Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Evaluation Of A High School Science Fair Program For Promoting Successful Inquiry-Based Learning, Julia Nykeah Betts

Dissertations and Theses

The success of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in supporting science literacy can be challenged when students encounter obstacles in the absence of proper support. This research is intended to evaluate the effectiveness of an Oregon public school district's regional science fair coaching program in promoting inquiry skills and positive attitudes toward science in participating high school students. The purpose of this study was to better understand students' perception of program support, obstacles or barriers faced by students, and potential benefits of IBL facilitated by the science fair program. Data included responses to informal and semi-structured interviews, an anonymous survey, a Skills …

Integrating K-W-L Prompts Into Science Journal Writing: Can Simple Question Scaffolding Increase Student Content Knowledge?, Brandon Joel Wagner

Dissertations and Theses

Writing-to-learn strategies have been administered in the past to enrich student learning. The purpose of this study was to see if K-W-L prompts in science journal writing could benefit student content knowledge within biology. Two high school biology classes were provided with learning journals. The journals given to the students during the treatment unit were provided with K-W-L question prompts to guide student learning while during the comparison unit students were given an open ended writing assignment. Pre and posttests were administered to determine student-learning gains. Student motivations and opinions of the treatment were collected through student interviews. The combined …

Stem Stories, September 2014, #3, Stefani Keller

STEM Stories

Program Spotlight - The Arctic and Iowa

Symposium: Canada and the US: Partners and Allies in Artic Research, Sustainability, and Development took place on March 9th in the Canada's Artic: Vibrant and Thriving Exhibit, currently on display in the UNI Rod Library.

Pre‐Service Teachers’ Use Of Content Knowledge To Inform Formative Assessment Strategies In An Integrated Life Sciences Methods Course, Jaime Sabel, Cory Forbes

Discipline-Based Education Research Group Speaker Series

Pre‐service elementary teachers should learn essential science concepts, how to apply those concepts to practice in elementary science learning environments, and how to effectively connect students’ ideas to appropriate instructional strategies. In order to effectively engage students in scientific practices and connect students’ ideas about science to appropriate instructional strategies, teachers should learn to engage in high‐leverage instructional practices, such as formative assessment. However, teachers may not understand formative assessment or possess enough science content knowledge to effectively engage in related instructional practices. To address these needs, we developed an innovative course for elementary pre‐service teachers built upon two pillars—life …

Pre-Service Teachers Learning To Generate Evidence-Based Hypotheses On The Effects Of Teaching On Student Learning, Cathery Yeh, Rossella Santagata

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This study examines the development of a specific sub-skill for studying and improving teaching—the generation of hypotheses about the effects of teaching on student learning. Two groups of elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) were compared: one group that attended a typical mathematics-methods course and one that attended a course integrating analysis skills for learning from teaching. Data consist of PSTs’ comments on video clips of mathematics instruction administered before and after course completion. Findings reveal that PSTs at the beginning of the program struggled to generate hypotheses with relevant evidence, often equating teacher behavior or student correct answers as evidence of …

Integrating Cognitive Science With Innovative Teaching In Stem Disciplines, Mark A. Mcdaniel, Regina F. Frey, Susan M. Fitzpatrick, Henry L. Roediger Iii

Books and Monographs

This volume collects the ideas and insights discussed at a novel conference, the Integrating Cognitive Science with Innovative Teaching in STEM Disciplines Conference, which was held September 27-28, 2012 at Washington University in St. Louis. With funding from the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the conference was hosted by Washington University’s Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education (CIRCLE), a center established in 2011. Available for download as a PDF. Titles of individual chapters can be found at http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/circle_book/.

Stem Stories, September 2014, #2, Stefani Keller

STEM Stories

Program Spotlight - UNI FREE

• Loan Program
• Professional Development
• Outreach

Seeking Research-Enhanced Geoscience Outreach That Complements Subject Knowledge With Pedagogical Expertise (Book Review), Elizabeth Lewis

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

This new volume in Springer’s series on Innovations in Science Education and Technology, edited by Tong, provides a window into geoscience education outreach projects and programs developed and implemented by geoscientists for the public, schools, teachers and students, and community members. In his introduction, Tong advocates for geoscientists to employ a ‘research-enhanced outreach model’ versus a ‘research-dissemination model’, in which both scientific and educational research findings inform outreach to schools and the general public. Tong proposes a long-term goal of inclusiveness when building relationships among geoscientists, educational systems and programs, and the public in response to his own critique of …

Stem Stories, September 2014, #1, Stefani Keller

STEM Stories

Student Profile - Darian Everding

3d Systems' Technology Overview And New Applications In Manufacturing, Engineering, Science, And Education, Trevor Snyder, Mike Andrews, Mark M. Weislogel, Peter Moeck, Jennifer Stone-Sundberg, Derek Birkes, Madeline Paige Hoffert, Adam Lindeman, Jeff Morrill, Ondrej Fercak, Sasha Friedman, Jeff Gunderson, Anh Ha, Jack Mccollister, Yongkang Chen, John T. Geile, Andrew Paul Wollman, Babek Attari, Nathan Botnen, Vasant Vuppuluri, Jennifer Shim, Werner Kaminsky, Dustin Adams, John Graft

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the inception of 3D printing, an evolutionary process has taken place in which specific user and customer needs have crossed paths with the capabilities of a growing number of machines to create value-added businesses. Even today, over 30 years later, the growth of 3D printing and its utilization for the good of society is often limited by the various users' understanding of the technology for their specific needs. This article presents an overview of current 3D printing technologies and shows numerous examples from a multitude of fields from manufacturing to education.

Oh, Behave! Behavior As An Interaction Between Genes & The Environment, Emily G. Weigel, Michael Denieu, Andrew J. Gall

Faculty Publications

This lesson is designed to teach students that behavior is a trait shaped by both genes and the environment. Students will read a scientific paper, discuss and generate predictions based on the ideas and data therein, and model the relationships between genes, the environment, and behavior. The lesson is targeted to meet the educational goals of undergraduate introductory biology, evolution, and animal behavior courses, but it is also suitable for advanced high school biology students. This lesson meets the criteria for the Next Generation Science Standard HS-LS4, Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity (NGSS Lead States, 2013).

Thinking It Through: Australian Students’ Skills In Creative Problem Solving, Lisa De Bortoli, Greg Macaskill

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

In every PISA survey, students from every participating country are assessed in the core domains of mathematics, science and reading literacy. In addition to assessing these literacy domains, the OECD proposes additional assessments in other domains. In PISA 2003, a paper-based assessment of cross- disciplinary problem solving was first assessed, when it was included as a core domain. In PISA 2012, problem solving was once again assessed, this time as an optional computer-based assessment.

The focus of the PISA 2012 assessment of problem solving was: Are today’s 15-year-old students acquiring the problem-solving skills that will prepare them to meet the …

Science Teachers' Understandings Of Science Practices Before And After The Participation In An Environmental Engineering Research Experiences For Teachers (Ret) Program, Dilek Özalp

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2012, National Research Council published a new science education framework that explains the science practices and its importance in understanding the process of knowledge development. The students were expected to engage in all the practices by grade 12. All science teachers need some kind of support to improve their understandings of these science practices (NRC, 2012). An important key component of engaging teachers in scientific investigations is to have the teacher participate in a research laboratory experience (NRC, 1996). Research Experiences for Teachers programs (RET) serve as a promising form of professional development to achieve this goal. These programs …

Quest: Creating A Biotechnology Workforce Pipeline, Lynette Hazleton Mph

Population Health Matters (Formerly Health Policy Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Using Music-Related Concepts To Teach High School Math, Vytas Nagisetty

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research was to test a strategy which uses music-related concepts to teach math. A quasi-experimental study of two high school remedial geometry sections was conducted during a review lesson of ratio, proportion, and cross multiplication. A pretest was given to both groups. Then, Group A received normal textbook instruction while Group B received the treatment, Get the Math in Music, which is an online activity involving proportional reasoning in a music-related context. Afterwards, a posttest was given to both groups. Pretest and posttest scores were used to compare gains in subject knowledge between the groups. Then …

Providing The Fuel (And Passing The Flame), Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

At the risk of opening with a cliché statement- at the heart of the most effective mentor is a burning passion. The fuel for this passion is a desire to convince, not just try to, but actually convince your mentee that you care about their success (be it in the classroom, career, or personal life). I am guilty of believing in, and living by, this cliché. However, despite passion being my primary motivator, I am not unwilling to admit that rationale for mentoring can sometimes transcend this ethically normative line of thinking. I believe that there are also sometimes quantitative, …

Using Outreach To Inform, Maintain And Evaluate Your Collection [Presentation Slides], Kiyomi D. Deards

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Presentations

Increasing responsibilities, coupled with larger student bodies and corresponding increases in teaching and research faculty and staff, have made it difficult for many librarians and information professionals to spend time on collection development. This presentation will demonstrate how both formal and informal outreach efforts can inform collection development of Chemistry resources, the evaluation of existing resources, and guide collection maintenance efforts.

Statistical Models Of Self-Efficacy In Stem Students, Sarah Painter

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Persistence through undergraduate education may be explained by self-efficacy. It is the belief in one’s self to persevere through challenges. Bandura stated four areas that are thought to influence self-efficacy: mastery experience, social persuasion, vicarious experience, and physiological state. In this study, we focused on general and academic self-efficacy in STEM students, in the hopes of learning more about the relationships between Bandura’s categories, demographics, and self-efficacy. Data was taken from two institutions: one, a large research focused university, and the other, a smaller teaching focused university. In the first phase, surveys on general self-efficacy were taken at both institutions …

Engaging Non-Science Majors In The Chemistry Around Us Through Information Literacy, Theresa M. Nawalaniec, Reiko M. Simmons

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Everyone knows that teaching chemistry to non-science majors can be a special challenge! In “Chemistry in Context”, published by ACS, a heavy emphasis is placed on helping students to appreciate “chemistry” in every part of their daily lives. In our attempts to find a balance between teaching the typical basic chemistry topics and related societal issues, a program was developed to involve students in group, mini-research projects. The major purpose of this “project” was to: encourage students to search out chemistry-related information in their areas of interest, recognize the connections between scientific knowledge and our modern everyday lives, and to …

Gender And Mathematics: Quality And Equity, Sue Thomson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Over the past two decades, there have been no gender differences in mathematics achievement in Australia in large-scale international surveys such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Similarly, when mathematical literacy was measured in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2003, there were no gender differences. However, PISA 2012 found that, while average scores in mathematics had declined in Australia, males in Australia were significantly outperforming females, and females had significantly higher average levels of anxiety about and significantly lower levels of confidence in mathematics. In light of the recent report of the Australian …

Energy Surety For Us Army Buildings In Afghanistan, Eric D. Reisweber

STAR Program Research Presentations

Energy access and reliability are high priorities at the U.S. Army bases in Afghanistan. Using photovoltaic (PV) arrays can help diversify the systems that supply energy to a given area increasing energy safety, security, reliability and sustainability—and thus improving energy surety. PV systems, which convert incoming solar radiation into usable electric power, may be a wise choice for bases in the Middle East because the solar resource is relatively constant and abundant. Solar resource refers to the amount of solar radiation a given location on earth’s surface receives. The solar resource for two locations were investigated in this study using …

Using Remote Sensing Data To Predict The Spread Of Mosquito Borne Disease, Mary Ellen O'Donnell, Erika Podest

STAR Program Research Presentations

There is interest in how environmental variables derived from satellite data such as temperature, vegetation cover, and precipitation correlate to vector borne disease occurrence such as malaria and dengue fever. This study will be carried out using a decision tree based open source software called Random Forests to find correlations between the remote sensing variables and mosquito abundance. Software will be written in C# to take large amounts of data from the NASA satellite database and automatically format it for the Random Forest Software input. Correlations found, using Random Forests, between disease incidence and the variables can be used as …

Wind Speed And Seismic Motion Data Analysis, Margarita Vidrio

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) was developed to exploit Einstein's prediction of gravitational waves to develop a new way to study the universe. Gravitational waves are detected by observing changes less than 1/10000 of the diameter of a proton in the distances between hanging mirrors that are four kilometers apart within two perpendicular evacuated tubes. These changes in distances between mirrors are produced by gravitational waves from large masses in space, such as colliding black holes. Many factors affect the sensitivity of the interferometer. LIGO’s Physical Environment Monitoring subsystem (PEM) is one method of both eliminating noise and …

Mother Convict Cichlids Inflict More Bites Upon An Intruder In Hot Temperatures, Jesse L. Heckendorf

STAR Program Research Presentations

Convict cichlids (Archocentrus nigrofasciatus) have developed to be extremely good parents by protecting their brood. Parental care leads to aggressive biting, chasing, and gill flaring to intimidate known predators. In this experiment, we show that environmental factors, such as the changing of temperature in this case, affect a female convict cichlid’s aggression toward caring for her offspring when an intruder is introduced. Females attack more in warmer water.

Injector Configuration And Development Of A Methodology To Scale Between Cold-Flow And Hot-Fire Evaluations, Ilian Angel Rojas, Nils Sedano

STAR Program Research Presentations

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is undertaking a program to improve the development of a gas-centered swirl coaxial liquid injector. The injector in a liquid rocket engine atomizes and mixes the fuel with the oxidizer to produce efficient and stable combustion that will improve stability performance and provide the required thrust for the rocket engine without endangering hardware durability. The rocket injector has been experimentally investigated by using a combination of methodologies called cold-flow and hot-fire testing which have been scaled by other laboratory facilities. The AFRL identified few condition parameters for hot-firing testing that could be simulated through …

Using Interactive Data Tools In Mathematics Professional Development Project Report, Pam Buffington Ph.D., Carlene Kaler

School Improvement

The goal of the Using Interactive Data Tools in Mathematics Professional Development Project was to develop, conduct, and test professional development for middle level educators to support the effective use of interactive technology for learning targeted data and statistics mathematics standards and practices as outlined in the Common Core State Standards. The professional development included embedded research-­‐based instructional strategies and approaches, as well as activities that used example student lesson materials. Project resources include brief pre/post assessments, interactive applets, student activities, teacher aids, and other materials. The assessments were designed to measure key aspects of the targeted data and statistics …

An Interpretive Plan Guide For Wilderness Park In Lincoln, Nebraska, Rachel J. Ward

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Wilderness Park, located in Lancaster County, Nebraska, is a public park of unique ecological and historical value to the city of Lincoln and to the surrounding region. The natural and historical features of the park present an opportunity to communicate environmental and historical topics that are relevant on local, national, and global levels, as well as inspire a lively sense of pride in the community. The problem is that many topics relevant to Wilderness Park are not currently being interpreted at the park, and that there are relatively few interpretive resources available to park visitors.

The purpose of this project …

Experiential Learning At The Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy, Michelle Kolar, Dora Phillips, Christopher G. Kolar

Publications & Research

“Am I ever going to use this in the real world?” is a common question in science and math middle school and high school classrooms. Students taught using experiential learning techniques, however, already know the answer. They learn content by solving real world problems through hands-on activities. In other words, they learn science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) the same way professionals do every day—by doing, sharing, and improving. Experiential learning provides the promise that the U.S. can reverse the trend of students losing interest in STEM subjects during middle school and create life-long learners who apply the scientific thought …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 26, No. 4, August 2014

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Congratulations - Faculty News - Publications - Grants - Travel - Meet an Off-Campus Student - Student News

A Grounded Theory Study On The Role Of Differentiated Instruction In Effective Middle School Science Teaching, Brian Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a model explaining the role of differentiated instruction (DI) in effective middle school science teaching. The study examined the best teaching practices and differentiated elements from eight general education middle school science teachers, all scoring at the highest level of a teaching effectiveness measure on their evaluations, through a collection of observational, interview, survey, and teaching artifact data. The data were analyzed through the methodology of a systematic grounded theory qualitative approach using open, axial, and selective coding to develop a model describing how and to what degree effective middle …