There is an increased emphasis on inquiry in national and Oregon state high school science standards. As hypothesis testing is a key component of these new standards, instructors need effective strategies to improve students' hypothesis testing skills. Recent research suggests that classroom exercises may prove useful. A general purpose classroom activity called the thought experiment is proposed. The effectiveness of 7 hours of instruction using this exercise was measured in an introductory biology course, using a quasi-experimental contrast group design. An instrument for measuring hypothesis testing skill is also proposed. Treatment (n=18) and control (n=10) sections drawn from preexisting high school classes were pre- and post-assessed using the proposed Multiple Choice Assessment of Deductive Reasoning. Both groups were also post-assessed by individually completing a written, short-answer format hypothesis testing exercise. Treatment section mean posttest scores on contextualized, multiple choice problem sets were significantly higher than those of the control section. Mean posttest scores did not significantly differ between sections on abstract deductive logic problems or the short answer format hypothesis testing exercise.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

This study explores how students experience oppression and subordination in and through biology education. The exploration is guided by the following questions: how is racism/discrimination played out in my biology classroom; in what way/s are the classroom practices of both the students and the teacher racist/discriminatory; and what reinforces such racist/discriminatory practices and why. Since the critical perspective allows for oppressions, subordinations and discriminatory practice to be named and challenged this then became the perspective within which the study was located. The methodology, guided by the critical perspective, and used to generate the data in this search is therefore a critical ethnography within which a critical self ethnography is also employed. Through foregrounding the oppression of race and racism, this methodology made it possible to generate data on the various oppressions and subordinations that are perpetuated in and through biology education. The data was generated from biology lessons on cell division, human reproduction, genetics and biological determinism in a Grade 11 class. This class had in it 34 fe/male students from three different race groups viz. Indian, Black and Coloured. Ten students who volunteered to be interviewed also contributed to the data generated in this study. At a first level of analysis, the data generated from the lessons and the interviews were written up and presented as factionalised stories. This was then used to provide, at a second level a descriptive cross-case analysis grounded in the data of the stories. This cross-case analysis generated categories of oppression, subordination and discriminatory practice that included race and colour; gender and patriarchy; bodies and sexuality; class, poverty and sexually transmitted diseases; institutional power and hierarchy; religion; and language. These categories of oppression and subordination, although described separately, are mutually inclusive categories. From this description it became possible to name and theorise, at a third level of analysis, oppressions and subordinations within biology education. The theorisations deliberated on issues of race, class, gender, language and power. The naming and challenging of existing oppressions, subordinations and discriminatory practice required that a traditional contemporary biology education be replaced by a critical biology education. This study, in engaging a critical biology education, shows how biology may be taught differently when the agenda is social transformation in efforts towards social justice. Whilst it is accepted that social justice in all forms may never be attained, this study shows possibilities for how that contained within current Life Sciences policy for human rights and social justice, could be realised. / Theses (Ph.D.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

This research explores the use of the Learning Channel biology programmes by Grade 12 biology educators and learners. These television programmes are broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and are aimed at supporting Grade 12 learners. Support for Grade 12 learners, especially in public schools with limited resources, is an important factor in determining learners' success. The producers of the Learning Channel claim that their programmes are used extensively and with great success. To test the extent of the use and effectiveness of the programmes, an urban area in Durban was chosen as the focus area for this research. This area was chosen because it has several public secondary schools, all with access to television, and all with learners from the previously disadvantaged race groups. Data collection was devised in three phases. Questionnaires were the main instruments used to collect data. In the first phase, questionnaires were directed to all the schools in the focus area. The findings at this phase indicated that the Learning Channel programmes were not being used in any of the schools. This was due to the very low level of awareness of the programmes among educators and learners. In the second phase, data was elicited to provide information that may enhance the use of Educational Television programmes. The findings at this phase indicated that Grade 12 learners watch television daily yet they do not watch the Learning Channel programmes. It was also found that the role of the educator is the most important factor in determining whether Grade12 learners watch the programmes or not. The findings with regard to educators were that they were not averse to using the programmes. Although educators felt distanced from the programmes, they would consider using the programmes if the programmes were shorter and if educator support material was more readily available. In the third phase, the Grade 12 biology educators and learners watched the same programme of the Learning Channel. They then commented on its effectiveness. The teaching method employed in the programme was liked the most by learners. This methodology incorporated strategies such as the pace of the lesson, use of repetition, etc. to make the programmes understandable. The lack of learner involvement and the constant talking by the presenter was liked the least by learners. The producers of the Learning Channel programmes, therefore need to drastically increase the level of awareness of the programme, provide opportunities for educators to become involved with the programme, and provide greater, sustained educator and learner support strategies. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.

The purpose of this thesis was to analyze the rhetoric of the Creationist-evolutionist textbook controversy. In Chapter II, Leland Griffin's approach to the study of historical movements was used concomitantly with Thomas Kuhn's ideas concerning scientific revolution to explore the first research question: What changes have occurred in the persuasive success rate of the Creationists' textbook battle as it has moved from its stance of "the good versus the evil" toward the stance of the scientist, (including scientific methods of reasoning and observation)?Chapter III explored the second research question: Do the new persuasive tactics, the use of scientific vocabulary, grammar, and forms of argument, provide more effective persuasive persuasive methods than did the earlier approaches. This chapter examined the evolutionary content of secondary school biology textbooks, and in particular, estimated the impact of change in Creationist persuasive tactics used since 1968 upon the content and marketing of secondary biology textbooks. The textbook studies supported the contention that the bifurcated movement has been highly successful. Evolutionary coverage has decreased in biology textbooks since 1968 while biblical creation has seen a definite increase.Currently, however, the two Creationist fronts face a new challenge as their polar views have been observed together in recent legal battles. This polarity in approach has already proven detrimental to the Creationists in recent trials. Chapter IV discussed the implications of this bifurcation of the Creationist Movement. Further, the implications of the current rhetorical crisis were examined. It was recommended that research be continued examining the rhetorical strategies used by the Creationists since 1963. Also, further research in the area of textbook analysis was deemed necessary. / Department of Speech Communication

This creative project consisted of the development of a workbook entitled, Building a Chemical Background for the Study of Biological Sciences. The workbook has been created for use in advanced high school level science classes or as a reference in undergraduate college biology courses. The workbook covers the following subject: atomic structures, covalent bonding, acids and bases, energy, water, hydrocarbons, functional groups, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids.Field-testing was done on the workbook by one advanced high school chemistry class and two college freshman level biology classes. The percent gain for the high school field-testing was 68.9%, while the percent gain for the college experimental group was 22.7% and the percent gain for the college control group was 20.9%.

Research demonstrates correlations between the sensing-intuitive dimension of psychological type as interpreted by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (Myers 1985) and science-related career choices. Alarming decreases in science-related career interests prompted this study which employed psychological type theory to investigate relationships between teaching strategies preferences of Indiana high school biology teachers and science-related attitudes of their academically-talented students. The purpose was to learn if good biology teachers instill positive attitudes within the context of the sensing-intuitive dimension by adapting teaching strategies to match the psychological type composition of their classes and therefore inspire students to pursue science-related careers. Teacher and student psychological type was determined by the MBTI. Teaching style preferences of 20 exemplary teachers and 16 randomly-selected teachers related to their 722 academically-talented students were explored by the Biology Teaching Strategies Inventory developed by the researcher. This instrument contained 40 forced-choice items with paired sensing and intuitive activities written to reflect sound biological conceptual themes from BSCS recommendations. An ANOVA determined that neither teacher group appeared to be adapting teaching strategies. Both teacher groups preferred teaching strategies corresponding to their own psychological type, sensing or intuitive, even when they were to select strategies to use with their specific classes.Science-related attitudes of 338 academically-talented students of 10 exemplary and 16 randomly-selected teachers were examined by seven scales of the Test of Science-related Attitudes (TOSRA) (Barry Fraser 1981). A covariant analysis of student science-related attitudes coupled with student variables of Psychological type (sensing and intuitive), career choice, gender, and socio-economic level indicated statistically significant differences in attitude scores of students of both teacher groups: females of exemplary teachers scored almost as high as males of both teacher groups on enjoyment of science learning and science leisure interests, sensing males of higher socio-economic levels had very low attitudes on adoption of scientific attitudes, females of both teacher groups had more positive attitudes than males on normality of scientists, students of exemplary teachers choosing biology-related careers had lower scores than students with similar career choices of randomly-selected teachers. Intuitive students had more positive attitudes than sensing students on all TOSRA scales. / Department of Biology

This study was designed to determine the relationship between participation in National Science Foundation (NSF) Pre-College Teacher Development (PTDS) Projects on Human Genetics and Bioethical Decision-Making held at Ball State University and classroom implementation of the Desired Biology Program described by Project Synthesis. NSF-PTDS Projects at Ball State University and Project Synthesis both focused on goals which emphasize human biology, biosocial concerns, and an understanding of the role that attitudes, values, and human needs exert in making decisions.The researcher employed an ex post facto criterion group design. Two groups of life science teachers, matched by gender, teaching experience, and location, were selected for study. The criterion group participated in NSF-PTDS Projects; the control group lacked NSF-PTDS Project experience. A questionnaire was constructed to collect data for testing eight null hypotheses. Questionnaires mailed to both criterion and control groups were designed to indicate the extent to which teachers implemented multifaceted instructional techniques, and goals directed toward human concerns, biosocial problems, and bioethical decision-making. The difference in percentage test was used to analyze categorical response items and three-way analysis of variance tested scaled response items.Teachers in both groups indicated they stressed the use of biological concepts to interpret human concerns. Groups differed in the amount of time allocated to human topics during the study of genetics. Although both groups of teachers devoted similar amounts of time to studying genetics, teachers in the criterion group tended to delete non-human topics and incorporate human topics to exemplify genetic principles.Both groups appeared to recognize the importance of addressing biosocial problems and issues resulting from recent advances in genetics, and instructed students in ways to use biological knowledge to help make decisions. However, teachers in the criterion group integrated significantly more bioethics into their biology and life science programs.Subjects in criterion and control groups primarily instructed students via lecture/discussion. Teachers in the criterion group made significantly greater use of outside speakers, films, videotapes, and television programs dealing with human genetics and bioethics.