This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based outreach programme that addresses one aspect of a national strategic recommendation in South Africa. This outreach programme, which started in 1982, was in its twentieth year of existence in 2001 and provided support in mathematics and physical science to Grade 12 students and teachers from historically disadvantaged schools. This study examined the role that the outreach programmes played at two schools during 2001 and endeavoured to provide an analysis of the intended, implemented, perceived and achieved programmes for this year. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of this outreach programme in providing support to both teachers and students in the teaching and learning of mathematics and physical science. The goals and objectives of the outreach programme (the intended programme) were identified from documentation of the Outreach Project and interviews with Outreach Project managers. In addressing the implementation of the outreach programme (the implemented programme), lessons at each of the two, Mini-Computer Supported Education Centres (MICSECs) were observed over a period of four months. At one centre (Centre A), the lessons consisted of a formal (talk-and-chalk) presentation followed by an informal part when students worked on the computer in the same period. At the second centre (Centre B), the MICSEC was used as an adjunct to the normal classroom lesson, that is, students were taught in their normal classrooms and then, at least once a week, taken by their teacher to the MICSEC to do problem-solving on the computers. The perceptions of students (the perceived programme) were examined by an actual and preferred version of the Computer-Assisted Learning Environment Questionnaire and by interviews conducted with both individual students and groups. / At Centre A, the students preferred more involvement, more open-endedness, more organisation and more learning assessment opportunities in their computer-assisted classes but also less integration of computers in their every day classes whilst desiring investigation procedures in their classes to remain the same. At Centre B, students preferred to be more involved, to have more open-ended activities in their classes, have more learning assessment opportunities and a greater level of integration of computers but a reduction in investigative activities. Findings from student interviews were summarised as reflecting three viewpoints with regard to the inclusion of computer-assistance in classes. Students holding one viewpoint considered the inclusion of computer-assisted learning as important to their learning and were convinced that their interaction with the computer, fellow-students and teacher, led to an improvement in their learning. Students holding the second viewpoint conveyed a message of insecurity in the use of computers for they were not sure whether their working with computers made any difference to their learning. Many students' views were somewhere between the first and the second viewpoints which left the impression that these students were not convinced that using the computers would guarantee them success in the final examination. The third viewpoint was strongly articulated by a group of three students at Centre A and to a lesser degree at Centre B (one student), who considered that the new computer-assisted classes played no role in their learning and that teacher-centred classes would produce better results. The extent to which the outreach programme met its objectives (the achieved programme) included improved student performance on the matriculation examinations. / Teachers and students were generally positive of the support that they received but indicated that more computer terminals were required to address students' individual needs. The mean achievement of students at both schools improved in both mathematics and physical science, but more so in physical science. The MICSECs mainly served as a resource to students at the school where the centres were based and provided limited computer skills to students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. The findings of this study provided insight into the implementation of computer-assisted classes in two disadvantaged schools and the results can serve as baseline data for conducting research into computer-assisted learning environments in other secondary school grades in South Africa. However, it should be noted that students at the Grade 12 level also wanted a continuation of, indeed more of, teacher-centred teaching, in addition to the computer-assisted classes because of the perceived competency of teachers in helping them perform well in the matriculation examination.

Past research into defining and measuring the characteristics of learning environments in Science Education Centres and Science Museums (SECSMs) has been based upon low-inference measures, such as observations and interviews. Many searchers feel that the diversity of informal education settings in SECSMs makes it difficult to develop high-inference measures for informal learning environments. This study used the semiformal environment of the CSIRO Science Education Centres as a stepping-stone between formal and informal learning environments. A review of learning environment research identified a possible procedure for the development of, and a format for, a suitable instrument. Research in SECSMs was reviewed to identify learning environment factors that defined the CSIROSEC learning environment. A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility of developing a learning environment instrument for CSIROSECs. This led to the more formal process of developing a learning environment instrument for CSIROSECs based upon the five scales of Affect, Social Interaction, Novelty, Independence and Involvement. / A number of cycles of testing of the instrument, statistical analyses, and subsequent refinements resulted in the Learning Environment Instrument for CSIRO Science Education Centres (LEI for CSIROSECs). The instrument measures distinct, if somewhat overlapping, aspects of the learning environment. The LEI for CSIROSECs displays comparable measures for internal consistency (alpha reliability) and discriminant validity to existing learning environment instruments. The sensitivity of the instrument has been demonstrated for the comparison of different classes, comparison of teacher-student perceptions, comparison of primary and secondary classes, and the comparison of CSIROSEC programs. Suggestions have been made for applications of the LEI for CSIROSECs and its further development,as well as its potential use in research.

Science communication, as a multidisciplinary field, serves to transfer scientific information to individuals to promote interest and awareness in science. This process resembles science education. Rooted in science education and science communication studies, this study examines the 4th and 5th grade students` usage of prominent science information sources (SIS), the features of these sources, and their effective and ineffective uses and processes in communicating science to students. Guided by situated learning and uses and gratifications (U&amp / G) theories, this study is a phenomenological qualitative inquiry. Data were gathered through approximately 64 hours of classroom observations / focus group and individual interviews from four elementary schools (two public, two private schools) in Ankara, T&uuml / rkiye. Focus group interviews were conducted with 47 students, and individual interviews were carried out with 17 teachers and 10 parents. The data were analyzed manually and MAXQDA software respectively. The results revealed that students used various SIS in school-based and beyond contexts to satisfy their cognitive, affective, personal, and social integrative needs. They used SIS for (a) science courses, (b) homework/project assignments, (c) exam/test preparations, and (d) individual science related research. Moreover, the results indicated that comprehensible, enjoyable, entertaining, interesting, credible, brief, updated, and visual aspects of content and content presentation of SIS were among the key drivers affecting students` use of SIS. The results revealed that accessibility of SIS was an important variable in students` use of these sources. Results further shed light on the connection between science education and science communication in terms of promoting science learning.

The aim of this study was to asses the impact of a visit to the NIHERST/NGC National Science Centre in Trinidad on four different school-age visitor groups. The research was conducted through the administering of a post-visit questionnaire immediately upon completion of each visit by each group, and via visitor feedback obtained in post-visit or pre-visit activities conducted within two weeks of the visit for three groups. Teachers/instructors who accompanied the groups on their visit also completed post-visit questionnaires and provided additional information on follow-up activities via an interview. The results of this investigation suggest that the visit to this science centre provided entertainment/enjoyment value and potential educational value to most individuals. The nature of this enjoyment was noted for various age groups and genders in this study. Quantification of the educational impact was not possible within the constraints of this study, which was unable to capture long-term effects of the supply of ‘new knowledge’ to visitors which the visit to the science centre had provided.

The aim of the study is: (1) to investigate effects of new science and technology curriculum on 4th and 5th grade students&rsquo / achievement in terms of knowledge and understanding levels outcomes and higher order thinking skills, (2) to investigate effects of new science curriculum on the students&rsquo / attitudes towards science and (3) to examine teachers&rsquo / classroom activities in lessons. The study was conducted in three conveniently selected public elementary schools throughout Yenimahalle district of Ankara with a total of 302 4th and 5th grade students in 2004-2005 spring semester, two pilot schools implementing new science and technology curriculum were assigned to experimental group and one school applying the traditional science curriculum was assigned to control group. The researcher developed the measuring tools, Science Achievement Test for 4th grade, Science Achievement Test for 5th grade, Science Attitude Scale and Teachers&rsquo / Classroom Activities Scale. v The data were analyzed through multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA). Results showed that the new science and technology curriculum made no difference on the fourth grade students&rsquo / knowledge and understanding level outcomes and higher order thinking skills. On the other hand, it was effective on the fifth grade students&rsquo / higher order thinking skills. The statistical analyses also showed that there were significant differences between the pilot and control group students&rsquo / attitudes towards science in terms of interest, anxiety, and self-efficacy sub-categories in favor of pilot groups. In addition, there were significant differences between the classroom activities of the teachers of pilot and control groups.

The aim of this study is to investigate the environmental knowledge level of teachers, who teach the elementary science and technology course, and to explore possible relationships between environmental knowledge level and their demographic attributes. In this study, data was obtained by the instrument developed by the researcher to 183 teachers from 91 selected elementary schools throughout &Ccedil / ankaya and Yenimahalle districts of Ankara in spring 2005-2006 semester. The results of the study indicated that participant did not take adequate environmental education neither preservice nor inservice education. Teacher in the study used media (visual or printed) to reach environmental information. Majority of the teachers in the study had average knowledge about environmental concepts and only small number of teachers had adequate knowledge level about environmental concepts. The main predictor of teachers&rsquo / knowledge were teaching experience, class hours taught in a week and being a part of an environment project.

This dissertation is the result of a two-year ethnographic study conducted with schoolteachers, students, and public educators in Victoria, British Columbia. Using discourse analysis (DA) as a method and theory to analyze participants’ talk during interviews and other interactions in the course of their naturally occurring school-related activities, the present dissertation describes and articulates curricular and instructional implications of the observed practices to science classrooms and environmental education initiatives. The use of DA as analytical tool and the general significance of the findings to science and environmental education are what bring the individual chapters, originally written for different journal audiences, into cohesive focus. Data collection took place within two different instructional and institutional instances (or activity systems): In- and out-of schools. This, in turn, allowed for a more refined understanding of the issues those crossing the boundaries between the different activity systems might face, a point often overlooked in educational research. The conclusions amount to the complementary aspect of non-school and in-classroom activities for the improvement of science and environmental learning and instruction. Moreover, they expand the knowledge about the ways science and environmental education can be enacted in those learning settings, also introducing an alternative approach to the investigation of the learning processes in this two overlapping educational fields.

School Effectiveness Research (SER) is concerned with efforts to better understand the effectiveness enhancing relationship between student and school variables and how these variables primarily influence academic achievement (Scheerens, 2004). However, one identified methodological shortcoming in SER is the absence of cross-cultural perspectives (Kyriakides, 2006). This is a concern as what may prove effective in one nation does not necessarily mean that it can be easily and seamlessly imported into another with the same results. This study looked at the relationships between science self-beliefs and academic achievement in science across all nations who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2006. It further explored the variance accounted for by cultural, social and economic capital (the elements of the PISA socioeconomic status variable) for each country in PISA 2006 when predicting scientific literacy. Lastly, it used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to analyze data from PISA 2006 for nations experiencing high rates of immigration (i.e., Germany, Spain, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand). The outcome measures used for these countries were achievement scores in science, mathematics and reading. The variables examined at the student level were science self-efficacy, science self-concept, immigrant status and socioeconomic status. The variables examined at the school level were student level aggregates of school proportion of immigrants and school socioeconomic status. In the correlation analysis between science literacy and either science self-concept of science self-efficacy, findings suggest that at the student level, students with both higher science self-concept and higher science self-efficacy tend to achieve higher academically. However, at the country level the relationship was negative between self-concept and academic achievement in science (i.e., countries with higher science self-concept tend to achieve lower on scientific literacy). When the variables that comprised each of the cultural, social, and economic components of SES were regressed on scientific literacy for the PISA sample, cultural capital accounted for 16% of the variance in scientific literacy scores compared to 14% for social capital, 13% for the composite Economic Social and Cultural Status (ESCS), and 12% for economic capital. In the HLM null models, the intraclass correlations for the all countries except for Germany ranged from .16 to .29 (Germany’s was between .57 and .68). In the final models, at level-1 country, immigrant status tended to negatively influence achievement (i.e., non-native students are predicted to have lower performance), while science self-efficacy and science self-concept positively influenced achievement. The student level ESCS variable also impacted achievement positively. At the school level, level-2, school mean ESCS or school proportion of immigrants were found to significantly influence the level-1 predictors; however, a good deal of variability across nations was observed. The findings from this study demonstrate that there are some distinct national differences in the relationships between science self-beliefs, immigrant status and academic achievement.

This study aimed to explore the self-estimated intelligence dimensions of seventh and tenth grade students, and the effect of grade level, gender, age, socio economic status (SES), physics/science achievement, and branch in school (science-math/literature-math/social sciences-literature) on these dimensions. In this study a Multiple Intelligence Inventory was used as measuring instrument. The study was conducted in randomly selected 26 elementary and 7 high schools throughout &Ccedil / ankaya, Ke&ccedil / i&ouml / ren and Yenimahalle districts of Ankara with a total of 3721 seventh and tenth grade students in fall 2003-2004 semester. The data obtained from the administration of the measuring instrument were analyzed by using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and bivariate correlations. Results indicated that most dominant intelligence of seventh, tenth, and all students was the interpersonal intelligence according to their self-perceptions. Results of the statistical analyses indicated that grade level of students had a significant effect on their self-estimated intelligence dimensions. Strengths and weakness of the students vary according to their grade level. Also, significant differences found in female and male students&amp / #65533 / self-estimated intelligence dimensions for both two different grade levels, and tenth grade students coming from three different branches. Bivariate correlations revealed low positive correlations between science achievement and interpersonal intelligence of seventh graders.

This study attempts to explore the scientific careers and ideological profiles of former Olympiad participant scientists. The research carried out via the Internet is to understand the differences in reproductive function of different high school types. Firstly, it elaborates on the transformation of the education field into an area of struggle together with the alteration in the policies of the State as to educational understanding. Secondly, it focuses on the education understanding of the G&uuml / len Community, which has become a part of struggle in education field to affect the reproductive function of education. Lastly, this study aims to depict the varieties in their scientific careers and ideological profiles of the former Olympiad participants who graduated from different types of high schools.