published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

<p>This thesis was based on a larger international comparative study called the ROSE (Relevance of Science Education) project. The study investigated the affective factors pupils perceive might be of relevance for the learning of science and technology using the ROSE survey questionnaire, and was aimed at providing data that might form part of an empirical basis for local adaptation of the science curriculum.</p>

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2008.

The process of becoming a teacher is an area of a great deal of research. Different researchers have focused on different parts of the process. This study examines the concerns and their development for a group of Yemeni student-teachers as they become science teachers. After discussing the context of teacher training in the Yemen Arab Republic, the different arguments put forward by researchers who investigated the process of becoming a teacher, were examined. The field work was conducted in the Yemen between March 1983 and January 1985. Two different interview schedules with open-ended questions were used: one was general and the focus of the another was teaching-a-lesson. The former was conducted at three different occasions: during the second term of the third year i.e. before teaching practice, during the second term of the fourth year i.e. after teaching practice, and during the first few months of the first year of teaching. The latter was conducted during teaching practice and during the first few months of the first year of teaching. Both interviews were conducted for thirty-one Yemeni student-teachers at Sana'a University as they become science teachers. A further interview was conducted for the Faculty of Education staff to know their reactions to their students' views of their training. The concerns' development of the group and some individuals was followed, and the relationship of the findings of this research to the different theoretical arguments was considered. The research shows the stability and change of student teachers' concerns as they become science teachers in the Yemen. In examining this phenomenon the research points out the importance of: the kind of concern investigated, when they are investigated, and the situational and the personal factors which all have bearing on the process of concerns' development during the process of becoming a teacher.

This study analyzed student test scores to determine if teacher participation in an inquiry-based professional development was able to make a statistically significant difference in student achievement levels. Test scores for objectives that assessed the critical thinking skills and problem-solving strategies modeled in a science inquiry institute were studied. Inquiry-based experiences are the cornerstones for meeting the science standards for scientific literacy. State mandated assessment tests measure the levels of student achievement and are reported as meeting minimum expectations or showing mastery for specific learning objectives. Students test scores from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills Test (TAAS) for 8th grade science and the Biology End Of Course (EOC) exams were analyzed using ANCOVA, Chi Square, and Logistic Regression, with the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) 7th Grade Science Subtest as covariate. It was hypothesized that the students of Inquiry Institute teachers would have higher scale scores and better rates of mastery on the critical thinking objectives than the students of non-Institute teachers. It was also hypothesized that it would be possible to predict student mastery on the objectives that assessed critical thinking and problem solving based on Institute participation. This quasi-experimental study did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The effects of inquiry-based professional development may not be determined by analyzing the results of the standardized tests currently being used in Texas. Inquiry training may make a difference, but because of factors such as the ceiling effect, insufficient time to implement the program, and test items that are intended to but do not address critical thinking skills, the TAAS and EOC tests may not accurately assess effects of the Inquiry Institute. The results of this study did indicate the best predictor of student mastery for the 8th grade science TAAS and Biology EOC may possibly be prior knowledge acquired in elementary school and as demonstrated on the 7th grade ITBS science subtest.

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M.A. (Applied Linguistics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract