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A Longitudinal Study of the Progression of Preservice and In-service Science Teachers' Abilities to Teach Inquiry-based Science
Title
A Longitudinal Study of the Progression of Preservice and In-service Science Teachers' Abilities to Teach Inquiry-based Science
Creator
Bartley, Jeanette
Date
2019
Description
All teachers are expected to teach inquiry-based science by the National Science Education Standards, the National Association of Science...
Show moreAll teachers are expected to teach inquiry-based science by the National Science Education Standards, the National Association of Science Teachers, and the Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 1996; NSTA, 2012; NGSS Lead States, 2013). If this is the mandate for teachers of science, what does this look like over time for teachers? The current study was a longitudinal study focused on tracking the development of four science teachers’ inquiry-based instructional practices over time. The key research question was How do beginning science teachers from a preservice teacher education program that focuses specifically on inquiry-based science instruction conceptualize teaching science as inquiry as they move through preservice education, induction, and in-service?Four science teachers (one middle school and three high school) from the same preservice teacher education program were followed during their student teaching practicum and first four years as beginning science teachers. Findings from this study suggest that beginning science teachers’ abilities to teach inquiry-based science over time are situational. It is heavily rooted in their values, beliefs, and the contexts in which they teach. The findings also suggest that regardless of a science teacher’s attitudes, values and beliefs about science teaching, the context in which they teach is important and can positively or negatively impact their abilities and willingness to teach inquiry-based science.
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SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACTUAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTION ENACTED IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM AND COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES NECESSARY FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Title
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACTUAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTION ENACTED IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM AND COLLEGE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES NECESSARY FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Creator
Kedvesh, James
Date
2019
Description
The enacted curriculum and classroom artifacts of a full unit of instruction from three subject areas (biology, chemistry, and physics) at two...
Show moreThe enacted curriculum and classroom artifacts of a full unit of instruction from three subject areas (biology, chemistry, and physics) at two levels of instruction (regular and advanced) were analyzed for the presence and degree of mathematics and critical thinking. These characteristics were selected from a review of the literature on college science faculty’s views of best student preparation. Classes were grouped and compared by subject area and by level of science class. Varying degrees of critical thinking and mathematics were found to be present in the six observed classes, but both characteristics were found in all of the observed units of instruction. Comparisons of the statistical and practical differences found the greatest differences when comparing mathematics by subject area. These differences were not due to within subject area differences. Comparisons found the greatest similarities when comparing critical thinking by level of instruction. It was found that classroom pedagogy was a more important factor than subject area or level of instruction in determining the degree of alignment of classroom instruction with respect to the presence and inclusion of mathematics and critical thinking. Overall, there was a common lack of explicit instruction in both mathematics and critical thinking among all observed units of instruction. These findings support the need for more explicit mathematics and critical thinking instruction within science classes. Also, it is recommended that pre-service and practicing science teachers are prepared with the knowledge and methods of best mathematics instruction to better incorporate these strategies within and alongside their science instruction.
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Alignment of Science-Themed Trade Books to the Next Generation Science Standards
Title
Alignment of Science-Themed Trade Books to the Next Generation Science Standards
Creator
Shepard, Kelly Marie
Date
2021
Description
Elementary teachers often integrate science-themed trade books into their science and reading lessons. This study examines the alignment of...
Show moreElementary teachers often integrate science-themed trade books into their science and reading lessons. This study examines the alignment of science-themed trade books written for readers in Kindergarten through fifth-grade to the Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas (NGSS DCI). The goal of this research is to analyze the scientific concepts presented in the text of the trade books recommended by professional organizations dedicated to science and science education. Research finds that integrated science and reading are valuable for elementary students’ understandings of science. This study addresses two problems: 1) elementary teachers have limited scientific knowledge and 2) there is a dearth of research that examines the expression of NGSS DCI in science-themed trade books for K-5th grades. The sample is selected from booklists compiled by professional organizations devoted to science and science education. A deductive content analysis methodology is used to identify the presence of NGSS DCI in trade books. Descriptive statistics and qualitative data analyses are used to reveal the themes in the collected data. A large majority of the sample is aligned to the NGSS DCI for K-5th grade. Most trade books express NGSS DCI at the grade levels for which they are recommended. The study is limited and does not examine the readability of trade books, scientific vocabulary, or images. This study contributes to the research on the intersection between science and reading for elementary grade levels.
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HOW DO SECONDARY STUDENTS MAKE DECISIONS ON SOCIOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES: WHAT DO THEY CONSIDER IMPORTANT?
Title
HOW DO SECONDARY STUDENTS MAKE DECISIONS ON SOCIOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES: WHAT DO THEY CONSIDER IMPORTANT?
Creator
LePretre, Dawnne M
Date
2019
Description
Linking science and action is the epitome of scientific literacy (Hurd, 1972; Kuhn, 1972; Watson, 1969). Before becoming acting citizens,...
Show moreLinking science and action is the epitome of scientific literacy (Hurd, 1972; Kuhn, 1972; Watson, 1969). Before becoming acting citizens, students need to balance subject matter knowledge, personal values, and societal norms in decision-making (DM) on Socioscientific Issues (SSI) (Aikenhead, 1985; Grace & Ratcliffe, 2002; Kolstø, 2001; Zeidler, 1984). Existing literature suggests a variety of models and strategies to guide how students should think about SSI topics versus beginning with what students are thinking concerning SSI! This study aimed to identify the DM factors students considered across a variety of SSI and to determine if DM factors were common across topics or specific to a SSI. Students in grades 10-12 participated from seven schools and ten regular science classrooms, primarily located in a large Midwest city (n=498). The sample was 50% female, 50% male, and roughly 33% of students from each grade level.Across 60 enacted lessons on six different SSI topics, multiple sources of data were collected, including student artifacts, audiotapes of class discussions/interviews, field notes, and teacher surveys. Students engaged in a minimum of three different SSI topical lessons, implemented over a period between one to nine weeks for an average instructional time of 115 minutes per topic. Decision-making differed across students in various groupings, indicating that secondary students used both general and specific factors when making decisions on SSI. Further, trends emerged, indicating various student groups' valued DM factors differently. On several topics, students of different gender, grade levels, ethnicities, and school type considered different DM factors to different levels of support. For example, on the topic of plastics and pollution, 10th grade, female, and Hispanic students tended to identify concern for animals and sea life as their most prominent DM factor. Another trend included larger class sizes tending to cite more DM factors on a topic than students in smaller sized classrooms engaged on the same topic. Overall, 15 common or shared DM factors emerged that students considered when making decisions across multiple SSI contexts. In addition, each specific SSI context had between one and 15 specific or exclusive DM factors cited directly by students in this study.
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A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE EXISTING AND SELF-ADOPTED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION STANDARDS: UNITED STATES SIXTH TO TWELFTH GRADE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE STANDARDS
Title
A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING ALIGNMENT BETWEEN THE EXISTING AND SELF-ADOPTED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION STANDARDS: UNITED STATES SIXTH TO TWELFTH GRADE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE STANDARDS
Creator
Connell, Margaretann Grace
Date
2019
Description
The purpose of this thesis was to conduct a systematic approach to determine the alignment between the existing and self-adopted science 6th...
Show moreThe purpose of this thesis was to conduct a systematic approach to determine the alignment between the existing and self-adopted science 6th-12th grade EE science standards for 10 U.S. National States (6th-8th [AZ; ID; MA; WY]) and (9th-12th [NE; NYS; OH; PA; SC; TX]). The criteria for States’ selection were based on States with SASS (non-NGSS adoption) and 2) demographics - random selection from the 10 U.S. EPA Regions. The Existing Environmental Education Standards (EEES) (GCDEE, Hungerford et al., 1980; NAAEE Guidelines, Simmons, 2010a; Tbilisi, UNESCO, 1978) were aligned with the 10 States. The investigation was conducted by a DCA (Mayring, 2002). Data were analyzed using MAXQDA 2018.1(VERBI, 2017), judged by a Content Match (La Marca et al., 2000), and measured by the adapted criteria for Categorical Concurrence and Range of Knowledge Correspondence (Webb, 1999). Instruments to score the output were: 1). CEEI – Tbilisi/GCDEE (K-12), and EEI – NAAEE Guidelines (6-8; 9-12). Results for the Content Match of the EEES revealed that 50% of the States were Partly Aligned and other 50% were Not Aligned with the NAAEE Guidelines Code Coverage. Additionally, the Content Match with Tbilisi/GCDEE revealed that 20% of the States (OH, PA) were Fully Aligned and the other 80% Partly Aligned . The States’ science standards ability to reach appropriate levels of alignment was due to the scientific specificity of those States with implicit EE standards. Moreover, it was difficult to come to a common ground to expect complete alignment based on the socioecological approaches and interdisciplinary nature (Kyburz-Graber, 2013; Simmons, 2010a) of the EEES. Therefore, it is now left up to the policymakers at the State levels to work with stakeholders and come to a consensus in support of EE standards that are relevant, fair, and balanced with multidisciplinary, socioecological approaches to promote of an environmentally literate citizenry.
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Assessing the Impact of Understanding Nature of Scientific Knowledge and Understanding Nature of Scientific Inquiry on Learning about Evolution in High School Students
Title
Assessing the Impact of Understanding Nature of Scientific Knowledge and Understanding Nature of Scientific Inquiry on Learning about Evolution in High School Students
Creator
Jimenez Pavez, Juan Paulo
Date
2022
Description
Nature of Scientific Knowledge (NOSK) and Nature of Scientific Inquiry (NOSI) are important components of scientific literacy and important...
Show moreNature of Scientific Knowledge (NOSK) and Nature of Scientific Inquiry (NOSI) are important components of scientific literacy and important educational objectives in science education. Recent literature theorizes that understanding both NOSK and NOSI increases students' understanding of science content knowledge. However, this assumption has yet to be tested empirically. Much research has been done on developing informed views of NOSK and NOSI for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, but research on the effect of understanding NOSK and NOSI on facilitating science learning in high school appears limited.The main purpose of this study was to empirically test the assumption that understanding NOSK and NOSI improves science student content learning, in particular learning about evolution. This study also aimed to determine which NOSK and NOSI aspects are most useful in such an endeavor. Using a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design, a sample of 453 9th grade high school students from 12 classes in a large Chilean city were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups via classroom clusters (Intervention groups = 6, Control groups = 6). Students in the intervention groups were given a special online explicit and reflective five-week NOSK/NOSI Unit, followed by an online five-week Evolution Content Unit, as a treatment. Those in the control groups received only the online five-week Evolution Content Unit. To measure understanding of NOSK, understanding of NOSI, and understanding about evolution, students answered three valid and reliable instruments: The Views of Nature of Science (VNOS D+), the Views about Scientific Inquiry (VASI), and a multiple-choice Evolution Content Test. The students' answers to the VNOS D+ and VASI questionnaires were scored as naive, mixed, or informed according to the level of understanding for each aspect, and the answers to the evolution content test were scored as correct or incorrect. The results of this study showed that the NOSK/NOSI Unit was effective in improving understanding of NOSK and NOSI aspects in the intervention groups. The results also showed that the Evolution Content Unit was effective in improving understanding about evolution in both groups. However, students in the intervention groups outperformed their peers in the control groups by scoring higher on the Evolution Content Test. Further analysis revealed that students with informed views of NOSK and NOSI achieved better scores on the Evolution Content Test than students with naive views, supporting the argument that understanding NOSK and NOSI facilitates learning about evolution. In addition, all aspects except for the difference between Theories and Laws (NOSK) had a significant positive impact on learning about evolution. Taken together, the findings of this dissertation support the assumption that understanding NOSK and NOSI improves learning about evolution. Furthermore, most NOSK and NOSI aspects seem to foster understanding about evolution. These are new insights, especially about the importance of understanding NOSI for learning about evolution. Some limitations for this study include the remote context in which the study took place and the potential bias in the qualitative analysis of the VNOS D+ and VASI questionnaires.
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DO GENERAL EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN A BASIC PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE IMPROVE UPON ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE LEARNING AND CONTENT MASTERY FOLLOWING VIRTUAL/REMOTE FLIPPED INSTRUCTION OR VIRTUAL/REMOTE NON – FLIPPED INQUIRY – BASED INSTRUCTION?
Title
DO GENERAL EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN A BASIC PHYSICAL SCIENCE COURSE IMPROVE UPON ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE LEARNING AND CONTENT MASTERY FOLLOWING VIRTUAL/REMOTE FLIPPED INSTRUCTION OR VIRTUAL/REMOTE NON – FLIPPED INQUIRY – BASED INSTRUCTION?
Creator
Martino, Robert S.
Date
2022
Description
As we progress further into the 21st Century, high school science is being challenged on how to best deliver instruction to students. Teacher ...
Show moreAs we progress further into the 21st Century, high school science is being challenged on how to best deliver instruction to students. Teacher – centered instruction has long been de – emphasized in favor of inquiry – based instruction, although teacher – centered instruction still exists to a noticeable extent. Inquiry – based instruction, while more student – centered in its common practice, still involves the teacher as a guide during classroom direct instruction. Research has been ongoing to identify new and dynamic forms of science concept delivery that serve the needs of diversified science instruction (Keys & Bryan, 2001; Saldanha, 2007). Virtual instruction has become more commonplace, and it was fully implemented during this study. It has become incumbent upon science education researchers to explore and identify the most effective means of virtual instruction, means that are student – centered, engaging, interesting, and that both improve student science content understanding and attitudes toward science. Flipped instruction is a more recently – incorporated form of student – centered instruction that has students experiencing classroom routines at home and homework routines in class, and that is why this instruction is referred to as being “flipped.” Hunley (2016) examined teacher and student perception of flipped instruction in a science classroom, while Howell (2013) explored it in a ninth – grade physical science honors classroom. At the onset of this study, relatively few studies were available about this newer form of instruction within high school science instruction, no studies were available that involved high school general education physical science courses, and certainly no studies were available that compared virtual/flipped and non – flipped general education physical science instruction at the onset of this study. This study researched the effect of virtually – implemented flipped instruction on high school students’ understanding and attitude toward science. Instruction was completely virtual/remote (online), and at home, for all students in this study. In investigating the effect of this type of instruction, this study examined student academic performance and attitudes (and intentions and beliefs) toward science in two units of a high school Integrated Chemistry and Physics (Physical Science) course. Sixty – six students from Southlake High School, a midwestern U.S. high school, took part in the study. Sixty – four of those students took the unit assessments. Half of the students (test group) were instructed via virtual/remote flipped instruction and the other half (control group) were instructed via virtual/remote non – flipped, inquiry – based instruction during the first unit. During the second unit, the test group students who were instructed via virtual/remote flipped instruction switched with the control group and were instructed via virtual/remote non-flipped inquiry – based instruction, while the control group students who were instructed via virtual/remote non-flipped instruction were instructed via virtual/remote flipped instruction. The students in both groups were surveyed three times, using the Behaviors, Related Attitudes, and Intentions Toward Science (BRAINS) (Summers, 2016) instrument student questionnaire and survey for their attitudes (and beliefs and intentions) toward science (once prior to the first unit, once after the first unit, and once following the second unit). Student test results and survey responses were then analyzed to identify which instructional style was more effective for student learning and whether student attitudes (and intentions, and beliefs) favored one instructional style over the other. Student science attitudes (and beliefs and intentions) and academic performance were evaluated throughout the study. There was an increase in control group student science attitudes (and beliefs and intentions), from the pre – study survey to the post – unit 1 survey following their receipt of non – flipped virtual/remote instruction in the first unit. There was a lower increase in test group student science attitudes (and beliefs and intentions), from lower pre – study attitudes (compared with the control group) following the test group’s receipt of flipped virtual/remote instruction in the first unit,. Following the second unit, both the control group and test group again showed increases in attitude (and beliefs and intentions) compared with the pre – study survey results, with the control group again showing greater increases than the study group. Student academic performance favored the control group as it outperformed the test group in both the first unit and the second unit, even when the test group received the virtually – delivered flipped instruction in the first unit. The findings of the study showed that virtually implemented flipped instruction resulted in no advantage for the test group in terms of greater improvement in attitudes (or beliefs or intentions) toward science and no advantage for the test group in terms of learning science content in general education Integrated Chemistry and Physics (Physical Science). These results indicate that this form of teaching may not be effective in improving general education Physical Science student learning and student attitudes (and beliefs and intentions) toward science. Therefore, the use of virtually implemented flipped instruction in this general education science course will need to be further studied to determine its effect on student learning and student attitudes (or even beliefs and intentions) toward science.
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