The objectives of this study were to construct and develop a two-tiered multiple-choice test for the measurement of student misconceptions in optics at the level of secondary education in Thailand, as well as to investigate the effects of gender, grade level, and type of school upon levels of student misconceptions. Misconceptions were measured by the Two-Tiered Optics Misconception (TTOM) test instrument developed for this study. Based upon criteria-evidence, the validity or appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of inferences derived from scores obtained from administration of the instrument was demonstrated at acceptable levels. The TTOM was administered to 932 high school subjects from randomly selected all-male, all-female, and coeducational 10th through 12th grade classes in Bangkok, Thailand. A mixed analysis of variance model was used to investigate the effects of gender, grade level, and type of school upon subject misconception scores in the field of optics. Analysis of the data revealed the following: 1) a paper-pencil test based upon a pattern of two-tiered multiple-choice questions and reasons developed for this study provided a valid and reliable measure of student misconceptions in optics at the level of secondary education in Thailand; 2) gender, grade level, and type of school did not have significant effects upon subject misconception scores among Thai high school students; 3) the subgroup school within type was found to have a significant effect upon subject misconception scores; 4) when fixed grade levels were considered for type of school, there were significant differences in misconceptions among 12th grade subjects from different types of schools; 5) certain consistent misconceptions in the area of optics, related to the properties of a converging lens, images from a plane mirror and a converging lens, light rays, regions of light travel, shadow formation, and lightning flashes, existed among Thai physics students at the level of secondary education. / Graduation date: 1994

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the thought processes of secondary level novice programmers engaged in computer programming for the purpose of generating hypotheses for consideration in future research on the relationship between computer programming and problem solving. A high school BASIC programming course with 14 students from a single school in the tenth through the twelfth grades was selected for the sample. Data describing students' thought processes while programming were collected during double periods in the 11th and 16th weeks of the fall semester. Students worked in role-assigned partnerships, wherein one student was the problem solver and the other was the recorder. The problem solver's task was to solve the problem using a "think aloud" strategy, while the recorder took notes describing the problem solver's actions to assure that audiotape recordings of the problem solver's voice were maintained. Following the solution of one problem, these roles were switched. Analysis of novice programmers' thought processes revealed two categories of student problem solution strategies: coded thinking and debugging. In the coded thinking strategy, students approached the problems primarily from the perspective of BASIC codes. This strategy was similar in nature to activities involved in verbal association learning, a low level thinking strategy identified by Gagne (1970). Students relied on two techniques for debugging syntax and logic errors. They applied a guess-and-check technique to correct syntax errors or asked the teacher for assistance. Similarly, when logic errors were revealed, the subjects typically asked the teacher for assistance and then used the guess-and-check technique to correct the errors. Both techniques utilized lower level thought processes than that required for problem solving learning. Analysis of the subject programming processes revealed that problem solving processes, as identified by Polya (1988), were not involved. Future research should examine students thought processes when working with a compiled language such as Pascal. In addition, future research should investigate the thought processes of students who have had more experience than a single term of programming. A case study of from two to three students explored over a longer period of time may provide a clearer description of student thought processes. / Graduation date: 1993

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on April 27, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Patricia H. Klass (chair), Elizabeth T. Lugg, Joseph Pacha, Thomas Ellsworth. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-105) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Department of Education, August 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

The purpose of the study was to compare differences among 18 personality trait scales of the California Personality Inventory (CPI), six American Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER) tests of physical fitness, and Ponderal Index (PI, or body mass) measurements for a population of ethnic Chinese and aboriginal Taiwanese junior high school male athletes and nonathletes; the secondary purpose was to determine relationships among these variables. The study sample included 839 subjects, administered the tests at 18 junior high schools in Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC). Statistical analysis was prepared at the Institute of Physical Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan, ROC. The subject population included 183 subjects active in team sports (volleyball, soccer, baseball), 214 subjects active in individual sports (track and field, wrestling, swimming), and 442 nonathlete subjects between the ages 13 to 16 years. From the results of this investigation, it was found that ethnic Chinese and aboriginal Taiwanese subjects differed significantly on several of the CPI trait scales and physical fitness tests, but that there were no significant differences between the two racial classifications for PI measurements. Athlete subjects from both racial classifications scored significantly higher than nonathletes on all of the physical fitness tests, and upon several of the CPI trait scales. Nonathletes from both racial classifications scored significantly higher than athletes from both groups for the PI measurements. In addition, team sport athletes scored significantly higher than individual sport athletes on physical fitness tests for sit-ups, the long jump, and the 600-yard run, as well as for PI measurements and the CPI Self-Acceptance scale. Significant interactions were found between athletes and nonathletes from both racial classifications for the sit-ups, shuttle run, and 50-yard dash physical fitness test and the CPI Communality scale, and between individual and team sport athletes from both racial classifications for the pull-ups and sit-ups physical fitness tests. For the ethnic Chinese subjects, with the exception of pull-ups, there was a significant interaction between all physical fitness tests and for 15 of the 18 CPI trait scales; for the aboriginal Taiwanese subjects, there was a significant interaction between all of the physical fitness tests and total CPI score. No significant correlationships were found between the CPI trait scales, tests of physical fitness, and PI measurements for ethnic Chinese subjects, whereas significant correlations among the same variables were established for the aboriginal Taiwanese subjects. For the latter, as physical fitness test scores increased, there was a tendency for certain personality characteristics (Dominance, Capacity for Status, Sociability, Social Presence, Self-Acceptance, Achievement via Independence, Intellectual Efficiency, and Femininity) to become increasingly strong influences. / Graduation date: 1992

The purpose of the study was to determine Belizean secondary school teachers' judgments of the seriousness of discipline problems and Belizean secondary school students' attitudes toward education. Based on the Secondary School Teacher Questionnaire, the study identified 1) the ten discipline problems that Belizean secondary school teachers judged as occurring most frequently and 2) the ten discipline problems that Belizean secondary teachers judged as "Demands Immediate Major Attention." Based on the Student Questionnaire, the study identified 1) the characteristics of secondary schools with which students agree, 2) the characteristics of secondary schools with which students disagree, 3) the characteristics of secondary teachers with which students agree, and 4) the characteristics of secondary teachers with which students disagree.The population for the study consisted of 272 secondary school teachers and 974 secondary school students. Data from teachers and students were secured by questionnaires designed and validated for the study. The Teacher Questionnaire consisted of twenty judgmental items directed at identifying problem behaviors of students. The Student Questionnaire consisted of fifteen items on the characteristics of school and teachers.Data of teachers' judgments of discipline problems and students' attitudes toward education were treated descriptively. The research hypotheses based on the proportions of female and male teachers were tested by computing proportions and by using the .05 alpha level. The research hypotheses based on the mean scores of female and male students were tested by using t statistics with an alpha level of .05.Data relating to teachers' judgments of discipline problems in Belizean secondary schools indicated that the ten most frequently occurring discipline problems were 1) students creating a disturbance in class (giggling, whispering, talking, etc.), 2) students responding slowly to calls for silence in a classroom, 3) students consistently daydreaming or sleeping in class until it seriously reduces study time, 4) students consistently failing to come properly equipped to classes, 5) students regularly missing homework assignment, 6) students consistently being tardy for classes, 7) students completing classroom work of a quality that is less than the student's capability, 8) students making frequent complaints about assignments, 9) students withdrawing from classroom activities and are unresponsive to invitations to participate, and 10) students taking something such as pen or exercise book from other students.The ten behaviors teachers judged as "Demands Immediate Major Attention" were 1) students fighting physically on school grounds, 2) students found cheating during a test, 3) students smoking cigarettes on school grounds, 4) students regularly missing homework assignment, 5) students telling deliberate lies, 6) students consistently daydreaming or sleeping in class until it seriously reduces study time, 7) students using an obscenity that can easily be heard by a teacher, 8) students damaging school property by writing or carving on the desk, 9) students disrupting class by passing an obscene note or drawing, and 10) students consistently failing to come properly equipped to classes.Some of the findings showed that students agreed with the following statements: 1) Getting an education is helping me to prepare for a good job in the future, 2) The rules in this school are for the good of the students, and 3) The best way to do well in school is to do exactly as you are told.Review of the data led to the following conclusions: 1) The frequently occurring discipline problems as reported by teachers were those related to maintaining order in the classroom and those that interfered with the learning environment and 2) Students appeared to have positive attitudes toward school.

No description available.