A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Education in Research Methodology in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University Of Zululand, 2018 / The investigation of high school learners’ attitudes towards physical science has been one of the prominent areas of research for the science education research community globally for some time now. However, its current importance in South Africa is emphasised by the mounting evidence of poor performance in physical science at matriculation level. Consequently, identifying the nature of learners’ attitudes towards physical science, and promoting favourable attitudes towards physical science is increasingly a matter of concern. The present study therefore investigated high school learners’ attitudes towards physical science and the relationship between their attitudes and learners’ biographical data such as gender, age and grade level. Both systematic and stratified sampling techniques were used to select a sample size of 298 respondents from five high schools in the Nongoma circuit in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The research was based on descriptive research design to obtain information from respondents in their natural environment through the use of adopted attitude scale. Permission was sought and obtained through email to use the attitude scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to present and analyse the data. The findings from the present study suggest that majority of high school learners hold positive attitudes towards physical science. Findings with regard to the relationship between learners’ attitudes and their biographical data reveal that there is no association between attitudes and learners’ biographical data such as gender, age and grade level. The findings from this study will add value to education policy pertaining to science education in the country. It will also contribute to the theory of attitudes towards physical science. However, there is a need in future to study ways of encouraging learners to have positive attitudes towards physical science.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur elevers attityder till undervisning i de naturorienterande ämnena kan förstås i relation till lärares attityder till de naturorienterande ämnena. För att undersöka detta användes strukturerade intervjufrågor som var konstruerade utifrån de teoretiska modellerna som användes för att mäta elevernas och lärarnas attityder. För att få en ökad förståelse för relationen mellan elevers och lärares attityder användes gruppintervjuer med öppna frågor till eleverna. Resultatet visar att samtliga deltagande lärare visar en övervägande positiv attityd till de naturorienterande ämnena. Även samtliga deltagande klasser visar en övervägande positiv attityd. Slutsatsen i denna studie är att läraren är en viktig faktor för elevernas attityd till de naturorienterande ämnena. Lärarens egenskaper som didaktisk kompetens och kunskaper inom ämnet är viktiga för elevernas motivation och attityd till de naturorienterande ämnena.

<p>The power of positive attitudes toward science is that they influence science achievement by reinforcing higher performance. Interestingly, there continue to be gender disparities in attitudes toward science across many countries. Males generally have more positive attitudes toward science than females. Although most research related to attitudes toward science have been based on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Student Questionnaire, there remains a dearth of evidence validating the TIMSS science attitudes items and measurement equivalence across genders. </p><p>The goals of this research were as follows: (1) to build support for the structural validity of the TIMSS items, and (2) to investigate whether the instrument measures the same latent construct (attitudes toward science) across genders. The present study followed two steps of statistical analyses. As a first step, two modeling methods (confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling) were conducted to identify the best-fitting model for the instrument. Second, after determining the model of choice, we tested several nested invariance models progressively. </p><p>This study found (1) the latent factor structure of the TIMSS items and (2) strong measurement invariance across genders. This result indicated that the instrument is well designed by the <i>a priori</i>specification and measures the same latent variable for both female and male students. This study provides support for the multidimensional approach to measuring science attitudes and shows the flexibility of ESEM over CFA by demonstrating that the ESEM approach provided better representation of the underlying factor structure. </p>

No description available.

<p>&nbsp / </p> <div style="line-height: 150% / margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt"><span style="line-height: 150% / font-size: 12pt"><span style="line-height: 115% / font-family: &quot / Calibri&quot / ,&quot / sans-serif&quot / font-size: 12pt / mso-ansi-language: EN-US / mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri / mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' / mso-fareast-language: EN-US / mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" lang="EN-US"> <div style="line-height: 150% / margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt"><span style="line-height: 150% / font-size: 12pt">This study looks at the effects of a dialogical argumentation instructional model (DAIM) on grade 9 learners understanding of selected meteorological concepts: Cold fronts in the Western Cape of South Africa. Using a quasi-experimental research design model, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative (so-called &lsquo / mixed methods&rsquo / ) to collect data in a public secondary school in Cape Town, in the Western Cape Province. A survey questionnaire on attitudes and perceptions towards high school as well as conceptions of weather was administered before the main study to give the researcher baseline information and to develop pilot instruments to use in the main study.</span></div> <div style="line-height: 150% / margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt"><span style="line-height: 150% / font-size: 12pt">&nbsp / The study employed a dialogical instructional model (DAIM) with an experimental group of learners exposed to the intervention, and recorded differences from a control group which had no intervention. Learners from the two groups were exposed to a meteorological literacy test evaluation before and after the DAIM intervention. The results from the two groups were then compared and analysed according to the two theoretical frameworks that underpin the study namely: Toulmin&rsquo / s Argumentation Pattern - TAP (Toulmin, 1958) and Contiguity Argumentation Theory - CAT (Ogunniyi, 1997).</span></div> <span style="line-height: 115% / font-size: 12pt">&nbsp / Further analyses were conducted on learners&rsquo / beliefs and indigenous knowledge, according to their conceptual understanding of weather related concepts used in the current NCS (National Curriculum Statement).&nbsp / After completing the study some interesting findings were made and based on these findings certain recommendations were suggested on how to implement a DAIM-model into classroom teaching using Indigenous Knowledge (IK). These recommendations are suggestions to plot the way towards developing a science&ndash / IK curriculum for the Natural Sciences subjects in South African schools. </span></span></span></div>

<p>&nbsp / </p> <div style="line-height: 150% / margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt"><span style="line-height: 150% / font-size: 12pt"><span style="line-height: 115% / font-family: &quot / Calibri&quot / ,&quot / sans-serif&quot / font-size: 12pt / mso-ansi-language: EN-US / mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri / mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman' / mso-fareast-language: EN-US / mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" lang="EN-US"> <div style="line-height: 150% / margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt"><span style="line-height: 150% / font-size: 12pt">This study looks at the effects of a dialogical argumentation instructional model (DAIM) on grade 9 learners understanding of selected meteorological concepts: Cold fronts in the Western Cape of South Africa. Using a quasi-experimental research design model, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative (so-called &lsquo / mixed methods&rsquo / ) to collect data in a public secondary school in Cape Town, in the Western Cape Province. A survey questionnaire on attitudes and perceptions towards high school as well as conceptions of weather was administered before the main study to give the researcher baseline information and to develop pilot instruments to use in the main study.</span></div> <div style="line-height: 150% / margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt"><span style="line-height: 150% / font-size: 12pt">&nbsp / The study employed a dialogical instructional model (DAIM) with an experimental group of learners exposed to the intervention, and recorded differences from a control group which had no intervention. Learners from the two groups were exposed to a meteorological literacy test evaluation before and after the DAIM intervention. The results from the two groups were then compared and analysed according to the two theoretical frameworks that underpin the study namely: Toulmin&rsquo / s Argumentation Pattern - TAP (Toulmin, 1958) and Contiguity Argumentation Theory - CAT (Ogunniyi, 1997).</span></div> <span style="line-height: 115% / font-size: 12pt">&nbsp / Further analyses were conducted on learners&rsquo / beliefs and indigenous knowledge, according to their conceptual understanding of weather related concepts used in the current NCS (National Curriculum Statement).&nbsp / After completing the study some interesting findings were made and based on these findings certain recommendations were suggested on how to implement a DAIM-model into classroom teaching using Indigenous Knowledge (IK). These recommendations are suggestions to plot the way towards developing a science&ndash / IK curriculum for the Natural Sciences subjects in South African schools. </span></span></span></div>

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the differences on gifted student&rsquo / s attitudes toward science and their preferred classroom climate during science classes based on gender and grade level. Two questionnaires, the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) and the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (ICEQ), were used as survey tools in this study. A group of 163 gifted and talented students among four academic levels which are eighth grade, English prep class, ninth and eleventh grade were assigned to take part in this study. The data obtained from administration of measuring instrument were analyzed by using Two-Analyses of Variance (ANOVA). Result indicated that grade level of students had a significant effect on attitudes towards science. The study found, first, lower-grade students show more positive attitudes toward science than the students at higher-grade level. Secondly, there are significant differences were found among students in their perceptions of the science classroom environment based on their gender and grade level. Female students expected more personalization than male students, higher grade students preferred to have more independence and more differentiated classroom environment than lower grade students while they are learning.

楊希. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-169). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in Chinese and English. / Yang xi.