Education Commons^™

Reformed-Based Approaches To The Teaching And Learning Of Science, Sahar Vali

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This qualitative practice-based study explores the efficacy of reformed-based science teaching approaches in fostering meaningful student engagement within elementary science classrooms, framed within the science-as-practice paradigm. Utilizing three theoretical frameworks, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Ambitious Science Teaching (AST), and the Teacher Noticing, this research investigates how these frameworks influence student engagement in scientific disciplinary practices. The study draws on data from an NSF-funded project on teacher noticing in fifth-grade classrooms in West Virginia. Through a practice-based research approach, the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical practices and student engagement in science and engineering practices as outlined by NGSS and …

Elementary Science Teachers Perceived Self-Efficacy: A Correlational Study Between Teachers With Content And Non-Content Major Degrees In New Jersey, Tiffany R. Baskerville

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This predictive, correlational study examines the relationship between undergraduate degree type, methods courses taken in undergraduate school, and the number of years teaching the same grade level and elementary science teachers’ perceived self-efficacy. In this non-experimental study, participants submitted their online responses to the 25-item survey, Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-A), and their demographic information via Google Forms. The researcher used multiple regression to analyze participants’ anonymous responses. In using a multiple linear regression analysis, the researcher examined the results of the STEBI-A to determine how accurately an elementary science teachers’ perceived self-efficacy is predicted by the predictor variable …

The Effects Of Inquiry-Based Activities On Content Vocabulary Retention In 4th-Grade Science Students, Jillian Burns

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project studied the effects of inquiry-based activities on content vocabulary retention in a fourth-grade science classroom in central Minnesota at a rural elementary school. Content vocabulary words specific to the rocks and minerals unit were introduced to students through the use of four different strategies, Time to Talk, Text Cards, Word Bank, and Graphic Organizers. Students completed various hands-on inquiry-based activities during their science lessons one to two times per week throughout thirteen weeks. The research utilized qualitative and quantitative data collection research methods; findings show that all students can strengthen their content vocabulary knowledge and retention …

An Exploration Of The Use Of Science Specialists And Elementary Students’ Science Achievement, Wesley Roach, Jillian L. Wendt

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the effect of using science specialists in elementary schools on science achievement scores. The sample population consisted of 282 fifth grade students enrolled in Georgia public schools. The data for this study was collected from four public elementary schools’ end-of-year state assessments and analyzed as archival data. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine if there was a difference between science achievement scores in elementary schools that use science specialists compared to those that do not. Results indicate that no statistically significant difference exists between the science achievement scores …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Self-Efficacy To Engage Elementary Students In Learning Science, Stacie I. Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Science teachers in the local area lacked self-efficacy to teach science and were struggling to engage students in science learning, which resulted in student underachievement. Principals reported that teachers’ lack of self-efficacy in teaching science may be limiting students’ goals for scientific careers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of their sense of self-efficacy to teach science and what they thought were the challenges to enhancing student engagement in science. The conceptual framework was Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy, which connects instruction to the confidence teachers possess in the classroom. Data were collected from individual …

Exploring How Children Use Their Everyday Thinking To Construct Scientific Explanations Of The Natural World, Ashley Nicole Kooken

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to describe and explain children’s thinking present in multiple related contexts surrounding a single Earth Space disciplinary core idea in order to provide insight on whether and how children’s everyday thinking forms the basis for learning in science classrooms. As most previous work on children’s thinking focuses more on what ideas and thinking are present within specific science learning contexts, there is a knowledge gap as to how children’s everyday ideas across multiple contexts provide the basis from which they construct a deeper conceptual understanding about scientific phenomenon in the world …

Science In The Elementary Classroom, Melissa Birkey

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The elementary school day is filled with many different aspects of learning. Math and reading have been the emphasis of teaching over the last decade. Science is a part of students learning that needs to find its way into the elementary school day. This literature review compares different curriculum that is used to teach science in the elementary classroom as well as discusses an effective use of time to implement science into the daily schedule. When considering when and how to teach science, some teachers incorporate into other curricular areas as others find its own time during the day. Multiple …

Teaching Science In Rural Elementary Schools: Affordances And Constraints In The Age Of Ngss, Doron Zinger, Judith Haymore Sandholtz, Cathy Ringstaff

The Rural Educator

Providing science instruction is an ongoing priority and challenge in elementary grades, especially in high-need rural schools. Nonetheless, few studies have investigated the factors that facilitate or limit teachers’ science instruction in these settings, particularly since the introduction of the Next Generation Science Standards. In this study we investigated affordances and constraints to elementary science instruction in high-need rural schools. Data sources included semi-structured interviews and survey responses from 49 teachers from 30 different rural schools. Through a primarily qualitative analysis, we identified four teacher reported categories of affordances and four categories of constraints to teaching science. One category of …

Ell's Science Meaning Making In Multimodal Inquiry: A Case-Study In A Hong Kong Bilingual School, Melanie Williams, Kok-Sing Tang, Mihye Won

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper reports on a multimodal teaching approach delivered to grade 5 elementary students in a bilingual school in Hong Kong, as part of a larger research study aimed at supporting English Language Learners (ELLs) in science class. As language demands of reading, writing and talking science place additional challenges on ELLs, there is much research interest in exploring the use of multiple modes of communication beyond the dominant use of verbal and written language. Research has shown that students develop a better scientific understanding of natural phenomena by using and alternating between a variety of representations. Yet, questions remain …

Investigating The Improvement In Science Achievement Among Fifth Grade Science Students When Using The Instructional Design Model, Kisha J. Jarrett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if the Instructional Design Model will improve science achievement. The study addressed the problem of low science achievement among 93 Grade 5 students. The theoretical framework that was applied to this study was developed by Ralph Tyler in 1949. The researcher believed that Tyler’s four-process curriculum planning approach guided teachers to look differently at teaching and learning. This model assisted teachers in developing lessons that used the Instructional Design Model and produced objectives that reflect their classroom goals, impacted curriculum, and increased the understanding of science concepts. The school administered a multiple …

Engagement In Science Instruction In A First-Grade Classroom, Corinne Pretiger

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

Too often, science is pushed toward the bottom of the priority list when it comes to teaching in elementary schools. Focusing on student and teacher perceptions, the researcher of this study wanted to know how this theme or attitude would shift if science became a higher priority in the classroom, for both students and teachers. What do students see as the most important when it comes to engagement and construction of their own learning in science instruction using the Science by Month curriculum? Data was collected for five weeks through student and teacher surveys, interviews, and observations. The constant comparative …

Sources Of Science Teaching Self-Efficacy For Preservice Elementary Teachers In Science Content Courses, Deepika Menon, Troy D. Sadler

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

Self-efficacy beliefs play a major role in determining teachers’ science teaching practices and have been a topic of great interest in the area of preservice science teacher education. This qualitative study investigated factors that influenced preservice elementary teachers’ science teaching self-efficacy beliefs in a physical science content course. The primary data sources included Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-B (STEBI-B) responses, two semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts. Analysis of STEBI-B data was used to select 18 participants with varying levels of self-efficacy beliefs: low, medium, and high. Four categories representing course-related factors contributing towards participants’ science teaching self-efficacy beliefs were …

An Exploration Of Elementary Teachers' Beliefs And Perceptions About Science Inquiry: A Mixed Methods Study, Linda Hamadeh

Dissertations

In order for science-based inquiry instruction to happen on a large scale in elementary classrooms across the country, evidence must be provided that implementing this reform can be realistic and practical, despite the challenges and obstacles teachers may face. This study sought to examine elementary teachers' knowledge and understanding of, attitudes toward, and overall perceptions of inquiry-based science instruction, and how these beliefs influenced their inquiry practice in the classroom. It offered a description and analysis of the approaches elementary science teachers in Islamic schools reported using to promote inquiry within the context of their science classrooms, and addressed the …

Leveling The Playing Field: Teacher Perception Of Integrated Stem, Engineering, And Engineering Practices, Bridgette Fincher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions and approaches of 14 third-through-fifth grade Arkansan elementary teachers towards integrative engineering and engineering practices during 80 hours of integrated STEM professional development training in the summer and fall of 2014. This training was known as Project Flight. The purpose of the professional development was to learn integrated STEM content related to aviation and to write grade level curriculum units using Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design curriculum framework. The current study builds upon on the original research.

Using a mixed method exploratory, embedded QUAL[quan] case study design and a …

Situating Computer Simulation Professional Development: Does It Promote Inquiry-Based Simulation Use?, Amanda L. Gonczi, Jennifer L. Maeng, Randy L. Bell, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

This mixed-methods study sought to identify professional development implementation variables that may influence participant (a) adoption of simulations, and (b) use for inquiry-based science instruction. Two groups (Cohort 1, N = 52; Cohort 2, N = 104) received different professional development. Cohort 1 was focused on Web site use mechanics. Cohort 2 was situated in nature and provided three additional elements: (a) modeling simulation use within inquiry-based instruction; (b) collaboration; and (c) provision of content-relevant lesson planning time. There was no difference in the extent of simulation use between cohorts, χ2(1) = 0.878, p = .349, φ = −0.075. Results …

Exploring The “Mojo” Of Presidential Awards For Excellence In Mathematics And Science Teaching (Paemst) Recipients, James W. O'Malley

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine how extraordinary science teachers develop their teaching mojo. The teachers investigated were recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This investigation focuses specifically on science instruction. The method used for this investigation was individual and group interviews conducted with eight PAEMST recipients. Five themes emerged from these interviews: 1. Science is a natural motivator for learning; 2. Students need to be scientifically literate citizens; 3. A critical “trigger event” propelled each of these teachers towards great science instruction; 4. Each sought out and engaged in …

Fostering Student Sense Making In Elementary Science Learning Environments: Elementary Teachers’ Use Of Science Curriculum Materials To Promote Explanation Construction, Laura Zangori, Cory Forbes, Mandy Biggers

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

While research has shown that elementary (K-5) students are capable of engaging in the scientific practice of explanation construction, commonly-used elementary science curriculum materials may not always afford them opportunities to do so. As a result, elementary teachers must often adapt their science curriculum materials to better support students’ explanation construction and foster student sense making. However, little research has been conducted to explore if and, if so, how and why, elementary teachers modify science curriculum materials to engage students in explanation construction. We use an embedded mixed methods research design to explore elementary teachers’ (n = 45) curricular adaptations …

Changes In Perceived Self-Efficacy And Attitude Toward Science And Teaching Science In Elementary School, Betsy Ann Sullivan

Dissertations

This study was developed in an effort to ascertain if a proposed biological laboratory curriculum as developed and modeled by the instructor would affect the attitudes and perceived self-efficacy towards science, science teaching and ability to learn science of pre-service elementary teachers. Self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies were incorporated as the variation. Attitudinal topics investigated were the perceived ability to learn science and to teach science.

Students in one biology for non-science majors' biology laboratory class at the University of Southern Mississippi participated in this case study. The group participated in the modified laboratory section which utilized SRL activities, including reflections …

Building A Successful Partnership Between A University And Local School Districts., Catherine Tannahill, Jeanelle Day

NERA Conference Proceedings 2010

This paper describes the use of the Collaborative/Cooperative Model of staff development as a means for providing content knowledge and pedagogical skills to middle school teachers. The study involved four sequential one-year projects to increase science (and related mathematics and literacy) content knowledge and skills. The research question addressed: What is the most effective staff development model to provide science (and related mathematics and literacy) content knowledge and skills to middle school teachers? The study involved an intensive two week workshop at the beginning with on-going electronic and formal university based follow-up activities. Using pre-and post testing, participating teachers were …

The Use Of Science Reform Instructional Methods And Their Effect On 3rd Grade Students' Participation And Attitude Towards S, Heather Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine whether the use of science reform instructional methods had an effect on student participation in and attitudes towards science education. The participants in this 12 week study were third grade students. Data were collected using a pre and post attitudinal survey, student journals, a participation log, and a researcher reflection journal. Several conclusions were made. The use of science reform instructional methods did affect student participation and attitudes towards science. Student journals indicated that students enjoyed the use of technology, hands-on science equipment, working in pairs or small groups and the …

A Case Study Of The Effects Of Inquiry Based Professional Development Through The Use Of A Mentor On An Alternatively Certified, Michelle Thrift

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One alternatively certified elementary teacher was the subject of this sixteen week research study on science teaching self-efficacy. The researcher taught inquiry based student level science lessons to the fourth grade teacher. The teacher participant, in turn, taught those same lessons to her class while the researcher observed and took field notes. The participant responded to specific open ended questions in a journal after each science experience and also completed three interviews with the researcher. Each sequential lesson from the researcher was then modified based on participant needs. The participant completed the STEBI (Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument) as a …

The Effects Of The 5e Learning Cycle Model On Students' Understanding Of Force And Motion Concepts, Meghann Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As advocated by the National Research Council [NRC] (1996) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS] (1989), a change in the manner in which science is taught must be recognized at a national level and also embraced at a level that is reflected in every science teacher's classroom. With these ideas set forth as a guide for change,this study investigated the fifth grade students' understanding of force and motion concepts as they engaged in inquiry-based science investigations through the use of the 5E Learning Cycle. The researcher's journey through this process was also a focus of the …