(1988). Learning Science and the Science of Learning. Studies in Science Education: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 77-101.

Learning Science and the Science of Learning

The study investigated the degree of ambiguity harbored by four different response modes used to monitor student beliefs about science-technology-society topics: Likert-type, written paragraph, semistrue tured interview, and empirically developed multiple choice. The study also explored the sources of those beliefs. Grade-12 students in a Canadian urban setting responded, in each of the four modes, to statements from Views on Science-Technology-Society. It was discovered that TV had far more influence on what students believed about science and its social, technological context than did numerous science courses. The challenge to science educators is to use the media effectively in combating naive views about science. Regarding ambiguity in student assessment, the Likert-type responses were the most inaccurate, offering only a guess at student beliefs. Such guesswork calls into question the use of Likert-type standardized tests that claim to assess student views about science. Student paragraph responses contained significant ambiguities in about 50% of the cases. The empirically developed multiple choices, however, reduced the ambiguity to the 20% level. Predictably, the semistructured interview was the least ambiguous of all four response modes, but it required the most time to administer. These findings encourage researchers to develop instruments grounded in the empirical data of student viewpoints, rather than relying solely on instruments structured by the philosophical stances of science educators.

An analysis of four ways of assessing student beliefs about sts topics

The purpose of this study was to investigate 8th graders with different learning styles their motivation outcomes after implementing 10 weeks (40 hours) inquiry-based teaching. Two hundreds and fifty four 8th graders were involved in experimental group, this group of students experienced inquiry instruction. Two hundreds and thirty two 8th graders were involved in control group, they were taught by traditional science teaching. Students' motivation toward science learning questionnaire (SMTSL) (Tuan, Chin & Shieh, 2005) were implemented in both groups in the beginning and at the end of the study. Students in the experimental group filled out learning preference questionnaire (Lumsdaine & Lumsdaine, 1995) in the beginning of the study. Forty students which represent different learning styles were chosen from five experimental classes to conduct post-test interview. Paired t-test, MANOVA, analytic inductive methods were used for analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data. Findings indicated that after inquiry instruction students' motivation increased significantly (p<.001) than students who enrolled in traditional teaching. Four different learning styles of students increased significantly (p<.005) in SMTSL scales: self-efficacy, active learning strategies, science learning value, performance goal and achievement goal. No significant difference was found among four learning styles of students' motivation after inquiry teaching. Interview data supported that most of students with different learning styles were willing to participate in the inquiry learning activities, while they hold different reasons for their engagement. Findings confirm inquiry-based science teaching can motivate students with different learning styles in science learning.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Inquiry Instruction on the Motivation of Different Learning Styles Students.

Although elementary school teachers have been encouraged for some time to use trade books as part of the science curriculum, little is known about the factors, including genre and teachers' assumptions, that influence decisions about the books they choose to use. This descriptive study was designed to explore some of these issues. Drawing from resources offering suggestions about books for science instruction, our observations of trade books commonly used in elementary science, and our own selections of appropriate books, we compiled two text sets, analyzing them for genre, length, content complexity, and visual features. We asked a small group of elementary school teachers to select from each set of science books those they felt would enhance their curriculum on two science topics. We also asked for their reasons for their selections. Findings revealed that teachers considered content, visual features, readability, and developmental appropriateness, as well as potential uses for the books that they selected. Teachers' stated reasons for selections, few specifically focused on genre, revealed underlying assumptions that science is boring, that stories and dual purpose texts will add feeling to science, and that information books are too difficult to read aloud. In light of these findings, we contemplate the role of text in elementary science instruction, including its place in supporting teachers with the nature, or enterprise, of science, as well as assisting teachers in moving toward orientations that support a fuller range of scientific genres in their classrooms.



Si bien los docentes de escuela primaria han sido alentados a utilizar libros de circulacion general como parte del curriculo de ciencia, se conoce poco acerca de los factores, incluyendo el estilo y los presupuestos de los docentes, que influencian las decisiones acerca de los libros que eligen. Este estudio descriptivo fue disenado para explorar algunos de estos temas. A partir de fuentes que ofrecen sugerencias sobre libros de ensenanza de la ciencia, de nuestras observaciones de los libros de circulacion general usados comunmente en ciencia elemental y de nuestras propias selecciones de libros apropiados, compilamos dos conjuntos de textos y los analizamos tomando en cuenta el estilo, la longitud, la complejidad de los contenidos y los aspectos visuales. Solicitamos a un grupo pequeno de docentes primarios que seleccionara de cada conjunto de libros de ciencia aquellos que pensaban podrian mejorar el curriculo en dos topicos cientificos. Tambien les pedimos las razones de sus elecciones. Los resultados revelaron que los docentes consideraron el contenido, los aspectos visuales, la legibilidad y la adecuacion evolutiva, asi como los usos potenciales de los libros seleccionados. Las razones de la seleccion formuladas por los docentes, pocas centradas especificamente en el estilo, revelaron presupuestos subyacentes acerca de que la ciencia es aburrida, de que las historias y los textos con doble proposito agregarian sentimiento a la ciencia y de que los libros informativos son muy dificiles de leer en voz alta. A la luz de estos resultados, contemplamos el rol del texto en la ensenanza de la ciencia en la escuela primaria, incluyendo su importancia para acercar a los docentes a la naturaleza del emprendimiento cientifico, asi como para acompanar al docente hacia posturas que comprendan un rango mas amplio de estilos cientificos en las aulas.



Obwohl Grundschullehrer seit geraumer Zeit ermutigt wurden, im Handel befindliche Bucher als Teil des naturwissenschaftlichen Lehrplanes zu nutzen, ist wenig uber die Faktoren bekannt, einschlieslich des Genre und der Lehrererwartungen, welche die Entscheidungen uber die Bucher, die sie zum Gebrauch auswahlen, beeinflussen. Die hier beschriebene Studie wurde entworfen, um einige dieser Fragen zu untersuchen. Ableitend aus Quellen, die Vorschlage uber Bucher fur den naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht anbieten, unseren Beobachtungen der im Fachhandel befindlichen allgemein in Naturwissenschaften der Grundschulen benutzten Bucher, und unserer eigenen Auswahl an zwechmasigen Buchern, stellten wir zwei Satze an Texten zusammen und analysierten diese nach Genre, Lange, Inhaltskomplexitat und visuellen Ausstattungen. Wir baten eine kleine Gruppe von Grundschullehrern aus jedem Satz an naturwissenschaftlichen Buchern jene auszuwahlen, von denen sie glaubten, das diese ihren Lehrplan auf zwei naturwissenschaftlichen Gebieten bereichern wurden. Wir befragten sie ebenfalls uber ihre Grunde zu ihrer Auswahl. Die Befunde offenbarten, das die Lehrer Inhalt, visuelle Ausstattung, Lesbarkeit und entwicklungsbezogenen Eignung, sowie potentielle Nutzung fur die Bucher ihrer Wahl erwagten. Die Lehrer gaben die Grunde ihrer Auswahl an, nur wenige blickten besonders aufs Genre, offenbarten untergrundige Vermutungen, das die Wissenschaft langweilig sei, das Erzahlungen und dual-zweckgebundene Texte der Wissenschaft zusatzliches Feeling verleihen wurde, und das Informatikbucher zu schwer zum lauten Lesen seien. Mit Hinblick auf diese Befunde betrachten wir die Rolle des Textes im naturwissenschaftlichen Grundschulunterricht, einschlieslich dessen Platz in der Unterstutzung von Lehrern bei der Art und Weise oder Darlegung von Naturwissenschaft, sowie bei der Assistierung von Lehrern sich hin auf Orientierungen zu bewegen, die einen volleren Bereich an wissenschaftlichen Genres in ihren Klassenraumen aufrechterhalten.



Quoique les professeurs d'ecole aient ete encourages depuis un certain temps a utiliser des manuels du commerce dans le cadre du programme de sciences, on sait peu de choses sur les facteurs, y compris le genre et les presupposes des enseignants influant sur les livres qu'ils choisissent d'utiliser. On a effectue cette etude descriptive pour explorer quelques unes de ces questions. Partant de sources presentant des suggestions sur les livres destines a l'enseignement des sciences, de nos observations sur les livres du commerce couramment utilises dans les sciences a l'ecole, et de notre propre selection de livres adequats, nous avons constitue deux ensembles de textes et les avons analyses du point de vue du genre, de la longueur, de la complexite du contenu, et de l'apparence visuelle. Nous avons demande a un petit groupe d'enseignants du primaire de choisir dans chaque ensemble de livres de science ceux qu'ils pensaient susceptibles d'ameliorer leur programme pour deux themes definis. Nous leur avons aussi demande d'indiquer les raisons de leurs choix. Les resultats montrent que les enseignants prennent en consideration le contenu, les caracteristiques visuelles, la lisibilite, l'adequation au niveau de developpement des eleves, tout autant que les utilisations possibles des livres qu'ils selectionnent. Les raisons que les enseignants donnent de leurs choix, dont peu concernant specifiquement le genre, font apparaitre des positions sous-jacentes selon lesquelles la science est ennuyeuse, que des histoires et des textes a double but apportent de l'affectivite a la science, et que les livres informatifs sont trop difficiles pour etre lus a voix haute. A la lumiere de ces resultats, nous nous interrogeons sur le role des textes dans la didactique des sciences a l'ecole primaire, notamment l'aide qu'ils apportent aux enseignants, compte tenu de la nature ou de la demarche de la science, ainsi que l'adoption d'orientations favorables a une plus grande variete de genres scientifiques dans leur classe.

Genre and Other Factors Influencing Teachers' Book Selections for Science Instruction

Using Trade Books in Teaching Elementary Science: Facts and Fallacies.

Instructional units integrate all areas of the curriculum and serve as models to educators at all levels. Adopted as a supplementary text in schools of education nationwide, this resource features more than 30 outstanding children's fiction books that are rich in scientific concepts yet equally well known for their strong story lines and universal appeal. Activities can be used with appropriate titles for higher grades. Grades K-3.

Science Through Children's Literature: An Integrated Approach

More Science through Children's Literature: An Integrated Approach

Science education researchers have always sought to improve the quality of our nation's schools. One way of doing this is to make research findings on the teaching of science available to teachers. Perhaps an even more effective way is to plan research studies with teachers' interests in mind. The purpose of this study was to determine the science education research interests of elementary teachers and to examine the data according to certain demographic variables. The sample consisted of 553 elementary teachers in 98 schools from across the nation. The survey instrument contained 28 items, 16 of which were included on a survey instrument prepared by White et al. The data collected using the Likert-type questionnaire were dichotomized as “1” important and “O” not important and were analyzed using the Cochran Test and the McNemar Test for post hoc comparisons. Results of the study indicate that the top five research interests of teachers in the order of preference are: hands-on experiences, science content of the curriculum, cognitive development and learning styles, problem solving, and teaching strategies. The area of lowest interest was research on sex differences.



Results of the survey have several important implications for science education. First, they can be used to help science educators plan research that may be of interest to elementary teachers. Second, they can be used by groups such as NSTA who publish research reviews, and by colleges and universities that prepare elementary teachers, as a guide to not only what is of interest to elementary teachers, but to identify those areas of research for which dissemination has been lacking.

Science education research interests of elementary teachers

Facts from Fiction.

In the past few years, science educators and the nation at large have become increasingly concerned about the “Crisis in Science Education.” An underlying cause of this crisis is the nonuniform quality of instruction delivered by secondary science teachers. One way to improve the quality of teaching in the schools is the application of science education research findings to teaching. Most teachers are unaware of the research findings and/or do not apply them in their classrooms. This study helps determine the areas of research which are of greatest interest to secondary science teachers. Results will be used by NSTA to determine the contents of future volumes of the monograph What Research Says to the Science Teacher. A random sample of 600 secondary science teachers was obtained from the National Registry of NSTA. Teachers were sent a 23 item questionnaire that asked them to rate their interest in each research topic on a five point scale. The questionnaire contained the 12 items prepared by a NARST-NSTA committee in 1979 and an additional 11 items using the same format. Demographic data collected from the survey included sex, teaching assignment, role in school, type of school, type of community, years of teaching experience, and familiarity with What Research Says. … Data were analyzed using this demographic data as well as according to whether teachers returned the original or a follow-up questionnaire. Teachers who returned the first questionnaire had basically the same preferences as those who returned the follow-up questionnaire. Sixty percent of the teachers completed the questionnaire in usable form. Overall results of the study based on both frequency of response and on mean rating indicate that the following five topics are of greatest interest to secondary science teachers: laboratory experiences, motivational techniques, effect on college courses, problem solving, and meaningful learning. Analysis of data according to the subject taught indicated that chemistry and physics teachers are more interested in problem solving than biology teachers, and that chemistry, physics, and earth science teachers are also interested in the sequence of the content. Males and females had the same top five interests but in a different order. The same is true for teachers of grades 7–9 versus grades 10–12. Rural teachers preferences varied substantially from those in other settings and differences were also found for teachers familiar with What Research Says … compared to the rest of the sample. For every classification of teacher, the area of least interest was sex difference research.

John W. Butzow

Papers

Science Through Children's Literature: An Integrated Approach

More Science through Children's Literature: An Integrated Approach

Science education research interests of elementary teachers

Facts from Fiction.

Research interests of secondary science teachers