This thesis is a history of science education reform in Ontario, from 1880 to 1940. It examines successive eras of science education reform in secondary (pre-university) schools, including the rise of laboratory science; the spread of general science programs; and efforts to teach science “humanistically.” This research considers the rhetorical strategies employed by scientists and educators to persuade educational policymakers and the public about the value and purpose of science education. Their efforts hinged in large part on building a moral framework for school science, which they promoted an essential stimulus to students’ mental development and a check on the emotive influence of literature and the arts. These developments are placed in international context by examining how educational movements conceived in other places, especially the United States and Britain, were filtered and transformed in the distinct educational context of Ontario. Finally, the sometimes-blurry boundaries between “academic” science education and technical education are explored, most notably in Ontario in the late nineteenth century, when science education was undergoing a rapid, driven expansion in the province’s high schools. This research contributes to a relatively recent body of literature that promotes a greater appreciation of pre-college science education – an area that has often been overlooked in favour of higher education and the training of specialists – as an important window onto the public perception of science.

This thesis is a history of science education reform in Ontario, from 1880 to 1940. It examines successive eras of science education reform in secondary (pre-university) schools, including the rise of laboratory science; the spread of general science programs; and efforts to teach science “humanistically.” This research considers the rhetorical strategies employed by scientists and educators to persuade educational policymakers and the public about the value and purpose of science education. Their efforts hinged in large part on building a moral framework for school science, which they promoted an essential stimulus to students’ mental development and a check on the emotive influence of literature and the arts. These developments are placed in international context by examining how educational movements conceived in other places, especially the United States and Britain, were filtered and transformed in the distinct educational context of Ontario. Finally, the sometimes-blurry boundaries between “academic” science education and technical education are explored, most notably in Ontario in the late nineteenth century, when science education was undergoing a rapid, driven expansion in the province’s high schools. This research contributes to a relatively recent body of literature that promotes a greater appreciation of pre-college science education – an area that has often been overlooked in favour of higher education and the training of specialists – as an important window onto the public perception of science.

Hydrophobic Surface modification of biofibers to reduce water/moisture absorption of the biofiber or biofiber-plastic composites has attracted many researchers. In order to reduce the moisture sensitivity of kraft and mechanical pulp fibers, organo-nanoclay particles were adsorbed on the biofiber surfaces. Surface hydrophobicity, in terms of moisture absorption, water uptake, water contact angle and surface energy of the modified fibers were tested. The treated fibers had nano-scale surface roughness and substantially lower surface energy. The thermal stability of the mechanical pulp fibers increased after the nanoclay modification. The organo-nanoclay treated kraft and mechanical pulp fibers were used to make biofiber reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. The organo-nanoclay treated kraft fibers had a more uniform dispersion in the HDPE matrix and the resulting composites had a higher Young’s modulus and thermal stability. Similar trend was observed for the mechanical pulp fiber-HDPE composites. The adhesion between the kraft fibers and matrix was greatly improved after adding maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) as a compatibilizer, therefore, improvements in tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and thermal stability of both treated and untreated fiber composites were observed. However, this improvement was more significant for the composites containing the treated fibers. In addition, water absorption was decreased by incorporating the organo-nanoclay treated mechanical pulp fibers in the HDPE composites. The treated kraft fiber-HDPE-MAPE composites also showed a decrease in water absorption. The crystallization behaviors of the organo-nanoclay treated and untreated kraft fiber-HDPE composites with and without MAPE compatibilizer were studied. It was found by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis that both organo-nanoclay treated and untreated kraft fibers could act as nucleating agents. All composites crystallized much faster than the neat HDPE, while their crystallinity levels were lower. The organo-nanoclay treatment of the kraft fibers increased the nucleation rate. However, both the crystallinity level and the nucleation rate of the treated kraft fiber composites were increased by the addition of the MAPE compatibilizer. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveled that MAPE could also increase the d-spacing of the organo-nanoclay layers in the composites. When the fiber loading was 40 wt% in the composites, exfoliation of the nanoclays in the composites was observed.

This study was designed to identify students’ perceptions of learning activities, assessment formats, and content on their understanding of the nature of science (NOS) by comparing and examining constructs created by Canadian and Korean students. Participants were 217 Canadian and 319 Korean Grade 8 students that filled out questionnaires; additionally, 9 students volunteered for semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance and partial least squares were used to examine the quantitative data. A conceptually clustered matrix was used for the qualitative analyses. Results indicated that students from both countries perceived 1) their learning activities were teacher-directed, 2) class presentations and discussions occurred least frequently, 3) paper-and-pencil tests determined science scores, 4) science tests relied heavily on knowledge of science while knowledge about science was least likely to be assessed, and 5) generally students held relativistic views on science. The effect for country on NOS concepts was statistically significant across all of their perceptions except for the concepts of culturally embedded science and the perceptions of short-answer test formats. Specifically, Canadian students perceived that they had relatively more student-directed activities while Korean students perceived that they had more teacher-directed science lab activities. Further, Canadian students were inclined to hold more relativistic views across the NOS concepts. It was also noted that Korean students provided more political examples while Canadian students provided stem cell research or environmental issues. An examination of associations revealed that students’ learning activities, assessment formats, and content are good predictors of NOS understanding since these constructs explain variances from 19.7% for Empirical NOS to 63% for Scientific Methods. Results from students’ open-ended responses to the NOS concepts and the semi-structured interviews were consistent with the quantitative analyses. Most interviewees agreed that what, and how, they learned science-- and how their learning was assessed--affected their views of science since school science education was the important factor in developing their scientific knowledge. These results imply that diverse learning activities and assessments could prove to be a better approach to enhancing students’ understanding of NOS than teacher-directed learning activities and test formats requiring a single correct answer.

While recent research trends in science education have focussed the collective attention at utilizing the science curriculum as a means towards positive social change, such efforts have largely been predicated on understandings of the nature of knowledge and truth as socially constructed entities. Through this lens of social constructivism, knowledge is said to bear the signature of individuals and institutions in power, and therefore extant knowledge is considered to be the vehicle for further oppression of disadvantaged groups. There are at least two ways in which this argument is deeply flawed—social constructivism accords to itself epistemic positions it denies others, and an intellectually honest application of its principles leads to a position where there is no way to distinguish between better or worse positions on issues. In contrast, the principle of social realism takes a ‘middle path’, acknowledging the social reality of knowledge construction but disavowing the relativism of social constructivism. Through this epistemological foundation, implications arise for curriculum theory—how is it that we may discriminate forms of knowledge for in/ex-clusion into the school curriculum? In this study, I consider the curriculum changes in the Ontario elementary science anxd technology curriculum. I ask two key questions: (i) What are the effects of the curriculum revisions on the knowledge content of the science curriculum? and: (ii) What are the characteristics of science pedagogy in fulfilment of these curriculum changes? I develop instruments to analyze curriculum documentation, and classroom pedagogy. The major findings of this project include: (i) the curriculum revisions have added environmental knowledge expectations with varying degrees of disconnection from the scientific content knowledge; (ii) knowledge expectations removed to accommodate environmental expectations constituted important scientific principles; (iii) environmental pedagogy in science classrooms reflected the disconnection between science and environmental knowledge, most obviously in the upper grades where the degree of boundary maintenance between knowledge forms was strongest; (iv) this disconnection between environmental and scientific knowledge forms inhibited the cumulative modality of knowledge (re)production. A discussion of results and the general principles of the importance of knowledge concludes the project.

Hydrophobic Surface modification of biofibers to reduce water/moisture absorption of the biofiber or biofiber-plastic composites has attracted many researchers. In order to reduce the moisture sensitivity of kraft and mechanical pulp fibers, organo-nanoclay particles were adsorbed on the biofiber surfaces. Surface hydrophobicity, in terms of moisture absorption, water uptake, water contact angle and surface energy of the modified fibers were tested. The treated fibers had nano-scale surface roughness and substantially lower surface energy. The thermal stability of the mechanical pulp fibers increased after the nanoclay modification. The organo-nanoclay treated kraft and mechanical pulp fibers were used to make biofiber reinforced high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites. The organo-nanoclay treated kraft fibers had a more uniform dispersion in the HDPE matrix and the resulting composites had a higher Young’s modulus and thermal stability. Similar trend was observed for the mechanical pulp fiber-HDPE composites. The adhesion between the kraft fibers and matrix was greatly improved after adding maleic anhydride polyethylene (MAPE) as a compatibilizer, therefore, improvements in tensile strength, Young’s modulus, and thermal stability of both treated and untreated fiber composites were observed. However, this improvement was more significant for the composites containing the treated fibers. In addition, water absorption was decreased by incorporating the organo-nanoclay treated mechanical pulp fibers in the HDPE composites. The treated kraft fiber-HDPE-MAPE composites also showed a decrease in water absorption. The crystallization behaviors of the organo-nanoclay treated and untreated kraft fiber-HDPE composites with and without MAPE compatibilizer were studied. It was found by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis that both organo-nanoclay treated and untreated kraft fibers could act as nucleating agents. All composites crystallized much faster than the neat HDPE, while their crystallinity levels were lower. The organo-nanoclay treatment of the kraft fibers increased the nucleation rate. However, both the crystallinity level and the nucleation rate of the treated kraft fiber composites were increased by the addition of the MAPE compatibilizer. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveled that MAPE could also increase the d-spacing of the organo-nanoclay layers in the composites. When the fiber loading was 40 wt% in the composites, exfoliation of the nanoclays in the composites was observed.

Doctor of Philosophy / Physics / Nobel S. Rebello / This dissertation investigates the effects of visual cueing and outcome feedback on students' performance, confidence, and visual attention as they solve conceptual physics problems that contain diagrams. The research investigation had two parts. In the first part of the study, participants solved four sets of conceptual physics problems that contain diagrams; each set contained an initial problem, four isomorphic training problems, a near transfer problem (with a slightly different surface feature as the training problems), and a far transfer problem (with considerably different surface feature as the training problems). Participants in the cued conditions saw visual cues overlaid on the training problem diagrams, while those in the feedback conditions were told if their responses were correct or incorrect. In the second part of the study, the same students solved the near and far transfer problems from the first study two weeks later. We found that the combination of visual cueing and outcome feedback improved performance on the near transfer and delayed near transfer problems compared to the initial problem, with no significant difference between them. Thus, the combination of visual cueing and outcome feedback can promote immediate learning and retention. For students who demonstrated immediate learning and retention on the near and far transfer problems, visual cues improved the automaticity of extracting relevant information from the transfer and delayed transfer problem diagrams, while outcome feedback helped automatize the extraction of problem-relevant information on the delayed far transfer problem diagram only. We also showed that students' reported confidence in solving a problem is positively related to their correctness on the problem, and their visual attention to the relevant information on the problem diagram. The most interesting thing was how changes in confidence occurred due to outcome feedback, which were also related to changes in accuracy and visual attention. The changes in confidence included both reductions in confidence and increases in confidence due to feedback when the student was wrong (first) and right (later). This seems to have led to learning (change in accuracy), and also changes in attentional allocation (more attention to the thematically relevant area).

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Physics / Nobel S. Rebello / Many introductory calculus-based physics students have difficulties when solving physics problems involving calculus. This study investigates students’ retention and transfer from calculus to physics. While retention is the ability to recall your knowledge at a later point in time, transfer of learning is defined as the ability to apply what one has learned in one situation to a different situation. In this dissertation we propose a theoretical framework to assess students’ transfer of learning in the context of problem solving. We define two kinds of transfer – horizontal transfer and vertical transfer. Horizontal transfer involves applying previously learned ideas in a problem. Vertical transfer involves constructing new ideas to solve the problem. Students need to employ both horizontal and vertical transfer when they solve any problem. This framework evolves through this research and provides a lens that enables us to examine horizontal and vertical transfer. Additionally, this proposed framework offers researchers a vocabulary to describe and assess transfer of learning in any problem solving context. We use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to examine transfer in the context of problem solving. The participants in this study were students enrolled in a second-semester physics course taken by future engineers and physicists, calculus instructors and physics instructors. A total of 416 students’ exam sheets were collected and reviewed. Statistical methods were used to analyze the quantitative data. A total of 28 students and nine instructors were interviewed. The video and audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed in light of the aforementioned theoretical framework. A major finding from this study is that a majority of students possess the requisite calculus skills, yet have several difficulties in applying them in the context of physics. These difficulties included: deciding the appropriate variable and limits of integration; not being clear about the criteria to determine whether calculus is applicable in a given physics problem, and others. This study also provides a detailed understanding of students’ difficulties in terms of our theoretical framework. Instructional strategies are suggested at the end to facilitate the transfer from calculus to physics.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Margaret G. Shroyer / Complex social, racial, economic, and political issues involved in the practice of teaching today require beginning teachers to be informed, skilled, and culturally responsive when entering the classroom. Teacher educators must educate future teachers in ways that will help them teach all children regardless of language, cultural background, or prior knowledge. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) novice teachers described and demonstrated culturally responsive teaching strategies using their students’ cultural and academic profiles to inform practice in science and mathematics instruction. This qualitative exploratory case study considered the culturally responsive teaching practices of 12, non-traditional, Latina/o students as they progressed through a distance-based collaborative teacher education program. Qualitative techniques used throughout this exploratory case study investigated cultural responsiveness of these student teachers as they demonstrated their abilities to: a) integrate content and construct knowledge; b) illustrate social justice and prejudice reduction; and c) develop students academically during science and mathematics instruction. In conclusion, student teachers participating in this study demonstrated their ability to integrate content by: (1) including content from other cultures, (2) building positive teacher-student relationships, and (3) holding high expectations for all students. They also demonstrated their ability to facilitate knowledge construction by building on what students knew. Since there is not sufficient data to support the student teachers’ abilities to assist students in learning to be critical, independent thinkers who are open to other ways of knowing, no conclusions regarding this subtheme could be drawn. Student teachers in this study illustrated prejudice reduction by: (1) using native language support to assist students in learning and understanding science and math content, (2) fostering positive student-student interactions, and (3) creating a safe learning environment. Results also indicated that these student teachers demonstrated their ability to develop students academically by creating opportunities for learning in the classroom through their knowledge of students and by the use of research-based instructional strategies. However, based on the data collected as part of this study, the student teachers’ abilities to illustrate or model social justice during science and math instruction were not demonstrated.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Jeong-Hee Kim / Precollege science education in the United States has virtually always been influenced by university scientists to one degree or another. Partnership models for university scientist – school district collaborations are being advocated to replace outreach models. Although the challenges for such partnerships are well documented, the means of fostering successful and sustainable science education partnerships are not well studied. This study addresses this need by empirically researching a unique scientist-educator partnership between a university and a school district utilizing case study methods. The development of the partnership, emerging issues, and multiple perspectives of participants were examined in order to understand the culture of the partnership and identify means of fostering successful science education partnerships. The findings show the partnership was based on a strong network of face-to-face relationships that fostered understanding, mutual learning and synergy. Specific processes instituted ensured equity and respect, and created a climate of trust so that an evolving common vision was maintained. The partnership provided synergy and resilience during the recent economic crisis, indicating the value of partnerships when public education institutions must do more with less. High staff turnover, however, especially of a key leader, threatened the partnership, pointing to the importance of maintaining multiple-level integration between institutions. The instrumental roles of a scientist-educator coordinator in bridging cultures and nurturing the collaborative environment are elucidated. Intense and productive collaborations between teams of scientists and educators helped transform leading edge disciplinary science content into school science learning. The innovative programs that resulted not only suggest important roles science education partnerships can play in twenty-first century learning, but they also shed light on the processes of educational innovation itself. Further, the program and curriculum development revealed insights into areas of teaching and learning. Multiple perspectives of participants were considered in this study, with student perspectives demonstrating the critical importance of investigating student views in future studies. When educational institutions increasingly need to address a diverse population, and scientists increasingly want to recruit diverse students into the fields of science, partnerships show promise in creating a seamless K-20+ continuum of science education.