Scientific knowledge is constructed and communicated through a range of forms in addition to verbal language. Maps, graphs, charts, diagrams, formulae, models, and drawings are just some of the ways in which science concepts can be represented. Representational competence—an aspect of visual literacy that focuses on the ability to interpret, transform, and produce visual representations—is a key component of science literacy and an essential part of science reading and writing. To date, however, most research has examined learning from representations rather than learning with representations. This dissertation consisted of three distinct projects that were related by a common focus on learning from visual representations as an important aspect of scientific literacy. The first project was the development of an exploratory framework that is proposed for use in investigations of students constructing and interpreting multimedia texts. The exploratory framework, which integrates cognition, metacognition, semiotics, and systemic functional linguistics, could eventually result in a model that might be used to guide classroom practice, leading to improved visual literacy, better comprehension of science concepts, and enhanced science literacy because it emphasizes distinct aspects of learning with representations that can be addressed though explicit instruction. The second project was a metasynthesis of the research that was previously conducted as part of the Explicit Literacy Instruction Embedded in Middle School Science project (Pacific CRYSTAL, http://www.educ.uvic.ca/pacificcrystal). Five overarching themes emerged from this case-to-case synthesis: the engaging and effective nature of multimedia genres, opportunities for differentiated instruction using multimodal strategies, opportunities for assessment, an emphasis on visual representations, and the robustness of some multimodal literacy strategies across content areas. The third project was a mixed-methods verification study that was conducted to refine and validate the theoretical framework. This study examined middle school students’ representational competence and focused on students’ creation of visual representations such as labelled diagrams, a form of representation commonly found in science information texts and textbooks. An analysis of the 31 Grade 6 participants’ representations and semistructured interviews revealed five themes, each of which supports one or more dimensions of the exploratory framework: participants’ use of color, participants’ choice of representation (form and function), participants’ method of planning for representing, participants’ knowledge of conventions, and participants’ selection of information to represent. Together, the results of these three projects highlight the need for further research on learning with rather than learning from representations. / Graduate

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία εκπονήθηκε στα πλαίσια του Μεταπτυχιακού Προγράμματος Σπουδών του Παιδαγωγικού Τμήματος Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών και έθεσε ως κεντρικό ζήτημα τη διερεύνηση της ικανότητας που διαθέτουν οι υποψήφιοι μελλοντικοί εκπαιδευτικοί της πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, ως προς τη χρήση των αναπαραστάσεων και ειδικότερα τη χρήση των αναπαραστάσεων στην επίλυση προβλημάτων με κλάσματα. / This paper has been prepared within the Graduate Program of the Department of Education of the University of Patras and has os main issue to investigate the representational competence of pre-service teachers, and particularly the use of representations to solve problems with fractions.

Students of chemistry encounter difficulties due to its abstract nature and the need to understand and communicate its concepts on macro, submicro, and symbolic levels using a range of representations and representational modes. Research suggests that when students are required to use multiple representations they have difficulties in understanding individual representations and in negotiating meaning through their use. This study sought to address these issues through the application of digital technologies. The main areas of research that provided a theoretical framework for this study were multiple representations in chemistry education and writing-to-learn in science. Other research in these areas has suggested that a better understanding of multiple representations might enhance students’ chemical literacy; however, limited research has investigated the impact of using digital technologies to create multimodal texts on students’ learning in chemistry, particularly the development of students’ skills in generating and integrating multiple representations. Until recently, much of the writing-to-learn research has focused on written composition. The knowledge-transforming model was proposed by Bereiter and Scardamalia (1987) to explain the influence of written composition on knowledge construction. However, having been developed prior to the time when students had ready access to digital technologies and a consequent capacity to create multimedia and digital texts, this model does not account for the production of such multimodal texts. This study examined the effect of learning experiences that utilised digital technologies to support students in using multiple representations and through writing-to-learn activities to create multimodal texts on learning outcomes in chemistry. The study was conducted in a metropolitan public co-educational high school in Queensland, Australia. Two Year 11 chemistry classes participated in the study, which was conducted in the first term of a 2-year course in which students learn chemistry as a separate discipline. The study consisted of a pilot study and an intervention study with two phases. The pilot study was used to trial the learning activities and data collection instruments and to gain an insight into instructional approaches that might be appropriate for the study. Phase 1 of the intervention study employed a pretest–posttest design. In this phase, students learned about chemical bonding and structure and their effects on the properties and behaviours of different materials. They also learned about the multiple representations used to understand and communicate about chemical bonding and structure. Within a modified crossover design, Phase 2 of the study employed mixed methods to compare the effects on learning outcomes when they created two different scientific texts: a digital poster and a laboratory report. Both text types required students to integrate multiple representations to report on their learning during laboratory investigations. These text types were chosen because they are commonly used by scientists to communicate their experimental findings. In Phase 1, students engaged in computer-based inquiries using both molecular modelling and simulation software to investigate phenomena such as intra- and inter-molecular bonding and their effects on properties, the differences between various types of bonds, the multiple representations used to describe and investigate bonding and structure, and to present their understanding to others. In Phase 2, students used a range of scaffolding resources to design and carry out two inquiries about the chemistry of biomaterials. In the first inquiry, students made and compared the properties of two different bioplastic films; in the second, students compared the relative fermentation rates of a range of carbohydrates. In both inquiries, students were required to report their findings and explain them on the submicro level using appropriate representations. Scaffolds included Science Writing Heuristics, which explicitly required students to consider which multiple representations would support their claims and explanations of data; digital resources for selecting, modifying, or creating representations; and genre templates. Pretest–posttest comparisons for both phases showed that the instructional approaches and resources used were effective for enhancing students’ learning outcomes. In all comparisons, the posttest performances were significantly higher. In the first phase, several of the identified alternative or missing conceptions about chemical bonding were effectively addressed, and in both phases, students’ conceptual understanding and their representational competencies were enhanced. The pretest–posttest comparisons for Phase 2 suggested that creating a diversified text – a digital poster – for explaining experimental results is at least as effective for enhancing understanding and representational competencies as creating a more traditional laboratory report. Other data were analysed to gain an insight into how or why the instructional strategies and resources used might have been effective. The student interviews revealed a number of advantages of using digital technologies, including promotion of higher order thinking, enhanced motivation and interest, the capacity of digital technologies to support and enhance visualisation, and the production of multiple representations in multiple modes. Students suggested that the digital resources allowed them to make links between macroscopic, molecular, and symbolic levels and to include a range of representations in their explanations. The evaluation questionnaire revealed similar trends. Analysis of the students’ texts suggested that the approaches used in Phase 2 were effective in supporting students’ content and rhetorical problem solving and the interactions between the two. Students utilised a range of representations, particularly structural diagrams, when making explanations of their macroscopic data on the submicro level. This study has implications for the instructional approaches used by chemistry teachers because it showed that integrating digital technologies into learning environments is effective when introducing students to the multiple representations used in chemistry and in the development of students’ chemical literacies. It also contributes to writing-to-learn research by focusing on multimodal communication and the benefits of creating multimodal texts for presenting, organising, and explaining data, and for representing knowledge. Significant findings of the study relate to the importance of digital technologies in generating multimodal texts and representations for instruction, scaffolding, and in student-centred inquiry-based learning. Further research might focus on the use of such resources for addressing other commonly identified alternative conceptions, the creation of other multimodal text types, the use of other digital technologies or authoring tools, or on the development of teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge, which is required for effective classroom implementation of these resources and strategies.

Students of chemistry encounter difficulties due to its abstract nature and the need to understand and communicate its concepts on macro, submicro, and symbolic levels using a range of representations and representational modes. Research suggests that when students are required to use multiple representations they have difficulties in understanding individual representations and in negotiating meaning through their use. This study sought to address these issues through the application of digital technologies. The main areas of research that provided a theoretical framework for this study were multiple representations in chemistry education and writing-to-learn in science. Other research in these areas has suggested that a better understanding of multiple representations might enhance students’ chemical literacy; however, limited research has investigated the impact of using digital technologies to create multimodal texts on students’ learning in chemistry, particularly the development of students’ skills in generating and integrating multiple representations. Until recently, much of the writing-to-learn research has focused on written composition. The knowledge-transforming model was proposed by Bereiter and Scardamalia (1987) to explain the influence of written composition on knowledge construction. However, having been developed prior to the time when students had ready access to digital technologies and a consequent capacity to create multimedia and digital texts, this model does not account for the production of such multimodal texts. This study examined the effect of learning experiences that utilised digital technologies to support students in using multiple representations and through writing-to-learn activities to create multimodal texts on learning outcomes in chemistry. The study was conducted in a metropolitan public co-educational high school in Queensland, Australia. Two Year 11 chemistry classes participated in the study, which was conducted in the first term of a 2-year course in which students learn chemistry as a separate discipline. The study consisted of a pilot study and an intervention study with two phases. The pilot study was used to trial the learning activities and data collection instruments and to gain an insight into instructional approaches that might be appropriate for the study. Phase 1 of the intervention study employed a pretest–posttest design. In this phase, students learned about chemical bonding and structure and their effects on the properties and behaviours of different materials. They also learned about the multiple representations used to understand and communicate about chemical bonding and structure. Within a modified crossover design, Phase 2 of the study employed mixed methods to compare the effects on learning outcomes when they created two different scientific texts: a digital poster and a laboratory report. Both text types required students to integrate multiple representations to report on their learning during laboratory investigations. These text types were chosen because they are commonly used by scientists to communicate their experimental findings. In Phase 1, students engaged in computer-based inquiries using both molecular modelling and simulation software to investigate phenomena such as intra- and inter-molecular bonding and their effects on properties, the differences between various types of bonds, the multiple representations used to describe and investigate bonding and structure, and to present their understanding to others. In Phase 2, students used a range of scaffolding resources to design and carry out two inquiries about the chemistry of biomaterials. In the first inquiry, students made and compared the properties of two different bioplastic films; in the second, students compared the relative fermentation rates of a range of carbohydrates. In both inquiries, students were required to report their findings and explain them on the submicro level using appropriate representations. Scaffolds included Science Writing Heuristics, which explicitly required students to consider which multiple representations would support their claims and explanations of data; digital resources for selecting, modifying, or creating representations; and genre templates. Pretest–posttest comparisons for both phases showed that the instructional approaches and resources used were effective for enhancing students’ learning outcomes. In all comparisons, the posttest performances were significantly higher. In the first phase, several of the identified alternative or missing conceptions about chemical bonding were effectively addressed, and in both phases, students’ conceptual understanding and their representational competencies were enhanced. The pretest–posttest comparisons for Phase 2 suggested that creating a diversified text – a digital poster – for explaining experimental results is at least as effective for enhancing understanding and representational competencies as creating a more traditional laboratory report. Other data were analysed to gain an insight into how or why the instructional strategies and resources used might have been effective. The student interviews revealed a number of advantages of using digital technologies, including promotion of higher order thinking, enhanced motivation and interest, the capacity of digital technologies to support and enhance visualisation, and the production of multiple representations in multiple modes. Students suggested that the digital resources allowed them to make links between macroscopic, molecular, and symbolic levels and to include a range of representations in their explanations. The evaluation questionnaire revealed similar trends. Analysis of the students’ texts suggested that the approaches used in Phase 2 were effective in supporting students’ content and rhetorical problem solving and the interactions between the two. Students utilised a range of representations, particularly structural diagrams, when making explanations of their macroscopic data on the submicro level. This study has implications for the instructional approaches used by chemistry teachers because it showed that integrating digital technologies into learning environments is effective when introducing students to the multiple representations used in chemistry and in the development of students’ chemical literacies. It also contributes to writing-to-learn research by focusing on multimodal communication and the benefits of creating multimodal texts for presenting, organising, and explaining data, and for representing knowledge. Significant findings of the study relate to the importance of digital technologies in generating multimodal texts and representations for instruction, scaffolding, and in student-centred inquiry-based learning. Further research might focus on the use of such resources for addressing other commonly identified alternative conceptions, the creation of other multimodal text types, the use of other digital technologies or authoring tools, or on the development of teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge, which is required for effective classroom implementation of these resources and strategies.

In order to contribute to our understanding of how technologies can be used to visualise physical phenomena in order to support teaching and learning of the phenomena at hand, this licentiate thesis explores the ways in which visual representations created with GeoGebra can be used in upper-secondary physics education. In addition, this thesis provides a new model that can be used to characterise students’ representational competence. This thesis is a compilation of two journal articles. The first article is a systematic review of the current literature on how GeoGebra can be used to support physics education in upper-secondary schools. The second article explores students’ use and interpretation of a provided representation, a GeoGebra simulation of friction, and generation of their own representations.  The systematic literature review identifies three major ways in which teachers and researchers report using GeoGebra in physics education—namely, (1) to design custom-made computer simulations, (2) to augment real experiments with virtual objects, and (3) to engage students in constructing GeoGebra simulations.  The second study shows how students used improvised representations, in the form of gestures, enactments, and drawings,  in their interpretation of links between microscopic aspects of friction and the provided GeoGebra simulation. The study also reveals how, during engagement with provided representations, students spontaneously move across modalities, shifting between provided and self-constructed representations, between physical and digital representations, and between modes of communication (including gestures, spoken language, and enactment).  In addition, a reanalysis of selected examples of data shows that GeoGebra can facilitate transformations of mathematical representations, supporting the structural role and technical role of mathematics, whereby students are enabled to focus on the physical phenomena at hand and the parameters that influence it. / This thesis explores the ways in which visual representations created with GeoGebra can be used in upper-secondary physics education. In addition, this thesis provides a new model that can be used to characterise students’ representational competence. The thesis is a compilation of two journal articles. The first article identifies three major ways in which teachers and researchers report using GeoGebra in physics education. The second article explores students’ use and interpretation of a provided GeoGebra simulation of friction. The study shows how students used improvised representations in their interpretation of links between microscopic aspects of friction and the provided representation. The study also reveals how students spontaneously move across modalities, shifting between provided and self-constructed representations, between physical and digital representations, and between modes of communication (including gestures, spoken language, and enactment). The reanalysis of selected examples of data shows that GeoGebra can facilitate transformations of mathematical representations, supporting the structural and the technical role of mathematics, whereby students are enabled to focus on the physical phenomena at hand.

<p>For the projects titled Undergraduate Students’ Interpretation of Fischer and Haworth Carbohydrate Projections and Undergraduate Students' Interpretation of Glycosidic Bonds – there is a prevalent issue in biochemistry education in which students display fragmented knowledge of the biochemical concepts learned when asked to illustrate their understandings (via drawings, descriptions, analysis, etc.). In science education, educators have traditionally used illustrations to support students’ development of conceptual understanding. However, interpreting a representation is dependent on prior knowledge, ability to decode visual information, and the nature of the representation itself. With a prevalence of studies conducted on visualizations, there is little research with a focus on the students’ interpretation and understanding of carbohydrates and/or glycosidic bonds. The aim of these projects focuses on how students interpret representations of carbohydrates and glycosidic bonds. This study offers a description of undergraduate students’ understanding and interpretation using semi-structured interviews through Phenomenography, Grounded Theory and the Resources Frameworks. The data suggests that students have different combinations of (low or high) accuracy and productivity for interpreting and illustrating carbohydrates and glycosidic bonds, among other findings to be highlighted in their respective chapters. More effective teaching strategies can be designed to assist students in developing expertise in proper illustrations and guide their thought process in composing proper explanations in relation to and/or presence of illustrations.</p> <p><br></p> <p>For the project titled Impact of the Pandemic on Student Readiness: Laboratories, Preparedness, and Support – it was based upon research by Meaders et. al (2021) published in the International Journal of STEM Education. Messaging during the first day of class is highly important in establishing positive student learning environments.  Further, this research suggests that students are detecting the messages that are communicated.  Thus, attention should be given to prioritizing what information and messages are most important for faculty to voice. There is little doubt that the pandemic has had a significant impact on students across the K-16 spectrum.  In particular, for undergraduate chemistry instructors’, data on the number of laboratories students completed in high school and in what mode would be important information in considering what modifications could be implemented in the laboratory curriculum and in messaging about the laboratory activities – additionally on how prepared students feel to succeed at college work, how the pandemic has impacted their preparedness for learning, and what we can do to support student learning in chemistry can shape messaging on the first day and for subsequent activities in the course.  An initial course survey that sought to highlight these student experiences and perspectives will be discussed along with the impact on course messaging and structure.    </p> <p><br></p>