This study has presented a comprehensive overview of the context and significance of changes in attitudes and levels of engagement in Ball State University’s BIO 100 class which is taught using the blended learning method. The evidence suggests that this method exhibits no significant overall change in attitudes or levels of engagement over the course of the semester. Several individual question couplets exhibited positive change. The combination of no significant overall change and positive couplet changes suggests that this method is a viable alternative to more traditional methods. In addition students overwhelmingly agree that this method of education should be used in other classes. Future research is needed to confirm the effects of this method. It is also paramount that as this method becomes implemented on larger scale training and coaching be available for students and faculty members. These services are necessary in order to achieve maximum method effectiveness.

The demand for relevance and attention to teaching strategies are among today's critical issues in higher education. Subject matter should be related to the practical and intellectual concerns of the student and technological aids for individualized instruction should be more fully explored.

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Orientador: Ana Maria de Andrade Caldeira / Coorientador: Elaine Sandra Nicolini Nabuco de Araújo / Banca: Nelson Antônio Pirola / Banca: Paulo Fraga da Silva / Resumo: O desenvolvimento da área de Ciência e Tecnologia, ao mesmo tempo em que possibilitou novas perspectivas em campos como do meio ambiente, agricultura e da saúde, também aflorou uma série de dilemas éticos acerca dos impactos desses avanços na sociedade e no ambiente. Isso significa que a necessidade das escolas oportunizarem discussões sobre estes temas se torna cada vez maior, uma vez que decisões pessoais relacionadas aos resultados destas tecnologias são cruciais nas respostas da sociedade. Entendemos que concepções distorcidas da Ciência podem culminar em tomadas de decisões desponderadas e inconsequentes, que muitas vezes ignoram os princípios básicos da Bioética. Isso significa que as instituições universitárias voltadas para a formação de professores devem assumir os desafios postos por essa nova abordagem Bioética, pois o professor é um agente humano que na sala de aula precisará tomar decisões que podem modificar o modo de pensar de seus alunos. Com base nestes pressupostos, objetivamos neste estudo compreender o modo como três grupos de estudantes - Bacharéis e Licenciandos em Ciências Biológicas e Licenciandos em Letras - entendem a influência de valores na atividade científica. Para obtenção dos dados construímos uma escala doo tipo Likert, que foi validada semanticamente e estatisticamente ('alfa' = 0,796). Os resultados mostraram que alguns pressupostos, como o salvacionismo, o reducionismo e a neutralidade estão fortemente presentes nos três grupos. Foi possível identificarmos também que quando os estudantes foram questionados diretamente sobre a influência de valores não cognitivos na Ciência tenderam a apresentar uma imagem da Ciência não distorcida. Isso nos direciona a pensarmos que, embora os respondentes aparentemente entendam que a Ciência não... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: One of the objectives of science education based on relationships between science, technology, society and environment (CTSA) is to citizens capable of evaluating and making decisions about the impact of scientific advances on society and the environment. In a two-way perspective, understanding the relationship between CTSA provides a vision of science as a human construction and therefore fallible, changeable and not neural. In this study we present some results from a comparative study on the influence of ethical conceptions of the nature of science of three groups: Future Biology Teachers, Biological Future and Future Portuguese Teachers. For data collection we constructed an scale of Likert-type, which was validated mathematically and semantically. In analyzing student responses to questions we realize that when they are asked directly about the influence of non-cognitive values in science tend to have an undistorted image of science, that is, their answers lead us to infer that they understand that the activity science in influenced by values. However, when questioned by implication, repondents in general tend to have a mistaken view of science. This directs us to think that while respondents seemingly understand tha science is not value-free, they not internalized the idea in their conceptions of science is not neural. We believe that the existence of a space that would enable students to develop analytical thinking ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-02-03Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:52:37Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_pr_me_bauru.pdf: 1217214 bytes, checksum: 1c9ae7f8ff4a0732abe9907a339374fc (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O desenvolvimento da área de Ciência e Tecnologia, ao mesmo tempo em que possibilitou novas perspectivas em campos como do meio ambiente, agricultura e da saúde, também aflorou uma série de dilemas éticos acerca dos impactos desses avanços na sociedade e no ambiente. Isso significa que a necessidade das escolas oportunizarem discussões sobre estes temas se torna cada vez maior, uma vez que decisões pessoais relacionadas aos resultados destas tecnologias são cruciais nas respostas da sociedade. Entendemos que concepções distorcidas da Ciência podem culminar em tomadas de decisões desponderadas e inconsequentes, que muitas vezes ignoram os princípios básicos da Bioética. Isso significa que as instituições universitárias voltadas para a formação de professores devem assumir os desafios postos por essa nova abordagem Bioética, pois o professor é um agente humano que na sala de aula precisará tomar decisões que podem modificar o modo de pensar de seus alunos. Com base nestes pressupostos, objetivamos neste estudo compreender o modo como três grupos de estudantes - Bacharéis e Licenciandos em Ciências Biológicas e Licenciandos em Letras - entendem a influência de valores na atividade científica. Para obtenção dos dados construímos uma escala doo tipo Likert, que foi validada semanticamente e estatisticamente ('alfa' = 0,796). Os resultados mostraram que alguns pressupostos, como o salvacionismo, o reducionismo e a neutralidade estão fortemente presentes nos três grupos. Foi possível identificarmos também que quando os estudantes foram questionados diretamente sobre a influência de valores não cognitivos na Ciência tenderam a apresentar uma imagem da Ciência não distorcida. Isso nos direciona a pensarmos que, embora os respondentes aparentemente entendam que a Ciência não... / One of the objectives of science education based on relationships between science, technology, society and environment (CTSA) is to citizens capable of evaluating and making decisions about the impact of scientific advances on society and the environment. In a two-way perspective, understanding the relationship between CTSA provides a vision of science as a human construction and therefore fallible, changeable and not neural. In this study we present some results from a comparative study on the influence of ethical conceptions of the nature of science of three groups: Future Biology Teachers, Biological Future and Future Portuguese Teachers. For data collection we constructed an scale of Likert-type, which was validated mathematically and semantically. In analyzing student responses to questions we realize that when they are asked directly about the influence of non-cognitive values in science tend to have an undistorted image of science, that is, their answers lead us to infer that they understand that the activity science in influenced by values. However, when questioned by implication, repondents in general tend to have a mistaken view of science. This directs us to think that while respondents seemingly understand tha science is not value-free, they not internalized the idea in their conceptions of science is not neural. We believe that the existence of a space that would enable students to develop analytical thinking ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Digital information technology has been defined as “changing how people learn, teach, work, and play. By the year 2005, the capabilities and the affordability of digital technology could catalyze and facilitate the wholesale transformation of education and the communities that support it” (Center for Technology in Learning, 1994[online]) Education as a professional field is also constantly changing, values shift, new curricula are introduced, and new technologies redefine how we teach and learn. The most interesting and important innovation in education in recent years is the widespread introduction of computers into schools. Computers represent powerful tools that can be used by both students and teachers for instructional purposes. Of particular interest is the Internet and more specifically, the World Wide Web (www), which is radically redefining how we obtain information and the way we teach and learn (Adams, 1995 [online]). Images and information from all around the world can be accessed easily in the classroom. Biology is one of the school subjects taught in South Africa. This demands sessions that may include dissections. Dissection can be defined as cutting and separating of constituent parts of an animal or a plant specimen for a scientific study and as observing or cutting into a dead animal for purposes of learning anatomy or physiology (Balcombe, 1997:34). It is thought that dissection enhances the knowledge and understanding of internal organs, their relationships and their functioning, and that maximum learning is most likely to be achieved by maximising the personal experience of the reality being taught (Wheeler, 1993:39). However, dissection has always been a controversial issue in biology teaching. In fact, when forced to use animals in ways to which the student objects, the student may even be traumatised and learn less (Adams, 1995: [online]). / Mr. G.V. Lautenbach

The new curriculum in Namibia has introduced a new approach to teaching and learning requiring teachers to make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge (PEK) including indigenous knowledge (IK) and practical work/activities. It further emphasizes some variations in teaching methods such as; the use of analogies, the use of mind maps, and so forth with the aim to actively involve learners in the learning process and develop skills to solve global challenges. The emphasis is on understanding of knowledge, skills and the will to use them appropriately throughout their lives. The main aim of this study was to understand and document how Biology teachers mediate learning of the topic respiration. Informed by an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study was conducted at two secondary schools in the Kunene region. The participants were selected using a convenience sampling. Data were gathered using three main sources, namely, documents, semi-structured interview questions which culminated into a questionnaire and observations. Triangulation was thus used to give credibility, objectivity and validity to the interpretation of the data. Data analysis in this case study involved a multi-stage process of organizing, coding and categorizing, synthesizing and summarizing. The audio recorded lessons were transcribed into text and I analyzed data using a colour coding technique by segmenting and labelling text to identify descriptions and broad themes in the data. Vygotsky’s Mediation of Learning and Social Constructivism in conjunction with Shulman’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) informed the data analysis process. Teacher-learner interactions were the main theme for mediation of learning (social constructivist perspective), hence during analysis I paid more attention to moments where interactions evolved and I used PCK to gain insights in teaching and instructional strategies used by teachers. The findings of this study revealed that: 1) teachers endeavor to use a variety of teaching methods such as the use of a mind maps and question and answer method. Learners were keen to ask questions in order to understand this topic. 2) The study also revealed that a lack of practical activities is one of the challenges teachers are faced with. Based on my research findings, I therefore suggest that there is a need for continuous professional development of biology teachers and capacity building in order to improve both their content and pedagogical content knowledge.

The importance of the contribution of science to modern civilization is an accepted concept. Science has had an increasingly profound influence upon the society and upon the individuals who compose it. This paper attempts to point out significant objectives and procedures in science teaching for the purpose of improving the health of boys and girls in a rural area in West Florida. It is the purpose of this paper to point out that the science instruction which is concerned with improving the health of young people can also improve home, school, and community living in Walton County. It is the earnest desire of this student that the youth of Walton County will not have dwarfed or distorted personalities because of an impoverished environment at home, at school, or in the community. / Typescript. / "August, 1949." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-63).

While it is well established that pedagogies purposefully linking subject matter to students’ cultural contexts and prior knowledge can help students learn subject matter, little is known about practices for so doing in undergraduate biology courses enrolling substantial numbers of racially, culturally, and otherwise diverse students. This study sought to understand how four biology instructors of primarily Black and Hispanic students enact a form of teaching that draws out and uses knowledge from and about students’ lives—what I refer to as students’ culturally informed prior knowledge—to help students learn key subject-matter ideas in biology. It also examined how instructors managed their efforts to teach in this way and how they portrayed their reasons for so doing. The study derived several insights. One, instructors can connect important subject-matter ideas, in the study of biology, to facets of students’ daily lives, using the latter to advance students’ understanding of the former. Thus, the teaching of college-level biology with knowledge drawn from students’ lives is more than an aspiration. It can and—per my study—does occur. It is then possible to teach college-level biology with knowledge drawn from students’ lives. Two, to enact such teaching, instructors can strive to draw comparisons between topics that are concrete and familiar to students and new subject-matter ideas to make the latter comprehensible to them. Three, instructors can connect subject matter to their students’ physiological experiences, treating students’ thinking about their bodies as a form of prior knowledge. Four, instructors can call students’ commonly accepted yet incomplete or unexamined ideas and beliefs into question to facilitate their learning of subject-matter ideas. Five, instructors’ efforts to teach using knowledge from students’ lives can include planning and forethought—but also improvisation while teaching. Six, a desire to make the subject matter of their course relatable to students can inspire instructors to teach using knowledge from students’ lives. The study recommends (a) changes in institutional policy toward supporting faculty in efforts to teach using knowledge from students’ lives, and (b) future research into teaching of biology and other STEM subjects that takes into account students’ prior knowledge.

Successful tertiary-level education in the biological sciences is crucially important in providing a high-level work force for a number of careers. The government of South Africa has realised the strong positive correlation that exists between the availability of scientific and technical human resources, the viability of the economy, and the well-being of its people. However, despite government policies and tertiary institutions efforts in South Africa to increase enrolment and improve students’ throughput, the pass rates at first-year university level remains low, a source of concern for the government and affected institutions. The low pass rates of first-year students in the biological sciences at tertiary institutions constituted the problem which prompted the study. The aim of this study was to identify factors perceived to be essential for academic success in first-year biological sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and to investigate the effects of a computer-based programme designed to address some of the factors. The programme was developed to help students increase their awareness of appropriate attitudes, metacognitive knowledge and work-habits, all of which contribute to achieving academic success. The study had two main phases, a “diagnostic” and a “therapeutic” phase. The research methods adopted in this mixed-methods study included the use of interviews and questionnaires to elicit information from various stakeholders. In the diagnostic phase, interviews were used, first to elicit the perceptions of 10 lecturers teaching first-year biology courses, 8 Honours students, and 17 undergraduates, at the University of the Witwatersrand, about factors they believed influenced academic success. The five top-ranked factors influencing academic success identified were being motivated, using appropriate study habits, having positive attitudes to studies, asking for help and clarification, and managing time effectively. Whilst the above-mentioned were the common factors identified by the three samples, each stakeholder group made its distinctive contributions. Secondly, to obtain a wider perspective of first-year students’ views, a questionnaire focussing on attitudes, work-habits and metacognition was administered to two large groups of students (n=145; n=100) at the end of two consecutive years. In this replicate study the three top-ranked factors in both studies had to do with academic behaviours: attending all lectures; taking accurate notes; and asking for help and clarification when a topic was not understood. Eighty-three first-year students provided data on students’ changing perceptions at the beginning and end of the year. This data was used to determine if, without an intervention, a year at the university influenced students’ perceptions about appropriate factors affecting academic success. Rasch analytical techniques applied to 27 items in the questionnaire yielded 11 responses which were statistically significantly different. These responses were later addressed in the package because students needed this information from the start of their studies. During the therapeutic phase a computer-based instructional programme, Bioskills, was designed to inform student users about attitudes, behaviours and metacognitive factors the literature and stakeholders said were important for academic success. Six experts and 75 first-year students provided comments as part of a formative evaluation during its development. These were used to modify the screen design, user interface and content of the alpha version of the package. Bioskills proved very easy to use, even for first-time computer users. A case-study approach was used to explore the experiences of eight students with Bioskills, in particular its influence on their attitudes, metacognition and academic behaviours. All eight students made positive comments, saying it was relevant, informative and encouraging. Six out of the eight recommended it be used much earlier in the year, whilst two said it took too much time to work through. Without trying to imply causation the four students who used Bioskills three or four times passed the course. Students’ metacognitive gains were reported in terms of metacognitive knowledge [what students know about successful learning] and metacognitive control [the application of the knowledge]. The small sample size (n=8) made it difficult to detect trends. However, individual students mentioned new attitudes (being more determined, showing more interest in the topic and applying more positive attitudes to their studies) which they claimed they learned from using Bioskills. Attribution is traditionally explained as a search for understanding of causes. Students’ attributions on specific academic tasks are therefore important in the remediation efforts by educators. Of the 38 factors identified by the eight students, as causes for poor performance in their June examination, before they used Bioskills, almost two-thirds, when categorized using attribution dimensions, were of internal but unstable dimensions. The literature suggests it is easier to remediate causes that are internal and unstable rather than external and stable. After using Bioskills, four of the eight students who performed well at the end of a teaching block ascribed their success to the effort they had put in, whilst two of the four who did not do well, blamed external factors (the length of the test, the question structure) as contributing to their poor results. The important contribution this study made was the theoretical framework developed which expanded the existing attitude-behaviour models by adding additional constructs and showing the relationships between them. In addition, a summary of factors mentioned by the stakeholders and supplemented with views from the literature were used to propose a conceptual model of factors influencing academic success. The thesis concludes by discussing the implications of the constructs in the model for improved academic performance and as an area for further research.