Education Commons^™

Integrating Mathematical Modeling For Undergraduate Pre-Service Science Education Learning And Instruction In The Middle School Classroom, William H. Robertson, David Carrejo

William H. Robertson

El Paso is a bicultural, bilingual community with a 76.6% Hispanic population. Combining El Paso’s population with that of its sister city, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, our community is the largest metropolitan area on any international border in the world. Students at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) are mostly female, and 50% of the total student population is made up of first-generation college students. These demographics are accompanied by low socioeconomic and educational factors: 23.6% of local families live below the poverty level, compared to 12.5% nationally; 32.9% of 25-year-olds have not graduated from high school; 19% of …

Accuracy Of The Teacherinsight Online Perceiver Tool In Determining The Effectiveness Of High Rated And Low Rated Math And Science New Hire Teachers Following One Year And Three Years Of Single School District Employment, Nicole A. Regan

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to explore the accuracy of the TeacherInsight online perceiver tool (Gallup University, 2007) in determining the effectiveness of high rated (n =14) and low rated ( n =36) math and science new hire teachers summative appraisal ratings, completed graduate coursework, and retention status following one year and three years of single school district employment.

Effective Science Teachers’ Professional Development: A Multiple-Case Study Of District-Level Science Supervisors’ Perspectives, Chris J. Schaben

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

At its heart, science teachers’ professional development is about continual growth and improvement (Yager, 2005). Conducting research to understand what constitutes effective professional development is inherently complex (Hewson, 2007). The imperative to link research on professional development to student achievement (Fishman, Marx, Best, & Tal, 2003) increases complexity of research on the topic. These complexities require multiple research approaches and indicate that all stakeholders could provide insights to identify what constitutes effective professional development. District-level science supervisors’ voices are missing from the data on effective science teachers’ professional development and this provides a potential gap in the literature (Banilower, Heck, …

An Examination Of Variables Which Influence High School Students To Enroll In An Undergraduate Engineering Or Physical Science Major, Christopher Porter

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the variables which influence a high school student to enroll in an engineering discipline versus a physical science discipline. Data was collected utilizing the High School Activities, Characteristics, and Influences Survey, which was administered to students who were freshmen in an engineering or physical science major at an institution in the Southeastern United States. A total of 413 students participated in the survey.
Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-sample Wilcoxon tests, and binomial logistic regression techniques. A total of 29 variables were deemed significant between the general engineering and physical …

Scielo, Scientific Electronic Library Online, A Database Of Open Access Journals, Rogerio Meneghini

Higher Learning Research Communications

This essay discusses SciELO, a scientific journal database operating in 14 countries. It covers over 1000 journals providing open access to full text and table sets of scientometrics data. In Brazil it is responsible for a collection of nearly 300 journals, selected along 15 years as the best Brazilian periodicals in natural and social sciences. Nonetheless, they still are national journal in the sense that over 80% of the articles are published by Brazilian scientists. Important initiatives focused on professionalization and internationalization are considered to bring these journals to a higher level of quality and visibility.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v3i3.153

Excellent Adventures In Global Collaboration, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee, Aracelys Rios

Publications & Research

No abstract provided.

A Closer Look At Trees, Mattina Van Coppenolle

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will investigate living trees in order to answer the essential question of “What is a Tree?” By using some materials in the Trees FOSS Kit and classroom mini-field trips, students will experience how trees and leaves have identifiable structures such as particular shapes, colors, or textures. Through these outside investigations students will understand that there are different types of trees (e.g. evergreens, deciduous, old trees, young trees, oak, red oak, maple, pine, fruit trees). Likewise, trees are identifiable by physical characteristics such as the type of leaves and bark, product of the tree (acorns, apples, etc) …

Matter Matters, Natalie Pierce, Jamie Boelens, Catherine Brackett

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Students will understand that:

1. All matter can be classified by its observable, physical properties.

2. Matter can be measured and changed by energy (ex: heat, light, sound).

3. When materials are put together, they can do things that they cannot do by themselves.

Students will know:

1. The difference among a solid, liquid, and a gas.

2. The concepts of heating, cooling, cutting, melting, folding, and sanding.

3. Energy is power- the ability to do work or make changes.

Genetics, Adaptations, Biomes, Theodore Risinger, Stephanie Greathouse

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit covers basic Genetics (Punnett Squares and terminology), the role it plays in adaptations and how it affects Natural Selection and Selective Breeding. This unit will also tie in the environment (Biomes) and how it plays a major role in determining the physical and behavioral characteristics of plants and animals.Interconnection of these “big ideas” will facilitate better overall understanding of how time and changes in the environment will affect all living organisms.

Animal Interdependence, Christy Custer

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit is meant to be taught after second graders have learned about plants and the basic needs of plants. In this unit students will explore how plants and animals rely on each other for survival. Through concrete, hands-on, and multimedia activities, students learn about food chains, basic needs, and what is required for survival in different habitats. As a culminating activity students will choose a habitat and a natural or man-made event that occurs in that habitat. Students will then draw a picture showing what the habitat looks like before the event and make predictions about how the habitat …

Genetics: Heredity And Adaptations, Alexander Serna-Wallender

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

By the end of this unit students will able to distinguish the difference between offspring from asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction. Students will be able to describe how traits are passed from parent to offspring and the role that DNA and chromosomes play in the passage of inherited traits. This unit will also lead students to predict genetic outcomes using Punnett Squares. Using their knowledge of heredity students will then be engaged in exploring how the passage of genetic traits can change over time based on an organism’s environment, through natural selection. Students will also be able compare the difference …

Animal Habitats, Beth Morrow, Anne Peppers

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline “Child recognizes, observes, and discusses the relationship of organisms to their environments” (SCVIB3). At the conclusion of this unit, students will know that animals and humans depend on plants and vocabulary related to animal habitats (ie: nest, cave). They will be able to investigate organisms in their natural environments and describe and explain animal behaviors.

Nutrition And Exercise, Beth Morrow, Anne Peppers

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit addresses the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline “Child identifies good habits of nutrition and exercise.” By the end of the unit, students will know that:

- exercise is necessary to stay healthy

- how the body is affected by eating healthy vs. unhealthy foodsand will be able to:

- identify healthy and unhealthy foods;

- sort ‘go,’ ‘slow,’ and ‘whoa’ foods; and

- demonstrate and discuss the need for exercise and rest to stay healthy.

Energy: Electricity, Heat, And Light, Beth Morrow, Anne Peppers

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit is based on the Pre-Kindergarten Science Guideline “Students will investigate and describe sources of energy, including heat, light, and electricity.” By the end of the unit, students will know that energy comes in the forms of electricity, heat, and light and be able to identify sources of energy and safely use electricity.

Changes In The Earth And Sky: Shadows, Day, And Night [Pre-Kindergarten], Beth Morrow, Anne Peppers

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit is based on the Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guideline, “Child identifies, observes, and discusses objects in the sky.” At the conclusion of this unit, students will know that natural changes occur in the sky, that changes in the sky affect objects on the ground, and differences between the day and night skies and be able to observe and discuss characteristics of clouds and make representations, ask questions and/or make comments about the sun, stars, and moon, and investigate what happens to things exposed to the sun.

Changing Perceptions Of Science In Undergraduate Students: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Cindy S. Larson-Miller

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this bounded single-case study was to explore the understanding of the nature and process of science for undergraduate students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The study investigated one professor’s methodology to explicitly teach undergraduate students about the nature and process of science, and documented their understanding and perception of science, both pre- and post-course.

Using a mixed method approach, data were collected to provide a better understanding of teaching the nature and process of science. Three main types of data were analyzed: the process of science (TPOS) assessment; survey questions, and the module curriculum.

Participating students …

The Relationship Between Inquiry-Based Science Instruction And Student Achievement, Michael Louis Suarez

Dissertations

Teaching science through inquiry has become a focus of recent educational reform in Mississippi and other states. Based on the Constructivist learning theory, inquiry instruction can take many forms, but generally follows the scientific method by requiring students to learn concepts through experimentation and real-world, hands-on experiences.

This dissertation examines the relationship between the amounts of time spent using inquiry-based science instruction and student achievement as measured by the Mississippi State Science Assessment. The study also identifies teacher perceptions of inquiry and the amount of professional development received by participants on using inquiry-based instructional techniques. Finally, this study identifies factors …

Extensiveness And Perceptions Of Lecture Demonstrations In The High School Chemistry Classroom, Daniel S. Price

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

While lecture demonstrations have been conducted in chemistry classrooms for hundreds of years, little research exists to document the frequency with which such demonstrations are employed or their effect on learners’ motivation and performance. A mixed-methods research study was performed, using quantitative and qualitative survey data, along with qualitative data from follow-up interviews and structured correspondence, to determine the extent to which lecture demonstrations are used in high school chemistry instruction, and the perceived effects of viewing such demonstrations on students’ performance on course assignments and on motivation to excel in current and future chemistry courses. Fifty-two randomly selected chemistry …

A Long Battle For The Girl Child By Vibhuti Patel, Professor Vibhuti Patel

Professor Vibhuti Patel

The Forum against Sex Determination and Sex Preselection began its campaign in Mumbai against discriminatory abortions of female foetuses in April 1986. In the 25 years since then, laws have been enacted against the practice but female foeticide continues. It is a major challenge to fight the use of pre-selection techniques for sonpreference without jeopardising women’s right to safe abortion.

Hands-On Labs (Hol): Using Technology And Web-Based Resources To Transform A Traditional Lab-Based Biology Course Into A Distance Learning (Dl) Hybrid Course, Across Schools At Pace University., Erica Kipp, Kabba Colley

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Arguing Towards Truth: The Case Of The Periodic Table, Mark Weinstein

Department of Educational Foundations Scholarship and Creative Works

Recently Erik Scerri has published an influential philosophical history of the development of the Periodic Table. Following Scerri's account, I will explore the main thread of the arguments responsible for the remarkable advancement of scientific understanding that the Periodic Table represents. I will argue that the history of disputation at crucial junctures in the debate shows sensitivity to the aspects of truth that are captured by my model of truth in inquiry. The availability of a clear and explicit model of truth in inquiry is of crucial importance as a response to post-modernist and other relativistic accounts of inquiry. It …

Doing Science Their Way, Carol M. Giuriceo

Master's Theses, Dissertations, Graduate Research and Major Papers Overview

From the perspective of social cultural anthropology employing the field research techniques of ethnography this study focuses on the experiences and perspectives of sixth grade girls in a moderately-sized East Coast city as they construct meaning through active engagement i a science classroom. The study analyzes the ways in which girls change roles and incorporate social interaction during science activities to create their own unique engagement in science.

Fluoridation In Victoria: The Authority Of Science, Public Health Policy, And Culture, Jacob Pearce

Dr Jacob Pearce

No abstract provided.

Dissect: A Framework For Effective Inclusive Instruction In Science, Jenny Sue Flannagan, Lucinda S. Spaulding

Lucinda S. Spaulding

In this presentation we present a framework for effective inclusive education in science.

The Nucleus 2010-2011, Rosalie A. Richards

Science Education Center

No abstract provided.

According To Secondary Female Science Students, What Creates An Engaging And Interesting Science Class, Colleen Victoria Quinn Schroeder

Theses and Graduate Projects

In gender comparisons, females are still under-represented in the professional scientific world. Understanding how to engage females in the field of science during their secondary school careers could help reverse this phenomenon. The participants in this study were all 11th grade female students enrolled in some science class at the time. Through direct conversations in focus groups the results show that to actively engage females in science, they need to have fun, be taught by knowledgeable teachers, participate in hands-on activities and have challenging classes.

Impact Of Science And Engineering Graduates On Key Economic Indicators, Nathaniel V. Robinson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

There are clear trends in the USA with regard to a stagnant growth in science and engineering, particularly engineering, and in greater contrast when considered per capita. Meanwhile certain Asian counties, such as China and Taiwan, have experienced growth in science and engineering graduates beyond mere population growth. This has caught the eye of alarmists and so discussions have ensued over offshoring, national security, economic loss and future impact in the United States. Alarmists and proponents of policies promoting more science, engineering and math have pointed out the trends in overseas growth and US offshoring with a flurry of statistics …

On The Theory Of Evolution Versus The Concept Of Evolution: Three Observations, Guillermo Paz-Y-Miño C, Avelina Espinosa

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Here we address three misconceptions stated by Rice et al. in their observations of our article Paz-y-Miño and Espinosa (Evo Edu Outreach 2:655–675, 2009), published in this journal. The five authors titled their note “The Theory of Evolution is Not an Explanation for the Origin of Life.” First, we argue that it is fallacious to believe that because the formulation of the theory of evolution, as conceived in the 1800s, did not include an explanation for the origin of life, nor of the universe, the concept of evolution would not allow us to hypothesize the possible beginnings of …

Scientific Inquiry In The Genetics Laboratory: Biologists And University Science Teacher Educators Collaborating To Increase Engagements In Science Processes., Todd Campbell, P. G. Wolf, J. P. Der, E. Packenham, N. Abd-Hamid

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Teaching English Language Learners In Mainstream Science Classrooms: Teacher Practice And Educational Opportunity, Carlotta Dorothy Schroeder

Wayne State University Dissertations

Equal educational opportunity for English language learners (ELLs) has been a goal of the public educational system in the United States. Language policy reforms have increasedaccountability in order for schools to improve student achievement and measure the progress of ELLs. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires assessment and accountability. In this study, the number of ELLs has increased significantly at the high school level and school district as a whole.

Along with the changing demographics, the findings reveal a district-wide policy of equalizing educational opportunity through equal treatment. Language policies provide critical decisions about how to measure what …