This research study was conducted in an urban high school in Western Cape province of South Africa. The research study investigated the effect of virtual practical work on learner performance in science process skills and attitude, working with a non-random sample group of grade 10 physical sciences learners. In this experimental design research, the treatment group of 22 learners was taught the concept of 'phase change in matter' through virtual practical work. On the other hand, the control group was taught the same concept through hands-on practical. A pre- and post-test instrument of 30 multiple choice items on integrated science process skills was used to measure learners' performance. The test scores were statistically analysed using Quickcalcs, to compare the overall learner performance in the two groups, and also to compare learner performance in different categories of science process skills. A 12-item questionnaire was designed to test the learner s' attitude towards virtual and hands-on practical. The statistical t test analysis on the average scores indicated insignificant difference between the performance of the two groups, with a p value greater than 0,05. When learners' performance in different process skills categories were compared, t test scores revealed significant differences in some categories and non-significant differences in some categories. The questionnaire results indicated that the learners' attitude was biased towards hands-on practical work. The significance of this research study is that virtual practical can be used to develop some science process skills.

Process skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, information processing, teamwork, and communication are important for student success in their coursework and eventually the workplace, but these skills are not always explicitly taught or assessed in undergraduate courses. These skills should be assessed in order to identify areas for student improvement and because assessment practices can provide clear goals to students. However, my analysis of the current literature suggests that instructors do not have the tools necessary to effectively assess and provide feedback on these skills, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate courses. To meet this need of assessing and providing feedback to students, rubrics and other instructional resources have been developed to assess process skills as part of the Enhancing Learning by Improving Process Skills in STEM (ELIPSS) Project. Surveys and interview data indicated that the rubrics were practical for instructors to use to provide feedback to students, represented all relevant aspects of the skills, measured the processes that students used when completing tasks, and could be reliably used by multiple raters. During rubric development, the resources were propagated to the STEM instructor community, and the effectiveness of the propagation methods were examined. The highest rates of adoption resulted from hearing about the rubrics from a colleague or attending a presentation about the rubrics. Additionally, running the ELIPSS workshops and creating the ELIPSS website that people found from searching the internet each led to moderate adoption rates. These results support the idea that a multifaceted propagation strategy may be most effective for researchers who are developing assessment tools. When studying the ways in which STEM instructors were implementing the ELIPSS rubrics, it was found that the instructors each developed different strategies that suited their intended learning outcomes and instructional environments by assessing and providing feedback to students in a variety of ways. Instructors with different class sizes, course levels, online course management systems, and access to teaching assistants all adapted the rubric implementation strategy to fit their unique classroom environments. Multiple instructors reported that they were better able to articulate professional skill expectations to their students through the use of the rubrics. Additionally, they were more aware of how their students interacted with one another in groups after using the interaction rubrics. These results indicate that ELIPSS rubrics can encourage more reflective practice in undergraduate instructors by providing them with more information about their students that can be used to modify their teaching methods. Further work was done to examine how students developed process skills in a first-year chemistry laboratory course. Students in a first-year chemistry laboratory course used the ELIPSS rubrics to assess their own process skills, and they were also assessed by a teaching assistant. Additionally, students reported their understanding of process skills and their perceived improvements over the course of the semester. The results suggest that students understand interpersonal process skills such as teamwork and communication better than they understand cognitive process skills such as critical thinking and information processing. While the evidence further suggests that students improved their process skills, and students reported that they improved their process skills, the students showed inconsistent abilities to self-assess and provide justification for their assessment using rubrics.

Desiring to examine the performance of science process skills such as data analysis and conclusion synthesis in sixth grade Life Science students, I used an inquiry strategy called "guided inquiry" in a series of six laboratory assignments during the normal county-mandated order of instruction for Life Science. I based my analysis upon these laboratory exercises, a survey of student attitudes towards science done before the study began and after the study completed, an assessment of inquiry understanding done before and after the study was finished, routine material tests, and a science final class evaluation done after the study was finished. Emphasis was placed upon examining the content of the laboratory reports which required students to analyze their experiments and draw a conclusion based upon their findings. The study found that while most students did grasp the desired scientific principles the labs were designed to teach, they had difficulty in formulating a structured and detailed account of their experiences without guidance. The study helped to further understanding of student performance and learning in science process skills such as data analysis and conclusion synthesis.

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Humanities Education / DPhil / Unrestricted

Process skills, such as critical thinking, communication, and problem solving, are sometimes referred to as soft skills or professional skills and have been identified by instructors and employers alike as being desirable skills for students to acquire before they graduate. The development and assessment of process skills in students were important learning objectives for both the ANA-POGIL (Analytical Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) and ELIPSS (Enhancing Learning by Improving Process Skills in STEM) projects. The ANA-POGIL project consisted of a faculty consortium that was comprised of chemistry faculty. The ELIPSS project currently consists of a faculty consortium that includes representation from multiple STEM disciplines, including biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology, math, engineering, and physics. In order to optimize the student development of process skills there should be alignment between the instructors’ goals for their courses and what they assess. The faculty members associated with both of these projects wanted to enhance students’ development of process skills by providing them with feedback, and a problem solving rubric was developed to meet those needs. The rubric categories were constructed based on faculty definitions and literature that described characteristics of successful problem solvers. To the test the rubric’s validity, it was piloted by both faculty and students. The rubric was then used in an advanced analytical instrumental laboratory course to assess the extent to which evidence of students’ process skills changed over the course of a semester. Students from the laboratory course were interviewed to gather their insights into the rubric and how they used the feedback. Findings suggest that instructors should emphasize the importance of process skills and incorporate them directly into their courses if they want students to value them. Even though students were provided regular feedback, their problem solving scores did not change appreciably throughout the semester. While students found the rubric feedback useful on the surface, they did not use the feedback in any significant way to improve on their laboratory reports because there was no grade or incentive tied to the rubrics. If faculty want students to obtain process skills, they should place some incentive on the acquisition and development of them. Another goal of the ANA-POGIL project was to develop multi-part, open-ended questions to assess process skills. To analyze evidence of the process skills that were present in the student responses, a qualitative coding scheme focused on three process skills (information processing, problem solving, and critical thinking) was used. There was overall good alignment between the process skills the faculty had identified for the exam questions and the evidence that was found in the student responses. Findings show that if instructors value eliciting a certain process skill in students’ responses, then they should be extremely explicit in how the exam structure is worded to elicit that skill. Well-designed laboratories help students develop skills in experimental design, data analysis, and communication in addition to critical technical skills. A common course structure that presents challenges for both the students and instructional staff is in upper-level undergraduate chemistry laboratories where students perform experiments in a rotational style, with each group of students working on one instrument per week. As a solution to this challenge, a set of pre-laboratory videos were generated for each experiment. Laboratory observations and student interviews were conducted to investigate how students were using the resources and to characterize their experiences in the laboratory. Findings show that students used the resources to come more prepared to complete the laboratory experiments more independently with less instructional intervention. Findings from the student observations and experiences in the laboratory show that students enjoyed working with both their peers and the instructional team to successfully complete the experiments.

Preschool has a long tradition of using picture books, both as entertainment and as a resource for educational activities. In science there are two main application areas. The first one is science concepts and the second is to teach basic science process skills. These skills, observing, communicating, inferring, classifying, measuring and predicting reflects the methods used by scientists. Picture books potential to put science concepts and activities that promote the use of science process skills in a meaningful context, recommends using picture books for this purpose. However there is an issue about finding an appropriate selection of books, mainly when used for science concept formation. This study focuses on fictional picture books and discusses potentials and limitations of using them as a resource for preschool science. / I förskolan finns en lång tradition av att använda bilderböcker, både som underhållning och underlag för pedagogiska aktiviteter. Inom det naturvetenskapliga området finns två huvudsakliga användningsområden. Det första är naturvetenskaplig begreppsbildning och det andra är att använda bilderboken som utgångspunkt för att lära ut grundläggande naturvetenskapliga förmågor. Dessa förmågor, att observera, kommunicera, dra slutsats, klassificera, mäta och att förutspå, reflekterar det arbetssätt som används av forskare. Bilderbokens möjlighet att sätta naturvetenskapliga begrepp respektive aktiviteter som uppmuntrar barnen att använda naturvetenskapliga metoder i ett för barnen meningsfullt sammanhang, talar för att bilderboken används som utgångspunkt för detta. Ett problem som finns är att det är svårt att ta fram ett lämpligt urval. Detta gäller framförallt när bilderboken används som utgångspunkt för begreppsbildning. Denna studie är fokuserad på ett skönlitterärt urval, och diskuterar de möjligheter och begränsningar som finns med att använda skönlitterära bilderböcker som utgångspunkt för naturvetenskap i förskolan.

In this study, a comparison of the effectiveness of conceptual change oriented instruction with traditionally designed chemistry instruction and an investigation of the effect of gender difference were made on ninth grade students&rsquo / understanding of phases and phase changes concepts. In addition, the effects of these instructional methods on students&rsquo / attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject were compared. In this study 56 ninth grade students from two classes of a chemistry course instructed by the same teacher from Ankara Atat&uuml / rk Anatolian Lycee in 2003-2004 educational year&rsquo / s first semester took part. The classes were randomly assigned as control and experimental groups. The experimental group was instructed by conceptual change oriented method with conceptual change texts supported by demonstration, whereas the control group was instructed by traditionally designed method over a period of three weeks. Both groups were administered to Phases and Phase Changes Achievement Test as pretest and posttest in order to assess students&rsquo / understanding of phases and phase changes concepts. Additionally, Science Process Skills Test was given before the treatment to measure students&rsquo / science process skills and Attitude Scale toward Chemistry as a School Subject was given after the treatment to determine their attitudes. The hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), paired samples t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results of this study indicated that conceptual change oriented instruction caused a significantly better understanding of phases and phase changes concepts / that males had fewer alternative conceptions than females on phases and phase changes / and that science process skills were strong predictors of understanding in phases and phase changes concepts. On the other hand, no significant difference between conceptual change oriented instruction and traditionally designed chemistry instruction / and no effect of gender difference on students&rsquo / attitudes toward chemistry as a school subject were found.

The ultimate purpose of this study was to investigate how to best prepare Singapore students for the Knowledge-based Economy (KBE). Investigating the possible need for the realignment of the primary science assessment to the KBE was of utmost interest as assessment was viewed as the driver of the actual curriculum. This was a mixed methods design study (Creswell, 2005). Fifteen teachers were first interviewed to ascertain the major features of primary school science assessment in both Perth, Western Australia and Singapore. A list of twelve questions was prepared for the eight teacher interviewees in Singapore and the seven teacher interviewees in Perth. The NUD*IST program was used to help organise trends in these teacher responses. Definitions of KBE skills were synthesised from literature reviews and validated by the fifteen teachers for the subsequent survey. The survey involved a list of demographic questions and two matrices. The first matrix required the teachers to rate, on a four-point scale, the use of the eleven assessment modes for the twelve 'process' and KBE skills. The second matrix was a frequency check to determine if the teachers had used a particular mode to assess a particular skill. One hundred and forty-five usable surveys were analysed. The Rasch analysis was performed through RUMM2020 program and unfolding model was sought through the program RateFOLD. The interviews first established that KBE skills and a variety of assessment modes were needed for today's classes. The survey confirmed these needs and found that the paper and pencil test was the most frequently used assessment procedures in Singapore and Perth. In both interviews and the survey, teachers were requested to match the skill(s) to the appropriate assessment mode(s) though the details and justification of such tasks were explained by the teachers in the interviews. In the process, other factors such as 'time constraints' and 'ranking of the teachers' were uncovered as 'hindrances' to teachers assessing the students appropriately for learning. The problems identified by the Singapore teachers were a lack of time, overloaded syllabi and the crucial perceived need of assessment of learning (high-stake summative tests). The results of both the interviews and survey supported the need for a variety of assessment modes (Gray & Sharp, 2001; Hackling, 2004; National Research Council, 1996, 2001 & 2003; Sebatane, 1998; Sterenberg, 1998) to help students learn science in today's contemporary classes. The Singapore teachers in this study were also appealing for help from the policy-makers to use a variety of assessment modes as the system that stipulated the use of the paper and pencil testing was beyond their control and jurisdiction. Recommendations that stemmed from this study include allowing teachers to use a variety of assessments to assess the students' learning in the high-stake Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and not just the paper and pencil mode that has been in used for at least the last thirty years. There are important implications as the learning theories that are currently used to support the assessment of learning are no longer sufficient nor in total alignment with the needs for today's class. For example, a behaviourist taxonomy of skills emphasises the measurable output and not the process of learning. Socio-constructivist approaches that focus on the individual constructing meaning in hislher context such as the use of ongoing formative assessment to encourage feedback (Black & Wiliam, 1998a & b) may assist in engaging the students in lifelong learning which is required in the KBE. Lastly, the significance of this study lies in two aspects, the practical and the scholarly. This study provides the evidence for the need primary science assessment to be more aligned to contemporary needs. This in turn will assist in better preparing the young of Singapore, who are the nation's only natural resource, for the workforce. This study also aims to contribute to the body of knowledge in three ways. Firstly, KBE needs will be connected to the primary science classroom via assessment of skills. Secondly, both KBE and process skills were found to be more appropriately assessed by assessment modes such as portfolio and paper and pencil respectively, as demonstrated through the analysis by Rasch and unfolding models. Thirdly, the gap between the implemented and official curriculum will be narrowed with this proposed change in assessment processes.

The purposes of this research study were to determine (a) in-service elementary teachers' familiarity, interest, conceptual knowledge of , and performance on science process skills and (b) how in-service elementary teachers' familiarity with, interest in conceptual knowledge of and performance on science process skills relate to each other. The science process skills include the basic skills [observation, classification, measuring, predicting, inferring, and communication,] and the integrated skills [hypothesizing, experimenting, identifying and controlling variables, formulating models, interpreting data, and graphing]. Twenty-four in-service elementary teachers enrolled in a master of math and science education degree program participated in this study. Participants completed questionnaires on their familiarity and interest in the science process skills, a science processes conceptual knowledge test, and a performance test on science process skills. Results indicate that these teachers were highly familiar with the science process skills, but moderately interested in these skills. Results also indicate that teachers were more interested in learning more about integrated process skills than basic process skills. Teachers possessed very low conceptual knowledge of the science process skills. However, teachers performed well on science process skills performance test. Significant correlations among the four constructs (familiarity, interest, conceptual knowledge and performance) were only significant between familiarity and interest. The implications, discussion and recommendations for future research and instruction on science process skills in teacher education programs have been presented.

It has long been accepted by science education research that science inquiry in the classroom is essential to the development of a deep understanding of the nature of science and the world around us. In an effort to understand the relationship between science inquiry, science process skills, the nature of science and science and engineering fairs, this mixed methods study qualitatively explores teaching strategies of exemplary science and engineering teachers (N=6) who mentored several International Science and Engineering Fair finalists within a 10 year period (2004-2014). The quantitative portion of this research explored the relationship between science fair participation and academic achievement. Using the theoretical framework of modern expectancy-value theory, 5 themes emerged. All believed: 1) there is intrinsic value in science inquiry and science fair; 2) all included strategic engagement opportunities for students; 3) intrinsic value and motivation potentially lead to increased academic aptitude; 4) the benefits of science inquiry and science fair outweigh costs; and 5) there is a link between intrinsic value in science and engineering fair and utility value. Of the schools (N=31) identified for the quantitative study, demographic analysis (gender, ethnicity, socio-economic statics, and size of school) narrowed to 8 treatment schools with one control school indicated no statistical relationship between academic performance on a standardized state science examination and science fair participation. An ad hoc study indicated the standardized testing instrument was not an adequate measurement of the level of inquiry included in a science and engineering fair project. In conclusion, a list comprised of exemplary science and engineering fair suggestions was formulated to include descriptions of similar teaching strategies or issues among the exemplary science and engineering fair teachers with intentions of increasing science inquiry or the nature of science in the classroom through the science and engineering fair framework.