Education Commons^™

A Mixed-Methods Study Of Entomology Incorporation In U.S. Secondary Science Instruction, Erin M. Ingram

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

To encourage understanding and appreciation of insects, entomology education advocates have supported and encouraged K-12 teachers to integrate insects and insect-related content into formal science instruction. However, research examining how and why science teachers incorporate entomology into secondary science courses is limited.

A sequential explanatory mixed-methods research study was conducted to address this gap. The study was conducted in two phases. During the first phase, quantitative survey research was conducted with a representative sample of 254 U.S. secondary life science teachers. During the subsequent qualitative phase, follow-up interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 18 survey participants and an …

The Impact Of Edwards V. Aguillard On Science Education In Louisiana Public Schools, Abigail Mcdonough

Senior Honors Theses

The landmark Louisiana case Edwards v. Aguillard ushered in a new era of legislation in which certain ideas are discriminated against because of their religious basis. Due to the Court’s misinterpretation of evidence and employment of a faulty test for a secular purpose, the Court is responsible for disastrous and far-reaching implications. This thesis will examine how the 1987 Supreme Court case Aguillard shifted American science education away from the exploration of multiple competing theories of man’s origins in the classroom. Although America was founded on principles such as freedom of religion and thought which should be protected, the Aguillard …

The Role Of Introductory Geoscience Courses In Preparing Teachers—And All Students—For The Future: Are We Making The Grade?, Anne E. Egger

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Introductory geoscience courses enroll hundreds of thousands of students a year, most of whom do not major in the geosciences. For many, including future K–12 teachers, an introductory course is the only place they will encounter Earth science at the college level. New standards for K–12 science education have profound implications for teacher preparation, particularly in Earth science. The new standards call for taking a systems approach, highlighting how humans interact with Earth, making use of science and engineering practices, and engaging students in discourse. Analysis of responses to the National Geoscience Faculty Survey (n = 813 in 2004; …

Beliefs And Practices Of High School Science Teachers On The Integration Of Technology-Based Assessments In The Classroom, Hannah Weis

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

As more schools begin to phase in technology to classrooms, teachers are faced with a new task. Technology-based assessments allow teachers and students to get immediate feedback on the level of understanding of a certain topic. Using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework gives insight to the knowledge base of teachers in various categories. A survey was conducted with Minnesota high school science teachers on their perceptions and practices of implementing technology-based assessments in their classrooms. Data analysis showed a difference between the beliefs and practices of teachers in their use of this type of assessment. Participants described a …

Using Immersive And Modelling Environments To Build Scientific Capacity In Primary Preservice Teacher Education, Reem Mohammed, Shannon Kennedy-Clark, Peter Reimann

Education Papers and Journal Articles

Research has shown that primary school teachers often have a poor background in science and scientific concepts, and as a consequence may feel particularly under-prepared to teach science. This study examines the effect of an intervention that investigated the knowledge and understanding of science concepts for a group of 8 first-year preservice primary teachers. The intervention consisted of engaging the participants using two technology-based resources: Omosa, a 3D game-like virtual learning environment (VLE), and Omosa NetLogo, a simulation/modelling environment. A small-N study design was used in this study to determine whether or not the intervention resulted in improving preservice teachers’ …

"How It Works" After-School Club, Katharina Dvorak

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

This after-school club (intended for grades 3-5) will help students put their science learning in context by discussing how science (biology, chemistry, and physics) is important to our everyday lives.

Supporting Representation-Rich Problem-Solving In High School Physics, Lyrica L. Lucas, Elizabeth B. Lewis

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Findings from physics education research strongly point to the critical need for teachers’ use of multiple representations in their instructional practices such as pictures, diagrams, written explanations, and mathematical expressions to enhance students' problem‐solving ability. In this study, we explored use of problem‐solving tasks for generating multiple representations as a scaffolding strategy in a high school modeling physics class. Through problem‐solving cognitive interviews with students, we investigated how a group of students responded to the tasks and how their use of such strategies affected their problem‐solving performance and use of representations as compared to students who did not receive explicit, …

How Do Teachers Use Comics To Promote Engagement, Equity, And Diversity In Science Classrooms?, Camilla Matuk, Talia Hurwich, Amy Spiegel, Judy Diamond

World of Viruses

Equitable learning opportunities are critical to the goals of science education. However, major curriculum standards are vague on how to achieve equity goals, and educators must often develop their own resources and strategies to achieve equity goals. This study examines how educators used a comic book series designed to interest youth in virology as a way to make science more broadly appealing to their diverse students. We begin with the notion of Pedagogical Design Capacity, which describes a dynamic relationship between teachers and their tools and the ability for teachers to perceive and leverage affordances of artifacts as tools in …