The purpose of this study was threefold: Examine middle school teachers' familiarity with, interest in, conceptual knowledge of and performance on light; Examine their ability to identify misconceptions on light and their suggested pedagogical ideas to address the identified misconceptions; and Establish the relationship between the middle school teachers' interest, familiarity, conceptual understanding, performance, misconception identification, and pedagogical ideas for light. Sixty six (66) middle school science teachers enrolled in three math and science teacher professional development projects at Southern Illinois University Carbondale participated in this study. This study used mixed-methods approach to collect and analyze data. The participants responded in writing to four different instruments: Familiarity and Interest Questionnaire, Conceptual Knowledge Test, Two-tier Performance Test, and Misconceptions Identification Questionnaire. Data was analyzed quantitatively by conducting non-parametric (Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis) and parametric (paired samples, independent samples, and One-Way ANOVA) tests. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis and open coding to identify emerging themes and categories. The results showed that the teachers reported high levels of familiarity with and interest in learning more about light concepts. However, they had low conceptual knowledge and performance on light concepts. As such, middle school teachers' perceived knowledge of light concepts was not consistent with their actual knowledge of light. To some extent, the teachers identified students' misconceptions expressed in some scenarios on light and also suggested pedagogical ideas for addressing such misconceptions in middle school science classrooms. However, most teachers did not provide details on their pedagogical ideas for light. Correlations among the four constructs (familiarity, interest, conceptual understanding, and performance) were only significant between performance and conceptual understanding, r (64) = .50, p = .000. There was no significant relationship between conceptual understanding and familiarity, and between performance and familiarity. In view of these findings, it is evident that some teachers did not have sound conceptual understanding and pedagogical ideas to effectively help their students develop the understanding of light concepts accentuated in the US national science education standards. These findings have implications on teacher education and science teaching and learning.

abstract: This dissertation is presented in two sections. First, I explore two methods of using stable isotope analysis to trace environmental and biogeochemical processes. Second, I present two related studies investigating student understanding of the biogeochemical concepts that underlie part one. Fe and Hg are each biogeochemically important elements in their own way. Fe is a critical nutrient for phytoplankton, while Hg is detrimental to nearly all forms of life. Fe is often a limiting factor in marine phytoplankton growth. The largest source, by mass, of Fe to the open ocean is windblown mineral dust, but other more soluble sources are more bioavailable. To look for evidence of these non-soil dust sources of Fe to the open ocean, I measured the isotopic composition of aerosol samples collected on Bermuda. I found clear evidence in the fine size fraction of a non-soil dust Fe source, which I conclude is most likely from biomass burning. Widespread adoption of compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) has increased their importance as a source of environmental Hg. Isotope analysis would be a useful tool in quantifying this impact if the isotopic composition of Hg from CFL were known. My measurements show that CFL-Hg is isotopically fractionated, in a unique pattern, during normal operation. This fractionation is large and has a distinctive, mass-independent signature, such that CFL Hg can be uniquely identified from other sources. Misconceptions research in geology has been a very active area of research, but student thinking regarding the related field of biogeochemistry has not yet been studied in detail. From interviews with 40 undergraduates, I identified over 150 specific misconceptions. I also designed a multiple-choice survey (concept inventory) to measure understanding of these same biogeochemistry concepts. I present statistical evidence, based on the Rasch model, for the reliability and validity of this instrument. This instrument will allow teachers and researchers to easily quantify learning outcomes in biogeochemistry and will complement existing concept inventories in geology, chemistry, and biology. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Geological Sciences 2014

This thesis deals with the preconceptions and misconceptions of students in the field of heat and temperature. Here is an overview of textbooks for elementary and secondary schools with topics concerning heat and temperature. This thesis contains a brief characteristic of notions preconceptions and misconceptions, characteristic of Active Learning methods and characteristic of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations. This thesis also contains research of Students preconceptions and misconceptions about heat and temperature (mainly students of grammar schools). For this research was used HTCE test. Results of the research are processed for all students and for students of each class. There are three worksheets (translated from English), which should help with removing misconceptions.

Este trabalho teve por objetivos: levantar conceitos alternativos sobre radicais livres na mídia impressa e em livros de Bioquímica; examinar os conceitos alternativos prevalentes em pós-graduandos e em professores de Química e Biologia do Ensino Médio; e, planejar e aplicar intervenção para reduzir a influência destes conceitos. Para o levantamento na mídia impressa, foi selecionada a revista Veja, período de 01/01/2000 a 31/07/2014, e foram criadas as seguintes categorias para classificar o material encontrado: Conceito Alternativo (CA), Informação Indutiva (II), Conceito Indutivo (CI) e Generalização Indevida (GI), formando o grupo dos Conceitos Não Científicos (CNC); Conceito Correto (CC); Conceito Errado (CE); e, não preenche os critérios de inclusão (NPCI). Foram encontrados 294 trechos dos quais: 55,4% CA; 21,1% II; 9,2% CI; 5,4% GI; 4,1% CC; 2,7% CE; 2,0% NPCI; e, 91,2% CNC. Para o levantamento em livros de Bioquímica foram selecionados: Campbell - Bioquímica; Lehninger - Princípios de Bioquímica; Marzzoco e Torres Bioquímica Básica; Stryer - Bioquímica; e, Voet e Voet - Bioquímica. A maior parte dos conceitos encontrados nos livros foram conceitos corretos, contudo 77,5% dos conceitos encontrados destacavam aspectos negativos sobre radicais livres. Para o levantamento de conceitos alternativos em pós-graduandos e professores foi desenvolvido o Questionário de Radicais Livres (QRL), versões piloto e final, aplicadas, respectivamente, a 14 pós-graduandos matriculados na disciplina de pós-graduação Planejamento e Aplicação de Sequências Didáticas Envolvendo o Conteúdo Radicais Livres e 31 professores matriculados no curso de extensão Radicais Livres e suas Interfaces com a Vida, planejado com o auxílio dos pós-graduandos da disciplina. O QRL é um questionário de múltipla-escolha em etapas, composto por uma etapa de avaliação do conteúdo e outra sobre a percepção do participante sobre seu nível de certeza. Os pós-graduandos revelaram baixo domínio sobre o tema e baixo nível de certeza. Os professores, testados pré- e pós-intervenção, também apresentaram alta frequência de erros, bastante semelhante no pré- e no pós-teste, e baixo nível de certeza no pré-teste e aumento do nível de certeza no pós-teste. Acredita-se que estes resultados, tanto entre os pós-graduandos e como entre os professores, sejam reflexo da falta de contato acadêmico com o tema. Aos professores, também foram aplicados dois questionários complementares denominados Perfil Profissional e Conhecimentos Sobre Radicais Livres. Entre outras informações, os dados coletados a partir destes questionários, indicaram que os professores lecionam juntos para aproximadamente 12000 estudantes e que o curso de extensão contribuiu para aumentar seus conhecimentos sobre radicais livres. Estes dados oferecem suporte para a escolha do público-alvo e justificam a execução de cursos de extensão, tanto pelo o potencial de alcançar indiretamente um grande número de pessoas, como pela possibilidade de difusão do tema. Tanto o curso de extensão como a disciplina de pós-graduação foram muito bem avaliados pelos professores e pós-graduandos. Os altos percentuais de conceitos não científicos, principalmente conceitos alternativos, encontrados na mídia impressa, bem como os conceitos alternativos apresentados por pós-graduandos e professores, devem preocupar especialistas e cientistas, pois este tema é objeto de muitos anúncios publicitários que frequentemente incentivam o consumo de suplementos de antioxidantes. Em livros de Bioquímica, o aumento de conteúdo destacando o papel fisiológico dos radicais livres deve contribuir para desfazer o conceito disseminado de que radicais livres seriam prejudiciais à saúde. / This work aimed to survey the misconceptions regarding free radicals published in printed media and in biochemistry textbooks; to examine the misconceptions regarding free radicals prevalent among graduate students and chemistry and biology high school teachers; and to design and implement instructional intervention to reduce the influence of these misconceptions. For surveying printed media, publications from Veja magazine, dating from 01/01/2000 to 07/31/2014, were selected. The published material was categorized as follows: Misconception (MC), Inductive Information (II), Inductive Concept (IC), and Inadequate Generalization (IG) - collectively called Non-Scientific Concepts (NSC) - and Right Concept (RC), Wrong Concept (WC), and not fit for the inclusion criteria (NFIC). A total of 294 text excerpts were obtained, comprising 55.4% MC, 21.1% II, 9.2% IC, 5.4% IG, 4.1% RC, 2.7% WC, 2.0% NFIC, and 91.2% NSC. In order to examine the content in biochemistry textbooks, the following were selected: Campbell - Biochemistry; Lehninger - Principles of Biochemistry; Marzzoco & Torres - Basic Biochemistry; Stryer - Biochemistry; and Voet & Voet - Biochemistry. Most of the excerpts selected from the biochemistry textbooks were right concepts. However, 77.5% of the concepts highlighted negative aspects of free radicals. To investigate misconceptions among graduate students and high school teachers, a Free Radicals Questionnaire (FRQ) was developed. Pilot and final versions were given to 14 students enrolled in the graduate course Planning and Application of Didactical Sequences Encompassing Free Radicals Content and to 31 high school teachers enrolled in the extension course Free Radicals and its Interfaces with Life, respectively. The extension course was planned with the assistance of graduate students enrolled in the graduate course. FRQ is a multiple choice tier test with tiers for content evaluation and the participants perception of their level of certainty. Graduate students exhibited low levels of subject expertise and certainty. Teachers were tested pre- and post-intervention, and exhibited a high frequency of mistakes, comparable to graduate students, with similar pre- and post-test outcomes. However, their certainty level increased post-test. It is believed that these results may have occurred due to an academic lack of contact with the subject of free radicals. Additionally, two complementary questionnaires were given to the teachers: Professional Profile and Free Radicals Knowledge. Data collected from these questionnaires indicated that teachers collectively taught approximately 12,000 students and that the extension course contributed to increasing the teachers knowledge on free radicals. These results support the choice of the target audience and justify the implementation of the extension courses, because these courses have the potential to indirectly reach a large audience and can be used for thematic dissemination of knowledge in the subject area. The extension and graduate courses were highly rated by the teachers and graduate students, respectively. The high percentage of non-scientific concepts, especially misconceptions, found in printed media, as well as the misconceptions regarding free radicals prevalent among graduate students and teachers must concern specialists and scientists, as this topic is the subject of many advertisements encouraging consumption of antioxidant supplements. In biochemistry textbooks, increasing the content highlighting the physiological role of free radicals would contribute considerably in dispelling the widespread notion that free radicals are harmful to health.

This study explored the relationship between teachers’ ideas on teaching electricity and their awareness of learners’ misconceptions. A sample of six participants was conveniently selected from six different schools in an urban setting. A multi case design was used, treating each participant as a separate case. Data were collected using a questionnaire and interview. Each question in the questionnaire was designed to probe teachers’ knowledge, understanding and addressing of well-known misconceptions about circuits as reported in the literature. Interviews focused on teachers’ ideas about content and teaching methods. Results were interpreted using an existing Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) model as conceptual framework. It was found that teachers’ understanding of misconceptions ranged from minimal to insightful. Their strategies to correct misconceptions included teaching factually, mathematically, practically and conceptually. It was found that those teachers who were well aware of their learners’ misconceptions also held ideas that science teaching should focus on conceptual understanding and that various teaching methods should be used. Conversely, teachers who demonstrated poor understanding of misconceptions tended to view and teach concepts as isolated facts. It is argued that the relationship between teachers’ ideas and their awareness of misconceptions is one of cyclic reinforcement rather than simple cause and effect. The results also showed that teachers’ qualifications play a significant role in their ability to facilitate understanding of concepts in electric circuits. A new hierarchical model of pedagogical content knowledge is proposed to explain the results of this study. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lk2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Title: Pupil's preconceptions about heat and temperature Author: Jiri Schamberger Department: Department of Physics Education Supervisor: RNDr. Dana Mandikova, CSc., Department of Physics Education Advisor: Mgr. Petr Kacovsky Abstract: This thesis deals with the preconceptions of students in the field of heat and temperature. First, here is an overview of textbooks for elementary and secondary schools with topics concerning heat and temperature, and an overview of czech and foreign literature on the subject. The thesis also contains a survey conducted among primary school pupils and their corresponding grades of grammar schools and overview of misconceptions obtained on the basis of this survey. The final part contains two worksheets created to better understand the subject matter of the heat and temperature. Keywords: Preconceptions, misconceptions, heat, temperature, primary and grammar school pupils

Practical concepts, such as area and perimeter, have an important part in today's school mathematics curricula. Research indicates that students and preservice teachers (PSTs) struggle with and harbor misconceptions regarding these topics. Researchers suggest that alternative instructional methods be investigated that enhance PSTs' conceptual understanding and encourage deeper student thinking. To address this need, this study examined and described what and how PSTs learn as they engage in anchored instruction involving web-based microworlds designed for exploring area and perimeter. Its focus was to examine the influences of a modified teacher development experiment (TDE) upon 12 elementary PSTs' content knowledge (CK) and knowledge of student thinking (KoST) regarding principles, relationships, and misconceptions involving area and perimeter as they develop simultaneously in a problem-solving environment. The learning of meaningful mathematics is a personal and independent activity, as one struggles to create and reason through their own mathematical realities and misconceptions. This study describes PSTs' reasonings, misconceptions, and difficulties as they grappled with new knowledge or reconciled new knowledge with prior understandings. Quantitative and qualitative research methods, including case-subject analysis, were used. Instructional sessions similar to Steffe's (1983) teaching episodes comprised this study's intervention. Results indicate that prior to intervention most of the PSTs possessed a procedural knowledge of area and perimeter and were bound by a dependency on formulas; their KoST pertaining area and perimeter was relatively underdeveloped. They seemed unaware of prevalent misconceptions students acquire while working with these concepts (specifically, units of measure and perceived relationships). The PSTs displayed an ineffective use of drawings to support their responses. Their preoccupation with finding what they judged as "the answer" to various problem-solving situations hindered their ability to properly diagnose and address student thinking and limited their meaningful interaction with the microworlds (MWs). A majority of PSTs felt the MWs were a valuable learning tool for themselves but not for their future students. The planned intervention played a role in the PSTs becoming more perceptive of the difficult mathematics involved with area and perimeter and better equipped to anticipate and address those difficulties with future students.

abstract: Evidence suggests that Augmented Reality (AR) may be a powerful tool for alleviating certain, lightly held scientific misconceptions. However, many misconceptions surrounding the theory of evolution are deeply held and resistant to change. This study examines whether AR can serve as an effective tool for alleviating these misconceptions by comparing the change in the number of misconceptions expressed by users of a tablet-based version of a well-established classroom simulation to the change in the number of misconceptions expressed by users of AR versions of the simulation. The use of realistic representations of objects is common for many AR developers. However, this contradicts well-tested practices of multimedia design that argue against the addition of unnecessary elements. This study also compared the use of representational visualizations in AR, in this case, models of ladybug beetles, to symbolic representations, in this case, colored circles. To address both research questions, a one-factor, between-subjects experiment was conducted with 189 participants randomly assigned to one of three conditions: non AR, symbolic AR, and representational AR. Measures of change in the number and types of misconceptions expressed, motivation, and time on task were examined using a pair of planned orthogonal contrasts designed to test the study’s two research questions. Participants in the AR-based condition showed a significantly smaller change in the number of total misconceptions expressed after the treatment as well as in the number of misconceptions related to intentionality; none of the other misconceptions examined showed a significant difference. No significant differences were found in the total number of misconceptions expressed between participants in the representative and symbolic AR-based conditions, or on motivation. Contrary to the expectation that the simulation would alleviate misconceptions, the average change in the number of misconceptions expressed by participants increased. This is theorized to be due to the juxtaposition of virtual and real-world entities resulting in a reduction in assumed intentionality. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Technology 2019

<p>  </p> <p>Conceptions of giftedness have changed since gifted education became a focus for research. Rather than focusing solely on scores such as grades or Grade Point Average, definitions of giftedness have become more inclusive, and giftedness evaluation criteria have become more holistic. Despite the growing research, few studies have specifically investigated school counselors' perceptions of giftedness, and even fewer have examined the perceptions of preservice counselors. This study seeks to address this gap by examining pre-service school counselors by employing a qualitative descriptive approach, supplemented with quantitative information. The study involved 176 Turkish and 56 US survey participants, as well as 13 Turkish and eight U.S. interviewees. After I analyzed the data from these two countries, the primary finding of the research was that the participants demonstrated an insufficient understanding of giftedness, often subscribing to myths that perpetuate in the field. Consequently, the major implication of this study is that there is a pressing need for more comprehensive training and mandatory coursework on gifted education for preservice school counselors.</p>

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