ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Student Approaches to Learning in Physics--Validity and Exploration Using Adapted SPQ
Author: Sharma, Manjula Devi
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Science,Physics,Questionnaires,Rating Scales,College Students,College Instruction,Test Reliability,Evaluation Research,Introductory Courses,Learning Strategies,Science Instruction,Study Skills

The aim of this study was to investigate an adaptation of the Study Processes Questionnaire for the discipline of physics. A total of 2030 first year physics students at an Australian metropolitan university completed the questionnaire over three different year cohorts. The resultant data has been used to explore whether the adaptation of the questionnaire is justifiable and if meaningful interpretations can be drawn for teaching and learning in the discipline. In extracting scales for deep and surface approaches to learning, we have excised several items, retaining an adequate subset. Reflecting trends in literature, our deep scale is very reliable while the surface scale is not so reliable. Our results show that the behaviour of the mean scale scores for students in different streams in first year physics is in agreement with expectations. Furthermore, different year cohort performance on the scales reflects changes in senior high school syllabus. Our experiences in adaptation, validation and checking for reliability is of potential use for others engaged in contextualising the Study Processes Questionnaire, and adds value to the use of the questionnaire for improving student learning in specific discipline areas. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
The Persistence of Misconceptions about the Human Blood Circulatory System among Students in Different Grade Levels
Author: Ozgur, Sami
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Teacher Education Programs,Anatomy,Human Body,Biology,Elementary School Students,Misconceptions,Grade 5,Grade 7,Metabolism,Qualitative Research,College Students,Science Education,Science Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Preservice Teachers,Trend Analysis

In this paper, it is aimed to investigate the persistence of misconceptions in the topic of the human blood circulatory system among students in different grade levels. For this reason, after discussions with biology educators, two tests consisting of open-ended questions were developed by the researcher and administered to students in four different grade levels. The first test was administered to 319 5th and 7th grade students in elementary school and the second one was administered to 400 1st and 4th year university students studying in the departments of elementary school teaching, science education and biology education. Data were analyzed using qualitative methods and a number of misconceptions were detected in different grade levels. According to the results of the study, the distributions of the percentages of students' misconceptions demonstrate a decreasing trend from elementary school students to university students without totally disappearing. The reason of this situation might be the persistence of misconceptions that are difficult to overcome. Due to their functionality, students continue to possess certain misconceptions. Hence, this characteristic of misconceptions should be considered while planning teaching activities in teacher education programs. (Contains 3 tables and 6 figures.)
Predictors of Turkish Elementary Teacher Candidates' Energy Conservation Behaviors: An Approach on Value-Belief-Norm Theory
Author: Sahin, Elvan
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Education,Causal Models,Multiple Regression Analysis,Predictor Variables,Early Childhood Education,Energy Conservation,Universities,Mathematics Education,Elementary School Science,Foreign Countries,Graduate Study,Teacher Education,Theories,Correlation,Mathematics Teachers,Preschool Teachers,Teacher Behavior

The present study aimed to explain elementary teacher candidates' energy conservation behaviors by using Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory. Participants in this study were 512 students at Faculty of Education from two public universities in Turkey. Of the 512 students, 35.5% were enrolled in the early childhood education program, 30.9% were in the elementary science education program, and 27.7% were in the elementary mathematics education program. The rest of the participants were pursuing a graduate program under the department of elementary education. The results of multiple linear regression analysis reflected that VBN Theory could successfully explain the participants' energy conservation behaviors. The teacher candidates' reduction in energy consumption could be accounted by personal norms, egoistic and biospheric value orientations. However, rather than personal norms, egoistic and biospheric value orientations made greater unique contribution to explain the criterion variable. Furthermore, each predictor variable in the causal model of VBN Theory was found to be significantly associated with the next variable, but value orientations deserved more attention than VBN Theory places on them within the study context. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Perceptions of the Internet and Education: A Study with Physics Education Website Users
Author: Gokalp, Muhammed Sait
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Internet,Educational Resources,Physics,Research Design,Causal Models,Comparative Analysis,Attitudes,Age Differences

The use of the web in teaching and learning and research studies on this issue are increasingly common in science education. In most of these studies, teachers' and students' perceptions of and their attitudes toward the specific web-assisted/based learning activities and the effects of these activities on their achievement and attitudes have been investigated. In the current study, the researcher placed emphasis on the perceptions about physics education related websites on the Internet among users of these sites using a causal-comparative research design. The purpose of the current study was to have detailed information on web users' preferences and perceptions on the use of the web and to see if demographics are responsible for differences on web users' perceptions on the use of web in physics education. In order to achieve this aim, an online instrument, &quot;Perceptions of the Internet and Education Scale,&quot; was developed by the author and the data collected using this instrument. The statistical analyses were carried out with the data from 340 web-users of a physics education related website. The results of the study showed that web users' gender, occupation, and time spent on the Internet were factors that explained the changes in the perceptions of physics education web users. However, web users' age and past experiences with the Internet were not causes of that difference. (Contains 10 tables and 1 figure.)
Knowledge of Arthropod Carnivory and Herbivory: Factors Influencing Preservice Elementary Teacher's Attitudes and Beliefs toward Arthropods
Author: Wagler, Ron
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Student Teacher Attitudes,Preservice Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Science Education,Elementary School Students,Entomology,Nutrition

Human negativity toward arthropods has been well documented but the factors that contribute to this negativity have been elusive. This study explored knowledge of arthropod carnivory and herbivory as possible casual factors that contribute to the negative tendencies preservice elementary teachers have toward most arthropods. Specifically, this study investigated the effect knowledge of arthropod carnivory and herbivory had on United States kindergarten through sixth grade preservice elementary teacher attitude toward that arthropod and belief concerning the likelihood of incorporating information about that specific arthropod into their future science classroom. A cluster randomized design with a control group was used for the study. The treatment group consisted of 147 preservice elementary teachers and the control group consisted of 151. Unique to this study is the finding that arthropod carnivory and herbivory are causal factors that strongly affect preservice elementary teacher attitude and belief toward arthropods. When the participants of the study were made aware that an arthropod they thought was a herbivore was actually a carnivore, their attitude and likelihood of incorporation significantly declined. When the participants of the study were made aware that an arthropod they thought was a carnivore was actually a herbivore, their attitude and likelihood of incorporation significantly increased. Implications and future research are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 4 figures.)
DEQUAL: A Tool for Investigating Deliberative Qualities in Students' Socioscientific Conversations
Author: Gustafsson, Barbro
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Scientific Literacy,Discourse Analysis,Democratic Values,Educational Theories,Group Discussion,Climate,Student Attitudes,Secondary School Students,Democracy,Secondary School Science,Science and Society,Environmental Education,Citizenship Education,Transcripts (Written Records),Research Methodology,Research Tools

School is assumed to equip students with subject knowledge and contribute to their development as human beings and democratic citizens as well. In this article, the democratic dimension of the teaching assignment is brought to the fore, and an analysis tool for investigating students' conversations on socioscientific issues that emphasises democratic aspects is presented. The DEQUAL-tool, where the acronyms stand for DEliberative QUALities, comprises both the content-related and formal aspects of the conversations, with a specific emphasis on the collective expressions of democratic qualities like questioning, consideration for others and conveying different dimensions and arguments. DEQUAL is based on an intersubjective and communicative understanding of democracy and meaning-making, and is theoretically inspired by John Dewey's and Jurgen Habermas' views on these matters. The development and function of DEQUAL is clarified using excerpts from upper secondary school students talking about how living in a certain place influences the greenhouse effect. By pointing out characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of students' group-conversations, this methodological proposal can provide further guidance for an integrative understanding of the teacher's assignment in science education. (Contains 3 tables and 8 notes.)
Connecting to Our Community: Utilizing Photovoice as a Pedagogical Tool to Connect College Students to Science
Author: Cook, Kristin
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science and Society,Science Education,Science Teachers,Local Issues,Relevance (Education),Critical Theory,Preservice Teacher Education,School Community Relationship,Educational Technology,Handheld Devices,Multimedia Materials,College Science,Science Instruction,Environmental Education,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Program Implementation,Program Effectiveness,College Students,College Instruction,Participatory Research,Action Research,Community Involvement,Photography,Photojournalism

In this study, we investigated the ways in which university students connected with science through the use of photovoice (Wang &amp; Burris, 1994) as a pedagogical tool. Results indicated that students came to appreciate their connections to the science that operates in their lives as they reflected on and became empowered with regard to the science content behind environmental issues of interest to them on campus. Photovoice allowed students to authentically inquire about local science, as well as the potential to generate change in their own community. This understanding is significant to science educators because first, it empowers learners to connect with science and provides a way to deepen that connection with science; and second, it provides a pedagogical tool for science educators to use with their students to engage them in the science in their community. Finally, it has the potential to improve science teaching by creating students that are more connected to science and the world around them. (Contains 6 figures.)
Evaluating School-Community Participation in Developing a Local Sustainability Agenda
Author: Eilam, Efrat
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Environmental Education,Foreign Countries,Sustainable Development,Community Involvement,Sustainability,School Community Programs,School Community Relationship,Partnerships in Education,Correlation,Community Education,Questionnaires,Observation,Administrator Attitudes,Parent Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes,Organizational Objectives

Increasingly, international and national statements are calling for the development of local sustainability scenarios within partnerships between schools and their communities. The present study addresses the question of reciprocity in such partnerships, by comparing the sustainability agendas underlying schools' educational programs to the sustainability agendas of the students' parents. The study was conducted among four urban school-community systems in Israel, implementing sustainability education. The results revealed a lack of reciprocity. Schools and parents belong to two different populations, with different sources of influence. Schools' agenda seems to be mostly influenced by ministerial centralization. Schools' and parents' sustainability agendas were compared against the 15 perspectives of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development International Implementation Scheme. Parents' agendas were highly compatible with the perspectives, whereas schools' educational programs, focusing mainly on environmental science, lacked compatibility with the perspectives. The suitability of the perspectives to school settings is questioned. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)
Sharing the Environment: Cultural Exchange through Inquiry-Based Environmental Education in Trinidad and Tobago (T &amp; T) and the United States
Author: McHenry, Nadine
Date: 2013-04-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Grounded Theory,Cross Cultural Studies,Surveys,Environmental Education,Elementary School Science,Interviews,Focus Groups,Observation,Program Implementation,Program Effectiveness,Distance Education,Web 2.0 Technologies,Videoconferencing,Elementary School Students,Ethnography,Inquiry,Inservice Teacher Education,Elementary School Teachers,Cultural Influences,Pilot Projects,Science Instruction,Instructional Effectiveness,Teaching Methods,Comparative Education,International Education

This study examined the effects of Sharing the Environment (STE), a situated professional development pilot program that uses an inquiry-based approach to teaching Environmental Education (EE) to elementary students in the US and Trinidad. Inquiry is difficult to incorporate in both cultures because proficient performance on national tests is a priority. As a result, teachers must cover the curriculum via transmission of knowledge rather than its discovery. In order to capture an early understanding of the effects of this program on its participants, focus groups and ethnographic interviews were conducted with ten participating teachers from both countries. Using a grounded theory approach on the data sets, three themes emerged that describe conditions required for replicating this program: structural, cross-curricular, and cultural disconnections, technological needs, and environmental and sociocultural knowledge gains. The findings indicate that cultural factors had a significant impact on how Trinidadian and American teachers and administrators perceived, valued, and reacted to the concrete experiences they had in the course of their participation in the STE situated professional development program. (Contains 1 table.)
Culturally Responsive Teaching: Awareness and Professional Growth through a School-University Collaboration
Author: McCormick, Theresa M.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Professional Development Schools,Professional Development,Reflection,Teacher Attitudes,Culturally Relevant Education,Teaching Methods,Partnerships in Education,College School Cooperation,Cultural Awareness,Online Surveys,Cultural Differences,Teacher Education,Program Descriptions,Elementary School Teachers,Preservice Teachers

Preparing in-service and pre-service teachers to effectively work with culturally diverse students is an ongoing challenge for schools and universities alike. This article reports on a University-Professional Development School (PDS) initiative designed to enhance an awareness of culturally responsive pedagogy. This article describes a yearlong professional development partnership entitled Project REACH (Reclaiming Educators' and Children's Hope). Two hundred seventy teachers in grades K-5 and 49 elementary interns participated in book study groups, attended a presentation given by the author of the book, and met periodically to discuss awareness and practices relating to teaching diverse students. Data generated from this project were collected from online open-ended survey responses. Results suggest that critical reflection and practical application work together in practice to begin to effect meaningful change in pre-service and in-service teachers' thinking and skills when teaching diverse students.
Professional Development Schools (PDSs) and Social Justice Education: Alternative Notions of &quot;Quality&quot; for Future City Teachers
Author: Zenkov, Kristien
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experienced Teachers,Social Justice,Portfolio Assessment,Professional Development,Urban Teaching,Public Schools,Teacher Effectiveness,Graduate Study,Program Descriptions

Whether explicitly or implicitly, questioning and reformulating the purposes of public schools continues to be both a popular public and policy maker past time. Yet, few current definitions and assessments of school or teacher &quot;quality&quot; consider the social justice-oriented characteristics the authors of this article recognize as most important in their work with future city teachers. The authors believe that Professional Development School (PDS) programs may be the primary sites for future and veteran teachers to consider these social justice issues. This article describes the masters licensure program with which the authors have been involved, the portfolio assessment system this program utilizes to determine future urban teachers' integration of social justice concepts, and examples of the evidence pre-service teachers in this program have shared to demonstrate their proficiency with this social justice-oriented notion of &quot;quality.&quot;
Thinking Maps: Research-Based Instructional Strategy in a PDS
Author: Kessler, Cristy
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Thinking Skills,Educational Strategies,Action Research,Case Studies,Reading Fluency,Effective Schools Research,Instructional Effectiveness,Instructional Innovation,Teacher Effectiveness,Best Practices,Grounded Theory,Professional Development Schools,College School Cooperation,Partnerships in Education,Achievement Gains

An exploratory action research case study was conducted at Moanalua Middle School from 2006-2009 to examine the impact of Thinking Maps on student achievement. Thinking Maps are not just another set of graphic organizers but a set of eight of unique visual mind maps with each linked to a specific higher-order thinking pattern. This study tells the story of one middle school where a school-wide initiative demonstrated an increase to 86% grade-level reading proficiency within three years. (Contains 5 figures and 1 table.)
Teacher Leadership Development in PDSs: Perceptions of 22 Veteran Teachers
Author: Cosenza, Michael N.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Experienced Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Suburban Schools,Professional Development Schools,Teacher Education Programs,Teacher Leadership,Teacher Attitudes,Teacher Role,Leadership Training,Mentors,Teacher Collaboration,Partnerships in Education,College School Cooperation,Program Effectiveness,Qualitative Research,Interviews

Although there is no common definition for teacher leadership, the concept is continually advanced as a key component for both the success of schools and professionalization of teachers. Many view teacher leadership as specific administrative roles while others view it as any opportunity in which teachers contribute to the decision-making process. Whichever way it is defined, it is commonly accepted that teacher leadership capacity, though a highly desirable trait, is underdeveloped. This article shares the perceptions of 22 veteran teachers working at two Professional Development Schools (PDSs). It will identify their perceptions about whether the PDS model contributes to leadership development and which specific roles within the partnership are responsible. Though several themes emerged, the collaborative and mentoring components of the PDS were reported as primary factors for increased teacher leadership. These findings are further evidence that can be used by PDS advocates to promote the PDS model as standard method for teacher education programs. (Contains 2 tables.)
Generating PDS Possibility and Practicality Thinking Using a Case and Protocol Tool to Enhance PDS Development
Author: Yendol-Hoppey, Diane
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Partnerships in Education,Professional Development Schools,Sustainability,Accountability,Program Improvement,Case Method (Teaching Technique),Professional Development,Lesson Plans,Teacher Education Programs,College School Cooperation,Program Effectiveness,Program Evaluation,Evaluation Methods

An important feature of professional development school (PDS) work is encouraging collaborative reflective dialogue that guides a partnership toward actualizing the possibilities for and mission of a PDS. This article provides a case &quot;illustration&quot; of a fictitious, exemplary PDS and a &quot;protocol&quot; that in combination can be used by PDSs interested in generating possibilities for their partnership development. As PDSs enter their second and third decades of existence, sustainability and accountability for authentic and deep partnership activities becomes increasingly complex to initiate and sustain. Given the importance of understanding the key features of PDS work, PDS educators benefit by using tools that help partnerships continually build important structures and roles as well as the &quot;signature pedagogy&quot; that often sets PDSs apart from traditional clinical placements and reflects the full mission of PDS work. This paper provides a pair of tools designed to generate discussion about PDS structures, roles, and &quot;signature pedagogy&quot; for PDSs interested in revitalizing or strengthening their partnership work. (Contains 1 table and 1 footnote.)
Continued Effort and Success: An Urban Professional School Development Program
Author: Corrigan, Diane G.
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Professional Development Schools,Urban Schools,Partnerships in Education,College School Cooperation,Teacher Education Programs,Program Descriptions,Institutional Mission,Institutional Characteristics,Teacher Improvement,Shared Resources and Services

The PDS partnership between the Cleveland State University Master of Urban Secondary Teaching (MUST) program and the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine (CSSM) has an established history of preparing educators to teach in urban schools. Recently awarded the NAPDS Award for Exemplary Professional Development School Achievement, this partnership collaborates to train future educators by sharing vision, commitment, resources and knowledge.