provides a general concept map for each unit. We used concept maps provided for the Light and Sound units for fourth, fifth, and sixth grades as content to determine whether students were able to use concept maps to gather information from them. Our analyses showed that most of the students did not use the concept maps to answer the questions. Rather they used their own knowledge and cognitive structures about light and sound to answer the questions. Therefore, we concluded that students do not know how to read the concept maps and gather knowledge from them. Also, we ran an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test to explore whether grade level has an effect on students' performance in reading the concept maps and gathering information from them. We found that grade level has a significant effect on students' performance in using concept maps.
Teacher College Students' Views of Controversial Environmental Issues: Ambivalence and Readiness to Adopt a Stance
Author: Weinberger, Yehudith
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Controversial Issues (Course Content),Environmental Education,Student Teacher Attitudes,College Students,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Likert Scales,Decision Making Skills,Decision Making,Questionnaires,Readiness,Persuasive Discourse,Debate,Congruence (Psychology),Teaching Methods,Classroom Techniques,Teacher Education Programs,Beliefs,Social Problems,Foreign Countries

One of the most important goals of discussing controversial issues in the classroom is to educate students to possess an inclination towards reason, open mindedness and fairness. However, research tends to show that teachers are not adequately trained to lead fruitful discussions about controversial issues and do not possess the necessary skills to perform such a task. This paper refers to one aspect of teaching controversial issues in environmental education, namely, the inclination of teachers towards ambivalence (agreeing to some extent with both favourable and unfavourable arguments concerning a proposition) and its potential consequences. The aim of the current study is to assess teacher college students' ambivalence concerning environmental issues, to explore their readiness to adopt a stance and when doing so to check their tendency to adopt a stance in favour of the environment. The findings showed that ambivalence was less common than non-ambivalence, although it varied across the issues. Most of the ambivalent students voted for a side. Furthermore, ambivalence did not prevent pro-environment decisions. The implications of the findings on environmental education are discussed.
Turkish High School Students' Ideas about Invertebrates: General Characteristics and Classification
Author: Cinici, Ayhan
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,High School Students,Secondary School Science,Scientific Concepts,Classification,Animals,Biology,Science Instruction,Generalization,Knowledge Level,Semi Structured Interviews

Identifying alternative conceptions is a vital part of teaching and learning in science because it provides information about students' ideas to both themselves and their teachers. In this context, the purpose of the current study is twofold. The first aim is to examine high school students' alternative conceptions about general characteristics and classification of invertebrates. The second aim is to elicit high school students' ability to classify invertebrates. A total of 127 grade 10 and 129 grade 11 students (aged 15-17 years) from four Turkish Anatolian high schools participated in the study. Data were collected using the Animal Classification Test (ACT) and through interviews. A wide range of alternative conceptions emerged and the origin of these alternative conceptions are discussed. Furthermore, the results indicated that although the students could correctly recognize the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates (Phyla), they had failed to recognize the corresponding sub-categories (Classes). As a consequence, it was asserted that when the students classified the animals, they took into consideration only the animals' external views, habitats, nutrition and movement types and similarities in the functions of their organs. Thus the students used analogical approaches based on empirical classification criteria.
A Coordinated Decentralized Approach to Online Project Development
Author: Mykota, David
Date: 2013-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Electronic Learning,Strategic Planning,Case Studies,Models,Program Development,Administrative Organization,Teacher Education Programs,Special Education,Certification,Instructional Design,Curriculum Development,Program Implementation,Educational Cooperation,Online Courses,Foreign Countries

With the growth rate of online learning outpacing traditional face-to-face instruction, universities are beginning to recognize the importance of strategic planning in its development. Making the case for online learning requires sound project management practices and an understanding of the business models on which it is predicated. The objective of the present case study is to provide a replicable integrated model for the development of online programs. The case study examines a coordinated decentralized model for collaborative project development and presents the lessons learned from the program's implementation. The case provides information for reflection on how adaptations and modifications affected program development and how these short-cycle decisions present a model of effective practices for future initiatives.
Determination of the Computer Self-Efficacy Perception of Students and Metaphors Related to &quot;Computer Ownership&quot;
Author: Gecer, Aynur
Date: 2013-07-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Self Efficacy,Student Attitudes,Figurative Language,Foreign Countries,Surveys,Access to Computers,Ownership,Gender Differences,Socioeconomic Influences,Laptop Computers,Age Differences,Elementary School Students,Educational Technology,Information Technology,Mixed Methods Research

The aim of this research is to determine the computer self-efficacy perception of second grade primary school students and their opinions regarding computer ownership through metaphors. The research applied the scanning model and was conducted during the 2011-2012 academic year among seven primary schools of the Ministry of National Education in the central district of Kocaeli City. Research data were collected using a survey study aimed at determining the self-efficacy perception of second grade primary school students (n = 513); a metaphor method was used, through which they reflected upon their attitudes and opinions regarding computer ownership. In the metaphor, each student was asked to complete the statement, &quot;owning a computer of my own is like..., because...&quot;. For the data analysis, the depictive analysis method was used, and the data obtained was presented in digitized form. The results showed that the self-efficacy perception of the second grade primary school students was quite strong and that the computer self-efficacy perception of the male students was higher than that of the female students. When the metaphors developed by the students were examined, it was observed that metaphors such as &quot;owning a computer is like owning a car&quot;, &quot;owning a computer is like owning a friend&quot; and &quot;owning a computer is like flying like a bird&quot; were stated more often than other metaphors.