This thesis presents a qualitative investigation of the effects of social competence on the participation of students with learning disabilities (LD) in the science learning processes associated with collaborative, guided inquiry learning. An inclusive Grade 2 classroom provided the setting for the study. Detailed classroom observations were the primary source of data. In addition, the researcher conducted two interviews with the teacher, and collected samples of students’ written work. The purpose of the research was to investigate: (a) How do teachers and peers mediate the participation of students with LD in collaborative, guided inquiry science activities, (b) What learning processes do students with LD participate in during collaborative, guided inquiry science activities, and (c) What components of social competence support and constrain the participation of students with LD during collaborative, guided inquiry science activities? The findings of the study suggest five key ideas for research and teaching in collaborative, guided inquiry science in inclusive classrooms. First, using a variety of collaborative learning formats (whole-class, small-group, and pairs) creates more opportunities for the successful participation of diverse students with LD. Second, creating an inclusive community where students feel accepted and valued may enhance the academic and social success of students with LD. Third, careful selection of partners for students with LD is important for a positive learning experience. Students with LD should be partnered with academically successful, socially competent peers; also, this study suggested that students with LD experience more success working collaboratively in pairs rather than in small groups. Fourth, a variety of strategies are needed to promote active participation and positive social interactions for students with and without LD during collaborative, guided inquiry learning. Fifth, adopting a general approach to teaching collaborative inquiry that crosses curriculum borders may enhance success of inclusive teaching practices. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-04-14 20:05:55.867 / SSHRC

An expanding body of research explores the social, political, cultural and personal challenges presented by the Western emphasis of curricula around the world. The aim of my study is to advance this field of inquiry by gaining insight into perceptions of Western modern science presented by students, teachers and administrators in a given Caribbean setting. Through this study I asked how my research participants described the nature of scientific knowledge, how they related scientific knowledge to other culturally-valued knowledges and the meanings they attached to the geographic origins of science teachers. Situating this work firmly within the practice of Foucauldian critical discourse analysis, I have utilised a conceptual framework defined by the power/knowledge and complicity/resistance themes of post-colonial theory to support my interpretation of participant commentary in an overall quest that is concerned about the ways in which Western modern science might be exerting a colonising influence. Fourteen students, nine teachers (both expatriate and local) and three administrators participated in the study. I combined a semi-structured question and answer interview format with a card sort activity. I used a procedure based on my own adaptation of Stephenson’s Q methodology, where the respondents placed 24 statements hierarchically along a continuum of increasing strength of agreement, presenting their rationalisations, personal stories and illustrations as they sorted. I used an inverse factor analysis, in combination with the interview transcripts, to assist me in the identification of three discourse positions described by my research participants: The truth value of scientific knowledge, The pragmatic use of science to promote progress, and The priority of cultural preservation. The interview transcripts were also analysed for emergent themes, providing an additional layer of data interpretation. The research findings raise concerns regarding the hegemonic potency of certain scientific assumptions and assertions of participants, leading me to emphasise the importance of developing teachers’ knowledge of the historical, philosophical and social background of Western modern science as well as focusing on developing the conceptual and intellectual engagement of students with Western modern science without demanding the kind of belief commitment that would insist that students replace alternative modes of meaning making.

An expanding body of research explores the social, political, cultural and personal challenges presented by the Western emphasis of curricula around the world. The aim of my study is to advance this field of inquiry by gaining insight into perceptions of Western modern science presented by students, teachers and administrators in a given Caribbean setting. Through this study I asked how my research participants described the nature of scientific knowledge, how they related scientific knowledge to other culturally-valued knowledges and the meanings they attached to the geographic origins of science teachers. Situating this work firmly within the practice of Foucauldian critical discourse analysis, I have utilised a conceptual framework defined by the power/knowledge and complicity/resistance themes of post-colonial theory to support my interpretation of participant commentary in an overall quest that is concerned about the ways in which Western modern science might be exerting a colonising influence. Fourteen students, nine teachers (both expatriate and local) and three administrators participated in the study. I combined a semi-structured question and answer interview format with a card sort activity. I used a procedure based on my own adaptation of Stephenson’s Q methodology, where the respondents placed 24 statements hierarchically along a continuum of increasing strength of agreement, presenting their rationalisations, personal stories and illustrations as they sorted. I used an inverse factor analysis, in combination with the interview transcripts, to assist me in the identification of three discourse positions described by my research participants: The truth value of scientific knowledge, The pragmatic use of science to promote progress, and The priority of cultural preservation. The interview transcripts were also analysed for emergent themes, providing an additional layer of data interpretation. The research findings raise concerns regarding the hegemonic potency of certain scientific assumptions and assertions of participants, leading me to emphasise the importance of developing teachers’ knowledge of the historical, philosophical and social background of Western modern science as well as focusing on developing the conceptual and intellectual engagement of students with Western modern science without demanding the kind of belief commitment that would insist that students replace alternative modes of meaning making.

<p> In libraries around the world there are people asking librarians for research assistance. As technology has advanced and communication strategies have moved outside the physical library buildings, librarians now respond to reference queries online. This study analyzed two forms of virtual reference; instant messaging (IM) and log-in chat. The purpose of this study was to find out if there is any inherent difference between the way the patrons or the librarians used these two virtual services. </p><p> An exploratory research design focused on numerous aspects of virtual reference communication. During the spring terms of academic years 2011 and 2012 at a community college, 1,341 transcripts of IM and log-in chat sessions were recorded. Using a systematic sampling process, 320 transcripts were sampled and their content analyzed. </p><p> Findings indicate that a length of the transaction significantly affected the outcome of all transactions. Log-in chats were generally longer than IM chats and it was found that; they were more complicated, the librarians were more responsive and friendly, patrons were more satisfied and the librarian was generally able to conduct a reference interview more often. Additionally the findings indicated that both IM and log-in chat were very similar in three aspect; patron formality, completeness/accuracy of the librarians' answer and the reference interview adding/changing or clarifying the patrons question. </p><p> There were four major conclusions of this study: The log-in chat portal had longer online reference transactions and better overall outcomes; instant messaging portal queries, although similar in many aspects to log-in chat, were ultimately treated in a less formal manner by patrons; librarians gave reference interviews and complete/accurate answers equally in both platforms and there were similar overall success rates in both platforms. </p><p> Based on the findings in this study it is recommended that academic libraries serving a general population of students use both the IM and log-in chat portals on their library websites. Patrons appear to appears to be using each portal for different and equally important reasons. Further study of virtual communications practices is needed to enhance the findings of this study as more institutions expand their patron base beyond those who can physically meet with a reference librarian.</p>

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The current study assessed children’s ideas on light and optics using a cross-sectional design. Given current literature and theory within cognitive psychology, history of science and science education, it was expected that (i) older children would be more likely than younger children to have a modern scientific understanding of light concepts; (ii) for many of the light concepts, there would be a parallel between the pattern of progression and change in children’s conceptions of light and scientists’ conceptions of light throughout history, and, finally; (iii) employing a historical lens would allow for a better understanding of not only the age-related patterns in children’s ideas of light but also children’s age specific alternative conceptions of light. A Light Core Concepts Questionnaire (LCCQ) was administered to participants (N=757) from across a wide age group (6 to 12 years). The participants were representative of ethnic groups attending a range of primary schools situated in a large New Zealand city. None of the participants had received classroom instruction in light and optics. The verbally delivered LCCQ was used to elicit children’s responses about prerequisite concepts necessary for a scientific understanding of the physics of light and employed two-choice, multi-choice and open-ended questions. Some questions were specifically designed to compare children’s conceptual understanding on light and optics with ideas adopted throughout the history of science. The results of the current research found that with increasing age (6 to 12 years old) children’s modern scientific understanding for many concepts on the physics of light increases. In comparison with other research, a higher proportion of children participating in the current study held correct views at younger ages. On easily observable phenomena, children as young as 7 years could identify common light sources and knew that some objects are reflectors of light. By age 12, the majority of children could correctly identify more abstract concepts such as what causes colours in rainbows. Results of the present research indicate there is a parallel between the age-related patterns of children’s ideas on light and the historical progression of scientific knowledge of the physics of light. With regard to light and vision, both early scientists and children held a similar range of alternative beliefs, that is, extramission, intromission or Eastern Islamic theories. Similar beliefs were shared about other concepts that were accepted as true theories in the history of science. For example, colour is the property of the object and when an object is placed in water it becomes distorted because water is less perfect than air. The results indicate that the pattern of alternative conceptions held by children as they relate to history provides further understanding of why there are differences in children’s beliefs about light and optics across age groups. For more difficult concepts, children and early scientists initially formulate similar theories based on their observations and what appears to be commonsense. As they reconceptualise their ideas, children and scientists formulate similar more abstract theories. In addition to discussing the value of the history of science as a lens to better understand children’s conceptions, the implications of these results are discussed as they relate to specific kinds of interventions or instructional approaches to elicit successful conceptual change in the classroom.

The current study assessed children’s ideas on light and optics using a cross-sectional design. Given current literature and theory within cognitive psychology, history of science and science education, it was expected that (i) older children would be more likely than younger children to have a modern scientific understanding of light concepts; (ii) for many of the light concepts, there would be a parallel between the pattern of progression and change in children’s conceptions of light and scientists’ conceptions of light throughout history, and, finally; (iii) employing a historical lens would allow for a better understanding of not only the age-related patterns in children’s ideas of light but also children’s age specific alternative conceptions of light. A Light Core Concepts Questionnaire (LCCQ) was administered to participants (N=757) from across a wide age group (6 to 12 years). The participants were representative of ethnic groups attending a range of primary schools situated in a large New Zealand city. None of the participants had received classroom instruction in light and optics. The verbally delivered LCCQ was used to elicit children’s responses about prerequisite concepts necessary for a scientific understanding of the physics of light and employed two-choice, multi-choice and open-ended questions. Some questions were specifically designed to compare children’s conceptual understanding on light and optics with ideas adopted throughout the history of science. The results of the current research found that with increasing age (6 to 12 years old) children’s modern scientific understanding for many concepts on the physics of light increases. In comparison with other research, a higher proportion of children participating in the current study held correct views at younger ages. On easily observable phenomena, children as young as 7 years could identify common light sources and knew that some objects are reflectors of light. By age 12, the majority of children could correctly identify more abstract concepts such as what causes colours in rainbows. Results of the present research indicate there is a parallel between the age-related patterns of children’s ideas on light and the historical progression of scientific knowledge of the physics of light. With regard to light and vision, both early scientists and children held a similar range of alternative beliefs, that is, extramission, intromission or Eastern Islamic theories. Similar beliefs were shared about other concepts that were accepted as true theories in the history of science. For example, colour is the property of the object and when an object is placed in water it becomes distorted because water is less perfect than air. The results indicate that the pattern of alternative conceptions held by children as they relate to history provides further understanding of why there are differences in children’s beliefs about light and optics across age groups. For more difficult concepts, children and early scientists initially formulate similar theories based on their observations and what appears to be commonsense. As they reconceptualise their ideas, children and scientists formulate similar more abstract theories. In addition to discussing the value of the history of science as a lens to better understand children’s conceptions, the implications of these results are discussed as they relate to specific kinds of interventions or instructional approaches to elicit successful conceptual change in the classroom.

The current study assessed children’s ideas on light and optics using a cross-sectional design. Given current literature and theory within cognitive psychology, history of science and science education, it was expected that (i) older children would be more likely than younger children to have a modern scientific understanding of light concepts; (ii) for many of the light concepts, there would be a parallel between the pattern of progression and change in children’s conceptions of light and scientists’ conceptions of light throughout history, and, finally; (iii) employing a historical lens would allow for a better understanding of not only the age-related patterns in children’s ideas of light but also children’s age specific alternative conceptions of light. A Light Core Concepts Questionnaire (LCCQ) was administered to participants (N=757) from across a wide age group (6 to 12 years). The participants were representative of ethnic groups attending a range of primary schools situated in a large New Zealand city. None of the participants had received classroom instruction in light and optics. The verbally delivered LCCQ was used to elicit children’s responses about prerequisite concepts necessary for a scientific understanding of the physics of light and employed two-choice, multi-choice and open-ended questions. Some questions were specifically designed to compare children’s conceptual understanding on light and optics with ideas adopted throughout the history of science. The results of the current research found that with increasing age (6 to 12 years old) children’s modern scientific understanding for many concepts on the physics of light increases. In comparison with other research, a higher proportion of children participating in the current study held correct views at younger ages. On easily observable phenomena, children as young as 7 years could identify common light sources and knew that some objects are reflectors of light. By age 12, the majority of children could correctly identify more abstract concepts such as what causes colours in rainbows. Results of the present research indicate there is a parallel between the age-related patterns of children’s ideas on light and the historical progression of scientific knowledge of the physics of light. With regard to light and vision, both early scientists and children held a similar range of alternative beliefs, that is, extramission, intromission or Eastern Islamic theories. Similar beliefs were shared about other concepts that were accepted as true theories in the history of science. For example, colour is the property of the object and when an object is placed in water it becomes distorted because water is less perfect than air. The results indicate that the pattern of alternative conceptions held by children as they relate to history provides further understanding of why there are differences in children’s beliefs about light and optics across age groups. For more difficult concepts, children and early scientists initially formulate similar theories based on their observations and what appears to be commonsense. As they reconceptualise their ideas, children and scientists formulate similar more abstract theories. In addition to discussing the value of the history of science as a lens to better understand children’s conceptions, the implications of these results are discussed as they relate to specific kinds of interventions or instructional approaches to elicit successful conceptual change in the classroom.

In the last few decades, there has been growing attention to situated or distributed perspectives on learning and cognition. The purpose of this study was to examine science learning in classroom settings through the lens of distributed cognition. A particular focus of this study was on the public space of interaction that includes participants' interactions with each other and with artefacts in the environment. / Focusing on the event of student experiment design, two science lessons were videotaped in this study, in which a class of Grade-seven participants was asked to investigate the scientific theme of gravity by designing parachutes and pendulums. The video-stimulated post-lesson interviews with both teacher and student provided complementary data in order to understand their practice in these lessons. / The analysis of two science lessons reveals the different functions of language, gestures, and material objects and their relative significance in the process of student meaning making and knowledge construction. It shows that (1) the language of science is best understood as an artefact employed by the participants to achieve mutual understanding; (2) gestures and other forms of non-verbal acts build the connections between the conceptual and the physical worlds, and provided perceptual resources that foregrounded the salient aspects of their environment; and (3) material objects helped the students to understand each other by disambiguating references to objects, but (4) material objects constrained student sense-making. The analysis also demonstrated that (5) the learning activity was enacted through the participants' deployment of a range of artefacts, and (6) the manipulation of conceptual artefacts was interdependent of the manipulation of material objects. / Building on the theoretical framework of distributed cognition, this study was able to document the students' learning processes by investigating classroom interactions in great detail. The findings and techniques resulting from this study will help teachers and researchers to achieve a better understanding of science learning in classrooms and the role of artefacts in this learning and assist them to improve the learning environments.

The current study assessed children’s ideas on light and optics using a cross-sectional design. Given current literature and theory within cognitive psychology, history of science and science education, it was expected that (i) older children would be more likely than younger children to have a modern scientific understanding of light concepts; (ii) for many of the light concepts, there would be a parallel between the pattern of progression and change in children’s conceptions of light and scientists’ conceptions of light throughout history, and, finally; (iii) employing a historical lens would allow for a better understanding of not only the age-related patterns in children’s ideas of light but also children’s age specific alternative conceptions of light. A Light Core Concepts Questionnaire (LCCQ) was administered to participants (N=757) from across a wide age group (6 to 12 years). The participants were representative of ethnic groups attending a range of primary schools situated in a large New Zealand city. None of the participants had received classroom instruction in light and optics. The verbally delivered LCCQ was used to elicit children’s responses about prerequisite concepts necessary for a scientific understanding of the physics of light and employed two-choice, multi-choice and open-ended questions. Some questions were specifically designed to compare children’s conceptual understanding on light and optics with ideas adopted throughout the history of science. The results of the current research found that with increasing age (6 to 12 years old) children’s modern scientific understanding for many concepts on the physics of light increases. In comparison with other research, a higher proportion of children participating in the current study held correct views at younger ages. On easily observable phenomena, children as young as 7 years could identify common light sources and knew that some objects are reflectors of light. By age 12, the majority of children could correctly identify more abstract concepts such as what causes colours in rainbows. Results of the present research indicate there is a parallel between the age-related patterns of children’s ideas on light and the historical progression of scientific knowledge of the physics of light. With regard to light and vision, both early scientists and children held a similar range of alternative beliefs, that is, extramission, intromission or Eastern Islamic theories. Similar beliefs were shared about other concepts that were accepted as true theories in the history of science. For example, colour is the property of the object and when an object is placed in water it becomes distorted because water is less perfect than air. The results indicate that the pattern of alternative conceptions held by children as they relate to history provides further understanding of why there are differences in children’s beliefs about light and optics across age groups. For more difficult concepts, children and early scientists initially formulate similar theories based on their observations and what appears to be commonsense. As they reconceptualise their ideas, children and scientists formulate similar more abstract theories. In addition to discussing the value of the history of science as a lens to better understand children’s conceptions, the implications of these results are discussed as they relate to specific kinds of interventions or instructional approaches to elicit successful conceptual change in the classroom.