Human settlements

Adolescents of Chittor District

Significant improvement in American science education is desirable from many perspectives. This need can be encapsulated in the student learning goal of flexible, inquiry-based problem solving. To guide efforts to move towards this goal, an Amalgamated Model of science education is synthesized from six major trends in science education. Explication of this model is focused on the physical sciences, as is the research carried out to test one of the predictions of the Model. One keystone of the Amalgamated Model is the delineation and characterization of concepts according to the three properties of generality, complexity, and abstractness. Using these three properties, a conceptual structure for physical science is constructed. When this structure is compared with conventional physical science curricula, a large discrepancy is in the treatment of the conservation of energy concept. The Model predicts that elementary and middle school age children develop intuitive understandings of the concept, whereas conventionally it is believed to be inherently difficult and comprehensible only to older, high school students. To test this prediction, two sets of tasks and associated clinical interviews are administered to 48 subjects randomly drawn from a K-6 population. The first set of tasks consists of the classical Piagetian conservation instances and the second set investigates understanding of conservation of energy. The quantitative data generated by the two tasks is analyzed to measure the degree of connection within subjects' conceptual structures between their ability to conserve quantity, substance, weight and volume and their ability to conserve energy. The results indicated that understanding of conservation of energy is connected to and apparently develops from the understandings of Piagetian conservation. The experimental and analytical methodologies could be used for further mapping of conceptual structures. It would seem that the prediction of the Amalgamated Model cannot be rejected as false, providing some justification for using the Model as a future framework for research in conceptual structures and for science curriculum development.

Thesis (M.S.C.I.T.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jul. 14, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

This research study identifies the role of library and information centres at the major science and technology related universities and research institutes in the six GeC countries i.e. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, in relation to the institutes/organisations research and development activities. It also had a comparative aspect in that it examined information resources and information services available in the institutes/organisations under study with users perceptions on the effectiveness and efficiency of library and information services. A survey research design utilizing questionnaires was chosen as the most appropriate and effective method for gathering the data needed with intensive interviews with academe, Deans/Directors of Library Information Centres and R&D personnel to answer the study's research questions. The different populations were queried including the Chief Executives of institutes/organisations, Deans/Directors of Library and Information Centres and selected R&D personnel associated with them. It was found that in spite of large library collections and a number of de-centralised library systems in all the universities, information services available to the R&D personnel were inadequate. The fmdings of this investigation provided the means for the development of the proposed regional and national library/information network systems for successful library and information services model presented in this study. As an alternative a GeC infonnation subsystem GCC-SIST has been recommended along with emphasis on an electronic information system.

Many developing countries do not have in place high quality science education postgraduate programs; consequently, teachers from these countries are enrolling in programs in developed countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. A number of authors have raised concerns that these programs are not responsive to the professional development needs of developing country teachers, suggesting that participants remain unaffected by their overseas experiences. There are similar concerns about teachers from developed countries also being unable to implement new ideas for teaching in their classrooms. This may be due to a number of reasons including feelings of powerlessness in overly prescriptive programs, high demands on teachers' time, a lack of resources, and a general lack of encouragement. These issues raise a number of questions about the nature of teacher professional development and in particular about appropriate ways to implement these programs.In response to these concerns, this thesis examines the responsiveness of a science education postgraduate program conducted in Australia to the needs of local and developing country participants and the influences of differences between Australian and developing country science teachers in terms of their professional, personal and social development. The assumption being that programs in developed countries are largely orientated towards the needs of home-country students. The conceptual framework for the thesis is a recent approach to science teacher professional development that provides a holistic perspective on science teacher professional development, focusing not only on individual teachers but also on the educational environment in which they operate. This perspective acknowledges the complexities of school environments and considers teachers' beliefs and feelings.The research focuses on ++ / participants from Australian and Indonesian who have completed a science education postgraduate program in Western Australia at the Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) located at Curtin University of Technology in Western Australia. These two groups were chosen because between 1988 and 1995 they were the predominant nationalities participating in SMEC programs. The research methodology and use of quantitative and qualitative research instruments was in keeping with the holistic conceptual framework adopted for the study and follows recent trends in teacher professional development research which have seen a broadening of research methodologies. The instruments used included a postal questionnaire, classroom observation schedule and structured interviews.The research findings indicated that the Indonesians have different needs to their Australian counterparts in terms of their professional, personal and social development. These differences included the Indonesians' strong beliefs in and use of didactic and formal teaching methodologies, limitations in Indonesian classrooms on the introduction of new teaching activities, a more centralised and formal education system in Indonesia in contrast to the increasing autonomy seen in Australia, and a more flexible teacher professional development approach in Australia focussing on personal development, as opposed to the curriculum and assessment focus seen in Indonesia. In addition, there are vast differences between the Indonesian and Australian education systems and these differences were seen to reinforce many of the different beliefs and practices between the Indonesian and Australian participants.The study suggests that the Australian participants are able to implement teaching approaches and theoretical frameworks included in their postgraduate studies at SMEC; however, the conclusions highlight the ++ / limitations of expecting that this can occur for developing country participants. In examining approaches in overcoming these limitations, it was concluded that a range of minor interventions or modifications to program design and content would be insufficient and a number of key indicators were identified that point to the responsiveness of programs for developing country participants. These indicators included the need for host institutions to be fully conversant with the classrooms and social contexts of developing country participants, constructivist pedagogical approaches to program design, planning and implementation, and the necessary flexibility to maintain academic rigour in postgraduate science education programs while incorporating unfamiliar education notions and frameworks from developing countries.

This thesis emphasizes the role of being an information society in countries&rsquo / development perspective / furthermore aims to study the economic, social and structural dimensions of information society related policies with the case studies of Turkey and South Korea. Although in 1950s Turkey and South Korea had similar characteristics in terms of basic economic and social indicators, Turkey has lagged behind in South Korea in terms of development perspective and information society parameters. In addition, information society levels of Turkey and South Korea are measured and compared by ICT development index. Information society policies of South Korea and Turkey are analyzed in the scope of national science and technology policies separately. In theoretical perspective, transforming to information society is analyzed on the basis of &ldquo / Deployment policies in the field of ICT&rdquo / and &ldquo / Two models of network policy formation&rdquo / . The findings of the study indicate that, although hegemonic ruler organizations determine science and technology and transforming to information society related policies, government should not apply these policies without considering their internal dynamics. These policies should be re-evaluated and modified in the scope of national advantages and priorities. In addition, this study aims to indicate the importance of the role of science and technology policies on being an information society for 21st century.

ABSTRACT COMPARISON OF 2002 AND 2004 ELEMENTARY SCIENCE CURRICULA WITH RESPECT TO COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS Oru&ccedil / , Akif M.S., Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Giray Berberoglu June 2009, 116 pages The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of 2004 elementary science and technology curricula at grade level 7. For this purpose, the effect of 2004 curricula on the (1) achievement of the students in knowledge, conceptual understanding and higher order thinking skills clusters, (2) attitude toward science and technology, (3) teachers&rsquo / classroom activities were evaluated. This study was conducted on 290 7th grade students at six elementary schools in 2006-2007 spring term. These schools were located in Sincan, Yenimahalle and Mamak in Ankara. Two schools were administering 2004 curricula as pilot group and four of them were teaching science with 2002 curricula. Grade level 7 was selected for the study since both 2002 and 2004 curricula were being implemented in the schools only at this particular grade level. The achievement test questions were selected from TIMMS science achievement tests and the researcher&rsquo / s own questions written in line with the test plan. The questions include the common objectives of both 2002 and 2004 curricula. The Test of Science Related Attitudes was developed by Chaerul (2002). As a result of the factor analysis it was decided that, the scale contains five sub categories: Social implication of science, Scientist lifestyle, Enjoyment of learning in science lesson, Leisure interest in science, and Career interest in science. Teachers&rsquo / Classroom Activities Scale was taken from Pekiner (2007). It was decided that, the scale contains five sub categories / New Approach, Care of Teacher, Use of Equipment by teachers, Classical Classroom Activities and Processing the Subject category. The data were analyzed by using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results of this analyses indicated no major difference between two science curricula. On the other hand, significant differences were found in leisure interest of students and use of equipment by teachers in favor of 2004 curricula. Knowledge and conceptual understanding level learning, the enjoyment of learning in science lesson and teachers&rsquo / classroom activities with reference to new approaches indicated significant results in favor of 2002 curricula.