Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Constructivism For Science Teachers, William W. Cobern

Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project

Constructivism is a concept that in recent years has garnered considerable attention among science education researchers. Essentially, it is a model or metaphor of how learning takes place. prominent science educators have called it a most promising model and a theoretical shift that may lead to a coalescing of current thought as well as the simulation of new ideas. I do not believe this is hyperbole. The potential significance of constructivism has already extended beyond research and into the science classroom. References to constructivism appear ever more frequently in the literature, however, often with little or only trivial discussion of …

The Teachers' And Principals' Perceptions Of The Impact Of Operation Physics On The Teaching Of Elementary Science In Michigan Schools, Brenda Prater Earhart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Michigan Operation Physics (MOP) on the teaching and learning of basic physics concepts in the elementary classroom as perceived by both the teachers and principals of those teachers. In addition, the study sought to identify the teachers' and principals' perceptions of the principal's role in promoting science at the elementary level.

The method used for this study was survey research. Questionnaires were mailed to Michigan Operation Physics participants, non- Michigan Operation Physics participants, and the principals of those teachers in southwestern Michigan.

Findings of this study were that teachers' …

Worldview--Reality As Viewed By Students: Additional Methodologies, William W. Cobern

Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project

We are basically asking 1) to what extent people see themselves as a natural part of nature; 2) whether or not people are perceived as being qualitatively different from other aspects of nature; 3) to what extent, if any, control over nature by people is appropriate. The interview description given for the first interview sequence applies here as well.

An interview begins with the grand tour question, "If there is any kind of order in the world, where do people fit in that order?" The informant's response is followed with three elicitation devices.