<p> Modeling is an important scientific practice through which scientists generate, evaluate, and revise scientific knowledge, and it can be translated into science classrooms as a means for engaging students in authentic scientific practice. Much of the research investigating modeling in classrooms focuses on student learning, leaving a gap in understanding how teachers enact this important practice. This dissertation draws on data collected through a model-based curricular project to uncover instructional moves teachers made to enact modeling, to describe factors influencing enactment, and to discuss a framework for designing and enacting modeling lessons. </p><p> I framed my analysis and interpretation of data within the varying perceptions of modeling found in the science studies and science education literature. Largely, modeling is described to varying degrees as a means to engage students in sense-making or as a means to deliver content to students. This frame revealed how the instructional moves teachers used to enact modeling may have influenced its portrayal as a reasoning practice. I found that teachers&rsquo; responses to their students&rsquo; ideas or questions may have important consequences for students&rsquo; engagement in modeling, and thus, sense-making. </p><p> To investigate factors influencing the portrayal of modeling, I analyzed teacher interviews and writings for what they perceived affected instruction. My findings illustrate alignments and misalignments between what teachers perceive modeling to be and what they do through instruction. In particular, teachers valued providing their students with time to collaborate and to share their ideas, but when time was perceived as a constraint, instruction shifted towards delivering content. Additionally, teachers&rsquo; perceptions of students&rsquo; capacity to engage in modeling is also related to if and how they provided opportunities for students to make sense of phenomena. </p><p> The dissertation closes with a discussion of a framework for designing and enacting lessons for engaging students in modeling. I draw on examples from this study to provide context for how the framework can support teachers in engaging students in modeling. Altogether, this dissertation describes how teachers facilitate modeling and why varying enactments may be observed, filling a gap in researchers&rsquo; understanding of how teachers enact modeling in science classrooms.</p><p>

<p> This study accessed the relationship between race, socioeconomic status, age and the race implicit bias held by middle and high school science teachers in Mobile and Baldwin County Public School Systems. Seventy-nine participants were administered the race Implicit Association Test (race IAT), created by Greenwald, A. G., Nosek, B. A., &amp; Banaji, M. R., (2003) and a demographic survey. Quantitative analysis using analysis of variances, ANOVA and t-tests were used in this study. An ANOVA was performed comparing the race IAT scores of African American science teachers and their Caucasian counterparts. A statically significant difference was found (<i>F</i> = .4.56, <i>p</i> = .01). An ANOVA was also performed using the race IAT scores comparing the age of the participants; the analysis yielded no statistical difference based on age. A t-test was performed comparing the race IAT scores of African American teachers who taught at either Title I or non-Title I schools; no statistical difference was found between groups (<i>t</i> = -17.985, <i> p</i> &lt; .001). A t-test was also performed comparing the race IAT scores of Caucasian teachers who taught at either Title I or non-Title I schools; a statistically significant difference was found between groups (<i> t</i> = 2.44, <i>p</i> > .001). This research examines the implications of the achievement gap among African American and Caucasian students in science.</p><p>

This study was designed to: (a) describe the degree to which introductory science programs at two colleges engaged students in the process of scientific inquiry, and (b) describe changes in students' maturity with regard to epistemology, methods of justifying decisions, and agency in science. Course descriptions drew from classroom observations, interviews with faculty about their goals and methods, and interviews with students about their experiences in the courses. Student development was analyzed from pre- and post-semester interviews, pre-, post-semester Likert-scale surveys on students' attitudes and beliefs about science, and post-semester Likert-scale student self-assessments. Both the inquiry and traditional programs allowed opportunities for students to be engaged in answering ill-structured questions. Overall, the inquiry-based courses had more intensive engagement of students in the processes scientists use in authentic research. Students in inquiry-based courses made significantly greater gains in epistemology and methods of justifying decisions as measured by coding interviews and performing t-tests on survey items. What is more, students in inquiry courses reported producing work of their own design. Students in both programs, however, were more confident of their abilities to participate in science after one semester in college. Courses whose goals were primarily content related taught students content and studenting skills; courses whose goals were explicitly process related taught students about the nature and methods of science. The results indicate that if college students are to better understand the nature of scientific knowledge and be better able to justify decisions about complex scientific issues, they should be engaged in more inquiry-based course work.

The Linguistic Interdependence Hypothesis as developed by Cummins (1978) argues that certain first language (L1) knowledge can be positively transferred during the process of second language (L2) acquisition. The L1 linguistic knowledge and skills that a child possesses can be extremely instrumental to the development of corresponding abilities in the L2. An integral component of these facilitative aspects of language influence is that the L1 be sufficiently developed prior to the extensive exposure to the L2 as would be found, for example, in an educational environment. An additional theoretical framework that has motivated this study incorporates principles of Universal Grammar, namely, that there are innate properties of language shared by the human species, and that language acquisition is the result of the interaction between these biologically determined aspects of language with the learner's linguistic environment. The principal goal of this dissertation is to examine children's knowledge of one area of Yucatec Maya L1 syntax, specifically, the word order of simple transitive sentences. By means of an experiment conducted with 28 Mayan children of 4 and 5 years of age, data were gathered and analyzed. Overall, the findings suggest that the subjects of the study are still in the process of acquiring the syntactic structure under investigation, that their L1 is still developing. Very few of the subjects demonstrated mastery of the structure under investigation. With regards to pedagogical concerns within the context of minority language education, the potentiality for these findings to enhance or inhibit the subsequent acquisition of Spanish as an L2 is examined.

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary students' perspectives of a constructivist approach to enhance their knowledge about stress. Participants were fifth grade students in an elementary school in the northeast. Data collection included a pretest-posttest, teacher reflective journal and student interviews. A multiple choice pre-test was administered to students to obtain information about students' knowledge of stress. The pre-test was followed by a four day unit that focused on the concept of stress employing a constructivist approach. The four day unit was monitored in two ways. First, a daily reflective journal was recorded by the teacher about each lesson. Second, students were interviewed at the end of the unit regarding their perceptions of learning through a constructivist approach. A post-test was administered to evaluate students' knowledge. Data analysis for the pre-test consisted of descriptive statistics. The teaching reflective journal and students' interviews were analyzed using constant-comparison. An overview of the results of the study indicates that students reported increased self awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the feelings of others, and enhanced appreciation of human relations from the unit. Other findings indicate that the females scored higher on the pre and post test than the males. Both the individual groups of males and females improved as a result of the unit. The implications of this study may provide educators with insights into the possible effectiveness of a constructivist approach to teaching various health concepts.

<p> Earlier studies concluded that technology&rsquo;s strength is in supporting student learning rather than as an instrument for content delivery (Angeli &amp; Valanides, 2014). Current research espouses the merits of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework as a guide for educators&rsquo; reflections about technology integration within the context of content and instructional practice. Grounded by two theoretical frameworks, TPACK (Mishra &amp; Koehler, 2006; 2008) and Rogers&rsquo; (1983, 1995) theory of diffusion of innovation, the purpose of this mixed-methods research was two-fold: to explore the perceived competencies of tertiary science faculty at higher education institutions with respect to their integration of technology within the constructs of pedagogical practice and content learning and to analyze whether these perceived competencies may serve as predictive factors for technology adoption level. The literature review included past research that served as models for the Sci-TPACK instrument. Twenty-nine professors of tertiary science courses participated in an online Likert survey, and four professors provided in-depth interviews on their TPACK practices. Quantitative analysis of data consisted of descriptive and reliability statistics, calculations of means for each of the seven scales or domains of TPACK, and regression analysis. Open-ended questions on the Likert survey and individual interviews provided recurrent themes of the qualitative data. Final results revealed that the participants integrate technology into pedagogy and content through a myriad of TPACK practices. Regression analysis supported perceived TPACK competencies as predictive factors for technology adoption level. </p>

There were two purposes set out in this study, first to identify the principal associations with educational performance of Scottish students as reported in the 2007 wave of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS2007), and second to evaluate methods of data analysis where sample surveys use plausible value (PV) methodology. Four sets of data were used for the secondary analysis of TIMSS2007, with student's responses to cognitive items and questionnaire data emanating from two stages (G$ and G*) that each addressed two disciplines (mathematics and science). Explanatory models for each stage and discipline were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling techniques to accommodate the cluster sample design of the survey. Guided by existing literature in STEM education the study examined elements of students' learning experiences that fell within a social constructivist theory of learning to ascertain whether the empirical data supported current claims on effective practice. A number of control variables were included in the analyses, some well-established constructs and others derived from background questionnaires. Overall, the results showed that selected background characteristics were consistently related to mathematics and science achievement. The strength of association with home resources, and although girls were generally associated with lower achievement scores, that gender association was strongest in G4 mathematics achievement. The findings suggest there is limited support for current claims in respect of a reform agenda that privileges discussion and collaborative group work. Other policy initiatives on assessment for learning and using technologies in class are not supported in the data, with either no evidence of association or a significant negative effect in the models of mathematics and science achievement. Aspects of practical work and scientific enquiry are positively associated with G4 science achievement, with particular credence given to 'doing' and 'watching' experiments or investigations, buy there is no association with achievement scores at G8 for any of planning, watching or conducting experiments. This latter finding provides empirical evidence of difference across stages on an aspect of practice that is heavily debated. The primary method of analysis utilised a four-level structure, with PV as the unit of analysis. Substantive findings were compared with alternative methods: first making the dependent variable an average of the five PVs; second using one PV as the response variable; and third computing statistics from all five PVs and merging results using Rubin's Rules for combining multilevel method underestimates standard errors in the model in the same way as witnessed for the average of PVs. This leads to the conclusion that the only valid route to analysing imputed data is through Rubin's method of combining results from all five PVs.

<p> There is little written about the use of foundational courses in high school science. This study seeks to identify if a foundational course in high school biology improves student outcomes as measured by Biology I EOC exam proficiency scale scores and student growth. Efforts were made to determine differences in cognitive skill areas and affective/conative skill areas as students progress from the foundational course of Greenhouse Biology (GH Bio) to Biology I. Three years of test score data from over 15,000 student participants are evaluated, as well as extant survey data from biology teachers and district student scheduling personnel. Findings from the study indicate GH Bio does make a difference in academic outcomes in students taking the foundational course before taking the Biology I course, and subsequently, the Biology I EOC exam. Findings also show there are cognitive, affective, and conative differences between the GH Bio students and their non-GH Bio peers while in Biology I. The study also seeks to determine why some students are scheduled for GH Bio and others are not. Findings indicate there are variances as to the reasons and intent for scheduling students into GH Bio. Some students who could benefit from the course are not being scheduled into the course.</p>

<p> Since WWII, the United States has experienced unprecedented economic growth and global expansion through the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Today, STEM technological innovations permeate many aspects of the social experience, from education to career to home-life, contributing to a pervasive technocratic ideology emphasizing global U.S. economic and political superiority. Many sectors of American society now tout STEM initiatives as a premium for U.S. education, contributing to the neoliberal model of producing effective, efficient, and skilled laborers. But, does STEM necessarily contribute to those social forces that routinely devalue the principles of a liberal, democratic educational ideal?</p><p> In 2014, I investigated new forms of collaboration between the commercial sector and education system in Flagstaff, AZ. The STEM City Center is a non-profit organization that seeks to bridge the gap between community and schools by identifying local assets and sponsoring integrated STEM experiences for students. Using STEM as a conceptual tool to support interdisciplinary approaches to education, participants of this project revealed the core values that motivate social transformation in a town that borders multiple ethnic and cultural realities recognized as under assault by increasingly globalized markets. STEM City's model emphasizes increased critical thinking, collaborative learning, creativity, and effective communication and supports an implicit goal of encouraging a critically engaged, politically aware, and socially conscious society.</p>

<p> The adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has brought with it a need for classroom assessments that measure students&rsquo; ability to make sense of, explain, and use science, with many of the performance expectations asking students to apply scientific principles and evidence to produce an explanation. But creating coherent written scientific explanations that demonstrate understanding of scientific principles is not an easy task for students and selecting or creating classroom assessments to properly evaluate this skill is not an easy task for teachers. This study serves to incorporate both of these problems by exploring what happens when scaffolds are included in the assessment process for the students of a group of science teachers at an urban high school in Northern California who were receiving coaching in scaffolding assessments. Presented as three distinct but related chapters I examine how the scientific explanations of students changed when a detailed graphic organizer/rubric scaffold, called SET4CER, was provided; I explore coaching as a conveyor of professional development for high school science teachers to incorporate scaffolding techniques into their classroom assessments; and I document how students in a kinesiology class interact with teacher designed checklist scaffolds to support a summative quiz taken under test conditions. The findings illuminate the difficulties facing teachers in both assessment and scaffold design and indicate that well-designed scaffolds add value to assessments by supporting students to give their best performance and ensuring that assessments evaluate students&rsquo; conceptual understanding rather than their memorization or organizational skills. Analysis of the coaching cycles revealed that although the coaching process is not always straightforward, it has potential as a method of professional development delivery that facilitates adoption of the techniques being introduced.</p><p>