Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Reaching Nevada's Teachers Through Nsf Epscor Climate Change Science Institutes, Aubrey Mae Bonde, Larry Rudd, Paul Buck, Juan Mcalister

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Education Component Goals

• Increase the number and quality of STEM educators and STEM professionals in the region and country
• Develop institutional partnerships that support exemplary practices and policies in STEM education
• Implement inquiry activities focusing on facets of climate change science and promote interest in STEM career pathways and higher education

Integrated Stem Model-Eliciting Activities: Developing 21st Century Thinkers, Micah Stohlmann

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Studies have shown that integrating math and science makes learning more connected and relevant and has a positive impact on student attitudes and interest in school, their motivation to learn, and achievement.

Engineering is becoming more prevalent in K-12 schools and can provide great problem solving opportunities for students to learn about mathematics, science, and technology while working through the engineering design process.

Collaborative K‐12 Outreach: K‐12 Stem And Beyond, Susan Wainscott, Fred Rauber, Xan Goodman, Samantha Godbey

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

Libraries' Rebel STEM Objectives

• Build personal connections with students and teachers
• Galvanize students’ interest in STEM
• Teach information literacy skills

Facilitating Inquiry-Based Science Learning Online In A Virtual University, Rosalind Kam, Bernard (None) Hoop Jr.

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

The authors reviewed their approaches to facilitating inquiry-based science courses from 2005 through 2010 in a fully online master's degree program at Walden University designed to help teachers bring inquiry-based science to their students. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate their interaction-engagement approach in facilitating online courses, which focused on a guided inquiry approach to build understanding of core science concepts using hands-on experimental science investigations.

Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Science In The Nursing Curricula, Jill Deanne Maroo

Dissertations

The nursing profession combines the art of caregiving with scientific concepts. Nursing students need to learn science in order to start in a nursing program. However, previous research showed that students left the nursing program, stating it included too much science (Andrew et al., 2008). Research has shown a correlation between students’ attitudes and their performance in a subject (Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003). However, little research exists on the overall attitude of nursing students toward science. At the time of my study there existed no large scale quantitative study on my topic. The purpose of my study was to …

Mapcores 2012-2013 Assessment Report, Kristen Nairn, Pamela L. Bacon, Jim Crumley, Lynn Ziegler

MapCores Faculty Publications

This is a report showing the assessment results for the MapCores (MAthematics, Physics, COmputer science REsearch Scholars) program at the College of Saint Benedict. Started in 2009, MapCores is a cohort-based program designed to increase women's interest and achievement in mathematics, physics, computer science and engineering. The report was submitted for the National Science Foundation grant number 0965705.

The Effect Of Metacognitive And Self-Regulatory Strategy Instruction On Impoverished Students' Assessment Achievement In Physics, Jaunine Fouche

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this nonequivalent control group design study was to evaluate the effectiveness of metacognitive and self-regulatory strategy use on the assessment achievement of 215 9th-grade, residential physics students from low socioeconomic status (low-SES) backgrounds. Students from low-SES backgrounds often lack the self-regulatory habits and metacognitive strategies to improve academic performance. In an effort to increase these scores and to increase student self-regulation and metacognition with regard to achievement in physics, this study investigated the use of metacognitive and self-regulatory strategies specifically as they apply to students' use of their own assessment data. Traditionally, student performance data is used …

Parts Of The Whole: When Variation Is The Goal, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

The goals of higher education are a population of extreme variability in expertise, a diffusion of specialized knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, and production of strong K-12 teachers. Promoting these three goals has implications at all granularities, from the pedagogy of an individual college professor to the incentives and policies that shape systemic change.

Journey To The End Of The Earth: Analyzing The Outcomes Of A Field-Based Research Program In Antarctica, William Robertson, Claudia Garcia

Selected Works Temporary Series

With the need to increase minority representation in science, specifically in polar science research, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) developed an innovative field research experience entitled the International Polar Year- Research and Educational Opportunities in Antarctica for Minorities (IPY-ROAM). Supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, twenty-eight participants including undergraduate students, graduate students, teachers and university faculty completed a semester long online course and performed field research in Antarctica within the areas of aquatic ecology, terrestrial biology, physical science, ecotourism and education. The purpose of this article is to determine possible outcomes that individuals experienced through …

Web-Based Peer Tutoring In Science Education, Aaron Mac Raighne

Other resources

Peer-instruction has been shown to have a very positive effect on students’ engagement and learning. PeerWise is a web-tool designed to allow peer-tutoring between students within a large class group. Students can write, answer and discuss Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on their work in-class. It is low-cost and low-maintenance software which has become increasingly popular across many subject disciplines as a method to introduce a peer-tutoring aspect to course work. In this study we introduce PeerWise as a form of continuous assessment to a wide and varied cohort of science students (N=509) across disciplines, undergraduate years, levels (certificate to …

Journey To The End Of The Earth: Analyzing The Outcomes Of A Field-Based Research Program In Antarctica, William Robertson, Claudia Garcia

Departmental Papers (TE)

With the need to increase minority representation in science, specifically in polar science research, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) developed an innovative field research experience entitled the International Polar Year- Research and Educational Opportunities in Antarctica for Minorities (IPY-ROAM). Supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, twenty-eight participants including undergraduate students, graduate students, teachers and university faculty completed a semester long online course and performed field research in Antarctica within the areas of aquatic ecology, terrestrial biology, physical science, ecotourism and education. The purpose of this article is to determine possible outcomes that individuals experienced through …

Citizen(S’) Science. A Response To "The Future Of Citizen Science", Angela M. Calabrese Barton

Democracy & Education

Citizen science is fundamentally about participation within and for communities. Attempts to merge citizen science with schooling must call not only for a democratization of schooling and science but also for the democratization of the ways in which science is taken up by, with, and for citizen participants. Using this stance, along with critical studies of place, I build on the criticisms of citizen science outlined in "The Future of Citizen Science" to argue for the centrality of place. Using a case of urban youths working toward transparency and cross-cultural dialogue regarding energy production in their community, I complicate the …

The Relationship Between Middle Level School Science Programs And A Residential Environmental Learning Center, Ryan Mathew Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A multiple case study investigation examines the relationship between a residential environmental learning center and six schools that attend their program. Pre-experience interviews were conducted with teachers to gain understanding of how they integrate the residential experience with formal classroom instruction. On-site observations of teacher participation during the program provided insight into how they foster student learning during the experience. A student questionnaire was used to reveal students' perceptions of three areas of interest: 1) most meaningful aspects of the experience, 2) most confusing aspects of the experience and 3) topics they would like to know more about. These data …

Effective Science Teaching In A High Poverty Middle School, Georgette Meyer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative case study described the characteristics of science teachers in a high poverty urban middle school whose 2010 scores on South Carolina's Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) ranked second in the state. Data was obtained through classroom observations, open-ended interviews, school documents, and photographs taken inside the school from ten participants, who were seven science teachers, a science coach, and two administrators. Findings revealed a school culture that pursued warm and caring relationships with students while communicating high expectations for achievement, strong central leadership who communicated their vision and continuously checked for its implementation through informal conversations, frequent …

Assessing Intrinsic Values Of A Lecture-Free High School Science Education For Collegiate Science Work: A Case Study, Christopher Dorais

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This case study examined the efficacy of the individualized instruction teaching methodology as it was applied within high school science classes. Also examined was how individualized instruction at the high school level prepared students to do collegiate science level work.

It’S More Than Just Music: A Review Of Urban Science Education For The Hip-Hop Generation, Jose M. Rios

Democracy & Education

A review of the book Urban Science Education for the Hip-Hop Generation, by Christopher Emdin (Sense Publishing, 2010).

The Future Of Citizen Science, Michael P. Mueller, Deborah Tippins, Lynn A. Bryan Ph. D.

Democracy & Education

There is an emerging trend of democratizing science and schooling within science education that can be characterized as citizen science. We explore the roots of this movement and some current projects to underscore the meaning of citizen science in science and schooling. We show that citizen science, as it is currently conceptualized, does not go far enough to resolve the concerns of communities and environments when considered holistically and when compared with more dynamic and multidimensional ideas for characterizing science. We use the examples of colony collapse disorder (CCD) and emerging trends of nanotechnology as cases in point. Then we …

Framing In Cognitive Clinical Interviews About Intuitive Science Knowledge: Dynamic Student Understandings Of The Discourse Interaction, Rosemary S. Russ, Victor R. Lee, Bruce L. Sherin

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Researchers in the science education community make extensive use of cognitive clinical interviews as windows into student knowledge and thinking. Despite our familiarity with the interviews, there has been very limited research addressing the ways that students understand these interactions. In this work we examine students’ behaviors and speech patterns in a set of clinical interviews about chemistry for evidence of their tacit understandings and underlying expectations about the activity in which they are engaged. We draw on the construct of framing from anthropology and sociolinguistics and identify clusters of behaviors that indicate that students may alternatively frame the interview …

Undergraduate Science Research: A Comparison Of Influences And Experiences Between Premed And Non-Premed Students, Lara Brongo Pacifici, Norman Thompson

Faculty Articles

Most students participating in science undergraduate research (UR) plan to attend either medical school or graduate school. This study examines possible differences between premed and non-premed students in their influences to do research and expectations of research. Questionnaire responses from 55 premed students and 80 non-premed students were analyzed. No differences existed in the expectations of research between the two groups, but attitudes toward science and intrinsic motivation to learn more about science were significantly higher for non-premed students. Follow-up interviews with 11 of the students, including a case study with one premed student, provided explanation for the observed differences. …

Impact Of Student Motivation In Online Learning Activities, Amy Lathrop

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With the prevalence of online learning in education for both distance and campus-based students, it is critical to determine how to design electronic learning materials that tailor to student motivation and facilitate learning.  Students were asked to complete an online plant breeding activity, motivation survey and an online learning quiz related to the activity.  The control group of students was those who elected not to complete the activity, while the experimental group of students chose to complete the activity.  Motivation scores were compared between control and experiment groups, courses, and gender using independent sample t-tests.  Pearson correlations were also used …

Sce 6938 Topics In Science Education, Barbara Spector

Service-Learning Syllabi

No abstract provided.

How Different Variants Of Orbit Diagrams Influence Students' Explanations Of The Seasons, Victor R. Lee

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The cause of the seasons is often associated with a very particular alternative conception: that the Earth’s orbit around the sun is highly elongated and the differences in distance result in variations in temperature. It has been suggested that the standard diagrams used to depict the Earth’s orbit may be in some way responsible for the initial appearance and overall maintenance of this incorrect conceptualization; the elongated shape of the orbit is thought of as a conceptualization cue that invites a fairly predictable way of reasoning. To test if that is indeed the case, six variants of diagrams depicting differently …

Effects Of Participation In Inquiry Science Workshops And Follow-Up Activities On Middle School Science Teachers' Content Knowledge, Teacher-Held Misconceptions, And Classroom Practices, Linda F. Cepeda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An important aspect of developing science literacy for all students is developing science-literate teachers. With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, many middle school teachers found themselves in a position where they were no longer qualified to teach middle school science. This study was designed to help science teachers increase their science content knowledge, identify and resolve misconceptions/errors they may have, and assist them in their teaching by providing strategies for inquiry-based teaching, science laboratory exercises, and science equipment.

Teachers enrolled in biology courses offered by the Rocky Mountain Middle School Math and Science Partnership participated in …

Block And Traditional School Schedules: Comparison Of Student Achievement By Msat Scores And High School Science Teachers' Views, Robert Decker Smith

Dissertations

This study attempts to compare schools that are using a traditional scheduling format to a block scheduling format. Both critics and proponents acknowledge that the block schedule can provide more benefits than just student achievement. This study also attempts to address the perceptions of current Mississippi high school science teachers about the advantages and disadvantages to the block schedule as compared to the traditional schedule.

This study utilized MSAT test scores from 69 (34 block and 35 traditional) public schools throughout the state of Mississippi. This data was used to test 10 hypotheses. Student achievement was measured using both the …

Enhancing Iowa High School Students' Transition To College, K. E. Lassila, L. C. Rule, C. Lee, R. J. Driggs, G. Fulton, M. Skarda, J. Torres Y Torres

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

We present our studies of the transitions of Iowa science students from high school to post-secondary colleges. Our report summarizes information and impressions from dealing with thousands of new students arriving at our six colleges, along with meetings and discussions with high school science teachers to add their viewpoints into our considerations. Feedback from community college, four year college, and high school science teachers highlighted the following five study issues and needs for improving student transitions from high school to college science: 1) Better math preparation is needed; 2) More work with inquiry-based learning rather than with facts and memorization …

Maintaining Positive Attitudes Toward Science And Technology In First-Year Female Undergraduates ― Peril And Promise, Kenton Machina, Anu Gokhale

Faculty Publications - Philosophy

This study investigated attitude changes of 18-year-old first-year college students at a large state-operated institution in the US during their initial semester in college. Attitudes of 375 students enrolled in a non-science first-year student seminar during the Fall of 2004 were measured, using a new instrument designed to focus on five attitude constructs especially relevant to female engagement with science and technology (S & T).  The authors found that students whose seminar included visits with S & T professionals, plus at least four weeks of context-based S & T content, maintained modestly positive attitudes toward S & T.  Students whose …

South Mississippi Public Elementary School Teachers' Implementation Of And Attitudes Toward Inquiry-Based Science, Thomas Franklin Sumrall

Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine the relationship between the dependent variables of K-5 elementary teachers' attitudes toward inquiry-based science, implementation of National Science Education Standards concerning inquiry-based science, and the number of inquiry-based lessons taught with the predictor variables of gender, school district teaching, ethnic group, educational level, experience, grade level teaching, and number of science courses taken. Four hundred thirty teachers of grades K through 5 from seven school districts in south Mississippi were surveyed using the Revised Science Attitude Scale (Bitner, 1994), Inquiry Beliefs and Practices survey (Jeanpierre, 2006), and a demographic questionnaire. A total of …

Blessed Unrest: The Power Of Unreasonable People To Change The World, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Publications & Research

In her keynote address at the 2008 NCSSSMST Professional Conference, Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall addresses what work can be done with the collective resources of its Consortium members which beg to be shared and connected--and also explores what the source of "...our Blessed Unrest that will give us the courage to become unreasonable advocates for our children and for STEM transformation?"

Fostering Preservice Teacher Identity In Science Through A Student-Selected Project, D.J. Wink, J. Ellefson, M. Nishimura, D. Perry, S. Wenzel, Jeong Hwang Choe

Faculty Publications & Research

This article addresses the problem of authentic student engagement in the science classroom by incorporating a semester long research and writing assignment that enables students to investigate scientific topics related to strong personal, career, or health interests.

Curriculum Reform In Science Education In Pakistan, Nelofer Halai

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.