Julia Schiefer

Bio: Julia Schiefer is an academic researcher from University of Tübingen. The author has contributed to research in topics: Science education & Competence (human resources). The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 9 publications receiving 48 citations.

Effects of an extracurricular science intervention on elementary school children's epistemic beliefs: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract: Background Further developing students' thinking about knowledge and knowing in science (epistemic beliefs) is considered a normative goal of science education in many countries around the world, even for elementary-school-aged children. Aims The goal of the present study was to introduce and evaluate a new intervention in science education aimed at developing children's epistemic beliefs, epistemic curiosity, and investigative interests. The intervention included an inquiry-based learning approach as well as reflections on epistemic issues because these methods are currently seen as most promising for fostering students' epistemic beliefs. Sample Data were collected from 65 elementary school children in Grades 3 and 4 (58.46% boys, age: M = 8.73, SD = 0.60) who participated in a voluntary extracurricular STEM enrichment programme in south-west Germany. Methods We investigated the effectiveness of the intervention by applying a randomized block design with a treated control group and repeated measures. The effectiveness of the intervention was analysed via multiple linear regression analyses. Results The results indicated that the children assigned to the intervention developed more sophisticated epistemic beliefs and a higher level of epistemic curiosity than the children assigned to the control condition. No intervention effects were found on investigative interests. Conclusions The results provide initial evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention and demonstrate that it is possible to improve epistemic beliefs among elementary school children in Grades 3 and 4. The study provides a starting point for understanding how young children develop epistemic beliefs.

Scientific Reasoning in Elementary School Children: Assessment of the Inquiry Cycle:

Abstract: Scientific reasoning abilities are already developing in elementary-school-aged children and enable them to understand the world around them. The goal of the current study was to develop a new inst...

Epistemic Beliefs in Science—A Systematic Integration of Evidence From Multiple Studies

Abstract: Abstract Recent research has integrated developmental and dimensional perspectives on epistemic beliefs by implementing an approach in which profiles of learners’ epistemic beliefs are modeled across multiple dimensions. Variability in study characteristics has impeded the comparison of profiles of epistemic beliefs and their relations with external variables across studies. We examined this comparability by integrating data on epistemic beliefs about the source, certainty, development, and justification of knowledge in science from six studies comprising N = 10,932 German students from elementary to upper secondary school. Applying latent profile analyses to these data, we found that profiles of epistemic beliefs that were previously conceptualized were robust across multiple samples. We found indications that profiles of epistemic beliefs homogenize over the course of students’ education, are related to school tracking, and demonstrate robust relations with students’ personal characteristics and socioeconomic background. We discuss implications for the theory, assessment, and education of epistemic beliefs.

Fostering pre-service teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): A quasi-experimental field study

Abstract: Against the backdrop of preparing students for a digitalized future, supporting pre-service teachers' development of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) has become paramount in pre-service teacher education. Whether and how pre-service teachers' acquisition of TPACK could be supported is still an open question, as previous research predominantly relied on correlational data and/or self-report assessments. Based on previous research, we developed subject-specific versions of a TPACK-module to support the acquisition of TPACK. Further purpose of the TPACK-module was to enhance technology-related motivation, as motivational orientations have been documented to be crucial for technology integration. We evaluated the effectiveness of the module by means of a quasi-experimental field study. Pre-service teachers (N = 208), enrolled in five subjects, attended regular semester courses on subject-matter pedagogies. In half of the courses, we randomly implemented subject-specific TPACK-modules (duration: three weeks), in which pre-service teachers were taught in using technology for subject-matter teaching, whereas the control condition attended the regular courses without the TPACK-module. We found that pre-service teachers in the courses with the TPACK-modules acquired more TPACK than those in the control courses without the TPACK-modules. Significant effects were also obtained for pre-service teachers' technology-related self-efficacy and their perceived support for technology integration. The effectiveness of the TPACK-modules could be explained by the obtained support for technology integration. The findings highlight the central need of adequate support for pre-service teachers’ development of technology-related professional knowledge and motivation in teacher education programs.

Effects of an extracurricular science intervention on elementary school children's epistemic beliefs: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract: Background Further developing students' thinking about knowledge and knowing in science (epistemic beliefs) is considered a normative goal of science education in many countries around the world, even for elementary-school-aged children. Aims The goal of the present study was to introduce and evaluate a new intervention in science education aimed at developing children's epistemic beliefs, epistemic curiosity, and investigative interests. The intervention included an inquiry-based learning approach as well as reflections on epistemic issues because these methods are currently seen as most promising for fostering students' epistemic beliefs. Sample Data were collected from 65 elementary school children in Grades 3 and 4 (58.46% boys, age: M = 8.73, SD = 0.60) who participated in a voluntary extracurricular STEM enrichment programme in south-west Germany. Methods We investigated the effectiveness of the intervention by applying a randomized block design with a treated control group and repeated measures. The effectiveness of the intervention was analysed via multiple linear regression analyses. Results The results indicated that the children assigned to the intervention developed more sophisticated epistemic beliefs and a higher level of epistemic curiosity than the children assigned to the control condition. No intervention effects were found on investigative interests. Conclusions The results provide initial evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention and demonstrate that it is possible to improve epistemic beliefs among elementary school children in Grades 3 and 4. The study provides a starting point for understanding how young children develop epistemic beliefs.

Inquiry‐based learning and retrospective action: Problematizing student work in a computer‐supported learning environment

Abstract: We examined student performance in a computer-supported learning environment after students undertook, among others, a graphing task within an inquiry context. Students were assigned in two conditions: (a) Students were given one variable, and they had to select the second one to construct their graph; (b) students were given four variables, and they had to select two to construct their graph. Both conditions problematized student work by triggering retrospective action, where students returned to previous stages of the learning activity sequence. Retrospective action correlated positively to knowledge gains in Condition 2, where students were more likely to revisit earlier stages of their inquiry. Time-on-task, when students passed through learning tasks for the first time, correlated negatively with retrospective action (second pass), which indicated that there was a minimum amount of time needed to effectively execute tasks. Trade-offs between time-on-task (first pass) and retrospective action demarcate a novel field of research.

Supporting curiosity in schools and classrooms

Abstract: Curiosity is associated with increased learning, and developing curious individuals is an educational goal in its own right. This review uses Bioecological Systems Theory to examine how students’ curiosity can be supported in educational contexts. Understanding the nature of curiosity as a biopsychosocial characteristic that can change over time and its relation to other characteristics such as knowledge and epistemic beliefs provides insight into why some students may be more curious than others, or more curious in certain subject areas than others. Scaffolding uncertainty and other practices that instigate curiosity are an important means of increasing curiosity for learning. Overall, the development of students’ curiosity should account for the complex, nested structure of learning environments, including the culture of high-stakes testing.

A Prototype Public Speaking Skills Assessment: An Evaluation of Human-Scoring Quality. Research Report. ETS RR-15-36.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to summarize the evaluation of human-scoring quality for an assessment of public speaking skills. Videotaped performances given by 17 speakers on 4 tasks were scored by expert and nonexpert raters who had extensive experience scoring performance-based and constructed-response assessments. The Public Speaking Competence Rubric was used to score the speeches. Across all of the dimensions of presentation competence, interrater reliability between expert and nonexpert raters ranged between .23 and .71. The dimensions of public speaking competence associated with the lowest interrater reliability were effectual persuasion and word choice (.41 and .23, respectively). Even expert raters, individuals with a background in teaching and evaluating oral communication, had difficulty agreeing with one another on those dimensions. Low-inference dimensions such as visual aids and vocal expression were associated with much higher levels of interrater reliability, .65 and .75, respectively. The holistic score was associated with an interrater reliability of .63. These results point to the need for a significant investment in task, rubric, and training development for the public speaking competence assessment before it can be used for large-scale assessment purposes.