Education Commons^™

Development And Validation Of The Statistics Assessment Of Graduate Students, Dammika Lakmal Walpitage

Doctoral Dissertations

This study developed the Statistics Assessment of Graduate Students (SAGS) instrument, and established its preliminary item characteristics, reliability, and validity evidence. Even though there are limited number of assessments available for measuring different aspects of statistical cognition, these previously available assessments have numerous limitations. The SAGS instrument was developed using Rasch modeling approach to create a new measure of statistical research methodology knowledge of graduate students in education and other behavioral and social sciences. Thirty-five multiple-choice questions were written with stems representing applied research situations and response options distinguishing between appropriate use of various statistical tests or procedures. A focus …

A Criteria-Based Evaluation Of Environmental Literacy Plans In The United States, Karena Ruggiero

Doctoral Dissertations

In response to the lack of formalized environmental education in the United States, 48 states are in the process of developing Environmental Literacy Plans (ELP) through their state environmental education organization (SEEO). The North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) produced guidelines intended to inform the states writing and development of their ELP. These guidelines provide a framework for the integration of environmental education into current state curricula, propose graduation requirements for environmental literacy, suggest steps for teacher professional development, detail assessment strategies and propose funding sources and policy action steps. Due to large variations in educational systems, policies, and …

Out Of School Time Science Programs: Examining A Program’S Impacts On The Science Identities Of Middle School Female Participants, Elizabeth Ripley Mactavish

Doctoral Dissertations

Science education reform efforts emphasize teaching science for all Americans, and identify scientific literacy as the principle goal of science education (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1993; National Research Council [NRC], 1996). Despite the goal of scientific literacy, some students, especially females and minorities, consider science irrelevant to their personal interests or career goals. Additionally, research pinpoints middle school as a period when female students begin to lose interest in science (Farenga, 1999; Hill et al., 2010).

Decades of research have documented the gender achievement gap, yet little research has been focused on the science identity gap …

The Impacts Of Curriculum Reform For An Introductory Undergraduate Biology Course Sequence, Anna Jo Juanita Auerbach

Doctoral Dissertations

For decades, educators and policy makers have called for reform in undergraduate biology education to produce a workforce capable of navigating the challenges of society today (NSB, 1986). The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) outlined recommendations to enact these changes in the Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education final report (AAAS, 2011). These recommendations included restructuring curricula to focus on core biological concepts and competencies, implemented via student-centered practices, with a campus-wide commitment to change, and involving the entire biology community in the reform. The University of Tennessee, Division of Biology, implemented curriculum changes to their …