Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1926. / Vita.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1926. / Vita.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on August 24, 2006). PDF text of dissertation: ix, 187 p. : ill. ; 3.11Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3208114. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm, microfiche and paper format.

<p> What experiences do college STEM majors report as being factors that encouraged them to pursue a STEM related major? Do experiences and influences in school such as labs, curriculum, and teachers make a difference? How do extracurricular impact a students&rsquo; desire to continue on in science after high school? Through this qualitative study I attempted to find some answers to the above questions. </p><p> Seven current college STEM majors were interviewed in a semi-structured format. Through the coding of the interview data several themes emerged which included the following: development of students&rsquo; interest, experiencing real science, academic inclination, and knowledge of careers in the STEM fields. These reported factors seemed to influence these students in one way or another in choosing to pursue a STEM career. It was found that all but one subject interviewed experienced hands-on science within a career related experience. They cited those experiences as their biggest influencers.</p>

<p> Encounters with live animals are found throughout modern society in the form of zoos, aquariums, petting zoos, class pets, and wildlife education programs. These live animal encounters had only begun to be studied for the impact they might have on learners. This quasi- experimental mixed-methods study investigated the impact live animals had on biology knowledge gain in fourth- and fifth-grade students utilizing a pre- and post-program, self- designed, survey. The programs included a live animal program and an animal artifact program. The results indicated that live animals did have a slight impact on knowledge gain, but the impact was not statistically significant. Past experience with wildlife education programs had a much bigger impact on knowledge gain than the presence/absence of live animals.</p>

<p> The purpose of this mixed method research study was to examine the constructivist beliefs and instructional practices of secondary science teachers. The research also explored situations that impacted whether or not student centered instruction occurred. The study revealed science teachers held constructive beliefs pertaining to student questioning of the learning process and student autonomy in interacting with other learners. Teachers held the least constructivist beliefs pertaining to student teacher collaboration on lesson design. Additionally, teacher beliefs and practice were not congruent due to instructional practices being deemed less constructivist than reported. The study found that curricular demands, teacher perceptions about students, inadequate laboratory resources, and the lack of teacher understanding about the components of constructivist instruction inhibited student centered instruction. The results of this study led to six recommendations that can be implemented by school districts in collaboration with science teachers to promote constructivist instruction. </p>

<p> The purpose of this mixed-methods action research study was to examine to what extent entomological research can promote students&rsquo; hands-on learning in a high-poverty, urban, secondary setting.</p><p> In reviewing the literature, the researcher was not able to find a specific study that investigated how entomological research could promote the hands-on learning of students. The researcher did find evidence that research on learning in a secondary setting was important to student growth. It should also be noted that support was established for the implementation of hands-on science inquiry in the classroom setting.</p><p> The study&rsquo;s purpose was to aid educators in their instruction by combining research-based strategies and hands-on science inquiry. The surveys asked 30 students to rate their understanding of three basic ideas. These core ideas were entomological research, hands-on science inquiry, and urban studies. These core ideas provided the foundation for the study. The questionnaires were based on follow-up ideas from the surveys. Two interview sessions were used to facilitate this one-on-one focus.</p><p> Because the study included only 30 student participants, its findings may not be totally replicable. Further study investigating the links between entomological research and hands-on science learning in an urban environment is needed.</p>

Students are constantly immersed in Hollywood glitz, MTV music videos and fastpaced television commercials. For "better or for worse" the movement to make communication a multimedia presentation is upon us. Educational technology -multimedia/Internet - is playing an increasingly important role as a teaching and learning supplement in modern classrooms and has been suggested as an avenue to improve science education. Potential benefits of the Internet, CD-ROMS, Videodiscs, WebCT, course web sites and other computer-based resources include increased communication among students and between instructor and students. Recently, although not a new idea for some, it has been demonstrated that for a significant number of students, learning occurs more readily if the material is presented visually as compared to verbally. Visual presentation is what multimedia is all about. Biology in particular seems to benefit from the application of technology in the classroom since rapid advances in the field make it nearly impossible for textbooks to remain current. Many biology instructors are seeking to take advantage of these benefits by using technology as an increasingly integral part of the teaching experience. This research involves an investigation into how multimedia and the Internet are or are not being used in the teaching of biology courses at the community college level in the State of Florida. A questionnaire was developed to elicit biology faculty perceptions of factors that encourage and those that inhibit their use of the Internet and multimedia in the classroom and in the laboratory. / The Educational Technology Survey was designed for ease of response in order to encourage a high return, and respondents answered the survey via the Internet. The collected data were analyzed by using distributions of frequencies and percentages. Perhaps the most outstanding feature noticeable as a result of this research is that instructor interest was the number one factor responsible for instructors using the Internet or any other form of multimedia. Without the resources, time, faculty development, and technical support, teachers are less likely to use technology in their laboratory and classroom presentations. Educational technology offers exciting possibilities to advance and change teaching, and this research points out some of the factors affecting the implementation of such technology. The study concludes with recommendations for faculty as well as administrators in their efforts to implement technology into the curriculum. Also included are suggestions for further research.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-205).