<p> This study investigated whether or not lab type, traditional lab or virtual lab, influenced students&rsquo; engagement. To measure student engagement six students were videoed over the course of an 18-week semester while conducting 10 lab experiments. To analyze student engagement, a systematic visual comparison in the tradition of single case research design was utilized. The results from the video analysis showed that there was no difference in engagement based on lab type. This study also investigated whether or not lab type, traditional or virtual, affected the ability to make real-world connections. The real-world connection data consisted of students from two separate semesters. An expert panel of teachers from various school districts were utilized to develop the questions and the rubric used to determine how well students made real-world connections. A repeated measures ANOVA was used on the real-world connection data. The results from the ANOVA did yield statistically significant results, but the lab order had a statistically significant effect on mean scores and variance. These results indicated that lab type was only one of many variables that influence the dependent variables.</p><p>

<p> Astronomy is one of the oldest STEM enterprises today. It is a discipline through which technology has been advanced, as well as our understanding of the universe. Further, astronomy is a gateway science that inspires the imagination of young learners, and can be used to promote STEM careers. In order to advance the astronomy enterprise, we must maintain an informed citizenry. The practice of astronomy has changed over time; astronomy today is much different than it was 50 years ago. In an effort to identify the current practice of astronomy, or what it is that today&rsquo;s astronomers do, 478 U.S. astronomers participated in the study focusing on their engagement in three areas of scientific practice; science attitudes, tools and techniques, and social interactions. In addition, astronomers&rsquo; perceptions about career choice, work-related activities they engage in, motivations for doing astronomy, and changes needed in education were also explored. Data were collected over a 3-month time period via an online survey and telephone interviews. Data provided by survey participants provides a solid foundation from which findings and conclusions are drawn. Today&rsquo;s population of astronomers is largely white, male, and older, however moving toward gender balance. The population as a whole places great importance on the practice of attitudes such as thinking critically, respecting the evidence, honesty, and objectivity. Unlike many might think, astronomers spend little time at the telescope collecting data, but rather the vast majority of their time is spent working at a computer. Further, engaging in administrative duties, writing, use of mathematics, searching for funding, mentoring others, and collaborating with colleagues are all critical tools/techniques and social skills in the practice of astronomy today. Finally, pop culture and personal experience plays a significant role in attracting individuals to a career in astronomy, and exploration and uncovering that which is unknown, the thrill of discovery, is what keeps them motivated. This study identified and quantified the activities in which professional astronomers engage, and the findings can be used to design formal and informal learning experiences K through adult to more closely reflect the science of astronomy and the people who engage in the practice.</p><p>

<p> The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call upon K-12 science teachers to provide authentic science and engineering practices which deepen understanding of core ideas and crosscutting concepts (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Probeware technology provides exposure to these scientific practices; however, there is a disconnect between the frequency of teacher probeware use and these current mandates. Additional research is needed to study how probeware is used to improve learning outcomes.</p><p> This descriptive mixed method case study focused on the pedagogical practices of middle school science teachers in one department, identified conditions of deep learning in probeware lessons and examined whether probeware creates a learning advantage on a state science assessment. The qualitative findings of this case study indicate that probeware provides an affordance over traditional lab equipment and allows more time for deep learning as shown in the artifacts of instruction and teacher narrative. Quantitative methods were used to compare student performance scores on the 2016 8^th Grade Science Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA): this metric allowed for the comparison in performance between students of the participating teachers who use probeware (<i>n</i> = 349) and students in the same district who do not use probeware (<i>n</i> = 332). An attempt was made to control socioeconomic and demographic variables to make a valid comparison between students exposed to the same curriculum from two middle schools within the same district. The employed methodology was the first of its kind to correlate student use of probeware technology to performance on specific sections of a state-wide science assessment.</p><p> This study found that students who use probeware had slightly higher mean scores in the Nature of Science reporting category and its three sub-sections; however, statistical differences were revealed in only one sub-section: Reasoning &amp; Analysis. This is the section where students are required to explain, interpret and apply knowledge presented in graphical form. These findings are relevant because they suggest that the use of probeware provided a learning advantage on questions requiring an understanding of graphs. Statistical differences in mean scores were also noted in the Physical Science and Biology reporting categories, while no statistical differences were recorded in the Earth &amp; Space reporting category.</p><p> The results of this case study benefit science teachers, science supervisors, curriculum developers, and researchers who are tasked with aligning curricula to the NGSS. The correlation between the use of probeware and higher student performance scores supports the inclusion of this technology in elementary and secondary science.</p><p>

<p> This is a descriptive, exploratory, qualitative, collective case study that explores the pedagogical practices of science teachers who do not hold natural science degrees. The intent of this study is to support the creation of alternative pathways for recruiting and retaining high-quality secondary science teachers in K-12 education. The conceptual framework is based on Social Cognitive Theory &amp; Self-Efficacy (Bandura, 1977; Bandura, 1997) and Problem-Solving &amp; Transfer (Berg &amp; Strough, 2011; van Merrienboer, 2013). The research questions are: What does science instruction look like in classrooms where science teachers without natural science degrees are teaching? and How do these natural science teachers without natural science degrees believe their prior experiences inform their instruction? The participants were 4 science teachers from middle and high schools in Southern California. The instruments used in this study were interviews, observations, and document analysis. The research revealed that science teachers without natural science degrees utilize techniques that make them high-quality teachers. The current qualifications for science teachers should be revisited to consider utilizing self-efficacious teachers with an interest in science and a passion for teaching students. Science teaching competency can be measured by more than natural science degree attainment.</p><p>

<p> Improving the STEM readiness of students from historically underserved groups is a moral and economic imperative requiring greater attention and effort than has been shown to date. The current literature suggests a high school science sequence beginning with physics and centered on developing conceptual understanding, using inquiry labs and modeling to allow students to explore new ideas, and addressing and correcting student misconceptions can increase student interest in and preparation for STEM careers. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to determine if the science college readiness of historically underserved students can be improved by implementing an inquiry-based high school science sequence comprised of coursework in physics, chemistry, and biology for every student. The study used a retrospective cohort observational design to address the primary research question: are there differences between historically underserved students completing a Physics First science sequence and their peers completing a traditional science sequence in 1) science college-readiness test scores, 2) rates of science college-and career-readiness, and 3) interest in STEM? Small positive effects were found for all three outcomes for historically underserved students in the Physics First sequence.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students&rsquo; high school Project Lead They Way participation and their subsequent academic success in post-secondary engineering studies and to assess to what degree, if any, their level of Project Lead The Way (PLTW) participation, gender, and AALANA status (African American, Latino/a American and Native American) effected this success. </p><p> PLTW is the nation&rsquo;s single largest provider of pre-engineering curriculums, the subject of this research study, currently being offered in over 3,200 secondary schools nationwide. Despite this level of integration, the amount of research on PLTW&rsquo;s effectiveness has been very limited. To date, the majority of the literature on PLTW has examined its impact on students&rsquo; high school academic performance or their desire to further their engineering studies. The findings from these studies have been overwhelmingly positive, indicating that PLTW students often had greater achievements in math and science and either plan to, or have actually enrolled, in post-secondary studies at higher rates. Nevertheless, the amount of literature on PLTW&rsquo;s effects on students&rsquo; academic success in post-secondary engineering studies is very limited. Furthermore, no research has yet to examine for the moderating effects of gender, ethnicity, or level of PLTW participation on students&rsquo; post-secondary academics success. </p><p> The population of interest for this research study was 1,478 students who entered an undergraduate engineering program from 2007 to 2009 at a privately endowed, co-educational university located in the northeastern United States. </p><p> The findings of this research study were that virtually all the effects of PLTW participation, gender, and AALANA status had on academic success were observed during students&rsquo; freshmen and sophomore years. These effects were positive for PLTW participation, and adverse for female and AALANA students. Additionally, PLTW participation, gender, and AALANA status only explained a small amount of the variance for each of the academic success metrics. These conclusions suggest that future research on PLTW should focus on the first and second year of study and expand the factors examined, both quantitative and qualitative, to gain a greater understanding of the complex factors that influence students&rsquo; initial academic success in post-secondary engineering studies.</p><p>

This research argues that the lack of African American women in science careers is the result of a nuanced and complicated process and can only be adequately addressed through consideration of multiple levels of discourse. Specifically, a better understanding of macro level discourses that are present in and circulated through schools and work to position African American girls in ways that are outside of science learning is necessary. This research used a critical ethnographic approach to explore the science experiences of African American middle school girls. Data were collected on the macro (school wide), meso (classroom and after school program), and micro (individual) level. Critical discourse analysis was used to explore what macro-level discourses were circulated at the school, how these discourses impacted the seventh grade science class and after school program, and how individual students negotiated these discourses. Results indicated that the privileged Discourses (identities) in the classroom actually worked to position students outside of science and that a focus on accountability, control, and order, with a lack of discourses of authentic engagement in science, led to students equating a science person with a good student.

<p> The purpose of this casual-comparative study was to determine if students being taught the Minnesota Science Physics Standards via contextual learning methods in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Principles of Engineering or the PLTW Aerospace Engineering courses, taught by a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher, achieve at the same rate as students in a physics course taught by a science teacher. The PLTW courses only cover the standards taught in the first trimester of physics. The PLTW courses are two periods long for one trimester. Students who successfully pass the PLTW Principles of Engineering course or the PLTW Engineering Aerospace course earn one-half credit in physics and one-half elective credit. The instrument used to measure student achievement was the district common summative assessment for physics. The Common Summative Assessment scores were pulled from the data warehouse from the first trimester of the 2013-2014 school year. Implications of the research address concepts of contextual learning especially in the Career Technical Education space. The mean score for Physics students (30.916) and PLTW Principles of Engineering students (32.333) was not statistically significantly different. Students in PLTW Principles of Engineering achieved at the same rate as students in physics. Due to the low rate of students participating in the Common Summative Assessment in PTLW Aerospace (four out of seven students), there is not enough data to determine if there is a significant difference in the Physics A scores and PLTW Aerospace Engineering scores.</p><p>

<p> Teaching evolution provides teachers with the opportunity to educate students on how science aims to understand the natural world. Rooted in research, the purpose of this project was to create NGSS-aligned curriculum focused on teaching the nature of science (NOS) within the context of biological evolution. Field testing and review of the unit resulted in revisions aimed at creating more comprehensive teacher resource materials and explicit inclusion of NOS. </p><p> Emphasizing NOS in curriculum development and teaching scientific qualities through an evolutionary context has taken the focus off <i>belief</i> or <i>disbelief,</i> keeping the attention on the scientific concept at hand. Designing curriculum around compelling subject matter and embracing student-led learning increased and maintained student interest in the classroom.</p><p> Implementation of this curriculum not only requires the teacher to be knowledgeable in conventional educational pedagogy, but also the subjects of NGSS and NOS. Additional training and support centered around NGSS is recommended for science educators interested in integrating NOS into their curriculum and instruction.</p><p>

The intent of this study was to probe female High School students' perceptions of the role of practical work in their school science education. A total of 20 students were interviewed: four Grade 9 students and four Grade 12 students in the pilot study and six Grade 9 students and six Grade 12 students in the actual study. The students involved attended a girls' High School and had experienced at least two years of science education in an all girls environment. Each student was interviewed for between twenty and thirty minutes. The interviews utilised the 'Rapport Interview' technique. The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and the information obtained collected under eight main category headings. Among the significant findings of this study were: 1. Female High School students view practical work in science as an aid to learning and understanding science concepts, and as a memory aid. 2. Students view demonstrations as an inadequate replacement for hands-on practical work. 3. Students require some theoretical background knowledge before proceeding with practical work if they are to obtain the maximum benefit from the experience. 4. Students prefer to undertake a self-directed enquiry rather than a prescribed one if they have some familiarity with the material. This preference may change if the work is to be graded. 5. Female High School students, particularly in Grade 9, feel insecure when conducting practical work and feel more comfortable when working with a chosen partner. 6. Failure to obtain the 'correct answer' can result in female students ' experiencing negative feelings about their abilities. 7. Dissection makes a powerful impression on female students and seems to stand apart from other types of practical work. 8. Safety is of considerable importance to Grade 9 female students and may be inhibiting their activities in the laboratory. The findings of this study suggest that practical work is of considerable importance to female High School students for a variety of reasons but the most important is to further their understanding of science concepts. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate