This dissertation is a case study of a school district in the Pacific Northwest that developed three-year high school science curricula using a Physics First course sequence (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), with the crosscutting concept Patterns as the central theme of the courses. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of the implementation of the 9th grade course, Patterns Physics, on teacher practice and beliefs about science teaching and determine whether this new approach facilitated teacher classroom practices and beliefs congruent with those expressed in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Results from this study indicate that the implementation of Patterns Physics positively impacted teacher confidence in teaching the NGSS science and engineering practices. Professional development that provided teachers multiple opportunities to engage with the curriculum--in the role of a student, in professional discussions with colleagues, and over several years were critical to support a change in practice consistent with three-dimensional (3D) teaching called for by the Framework and NGSS. Teacher participants viewed the Patterns PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) sequence as an appropriate course sequence, with strong agreement that a 9th grade physics course needs to be tailored to the needs of students, such as added support for students with minimal mathematics skills. The NGSS, with an emphasis on 3D learning (science content knowledge, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices), had a significant positive impact on instructional practice.

Contemporary educational trends have created a false dichotomy between the arts and science. The will to make STEM subjects the focus of K-12 education, ignores both a shared history and the potential for greater learning in a shared future.The intention of Points of Intersection is to demonstrate that design, science and math intersect in their concepts, practices and history. In the past, these disciplines were explored and studied together and benefited from each other. By exploring what design and science have in common and the points where they intersect, we can see the relevance and importance of art and design in k-12 education and change STEM to STEAM. The exhibition will explore point, line, plane and the “Golden Ratio” demonstrating how these concepts can be understood from the perspectives of physics, math, art and design on a basic level. These basic principles can be used to introduce these fields of study and bring a better understanding of them to students in K-12. Future designers and scientists with this educational underpinning will have a better mutual understanding of one another’s field and the potential for shared research, process and results. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

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Doctor of Education / This thesis is situated in the research field of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in education and within a professional context of multiliteracies for academic purposes. The overall aim of the research is to provide a metafunctional account of multimodal and multisemiotic meaning-making in print and electronic learning materials in first year science at university. The educational motivation for the study is to provide insights for teachers and educational designers to assist them in the development of students’ multiliteracies, particularly in the context of online learning environments. The corpus comprises online and CD-ROM learning resources in biology, physics and chemistry and textbooks in physics and biology, which are typical of those used in undergraduate science courses in Australia. Two underlying themes of the research are to compare the different affordances of textbook and screen formats and the disciplinary variation found in these formats. The two stage research design consisted of a multimodal content analysis, followed by a SF-based multimodal discourse analysis of a selection of the texts. In the page and screen formats of these pedagogical texts, the analyses show that through the mechanisms of intersemiosis, ideationally, language and image are reconstrued as disciplinary knowledge. This knowledge is characterised by a high level of technicality in image and verbiage, by taxonomic relations across semiotic resources and by interdependence among elements in the image, caption, label and main text. Interpersonally, pedagogical roles of reader/learner/viewer/ and writer/teacher/designer are enacted differently to some extent across formats through the different types of activities on the page and screen but the source of authority and truth remains with the teacher/designer, regardless of format. Roles are thus minimally negotiable, despite the claims of interactivity in the screen texts. Textually, the organisation of meaning across text and image in both formats is reflected in the layout, which is determined by the underlying design grid and in the use of graphic design resources of colour, font, salience and juxtaposition. Finally, through the resources of grammatical metaphor and the reconstrual of images as abstract, both forms of semiosis work together to shift meanings from congruence to abstraction, into the specialised realm of science.

The purpose of this study was to design and test multi-media, electronic-response programs which were intended to effect attitude change in non-science majors toward key biological concepts.The study was conducted at Ball State University and used the resources of the electronic response (ER) laboratory in the Department of Biology of that institution. Nine ER programs were developed to introduce each of the nine sequential programs. The purpose of the programs was to develop within the student a positive "attitude" toward the biological concepts introduced in the course each week. Desired affective outcomes as a result of participating in the programs were written in behavioral objective form. For each objective identified, a matching concept statement used "to measure" attainment of the objective was also written.Students interacted with each electronic response program by viewing 35 mm slides and listening to the narration accompanied by musical background and by responding to questions at intervals of from 10 to 45 seconds. The students used the circuitry of the ER system to respond to question slides.The effectiveness of the strategies involved in the programs was determined by measuring short-term attitude changes for a sampling of three objectives in each of the nine programs. Pre- and post-test forms of the semantic differential were utilized in determining the effectiveness of each program in eliciting attitude change for each objective identified. The t-test for dependent variables was utilized in determining the significance of change for each scale position for each concept measured.Significant attitude changes as measured by shifts on all or some of the S.D. scales used in the pre, post-test evaluation occurred for 24 (93 percent) of the 27 objectives tested. The following conclusions were determined as a result of the study:1) Behaviorally specified short-term affective objectives can be accomplished in a short, twenty-minute electronic response classroom presentation that incorporated effective strategiesfounded in educational theory.2) Mediated ER programs, when used with appropriate program material, can be an effective means of illiciting attitude change in the learner.3) There appears to be a correlation between the degree of cognitive emphasis in the programs and the degree of scale movement indicated.4) For those objectives receiving emphasis in only 10% or less of the program, no significant change in scale position was noted. 5) Post-test scale shifts for those concepts with overall quite(strong) pre-test scale position were generally significantly enhanced and strengthened by the ER programs.6) Subjective feedback indicates that a more positive approach tendency toward the concepts presented for the course was realized as a result of student participation in the ER programs.

This research studied the impact of technology integration during science lessons to help prepare fourth graders in a suburban elementary school for the Kansas State Science Assessment. The three instructional methods considered were inquiry-based learning and direct instruction without technology use; inquiry-based learning and direct instruction using laptops; inquirybased learning and direct instruction using an interactive whiteboard. Sixty-one fourth-grade students participated in this study and were divided into three experimental conditions: science classes A, B, and C. Each class received six, 50-minute science test review sessions over a twoweek period. The review sessions alternated each day between direct instruction and inquirybased learning. During the direct instruction sessions, Class A received direct instruction while using an interactive whiteboard; Class B received direct instruction while using laptops; Class C was the control group, and direct instruction was similar to a lecture format. No technology was used with Class C. The inquiry-based learning sessions were the same for all three classes. Science-based pre- and post-tests were administered during the study along with a technology use survey. Data from the Kansas State Reading, Math, and Science assessments were also considered. To determine if performances on the researcher-generated science tests were related to each other, partial correlations controlling for reading and math skills were computed for each group of students. Statistically significant relations between pre- and post-test science knowledge emerged only for the students in the no technology group. Gain scores were also calculated using the Kruskal Wallis test to determine the amount of change between pre- and post-intervention scores. Results indicated that significant group differences between pre- and post-test scores in science content knowledge did not emerge. Next, Kruskal Wallis statistical test was used to determine if there were group differences in use of computers for homework and for non-school work. No statistically significant differences emerged. Lastly, to determine if the gains from preto post-test made by the entire sample (not subgroups) were statistically significant, a onesample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. Results indicated that gains made by the entire sample between pre- and post-tests were statistically significant. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction. / Includes bibliographic references (leaves 36-39).

This creative project is a series of individualized instructional packets, entitled Science Education Packets designed for use fn a girls' juvenile corrections institution. The materials were modified from a commercial ditto series produced by Ortleb and Cadice (1967). The series deals with science topics such as Earth Science, Physical and Chemical Changes, and Our Living World. The series was originally designed for group classroom situations. As presented here, each series is presented as a self-instruction unit fn which the child elects to work.The author has found the production of units on an elementary level is best when dealing with the transient population of a correctional institution. The child has an opportunity to achieve at maximum capacity in a minimal time.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

This study investigates how preservice teachers make sense of student-centered instruction with existing traditional beliefs about teaching. Teacher educators assume that university instruction translates directly into practice, yet, research is clear that beginning teachers revert to traditional teaching practice. For elementary teachers, one science methods course is assumed to be sufficient instruction in contemporary methods to successfully guide practice in their beginning years. Two main research questions are addressed: 1) Do preservice teacher belief structures change during the implementation of a Japanese Lesson Study cycle? 2) To what extent are preservice teachers teaching behaviors consistent with their belief structures? [...] To answer these questions, a case study methodology consisting of three preservice teachers, selected from a collective case study of 25 preservice teachers, was performed. The time periods of data collection were set with Lesson Study episodes. The time periods included pre-lesson study, during lesson study episodes, and post lesson study, with a conceptual framework synthesized from beliefs literature, Rokeach (1968), Fishbein and Ajzen (1975), and operationalized within the context of a Science Methods course using Richardson et al (1991) and Pajares (1992) as a guide. Findings indicate that even if preservice teachers have similar experiences with elementary science instruction, and have developed a traditional frame of reference (Kennedy, 1999) that guides their learning about teaching, each understands information idiosyncratically. When viewed in terms of Green's (1971) metaphor of belief structures, preservice teachers have widely differing frames of reference; thus, an individual's sensemaking about inquiry lessons within lesson study groups and the meaning conveyed within conversations are completely different. Ultimately, the participants in this study can be described, metaphorically, as having a Crisis of Belief (Green, 1971), an approach of Quiet Introspection, and a Crisis of Practice. For teacher educators, understanding preservice teacher understanding, and using that understanding in constructing lessons that facilitate evaluation of existing beliefs requires different lenses. The three lenses used are, Epistemological (Hewson [and] Hewson, 1984; Posner, Strike, Hewson, [and] Gertzog, 1982), Social/Affect (Pintrich, Marx, [and] Boyle, 1993; Tyson, Venville, Harrison, [and] Treagust, 1997), and an Expectational lens (Chi, Slotta, [and] de Leeuw, 1994). The selection of lenses is dependent upon the idiosyncratic nature of each preservice teacher's belief structure. / text

This study aimed at finding out junior secondary student’s attitude towards school science in a co-educational school in Hong Kong. Eleven items from the survey instrument Attitude towards School Science (AtSS) were used to collect both descriptive and explanatory data on student’s attitude towards school science. The sample consisted of 393 Form 1 to Form 3 students. Their positive AtSS were found to decline with grade level (i.e. declining from Form 1 to Form 3). The decrease in positive attitude was sharpest between Form 2 and Form 3. A remarkable decrease in positive attitude towards their science teachers was also noticed between Form 2 and Form 3 mainly due to the decrease in variety of activities during the lessons. In general, female students were less positive to school science but they were trying harder than the male students because they wanted to do well even though they were not as interested as male students in the subject. In terms of interest, female students were more favorably inclined towards biological science and male students towards physical sciences. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the curriculum and time allocation for junior secondary science, especially for Form 3, should be revised so as to help cultivate student’s interest in science. Also, peer observations can be arranged more frequently to let teachers learn from each other. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Recent curriculum reforms in Hong Kong emphasize learning how to learn, inquiry, collaboration, and similar capabilities. Problem-based learning (PBL) seems an appropriate approach for addressing these new requirements. However, little is known about the use of PBL in secondary (middle) schools, particularly in East-Asian countries in which Confucian-heritage values influence learning approaches. Therefore, the goal of this research was to provide a systematic account of an attempt to implement PBL in Form 1 (Grade 7) Integrated Science classes. The study investigated the teachers’ pedagogical actions, the aspects of the PBL environment that helped to motivate students in science learning, their pattern of discourse for science development and the possible differences of their learning outcomes compared with PBL and conventional learning conditions. A quasi-experimental and mixed-method approach was employed to gather data from two experimental classes (n = 62) and two control classes (n = 63). Data sources included field notes of classroom observations, audio recordings of students working in small groups on their PBL problems, interviews with teachers and students, and science tests administered immediately prior to each instructional unit (pre-test), at the conclusion of each unit (post-test), and before the school term ended (delayed post-test). The study has five main findings: (1) PBL teachers used different strategies to help students who were new to PBL to adapt to the new pedagogical practice, to facilitate group confrontation, and to help students become self-directed learners. (2) Choice, challenge, control and collaboration seem to have motivated students’ learning in the PBL classrooms. (3) Disagreements about the problem situations stimulated task-related cognitive activity and resulted in academic progress. (4) Students’ questions during collaboration facilitated learning by directing their’ inquiry and expanding their thinking. (5) Science test results show that the PBL group performed at least as well as the traditional learning group in knowledge acquisition, and that PBL helped the high achievers to retain information better than their peers in the traditional learning group. The study provides valuable information that shows how PBL can work in secondary school science classrooms. Implications for future research on PBL, and its practice in secondary school science, are also outlined. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy